Blog Tour: Chocolate Roses by Joan Sowards

Back on May 11, I did a preliminary mention of Joan Sowards' second novel, Chocolate Roses. Now I'm participating in the Chocolate Roses blog tour. Read my review on August 2. Read the announcement below to find out the prizes you can win:

Love chocolate? Love Jane Eyre?

Then you're going to love the blog tour (July 26-August 6) for Chocolate Roses by Joan Sowards.

Janie Rose Whitaker's world revolved around her chocolate shop until Roger Wentworth and his young daughter moved into the apartment across from Janie's. Anyone would think Roger fit the mold of the "perfect" guy, but soon Janie discovers secrets that could keep them apart forever. Though she resists getting involved in Roger's complicated life, they are drawn further into a bittersweet relationship.

You will laugh, cry, and crave chocolate as you read this LDS parody of the classic novel Jane Eyre.

We have two great prizes up for grabs! Win either a copy of the book (2 winners) or this fabulous apron created by Joan!

All you have to do is leave a comment (along with your email address if it isn't on your blog profile) and answer the following question.

What's your favorite type of
chocolate: white, dark, or milk?

The more blogs you comment on the more entries you'll receive.
All comments must be left by midnight MST on August 8 to be eligible.

July 26
Nichole Giles--Star Crossed Book Reviews
Joyce DiPastena--JDP News

July 27
Deanne Blackhurst--Annie Speaks Her Mind
Tristi Pinkston--*Tristi Pinkston

July 28
Taffy Lovell--Taffy's Candy
Alison Palmer--Tangled Words and Dreams

July 29
Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen--The Write Blocks
C.S. Bezas--For the Love of the Written Word

July 30
Sheila Staley--Why Not? Because I Said So!
LDSWomen's Book Review

August 2
Kerry Blair--Now & Here
Marsha Ward--Writer in the Pines

August 3
Kaylee Baldwin--Kaylee Baldwin
Amy Orton--Amesbury Reads

August 4
Anna del C.--Anna del C. Dye's Blog
Laurie Lewis--A View from the Other Side

August 5
Valerie Ipson--Of Writerly Things
Anna Arnett--Insights and Ramblings from Anna Arnett

August 6
Lynn Parsons--Parsons' Posts
Danyelle Ferguson--Queen of the Clan

Chocolate Roses can be purchased from Deseret Book,
Amazon, and of course your local LDS bookstore.

At last! Chocolate Roses Review

Back on July 23rd, I mentioned that I would be part of Joan Sowards' blog tour for her latest novel, Chocolate Roses, on August 2nd. I also gave the list of bloggers, and the prizes and rules linked to the blog tour contest.

Since then, I left home for a writers retreat, during which my brother-in-law died. Due to those unfortunate circumstances, needing to leave home to attend the funeral, and a misreading of the calendar, I missed my blogging date. Be that what it may, I'm here, and so is my review.

I'm sure you've all read the back cover blurb of Chocolate Roses, are familiar with the story of Jane Eyre, have been following the other bloggers' revews, and making comments to enter the contest for the two copies of the novel and the apron the author made. If not, when I'm through, you may go do those things. Be sure to leave your comments on this blog post.

Although the subtitle of Chocolate Roses is A Jane Eyre Parody, I didn't find the satiric aspects in the work that the word parody brings to my mind. I found Joan's novel to be much lighter than the original, but I would have called it a contemporary re-setting, or, given Joan's credentials as a consummate musician, an arrangement of Jane Eyre.

Extracting a simpler plot from Jane Eyre for her novel was a good trick, and Joan pulled it off. She peopled the work with interesting minor characters and sub-plots that made the whole an enjoyable read.

I liked Janie Whitaker; she was spunkier than Jane Eyre, and I found her to be in much the same circumstances as me long years ago: single and older than I thought I'd be before I found love and marriage. I'd macheted my way through many of the same emotions, and made similar bargains with God as Janie did. I'm glad she held onto her values despite the internal pressures, the gossips, and the jealousy swirling around her.

Mr. Roger Wentworth (a tip of the hat to Jane Austen?) was a genuinely good man in a tragic situation, not the brooding, older man who tried to pull the wool over the eyes of a naive young woman and the community like Mr. Rochester did. I write conflicted characters who try to do the right thing, so I liked him, too.

I like satisfying endings.

I like chocolate.

What's not to like in this novel? Go buy it.

Walnut Springs, the publisher of this novel, provided a copy to me. It in no way influenced my review, because I had already bought the novel for myself, with all intentions to read it anyway.

Rulon Owen is Not a Patient Man

I'm outside, slogging through the snow to the garbage can I've stashed on the other side of the road for the winter so I don't have to move it back and forth during periods when the half-dollar size granite rocks are covered ankle-deep with snow. Truth be told, I don't like to trundle the bin over the granite rocks, either. Good thing the cross-road neighbors don't visit very often, I think, hauling my plastic bags by their pull ties to the black monstrosity.

"Looks like you could use a hand," someone behind me says in a deep voice, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.

I whirl around the best I can with two heavy bags impeding my pirouette. My heart pounds as hard as it did the last time someone told me Sean Connery had fallen to his death from a crag in New Zealand.

A grey-hatted man sits astride a reddish horse that nickers softly, its breath streaming from its nostrils like steam escaping from a broken pipe. I back up as the man swings down from the saddle and drops the reins to ground-tie the animal.

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice quavering ever so slightly. I don't tote a firearm with me when I take out the garbage. Maybe that should change.

"Mom," he says, relieving me of first one bag, then the other. "You've met me. You should know me by now."

I'm a bit rattled by his choice of words. My sons call me "Mom" in just that impatient tone of voice, making more than one syllable out of the word.

My mind is jumping from one compartment of my brain to another, rattling the filing cabinet drawers I jerk open as I search for clues to help me remember this man.

"I'm younger," he says, turning away from me to study the garbage bin.

Cole? Bob? John? Jim? No. He doesn't resemble the outlaw Younger brothers. My gosh, who is he? I'm beginning to slip into fear.

He sets the bags on the ground and bends his head sideways to examine the lip of the black lid. He raises an arm to test it. Discovering that it moves, he thrusts it upward, and the lid flies back. He chuckles. I'm moving backward, puzzled by his actions. He picks up the bags, chucks them in the bin, closes the lid, and turns to me, dusting his hands together.

"Them parcels have a slippery feel, but the keg is harder. What do you call that material?"

When he raises his hand to tilt back his hat, I finally know him.

"Rulon," I exhale. Rod Owen's oldest boy, and he's much more boyish looking than the man I'd met a couple of years ago. "Plastic. They are both made of plastic, but different types."

"Humph," he snorts. "Plastic."

