Introduction: Welcome to Our Little Chat
Today I’m doing something a little different on the blog—answering ten of the questions readers ask me most often, in one place. Think of this as us sharing a long conversation over coffee (or sweet tea), talking about stories, cowboys, and how a not‑born‑on‑a‑ranch girl ended up writing western romance for a living.
If you’ve ever wondered how I got started, why I love the Old West, or what a normal writing day looks like around here in North Central Texas cowboy country, I hope you’ll enjoy this peek behind the curtain.
1. How did you become a western romance author?
In some ways, the genre chose me. My first published book was contemporary, but when I began writing western historical romances, I felt like I’d finally come home on the page. My dad told wonderful stories about his family’s adventures after they came to Texas in the late 1800s, and those tales soaked into my imagination long before I knew I’d be an author.
Over time, I realized that post‑Civil War Texas and the American West gave me exactly the backdrop I wanted: rugged landscapes, big risks, and people trying to build something lasting in a hard world—perfect for the kind of love stories I adore writing.
2. What was the nudge that made you believe you could be published?
Oddly enough, it came from my mother‑in‑law. She handed me a big brown grocery sack full of romance novels and said, “You could write these.” I had always written long letters about my Hero (my husband) and our children, but I hadn’t thought seriously about publishing until then.
That unexpected vote of confidence made me look at my scribbles differently. From there, I studied craft, joined writing groups, and kept submitting—filing rejection letters for the IRS and trying again, just as so many other authors do.
3. Where do your story ideas come from?
Everywhere. I often say I have more ideas than I could write in a million years—the idea is the easy part. My father once told me a creative person could write a story about a fly speck on the wall, and I truly believe that; there’s always a story if you look closely enough.
Sometimes it’s a bit of family history, a quirky news item, or a “what if” that won’t let go. For example, a single line about a girl in my grandmother’s town helped spark The Most Unsuitable Wife, and a conversation about time‑travel tropes nudged me toward writing Out of the Blue. Once I decide which idea to tackle, I plot it out and let the characters lead me through the details.
4. How much of your own life shows up in your books?
On the surface, not much—I haven’t time‑traveled, faced down outlaws, or arrived in a frontier town as a mail‑order bride. But on the emotional level, quite a lot of my life is there. I believe we are the sum of everything we’ve seen, heard, read, or experienced, and we draw on that “inner well” when we write.
My long marriage to my late Hero, my Texas roots, the people I’ve loved and lost, all shape how I write about commitment, home, family, grief, and second chances. I don’t lift whole events from real life, but the feelings are absolutely real.
5. Are your characters based on real people?
Not directly. I don’t take a specific person and drop them untouched into a book, but bits and pieces of many people filter into my characters—an expression from one relative, a stubborn streak from another, a kindness I noticed in a stranger.
I also use a structured approach to characterization that I’ve refined over years of learning from craft teachers and teaching a class called “Characterization Made Easy.” I want my heroes and heroines to feel believable because they have flaws, strengths, and internal logic, not because they’re copies of anyone you could meet at the grocery store.
6. How much research goes into your westerns?
Quite a lot. Even if most of it never shows up directly on the page, I need to feel “soaked” in the time period and setting for the story to feel right. That means digging into everyday details—how people traveled, communicated, cooked, dressed, and earned a living—as well as bigger historical events.
I pay close attention to continuity and anachronisms, too. In a craft blog post, I joked about how jarring it is when a man arrives by coach, gets off his horse, and then gets back into a carriage—those sorts of errors throw readers out of the story, so I work hard to avoid them.
7. What does a typical writing day look like for you?
I’m not a morning person, so I ease into the day. When I sit down at the computer, I start by answering email, commenting on blogs, and checking in with my Facebook groups. By the time I’ve finished that, my brain is awake enough to dive into my current work‑in‑progress.
I try to write every day, though some days the words end up deleted the next morning. Around six o’clock, I usually take a break to watch a movie with my husband in earlier years; now I still keep that evening pause in some form, then often come back later and write a bit more.
8. Do you ever struggle with writer’s block?
Like most writers, I have slower periods and moments when the next scene feels stuck. When that happens, I “trick” myself out of it. One method is to read back a few paragraphs and start writing as if I were telling a friend about the story.
Once I’m talking myself into the scene in that informal way, I usually slide back into real drafting. Occasionally, I hit simple exhaustion and have to step away for a day or two. During those times, I give myself permission to rest and read instead of forcing words that will likely be deleted.
9. What length do you most enjoy writing—short stories, novellas, or novels?
Now that I’m indie‑published and have more control, my favorite length is the novella, usually 30,000–50,000 words. It gives me room to develop a strong central romance, include secondary characters, and build a believable setting without taking as long as a full‑length novel.
My second favorite is the full‑length novel; I’ve written many and still enjoy that deeper dive when the story demands it. Short stories are fun in small doses and work well for anthologies and special projects, but they’re not my primary focus.
10. What are you working on now, and how can readers keep up?
I’m always juggling ideas and projects, from new installments in existing series to stories for multi‑author collections and themed sets. Because things shift, the best ways to see what’s current are:
- Visiting my About and Books pages for series lists and new releases.
- Checking the Reading Order Guide to see where new books fit into existing worlds.
- Dropping by this blog, A Writer’s Life, where I share news, features, and guest authors.
- Signing up for my newsletter.
- Following me on Facebook and other social platforms, where I post updates and chat with readers.
Wherever you join me, I’m grateful you’re along for the ride.
Thank You for Reading—and Asking
Every question you send—about heroes and heroines, research, writing days, or where to start reading—reminds me that these stories live not just in my imagination but in yours as well. Thank you for caring enough to ask, for spending your reading time in my western worlds, and for recommending my books to friends.
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