Welcome to another holiday Coffee Chat!
My author guest this week is Caroline Clemmons, who is featuring a sweet western historical, Mistletoe Mistake, suitable for all ages.
Nice to meet you, Caroline. What may I get you to drink?
CC: I’ve never learned to like coffee (don’t hiss and boo, please. ☺) I drink hot tea each morning—Bewley’s Irish Breakfast. Since we live in the South/Southwest, we have iced tea with lunch and supper year round. In cold weather, we often drink hot chocolate with marshmallows in the evening while watching television movies.
Ally: There are a lot of tea drinkers among authors, so my magic pot has developed a knack for fixing it. While I grab some mugs, please introduce yourself to readers.
My author guest this week is Caroline Clemmons, who is featuring a sweet western historical, Mistletoe Mistake, suitable for all ages.
Nice to meet you, Caroline. What may I get you to drink?
CC: I’ve never learned to like coffee (don’t hiss and boo, please. ☺) I drink hot tea each morning—Bewley’s Irish Breakfast. Since we live in the South/Southwest, we have iced tea with lunch and supper year round. In cold weather, we often drink hot chocolate with marshmallows in the evening while watching television movies.
Ally: There are a lot of tea drinkers among authors, so my magic pot has developed a knack for fixing it. While I grab some mugs, please introduce yourself to readers.
Bio:
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To make up for this tragic error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a small office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their rescued cats and dogs. The books she creates there have made her an Amazon bestselling author and won several awards.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: "When 9/11 happened, Hero and I were in Edinburgh, Scotland on the loveliest tour we’ve ever taken. We weren’t certain we would be able to come home when the tour finished so we came up with alternatives. By the time the tour ended, though, we were able to board a flight for Dallas."
Author Contacts:
Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and Pinterest.
Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her books and follow her there.
Follow her on BookBub.
Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter here to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t you?
She loves to hear from readers at caroline@carolineclemmons.com
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To make up for this tragic error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a small office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their rescued cats and dogs. The books she creates there have made her an Amazon bestselling author and won several awards.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: "When 9/11 happened, Hero and I were in Edinburgh, Scotland on the loveliest tour we’ve ever taken. We weren’t certain we would be able to come home when the tour finished so we came up with alternatives. By the time the tour ended, though, we were able to board a flight for Dallas."
Author Contacts:
Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and Pinterest.
Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her books and follow her there.
Follow her on BookBub.
Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter here to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t you?
She loves to hear from readers at caroline@carolineclemmons.com
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Who or what inspired you to become a fiction writer?
CC: I used to write long, long letters to my family and include little anecdotes from things the children, my husband Hero, and I had done. On one visit, my mother-in-law brought a grocery sack filled with romances. She said, “I know you could write these because of the letters you send.” Reading those romances did inspire me, plus Hero encouraged me (and he still does). My first attempt was pretty awful because I didn’t know about character arc, point of view, scene and sequel, or other key components of a good novel. Joining a chapter of Romance Writers of America and attending their workshops made all the difference. Now I don’t think I could stop writing because it’s become too much a part of me.
.
Ally: How do you pick the names for your characters?
CC: I keep a list of names I’ve used ever since I discovered I’d used the same ones twice—Beth and Riley. For historical novels, I choose carefully to insure the name is period correct. I love unusual names and search for those. Many of the names come from my family history, such as Parmelia, so I know in what era they were popular. For contemporary novels, I use names I hear on television and in conversation.
Ally: Does your real life show up in your writing? In what ways?
CC: I don’t think we could prevent life intersecting our writing, do you? Each of us is a composite of all his or her experiences—good and bad. We draw on these experiences to relate emotion, choose qualities from people we’ve met to fill in a character, pick this or that trait to make each character different from the others.
Virginia Woolf said, “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works.”
Ann Lamott was less charitable, “You own everything that happened to you. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”
Ally: How much research do you do?
CC: Each book requires unique research, some more than others. My father used to tell captivating stories of when his family came from Georgia to Texas in 1876 and their struggles up through his childhood. I’m sure that’s why I love writing historicals set in that time period. I draw on some of his stories for my work. Books requiring the greatest were The Most Unsuitable Wife, Gabe, and O’Neill’s Texas Bride.
General research is cumulative. For instance, the train travel research for The Most Unsuitable Wife has proved useful for other books for myself and has been shared with friends. Since most of my books take place in Texas or Montana, learning the era customs once is all that’s necessary and then available for many books. Research I haven’t used again is the circus information for Gabe, the coal mining details for O’Neill’s Texas Bride, and the archeology particulars for grant me the moon.
