Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling and Christy Award-winning author of Twelve Days and Twelfth Night (September 2026), Mists over the Channel Islands (February 2026), Midnight on the Scottish Shore (2025), Embers in the London Sky (2024), The Sound of Light (2023), Until Leaves Fall in Paris (2022), When Twilight Breaks (2021), and several World War II series. A mother of three, Sundin lives in Southern California and enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers’ groups. Sarah serves as co-director of the West Coast Christian Writers Conference.
FF: What first inspired you to blend a Shakespearean twist with a World War II setting for Twelve Days and Twelfth Night?
For some time, I’ve wanted to write a story about a World War II USO show. When I searched for vintage theaters in San Diego, I found the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. “What if,” my mind said, “my USO director mixes Shakespeare with song-and-dance numbers?” Twelfth Night… “The Twelve Days of Christmas”…The ideas flew faster than my fingers could write them!
FF: Which of Shakespeare’s works or themes did you draw from, and how did that shape the story’s structure or characters?
Twelfth Night is a comedy revolving around mistaken identities after a shipwreck. I had great fun adapting this to a World War II setting. Many of my characters’ names were inspired by the characters in Twelfth Night, and I tossed in some fabulous quotes from the play. That said, understanding—or even liking!—Shakespeare isn’t required to enjoy the story.
FF: This novella arrives during the Christmas season—how does the holiday setting influence the tone or stakes of the story?
In World War II, men and women in the military celebrated Christmas far from home and loved ones, often fearful for the future. For Maggie Oliver, this creates a poignant purpose for her USO show beyond simply producing a spectacular show. And Christmas as a fixed date gave her a deadline and sense of urgency.
FF: You’re known for richly researched WWII fiction. What kind of research went into this particular story, given its shorter novella format?
The US Home Front is familiar territory for me from earlier novels, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all that the USO did (astounding!) and life in San Diego during the war. Tidbits that made it into the story include Trudy the escaping tapir of the San Diego Zoo, the tile floor of the USO-Army-Navy YMCA building wearing out in one year due to the number of servicemen, and the color scheme of the city’s trolleys.
FF: Without giving too much away, what do you hope readers feel by the final page?
The joy of Christmas and the hope of new beginnings.
FF: Is there a particular scene you loved writing the most, or one that changed significantly between your first draft and the final version?
I loved writing all of it, but the scene that surprised me and became my favorite is when Prescott Duke, who was burned in an accident, sings on the burn ward in the naval hospital. His speech was not in my original outline, and it makes me tear up every time.
FF: For readers who’ve enjoyed your longer novels, what can they expect that feels similar—or delightfully different—in this novella?
Well, for one thing, no one dies. Seriously though, this story isn’t as…serious as my full-length novels. There’s a sense of fun and play. But the gravity of the war still lies behind it. The grief, the fears, the life-altering injuries, the shattered dreams. All of this provided the depth my soul craves to write about.
FF: What do you want readers to carry with them after finishing this story?
Stories rewrite themselves in readers’ minds, which is the power and wonder of story, so I hate to limit it. But I do hope readers will see, along with Prescott, that they can rise above their circumstances and “write a new script” for their lives.
