Writer’s Desk with Sara Brunsvold
Tricia GoyerSara Brunsvold (pronounced Bruns- as in RUN, -vold as is in OLD) is the Christy Award-winning author of The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip and The Divine Proverb of Streusel. She creates stories that boldly engage contemporary issues through the lens of hope and unshakable faith. Her passion is to connect with readers first through books, then through meaningful conversation. She lives with her family in Kansas.
Connect with Sara on her website, Instagram, Facebook, BookBub, and don’t forget to subscribe to her newsletter on her website.
More about The Atlas of Untold StoriesA literary journey beckons them . . . and may profoundly rewrite their stories.
Chloe Vance, dreamer of the family, needs to tell her pragmatic mom, Edie, that she has accepted a low-paying art instructor role at a Christian school in Prague. Her older sister, Lauren–the “responsible one”–is doing all she can to hide the fact she’s been fired for a foolish mistake and is desperately seeking her next career move. Meanwhile, Edie, estranged from her own sister following their mother’s recent death, is frankly in no mood for anything else to change.
The one thing they can all agree on? Life in books sure is easier to navigate than life in the real world. As the three women embark on a nine-day road trip to visit significant literary sites throughout America’s heartland, they hope to find inspiration through the works and lives of literary greats. As they experience firsthand the adventure and wonder of the classics, they’ll discover the value of being honest with themselves–and their family–about their losses and failures. Only then can they come to terms with their own needs and desires and find support from the most important women in their lives–each other.
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Enter to Win a Copy of The Atlas of Untold StoriesQ&A with Sara BrunsvoldARCF: Can you share a little about The Atlas of Untold Stories and the inspiration behind it?
SB: The story follows a mom and her two adult daughters on a nine-day road trip through the heartland as they visit places associated with American literature. Along the way, they discover both how the classic stories resonate in their own lives – and how those fictional stories open up the ones they haven’t told each other. The story was inspired by my own journey as a mom of two teen girls and as a daughter to a book-loving mom. Of course, as a proud Midwesterner and English degree holder, I was thrilled to highlight the rich literary history the middle of the country boasts.
ARCF: The title is so intriguing—what does The Atlas of Untold Stories mean to you personally?
SB: To me, it refers to the characters hitting proverbial milestones in their relationships with each other as they discover previously untold stories between them. We often don’t know people as well as we think we do, and that’s true even with those we are closest to.
ARCF: If your main character had a favorite quote or motto, what would it be?
SB: Chloe, the youngest daughter and the adventurous driving force behind the trip, would have the motto “Choose to abide in wonder.” She is the boldest of the three, always believing that God has something good in store around the bend. In some ways, she reminds me of Anne Shirley.
ARCF: What is one surprising or little-known fact you learned while researching for this novel?
SB: One of the stops the characters make is in Branson, Missouri, which today is famous for being the “entertainment capital of the mid-South.” But that tourism started largely because of a book. Harold Bell Wright’s 1907 novel “The Shepherd of the Hills” was a massive bestseller, eventually being turned in to feature films (one starring John Wayne) and a stage play. People were so taken with Wright’s description of the Ozarks and the people there, that they began to make the trek to see for themselves. This was before roads and railroads passed through the area, so it was no small feat to visit. So many people visited year after year, that the area began to be built up, which of course drew even larger crowds. The farm on which he wrote the book is still there and open for tours, and a soundstage next to the farm is home to the play.
ARCF: Can you share a line or scene from the book that still makes you smile or tear up?
SB: The scene that will always stand out to me is the scene where the mom, Edie, who is deathly afraid of heights, forces herself to climb an observation tower to reach her distraught daughter. It is a moment where child finally admits she needs her mom, and mom does what moms do – put herself aside to show her child she will always be there. It’s a scene that represents everything I want my daughters to remember.
ARCF: Do you have a playlist or “writing music” that helped shape the mood of the story?
SB: I cannot write without a playlist! In fact, Chloe had a playlist ready to go for their trip and insists on singing and seat-dancing to the songs as she drives, much to her mom and sister’s chagrin. The songs on her playlist were the songs I listened to as I wrote to put me in the car with the characters. The playlist can be found on Spotify, and I have a link to it on my website.
ARCF: What’s a theme in this book that feels especially close to your heart right now?
SB: I related to the mom, Edie, the most. She is in that season of life where she doesn’t know how to NOT be needed by her daughters. She must learn how to entrust them to the Lord and let them live their lives even if she doesn’t agree with their choices. With two teens at home, I connect with Edie’s struggles with fear, hope and sometimes raging mom guilt.
ARCF: Are there any hidden nods or “Easter eggs” in the novel for fans of The Extraordinary Death of Mrs. Kip?
SB: I love slipping Easter eggs into all my books. The biggest Easter egg actually connects back to my second novel, The Divine Proverb of Streusel. Two characters from Streusel reappear in Atlas. But the connection to Mrs. Kip comes in the fact that both books introduce readers to my home, Kansas City.
ARCF: How do you hope readers feel when they turn the last page?
SB: More than anything, I hope readers feel inspired to mine the untold stories of the women closest to them. I also hope they feel inspired to revisit American literature classics. I strongly believe the classics have a lot to teach us about the generations before us.
ARCF: What untold story—big or small—in your own life do you still dream of writing one day?
SB: A baseball novel. All four of my novels connect back to baseball at some point in the story, either as a mention or as a backdrop to a scene. I have long toyed with the idea of writing a baseball novel, and if the Lord wills, that will come to fruition someday. For now, though, I have several more contemporary women’s fiction concepts waiting to be turned into books!
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