Alyssa asked Sarah Sundin:

Have you found it difficult to create authentic spiritual experiences in your characters and share spiritual wisdom with your readers, while maintaining the integrity of the story? Many Christian books are too didactic to the detriment of the story or are completely devoid of the Gospel. What have you done to achieve the balance between the two? Thank you so much for writing books with spiritual depth!

Sarah Sundin Hi Alyssa! For me, the spiritual journey flows naturally out of the characters. I look at who they are and what they've experienced in life. I discover what her main spiritual issue is - whether it's a sin she won't give up, a lack of trust in a certain area, pain from the past, unforgiveness, etc. The stress of the plot and the new relationships she enters will challenge her naturally - and I look for ways to amp up that challenge. At the same time, I'm looking for biblical help for her. Often my personal Bible study yields exactly what I need. My women's Bible study group was studying Nehemiah when I was writing Through Waters Deep, and that book is chockful of the leadership lessons Jim needed to learn. Plus, God often has me go through something, or deal with an issue, that a character is working through. In When Tides Turn (coming March 2017), my workaholic hero, Dan Avery, learns the importance of Sabbath rest. Guess who was under a serious time crunch while writing that book? Guess who had to force herself to rest and take time off? Yeah. God has a great sense of humor.

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