Sandi Rog and The Master's Wall, 5

We have one more interview after today. Sandi is doing as well as could be expected. She is very tired with the chemo and steroids. The lymphoma is T-Cell. Sandi told me that last night. If you heard A-Cell, it's wrong. It is T-Cell. I have been impressed with her acceptance of this and how she is encouraging me as I try to deal with it. This shows how strong her faith is.

I hope you have enjoyed these little tidbits of the interview. I want you to realize what a wonderful person Sandi is.

I'm having trouble pasting the interview into my blog. My computer has a mind of it's own sometimes.

Let me try to tell you a little from the interview. I hate to do this, but when the computer does not cooperate, you have to try something new.

Things I know about Sandi.
1. She is not a plotter. She lets her characters speak for themselves.She likes them to tell her what they want to do.
2. Her writing time gets interrupted a lot with a three year old. She has to be mommy and put her writing aside sometimes.
3. She is quirky and fun to be with. She has a marvelous sense of humor and has never seen a stranger. On the other side, she can be very serious.
4. She loves hearing from people. Her web sites are : www.SandiRog.com and www.SandiRog.blogspot.com. She may not be able to answer you right now, but she is amazed how much people care about her.
5. She has a deep faith in God. This shows in her attitude toward this horrible disease.
6. She is an encourager. For me especially, she has encouraged me in my writing and in my private life more than anyone will ever know.
7. She looks forward. Not only does she look forward to her earthly home, but to her heavenly one also.
8. She likes Indian food. That's from the country India.
9. Her biggest weakness is self-doubt.
10. She is a praying person. She prays about everything, her writing, her friends, her family. We are to pray without ceasing and she does.
11. I meant to write ten, but I have to put this in. She is the best friend anyone could have.

Sandi Rog and The Master's Wall, 4

Over the week-end Sandi and I exchanged emails. I didn't have to rely on Facebook to get my information. She has A-Cell Lymphoma and it was caused from the drug she took for MS. This is horrible. You expect a drug to help you, not try to kill you. Sandi is a strong Christian and she is fighting like crazy.

She has asked if anyone wants to do anything to help her, please buy her book. DeWard Publishing, sent out emails yesterday stating they would give an additional $1 to Sandy and her family for each book sold. You can contact DeWard Publishing.com or go to Amazon to purchase a book without leaving your chair. They make wonderful Christmas presents.

Remember to leave a comment to be have your name placed in the drawing on November 15.

Now more of her interview. Sandi, we love you!


 What other books have you written, whether published or not?

I wrote a historical romance about a half-breed Cheyenne warrior and a Dutch pioneer woman. I became intrigued with the Sand Creek Massacre and the fact that I grew up in Colorado and never knew about this horrific "holocaust." The idea of a Native American Christian coming face-to-face with white men who claimed to be Christians as they killed innocent people from his tribe, including children (all true according to history, by the way), really challenged me, so I had to write about it.

Not many houses want Native American stories, so that one isn't published.

 How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Good question. Yes, life in American is ten times faster than it was in Holland. It leaves me breathless. So, we say "no" to a lot of things. We have a family dinner with the kids and simply hide out at home. 

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Writing related: That I finished THE MASTER'S WALL. This story has been in me for years. Now on to the next in the series, YAHSHUA'S BRIDGE.

  If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A cat. So I can curl up and sleep all day.

What is your favorite food?

Indian food (India Indian, not Native American Indian). 

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Not knowing the craft. So, I learned it. My Native American story mentioned above was my "practice novel." It won first place in the 2005 West Virginia Novel Competition, so I don't think it turned out too bad.

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Learn the craft! Get your hands on Dave King and Renni Browne's book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. Or stop by my blog where Dave and other fabulous editors hang out, and learn about the craft: http://thebookdoctorbd.blogspot.com/.

Sandi Rog and The Master's Wall 3

We are going to continue our interview with Sandi Rog. She is still in the hospital and so far that is all I know. I pray we will hear something soon and that it will be good news. Well, here goes again.


  Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

There's a piece of myself in all my characters. Even the bad guys. My bad guy in this story (the grandfather) is a bit insane and arrogant. E-hem. I'm ashamed to say I see a little of myself in him as well! Aaack! Better work on that. I also see myself in David. He's hot tempered, but has a passion to please God. Yep, that's me. Then there's Alethea. She's carefree and foolish, but at the same time shrewd, especially when it comes to protecting her own hide. Yes, that's me, too. :-)

  What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

One morning I climbed out of bed to take my two-year-old to preschool. This took place when we lived in Holland, by the way. So, I fed her, got her dressed and loaded her on the bike (we rode bikes, not cars out there). I dropped her off, and right across the street was the grocery store. There were some items I needed, so I decided to head on over there. Because it was so close, I decided to walk.

I crossed the street, pushing my bike, and then I went into the store. As I walked along, a man looked at me, looked away, then looked at me again. Surely, my hair and clothes weren't in that bad of shape. Yes, I'd just crawled out of bed, or felt like I had, but there was no call for anyone to take extra notice—or so I thought. Another couple walked by and gave me a strange look. Well, maybe I did look pretty bad. Finally, one woman's eyes darted downward and rested on me, or whatever it was she saw, so I also looked down. To my surprise, I was still pushing my bike! I'd walked my bike into the grocery store.

I chuckled and managed to get the words out in Dutch, "I'm not awake yet." I think it was my first official joke in Dutch. The woman laughed, so it must have worked. Well, I managed to get the bike turned around and parked it outside where it belonged. After that, I was wide awake.

