"My stories are about edge of your seat anticipation, finding your inner courage
and a place to call home." Sandy Vaile
Meet Sandy Vaile the Author
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Sandy Vaile is a motorbike-riding daredevil who isn't happy with a story unless there's a courageous heroine, a dead body, and a healing romance.
Fiction is more than just an escape from reality, it's a way to experience situations and emotions we never would in our daily lives. Sandy's stories are set on the picturesque Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, and explore inner strength; what pushes us to our limits and how courageous we can be when we truly believe in a cause. Her motto is ... I'll try anything once! To that end, she takes every opportunity that presents, and has a wealth of life experiences to draw on when writing. Experiences like riding a motorbike, skydiving, hot air ballooning, getting tattooed, swimming with sharks and sea turtles, and having the privilege to carry the Olympic flame. |
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Her love of adventure and action sports started early with a horse obsession that resulted in 3-day eventing. Living in Papua New Guinea as a child meant lots of water sports, outdoor living and learning the local Pigeon English (she hardly remembers a word now!).
With this adventurous spirit, Sandy started penning stories about fairies floating in bubbles and gnomes living in the hills when she was young. Story telling was always a big part of her life, and her goal was to become a journalist, but in her teenage years she discovered how unexpected life can be and took a thirteen year detour from her dreams.
A thirteen year detour?
It wasn't until Sandy turned forty that she rediscovered her love of reading and writing fiction, and decided to make her dream of publication come true. Her stories are set on the picturesque Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, and explore inner strength. Practising resilience herself, Sandy is fascinated by how courageous, regular people can be when they are pushed to fight for something they truly believe in. So she explores this in her novels through the courageous heroines and the robust men who meet them half way.
"The mere sight of a book soothes my soul and excites my senses, because I know it's a place I can go to explore. To visit new places and experience real challenges, heartbreaks and triumphs, from the comfort of my lounge chair."
Sandy's novels have been short-listed in multiple awards, like the Valerie Parv Award, and Romantic Book of the Year Award (RUBY), and her short stories have won awards like the Campbell Town City Council Literary Awards and the Adelaide City Stories. Busy doesn't even begin to describe her schedule, as Sandy judges romance writing competitions, presents writing-craft workshops, writes articles for magazines and blogs, runs the successful The Fearless Novelist FaceBook group, and writes procedures for high-risk industrial activities. In her spare time she devises horrible things to do to fictional characters, and spends time with her Hungarian Vizsla dog and family in the picturesque McLaren Vale wine region.
A passion for learning
Sandy's passion for sharing her knowledge with aspiring authors, lead her to start the Fearless Prose Learning Centre, where her holistic and compassionate approach to education has enabled many aspiring writers to reach their potential. Her training journey started almost two decades ago, and her diverse skill set has seen her develop and deliver face-to-face and online training programs all over the world.
Check out the menu of writing courses here.
With this adventurous spirit, Sandy started penning stories about fairies floating in bubbles and gnomes living in the hills when she was young. Story telling was always a big part of her life, and her goal was to become a journalist, but in her teenage years she discovered how unexpected life can be and took a thirteen year detour from her dreams.
A thirteen year detour?
It wasn't until Sandy turned forty that she rediscovered her love of reading and writing fiction, and decided to make her dream of publication come true. Her stories are set on the picturesque Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, and explore inner strength. Practising resilience herself, Sandy is fascinated by how courageous, regular people can be when they are pushed to fight for something they truly believe in. So she explores this in her novels through the courageous heroines and the robust men who meet them half way.
"The mere sight of a book soothes my soul and excites my senses, because I know it's a place I can go to explore. To visit new places and experience real challenges, heartbreaks and triumphs, from the comfort of my lounge chair."
Sandy's novels have been short-listed in multiple awards, like the Valerie Parv Award, and Romantic Book of the Year Award (RUBY), and her short stories have won awards like the Campbell Town City Council Literary Awards and the Adelaide City Stories. Busy doesn't even begin to describe her schedule, as Sandy judges romance writing competitions, presents writing-craft workshops, writes articles for magazines and blogs, runs the successful The Fearless Novelist FaceBook group, and writes procedures for high-risk industrial activities. In her spare time she devises horrible things to do to fictional characters, and spends time with her Hungarian Vizsla dog and family in the picturesque McLaren Vale wine region.
A passion for learning
Sandy's passion for sharing her knowledge with aspiring authors, lead her to start the Fearless Prose Learning Centre, where her holistic and compassionate approach to education has enabled many aspiring writers to reach their potential. Her training journey started almost two decades ago, and her diverse skill set has seen her develop and deliver face-to-face and online training programs all over the world.
Check out the menu of writing courses here.
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Where my writing journey began
Naturally, reading has always been a big part of my life, and I started crafting fairy stories as a child. My career path as a journalist was mapped out for me, right up until I had some tough lessons about the unexpected nature of life. This diverted me from my true calling (writing) for a long time. It wasn't until I hit middle-age that I rediscovered the joy of reading and writing. I've dabbled in sci-fi, fantasy and short stories, but my real love is suspense. I can't imagine why [wink].
I find that an active involvement in the literary community is vital to replenishing my motivation and keeping me abreast of industry changes. So, I attend conferences, festivals, workshops, and writing retreats. I'm a strong believer that you receive what you send into the world, which is why I formed the Novelist’s Circle face-to-face critiquing group in 2010. It provides a nurturing environment where fiction novelists share information, motivate one another, improve technical skills and critique one another's work. Since then, many members have gone onto publication, and I started a FaceBook group to reach more writers.
Naturally, reading has always been a big part of my life, and I started crafting fairy stories as a child. My career path as a journalist was mapped out for me, right up until I had some tough lessons about the unexpected nature of life. This diverted me from my true calling (writing) for a long time. It wasn't until I hit middle-age that I rediscovered the joy of reading and writing. I've dabbled in sci-fi, fantasy and short stories, but my real love is suspense. I can't imagine why [wink].
I find that an active involvement in the literary community is vital to replenishing my motivation and keeping me abreast of industry changes. So, I attend conferences, festivals, workshops, and writing retreats. I'm a strong believer that you receive what you send into the world, which is why I formed the Novelist’s Circle face-to-face critiquing group in 2010. It provides a nurturing environment where fiction novelists share information, motivate one another, improve technical skills and critique one another's work. Since then, many members have gone onto publication, and I started a FaceBook group to reach more writers.
