Yipee, readers! My guest today is western historical and contemporary romance author Shirleen Davies. You know how I love western historical romance and contemporary romance set in the West. I’m so pleased she’s willing to tackle my interview.
Caroline: Please tell us about growing up and something of your life today.
Shirleen: I was born and grew up in Southern California, spending many days at the beach, then later lived inland at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. Most of my friends would’ve described me as a jock first and bookworm second. My favorite sport was softball—catcher, shortstop, and left field. I still love the game but haven’t played in years. They didn’t take girls in the softball pony leagues when I went through school, so I switched to cheerleading. As a bookworm, my favorite series was Nancy Drew then I moved up to more “grownup” books in the teenage years. Okay, so I also loved Archie Comics with Archie, Jughead, and Veronica.
My husband and I make our home in the northern Arizona mountain area. We love it here. Between us we have five grown sons. All of them still live in Southern California.
Caroline: Surely everyone loved Archie Comics. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?
Shirleen: My favorite genres as a reader are historical western romance, contemporary romance, and romantic suspense. I also read non-fiction historical books about many time periods and am a huge fan of the History Channel. For my own writing, I focus on historical western romance and contemporary romance, some with elements of suspense.
Most writers seem to have many favorite authors and I’m no exception. Here are the ones who triggered my writing journey. Linda Howard, Sandra Brown, Jill Gregory, Catherine Anderson, Roxanne St. Claire, Kat Martin, Jodi Thomas, and Brenda Novak.
Caroline: Jodi Thomas is one of my favorite authors. She’ll be a guest on this blog in October. What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?
Shirleen: My husband and I met dancing, so that remains one of our favorite activities. Great exercise, wonderful way to relax, and you just can’t be in a bad mood when you dance. Mainly country (2-step, some line dances, etc.) but also other dancing (night club 2-step, waltz, cha-cha, west coast swing).
I remain an avid reader, finishing a few books each month. My husband has taught competitive clay target shooting—skeet and trap—for over forty years, and I’ll most likely be one of his students as long as I can hold a shotgun. I’m also a backseater on his Harley motorcycles and have been fortunate to see some beautiful places from my perch on the back of one of his bikes. We camp, travel, cook, collect antiques, and lead pretty full lives. Oh yes, and I love to ride my bright red motorized scooter! A picture of it is on one of my Pinterest boards.
Caroline: Both my daughter and I want a Vespa so I envy you. Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?
Shirleen: Winston Churchill in a speech he presented on 29 October 1941 to the students at Harrow School.
"Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.''
I even pinned the quote to the bulletin boards in my son’s bedrooms when they were growing up.
Caroline: I love reading about Churchill. I recommend Susan Elia Macneal’s fictional Maggie Hope mysteries set in London during WWII. She studied the notes of Churchill’s secretary and talked to the daughter and a survivor of the time. How long have you been writing?
Shirleen: I’ve been penning short stories for years before I made the decision to become serious. Most of these were contemporary women’s fiction, some of which still lay in a box somewhere. My first real leap into serious writing came with book one in my MacLarens series. It released in July 2013, followed by the other five books in the series, and two books in my contemporary series. I now write every day.
Caroline: I love to find a good book and realize it’s the first of a series, don’t you? I also love writing series. Where do you prefer to write?
Shirleen: Although I have an office with a printer and all the other “stuff”, my preferred spot is in the dining room. It’s upstairs and looks over the valley toward the mountains. I use a PC, although I own a Mac Air that I use when we travel. It’s much lighter and also serves as an additional backup for my work. I prefer to keep action movies showing on the television while I write with the sound turned off. Seems strange, but it works for me.
Caroline: If it works, it’s not strange. Are you a plotter or a panzer?
Shirleen: At this point, both. I started as an almost one hundred percent panster, writing stories and making a few notes, while letting the scenes flow from whatever popped into my head. Now I’d say my work is closer to forty percent plotter and sixty percent panster.
I prepare a master spiral notebook for each series, plus a separate notebook for each individual book in the series. These include a rough outline, notes regarding plots and themes, character archetypes, and data about the history or events during the timeframe of the books. I refer to and update them every day. I’m also beginning to use author Beat Sheets to help with my storyline and flow.
Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?
