You recently went to Europe to celebrate a significant anniversary. Any comments on what genre Europeans are reading and if any bookstores even stock western historical romances?
We spent most of our time in Switzerland and what I saw on the bookshelves were mostly the American bestsellers, whether it be romance or another genre. However, I did see children playing "cowboy" and I've been told that American icon is quite popular in Europe. I have to admit it was funny to hear the western words in Swiss German.
As an aside, I have had the foreign language rights bought for three of my westerns: one in the Netherlands and two in Norway. So I do believe that historical western romances carry a certain amount of attraction overseas.
What was the first Western historical novel you remember reading?
Wow, you're really making me stretch the memory....The first Western historical book I read was one of the Roy Rogers adventures when I was in grade school, but if we're talking novels, it was probably Centennial by James Michener. In regards to the first western historical romance, I believe it was This Calder Sky by Janet Dailey. I remember reading the first one and having to wait for the next in the series to come out.
You also write romantic suspense. How would you compare and contrast writing romantic suspense with writing western historical romances? And, what drew you to writing western historicals in the first place?
As to what drew me to writing western historicals.... For as long as I can remember, I loved the small screen westerns. One of my earliest memories is of watching "Sugarfoot" on our black and white television. I watched all of the westerns that came on in the late 60's and 70's, when they were as popular as crime dramas are in this era. A cowboy hat, holster and gun, and fancy western shirt and skirt were my favorite possessions when I was six years old. I was enamored of anything having to do with the romanticized West. So I think it was simply a foregone conclusion that I would write western romances with cowboy heroes.
Romantic suspense is similar to a western insomuch as that the hero is usually a loner who values honor and integrity despite the danger surrounding him, and the heroine is a woman who possesses a strength of character that attracts him. But the cadence of the writing is much different. In a romantic suspense, the hero and heroine are in the contemporary world and have to reflect the slang and faster pace of current times. While in a western, the emphasis is on setting the scene using language and description. Romantic suspense novels have to balance that fine line between character and plot, while I believe westerns are more character driven. Since I'm a writer who starts with my characters first, then builds the plot, I feel much more comfortable in the western arena.
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?
My favorite part is creating my characters, but to do so I find myself researching the life and times of real people in the nineteenth century. Which, of course, fascinates me and leads me to do other research on places, traditions, cultures, etc. Often times I find myself with an overload of information and have to draw back and start writing before I drown in the minutia. I have to admit that developing the plot is my least favorite thing to do, and is my weakest link in the writing process.
Tell us about A Reason to Sin, your latest and last in the Forrester series.
The final Forrester brothers book is Slater's story. Slater is the middle brother, the one who experienced the most pain in his life, from being adopted by a man who only wanted cheap child labor to later in his life where he endured months in Andersonville, one of the most infamous prisoner of war camps during the Civil War. Slater is also a gambler, taught by one of the best when he was a teenager. Haunted and embittered by his past, Slater only wants to be left alone to gamble away his time. However, when Rebecca Colfax is hired to sing and dance at the same saloon where he works, his life is turned upside down. But Rebecca has her own secrets, including one that could destroy any chance of love between them.
In A Reason to Sin, though you have the reader rooting for Rebecca and Slater, Rebecca is still a married woman. Did you find any challenges in tiptoeing across that line?
Definitely. I discussed it with my editor, too, since it was a sticky point. Historical heroines don't commit adultery, and personally, I have a problem with it. Yet in A Reason to Sin, it was something that was integral to the story and had to be dealt with. I tried to give Rebecca good reasons for what she did, yet I still worried how readers might react.
If you were to choose two actors to play Rebecca and Slater, who would they be and why?
For Slater, I'd have to go with John Barrowman--dark hair, blue eyes, tall, and gorgeous--and I could easily see him in a gambler's suit dealing poker at the Red Garter. As for Rebecca... Any suggestions?
Can you tell us a little about your next western historical romance?
I don't have anything definite in the works right now. However, I'd like to do another series, like the Forrester brothers, but perhaps revolving around a town, rather than three brothers. We'll see how it works.
On your website you have a page where readers left comments about why they love western romances. Can you share with us what you learned from those comments?
I found it fascinating that many of the readers had the same experience as myself in regards to the westerns--reading westerns at an early age, watching them on both the large and small screen, and/or having a parent who passed on his/her love of westerns. Also, many readers mentioned the escape factor, as well as the Old West being a simpler time than the hustle-bustle of today's society. I wasn't surprised and agree on both points--it seems all the technology that was supposed to simplify our lives has done the opposite. Our television and computers bring us news from all over the world instantly. With cell phones we're never more than a call away from anybody. In the nineteenth century, the world was much smaller. Pioneers relied on their local community for company, assistance, and news. They had to grow and raise much of their own food and sew their own clothing. Shared hardships brought people together, formed bonds that we in today's society rarely experience. However, there was a lot about the nineteenth century that wasn't admirable, too--prejudices, cruelties, and the monotony of day to day living. Yet I'm the first to admit it's the romanticized version of the Old West that I write about. Yes, I do tackle some tough subjects in my books--PTSD, alcoholism, and adultery--but in the end readers want to see the hero and heroine overcome these difficulties together. They want a happy ending. And so do I.
And finally, what are some of your favorite western romances by other authors?
To name just a few: Rosanne Bittner's Savage Destiny series; Outlaw's Embrace by Francine Rivers; The Promise of Jenny Jones by Maggie Osborne; The Calder series by Janet Dailey; Conor's Way by Laura Lee Guhrke; Land of Dreams by Cheryl St. John; Texas Destiny and Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath; Annie's Song by Catherine Anderson; A Heart So Wild by Johanna Lindsey; and Beneath the Texas Sky by Jodi Thomas.
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Maureen
McKade
