Sandra Bretting is the author of a bestselling cozy mystery series that ran for five years with Kensington Publishing, as well as three standalone mysteries and an inspirational memoir. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, she began her career writing for the Los Angeles Times, Orange Coast Magazine, and others. From 2006 until 2016, she wrote feature stories for the award-winning business section of the Houston Chronicle.
The second book in her mystery series earned the rank of Amazon Bestseller. Since making the switch to inspirational historical fiction, Bretting has garnered accolades for her first title, Unfit to Serve, which debuted in August 2024. The novel explores how the U.S. military brought the IQ test to America at the start of World War 1, and the turmoil it caused. Bretting loves to hear from readers and invites them to connect with her at www.sandrabretting.com.
Visit Sandra Bretting online
Unfit to Serve
When the United States military adopts a newfangled test from France called the “intelligence quotient test” during the first world war, no one expects the turmoil that follows. Thousands of immigrants fail it and are forced to return to homelands devastated by war, disease, and famine. For Josephine Pembrooke, the shy schoolmarm at Camp Travis in Texas, the problem quickly becomes apparent. How can soldiers pass a test they can’t even read? So, Jo labors in secret to create a better test. Knowing all along it can't save the one soldier she'd hoped to help
- ISBN: B0DCBPMWTZ
- Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.
Interview with Sandra Bretting
Sandra Bretting is a bestselling author whose experience and background in journalism enable her to craft a wide variety of intricate storylines and characters.
“Journalism has given me so many interesting characters to choose from,” shared Sandra. “I once wrote a story about a safecracker for the Houston Chronicle. He’d follow the Houston Police Department into a drug house after a bust and crack open the dealer’s safe. That gentleman became the basis for my 2022 mystery called The Safecracker’s Secret. I’ve been lucky enough to write about so many interesting people, including artists, a horse farrier—that’s someone who shoes horses—a classical musician; you name it. My nonfiction work has given me inside scoops that I otherwise wouldn’t have.”
Writing Voice: Bretting is naturally optimistic, a characteristic that shines through her work, even when she covers difficult subjects.
“So many books nowadays are ‘dark,’” she said. “It seems optimism has gone out of style. I like to remind people that there’s still good in the world, even during wartime.”
Other Interests: When Sandra isn’t writing, she may be found hiking with her energetic “fur-baby,” traveling (especially to visit her youngest daughter who lives across the country) or losing herself in someone else’s story.
How It Began
Book Lover: Like many authors, Sanda’s love for writing began with a love for reading.
“I was lucky enough to be raised in a family that prized books. My very favorite day of the year in elementary school was when the Book Fair arrived, and my mom always gave us kids a few dollars to load up our backpacks.”
Early Favorites: With the first books Bretting wrote being mysteries, it’s not surprising that it was also one of her favorite genres when she was young.
“I cut my teeth on mysteries, including the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, of course, followed by short stories written by great American authors like Jack London, Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway. My mother introduced me to those writers. She loved their work so much she’d actually cook the same meals the characters ate when she was in the middle of their stories.”
Original Objectives: As much as she enjoyed reading and writing when she was young, Sandra didn’t initially set out to become an author.
“I’m going to date myself,” she claimed, “but I was a big fan of Connie Chung, and I originally thought I wanted to work in front of the camera.”
With that goal in mind, Bretting entered the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism intending to work as a news anchor. But her initial aspirations changed when she started working at her collage broadcast studio and realized she’d rather write copy than deliver it.
From Journalist to Author: Sandra’s ambitions changed even more when she took a creative writing class.
“I was hooked, but I didn’t have the confidence or the skills to write novels full time. I spent years reading umpteen books on the subject and attending umpteen novel-writing classes and conferences at night while I worked as a reporter and freelance writer. And I finally sold my first novel in 2012.”
After writing and publishing seven mystery novels, Sandra Bretting has recently shifted her focus to historical fiction.
“I’ve always loved history, and I’m a relatively slow writer. It takes me, on average, a year or more to write a standalone novel. A mystery series, on the other hand, requires an author to write one every six months. So, I chose to write a standalone inspirational historical novel because it meant I could take enough time to do it right, and it’d give me a great excuse to research World War 1 and wartime France.”
Unfit to Serve
Teaser: When the U.S. military adopts the IQ test during World War 1, a brave schoolteacher fights to level the playing field for foreign recruits.
Inspiration: Sandra was inspired to write Unfit to Serve when, in the process of researching another book, she came across a magazine story that explained how the IQ test came to America.
