Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Watcher by Sara Davison, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
Title: The Watcher Author: Sara Davison
Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink
Release Date: April 15, 2021
Genre: Christian speculative romantic suspense
Someone or something is watching Kathryn Ellison.
Kathryn thought she had buried memories of That Night for good—until Nick Lawson returns, reigniting her long-suppressed feelings for him. Seeing Nick has always reminded her too much of the horrible night that changed her life. As much as she wants to be with him, she wants even more to forget. When Nick unexpectedly shows up at her family ranch, Kathryn knows it is finally time to let go of the traumatic past that has held her captive for so long.
David Henley is a captive too—of the dark secret involving Kathryn, a secret he’s kept even from his wife. Now the truth is about to be revealed. And when it is, he could be stripped of everything in his life that matters to him.
A storm is brewing in the spiritual realm, and its effects reverberate through the natural world, summoning otherworldly Beings to the ranch. While Kathryn confronts the memories of That Night and struggles to let them go, she is not as alone in her home as she thinks.
As spiritual and temporal forces collide, Kathryn—and everyone she loves—is about to be caught in the crossfire.
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Welcome back Sara! I usually start these interviews the same way with 5 random facts about YOU, but since you’ve been here a time or two, can you share 5 random facts about your newest release The Watcher?
Sure! Five random facts about The Watcher would be: 1) The Watcher was my debut novel; 2) the complete idea for the story—characters, storyline, beginning, ending—came to me during Easter Sunday service one year; 3) I worked on the book for five years—rewriting, overhauling, editing, polishing, and getting feedback on it before I felt it was ready to submit to a publishing contest; 4) The novel was originally titled UnBroken and did not contain a narrator or any other supernatural beings—it was written as a straight romantic suspense. I got the idea to rewrite it with the narrator (The Watcher) and the other beings and to completely change the timeline and order of events a couple of weeks before the deadline for the publishing contest. I rewrote the book in those two weeks—shortening the timeline from twenty years to six days—and finished it the day before deadline; 5) I sent off the manuscript without being able to show it to anyone else, so I had no idea if the concept worked or if the story even made sense anymore. The Watcher ended up winning the contest, which is how it first came to be published in 2011.
In our previous interview, you mentioned that The Watcher is a bit of a departure from your usual style in that in addition to being a romantic suspense, it also ‘contains speculative elements that hint at the supernatural warfare going on behind the scenes’. What were the greatest challenges in taking on that topic?
The greatest challenge was nerves. It was a bit scary, writing a speculative novel that took me out of the realm of the physical and the seen and imagining a world happening in another realm. I was conscious the whole time I was writing it of the need to make it believable and, even more importantly, theologically sound. Likely the greatest challenge, though, is wondering what readers will think of it and what kind of reviews it will receive. Because it is such a different book, I always encourage readers to give it a few pages to get into the rhythm and get a feel for what is going on, and that in itself is a challenge as not all readers are willing to do that. I think it’s one of those books that readers will either love or hate, which is a challenge for me since I want everyone in the world to love every book I write 😊 I did realize long ago that it isn’t possible for that to happen, so now I write the stories God gives me, including this one, and try not to let negative reviews bother me (too much).
This is a rewrite of your first published novel. What made you decide to take the time to go back and do a rewrite?
I’ve long wanted to get the rights back to the book and rewrite it, since I have learned to much about the craft of writing and storytelling over the last ten years. When my wonderful publisher, Mountain Brook Ink, offered me the opportunity to release an updated version through them, I leapt at the chance. Although I was proud of the original version, I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to update it and to add several new chapters that I feel really strengthen the storylines and the book as a whole.
What lessons have you learned from that initial publication to now?
On a practical level, I’ve learned so much about the crafting of scene and story as well as writing in deep point of view, that kind of thing. More than that, though, I’ve developed a thicker skin and more courage to write what I feel called to write and what I feel God has laid on my heart to write and to worry less about reviews and negative reactions. My stories tend to be different than a lot of Christian fiction, particularly Christian romantic suspense. A lot of readers don’t necessarily love that, but a lot of readers do, so the biggest development for me in my career as an author is learning to be true to myself and my stories and leave the results in God’s hands.
