Author Interview: Gail Sattler

Hey everyone, we have a fun interview today with Gail Sattler. Have you ever considered writing a novella? Gail's here to share some tips you'll find helpful. Read on! ~ Annette

Gail, your new anthology releases this month. You wrote all four novellas. Tell us more. Do the stories in the compilation relate to each other?

Yes. The first story is a modern-day retelling of the tale of Cinderella, except Cinderella is named Cindy, and her Prince is Luke Princeton, who owns and operations Like A Prince Car Rentals with his partner and best friend. Instead of being a scullery maid, this contemporary Cindy owns and operates her father’s brake and muffler shop. This Cinderella doesn't wear glass slippers—at work she wears ANSI approved steel-toed safety boots—so at the ball, she loses something else.

The second story is about her first stepsister, Annie, who has reformed and is working on healing her relationship with Cindy. She’s trying her best to make her past wrongs right, but things become complicated when she starts working for Cindy's husband and his partner, Brent. While she’s trying to make things right, everything seems to be going wrong.

The third story is about Cindy’s second stepsister, Zella, who has also reformed. Zella’s mother, Cindy’s stepmother, has not changed her ways, making Zella very uncomfortable. In Zella’s efforts to get away and run her own life, she meets a man who could be her Mr. Right, except he has a secret. And not telling her when the time was right makes him very wrong.

The fourth story is about Cindy’s godmother. Since fairies aren’t real, the Fairy Godmother becomes Farrah the godmother. Farrah is stable and happy, but she is also lonely. For most of her life she’s kept busy, not giving herself opportunity to meet another man to love. When she’s finally ready, time seems to have passed her by. When she meets the man who could be her Mr. Right, she can’t let the same thing happen to him, but he has other ideas.

Should readers read them in order?

Yes. Each story moves on in time from the previous story, so the reader needs to read them in order.

How does one plot for a compilation?

For this, it was easy, I used an existing classic story and picked out the four main women and gave them each their own story. I’ve written other series before, and done pretty much the same thing, and that is to continue on the same lines with a key secondary character from the previous story.

If someone’s used to writing full-length novels, what advice do you have for them for plotting and/or writing a novella?

Novellas are harder to write than most people think. The reader expects and needs a full and interesting story, but that story must be told in less than half the words. Usually there isn’t room for a subplot. My best advice for someone writing a novella is to very carefully consider which scenes are necessary to the plot, and which aren’t, and keep down the description and backstory. The delete button is your friend. I go over word count on every novella I do, then have to cut what isn’t absolutely necessary. Make your plot go from A to B with no detours.

What are some key ways to make a novella compilation proposal stand out?

Have a theme and promote it. Have something unique that is shared by all four stories. Also, the biggest attraction for novellas is that they are a fast read in a fast-paced society. Keep every scene interesting, and be prepared to end it and move on in order to have room for all the scenes you need to make a full story in a short amount of words.

What is the hardest thing about writing a novella?

Keeping it short when you have a whole story to tell. That means keeping descriptions short but not too blunt, and telling the story fast without feeling like you’re rushing or leaving out important details in order to get a whole story into 20,000 words, or whatever the word count is.

What’s the easiest?

Sticking to the basics with description, with plot, and characterization. In longer novels you have to know more, and show more, about the characters and setting. In a novella, you can’t because you don’t have room to expound on those things. I’m not saying you don’t have to know your character or setting as well, because you actually have to know those things better. By knowing your characters better before you start writing, you make the writing easier.

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Gail Sattler lives in Vancouver BC with her husband, 3 sons, 2 dogs, and a lizard named Bub who is quite cuddly for a reptile when he isn't eating her houseplants. When Gail isn't writing she plays piano for the worship team at her Mennonite Brethren church, or electric bass for a local jazz band, and in the new year she's going to try out a community orchestra with her acoustic double bass. When Gail is writing, she writes tales of love, always faithful to the happily-ever-after ending readers of romance have come to know and love.

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Seattle Cinderella:

Cinderella lives—except her name is Cindy and she resides in Seattle.

Cindy is forced to run her late father’s muffler shop. Will her step-sisters’ shenanigans and Luke Princeton’s charms only make her life even more unbearable?

Cindy’s step-sister Annie has reformed her ways. But how will she prove it to the man she loves?

Step-sister Zella is writing her own love story. But is she using a poison pen?

Cindy’s godmother, Farrah, has caught the attentions of a younger man. Does she have the courage to love again?

