Sally Jo Pitts

Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! Today we’re traveling to Florida to visit with one of our newest CAN members, novelist Sally Jo Pitts. Sally Jo has worked as a home economics teacher, a high school guidance counselor, a private investigator, and an expert in lie detection! I think every single one of us who has ever worked with or raised a teenager would love those lie detection skills! Come see how Sally Jo uses this unique background to craft her popular romances and cozy mysteries!

Welcome, Sally Jo! Please tell us about your book Designed for Love.

A new War Between the States is brewing in Hamilton Harbor, Florida. North and South clash when a local interior designer is pitted against a New Yorker in a competition that will shape the destiny of the small town.

That sounds fun! What inspired you to write this book?

Designed for Love by Sally Jo Pitts

Designed for Love is book #3 in my Hamilton Harbor Legacy Series and features a secondary character from book #1, And Then Blooms Love. Izzie Ketterling is a flamboyant interior designer. Ever since I dreamed up her character, I knew she would have to have her own story one day.

When you have a character like that, they won’t be ignored. So what is the primary focus of your book?

The plot centers around the two factions in Hamilton Harbor and their vision for development. One wants to replace the old downtown and marina with new construction. The other group champions the cause of historic preservation and renovation.

A battle going on in so many towns around the world. While researching this, what surprised you the most?

Some of the advantages of preserving old buildings: the quality of the materials used buildings in the early 1900s was much higher; preserving the buildings creates a connection to the past, sense of community, and can be cheaper than new construction.

How interesting! What’s your favorite scene in this book?

The cute-meet in the opener when the hero accuses the heroine of scratching his car and calls 911.

Oh my! That’s quite an opener. How do you share Christ in your writing?

I like to focus on a spiritual need and have a supporter speak biblical truth into the situation.

What themes do you return to again and again in your writing?

God gives everyone a purpose.

Such an important truth to embrace. How has being a writer impacted your relationship with Christ?

When my characters encounter trouble, it drives me to the Scriptures to help them solve their issues. The process has strengthened my prayer life and has shown me that within the pages of Scripture, the Bible has the answer to all of life’s problems, which boil down to Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.”

Why do you love writing?

Writing makes me feel complete.

What ministries are you involved in, and why?

I teach Sunday school. I enjoy the research and digging deeper into the Scriptures.

So true—and I speak as a fellow Sunday school teacher. Now all writers are readers—what do you read for pleasure?

Cozy mysteries and happily-ever-after stories. I am currently reading Rachel Hauck’s To Love a Prince.

She’s such an incredible writer! Do you have a “day job” or a previous career? Does it influence what or how you write?

I am a retired teacher, high school guidance counselor and private investigator. Those jobs influence everything I write!

I can imagine! With a rich well like that to draw from, I’m sure you have more stories coming. Please tell us about your next project.

Winter Deception is a whodunit mystery releasing in November, 2020.

Christmas at the historical antebellum plantation could have provided a restful holiday for Private Investigators Robert Grey and Jane Carson … if it weren’t for the murder.

Yes, those pesky murders do ruin the holidays. Love it!

Sarah Sundin

Thank you for sharing with us today, Sally Jo!

To learn more about Sally Jo and her books, please visit Sally Jo’s website and Sally Jo’s blog.

Writing for Him,

Sarah Sundin

Sarah’s website