What was the first Western historical novel you remember reading?

Janet Dailey’s This Calder Range, and I still remember Chase Benteen Calder taking his Lorna away from her comfortable home to forge a new life in the west. In fact, this was the first romance I’d ever read, and it was old when I found it—I’m a rather new convert to reading romance, and of course, writing it, too.My reading material for years had been science fiction, the classics, old westerns, and women’s fiction by authors such as Maeve Binchy, Rosamund Pilcher, and Belva Plain. But there was something thrilling about the frontier, the excitement, the hopes and dreams of countless men and women who reached far beyond their horizons, searching for an elusive entity, something that called to the heart and soul, their own Manifest Destiny. 

When did you know you were hooked on Western historical novels?

This question made me laugh. I was hooked when I began to search for every one of Janet Dailey’s novels that continued the Calder saga. Our library had about half, for some reason, so I haunted every used bookstore between Texas and Michigan. Probably, since I loved Westerns— Louis L’Amour, Max Brand, and Zane Grey—the romance of the west also intrigued me. While I read the Calder novels, I discovered LaVyrle Spencer’s Hummingbird, so I began on her novels—especially the Western historicals. Next, I discovered Linda Lael Miller, Jodi Thomas, and Maggie Osborne. You bet! I became an addict.

What part of the writing process do you enjoy most when you write—the research? creating the characters? developing the plot? providing the historical context?

Hmmm, this one is difficult. All aspects of writing intertwine and connect, so it’s difficult to select one. The research always keeps me far more involved than it should, because I waste much time, becoming immersed in some topic, such as the Comanche—the Native American group that interests me the most—or Texas history, which can keep me reading for hours. Providing the historical content goes hand-in-hand with research, for that is the reason I love to write Western historicals—so I can include facts, ideas, and cultural mores of the period. All said, creating my characters becomes the most enjoyable, not only because they are the basis for the story, but also because it’s easy! In fact, any novel or short story I write begins with a character, someone who pops in my head for some reason and becomes real. The plot? That just happens. It’s difficult to explain. One thing leads to another, and soon, I have written a novel.    

How have historical accounts from your research inspired your stories?

I’ll give an example. I own a little book titled Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine, which are names of frontier quilt patterns. In this book, the author compiled accounts from sixteen Texas women who helped settle the wild frontier of the state between the years 1821 to 1905. The information comes from the women themselves in the form of letters, diaries, interviews, and word-of-mouth. The stories create a patchwork quilt of the women’s lives, and tell how their contributions helped mold Texas.

I could write a story based on each one of these women. One young wife insisted on following her new husband as he rode with the Texas Rangers. She made a little crude home for them at each camp, and had an influence on all the men. Another wife stayed in a buckboard with her two children out on the West Texas plains for a week, while her husband rode off on the one horse to join a land rush to stake a claim. An author can invent a story from any tidbit of information, and there is a treasure chest full of material out there. 

Can you tell us a little about All My Hopes and Dreams.

Miss Cynthia Harrington is a spoiled, haughty young woman in an East Texas town. Her father insists she marry the young man he chooses for her, but due to several mishaps, a dark, handsome visitor in town asks for her hand instead. Knowing nothing about her new husband, Ricardo Romero, Cynthia soon learns he will take her across the state to the far western edge of the Texas frontier to live on an isolated ranch. Her life changes dramatically, and to survive the hostility, the anger, and jealously from her in-laws and ex-lady friend of Ricardo’s, Cynthia transforms herself into a strong-willed, formidable person. Ricardo changes, too, which starts them on their journey of discovery and love.     

If you were to choose two actors to play Cynthia and Ricardo who would they be and why?

Do you know how difficult this question is for a person who goes to few movies, and can’t name one Latino actor—or young brown-haired actress? So, I Googled my choices and decided on: Gael Garcia Bernal, an accomplished young Mexican actor to portray Ricardo Romero, a sensual Spanish cowboy; and Kate Bosworth, a lovely American actress to portray Cynthia Harrington, a refined, rather spoiled young lady. (picture her with slightly darker hair—I could not find a light-brown-haired actress who looked like my heroine.) This was so much fun!

Can you tell us a little about your contemporary western released this month, Showdown in Southfork?

Yes, I would be pleased to do that. This is a short contemporary novel for a highly popular series by The Wild Rose Press. To date, I think there are around fourteen different novels, all involving the town of Wayback, Texas, where the rodeo is the highlight of Saturday nights, and where a “cowboy falls in love every eight seconds.” This story is a great departure from my comfort zone—it’s contemporary, and it’s cute, funny, and sexy. I didn’t know I could write such as this!

What are some of your favorite western romances by other authors?

The Last True Cowboy by Kathleen Eagle—I’ve read all her novels, too. Silver Lining and The Promise of Jenny Jones by Maggie Osborne. 

And finally, western historical romances are unique to the American experience. Any lessons we could learn from those who tamed the Old West?

The best lesson? Follow your heart. Find your dream and act on it. The dream is out there, and will always be, but if we do not move up and onward, we will stagnate and die, never knowing what lay just over the horizon.