Sara Evans may have taken a break from the musical spotlight for a period of several years, but it's clear she hasn't let any of her talent atrophy. The singer and mom of three is currently up for female vocalist of the year at the 2012 ACM Awards--a category with such formidable competition as Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Martina McBride.

"It's very competitive in country music, especially for the females," notes Evans, who last won the ACM Award for female artist back in 2005. "There aren't a lot of slots for female artists. It's a huge honor to be among this group."

It's not only an honor for Evans to be back in the running, it's no doubt a happy occasion for her fans, who have witnessed the star's personal difficulties over the past few years--most prominently, a highly public and thorny divorce which necessitated a period of healing.

Evans has since remarried, regrouped, and is indeed firmly back in the game in all areas. She released her first studio album in six years, Stronger, in 2011--and is already gearing up for a new album next year, which she says she's currently working on from her house.

Some artists find sparks of creativity in darker moments; however, Evans says she's much more productive if she's in a good space mentally. Given that things are going great right now--that means so is her work. "If I'm not stressed out, I'm much more creative."

One area of Evans's career that some fans may not know about and that is completely separate from her musical endeavors is her work as a published author. Evans, along with co-writer Rachel Hauck, began writing fiction several years ago and has released three novels to date, all dealing with the journey of a heroine who attemps to deal with family and marital issues. (Evans has noted these books are not autobiographical, merely "inspirational.") She plans to add a fourth to the series, and possibly continue her writing career beyond that.

"I've really enjoyed it. It's been a whole other area of creating," she notes, adding that her experience as a writer has given her "huge respect" for the work authors do.

[Content courtesy of Dial Global's Backstage at the ACMs, brought to you by Allegra - Fast, non-drowsy allergy relief that starts working in one hour. Visit Allegra.com to learn more.]

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