Meet author Sandra Merville Hart

Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known yet fascinating facts from American history to include in her stories. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. She is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher. Connect with Sandra on her blog, https://sandramervillehart.com/.

Tell us about your newest book.

A Southern belle fights to reclaim her home, but will her spying destroy the Union officer she never meant to love? 

Savannah Adair has endured the unimaginable, hiding in a cave while her beloved Vicksburg was under siege. With the city now occupied by Union soldiers, Savannah cannot stand by and do nothing. So when one of the gaunt, half-starved Confederate prisoners asks her to spy for the South, she can’t refuse the chance to take back her home.

First Lieutenant Travis Lawson takes pride in the Union army’s hard-fought victory, but he quickly realizes that the challenges of rebuilding and reconciliation are just beginning . . . and not everyone is appreciative of changes he’s making. Namely, the fiery and alluring Savannah Adair. Despite their differing loyalties and the societal divide between them, Travis cannot deny the growing feelings he has for her. When he is tasked with finding Southern spies in Vicksburg and he captures a female spy, Travis is forced to consider that the woman he’s beginning to love may be the enemy.

What inspired you to write your story?

The Confederate army lost both its army and the city at the Civil War Battle of Vicksburg. They surrendered on July 4, 1863. I learned that Vicksburg citizens didn’t celebrate Independence Day for about one hundred years.

What made that experience so terrible that the city couldn’t celebrate the independence of the United States for a century?

I had to discover what those citizens endured. It took three books to write their story. From 1861-1863, through mainly fictional—and a few historical—characters, Books 4 – 6 transport readers to a small Southern city on a bluff beside the Mississippi River, one that the Union was as determined to conquer as the Confederacy was to protect it.

What genre do you focus on.

I write Historical Romance because of my love for history. My favorite novels are those that transport me back in time. I want to experience their way of life, their challenges, and the “current” events of that period. That’s what I try to do for my readers. I research for my stories until I feel as if I’m there…only then can I transport my readers to that time period.

Why do you write?

Stories have pursued my imagination relentlessly my whole life. Now that I’m writing them down, there’s a calm that settles over me when the story is finally completed and on paper. The peace that I feel upon reaching those wonderful words “THE END” lets me know that I’ve found my place in this world. I write because I can’t stop. I won’t stop until the stories stop coming. With all the books swirling in my imagination, that won’t be any time soon!

Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?

Savannah Adair is the heroine in Tides of Healing. We first meet her in Streams of Courage, Book 4. She endures tragedy in advance of being able to tell her story in Book 6. She’s feisty, courageous, and strong. She’s also one of the most beautiful women in Vicksburg but that doesn’t matter to her. I wanted to give this brave Southern belle a name that immediately hearkens to the South.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?

I write full-time. When writing a book, I average about 10-12 hours a day, depending on the deadline. Two days a week, there are other obligations that limit my writing time. I try to make up for this lost time on the weekends. As the deadline looms closer, my work day expands until I finish it.

What’s the best part of your author’s life?

Making friends with authors, editors, agents, and other writing professionals has been the greatest blessing to me. I have friends all over the country and in other countries that I’ve met at conferences, workshops, booksignings, festivals, and writers’ meetings. What an amazing gift!

Do you have other books? We’d love to know.

My Second Chances Series was also published by Wild Heart Books. A Not So Convenient Marriage, Book 1, is one of the first books I ever wrote. It was rejected early on but the story wouldn’t let me go. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the characters. I went to sleep thinking about them. I woke up thinking about changes to a scene in the book. I continued to modify it in between other writing projects. It was the story that wouldn’t let me go. The story didn’t stop hounding me until it was published. I love this whole series. Another of my recent books is A Spring at The Greenbrier, a novella in Wild Heart’s Romance at the Gilded Age Resorts Series. I love this sweet, nostalgic story set in 1914! I have other books as well that I hope you will read.

What are you working on now?

I am beginning a new historical romance series. It’s set in Tennessee. I’ve started writing the first book but am trying to find one more historical fact. Research for a new series can take months. Selecting a location is key, something that was more challenging than usual. I’ve honed in on the location and can’t wait to write it.

Website:               https://sandramervillehart.com/

Link to book:                https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGMLVJWK

Social media links:

https://www.facebook.com/sandra.m.hart.7

https://www.pinterest.com/sandramhart7/_saved/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8445068.Sandra_Merville_Hart

https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Merville-Hart/e/B00OBSJ3PU/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sandra-merville-hart

https://twitter.com/Sandra_M_Hart