For Story Time Tuesday this week we’re going to be talking to the hilarious Sandra Bricker about her latest romantic comedy, The Big 5-Oh! Having read her romantic comedies before, I can assure you this is a book you want to hear about!!

Sandie has graciously offered a copy of the novel to one lucky reader, so as usual, leave your comments below with a way to reach you.

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Sandra D. Bricker has been publishing in both the Christian and general market for years with novels for women and teens, magazine articles and short stories. With 11 novels in print and 4 more slated for publication through 2011, Sandie has carved out a niche for herself as an author of laugh-out-loud comedy for the inspirational market. Last year’s Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas garnered three readers’ choice award nods. Sandie was an entertainment publicist in Hollywood for 15+ years and now lives in Tampa, Florida. To keep up with her blog, readers can visit http://sandradbricker.blogspot.com.

Olivia Wallace can’t remember a birthday that wasn’t marked by illness, tragedy or both. And now, as she emerges victorious over cancer and approaches The Big Five-Oh, she is determined to change her course. Better late than never, right? That’s what Liv believes when she leaves a snowy Ohio winter behind and runs away to Florida to regroup. Amidst a crazy cast of characters that include a dog with a lampshade collar, a rogue alligator and a flirtatious octogenarian, Liv finds the biggest birthday surprise of all … A second chance at love.

What’s your latest book?

The Big 5-OH! from Abingdon Press. It was released on the 1st of this month.

What’s your favorite part of the story?

The main character’s story begins as she’s coming out of a long battle with ovarian cancer. I’m a survivor myself, and I remember that feeling of “What now?!” … so I love Olivia’s willingness to dive completely out of her box to make a new beginning for herself.

That’s got to be challenging. I have several family members who have been through cancer, so I know secondhand what you mean. But back to books. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?

I love writing romantic comedy. There’s just something really liberating for me as an author when I get to pour my faith and my funny into the same project! As far as reading goes, I’m eclectic … but I really love suspense.

And I love reading your romantic comedies. =) Snowball remains at the top of my “hey, you’ve GOT to read this!” list. So is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?

Every one of my books has a soundtrack. For instance, for The Big 5-OH! it was Michael Buble. His music just gets to me, and I had one of his CDs playing almost the whole time I was writing. It was so inspiring, in fact, that he carried over to the next book with me. =)

Hmm, my soundtrack seems to be Playhouse Disney. I think yours might be more inspiring, LOL. Are there any people (family, writing group, editors) who you rely on when writing?

Absolutely. I have an astounding circle of support for a chick with no family! So as I’m writing, there are two people who read as I go. Neither of them are writers; they’re both avid readers. Jemelle reads for continuity and flow; she’s an eagle-eye when it comes to this kind of thing. And Marian reads for entertainment value. She tells me whether I’m serving my readers by giving them a really fun ride. I seriously wouldn’t be the writer I am without these two women. Girl power!

Go, girls! Nothing beats those readers who are just readers. I’ve got a couple of them myself. Aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?

I’m one of the few full-time writers who also works a full-time job. I’m an editor out in Corporate America, so 40+ hours per week belongs to someone else.

You have my awe. Though I guess most of my hours like that go to my kiddos, so maybe I DO know how you feel! Now, here’s a fun question. If someone were to give you $5,000 to spend on anything you wanted, what would you buy? (No saving or gifts to charities allowed!)

I am just about to close on my very first home. I’d sail through five grand in a nanosecond buying all new furniture, lighting fixtures and adding on a lanai.

With you on that one! What writing goal have you set for yourself that would be the hardest (or unlikeliest) but most rewarding to achieve?

I started my writing career as a screenwriter. The love I have for the medium has been building since I was a kid. So as unlikely as it seems, I really want to see my books cross over to movie and television screens! And then I’d like to follow in the footsteps of my hero: Nora Ephron.

They could make some laugh-out-loud scripts! What are you writing right now?

I’m writing Love Finds You in Carmel, California for Summerside Press. It should hit bookstores this October, so you can imagine how tight my deadline is!

WOW. That’s super-tight. And ooey-gooey and delicious-sounding. =) Any other upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?

In September, Abingdon Press will release Always the Baker, Never the Bride, a comedy about a confectionary genius who happens to be diabetic.

And Roseanna will be keeping her eye out for that one! Is there another author who has greatly influenced your writing?

Several, actually. I’ll probably get a good laugh when I admit that the first author whose novels made me want to write was Danielle Steel. And I found the inspirational market by reading This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. It was genius, and it lit the fire in my belly to make this my career. These days, I’m influenced by Kristin Billerbeck, Robin Jones Gunn and Colleen Coble.

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Thanks for chatting, Sandie! Readers, Sandie can offer you a really cool extra. You can get a sneak peak at the first three chapters from the publisher!

You can also view the video trailer here.

For those of you not lucky enough to win the drawing, you can purchase the book from Amazon or CrossPurposes.

Void where prohibited. Contest ends 3/1/10. Winner will have two weeks to respond before another winner is selected.