"You'd best come inside," I tell him, glancing at the horse, and wondering if it's better to tie it to the rail of the back-door deck or the ramp's railing. The back door is locked, but I don't want the horse destroying my Heat Trak electric mat, so I settle for a third choice, the railing on the covered deck closest to the shed. That will hide the animal sufficiently that someone won't come along and elect to take a joy-ride.

Rulon ties the horse where I tell him to, then wipes off his boots before entering my living room.

"Sit down and take your ease," I say, lapsing into a genteel Civil War-era-matron persona. "May I get you a refreshment?" I mentally go over the contents of my refrigerator and cupboards. "I can offer you water, mint tea, pineapple juice...." I stop as his brow contorts in confusion. "Never mind the pineapple juice. How about hot chocolate?" I shiver. "That seems a good choice. I also have a loaf cake."

Rulon sits, perched uneasily on the edge of my chair. "I believe I've tasted that 'hot chocolate' somewhere. Don't it take quite a time to brew it?"

I think of the luxury we have in our time. Instant beverages from a foil package. "No, this is special," I say. "It won't take very long. Will you take cake, as well?"

"I reckon," he says. "Thank you, Mom."

I leave him alone, knowing he's not even going to offer to assist me in preparing the repast. That is a woman's work, and Rulon is decidedly not a woman.

He's more handsome than I had remembered, full of face and not worn down by privation. He wasn't cautious in moving his body. "He hasn't been hit by shrapnel yet," I whisper, the truth dawning on me. This is the pre-war Rulon.

When I enter the room again, carrying a tray with cups of hot chocolate and plates of cake, I notice he's fidgeting, flicking one thumbnail with the other and biting his lower lip. I set down the tray and serve him. 

He samples the chocolate, but it's hot and he blows on it.

"Tell me about the family," I say. I want to know the timeline I'm dealing with.

"Ma and Pa are well. Brother Ben's got himself a job at the mill." He grinned. "He's sparkin' Ella Ruth Meems. Figures to marry her right soon." He sips at the beverage.

My heart contracts, squeezing hard. I don't know Ella Ruth. I imagine I'll get to know her this year, probably too intimately for comfort.

"And you?" I manage to ask, forcing my lips into a smile. "You're getting long in the tooth and not wed yet."

"I am not," he sputters. "I mean, I aim to marry, just as soon..." His voice fades as his head drops. He tries to mask his chagrin by chugging the chocolate, but it's still hot, and he sputters anew, then coughs.

I hand him a tissue. He looks at it coldly, then sets his drink down on the table and wipes his mouth. He nibbles at the cake.

"Rulon, are you seeing someone?"

"Yes!" He barks the word. "Yes," he repeats, and breathes heavily. "I come to ask you to get on with writin' my tale." 

He's rushing his words now, spilling them out so fast I feel obliged to stop him, but I can't, not yet.

"I'm forbidden to wed her until you write out the words and make it real. I can scarcely stand this waiting, waiting, everlasting waiting. She won't let me--"

"Rulon!" I cut him off. "You can't do that."

He's breathing hard now, nearly gasping with pain. His yearning is almost palpable, his drive to possess filling my room with the musk of desire, and I won't tolerate the dark aspect of his need.

"Get yourself in hand! Of course she won't permit you taking liberties. She's only a bit of a girl, and doesn't realize how she's pushing you to your limit."

"You know that?" he groans and narrows his brows as he gazes at me. "You know her?" He moves one leg awkwardly.

I acknowledge his distress. "I think you'd best stay the night here. I'll call my neighbor about sheltering your horse."

He slumps forward, nerveless, and I am glad he has set down the chocolate. "I'm a cur," he whispers, then groans again.

"No, you're a young man full of yourself. It will do you good to be removed from Mary for a while."

He shuts his eyes and compresses his lips, then nods slowly. "I'll stop here for the night, on one condition." He looks up at me, his eyes full of challenge. "You have to start writin' down the words."

Now it's my turn to nod. "I'll begin inside of a month."

Copyright © 2013 Marsha Ward


*This is a work of fiction. I don't really talk to time-traveling characters from my novels. I do like them a lot, though, and am glad they pass under the rainbow from time to time to visit me in my own time and place. To order autographed copies of my novels, The Man from Shenandoah, Ride to Raton, Trail of Storms, and Spinster's Folly, visit my website at marshaward.com.

Author Interview: Rachel Ann Nunes

Our Author Interview today is with Rachel Ann Nunes, one of the most best-selling and beloved authors in the LDS market. Rachel is a busy wife and mother of six children, and lives in Utah with her family. She also is the founder of LDStorymakers.

Hi Rachel. Welcome to my blog. This new book is your 27th novel. What made you start writing?
I've always loved to read, and I began to dream of writing my own book very early in life. By the time I was in seventh grade, I knew the goal of being an author was firmly fixed in my mind.

How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book?
I wrote several short stories in seventh grade and started my first novel when I was seventeen. Then I was busy with school, a mission, getting married and having children. I wrote some during those years, but it was only after I'd had my third child that I really became serious about my writing. Since I'd planned to have more children, waiting until they were grown wasn't an option. I wrote two days a week for that first year, and then five days a week the next, and it was during that second year I wrote Ariana: The Making of a Queen. It was accepted in 1995 and published in 1996, selling out of its first printing in little over a month.

What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?
I never make detailed outlines. In fact, the only time I ever did that before beginning a story, I never actually started writing it. I guess I already knew what happened, so what was the point? Usually, I know where I want to begin and generally how I'd like it to end, and a few scenes in between. I like to be surprised with the rest and where the journey takes me. Sometimes the book doesn't end up where I thought it would.

How do you choose your characters' names?
In the beginning I used names I liked or made up. I've even used a few of my children's names over the years. Now I mostly look through the phone book to spot a name I want. The only exception is if I'm searching for names in a specific country, like say, India. Then I'll use online sources.

You have six children. What is your daily schedule like?
Busy. I'm in the car a lot. I now listen to books on CD so I don't hate the carpooling as much as I used to. I write in the morning after I get most of the children off to school. I work better when I'm fresh. I usually write in my pajamas, and I don't bother to comb my hair until later. The book must come before such mundane things! I'm thinking I should post a sign at the door: SCARY-LOOKING WRITER AT WORK! ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I still have a child home at this point, so I'm interrupted a lot. Sometimes I have to leave my computer on all day to reach my daily goal. I would normally be able to finish in a few hours if I didn't have the interruptions and errands that are associated with running a household full of children. After the children come home from school I rarely write. I'm too busy helping them with all their homework and driving them to lessons.