Can you tell us a little bit more about The Watcher?
In addition to what I have alluded to above—that there are characters in the book such as Hope, Faith, Doubt, Fear etc. that represent activity in the spiritual realm as humans are going through various circumstances on earth—the novel follows the storyline of Kathryn Ellison, who early in the book experiences a traumatic event. Twenty years later, the man she has never been able to fully give her heart to because of his ties to the events of That Night shows up at her door. When he does, Kathryn realizes it’s time to finally put the past behind her so she can be with him. She spends the next six days facing and working through everything that happened to her with the help (although she doesn’t realize it) of forces sent by God (and while fighting those forces not from God who are working against her). Ultimately, it’s a story of forgiveness and grace. As the fabulous Nancy Mehl put it, The Watcher is “a unique and powerful story of love, loss, and redemption that will touch your heart and feed your spirit.” Which I deeply hope and pray is true.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
As with all my books, I pray that the main takeaway for readers is the reminder that they are never alone, whatever they are going through. The theme of The Watcher particularly is forgiveness, both giving it and receiving it. I hope readers will learn or be reminded through reading the story that God’s grace and forgiveness is powerful enough to cover any sin, and that, no matter how far from Him someone may have wandered, no one is beyond the reach of His redemptive power.
Thank you again for taking the time to answer these questions. Before you go, are there any other projects you are currently working on that you can share?
Absolutely. I’m currently working on the sequel to my 2020 release, the Selah award finalist Lost Down Deep. Written in Ink, book two in The Rose Tattoo Trilogy, will release in August 2021. The first book in The God Who Sees series, Every Star in the Sky, will come out in March 2022. And the fourth and final book in The Night Guardians Series, Forged, will release in October 2022. So lots on the go!
Welcome back Sara! I usually start these interviews the same way with 5 random facts about YOU, but since you’ve been here a time or two, can you share 5 random facts about your newest release The Watcher?
Sure! Five random facts about The Watcher would be: 1) The Watcher was my debut novel; 2) the complete idea for the story—characters, storyline, beginning, ending—came to me during Easter Sunday service one year; 3) I worked on the book for five years—rewriting, overhauling, editing, polishing, and getting feedback on it before I felt it was ready to submit to a publishing contest; 4) The novel was originally titled UnBroken and did not contain a narrator or any other supernatural beings—it was written as a straight romantic suspense. I got the idea to rewrite it with the narrator (The Watcher) and the other beings and to completely change the timeline and order of events a couple of weeks before the deadline for the publishing contest. I rewrote the book in those two weeks—shortening the timeline from twenty years to six days—and finished it the day before deadline; 5) I sent off the manuscript without being able to show it to anyone else, so I had no idea if the concept worked or if the story even made sense anymore. The Watcher ended up winning the contest, which is how it first came to be published in 2011.
In our previous interview, you mentioned that The Watcher is a bit of a departure from your usual style in that in addition to being a romantic suspense, it also ‘contains speculative elements that hint at the supernatural warfare going on behind the scenes’. What were the greatest challenges in taking on that topic?
The greatest challenge was nerves. It was a bit scary, writing a speculative novel that took me out of the realm of the physical and the seen and imagining a world happening in another realm. I was conscious the whole time I was writing it of the need to make it believable and, even more importantly, theologically sound. Likely the greatest challenge, though, is wondering what readers will think of it and what kind of reviews it will receive. Because it is such a different book, I always encourage readers to give it a few pages to get into the rhythm and get a feel for what is going on, and that in itself is a challenge as not all readers are willing to do that. I think it’s one of those books that readers will either love or hate, which is a challenge for me since I want everyone in the world to love every book I write 😊 I did realize long ago that it isn’t possible for that to happen, so now I write the stories God gives me, including this one, and try not to let negative reviews bother me (too much).
This is a rewrite of your first published novel. What made you decide to take the time to go back and do a rewrite?
