1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE ATLAS OF UNTOLD STORIES
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A mom and her two adult daughters embark on road trip around America’s heartland to discover places associated with literature – and the untold stories they are keeping from each other.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Much of the book takes place on the road as the characters journey from one town to the next and learn the meaning behind some of America’s greatest works of literature. As a Midwestern booklover, I am taken with how many book-related places the middle of the country boasts. I wanted to celebrate both this rich history as well as the way books give us the words to say what we need to say, especially to those closest to us.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I would definitely hang out with Chloe, the youngest daughter. She is a party.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Sticking with Chloe, I would say she is resourceful, faithful, and tenacious.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
One thing that stood out to me in my research was the story of Sequoyah, the Cherokee Nation leader who developed the syllabary for the Cherokee language. Amazingly, Sequoyah himself was illiterate. It took him about twelve years, with the help of his daughter, to produce the foundational elements that gave his nation the ability to capture and preserve their heritage in written form.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
A little bit of both. Often when I run into a roadblock during the drafting process, it is because something upstream needs to be addressed. So, I will go back over what I’ve written long enough to relieve that particular kink. The bulk of my revisions, though, come after the first draft is complete.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Anything savory. One of my favorite barbecue restaurants here in Kansas City serves barbecue nachos made with burnt ends, baked beans and tortilla chips seasoned with their rub mix. I am all about them but have to severely limit my intake.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My writing space is nothing fancy. It’s in the corner of the bedroom. My simple desk is winged by filled bookshelves, and usually the only noise as I write is the crackle of my wood-wick candle. When I need a change of scenery, I will often reserve a study room at the library or go to a quiet spot I love at a local park.
10--Who is an author you admire?
I have long admired Harper Lee, who penned my favorite book of all time, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
John Steinbeck’s THE GRAPES OF WRATH was the book that inspired me to write. He showed me that an author’s job is to take the reader to a time and place they never fully leave.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
The more vivid recollection for me was when my literary agent offered me representation. Getting an offer from an agent is a mile marker in its own right because it is an essential (and difficult) part of landing a book deal with a publisher. The day her offer came in stands out to me because it was also the day of my father-in-law’s funeral. He had been in hospice for many months, and he was one of my biggest cheerleaders. It was a bittersweet day. I know he would have been ecstatic.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love biographies. People’s stories are fascinating.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I honestly have no idea. That’s too much of a moving target.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall! The colors, the crisp air, the hoodies. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I love reaping all the free rewards from my favorite restaurants and coffee places. Feed me and caffeinate me, and I’m a happy birthday girl.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I mentioned I am into biographies, and one biography I was floored by recently was Ellen Vaughn’s two-book study of Elisabeth Elliot, a former missionary to Ecuador and Christian icon. It was not at all a tidy, hero-worshipping story. It is an honest, sometimes uncomfortably candid look at a woman who was thoroughly human yet maintained an unshakeable faith.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I will always be down for Mediterranean. Gyros, falafel, hummus, warm pita, roasted vegetables – yes to it all.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I love going on coffee/treat runs with my daughters. Now that they are teenagers and preparing to launch, these times are even more precious to me.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on my fourth contemporary women’s fiction novel, which is slated for a Fall 2026 release.
Irrepressible dreamer Chloe Vance needs to tell her pragmatic mom, Edie, that she has accepted a low-paying, two-year art instructor role at a Christian international school in Prague. And her older sister, Lauren--the "responsible one"--is doing all she can to keep the family from finding out she has been fired for a stupid mistake, plus figure out 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 figure out 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. And as they experience firsthand the adventure and wonder of the classics, they'll have to come to terms with their own needs and desires, as well as those of the most important women in their lives--each other.
Book lovers can join the ride through America's literary landscape as award-winning novelist Sara Brunsvold takes you on a trip through the sometimes difficult but always beautiful terrain of being a mother, a daughter, and a sister.
Women's Fiction Contemporary | Christian [Revell, On Sale: June 17, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780800746124 / eISBN: 9781493450541]
Sara Brunsvold creates stories that speak hope, truth, and life. Influenced by humble women of God who find his fingerprints in the everyday, she does the same in her life and her storytelling. Sara's recognitions include the 2020 ACFW Genesis Award for Contemporary Fiction. She lives with her family in Kansas City, Missouri, where she can often be spotted writing at a park or library.
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