Last Interview with Sandi Rog

Today is the last interview with Sandi in this series. Please leave a comment and I will draw for a copy of The Master's Wall Monday morning. Leave more than one comment if you want to, each will be entered in the drawing. I'm praying my computer will cooperate today.

What inspired you to write “The Master’s Wall"?

I wanted to know what it might have been like to grow up in an era when the church was under persecution. What if you were a kid and your parents were killed because of their faith and you were forced to be a slave? That just intrigued me.

What would you like the reader to take away from this novel?

I want them to ask questions. To be so struck by some of the conversations between Alethea and David that they're enticed to search the scriptures on their own for answers. I want my story to lead them to God's word.

An emotional connection with the reader is essential in writing. What are your tips on how to do that successfully?

Boy, that's a hard one. I could go through and explain all the emotional mechanics a writer should use, but there's a fine line between being melodramatic and sincerely capturing an emotion. All I can think to say is what I wrote above. Don't tell your characters what to do, let them tell you (not that plotting is a bad thing; even plotters listen to their characters). Delve into their hearts, their minds. Find out what makes them tick. What would set them off, move them, hurt them? The answers will be different for each character. Be true to their personality. Be honest, be real. Real in the sense that the reader can relate. One thing I can't stand are pious characters who act perfectly under every circumstance. I can't relate to that at all, and I don't think most the readers can, either. In my next book, the second book to this series, my main character, David, comes in contact with the man who took his parents away. This man practically raped David's mother right in front of him, and as an adult David is expected to accept this same man as his brother in Christ. The man has repented, and he admits to his past faults, but David can't forgive him, and even tries to kill him. To me, that's real. That's honest. I love delving into that kind of controversy because I believe it's something we face every day, maybe in most cases on a smaller level, but ultimately still the same. When someone harms us, then asks for forgiveness, how easy is it to forgive?

I hope this has helped you to learn more about Sandi. I'm anxious for her next book.