- Welcome, Yvonne. I'm reading The Vigilante's Bride right now and loving it. Why do you write the kind of books you do?
- I am a long-time fan of western movies, action, guns, horses, military, and romance. I write what I like to read. And I like helicopters, as well as horses.
- Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
- It would be a toss-up between my wedding day and the day my daughter was born.
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- How has being published changed your life?
- It hasn't, not in any major personal way. I still write pretty much what I like, but I don't like the deadlines.
- What are you reading right now?
- Tim LaHaye's Thunder of Heaven, not my usual genre.
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- What is your current work in progress?
- It's still up in the air, but I think it will be the next book in this Texas Ranger series–Gus's story.
- A River to Cross just came out this month and readers are asking for him. I go back and read about him, wondering what it is he has that is so appealing to readers, besides looks, brains, and shooting from the hip.
- What would be your dream vacation?
- A week or two at a dude ranch with my granddaughter, who rides like the wind. I haven't done much riding recently, and I probably couldn't keep up with her now. She jumps and is better than I ever was.
- How do you choose your settings for each book?
- Since I'm writing western historical romance, time and place are both important. For Westerns, I research the timelines to see what happened where and how I can use it.
- If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
- Rachel Maddow because she's funny, politically savvy, and wicked smart. J. K. Rowling, also.
- What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
- Cooking, politics, pottery. I used to have a ceramic studio, and still like to get my hands in clay.
- What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
- Time. I'm a slow writer. I love the way words draw pictures and fit together. I hate having to write and watch the calendar.
- What advice would you give to a beginning author?
- Give yourself a couple of years to learn the craft and get your "writing legs."
- Join a writers' chapter group that meets once a month and attend meetings.
- Join a national writing group in your genre, i.e., Children's Writers of America
- Romance Writers of America, Mystery/Paranormal/Western, Whatever.Also join on-line writing groups and critique groups; take workshops.
- Don't lock yourself away. Writers need other writers as much as they need air.
- As soon as you have something done--even just a chapter--submit it to a couple of contests on line. You're not entering to win; you're entering for the feedback. If it's wonderful, you need to know. If it isn't, you need to fix it. But first you need to know what to fix.
- Contests can cut months/years off your way to publication.
- And enjoy it.
- You're not writing for the Pulitzer. Yet.
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- Tell us about the featured book.
- A River to Cross takes place in El Paso, Texas, and is loosely based on fact. In real life, Mexicans did assassinate a local newspaper editor five years before this story started. In an attempt to draw the U.S. into another war, Mexican soldiers storm the courthouse and go after the heroine's brother, the editor of an El Paso newspaper. When things go wrong, they grab the heroine and take her with them.
- Texas Rangers are secretly sent across the border to bring her back.
- The Texas Rangers still exist today, a highly respected organization that collaborates with the CIA and the FBI.
- Please give us the first page of the book.
- Here it is. Elizabeth Evans has just moved to Texas to live with her widowed brother Lloyd. She has accompanied him to the courthouse that morning, where he is going to speak to the townspeople.
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- Chapter 1
- County Courthouse
- El Paso, Texas
- August 9, 1886
- Elizabeth Evans lifted her skirts and sprinted up the back stairs of the courthouse.
- At the third floor landing, she hauled open the heavy door and propped it with her hip. Grinning, she called down to her brother, puffing up the steps. "I don't believe it. You can't keep up with me, Lloyd."
- "It's ninety-eight degrees outside, and I'm ten years older than you." Flushed and out of breath, Lloyd Madison frowned at the small woman in ruffled green silk and trudged up the last few steps to the landing. He took her elbow and steered her into a long corridor with a pair of tall brass doors at the end.
- Lloyd pointed to the silent elevator. The clock above it said 11:10.
- "A few more minutes and that elevator would've been fixed, and we could've ridden up like normal people," he said.
- Elizabeth let out a little hoot of laughter. "Ha! Not with Mexico right across the river. In this part of the world, a few minutes means tomorrow or next week. Besides, only an idiot would ride up in that rickety birdcage you call an elevator."
- Lloyd laughed and threw an arm around her. "Hush, Brat. It's modern and it's perfectly safe. The town spent a lot of money on that elevator, and it's only Nervous Nellies like you who won't ride in it." He hugged her. "You little skeptic. My readers are going to love you. You're on their side already."
- A guilty grin burst across her face. "You picked that up fast," she said, laughing.
- "I run a newspaper, remember? That's my job."
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I know I'm going to love reading this one, too. How can readers find you on the Internet? - My web site is www.ylharris.com
- Thank you, Yvonne, for spending this time with us today.
- Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
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