“I was fascinated. I’d grown up hearing about the IQ test, but I never knew it was the military that brought it to our country in the first place. Not only that, but military brass realized after a year that they’d need to make a second test for recruits who didn’t speak English. A whole year! I wondered about the men whose lives had been ruined because they couldn’t pass the test and join the service. The story evolved from there.”
Personal Experience: As she wrote this book, Bretting leaned into her life-long practice of supporting the underdog and her family’s first-hand experience of war and immigrating to America.
“As a kid, I tried to include everyone in our dodgeball games when we were out on the playground. I guess I inherited a strong sense of right and wrong from my parents, who suffered during the Nazi invasion of Europe in World War II. They both immigrated from Holland to America afterward, because they’d been so traumatized by what they’d seen with their family and friends.”
Personal Impact: Writing this book gave Sandra an even greater appreciation for the comforts we all take for granted.
“Those poor soldiers fought in muddy trenches where disease, hunger, and nonstop noise bombarded them day and night. Writing about the war has made me realize how lucky we are to live in 2024.”
Themes: Some of the themes woven throughout Unfit to Serve include tenacity and grace.
Tenacity because, “Jo has to fight for the immigrant soldiers at a time when women were supposed to remain quiet and demure.”
And grace in a Christian’s life, because “Several characters struggle to extend it when they’ve been hurt so deeply.”
Author’s Hopes: Bretting hopes that when people read this book, they will gain “a deeper appreciation for how easy most of us Americans have it now, compared to the way people lived during the first world war. They suffered terribly—especially the soldiers in trenches—but managed to come together for a common good. They weren’t perfect, but I have a new appreciation for how strong folks were back then.”
Author-Life
Balancing being a Writer, Wife, and Mother: “My two daughters are grown now, but I’ve always included them and my husband in this writing journey. Even if it meant writing at five o’clock in the morning so I could attend a school function later, I’d gladly do it. Here’s a sweet story: one of my daughters confessed a few years ago that she used to wish someone would publish her mom’s book whenever she blew out the candles on her birthday cake. Isn’t that amazing?”
Most Enjoyable Aspect of Writing: “My favorite part is getting lost in other characters and their worlds, especially when our world doesn’t necessarily make sense. I love being able to transport myself to another time and place. Hours can pass before I finally come up for air once I’ve started writing for the day.”
Most Challenging Part of Writing/Publishing: “Probably the uncertainty that comes with being a writer. Even though you fall in love with your characters while you’re writing a book, there’s no guarantee that other people will feel the same way. But that’s where I have to remind myself that it’s God’s opinion that matters most. As long as I know I’ve done the best I could with the opportunities He’s given me, then I can be at peace.”
Funny Author Moment:
“I once went to a book club where they were discussing one of my first mysteries—a novel called Unholy Lies.
One of the members walked right up to me and said, ‘I just want to marry that cutie-pie pilot!’
Once I stopped laughing, I told her, ‘You know he’s not real, right?’
We had a good chat afterward about how sometimes characters can feel so real that we forget they don’t actually exist.”
Finding a Publisher for Unfit to Serve: “It’s a long story… I was working with an agent, and she’d begun to shop around the manuscript. But, lo and behold, she decided she no longer wanted to be a literary agent. Ouch. So, I prayed long and hard about it, and then I began to send out the manuscript to publishers myself. I’m currently un-agented for the first time in a very long time. But I’m not too worried, because I know God has plans for my writing that I can’t even imagine right now.”
Most Significant Events in the Publication Journey: “Two things: small miracles God performed all along the way, and the encouragement other writers gave me at just the right time.
“God is always surprising me by answering my prayers in pretty obvious ways…like the time I got my first book contract less than twenty-four hours after I cried out for God’s help, because I couldn’t handle the rejection anymore. Sure enough, a publisher called the next morning with an offer.
“And, every time I wanted to give up on a book, another writer came along with just the right word to encourage me. That’s why I always try to support new writers whenever I can.”
Greatest Moments of Writing/Publishing Career: “One was being interviewed by The 700 Club after my inspirational memoir was published and brought to their attention. Being able to share my testimony on a national level about how God saved my life in a hospital ICU was incredible.
“A smaller, but equally memorable, moment was when I was standing in our local bookstore with one of my daughters. She spied one of my books out of the corner of her eye. The grin that crossed her face still warms my heart. I guess you could say my career has been a compilation of small moments and grand gestures.”
What’s Next: “I’m so happy writing inspirational historical fiction that I doubt I’ll ever go back to writing mysteries. (Never say never, though. Right?) I’m working on my next manuscript right now. I don’t want to give too much away, but it involves an amazing artist who lived in Paris during World War 1.”