I’ve long wanted to get the rights back to the book and rewrite it, since I have learned to much about the craft of writing and storytelling over the last ten years. When my wonderful publisher, Mountain Brook Ink, offered me the opportunity to release an updated version through them, I leapt at the chance. Although I was proud of the original version, I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to update it and to add several new chapters that I feel really strengthen the storylines and the book as a whole.
What lessons have you learned from that initial publication to now?
On a practical level, I’ve learned so much about the crafting of scene and story as well as writing in deep point of view, that kind of thing. More than that, though, I’ve developed a thicker skin and more courage to write what I feel called to write and what I feel God has laid on my heart to write and to worry less about reviews and negative reactions. My stories tend to be different than a lot of Christian fiction, particularly Christian romantic suspense. A lot of readers don’t necessarily love that, but a lot of readers do, so the biggest development for me in my career as an author is learning to be true to myself and my stories and leave the results in God’s hands.
On a practical level, I’ve learned so much about the crafting of scene and story as well as writing in deep point of view, that kind of thing. More than that, though, I’ve developed a thicker skin and more courage to write what I feel called to write and what I feel God has laid on my heart to write and to worry less about reviews and negative reactions. My stories tend to be different than a lot of Christian fiction, particularly Christian romantic suspense. A lot of readers don’t necessarily love that, but a lot of readers do, so the biggest development for me in my career as an author is learning to be true to myself and my stories and leave the results in God’s hands.
Can you tell us a little bit more about The Watcher?
In addition to what I have alluded to above—that there are characters in the book such as Hope, Faith, Doubt, Fear etc. that represent activity in the spiritual realm as humans are going through various circumstances on earth—the novel follows the storyline of Kathryn Ellison, who early in the book experiences a traumatic event. Twenty years later, the man she has never been able to fully give her heart to because of his ties to the events of That Night shows up at her door. When he does, Kathryn realizes it’s time to finally put the past behind her so she can be with him. She spends the next six days facing and working through everything that happened to her with the help (although she doesn’t realize it) of forces sent by God (and while fighting those forces not from God who are working against her). Ultimately, it’s a story of forgiveness and grace. As the fabulous Nancy Mehl put it, The Watcher is “a unique and powerful story of love, loss, and redemption that will touch your heart and feed your spirit.” Which I deeply hope and pray is true.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
As with all my books, I pray that the main takeaway for readers is the reminder that they are never alone, whatever they are going through. The theme of The Watcher particularly is forgiveness, both giving it and receiving it. I hope readers will learn or be reminded through reading the story that God’s grace and forgiveness is powerful enough to cover any sin, and that, no matter how far from Him someone may have wandered, no one is beyond the reach of His redemptive power.
As with all my books, I pray that the main takeaway for readers is the reminder that they are never alone, whatever they are going through. The theme of The Watcher particularly is forgiveness, both giving it and receiving it. I hope readers will learn or be reminded through reading the story that God’s grace and forgiveness is powerful enough to cover any sin, and that, no matter how far from Him someone may have wandered, no one is beyond the reach of His redemptive power.
Thank you again for taking the time to answer these questions. Before you go, are there any other projects you are currently working on that you can share?
Absolutely. I’m currently working on the sequel to my 2020 release, the Selah award finalist Lost Down Deep. Written in Ink, book two in The Rose Tattoo Trilogy, will release in August 2021. The first book in The God Who Sees series, Every Star in the Sky, will come out in March 2022. And the fourth and final book in The Night Guardians Series, Forged, will release in October 2022. So lots on the go!
(1) winner will receive a print copy of The Watcher and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight April 26, 2021 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on May 3, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteI think that the cover of your book has lots of detail
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thanks so much, Randi, for highlighting The Watcher on your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this book sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! - JustRead Tours
ReplyDeletethis looks like an incredible read!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so good! My eyes are glued to the cover lol!
ReplyDeleteSpeculative fiction is a fun genre! Randi, Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteInteresting read.
ReplyDeleteMarion
Thanks so much, Randi, for highlighting The Watcher on your blog today. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really good read. Nice cover!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a good read.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.