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Monday, August 24, 1998.

Issue 34

ISSN: 1094-3471

Copyright 1996-1998 by Jargon Inc. All Rights Reserved. None of this magazine, or any portion of it, may be e-mailed, posted or distributed in any manner without the expressed written consent of Painted Rock and the authors of the individual articles. Painted Rock is a registered trademark of Jargon Inc. of Waverly, Alabama.

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PROFILE: INSPIRATIONAL AUTHOR GAIL SATTLER

By Ann Bachman

Gail Sattler was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She wasn't allowed to have a dog, so she had to make do with her brother. A couple of years after she graduated from high school, she moved to Vancouver BC, where she still lives with her husband Tim, 3 sons Justin, Chris, and Tyrone, ages 6, 8, and 12 respectively, and her dog, Ina.

Gail Sattler's first book WALKING THE DOG was released by Heartsong Presents in May, 1998. It's still on the shelf.

Here's a short synopsis of that book:

Doreen McCullough is content with her self-made business of daycare for dogs and has developed quite a clintele. Between her Lord, her church, and her best friend Gretchen, a Standard Schnauzer, life for Doreen is in good order. That is until the day she is plowed down by a canine that lacks even a hint of training and obedience. The dog is the perfect reflection of his owner, Edwin Olson. The only thing Doreen and Edwin have in common is the breed of their dogs.

Doreen has no interest in Edwin as a client due to his mangy dog - or as a boyfriend because of his obvious disinterest in God. But Edwin has a strong desire to be near her. Though he cannot explain why, he will do anything to get his dog into her program.

Can these two ever become one? It could take a miracle. Does this unruly dog have the power to unite two very different people?

The Interview.

ROCK: Is WALKING THE DOG the book of your heart?

SATTLER: No. While there is a lot of my personal experience in the book, it's far from the book of my heart. For anyone that knows me well, they can see pieces of my life in the book, and I have received more than a few comments about the man with the ponytail who plays the bright red guitar. Said man with ponytail has since traded it for a black one.

I must have been in a strange mood when I started WALKING THE DOG, because my inspiration for it was my own dog's howling, which is a big joke around my house, and neighborhood. My imagination kind of got out of control on me, and before I knew it, the book was done.

ROCK: Your second book PIANO LESSONS will released in December 1998 by Heartsong. Tell us something about that one.

SATTLER: When his sister's baby-sitter quit, the ideal solution was for Jed Davies to exchange his baby-sitting services for room and board in order to live closer to his new job. To fill his lonely afternoons, Jed decided to take piano lessons from his nephew's teacher, Jillian Jefferson. But soon he finds himself spending more time thinking about the teacher than learning the notes.

ROCK: You recently sold a third book, GONE CAMPING, a comedy to be released by Heartsong "late spring 1999." Can you tell us something about it?

SATTLER: After the upsetting breakup with her fiance, Roberta Garland needs a vacation, so she accompanies her friends to the local campground where she can have some much needed time to herself to sort things out. Never having been camping before, she finds herself depending on the assistance of the local park ranger, whose constant appearances and helpful suggestions are not always appreciated. Roberta only wants to be left alone, but the ever-present Mr.Ranger seems to think differently. 

ROCK: Who or what led you to choose inspirationals over sweet romances?

SATTLER: To most people, "sweet" romances are no different than "regular" romances, they are lumped together under one umbrella. I think the term "sweet" is only a tag used by the writing community to specify that the book doesn't contain a sex scene, most readers wouldn't think of it that way To say I write romance, when speaking to the average person, associates me with standards I do not agree with. In order to be up front with what I believe in, I chose to do inspirationals. I want to be able to let my children, who are 6, 8, and 12, not only be proud of Mommy's books, but also to be able to read them before age 19!

ROCK: What are some of the traits that need to be included in inspirational romances?

SATTLER: In my opinion, that the Christian characters in the books have both feet on the ground. They have to be "real" people with "real" lives and think like you and I think. I'm no saint, and if I was, I'd probably be too boring to write about.

ROCK: Could you list some of the taboos?

SATTLER: I don't think I've been writing long enough to know the taboos. I'd think the first, for an inspirational, would be too much physical attraction without the poignant emotion attached. Sure, the hero and heroine should be attracted to each other, but don't overdo it.

ROCK: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

SATTLER: I have no idea when I finally figured that out. When we first had kids, my husband and I decided to work opposite shifts, he worked full time days, I worked full time evenings, so we didn't have to get a baby-sitter or leave the kids with daycare, or if we did, it was only for a couple of hours just before suppertime. I barely had time to read, needless to say, I'd never written anything other than my grocery list. About 3 1/2 years ago I lost my job when the company closed. My husband and I made a decision that I would stay home with the kids. Suddenly, I had lots of TIME. That was when I started doing a lot of reading. After about three months of staying home, I read one book that I thought was pretty bad, and thought "I can do better than that," but still, I didn't think of being a writer, I was just going to try it for the sake of a self-imposed challenge. So I percolated an idea, and wrote. Well, I won't incriminate myself and tell you quality of this effort, but let me say that it wasn't Walking The Dog. Since then I have learned a lot about the craft of writing, and still have much more to learn.

ROCK: Describe your average writing day?

SATTLER: I try to write after I get the kids off to school until about 11 am. Some days are better than others as I always seem to have a million things to do. After everything is done, when evening activities are complete, the kids are in bed, dishes, laundry, enough of the drudgery is done so I don't feel too guilty for leaving it, I try to get in more writing at night, unless I fall asleep on the keyboard.

ROCK: What, if anything, have you given up since selling your first book?

SATTLER: Spare time. I haven't been able to read as much as I used to, because now I know I can do it, I've sold something, and I'm more driven to produce more.

ROCK: What words of wisdom have guided your career?

SATTLER: When I started seriously submitting, an editor from a major publisher told me she "knew" I would make it as a published author. However, I decided to focus only on inspirationals. That was when I wrote Walking The Dog and submitted it, which was my first sale. Therefore, the words of wisdom that guided my career are "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straith." Proverbs 3:5,6.

* * *

Gail has a delightful, animated website. Visit her at: http://www.gailsattler.com

Email her at: mail@gailsattler.com

* * *

Books by Gail Sattler.

Note: If you don't have Heartsong Presents in your bookstore, you may call 1-800-852-8010 to purchase these books.

WALKING THE DOG, Heartsong Presents, May 1998.

Upcoming Releases:

PIANO LESSONS, Heartsong Presents, December 1998.

GONE CAMPING, Heartsong Presents, Spring 1999.