With all her experiences, ambitions, and success, Sandra Bretting said that at the end of the day, her goal is to please God with her writing.
“He’s the one who gave me both the ability and desire to write. I love my readers, but it’s God’s opinion that matters most. It makes me take my platform very seriously.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jenny Fulton is a wife, mother, author, blogger, and freelance writer. An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, she grew up hearing stories from my dad about the supernatural workings on the Navajo Reservation. As a child, she collected angels and loved anything related to fairy tales. Her days are now mostly spent raising my three young daughters and writing as much as time and opportunity allows. Follow her at her blog, Heart Soul Mind.
“Journalism has given me so many interesting characters to choose from,” shared Sandra. “I once wrote a story about a safecracker for the Houston Chronicle. He’d follow the Houston Police Department into a drug house after a bust and crack open the dealer’s safe. That gentleman became the basis for my 2022 mystery called The Safecracker’s Secret. I’ve been lucky enough to write about so many interesting people, including artists, a horse farrier—that’s someone who shoes horses—a classical musician; you name it. My nonfiction work has given me inside scoops that I otherwise wouldn’t have.”
Writing Voice: Bretting is naturally optimistic, a characteristic that shines through her work, even when she covers difficult subjects.
“So many books nowadays are ‘dark,’” she said. “It seems optimism has gone out of style. I like to remind people that there’s still good in the world, even during wartime.”
Other Interests: When Sandra isn’t writing, she may be found hiking with her energetic “fur-baby,” traveling (especially to visit her youngest daughter who lives across the country) or losing herself in someone else’s story.
How It Began
Book Lover: Like many authors, Sanda’s love for writing began with a love for reading.
“I was lucky enough to be raised in a family that prized books. My very favorite day of the year in elementary school was when the Book Fair arrived, and my mom always gave us kids a few dollars to load up our backpacks.”
Early Favorites: With the first books Bretting wrote being mysteries, it’s not surprising that it was also one of her favorite genres when she was young.
“I cut my teeth on mysteries, including the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, of course, followed by short stories written by great American authors like Jack London, Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway. My mother introduced me to those writers. She loved their work so much she’d actually cook the same meals the characters ate when she was in the middle of their stories.”
Original Objectives: As much as she enjoyed reading and writing when she was young, Sandra didn’t initially set out to become an author.
“I’m going to date myself,” she claimed, “but I was a big fan of Connie Chung, and I originally thought I wanted to work in front of the camera.”
With that goal in mind, Bretting entered the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism intending to work as a news anchor. But her initial aspirations changed when she started working at her collage broadcast studio and realized she’d rather write copy than deliver it.
From Journalist to Author: Sandra’s ambitions changed even more when she took a creative writing class.
“I was hooked, but I didn’t have the confidence or the skills to write novels full time. I spent years reading umpteen books on the subject and attending umpteen novel-writing classes and conferences at night while I worked as a reporter and freelance writer. And I finally sold my first novel in 2012.”
After writing and publishing seven mystery novels, Sandra Bretting has recently shifted her focus to historical fiction.
“I’ve always loved history, and I’m a relatively slow writer. It takes me, on average, a year or more to write a standalone novel. A mystery series, on the other hand, requires an author to write one every six months. So, I chose to write a standalone inspirational historical novel because it meant I could take enough time to do it right, and it’d give me a great excuse to research World War 1 and wartime France.”
Unfit to Serve
Teaser: When the U.S. military adopts the IQ test during World War 1, a brave schoolteacher fights to level the playing field for foreign recruits.
Inspiration: Sandra was inspired to write Unfit to Serve when, in the process of researching another book, she came across a magazine story that explained how the IQ test came to America.
“I was fascinated. I’d grown up hearing about the IQ test, but I never knew it was the military that brought it to our country in the first place. Not only that, but military brass realized after a year that they’d need to make a second test for recruits who didn’t speak English. A whole year! I wondered about the men whose lives had been ruined because they couldn’t pass the test and join the service. The story evolved from there.”
Personal Experience: As she wrote this book, Bretting leaned into her life-long practice of supporting the underdog and her family’s first-hand experience of war and immigrating to America.
“As a kid, I tried to include everyone in our dodgeball games when we were out on the playground. I guess I inherited a strong sense of right and wrong from my parents, who suffered during the Nazi invasion of Europe in World War II. They both immigrated from Holland to America afterward, because they’d been so traumatized by what they’d seen with their family and friends.”