How do you handle life interruptions?
Interesting question. When I was younger, I could easily keep my mind on two or three things at once. I could pause in the middle of writing an exciting scene--maybe to solve a dispute or pick up a child from a piano lesson--and come back and start writing exactly where I left all with no change in the flow. I could write with children talking around me, or holding a wiggly infant on my lap. But lately I find I crave more solitude for writing, and if I'm interrupted during a scene, I'll sometimes need to read through it again before I can pick up where I left off. If the kids are making noise around me, I'll stop whatever I'm doing and get them settled--and out of my office--before I attempt to write. But I thing this is a natural progression of both my age and my position as a published author. These days I'm not so anxious about getting something written in record time. I have time to be more particular about how I get the writing done.

I know I could solve a lot of interruptions simply by shutting my office door, especially during the summer when the kids are home all day, but I very rarely do so. I want my children to know they come first. They're pretty good to come in and out as they need me. They've grown up with me writing, so it's a part of their lives. Setting your own schedule has a lot of rewards. I get to go on all the school field trips and see all their performances. Interruptions might just be what keeps authors from becoming completely eccentric.

Do you write to music? If so, with lyrics or only instrumentals?
Very, very rarely do I write with music on, and never with lyrics. Occasional I find music will help me catch a mood, but mostly music just interferes with the voices in my head. I need to hear them to get the story right.

What food or snack keeps the words flowing?
I have one food rule: Never eat chocolate at the computer. Since I love chocolate and writing, I might never leave my office again. I do often eat lunch, fruit, or vegetables at the computer. It's a good way to get in the veggies. Other foods are off limits because it'd be too easy to take in mindless calories with little or no nutritional value.

But occasionally when I'm under a stressful deadline that requires overtime writing, I will buy one of those huge bags of peanut M&M's, turn the household over to my husband, shut my office door, and break my chocolate rule. I'm a morning writer, but chocolate will keep even me writing all night, if necessary.

What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?
The act of sitting down and seeing that first draft emerge from my imagination, as real to me as anything that is going in the real world, is always magic. Sometimes writing is like slogging through mud, one word at a time, but often I'll hit a time when the story is coming so fast I can barely type in the ideas fast enough. Those are times I live for.

The thing I like least about writing is the business end. It's the accounting part, the tax returns, mailing contracts, letters, and manuscripts. Leaving my family for a book signing or to speak at various places is also a challenge. While I love talking to my readers and enjoy enriching the community, appearances take a heavy toll on me. Something usually suffers when I'm away from home, and you can bet I'm making sure it's not my family. Usually, it's my sleep or my writing time that suffers. I've had to cut way back appearances these past years in order to keep up my writing pace and my health.

What is your next project?
I just finished a manuscript called Eyes of a Stranger that will be out around September 2008. Now I'm working on another novel. I don't even have a working title yet, but the opening scene has a man kidnapping his own child in order to protect her from the mother. The story was inspired by a clip I read in a newspaper some years ago. It has strong potential, and I'm excited to see how it'll turn out.

What is your advice for other writers?
Read everything you can get your hands on in the genre you wish to write. Attend writers conferences, network with other authors, and write regularly. I'm a firm believer in the saying "Writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration."

Tell us about your new book.
Fields of Home, published by Shadow Mountain, is not quite like any other book I've published. It's similar to other nationally published women's fiction, though without the smut and questionable values.

After fighting her way through a bitter and hurtful past, my character Mercedes Johnson has painstakingly carved out a life of quiet contentment on a Wyoming farm with her husband, Wayne, and their three sons. All that changes when the birth father of Mercedes’ oldest child returns to Riverton. Dr. Brandon Rhodes threatens the carefully balanced life she and Wayne have created, but especially Mercedes' own perceptions of her life because she still cares for this man who should have been her husband.

In Fields of Home, everything happened because of one decision Mercedes made many years ago, a choice that can never be altered. Or can it? My purpose in writing this book was to tell a story that could belong to any woman. I've found that many of us wonder what might have happened if we had taken a different path at some point in our lives. Where might it have led?

Yes, I've often wondered the same thing. What other work of yours has been published?
As you said, I have twenty-seven book published. Some of the most popular are the Ariana series, originally published by Covenant in 1996. In April/May 2008 Deseret Book is republishing the first three Ariana novels in one book called The Ariana Trilogy. Other books include Winter Fire, No Longer Strangers, Chasing Yesterday, and The Independence Club (a Whitney Finalist novel)--all published by Deseret Book in the past three years. Shadow Mountain also released my novel Flying Home, just last fall. Though I am primarily a novelist, I have two award-winning picture books, The Secret of the King (2005) and Daughter of a King (2001), published by Shadow Mountain and Covenant, respectively. To see all of my titles and read sample chapters, please visit my website, www.RachelAnnNunes.com.

Thank you for being my guest today, Rachel.
Thanks and HAPPY READING!

Book Blitz - Vocal Crush

Title: Vocal Crush
Author: Lisa Swinton
Genre: Romance

Description:
Can you ever outrun a broken heart?

Lexi Court spent seven years traveling the world, living the nomadic Broadway life, in an attempt to outrun the broken heart Nick Rivers gave her. Now, there’s nowhere left to go.

When she accepted a position as a high school drama teacher in Las Vegas, Lexi hoped to get over Nick, find a nice guy, and settle down. But what should be a quiet summer gets turned upside down when Lexi's best friend, Taffy, drafts her to be an emergency replacement coach on a televised vocal competition.

Feeling out of her league among the other three celebrity coaches, Lexi fights for the most promising contestants to be on her team. One note from a single voice shatters her summer. Nick unexpectedly auditions and joins Lexi's team. With her vocal crush on him raging as strong as ever, she has nowhere to run from Nick’s dreamy looks or siren voice.

Lexi has no doubt that Nick can win the competition. The question is does he want to win her heart as well or will he damage it beyond repair?

Grab your copy of this great book on Lisa's Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HXNXDCO

Lisa Swinton caught the romance bug early by way of fairy tales and hasn't been able to cure it since. Consequently, she feeds her addiction with romance novels and films. In between being a doctor's wife and mother of two, she puts her B.A. in Musical Theater to good use via community theater and church choir.

In her elusive spare time she enjoys researching her family tree, painting her house, and baking, especially with chocolate. She loves traveling, reading Jane Austen, and all things Italian. In her next life, she plans to be a professional organizer.

Go check out Lisa's pages:

BLOG: http://www.lisaswinton.blogspot.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaSwinton
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HXNXDCO
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7796962.Lisa_Swinton

LISA'S 10 RANDOM THINGS
I can row a gondola.
I don't eat seafood of any kind.
I broke my first bone this year.
I read Nancy Drew growing up.
I cannot draw. Stick figures are my limit.
I can roll my R's.
I can't sew or draw a straight line, even with a ruler.
I love Utz's chocolate covered pretzels.
I bake a tasty chocolate chip cookie.
I've dyed my hair every natural color and a few unnatural ones too.

