Sarah Ballance – Run to You

Please welcome Sarah Ballance to my month long blog party, celebrating my Regency Naughty Nibble ‘To Sin with Scandal’ due out December 27. Sarah’s book, RUN TO YOU is released today with Noble Romance Publishing. Congrats! So glad to have you here, Sarah!!!

Run to You is your second novel released by Noble Romance Publishing. Congratulations!!! Can you tell us how long it took you to write, edit and submit your manuscript? And what led you to write in the romantic suspense genre? Aw, thank you! I am beyond excited about this story. I absolutely love reading romantic suspense, and it didn’t take long to get the itch to write one. I started RUN TO YOU last fall and it took me about six months to write the first draft. I was pregnant (after having my tubes tied) with my sixth child (yes, I did say six) and so, so sick – all day long, and for most of my pregnancy. When I did finish the manuscript I more or less collapsed on the computer and didn’t edit for weeks. I felt like such a schmuck! Meanwhile, I had my baby girl and a couple of weeks after she was born my first book released on June 7. Eventually I got on the proverbial ball with edits, submitted, and received my contract from Noble 13 months after I wrote the first word of RUN TO YOU.

Can you tell us a little more about the book? After a bad breakup, my heroine just wants to get away from it all. The opportunity comes at the hands of her ex-lover, and although she’s still attracted to him, time and circumstance insist they keep things on a friendship level … at least for her. He’s neither concerned with those circumstances, nor is he at all convinced they can’t be together. Needless to say, the tension between them – romantic or otherwise – causes a few fireworks, but none so great as when her vacation fling with the local sheriff turns into far more than any of them bargained for.

How much fun did you have writing this book, or were there times when you wanted to throw up your hands and walk away? I deeply enjoyed the process with this one. My voice grew quite a bit from my first novel, almost so I felt like a new writer. Aside of the obvious difference – my first a romance, this a romantic suspense – with the second, I found myself able to shed the confines of doing it “right” and really just have fun with the story. Let’s face it … between the unexpected pregnancy and the all-day “morning sickness” for well over 25 weeks, I wasn’t going anywhere without a sense of humor, and I found a lot of solace in the written world. Unlike my real one, I had *some* control over it!

For those writers out there reading this and trying to break into publication, what advice would you give them? First, read what you want to write. I refuse to admit how many suspense novels I read while writing RUN TO YOU, but suffice to say I could have written two or three more novels if I’d spent less time reading and more time writing! Second, find a critique partner you trust. It’s probably harder than finding a good spouse, LOL, but it’s essential for your own growth as a writer. A good crit partner can offer fair criticism without trying to change your voice, and s/he won’t try to rewrite your story to suit personal taste. But as much as we all love praise, if a critter can’t find anything wrong with your words, s/he’s not looking hard enough! When you find someone who can help you make YOUR story the best it can be, hang on tight. That relationship is priceless!

Are you apart of any writing or critique groups? Would you recommend aspiring authors to join organisations like the ones you mentioned? And how have they helped you to succeed and become a published author? I have a wonderful crit partner who has been there from the beginning, and if not for her gentle prodding I wouldn’t have my first contract, let alone the second. (She gave up the gentle prodding a long time ago … as I grew as a writer she traded those kid gloves for meat hooks and I LOVE her for it!) I’ve always been really shy about putting my work “out there” so I haven’t taken the plunge on a crit group. I’m a wimp … I admit it!

What’s next for Sarah Ballance? I’m working on two novels. I didn’t plan it that way, but the second of the two wouldn’t leave me alone so I’m playing along, LOL. The first is a romance with suspenseful elements, and frankly, it gives ME the creeps. It’s a sexy contemporary, but revisits a strand of American history known for leaching over into the present – often in frightening, unsettling ways. I hope to have it finished by the end of January, but with the intrusion of the second story – a gritty romantic suspense – there’s no telling what will happen. I’m so excited about both of them, and just truly alive with the process of creation. It’s amazing, but it’s also an honor to be able to tell the stories.

Final words? Thank you so much for having me! I’m excited to have the chance to visit with a fellow Noble Romance author and look forward to getting to know your readers through their comments. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have – even personal ones! (Aren’t they the most fun? LOL!) By the way, I’m having a GREAT contest to celebrate the release of RUN TO YOU. Grab your copy and head over to my blog for details … one reader will win $25 on December 20th!

Mattie James can’t pinpoint exactly when she lost control of her life, but the moment she decided to take it back made the front page of the local paper. Desperate to dodge the fallout – and the tabloids – she jumps at the chance to spend an off-season week in a tiny resort community by the sea. Making the trip with her ex-lover is a complication she can live with; coming face to face with a dead woman is not.


The last thing Sheriff Wyatt Reed expected to find on the storm-ravaged beach was a beautiful blonde with a jealous sidekick, but one look at Mattie left him wanting more. Their first date takes an ominous turn when he gets the call that a woman was found murdered. With a killer on the loose and a troubling lack of suspects or motive, Wyatt has to put his feelings aside to focus on the case. But his vow not to become personally involved is shattered when he discovers Mattie’s life is on the line, and this time the truth leaves her with a deadly choice . . . and nowhere to run.

Thank you, for joining me today, Sarah, and may I wish you all the best with your future writing career. RUN TO YOU sounds like a great read, can’t wait to read it myself. Sarah has been kind enough to say she will drop in over the day and reply to any questions you may ask, so feel free to chat, we welcome all comments. You can find out more about Sarah Ballance, and her book(s) and works in progress on her blog and website. To Purchase RUN TO YOU please visit Noble Romance Publishing.

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