Finding Grace – A Novel by Sarah PawleyAvailable in paperback and Kindle format since April 1st. Coming soon to Barnes and Noble and other online retailers.
Grace is seventeen and still unmarried, and for a girl from the country, that's socially unacceptable. When her parents try to force her hand, she flees and rejoins her brother and his wife. She finds a new life and a first real love. But the past will catch up with her...
Today Sarah Pawley is here on Fly High to answer some questions about her latest release. Join me and welcome her here then, have a look at her site ( HERE ) or on goodreads (HERE) to have the chance to win one of 5 signed copies of her Finding Grace!
Let's meet Sarah, now!
Hello and welcome back on Fly High, Sarah! Tell us a little about your heroine, Gracie. How did she come about? Was there anyone in particular that you modeled her after?
The heroine is Gracie Langdon, a young woman living in Virginia in the 1920’s. Gracie is an amalgam of several people, particularly my aunt. She was the only girl among five, was a big part of the creation. She had it pretty rough growing up. It was a great source of inspiration to hear some of her stories.
This is not the first edition of this story. It was first released in 2008. What made you decide to release a new edition?
This was the first novel I ever had published. When I first wrote it, I was very raw as a writer. I had a lot to learn, and I still do, but I think this edition has evolved tremendously from that first printing. It’s a story that’s
close to my heart, and I want to share it with others.
Is there any of you in Gracie?
I think there’s a little bit of every writer in their hero or heroine. Gracie and I have a lot in common, especially our love for Jane Eyre. We both identify with the struggle of being ourselves in a world that wants to mold us into an ideal form.
That’s an intriguing statement. Can you tell us a little more?
In her little part of the world, Gracie is ostracized because she doesn’t follow tradition. She isn’t interested in doing what her society expects. In those times, the goal for a woman was to get married as soon as possible, have children, and be a housewife and mother. That was a woman’s place. There was little room for anything different.
For me, I had some of the same issues growing up, even in these modern times. We have come a long way, but there are still those old ideas lurking out there. I’ve often been told, “You need to find someone before it’s too late.” Oh really? Is there a deadline for finding your better half? Strangely, no one seems to have the answer to this.
There is also this idea, as I see it, that there is something wrong with being intelligent and thoughtful. The word I hear all the time is “Nerd” or “Geek.” I’ve come to embrace it, though. As the old song says, “I gotta be me. What else can I be but what I am?” That’s pretty much my life’s philosophy.
Now, we come to your hero of the story. I know you’re a Richard Armitage fan, and I had a feeling that your Henry Shaw might have been inspired by him? Just a little?
Guilty. *Grins* The first edition of this story was written in 2007, not long after I had discovered Richard and his work. I had his image in my head and I couldn’t shake it, so I gave that image to Henry. But the character, like Gracie, is based on several people, including a co-worker/friend that I knew a long time ago. (His name was Henry, of course.) He was pushy, arrogant, and very selfish at times. But deep down inside of him was a very sweet and funny person. He just didn’t like to show that side of himself. To get to it, you had to dig pretty deep.
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| With a hero like this, who wouldn't want to read a book? |
Thank you for sharing a little bit about yourself and your story, Sarah. Is there anything currently in the works?
It’s been my pleasure. Yes, I have written a little in terms of a continuation, but I don’t have any idea when it will come to fruition. We’ll see what happens. Happy reading, everyone!
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