Follow along with Facebook:
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chocolate Roses

I recently attended the LDStorymakers' writers conference in Utah. While there, I picked up several books I want to read. One of them is Chocolate Roses by Joan Sowards. I enjoyed Joan's previous book, Haunts Haven, so much, I believe I'll get a good read from her new book, as well.

The subtitle is "A Jane Eyre Parody," so I'm looking forward to laughter. Maybe. The back cover says:

She’s in love . . .
He’s out of reach . . .
Is there any hope?

Janie Rose Whitaker’s world revolved around her chocolate shop until Roger Wentworth and his young daughter moved into the apartment across from Janie’s. Anyone would think Roger fit the mold of the “perfect” guy, but soon Janie discovers secrets that could keep them apart forever. Though she resists getting involved in Roger’s complicated life, they are drawn further into a bittersweet relationship.

I'll let you know later if Janie and Roger work it all out.

Interview with Joyce DiPastena

I first interviewed author Joyce DiPastena in September of 2007. I'm pleased to have her back to spotlight her second novel (and second Whitney Award finalist), Illuminations of the Heart.

Welcome back, Joyce. How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing silly little stories I never finished since junior high school. When I started a new story my freshman year in college I thought it’d end up the same as all the others…begun but never finished. But this one, my first attempt at a medieval romance, somehow captivated my attention and carried me through all the way to the words “the end”. It took me six years to get there, four years undergraduate and two years of graduate school. Although that book was never published, I’m still in love with its hero to this day!

What genre do you write and why?

I write medieval romances, although I tend to include so much additional plot alongside the romance that I had an agent tell me I don’t really write romances at all. But they’re all romances to me. There may be a lot of other stuff going on…mysteries, assassination attempts, medieval politics…but at the heart of each story is a man and a woman falling in love against all the odds around them.

Where do you get your inspiration to write?

My inspiration comes from many different sources. Sometimes it comes from a book I’ve written before. For example, my first published book, Loyalty’s Web, was based on characters from that first unpublished novel I wrote in college. The hero and heroine of Loyalty’s Web were an elderly married couple in that early romance, and I became curious to find out how they had met and fallen in love, so I wrote Loyalty’s Web to find out the answer.

Sometimes bits and pieces of research will fascinate me and influence how I draw a character’s background. For my second published romance, Illuminations of the Heart, I became interested in the subject of medieval illumination and decided to combine that interest with my new heroine, the daughter of a medieval illuminator from Italy. (Although the novel itself is set in France, like Loyalty’s Web.) During the writing of Illuminations of the Heart, I became interested in the subject of medieval troubadours. So that’s a subject I’m incorporating into the novel I’m writing right now.

Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you to overcome it?

Writer’s block is a toughie. There was a time I thought I had so many ideas that I’d never get writer’s block. Now I find myself struggling with it quite frequently. I’ve discovered it’s not a lack of ideas that I have. It’s a byproduct of stress. When my stress levels go up, I find it very difficult to “turn off” my worries and focus enough to work on my novels.

The thing that has worked best for me through the years is to set a timer for a specific length of time (an hour, two hours, whatever you can set it for) and tell myself that I don’t have to write anything, but I do have to sit at the computer until the timer goes off. I can’t go get a snack, I can’t play any games, I can’t turn on the TV, I can’t do anything except either stare at my blank computer screen or type something. And that “something” has to have something to do with my new story! Sometimes I only type a handful of words, sometimes I’ll end up typing a stream, but whether out of boredom or inspiration, I don’t think I’ve ever not written something before the timer goes off. And no matter how terrible what I wrote might seem at the time, it almost always ends up moving my story along no matter how microscopically. And I always feel better about myself just for trying.

If you could spend an hour talking to anyone from any time in history, who would it be? And Why?

King Henry II of England! I fell in love with Henry II back in high school when I first read The Conquering Family by Thomas B. Costain. Not “romantic” love. There was just something about the way his contemporaries described him that stirred a great affection in me for him. He seemed to be one of those rare kings who was actually more interested in trying to improve his country than in simply enjoying the “glory” or “privileges” of his rank. He is described as a man who hated war, even though circumstances forced him to spend most of his adult life at war. He was a man of tremendous energy and intellect. And he laid important foundations to the legal system that we have inherited from England and enjoy ourselves today.

His legacy was marred by his quarrel with Archbishop Thomas á Becket, and the son who succeeded him, Richard the Lionheart, is a more flashy character of legend. But everything I’ve read about Henry II since those high school days has only increased my love and admiration for this man. Loyalty’s Web and Illuminations of the Heart are both set during his lifetime, and although he has not yet actually appeared on the scene in any of my books, the references I make to him, small though they might be, are my own way of paying tribute to this great, underappreciated king.

What is your next project?

Right now, I’m just calling it “my troubadour book”. It’s based on a character from my second book, Illuminations of the Heart, and once again is set in medieval France.

Okay, let's try some quickie questions:

Uh-oh!

Favorite food? Chocolate chip cookies
Favorite dessert? Umm…chocolate chip cookies
Jeans and T-shirt, or designer clothes? Both! (Well, not really “designer”, but I also like fun, “nice” clothes.)
Guilty pleasure? Chocolate. (If only I felt more guilt than pleasure from it!)
One word that describes you? Shy. Why do you think this interview is taking place on a blog?
Favorite flower? Snapdragons
Favorite sport? If I absolutely, positively MUST be forced to watch a sport, then I’ll choose figure skating.

Where can readers find a copy of Illuminations of the Heart?

Illuminations of the Heart is available in Deseret Bookstores and some Arizona Barnes & Nobles. It can be ordered directly through Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores, or ordered online at DeseretBook.com, Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.

Thank you for the interview, Joyce.

It was my pleasure.

Author Interview: Cindy R. Williams

Today's Author Interview is with Cindy R. Williams, a new author who writes children's picture books. She lives in Arizona with her family.

Welcome, Cindy. I'm glad to talk to you. How long have you been writing? What made you start?
I believe I was born a story teller. I wrote my first book when I was five or six about being a Mermaid Princess. I cut art paper in eighths and stapled them together to make a book. I used pencils and crayons to illustrate it. As time went by life events would trigger a spark and a huge desire to write. A story would just flow out, sometimes rhyming, sometimes not. Then I would get back to my daily life.

I created numerous series’ of bedtime stories for my children. I didn’t know what to do with my tales so they sat in my private collection for years, until it was finally my season to take the next step. I realized life is too short, so I’d best make my dreams happen now.

