Gale Sears is an award-winning author, known for her historical accuracy and intensive research. Gale received a BA in playwriting from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in theater arts from the University of Minnesota. She is the author of the bestselling The Silence of God and several other novels, including The Route, Christmas for a Dollar, Autumn Sky, Until the Dawn, and Upon the Mountains. She and her husband, George, are the parents of two children and reside in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Tell us a bit about your family. Hubby--George. Daughter--Chandler. Chandler's dog--Beans. Two sisters, two sister's-in-law, lots of cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and friends. I consider friends as family.
What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life? 42 years married.
What is your favorite color? Yellow
What’s your favorite place in the entire world? There are so many beautiful places in the world, it's hard to pick one. I'll pick four: home, our little cabin in the woods, Lake Tahoe, and Hawaii.
How has your upbringing influenced your writing? Growing up in the magic of Lake Tahoe made for a vivid imagination.
When and why did you begin writing? I began writing stories when I was 7 or 8...well, whenever I could start stringing words together. When I became interested in theater in high school, writing took a back seat. I wrote a few plays during the next 35 years, but no novels. As I neared 50 I had an idea for a story that didn't fit into the form of a stage play. I began writing chapters and my first novel, Autumn Sky was born.
What genre are you most comfortable writing? I'm most comfortable writing historical fiction. I have always been fascinated by history, and to be able to weave people and places of the past into a story is a remarkable experience. I love when people say they learned something from reading one of my novels.
Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it? The main character in Belonging to Heaven is a Hawaiian man by the name of Jonathan Napela. His life story is a remarkable one of faith, humility, and service. His introduction to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1850's, and his life long friendship with George Q. Cannon is the stuff that books are made of. Oh! It is a book! I feel very blessed to be able to tell this story.
Can you share a little of your current work with us? I am currently working on another book of historical fiction. The story takes place in the 1850's, and centers on Lorenzo Snow's mission to Italy. He meets a group of people called the Waldenese who live in the Alps of Northern Italy. I'm just in the research phase at the moment, but I'm already captured by the lives of these people.
What are your goals as a writer? My goals as a writer are to involve, entertain, and to help history come alive.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? I do take the opportunity to travel to the places I'm writing about. There is invaluable information to be gathered from the local libraries and museums, but also walking the streets of a city, climbing mountains, and investigating towns and villages. I take notes on the food, the clothing, the atmosphere.
What contributes to making a writer successful? I would advise writers to discipline themselves to writing everyday. Even a couple of paragraphs. Keep plugging along. Sometimes the inspiration flows--sometimes it does not. Don't get discouraged. Don't worry about the final outcome. Don't focus on the publishing of the work. Focus on the story and writing the most engaging story you can. Give chapters to an Alpha reader who will tell you the truth about their excitement or lack thereof for the work.
Do you have any advice for writers? Have fun! Love your story. If you get stuck, go for a walk.
Belonging to Heaven
Descended from the Hawaiian royal line, Jonathan Napela became one of the first—and most influential—converts to the Church in Hawaii. A man of intelligence, social status, and wealth, he used his considerable position to further the gospel in his native land. He developed a lifelong bond of brotherhood with Elder George Q. Cannon, helping to translate the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian and establish a gathering place for the Hawaiian saints in Laie, Oahu. But when his beloved wife, Kitty, was stricken with leprosy, Jonathan made the defining decision of his life. He would leave his life of privilege to become her caretaker and spend the rest of his life on Molokai, the island of lepers. To those who suffered similar heartbreak and banishment, Jonathan’s self-sacrifice became their lifeline. Based on true story, this is an extraordinary novel of a man who chose love in the face of death.
1 comments:
I wish every body get into peace.
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