USA Today Best Selling Author, Leah Sanders is the middle child of 7 children and moved around a lot when she was growing up. Now, with 3 children of her own, she is in awe of her mother’s ability to manage 7 children AND frequent moves.
Leah has taught English for 16 years and is quick to admit that teaching in the public school system today can be a little scary and not just keeping up with curriculum demands. Leah looks forward to the days when she will be able to stay home with her OWN children as opposed to teaching in her local high school.
Currently, Leah lives in Idaho with her husband and their children. She is still surprised occasionally surprised that she’s lived in one town for over 14 years after a childhood of frequent moves. Leah earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education in Florida and her Master’s degree in educational technology from Boise State a few years later.
More Than A Review is thrilled to share more of Leah’s story, tidbits about her career, and future works. Enjoy!
MTAR: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Leah: I would have to say that when I was little, my oldest sister would write wonderful stories, and I wanted to do that too. My brother would also write fantastic stories. They both amazed me. And when I was a freshman in high school, my English teacher told me I was a natural good writer. That inspired me to continue writing. I guess I kind of thrive on approval, what can I say?
MTAR: What inspired you to write your first book?
Leah: I’ve always loved to write, but I thought writing a novel was a pipe dream. And while I had the idea for All We See or Seem for several years, I would never have started writing it had it not been for a good friend of mine encouraging me to just do it.
MTAR: What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?
Leah: This is a difficult question for me to answer. I tend to go where the ideas/conflicts/characters lead. I do like to add as much symbolism as I can, whether it be in the character’s names or through allusion or whatever. I’m an English teacher. Love those literary layers!
MTAR: How did you choose the genre you write in?
Leah: I actually write in several genres. I’m told that I need to focus on one, but I tend to write where the ideas take me. So I have a young adult mystery adventure (Sacred Ring), a sci-fi (All We See or Seem), a historical inspirational romance (The Parting Gift) and a couple of Regency romances (Waltzing with the Wallflower and its sequel, Beguiling Bridget).
MTAR: Through your research do you typically learn something new from each book you write and what was it?
Leah: I do have to do research for every book I write. And each one is different, so I learn something new each time. For All We See or Seem most of my research was geared toward how the brain works and military protocol. The Parting Gift was time period specific, what life was like in the 1940s-50s in Detroit, names of airports at that time, etc. Sacred Ring was probably the most fun to research because it encompassed such a wide time frame and the information I found fit perfectly with what I needed the story to be.
MTAR: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Leah: Plot. Every time I get stuck on a plot point, or on a transitional “connecting the dots” scene, I struggle to keep going. I hate it when I don’t know where the story is going next. Calls for a brainstorming session with my favorite writing partner…
MTAR: Do you ever experience writer’s block?
Leah: ALL. THE. TIME.
MTAR: Do you work with an outline, or just write?
Leah: I tend to just write by the seat of my pants with a general goal of where I want the story to end up. I will mini-plot from time to time, and sometimes the characters take my story in a direction I never would have imagined from the start. Although outlining might help with my frequent writer’s block, I’m afraid it might impede the development of the story, so I don’t outline. This is not to say that I just sit down and write with no plan whatsoever. I do a fair amount of brainstorming a pre-writing ahead of time. I just allow the story to be flexible. And I do so much better if I have my title at the beginning too. It gives me a focus for my story.
MTAR: How did you come up with the title?
Leah: The title for All We See or Seem comes from the Edgar Allan Poe poem “A Dream Within a Dream”. In the book the clones don’t know the truth about themselves, so life as they know it is not the complete truth. Nothing is as it seems. There’s also the second layer to that when both the main characters have several dream sequences that point back to their lost realities.
MTAR: The first book I read that was published by Astraea Press was All We See or Seem and I loved it.
MTAR: What was your favorite chapter (or scene) to write and why?
Leah: My all-time favorite scene to write is in our new release, Beguiling Bridget, the sequel to Waltzing with the Wallflower. The two main characters are forced to spar in a fencing scene together, and Bridget’s abilities shock Anthony. It is funny, romantic, and my first prolonged action scene. I love it!
MTAR: Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
Leah: I plan to do a sequel for All We See or Seem, so I will be revisiting Gem and Gryff in their continued struggle to get away from the Endfield project. I also plan to focus more on the character of Aria in the sequel.
MTAR: We would love a sequel!
MTAR: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Leah: With All We See or Seem I wrote a story about clones. It can be a rather controversial subject, I know. The doctors are playing God, and one of them for sure has a definite “God-complex” going on, but they are convinced their “creations” are soul-less beings and not truly human. At least they choose to believe that because they don’t want to be guilty of murder. They create a carefully structured life for their product and think everything is under control. The tendency is to try to make our own way and think we’re in control of it, but it takes on a life of its own pretty soon. And the illusion of control is just “a dream within a dream”.
Here we are again, at the point where we must take a break. Never fear, part 2 will be posted on Wednesday’s blog. You won’t want to miss a single letter of Leah’s story, her future plans, and her encouragement to new authors.
See you soon!