Welcome, Normandie. I love your novels centered around sailing. Excited about your newest one  The Sea Prayers releasing today. I just got my preordered copy today. So excited. Before we talk about your novel let’s talk about your writing journey.

My brilliant eighth-grade English teacher inspired me to write poetry, and that poetic voice carried me through the turbulent teen years and all that came next in a life filled with messy moments. In my mid-twenties, I was hired as a proofreader and moved from that to copy editor and finally to senior substantive editor for a publishing company in Washington, DC—excellent for honing my skills in non-fiction and narrative non-fiction. It wasn’t until my early thirties that I decided to try writing fiction as a creative outlet. I’d been sculpting (mostly commissioned portraits by then), but I wanted more, and writing what I loved to read seemed to fill that need.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to go from paring a manuscript to bare bones for a technical tome to enlarging those spare words to create a fictional world? I read every how-to book published by Writers Digest Books, and I wrote, slashed, added, rewrote, and learned.

My first foray into crafting a full-length novel brought accolades, a contest win, and my first agent, but no publishing contract. So I wrote another manuscript and another and another. By now I had a second agent to whom I submitted manuscripts from on board our boat, Sea Venture. I was having so much fun sailing the Sea of Cortez that I didn’t push very hard for greater success; I just wrote and rewrote in gorgeous settings.

By 2011, my husband and I had to return home to NC to care for my aging mama. My life as a published author began with the sale of my debut novel, Becalmed, (which happened to be my third manuscript) and its release in 2013. Now I write from the Carolina coast, which is spectacular in its own way, and instead of dodging hurricanes by sailing to a safe port, we dodge by driving to a safe haven.

What a wonderful adventure you’ve had. Now let’s tak about your latest publishing project?

The Sea Prayers!

Release date Today!

A waitress, a megastar, and an ex-addict wage war for the heart of a young girl.

Thirteen years ago, a spiked drink left Agnes with a permanent reminder of the man who date-raped her.

Her daughter looks like him, sounds like him, and even listens to his platinum records (of course, the dude’s a mega star because nothing is fair) but Brisa is everything Agnes has in the world. At least, she is until the day this music star sets his sights on getting himself a ready-made family.

He’s got millions of dollars, millions of fans, a high-powered legal team, and half Brisa’s DNA. Agnes has a run-down house, a friend who’s almost three years sober and afraid to say he loves her, and a lawyer willing to work pro bono.

Oh, and the whole town of Beaufort. That’s right. She’s got all those Beaufort folk at her back, praying to the God she has rejected, and not one of them is going to let Brisa go without a fight.

Another story of faith and redemption from the author of Sailing out of Darkness.

What inspired you to write The Sea Prayers?

Characters show up in my head, hinting at a story through snippets of dialogue or a line of narrative. For The Sea Prayers, it was this one: “How had her accidental sperm donor—or, to be more precise, her rapist sperm planter—found her?”

I couldn’t wait to find out more. Think of the questions those words generate.

Who was raped? What was she like at the time of the rape—and now?

What made her vulnerable?

Who raped her? What happened to him?

Were there consequences for her? How does she deal with them?

What happens?

If you could go back in time and give one piece of advice to tour younger self about writing, what would it be?

You don’t have to aspire to be someone else’s idea of great; you have to aspire to be the best you possible. Don’t put off beginning the process just because you imagine you’re better at something else and don’t ever let rejection hit a pause button in your head.

What’s next after The Sea prayers.

In what I imagine will be the final Carolina Coast story, my WIP, Shoal Waters, revolves around a woman who discovers that her memory is failing—and who tries to protect herself while she still can from her manipulative and very unhappy daughter. (I’m also working on a third Isaac’s House novel, just to keep my hand in the world of romantic suspense.)

What genre do you read for fun?

I require happy endings—or at least hopeful ones—in the books I enjoy. My attention was caught early on by comedy of manners authors such as Jane Austen and Balzac in translation, then by the humorous books of Georgette Heyer. But I read prolifically, which means I’m open to many genres if the books are well written (excepting futuristic, vampire, or erotica). Currently, my very favorite author is Charles Martin, who just writes good books.

More about Normandie:

A life-long sailor, Normandie Fischer has been writing and editing professionally since the seventies. She and her husband retired from cruising Pacific Mexico in their ketch, Sea Venture, to care for her aging mother. In 2013, the three of them sailed from Beaufort, NC, to NYC to publicize Becalmed and to welcome Normandie’s first grandchild, Ella, into the world. The Sea Prayers is Normandie’s seventh book, and number five among the Carolina Coast novels.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

My Website:

www.normandiefischer.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NormandieFischer/

Amazon Author:  https://www.amazon.com/author/normandiefischer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritingOnBoard/

Buy Links:

Carolina Coast Novels:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H5PYJSW/

Isaac’s House Novels:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYV8IHQ/

The Sea Prayers

https://amzn.to/2wFSa5X

https://www.books2read.com/u/m0geDl

Thanks for sharing Normandie. Now for your giveaway. Comment on this post for a chance to win an e-book copy of The Sea Prayer.  Tell me what part of her interview inspires you and/or if you sail.  Winner will announced next Tuesday.