Shirleen: Yes, I do use real events and persons as inspiration. All of my stories include aspects of real life experiences, struggles, tragedies, and triumphs.
Caroline: Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?
My goal is to write at least 1000 words per day. Many days I write 3000 plus words and others a few hundred. I have an aggressive publishing calendar, so I need to keep up with my stories. Plus, I truly enjoy writing.
Caroline: I love writing, too. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?
Shirleen: Like most writers, I hope to provide stories readers will enjoy and become a part of to the extent they build a relationship with the characters. I believe this is important when writing a series as my characters reappear in subsequent books. I’ve been fortunate in that many of my readers correspond via email and provide thoughts on the people, locations, and plot, what they like and what they’d like to see changed. Or, what else they’d like to see me write. This is great input!
Caroline: Every writer loves that feedback. What long-term plans do you have for your career?
Shirleen: I’ll continue to write in my main genres, historical western romance and contemporary romance, plus expand my writing into one or two other subgenres but nothing I can divulge yet.
Caroline: Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?
Book three, ONE MORE DAY, of my MacLaren contemporary series has just finished the editing and proofreading process. It will release in July.
I’m very excited about my new historical western romance series, Redemption Mountain. Book one, REDEMPTION’S EDGE, will release in September 2014. The series focuses on men and women who live through the American Civil War to face massive changes and challenges to their previous life.
I’ll also be working on my next MacLarens historical western series, BOUNDARY MOUNTAIN, which will focus on another branch of the family and take place in the 1860s through 1870s. Three of the characters were introduced in WILDER THAN THE REST. Book one of that series will release in 2015.
Caroline: An impressive line-up. What advice would you give to unpublished authors?
Shirleen: There are so many options today for authors that I see no reason why any writer should remain unpublished. Indie publishing, legacy and traditional publishers, a hybrid journey, all of these are open to writers and enable them to get their stories out to a wide audience. If they choose Indie, then I’d recommend they identify professional editors, cover designers, and book converters. At this point I read about seventy percent Indie to thirty percent traditionally published authors. The choices are just too broad for any writer to sit on the sidelines.
Caroline: I agree wholeheartedly. What’s a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you?
Shirleen: I took barrel racing lessons many years ago. Got okay at it, loved it, but never competed. I still own my barrel racing saddle.
Caroline: Share something about you that would surprise or shock readers.
Shirleen: I don’t know if these are a surprise or a shock, but I love speed and alternative sports such as dirt bikes, off road Jeeps and buggies, and ziplining. I’m also a speed shopper—in and out!
Caroline: Tell us about MacLarens of Fire Mountain series.
Shirleen: WILDER THAN THE REST is book six in my MacLarens of Fire Mountain historical western romance series. The series about four brothers and two cousins, and their struggles, decisions, and choices growing up in the United States during the last half of the 19th century. They are ranchers, US Marshals, bounty hunters, decoders, investigators, and family men who place honor and commitment above all else. These stories are about family and creating a life you’re proud to claim as your own.
Caroline: Can you give readers a blurb about your book?
Pierce is a rough man, but happy in his new life as a Special Agent. Tasked with defending the rights of the federal government, Pierce is a cunning gunslinger always ready to tackle the next job. That is, until he finds out that his new job involves Mollie Jamison.
Mollie can be a lot to handle. Headstrong and independent, Mollie has chosen a life of danger and intrigue guaranteed to prove her liquor-loving father wrong. She will make something of herself, and no one, not even arrogant Pierce MacLaren, will stand in her way.
A secret mission brings them together, but will their attraction to each other prove deadly in their hunt for justice? The payoff for success is high, much higher than any assignment either has taken before. But will the damage to their hearts and souls be too much to bear? Can Pierce and Mollie find a way to overcome their misgivings and work together as one?
How about an excerpt: Here are two!
Book Excerpt One:
“Keep your head down,” Pierce MacLaren growled at his partner as he placed a hand on her head, shoving her behind a stack of barrels.
“Damn it, Pierce. I don’t need you to protect me.” Mollie Jamison had followed him through the dark, dank alley, trying to catch up with Otis Tatum, the man they knew was responsible for the latest dump of counterfeit bank notes.
Mollie had confiscated the plates after they’d caught Otis cleaning up after his last printing session. They were tucked into a cubbyhole in the old brick building next to the barrels where she and Pierce now hid.