As you can see by these questions that Sandi is a lot of fun and laughs at her own mistakes.

Update on Sandi Rog

Yesterday Sandi had the biopsy. I haven't heard anything more. I always say no news is good news. I know she was concerned from the last time I talked to her and that was a week ago. I pray they can find what is wrong and correct it so we will have our Sandi back.

Just a little update on me. The surgery on my left knee is scheduled for January. At least I will get through the holidays before I have it done. I wanted to have it earlier, but the doctor didn't want to, so I have to go by what he thinks best.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. There are twists and turns in the book that I did not expect. I want to tell you, but it would ruin it for you. The shock of things I didn't expect has made it such a good book. I love to be surprised.

Remember Sandi in your prayers. I'll have more of her interview tomorrow.

Continued Interview With Sandi Rog

We're going to learn a little more about Sandi Rog today. She will be having a biopsy soon to see what is in her head. Continue to keep her in your prayers.

First, I’m sure our readers would like to know, who is Sandi Rog and why does she like to write Inspirational Fiction?

Hi, there! It's great to be here, Katt. Thank you for having me. I'm originally from Colorado but spent thirteen years in my husband's homeland of Holland where three of my children were born. We have a fourth child who was born here (we're back in the States now). We got her a little t-shirt that says BORN IN AMERICA. It was special because she was the only one of all my kids born here.

I didn't grow up in the church, and after I became a Christian at 16, I decided it was time to clean up my reading. So, I started reading Christian Fiction. Well, I never thoroughly enjoyed reading Inspirational Fiction; it was boring and preachy. But I kept trying. Finally, after a "traumatic experience" with a fiction novel, I vowed to never read it again. While in Holland, I purchased a 500+ page Inspirational novel during a short visit to the States (this was before we could buy books on Internet; wow, makes me feel old, lol). Anyway, I brought it back with me to Holland and devoured it, desperate for something in English that was trustworthy. Well, after wading through sermon after sermon and boring description after boring description, the story finally got moving in the LAST CHAPTER! It was then that I found out it was a SEQUEL (I had no way to get back to the States to buy the next books; not that I really wanted to)! I literally threw the book across the room and vowed to never read Inspirational Fiction again. That's when I decided to write what I wanted to read. So . . . that's why I like to write Inspirational Fiction. Sounds negative, I know. But it's true.

Since then, I've come across MANY wonderful authors and stories. The Inspirational market has improved tremendously! It appears I wasn't the only one who wanted "more."

When did you first discover you wanted to be a writer?

See the story above. :-) But I'll also add . . .

I didn't always want to be a writer. I had other plans. Like becoming an actress or a singer. Once I hit college, I decided acting and singing weren’t for me. But there was always one constant: writing. When I was in fifth grade, I wrote a poem that an adult didn’t believe I wrote. I was shocked by his accusation because I had indeed written the poem all by myself. At the time, I didn’t realize his accusation was a compliment. I also wrote some short stories for a project in Junior High. The teacher thought one of my stories was true and shared with the class how important it is that we “write what we know.” I destroyed her point when I announced that the story was actually fiction. I don’t think she was too happy with me after that. However, by this time I was old enough to see the compliment. In high school, after convincing my mom that the 17 absences I had in English were a computer glitch (I still had an "A"), you'd think I would have realized I had a knack for words and for "telling stories."

Thanks Sandi, and we'll learn more about you Friday.

Sandi Rog and The Master's Wall, 2

Today, I had a late start doing everything. So far I have not posted anything about the interview with Sandi.

Sandi is in the hospital with a mass/tumor on her brain or skull. Although she has MS, this is in no way connected with MS. In fact, her MS in doing very well. At this time, she needs prayers.

Tomorrow, I will do another part of the interview and I will be adding to it on Friday. Next week, I will put more on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can leave a message anytime and the drawing will be held Friday.

Tell your friends to come by and leave a comment.

Interview with Sandi Rog

First, this is a two week interview with Sandi. There will be snippets of her each day until November 15. Her book goes on sale today, November 1, and I am so pleased that I was included in her decision to publish with DeWard Publishers.

On November 15, we will draw for a free autographed copy of The Master's Wall. You may leave a comment as often as you wish. Each comment will go into a drawing for her book. I am pleased to interview her during this special time in her life.

Sandi has been my friend since August, 2009. We roomed together at ACFW in Denver. It was an experience, a wonderful experience. I grew to love her and respect her.

Sandi is first of all a Christian. Her faith has impressed me and her writing shows her love of God. She is a wife and mother of four precious children. Her husband's precious also. I couldn't leave him out because of all he does for her.

Today, we will look at the back cover of The Master's Wall. Tomorrow, I will start asking questions to Sandi. Then you will get to know more about her and her writing.

THE MASTER'S WALL

He fights for his freedom. She fights for her life. Together, they fight for each other.

After watching Roman soldiers drag his parents away to their death, David, a young Hebrew, is sold and enslaved to serve at a villa outside of Rome. As David trains to become a skilled fighter, he works hard to please his master and hopes to earn his freedom. However, an opportunity to escape tempts him with its whispering call. Freedom beckons, but invisible chains hold him captive to the master's granddaughter, an innocent girl with a fiery spirit. David vows to protect Alethea from his master, the murderous patriarch, and contrives a daring plan—sacrifice his own life to save hers.

Please don't forget to leave a comment. I'll see you tomorrow.