Fiction Scribe

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe Mr. Sandell!

Thank you! I am very glad, and excited to stop by and visit your blog today. I think we are going to have lots of fun!

List five words that define you as a person.

That is a great way to get all your blog readers to get a broad brush stroke of me. Let me see here I would probably say: enthusiastic, fun-loving, creative, male, and adventuresome.

Tell us briefly about the books you have published.

Well, I have been so blessed to have published two fantastic stories The Wager and The Christmas Rose. Both stories center around the journey the protagonist of each story takes.

The Wager is an emotional, intense, and thrilling journey of Marvin Simon. Marvin lost his wife, job, happiness, dreams, and plans. His life which was everything he ever wanted sadly gets away, in the blink of an eye. Buried in the valley and darkness of pain, missed expectations, and failure Marvin is greeted one night by a mysterious guest who offers him a deal he cannot resist, Marvin can gain a lifetime of happiness if he gives up his only son. Join Marvin on his incredible heartfelt journey as he experiences the consequences of his choices, lies, betrayal, and even murder as he learns what true happiness is all about.

The Christmas Rose is a heart-felt journey taken by Jasmine Reese. Jasmine learns the invaluable lesson of how to cope with pain as she experiences more pain than few people can ever imagine. However, Jasmine is the recipient of a great gift, she is granted the opportunity to go back and right the wrongs of her past. Her journey is inspirational, her will is continually persevering, and her story will be a Christmas classic for years to come.

You mentioned that you twenty-two years old. Can you tell us a bit about how you got into the publishing world at such a young age?

Well, one of the biggest reasons why I decided to write a novel is because I spent long periods of time analyzing how I spend my free time, and I came to the conclusion that my free time could be spent for something far more constructive than video games, sitting on the couch watching television, or looking at trash on the internet.

I will say that writing a novel has taught me a great lesson of hard work and perseverance. Breaking into publishing can happen at any age with a good story, and I wrote my first story between my freshman and sophomore years of college. I had a dream of publishing a book, so after I finished writing The Wager I sent it off, and a few months later I was signing the contract. But, persistence, hard-work, and a very gracious God helped me break into print at such a young age.

What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer?

EDITING! EDITING! I’ll stop beating around the bush and say editing;). I have found my Achilles’ heal in writing and I would say that is editing. I do believe this is something I am improving on continuously, but I honestly have to say I have a long way to go. If I made the rules about writing and grammar I would personally make it easy on everyone and make each book one long sentence.

I think that would make writing fairly easy, but it may make reading fairly difficult. Publicity was something I found confusing at first, mainly because I didn’t know how to do it. The Internet makes it easier to publicize, and I am very thankful for that. So, to answer your question in case you were unsure, the most difficult part for me is editing.

If you could do it all again, what – if anything – would you do differently?

I would have started earlier. I think the earlier you start the more you can learn. So, I probably would have pushed my first published date from twenty to around seventeen. I would also have read more. Personally, I think that is where you can learn a lot, from reading other authors.

You expand your vocabulary, you find styles that work, you learn how to build romance, you fashion suspense and thrilling moments, and you learn how to unpack a good story. I’m beginning to read more now, but I do have some serious catching up to do.

You also mentioned that you are donating some of the royalties from your book sales. Could you tell us a bit more about that and why you chose to go that route?

One of the big reasons why I got into writing is because it does lead itself to the opportunity to give something back. I have been so blessed to sponsor a child from India with Compassion International, and I think this has been one excellent experience. I have decided to give 1/3 of my royalties to help fight Leukemia.

I chose to go that route so I could give young people with this terrible disease a chance at life, at love, at scoring the game winning goal, at graduating from high school, and at fulfilling their dreams. If only one life was changed through my writing or my money donated to charity, I would say my writing career has been a huge success.

Do you have any interesting writing habits/quirks?

I write at night 95% of the time. I usually have with me a cup of tea, coffee, and soda when I write. I always write watching a movie, sports, or television show. Right now as I type I am sitting in a very odd position on this leather chair. Also, I do not outline at all my writing. I just go with the flow!

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have been given/learned in your life as a writer?

My advice is three part: 1. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Writing is so unpredictable that you always need to have something else to do. 2. Have people criticize and offer advice, there is always room to improve. Take the criticism gracefully, evaluate it, and see if this criticism can help improve your story.3. Write a story that is exciting, unpredictable, makes sense, and has one surprise ending! If a reader can guess your entire story they don’t have to take the time to read it.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

I love playing sports, reading comic books, hanging out with friends, I have a great girlfriend, I have an awesome family, and I enjoy trying new food, ideas, and adventures!

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers here?

I have a wonderful girlfriend, I cannot thank God enough for this great opportunities to touch lives through writing, and my parents are the inspiration behind every word. My email is brianwrites15@yahoo.com, my website is www.christianthrillernovels.com, and you can buy my books on Amazon right here.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great success.