Romantic novelist shares tips and stories

By Stephen Dyell

What's On Thorold

Aspiring novelists attended a special Valentine’s Day workshop to hand out pointers, books and most importantly a word from someone who is slowly conquering the ranks of romantic novels.

Sandra Orchard, a McMaster graduate with a major in Mathematics has found her way from numbers to words that draw the attention of numerous people across the country to fall in love with her writing style.

“I always wanted to write since I was little. I began writing curriculums and book reviews,” Orchard stated. “Once my children got older I discovered Christian Fiction Romance after my mother died and what really appealed to me was seeing them go through the same emotions I was facing. Grieving and conquering in them really inspired me.”

That inspiration of the battle through character emotions brought paper and pen together for the first time for the mother of three.

The road was not easy and she managed to keep hush to those around her about her new found hidden talent as she knew quite clearly the odds of writing success in a world filled with internet bloggers and story tellers.

“I didn’t tell anybody I was writing for quite some time. Even when I went to my first writers’ conference, only my family knew. I was really a closet writer.”

It was in September of 2011 after the definition of blood, sweat and tears were yielded in a valiant effort of making connections and impacting reviewers, Orchard had her first book published.

Deep Cover, a romantic novel was a success from bookstore to bookstore but that did not slow down Orchard as she began instantly on a second novel. 

“I enjoy brainstorming new stories. I love the energy and creativity and the feeling that I can take this story anywhere,” the Niagara Region native stated. “I dread getting bogged down in the middle of writing the story, feeling like it’s not interesting enough, or that the pace is wrong and then grappling to know how to fix it.”

Her second novel “Shades of Truth” is scheduled to hit stores in March as she prepares for a writers biggest challenge­ — a second published novel.

Tuesday night, Orchard was helping out those still on their first.

Listening to someone who’s faced rejection and knows the field of writing brought questions from the public from agent choices to tips on character development.

“There is a lot of great “how to” books. There are tons of great websites depending on the genre you are aiming for,” Orchard said leaving the greatest advice for last. “The most important thing is just to write.”

Orchard who is now on her third novel believes anybody can write if they have the passion and commitment to enjoy the highs as much as the lows.

“I encourage people to write the stories that are on their heart and then learn some craft and go back and see if you can make something out of the story.”

Orchard will be at the Heritage Christian Book Store at the Grantham plaza on March 24 to sign copies of her book. You can also get writing tips and read more into her characters on her website http://www.sandraorchard.com.