I’m happy to welcome author Eden Monroe. Today, Eden shares interesting facts about her creative journey and her new release, Who Buried Sarah.

Interview

What was your inspiration for this book?

My inspiration for any project is to change things up a bit. That’s why I decided on Who Buried Sarah, not who killed Sarah. The loss of a beautiful young woman always makes for a gripping story and in this case I thought it would be interesting to have three young men besotted with her. I love a good romantic twist so that’s also part of the inspiration – stir things up a little because Sarah, a newly-minted schoolteacher and the daughter of a prominent local pastor, is no shrinking violet.

What is the best part of being an author?

I love getting lost in a story, carried away to somewhere else – always somewhere better. It’s an opportunity to let my imagination soar, feel the story, wear it, hang out with my characters – cry with them, laugh with them, let them draw me into their world. In my opinion it’s the best possible feeling. Sometimes their reality is just better. The latter has been especially true during the past year. In August of 2022 I found the body of my spouse, too late to revive him. During the long months that followed, my writing allowed me to escape to another world – even for a little while. It has helped me deal with the crushing agony of that loss.

The worst?

People automatically assume you’re incredibly wealthy as soon as you put pen to paper, and also that writing a book is the easiest job in the world. The truth is, from start to finish it is actually very labour intensive.

Which authors have inspired you?

Oh so many! Lucy Maud Montgomery had an enormous effect on me, as did Farley Mowat. Authors that make a writer want to write. Amy Tan, Michael Anderson Bradley, James A. Michener, Stephen King, Dan Brown, James Patterson, Elizabeth Hay, David Adams Richards. So many superb storytellers, and it’s not just what they’ve written, but what they have to say about the craft of writing. Their attitude, what drives them … how they reach back, remembering those who are coming behind them. Suspense novelist Joan Hall Hovey never ceases to inspire me in more ways than just what she writes; Charles Dickens, Janet Dailey. Like I said, so many….

What is your favourite quote?

In Who Buried Sarah, it’s “Her gaze shifted to the muddy boots sitting on the floor by her chair. She would no doubt be scolded for any dirt that had shaken free onto the carpet because Cranston insisted on a spotless home. It was as if suddenly those boots had become the metaphor for what was wrong with their marriage, had always been wrong with it. Her job would always be to clean his boots.”

That paragraph stirs emotion within me because it is an epiphanal moment for Sarah’s mother, Maude Estey – an awakening that gives her the courage to finally leave her abusive husband.

In general it would have to be a quote from Anne of Green Gables: “In the other corner was the aforesaid three-corner table adorned with a fat, red velvet pin-cushion hard enough to turn the point of the most adventurous pin.”

I’ve never forgotten that quote because it’s so deliciously descriptive. Lucy Maud Montgomery made me care about a pincushion. She also made me to want to write.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

My advice is to not be afraid to write those first words. I’ve been asked so many times by aspiring writers – how should I start? You start by starting. It’s as simple as that. Just start writing. Don’t expect it to be profound – just write something. When you first read it back there’s a pretty good chance you won’t like it, but don’t delete it … at least not right away. Walk away for a while and when you read it again, later, you’ll probably be surprised that what you thought was horrible is not so bad after all. It just needs work, but you can’t build on or improve something that’s not been written yet. There has to be a starting point.

Also, a good editor will be your best friend, because at the end of the day you both want the same thing – a great manuscript. Don’t think that everything you write is divinely sent and should not be tampered with. You cannot grow that way, you must be open to editorial criticism and suggestions. It’s also important to learn your craft, study it. Actually you should never stop learning. And finally, don’t let rejection discourage you. It happens. When it does, it’s okay to cry, throw something non-breakable … whatever, then get back to work.

What are you working on next?

My next project is another romantic suspense trilogy, The McClures. It’s about an American mother and her children who immigrate to New Brunswick, Canada in the 1800’s in a desperate flight for their lives. But there are challenges waiting on this side of the border too. Emma McClure finds the solitude she sought for her and her family, but their storms are far from over.

Blurb

Sarah, the only child of Rev. and Mrs. Cranston Estey, was betrothed to Connor McLagen of the affluent McLagen family. The McLagens were socially revered, although there were rumours of nefarious underpinnings to their substantial wealth, and the God-fearing Esteys were not in favour of the marriage.

Three days before the June 1927 wedding, Sarah disappeared. Her note said she’d changed her mind and decided to leave town.

A week later she was found, buried in a rose garden, the gruesome and sensational discovery knocking New Brunswick prohibition wars out of the headlines.

There were many with secrets to keep…

Excerpt

“Then stop playing with fire. Look, I like it that you want to … go further … but not now, darling. We have to wait for the right time and I promise to live up to your expectations. There will be nothing holding us back then, but I promise I will be gentle.”

Shifting away from him slightly, she gazed out across the river. “I understand that. I’m not exactly inexperienced about such things, Connor.”

Had she really just said that aloud? She was aghast that the secret she knew she had to share with him at some point had spontaneously bubbled to the surface. This was probably the worst time for such a revelation, but there was no turning back now.

There was silence as she waited for the fallout from the bomb she’d just dropped, not daring to look at him.

“Excuse me?” he asked after a moment, his voice gone hard. “What did you mean by that, Sarah?”

Apparently this had unexpectedly become the time for truth telling. She was as surprised as he was it was happening, but she loved him too much not to be completely honest. She’d just thought it would somehow be easier to do. “What I mean is … I’ve … ahhh … been with a man before.”

He was deadly calm. “In what way?”

Author Bio and Links

Eden Monroe writes about real life, real issues and struggles, and triumphing against all odds. A proud east coast Canadian, she enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and a good book.

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Giveaway

The author will award a $20 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Eden on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.