What is your first published book?
Chase McKay Didn’t Get Up Today was published in April 2008 by Goodfellow Publishing Services, of Mesa, Arizona. I will never forget selling the first copy of Chase McKay Didn’t Get Up Today, through my website, cindyrwilliams.com. I was so thrilled that I looked at the sells confirmation a bunch of times, to make sure I hadn’t imagined it.

Do you have any authors that inspire you?
Oh yes. Many members of American Night Writers Association (ANWA) inspire me. I see so many creative women writing and doing a million other things. They are truly incredible. I love to read. I think two authors that gave my love for magical worlds an identity as a child were L. Frank Baum, the author of the “Wizard of Oz” Series and Marian Cockrell, the author of Shadow Castle. There really are so many others. I have a list of books and their authors that inspire me on my website, cindyrwilliams.com, on the “About me” page.

What is your daily schedule like?
I am psycho for being organized. I hate to waste time. I plan my days to streamline and maximize my priorities and to reach my daily goals. My day starts with family scripture study usually at 6:15 am. After scriptures, I often write for about an hour, then get my last child off to school and do my exercises and morning chores. I take care of my various responsibilities as Mommy, Wife, House Keeper, Financier, and run my errands, practice my harp, visit teach, work on house and financial projects, volunteer at my children’s schools, and rescue people and animals . . . all before lunch if possible. Then I try to spend several more hours writing until my children get home from school. I put on my “Mommy” hat again until the children are in bed. I put on my “wife” hat for awhile after that. When all are nestled in bed asleep, I usually get into my “Writing Place”. This is a special place I set up with all my dragon and fairy props around me. I write until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.

Sounds good on paper, but we all know “Life Happens”. One little trick that helps tons is I take my lap top with me almost everywhere. I write as I wait in doctors and dentist offices, concerts, as I am waiting for my children in the car when I am the family chauffeur. It is surprising how much time we waste waiting. Instead of being frustrated, I accomplish something rewarding by writing. If I don’t have my lap top with me, I often think about my stories, and create scenes in my mind.

How do you handle life interruptions?
Sometimes I do okay with interruptions and other times, not so well. I really try to write when all my other responsibilities are fulfilled. I don’t put my writing last, but I must take care of pressing tasks or my creative side isn’t free to fly. I decided a long time ago, that no matter what, my family and my church callings come first, so I try hard to take care of those things, then get right back to writing. Sometimes I ignore the phone, unless I see it is one of my children calling from school, which means they really need me. If I am on a roll, and the story is flowing, I do find I get frustrated by being interrupted. I try to take care of the situation quickly and get right back to where I was. I go back a few pages and reread what I last wrote, and more often than not, the story starts to flow again. If not, then I put it aside and take care of whatever tends to be the squeaky wheel at the time.

You mentioned that you play the harp. Do you write music?
Yes, I write music primarily for my harp, and some for guitar. Both can be played on the piano as well. I tend to write songs that are a bit eerie, like being out in the shadowy night on a fairy hill dancing in the moonlight. That is why I love the harp so much. It is mystical and magic. I usually start with the melody and harmonies first, and if it strikes me, I will add lyrics. But I have found that more often than not, harp music speaks directly to the soul and words are not necessary.

I am working on my harp CD project along with my books. My goal is to have the release date coincide with the publication of Thundertail’s Tale. Many of the songs I have written for my harp are a bit Celtic, and go back to my Scottish and British heritage. The Harp CD will fit well with my magical dragons and fairies, and will also be a great lullaby CD to play at bedtime for children and tired parents too.

What food or snack keeps the words flowing?
CHOCOLATE! I also love ice water, which I try to sip it often, and save the chocolate for rare occasions or I’m sure I would turn into a grand chocolate mound.

What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?
I love story telling. I love to do presentations on my book and my harp. I love to create names and backgrounds of characters. I love to write bantering dialog. I love to create tough situations then mull them over and figure out how to get my protagonist through them. I do not like to rewrite drafts. I find it so much more fun to let my imagination run free and write rather than fix things.

What is your advice for other writers?
Write and write and write and write and write. Take classes, attend seminars, take advantage of a critique group. Being a member of ANWA is a great opportunity for LDS women writers for learning and critiquing if you get in a group that understands the process. As far as writing classes go, I have been taking a series of creative writing classes locally and it has changed my world. If you live in the greater Phoenix area and are interested in taking Creative Writing Classes, email me and I will give you the information on these classes. I feel it is important to never stop learning.

We each have to believe that we have something worthwhile to say, because the world needs wholesome voices. And did I mention to write and write and write and write and write . . . .

Tell us about your book.
Chase McKay Didn’t Get Up Today is what I call a “Snuggle, Giggle Book.” It is a rhyming story inspired by the youngest of my five children playing possum when it was time to get up for Kindergarten. It begins with; “Chase McKay would not get up, so Mama made his bed. She straightened the covers and pulled them, right over his head. Chase McKay cannot play; he didn’t get out of bed today.” The story goes on to include; “his breakfast is cold, soggy and old. His chores are undone, no time for fun.”

It’s so nice to cuddle up with a little one and share the story. The book has a catchy rhythm, and the original illustrations by Seattle artist Donald Jenny are charming.

What is your next project?
I have several children’s picture books completed. Naptime (working title) is currently being illustrated. My publisher has requested two more books in the “Chase McKay” series. I also have Good Doc Flo, The Prankster, The Hero, and Ruffle Buns. Some are completed and others are in the final editing stage. However, I spend most of my time on my novel, the first book in the trilogy of “Thundertail’s Tales”, about a boy and a dragon, magic and choices. I do have one serious novel waiting to see the light of day. It is called Alzheimer’s Antics, from the Viewpoint of a Daughter. It is a sometimes humorous, often bittersweet book about my father, and how he and my family handled this ever-so-sad disease.

Thanks for letting me interview you, Cindy.
Thank you, Marsha, for this opportunity. You do so much to teach, lift and support authors!

Author Interview: Nancy Anderson, Lael Littke and Carroll Hofeling Morris

Today I have a special treat in my Author Interview series. I’ve gotten answers from three wonderful authors who wrote a trilogy together. Yes, three authors wrote three books! I am the stop today on their Blog Tour.

The authors are sisters Nancy Anderson and Carroll Hofeling Morris, and their good friend, Lael Littke. The series is entitled “The Company of Good Women,” and the books are Almost Sisters, Three Tickets to Peoria, and Surprise Packages, published by Deseret Books.

These women write a blog together called Crusty Old Broads, and have a website, Virtual Sisters. The trilogy is the story of three women, Deenie, Juneau and Erin, who live in three different parts of the country, and their quest to become Crusty Old Broads.

On to the Interview.

Welcome! How long have you been writing? What made you start?