Personal Impact: Writing this book gave Sandra an even greater appreciation for the comforts we all take for granted.
“Those poor soldiers fought in muddy trenches where disease, hunger, and nonstop noise bombarded them day and night. Writing about the war has made me realize how lucky we are to live in 2024.”
Themes: Some of the themes woven throughout Unfit to Serve include tenacity and grace.
Tenacity because, “Jo has to fight for the immigrant soldiers at a time when women were supposed to remain quiet and demure.”
And grace in a Christian’s life, because “Several characters struggle to extend it when they’ve been hurt so deeply.”
Author’s Hopes: Bretting hopes that when people read this book, they will gain “a deeper appreciation for how easy most of us Americans have it now, compared to the way people lived during the first world war. They suffered terribly—especially the soldiers in trenches—but managed to come together for a common good. They weren’t perfect, but I have a new appreciation for how strong folks were back then.”
Author-Life
Balancing being a Writer, Wife, and Mother: “My two daughters are grown now, but I’ve always included them and my husband in this writing journey. Even if it meant writing at five o’clock in the morning so I could attend a school function later, I’d gladly do it. Here’s a sweet story: one of my daughters confessed a few years ago that she used to wish someone would publish her mom’s book whenever she blew out the candles on her birthday cake. Isn’t that amazing?”
Most Enjoyable Aspect of Writing: “My favorite part is getting lost in other characters and their worlds, especially when our world doesn’t necessarily make sense. I love being able to transport myself to another time and place. Hours can pass before I finally come up for air once I’ve started writing for the day.”
Most Challenging Part of Writing/Publishing: “Probably the uncertainty that comes with being a writer. Even though you fall in love with your characters while you’re writing a book, there’s no guarantee that other people will feel the same way. But that’s where I have to remind myself that it’s God’s opinion that matters most. As long as I know I’ve done the best I could with the opportunities He’s given me, then I can be at peace.”
Funny Author Moment:
“I once went to a book club where they were discussing one of my first mysteries—a novel called Unholy Lies.
One of the members walked right up to me and said, ‘I just want to marry that cutie-pie pilot!’
Once I stopped laughing, I told her, ‘You know he’s not real, right?’
We had a good chat afterward about how sometimes characters can feel so real that we forget they don’t actually exist.”
Finding a Publisher for Unfit to Serve: “It’s a long story… I was working with an agent, and she’d begun to shop around the manuscript. But, lo and behold, she decided she no longer wanted to be a literary agent. Ouch. So, I prayed long and hard about it, and then I began to send out the manuscript to publishers myself. I’m currently un-agented for the first time in a very long time. But I’m not too worried, because I know God has plans for my writing that I can’t even imagine right now.”
Most Significant Events in the Publication Journey: “Two things: small miracles God performed all along the way, and the encouragement other writers gave me at just the right time.
“God is always surprising me by answering my prayers in pretty obvious ways…like the time I got my first book contract less than twenty-four hours after I cried out for God’s help, because I couldn’t handle the rejection anymore. Sure enough, a publisher called the next morning with an offer.
“And, every time I wanted to give up on a book, another writer came along with just the right word to encourage me. That’s why I always try to support new writers whenever I can.”
Greatest Moments of Writing/Publishing Career: “One was being interviewed by The 700 Club after my inspirational memoir was published and brought to their attention. Being able to share my testimony on a national level about how God saved my life in a hospital ICU was incredible.
“A smaller, but equally memorable, moment was when I was standing in our local bookstore with one of my daughters. She spied one of my books out of the corner of her eye. The grin that crossed her face still warms my heart. I guess you could say my career has been a compilation of small moments and grand gestures.”
What’s Next: “I’m so happy writing inspirational historical fiction that I doubt I’ll ever go back to writing mysteries. (Never say never, though. Right?) I’m working on my next manuscript right now. I don’t want to give too much away, but it involves an amazing artist who lived in Paris during World War 1.”
With all her experiences, ambitions, and success, Sandra Bretting said that at the end of the day, her goal is to please God with her writing.
“He’s the one who gave me both the ability and desire to write. I love my readers, but it’s God’s opinion that matters most. It makes me take my platform very seriously.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jenny Fulton is a wife, mother, author, blogger, and freelance writer. An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, she grew up hearing stories from my dad about the supernatural workings on the Navajo Reservation. As a child, she collected angels and loved anything related to fairy tales. Her days are now mostly spent raising my three young daughters and writing as much as time and opportunity allows. Follow her at her blog, Heart Soul Mind.
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