How far will God go to give these each of these women a happy-ever-after ending?

Christmas Treat Series: A Log Cabin Christmas

If you enjoy reading Christmas stories during the holiday season, you're in for a treat this Mixing-it-Up Monday. Recently, I interviewed author Liz Johnson about the new nine-in-one compilation called A Log Cabin Christmas. She's one of the nine contributing authors. This collection hit the New York Times bestseller list in September, shortly after its release. See the note dated September 28th from the editor, Becky Germany, here. Congratulations to everyone involved! Relax and enjoy this second Christmas treat. ~ Annette

How did this project come about?

A Log Cabin Christmas Collection really came about because of Becky Germany, the brilliant fiction editor at Barbour. She had a vision for a book that featured stories set in American log cabins in the 1800s and invited authors to submit their novella proposals. I have no idea how many proposals Becky received. I just know that after a couple months of waiting on pins and needles, I received a very kind rejection note. Yep. Becky had filled all the slots and couldn't use my story. I was terribly sad, but loved my story so much that I couldn't just give it up. I was busy thinking of places it might fit, when I received a call, email, and text from my agent--all of which I missed! As I understand it, another author was unable to participate, and Becky offered me the vacant spot. I'm so glad she did!

This is a novella compilation. Tell us about that process. Was there a lot of collaboration? Do the stories overlap? Is it key to read the book from first novella through to the last, etc.? Any advice for writers who are collaborating on a project?

Each of the novellas in the collection is written by a different author and completely self-contained, so readers can enjoy them in any order. We didn't officially collaborate on the writing portion. Unofficially, however, I was honored to work with Michelle Ule, who authored A Dogtrot Christmas. She suggested we swap stories and give each other feedback. Her suggestions really improved my story, and I ended up with the easiest edit I've ever had. My only advice for other authors working on a compilation like this one is to be open to feedback from their fellow authors and especially their editors. Editors get to see the big picture of the collection long before the authors do. 

What is the theme of your novel or novella? How did you tie Christmas into the story? How did you go about choosing a theme for this story?

My novella, A Star in the Night, is about Cora Sinclair, a woman who serves at a field hospital toward the end of the Civil War. She sees things at the hospital that stay with her, invading her dreams and leaving her terrified of being a woman in love with a man who might never come back from the war. Following the Battle of Franklin in Tennessee on November 30, 1864, Cora finds a wounded union soldier and takes him back to the cabin she shares with her grandfather. But as she's nursing Jed back to health, Cora's nightmares continue. And it's Jed who challenges her to cast her cares at the feet of Jesus. The theme grew naturally out of the situation and the characters. I just tried to imagine how I would react to seeing that kind of pain and loss. It stays with a person and can cause anxiety. But the Bible is pretty clear that we're to cast all of our cares on Him. And the Christmas tie-in, again, came naturally out of the time of year. Cora makes Jed promise not to leave until Christmas, as he's still recovering. As he's stuck there, they plan their Christmas celebration.

What is your best advice for writers working on a seasonal novel or novella? Did you set a mood as you wrote in order to get into the Christmas spirit? Did you write it at Christmastime in past years, or during the hot summer months? ;) 

I'm so glad I didn't have to write this during the summer, or I would have had a terrible time getting into the Christmas spirit. :) I signed my contract on this one in October, so I could have—maybe should have—written it in December. But like any good procrastinator, I waited until after Christmas to really dive into it. So my little tree and lights stayed up in my apartment clear through January. I refused to take them down with the hope that they'd help keep me in the spirit. I think they did their job pretty well. I do find that regardless of the time of year, looming deadlines always get me in the mood to write what I need to. :) 

What are you hoping readers take away from your story? How will your story minister to readers? How can writers help their readers glean the takeaway?

I hope readers will be encouraged to let go of their worry and fears and be reminded that God cares for them. I think it's easy to forget that God cares about the things that weigh heavy on our hearts, and the only way to truly get through them is to lay them at his feet. Writers each have their own way of sharing the takeaway of their stories, so I'd suggest they write what feels natural and authentic to them.

Thank you for visiting Seriously Write in December! We wish you all His best this Christmas season and always.

Thanks for having me!

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Liz Johnson is a full-time marketing specialist by day and a writer by night. She makes her home in Nashville, TN, where she enjoys exploring the history of the area, theater, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her two nephews and three nieces. She loves stories of true love with happy endings. Follow her misadventures in writing at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com.