Nancy: I have been writing since seventh grade. My teacher assigned us to write character sketches about someone we knew. I left mine until the last minute then whipped out a short but heart felt paragraph about my father. My teacher raved about it. Up until that time I had no idea that my way of expressing myself was anything different that anyone else’s. At that point in my life (13 going on 30) I was desperate to have something to give me status, so I worked hard to have the reputation of the girl who had a way with words.

Lael: I'VE BEEN WRITING SINCE THE 7TH GRADE. I'VE KNOWN I WOULD BE A WRITER FROM THE TIME I LEARNED TO READ, BUT I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO WRITE UNTIL A TEACHER WHO SPECIALIZED IN ENGLISH LITERATURE CAME TO OUR TINY COUNTRY SCHOOL AND ENCOURAGED ME. HE LIKED MY TALES OF COUNTRY FOLKS. THE TOWNSPEOPLE SAID, "DON'T LET LAEL KNOW YOUR SECRETS OR SHE'LL TATTLE THEM TO THAT TEACHER."

Carroll: Off and on from the time I was in fourth grade and showed my teacher some poems I’d written. When I asked her later if she’d read them, she admitted she’d lost them! As the daughter of an English teacher, I grew up surrounded by readers, storytellers and writers, so expressing myself through words came naturally. Also, I had a lot of questions about relationships and life, and writing was a way to think them through.


When did you sell your first book?

Nancy: My first book was Almost Sisters, released in 2006.

Lael: IN 1969. IT'S A PICTURE BOOK TITLED WILMER, THE WATCHDOG. I SOLD MY FIRST NOVEL, TELL ME WHEN I CAN GO, IN 1978.

Carroll: The Broken Covenant came out in 1985. I wrote it while living in Germany (82-83). After returning to the U.S., I revised it and sent it off to Deseret Book sans inquiry letter—over the transom, as they say!


What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?

Nancy: All of the above.

Lael: I USUALLY KNOW HOW A NOVEL WILL BEGIN AND END, BUT IN BETWEEN I MORE OR LESS FLY BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS. I HATE OUTLINING.

Carroll: Short answer: When I get an idea, I usually just start writing. That’s when characters reveal themselves and plot ideas/details come. Long answer: Check my post of July 29 on crustyoldbroads.blogspot.com entitled: How to start a novel: write first or outline first?


How do three writers manage to work together?

Carroll: Having each author write from the viewpoint of a single character made it workable. We wrote the combined scenes when we were together, which was always very satisfying.

Lael: IT'S HARD TO SAY HOW WE WORKED TOGETHER. IT JUST SEEMED TO HAPPEN. WE'D WORK SEPARATELY ON OUR SEPARATE CHARACTERS, AND THEN WHEN WE'D GET TOGETHER SOME KIND OF SYNERGY TOOK OVER TO MOVE US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.


Did you appoint a project manager?

Nancy: I’ll let Carroll tell you about that. She’s the one who’s shouldered the biggest burden in that area.

Carroll: No, but we did appoint a manuscript manager, whose job it was to assemble the text from all three authors in one document. Lael and her daughter Lori took that on for Almost Sisters. I had the job for the subsequent books.


Do you edit each others' work?

Lael: YES, WE DO.

Nancy: We do a lot of reading aloud when we are together. We read each other’s works to avoid the vocal interpretation the writer might add to it. Then we comment and discuss. We also edit hard copy for each other.

Carroll: I admit to doing some editing when putting the documents for the last two books together, sometimes for pacing, but mostly to make the text sound as if it had been written by one person.


What is your daily schedule like?

Nancy: When I am in writing mode, as opposed to gardening, Relief Society, or grandmother mode, I write for several hours, take a walk break, write some more, lunch and rest break, then write until evening with maybe a stop for mail, then dinner break and back to the computer as long as I can last. Everything else takes a back seat. Because my husband knows I have limited energy, he’s great at picking up the slack. Bless his heart for that. So I am free to concentrate on the computer. It’s really a terrible way to do it and I am looking for a better balance as well as deadlines that are further apart.

Lael: I'M NOT A MORNING PERSON, SO I READ THE PAPER AND SWEEP THE FLOOR AND PLAY WITH MY CATS AND GO GROCERY SHOPPING, AND THEN COME HOME TO DO FOUR OR FIVE HOURS OF WORK. I LIVE ALONE (WELL, WITH SIX CATS), SO I DON'T HAVE TO FACTOR IN ANYBODY ELSE'S SCHEDULES.

Carroll: I’m not much for schedules, but I typically write in the morning after walking, eating breakfast and checking my e-mail. Afternoons are free when I’m not on deadline, but I’m often back in front of the computer in the evening.


How do you handle life interruptions?

Nancy: In writing mode, I don’t. Thus the need for better balance.

Lael: GO WITH THE FLOW. I KNOW MY COMPUTER WILL STILL BE HERE WHENEVER I GET BACK TO IT.

Carroll: By doing what needs to be done. The trick is identifying what really must be done vs. something that can be delegated or ignored. Family needs always take precedence over writing, which makes for some late night sessions at the computer.


Do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?

Nancy: I like the quiet. But if I do want music in the background it is usually classical or Native American flute and always instrumental.

Lael: NEVER. I LIKE SILENCE IN THE HOUSE, WITH ONLY THE NOISES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD -- THE LAUGHTER OF KIDS PLAYING, TRAFFIC AND LAWNMOWER SOUNDS, TWITTERING OF BIRDS IN MY TREES -- COMING IN.

Carroll: I like listening to non-intrusive background music like Native American flute music and the slow movement of classical pieces.


What food or snack keeps the words flowing?

Nancy: I’m leaning away from chocolate toward smokehouse almonds. But chocolate is always the old standby for a boost of energy.

Lael: PEANUT M&MS.

Carroll: Chocolate and diet Coke, though I’m trying to give up the Coke.


Tell us about your new book, Surprise Packages.

Carroll: It’s the conclusion of our series, The Company of Good Women.

Lael: IT'S FINISHED AND OUT, HURRAY! IT WINDS UP THE STORY OF THREE WOMEN WHO MET AT BYU EDUCATION WEEK IN 198O AND MADE A PACT TO MEET 25 YEARS LATER. THIS LAST BOOK OF THE TRILOGY FINDS THEM DEALING WITH PROBLEMS THAT SPROUTED UP OVER THE YEARS AND POSES THE QUESTION, "WILL THEY REALLY SUCCEED IN KEEPING THE PACT?"

Nancy: It’s about the surprise of self-discovery and where that takes our characters.


What is your next project together? Individually?

Nancy: That’s under discussion right now.

Carroll: Nancy and I are working on an LDS novel. When we get together to sign at BYU Bookstore during Education Week, we’ll discuss a project involving all three of us.

