Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
S.K. Derban moved to London within the
first three months, and remained in England
until the age of five. Her mother, born and raised in the United
Kingdom, was involved with the London Royal
Ballet Company, and a great fan of the arts. Even after returning to the United
States, S.K. Derban’s life was filled with a
love of the theatre and a passion for British murder mysteries. Her personal travel and missionary adventures
also help to transport readers virtually across the globe. S.K. Derban has smuggled Bibles into China
on five separate occasions, and has been to Israel
on seven missionary trips. When writing,
she relies on all aspects of her life, from a strong faith in the Lord, to her
unique combination of professional experience.
The many personal adventures of S.K. Derban are readily apparent as they
shine through into her characters.
Her latest book is the mystery romance, Uneven
Exchange.
For
More Information
- Visit S.K. Derban’s website.
- Connect with S.K. on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about S.K. at Goodreads.
- Visit S.K.’s blog.
Can you tell us what your book is about?
UNEVEN EXCHANGE
celebrates the many facets of a woman. Just hours before completing a mission
to help her country, Alexandra Callet is brutally abducted. Her beloved Mexico has now become a place from which she
struggles to escape. As she fights for
her survival, Alexandra’s faith in God gives her the strength to make a
difference. Although her life is in
danger, Alexandra emits resilience, determination, and the will to
succeed. Her reward is due.
Why did you write your book?
It is my strong desire with all of my books to make a
difference in the lives of my readers. Throughout all of my different stories I
hope to bring them joy. I also hope that their strength and faith will increase
by reading about the strength and faith of my characters.
Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are
they totally from your imagination?
Although all of my characters are from my imagination, each
character is made up from little bits of someone I know. Sometimes I feel like
a mad scientist using parts from a number of people just to make one!
Are you consciously aware of the plot before you begin a
novel or do you discover it as you write?
Before I start writing, I have already planned the book from
beginning to end. Imagine that you just watched a fantastic movie, and you are
asked to explain the movie in detail from beginning to end. Before I write, I
have the entire book in my head. Then, I sit down and write about it just as if
I am explaining a movie.
Open the book to
page 69. What is happening?
Alexandra is just finishing her meeting with DEA agent Kevin
O’Neil. It is during this meeting that she is recruited to work undercover.
Is it hard to get a Mystery Romance book published?
It is difficult to get any book published. First and
foremost, I believe that a true writer must write because they simply cannot
imagine not writing! I would write even if never published. Write because you
love to write. When you write for yourself first, good writing will find its
way to others.
Have you suffered
from writer’s block and what do you do to get back on track?
Fortunately I have
not suffered from writer’s block. I suffer from not having enough time to
write. I fear I am beginning to run out of room in my brain for all of my
ideas!
What would you do
with an extra hour today if you could do anything you wanted?
Pour a glass of red
wine, light a candle, snuggle into a comfortable chair, and read a good book.
If we were to meet
for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
It would be my
pleasure to take you to Little Italy in San Diego. If fact, I am a third of the way through a
book that takes place in the heart of Little Italy.
What do you like to
do for fun?
Spending time
outdoors is a passion of mine. Spending time outdoors with my family and
friends makes it even better! I am blessed to live in San Diego where the weather is near perfect. The
hardest thing to decide is if I want to go bike riding, golfing, stand up
paddle boarding, or to play tennis!
What kind of advice
would you give other fiction authors?
To all of the writers, I would like to remind them to Keep
Writing! Try and write at least one page per day. It took me 10 long years and
500 rejections before my first book was published.