Otis had spotted them and bolted through the back door. For a large man, he was surprisingly quick.
“Such language,” Pierce shot back with a slight grin.
Book Excerpt Two:
“Mollie? Are you ready?” Pierce stood outside her bedroom door, already dressed and waiting to leave for their supper engagement with the Bensteads. He wore a long tailcoat with a white shirt and white tie. He thought he looked good, if somewhat uncomfortable. Then Mollie pulled her door open and smiled, the first genuine smile she’d given him in weeks.
Pierce’s eyes widened and he sucked in a slow breath at the sight of her. He knew she was a pretty woman—her beauty had been all too apparent the first day he’d met her months ago. She’d been working as a barmaid at the Desert Dove, a saloon in Fire Mountain owned by his cousin, Niall MacLaren. At the time, Pierce hadn’t known she was undercover, trying to find the source of counterfeit bills being circulated in the territorial capital and taking orders from Noah.
He ignored the blood thrumming through his temples and the tightening of his body. Pierce couldn’t allow himself to think of her as anything other than a colleague, even though it took all of his self-control to stop from reaching for her and drawing her to him.
Caroline: Intriguing excerpts. Where can readers find your books?
Links for WILDER THAN THE REST
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wilder-than-the-rest-book-six-maclarens-of-fire-mountain-shirleen-davies/1119606360?ean=2940149557219
Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?
Shirleen loves to hear from readers.
Comment on her blog: http://www.shirleendavies.com/blog.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/shirleendavies
Google+: http://www.gplusid.com/shirleendavies
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?
I’m an avid reader and would love to learn about books other readers enjoy. The easiest way to send a recommendation is using my email above or through Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7178891.Shirleen_Davies
Thanks for sharing with us today, Shirleen. Now I’ll post the information supplied by Masquerade Tours.
Publication Date: June 17, 2014
Series: MacLarens of Fire Mountain #6
Genre: Western Romance
Pierce is a rough man, but happy in his new life as a Special Agent. Tasked with defending the rights of the federal government, Pierce is a cunning gunslinger always ready to tackle the next job. That is, until he finds out that his new job involves Mollie Jamison.
Mollie can be a lot to handle. Headstrong and independent, Mollie has chosen a life of danger and intrigue guaranteed to prove her liquor-loving father wrong. She will make something of herself, and no one, not even arrogant Pierce MacLaren, will stand in her way.
A secret mission brings them together, but will their attraction to each other prove deadly in their hunt for justice? The payoff for success is high, much higher than any assignment either has taken before. But will the damage to their hearts and souls be too much to bear? Can Pierce and Mollie find a way to overcome their misgivings and work together as one?
Read WILDER THAN THE REST, another heartening story of duty, honor, passion, and love in book six of the MacLarens of Fire Mountain.
Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Smashwords
Other books in the series
Check out the series on Goodreads!
Meet Shirleen Davies
Shirleen Davies writes romance—historical, contemporary, and romantic suspense. She grew up in Southern California, attended Oregon State University, and has degrees from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland. During the day she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption through love and acceptance. She now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.
Shirleen began her new series, MacLarens of Fire Mountain, with TOUGHER THAN THE REST, the story of the oldest brother, Niall MacLaren. Other books in the series include, FASTER THAN THE REST, HARDER THAN THE REST, STRONGER THAN THE REST, AND DEADLIER THAN THE RESTe Rest. Book six, WILDER THAN THE REST, is due for release on June 17, 2014. Her contemporary romance series, MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary, opened with book one, SECOND SUMMER. Book two, HARD LANDING, released in April 2014, and book three, ONE MORE DAY, is scheduled to release in midsummer, 2014.
Shirleen loves to hear from her readers.
Awesome Giveaway!
4 comments:
Shirleen, I love your name. Thanks for sharing with readers today. Welcome back anytime.
What's not to love? Feisty heroines & tough as boots cowboys.
Thanks very much, Caroline, for featuring Wilder than the Rest on your blog today.
Wish I could take credit for the name - it's all my parents doing!
I welcome and will respond to questions or comments from your readers. My email is shirleen@shirleendavies.com.
Enjoy your week. Hope it includes a cowboy!
Shirleen
You're right, Mary, this book has both, a feisty heroine and tough cowboys!
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