Lael: I'M DOING A YA FOR THE NATIONAL MARKET, WHICH IS WHAT I DID FOR A COUPLE OF DECADES BEFORE MEETING NANCY AND CARROLL. THEN THE THREE OF US PLAN TO DO ANOTHER NOVEL, A SINGLE BOOK THIS TIME RATHER THAN A SERIES.


What is your advice for other writers?

Nancy: Look for mentors the quality of Carroll and Lael and don’t give up.

Lael: PERSIST!

Carroll: Stephen King says a writer needs to spend six hours a day reading and writing. So, write and read! Try something new every so often. Meet new people. Exercise every day. Ask “What if?”


What other work of yours has been published?

Nancy: I’m the newcomer of the group and have only had the series published.
Almost Sisters, 2006, Deseret Book
Three Tickets to Peoria, 2007, Deseret Book
Surprise Packages, 2008, Deseret Book

Lael: I HAVE 42 OTHER BOOKS, SO I WON'T LIST THEM ALL. BUT THE LAST SEVERAL ARE:
THREE TICKETS TO PEORIA, 2007, DESERET BOOK (WITH NANCY AND CARROLL)
ALMOST SISTERS, 2006, DESERET BOOK (WITH NANCY AND CARROLL)
LAKE OF SECRETS, 2003, HENRY HOLT.
STORIES FROM THE LIFE OF JOSEPH SMITH, 2003, DESERET BOOK.
SEARCHING FOR SELENE, 2003, DESERET BOOK.
KING OF THE KNOCK KNOCK JOKES, 2003, DOMINIE PRESS (AN EDUCATIONAL COMPANY)
SPACE SLUG, 2003, DOMINIE PRESS
THE COOKIE QUEST, 2003, DOMINIE PRESS
HAUNTED SISTER, 1998, HENRY HOLT

Carroll: A Suzuki Parent’s Diary, or How I Survived my First 10,000 Twinkles, 1984, Summy-Birchard Music
The Broken Covenant, 1985, Deseret Book
The Bonsai, 1986, Deseret Book
Saddle Shoe Blues, 1987, Deseret Book
The Merry-Go-Round, 1988, Deseret Book
If the Gospel is True, Why Do I Hurt So Much, 1991, Deseret Book
Almost Sisters, Vol. I, The Company of Good Women, 2006, Deseret Book
Three Tickets to Peoria, Vol. 2, The Company of good Women, 2007, Deseret Book


Thank you for the Interview.

Nancy: Thanks for having us. It’s been great fun!

Lael: THANK YOU, MARSHA, FOR THE INTERVIEW.

Carroll: Marsha, although I’ve never been to your home, I’ve been to Kohl’s Ranch, which I think isn’t too far from where you live. What beautiful country, with those magnificent Ponderosa pines. I think of it a lot when it’s hot down here south of Tucson. And I can picture you there—the Writer in the Pines!

Author interview - Joan Sowards, author of The Star Prophecy

My friend Joan Sowards is my guest today. Joan is an LDS author and songwriter who lives in Arizona with her family. Her brand-new novel, The Star Prophecy, is available just in time for Christmas gift-giving.

Joan, you're well known in LDS musical circles as a songwriter. How long have you been writing fiction?

I have been writing novels for over fifteen years. A friend invited me to ANWA (American Night Writers Association). I've learned so much about writing through ANWA.

Kerry Blair lived in my ward back then. She'd edit my chapters and I tried to learn the rules behind her changes. I learned a lot from her, too. During that time, she wrote her own first novel and sent it to Covenant. They accepted it within two weeks. Gotta love her! 

How did you break into publishing?

I admit it was luck. I was in the right place at the right time. An editor suggested I send Walnut Springs Press my novel The Star Prophecy--so I did. I pestered editor Linda Prince every few months asking if she had read it. After the eight month, she asked if I had an LDS romance and that she needed one right away. I sent Haunts Haven and she liked it! Chocolate Roses was published next. I was surprised when WSP came back and said they were ready to publish the Star Prophecy since it had been two years since I submitted it.

Okay, The Star Prophecy is your third published novel. What genre or sub-genre do you write, and why did you choose it?

The Star Prophecy begins its tale in the land of the Nephites. Haunts Haven is a paranormal mystery romance, Chocolate Roses is pure romance with a Jane Eyre parallel. I haven't been able to get away from the LDS genre, I guess, because it is so ingrained in me.

Do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?

I have too much music going on in my head as it is, so I have to have it quiet so I can think above it.

That makes sense! What has surprised you about being a published author?

As soon as Haunts Haven hit the stores, I was expected to promote it and myself. I've never felt comfortable with that.

It's expected so much these days, isn't it? What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?

I love crafting the story, plotting, writing subplots.

Least? The final editing process can be exhausting, but I'm grateful for my editor!

What do you like to do when you aren't writing?

I'm a family history addict. I love to sew, and to write music. My adorable grandchildren take a lot of my time, and I love being with my husband.

Tell us about The Star Prophecy.

The Star Prophecy is about Nephite young men who set sail to Jerusalem to find the Christ Child. When my daughter Kristy gave me the premise for this novel, I felt electrifying tingles come over me, the ideas began to flow, and I wrote the first draft in three months--an incredible experience! The main character, whose quest it is to find the infant Messiah, is named Enoch after my nephew, a beautiful, bright child, who passed away at the age of four.

The back cover blurb says:

“You are crazy. No Nephite has ever returned.”

Most people laugh when they hear of Enoch’s dream of returning to Jerusalem to find the infant Messiah. Even Enoch's future father-in-law mocks him when he asks for a postponement of the long-awaited wedding to his beloved Rebekah.  A few take Enoch seriously—the shipbuilder Omnihah, Enoch's teacher David, and Nephi the prophet.

Five years previously, a Lamanite named Samuel had stood on the wall of Zarahemla and prophesied that “five years more cometh” and the Christ would be born in Jerusalem. Time is running out! Enoch knows he must set sail across the great waters in search of his dream—to see the face of the Messiah.

The Star Prophecy is a surprising story of courage and love, faith and fortitude. Sail with Enoch and friends across the sea through hardship and adventure in search of the Christ Child.

That sounds awesome! I can't wait to read it. I know you're always coming up with new stuff. What are you working on now?

I'm writing a story about a recent ASU college grad who takes a summer journalist job in a seaside village in Oregon. The working title is Clairvoyance.  I love the characters.

Thanks for the Interview, Joan!
Thank you.


The Star Prophecy is available at Amazon.com and at DeseretBook.com.
 

