Author Sandra Steiner is looking to answer some difficult questions about loss, grief, and recovery with her writing. An Albertan transplant, Steiner has lived in Victoria for four years and has just finished two novels in her Spring Island trilogy.
“I’ve always wanted to write a book; it’s been on my mind since I was a little kid,” says Steiner. “I remember telling my second-grade teacher that I was going to write a book. She laughed at me and said, ‘People like you don’t do that.’”
That early criticism clearly didn’t stop her. In a blistering pace, Steiner started writing her first novel in January of this year. By April, she had finished the first two books in her series: Cherish the Past, a loosely autobiographical novel that deals with the loss of a daughter and the end of a marriage, and Live for Today, which deals with the struggle of looking for birth parents.
Describing her books as “contemporary, inspirational romance,” Steiner says her characters find themselves in difficult situations and are able to find a way out.
“They make the best of what they have. In everything I’ve written so far it has been like that,” she says. “It makes people feel good. The reader can read the book and go, ‘My situation is similar to this and she made it through, so maybe I have hope yet.’”
Steiner is well versed in the tragedy of grief and recovery: her daughter died in a car accident 10 years ago. Steiner was also in the car and has chronic injuries to this day.
“When you are in that situation, half the battle is trying to find someone that is willing to listen to you,” she says. “There were people around me who, luckily for me, were able to listen and help with my emotional healing.”
Often that healing isn’t straightforward. In Steiner’s case, she chose to relocate to give herself a clean slate. She moved to the west coast to find relief from what she refers to as “ghosts” in her hometown.
“When I came out here in 2010, I just came for a couple of days for a break from busy Alberta and the crazy winter out there,” she remembers. “When I got here there was just such a sense of peace and calm, and everybody was from somewhere else. It was just like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is so cool!’ I actually moved out here three weeks later.”
Steiner’s relentless optimism and enthusiasm are infectious, so it’s easy to see why she connects with her audience. With her third book, Dream for Tomorrow, nearly complete, Steiner hopes to share with her readers her message of hope and determination.
“At times there are roadblocks and you have to figure out the best method to go over,” she says. “But if you want something bad enough, you can do it.”