Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. Hello, or howdy, as they said in the old west, which is my regular genre. I have twenty-four western historical romance books published and one fantasy. I began writing one day in 1980 when I woke from a dream I thought should be in a book. I have very vivid, detailed dreams. Before this time I had been in college studying fine arts, but in 1971 I got divorced and moved to a small town in Utah. I always wanted to live in a small town (I grew up in South LA). I was eager to paint watercolor landscapes. There aren’t any in So. Cal. unless you drive a long way. I never had the chance. My sister introduced me to romance novels and my life changed. I had never even thought about being a writer, although I can see hints that I might have leaned in that direction now that I look back. That first book nine years because I had to learn to write, learn the industry, take classes and make connections. In 1989, I attended a writers workshop. An agent there read my first chapter, asked me about my second book I was working on, and told me my ideas were too unusual to sell to a publisher, that I should go home, write a regular romance, get it published and maybe then I could write what I wanted. That’s a bit simplistic, but I took her seriously. I wrote a romance, entered it in a contest and won first place in the historical division. That gave me the courage to enter it in the Romance Writers of America’s yearly competition, which is huge. I never expected to get anywhere in the contest, I just wanted feedback. To my surprise my book became a finalist. It didn’t win but it did get me an agent. A year and a half later, I received a three-book contract from Kensengton Books. My first book was published in 1994. I wrote five books for them before the historical market crashed in 1999. After that, my agent died, and I became discouraged. No one was selling western historical romance. One day, I was struck with an idea, sat down and wrote a book totally different from anything I’ve written before or since. Pure inspiration. That book was A Kiss and a Dare.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “A Kiss and a Dare”?
A2. I’d say my biggest challenge was knowing nothing about writing or marketing a fantasy. Actually, the writing came easily. It just flowed out of me. Even so, after having a couple of friends read it, I became discouraged and set aside. It wasn’t until two years ago that I dragged it back out and took another look. I was mesmerized by what I read and knew I had something good, no matter what my friends said. I re-edited and published it.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. Many authors have inspired me, Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Kristin Hannah, Penelope Williamson and many more who wrote westerns. In Fantasy, my favorite author is Lynn Kurland. She writes fantastic books, some contemporary, some historical, many time-travels, and all magical.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. My favorite spot in America is a tiny village on the Oregon Coast. It’s not a town, just vacation homes, but some friends (other writers) and I would rent a house there, go for a couple of weeks, walk the beach, watch the waves and write, write, write. I went there for about seventeen years before the owner died and the house became unavailable. We couldn’t find as good a deal as she gave us and I haven’t been back since. I miss it terribly. There was a lighthouse nearby on a bluff and I placed one of my western historical romances there, Forever Mine. It received a Reviewer’s Choice Nomination from RomanticTimes and won other contests.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘A Kiss and a Dare’?
A5. A Kiss and a Dare was, as I said, pure inspiration. An image popped into my head one day of a handsome man finding a hidden garden and lying down on some grass by a boggy pond. He fell asleep and woke up to find a frog on his chest. As he stared at the creature, it leaped and kissed him. Suddenly, a gorgeous naked young woman with long black hair lay across him. The idea so tickled me that I sat and wrote the book. It’s a reversal on the frog prince fairytale which I set in Wales. It’s been too long since I wrote it to say why I chose Wales, but later I decided to tour the UK. My sister had always dreamed of going to Ireland (we’re part Irish). When she was dying, much too young, of cancer one winter, I told her if she could live until spring, I’d take her to Ireland. She didn’t make it, so I decided to go for her. I put out the word that I was seeking a travel mate. A friend in my writers’ critique group agreed to go. Before going, I found a website for leaving messages for Welsh people. I asked for someone to help me research my book. A man answered and we became friends. When he heard I was coming, he and his wife invited us to stay with them. It was fantastic. He took us everywhere, especially the castles, and I learned so much. We even found a rugged knob of land where a Welsh castle had once stood, climbed up to see it, and it became the setting for A Kiss and A Dare.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘A Kiss and a Dare’?
A6. As I said before, I wrote the book, then let it lie, almost forgotten, for years before picking it up, dusting it off and re-editing it. I’d say it took a few months to write it initially, a few more when I reworked it.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. My books are available only on Amazon, free on KU. I tried going wide (selling in actual bookstores) but people aren’t buying books like they used to. Most authors make more from KU than from going wide. Readers can borrow the books on a special program and we get paid for pages read.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘A Kiss and a Dare’?
A8. Coming up with a cover for A Kiss and a Dare is still a sort of work in progress. I keep trying to find a design that will more accurately depict the magic involved. There’s a witch, spells, two deadlines, one for the hero and one for the heroine, a newt and a dragonfly, who are friends of the heroine and are people from the 14th century put under spells. There’s even a dragon. My covers come from my vivid imagination and I use my artistic skills to create them.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. Keeping my writing fresh is always a challenge. I try reading books by authors I haven’t read before, and consult friends and my critique partners. I get sparks of ideas from small things I see on TV or read in books, maybe things heard in a restaurant or store. I try to use unusual characters unlike any I’ve created before and do the same with the situations I put them in. In my current western historical romance, the hero and his foreman (on a ranch) grew up in a circus. They keep an old lion as a pet. He’s lost his teeth and is tame unless the hero is threatened. Then he can become ferocious even without teeth. I find characteristics for my characters from a vast supply of sources, TV, books, friends, overheard snatches of conversations in public places, the list is endless.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. The most valuable advice I received was probably when that editor told me no publisher would take a chance on an unusual story from an unknown author. All authors try to come up with something unique. Another was to keep dead bodies dropping. Not literally. It means to keep interesting and unexpected action going so readers won’t get bored (or the author). One bit of advice I have for beginning authors is not to expect too much from a first book. It’s best to get a few books written before you even think about publishing. Learn the craft, make connections, visit online sites where you can get your name known, participate in online groups and chats. First books rarely succeed. I’ve seen a few. One author I saw become an overnight success when a husband was in the promotions business. He made her a success with advertising that most authors can’t afford. Even after all these years, I still couldn’t afford the platform he used for her book. Promoting books is the most difficult part of publishing. It’s expensive, there are a lot of cheats out there offering the moon and giving nothing, and it keeps a writer from doing what she wants to do most–write.
Buy A Kiss and a Dare on Amazon
Sassy Reviews 