Author Interview: Jean Henry-Mead

Today I have the honor of shining my spotlight on an outstanding author on Western themes, Jean Henry-Mead, and her new novel, Escape. Jean is a novelist and award-winning photojournalist. She began her writing career as a news reporter and photographer in California. She later worked for the statewide newspaper in Wyoming where she also served as a magazine editor, freelance photojournalist and editor. Her magazine articles have been published domestically as well as abroad and have earned a number of regional and national writing awards. Her novels have been published under the name Jean Henry; her nonfiction books and magazine articles as Jean Mead, S. Jean Mead and Jean Henry-Mead. She makes her home in Wyoming. I'm delighted to call her my friend.

Jean is giving away a $40 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble, and a copy of her book to two readers who comment here or on her book's blog. She also blogs and hosts guest writers at the Western Historical Happenings blog. Escape is available in several ebook formats at fictionwise.com and as a paperback book at Amazon.com.

Welcome Jean. How long have you been writing? What made you start?

I began writing professionally in 1968 while editor of my college newspaper and working as a cub reporter for a local California daily newspaper. I was a journalism/English major and the divorced mother of four young daughters. I didn’t like secretarial work but loved writing so the newspaper job was a God send.

When did you sell your first book?

My first book was published in 1981. It was more or less a Who’s Who of Wyoming. I moved here following my second marriage and was interested in everything about the area. I interviewed Governor Herschler, U.S. senators (who were much more accessible then), as well as writers, artists, craftsmen, educators, and media personalities. I traveled all over the state and had some pretty interesting experiences, including getting trapped behind a road stripper all the way through Yellowstone Park during tourist season, and in the middle of a mortician’s convention in Jackson.

What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?

I’m definitely a seat of the pants writer when it comes to fiction. I sit down with a vague idea of the plot and who my characters are. I then give them free rein. By that I mean I envision them in my mind’s eye, then type as fast as I can to keep up with their dialogue, and dialogue is my forte. I’ve lived in eight states and have an ear for regional vernacular, which comes in handy because you don’t want your characters to all sound alike.

How do you choose your characters' names?

I select names that I like, then look them up on the internet in the “Find People” sections to make sure that no one else has that name, particularly my villains or antagonists. So I’ve come up with some creative last names.

What is your daily schedule like?

I’m up by 7 a.m., sometimes earlier, feed my two rambunctious dogs, water plants in my greenhouse, eat breakfast and am at my computer by 8:00. I then work until noon, have lunch, and am back to work until 3:00, when I feed the dogs again and do my housework, etc.

How do you handle life interruptions?

The phone rings all day. If I’m in a muse I let the answering machine pick up. It’s something I expect and try not to let bother me. Fortunately, we live in the country, so there are few people knocking on the door during the week.

Do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?

I love music and it was a major part of my life when I was younger. I love 60s rock and roll and rhythm and blues, but can’t write when there are lyrics playing. I like to have a good instrumental playing or a soft rendition of Mozart in the background, especially if the writing isn’t going well that day.

What food or snack keeps the words flowing?

It used to be chocolate but I ate so much of it that I’m now allergic to anything faintly resembling chocolate. Usually I have a couple of cups of green tea and a small muffin or a couple of cookies while I’m writing. Sometimes grapes and other fruit.

What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?

The freedom to express myself through my characters, and the ability to solve problems that will hopefully help my readers in some way. I enjoy rewriting even more. Polishing the original draft is pure pleasure. Marketing my work is something I’m usually not comfortable with, but now that internet marketing is available, I enjoy writing advertising copy from home, sometimes in my pajamas. Basically, I’m a shy person and would rather be sitting at my computer.

Tell us about your new novel, Escape.

I spent nearly four years researching a Wyoming centennial book by reading and scanning 97 years’ worth of microfilmed newspapers. The result was a 202-page coffee table book titled, Casper Country: Wyoming’s Heartland. I literally had an 18-inch stack of typed research material left over and I decided to put it to good use by writing a historical novel. I was always interested in Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch and I came across some surprising and little known research about Cassidy and his gang members. So I set the plot in 1896 when the Four-State Governor’s Pact to exterminate outlaws began, and closely followed the actual historical events that ensued for the story’s background. I began the book with a 17-year-old orphaned heiress who is living with her grandparents on a sheep ranch in central Wyoming, when a group of men claiming to be possemen arrive in the midst of a blizzard.

They’re actually members of the Wild Bunch. When the grandmother recognizes a gang member from his wanted poster, she disguises the girl as a 12-year-old boy. The outlaws kidnap Andrea--Andy, as she calls herself--and take her to the infamous Hole in the Wall hideout in the Big Horn Mountains. She manages to hide her gender while listening to the outlaws plan their ill-fated Belle Fourche bank robbery. Tom “Peep” O’Day, an alcoholic horsethief, bungles the robbery and was my favorite character to write about. He provides a lot of humor and nearly stole the book from the other characters.

What is your next project?

I just finished my third mystery novel which is under consideration at a major publisher, and started work on a children’s novel titled The Mystery of Spider Mountain. It’s a dramatized story of my childhood. I also have another mystery coming out in a few months from epress-online and Amazon.com.

What is your advice for other writers?

Read as much as possible, study other writers’ techniques and write what interests you, not what is currently selling in the marketplace. If you feel strongly about a subject, your readers probably will too. I published several nonfiction books before I wrote my first novel, and I studied the works of Dean R. Koontz because I love the way he strings his words together. He taught me the language of fiction. I was also fortunate that Fred Grove encouraged me by reading my first primitive chapters and offering advice. Richard S. Wheeler than read the completed manuscript, offered advice and a nice blurb for the published book. Not every fledgling writer is that fortunate.

What other work of yours has been published?

Wyoming in Profile, 1981, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder, CO
Casper Country: Wyoming’s Heartland, 1987, Pruett
Maverick Writers: Candid Comments by the Best Western Writers, 1989, Caxton, Caldwell, ID
Escape on the Wind, 1999, Pagefree Publishing, MI
Shirl Lock & Holmes, 1999, Pagefree Publishing, MI
What Our Parents Should Know: Advice From Teens (edit); 2003, Medallion Books, Casper, WY
Westerners: Candid and Historic Interviews, 2004, Medallion
Wyoming Cowboy Poets and Their Poetry, 2004, Medallion
Wyoming Historical Trivia, 2005, Medallion
The ABCs of Murder, 2007, Medallion
Escape, 2008, epress-online, Amazon.com

Thank you for the Interview.

Thank you, Marsha!

Escape’s first chapter may be read at: escapewyomingnovel.blogspot.com. I hope everyone will leave a comment. I’ll be giving away a $40 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble as well as a copy of my book to two readers who comment on one of my blog tour host’s sites.

Website: JeanHenryMead.com
Blog: Western Historical Happenings