Ally: Tell us about your next book release.
CC: I’m writing Daniel, book 4 of the McClintocks. In book 3, I left poor Daniel paralyzed from the waist down—which resulted in reader complaints that I’d better write his book soon and he’d better be all right! ☺ I’ve extensively researched treatment, including talking to a man who was paralyzed and now walks perfectly. Early physical therapy, which was called mechanotherapy and by other names, has been difficult. In fact, even though I’m enjoying writing this book, doing so is a serious challenge. I anticipate release in January and already have a gorgeous cover.
Let's wind down our interview with these short answer questions:
(And perhaps just a quick peek at your two Christmas novellas, Angel for Christmas and Stone Mountain Christmas.)
CC: I used to write long, long letters to my family and include little anecdotes from things the children, my husband Hero, and I had done. On one visit, my mother-in-law brought a grocery sack filled with romances. She said, “I know you could write these because of the letters you send.” Reading those romances did inspire me, plus Hero encouraged me (and he still does). My first attempt was pretty awful because I didn’t know about character arc, point of view, scene and sequel, or other key components of a good novel. Joining a chapter of Romance Writers of America and attending their workshops made all the difference. Now I don’t think I could stop writing because it’s become too much a part of me.
.
Ally: How do you pick the names for your characters?
CC: I keep a list of names I’ve used ever since I discovered I’d used the same ones twice—Beth and Riley. For historical novels, I choose carefully to insure the name is period correct. I love unusual names and search for those. Many of the names come from my family history, such as Parmelia, so I know in what era they were popular. For contemporary novels, I use names I hear on television and in conversation.
Ally: Does your real life show up in your writing? In what ways?
CC: I don’t think we could prevent life intersecting our writing, do you? Each of us is a composite of all his or her experiences—good and bad. We draw on these experiences to relate emotion, choose qualities from people we’ve met to fill in a character, pick this or that trait to make each character different from the others.
Virginia Woolf said, “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works.”
Ann Lamott was less charitable, “You own everything that happened to you. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”
Ally: How much research do you do?
CC: Each book requires unique research, some more than others. My father used to tell captivating stories of when his family came from Georgia to Texas in 1876 and their struggles up through his childhood. I’m sure that’s why I love writing historicals set in that time period. I draw on some of his stories for my work. Books requiring the greatest were The Most Unsuitable Wife, Gabe, and O’Neill’s Texas Bride.
General research is cumulative. For instance, the train travel research for The Most Unsuitable Wife has proved useful for other books for myself and has been shared with friends. Since most of my books take place in Texas or Montana, learning the era customs once is all that’s necessary and then available for many books. Research I haven’t used again is the circus information for Gabe, the coal mining details for O’Neill’s Texas Bride, and the archeology particulars for grant me the moon.
Ally: Tell us about your next book release.
CC: I’m writing Daniel, book 4 of the McClintocks. In book 3, I left poor Daniel paralyzed from the waist down—which resulted in reader complaints that I’d better write his book soon and he’d better be all right! ☺ I’ve extensively researched treatment, including talking to a man who was paralyzed and now walks perfectly. Early physical therapy, which was called mechanotherapy and by other names, has been difficult. In fact, even though I’m enjoying writing this book, doing so is a serious challenge. I anticipate release in January and already have a gorgeous cover.
Let's wind down our interview with these short answer questions:
- a. favorite book: I have three: Prince Charming by Julie Garwood, Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase, and Fallon by Louis L’Amour—I re-read them about once a year to re-study descriptions and techniques. Plus, I always enjoy them.
- b. Do you believe in love at first sight? Definitely—it happened to me!
- c. favorite quote: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Ghandi
- d. Your pets: Three rescued cats: Sebastian-a black tuxedo cat who weighs 20 pounds, Max-a small mischievous Manx, and Jasmine-shy and sweet long-haired Siamese. We lost our little dog, Webster, but will be getting another rescue after the holidays. We favor adopting rescue animals so they won’t be euthanized.
- e. favorite place to write: I write on a desktop in my office. The room’s walls are pink and my family calls it my “pink cave”. My computer is on a V shaped desk with a traditional desk beside that. I just got a new monitor I love, which is really the bedroom television set we didn’t use. (Jacquie Rogers gave me that idea.) There are bookcases along one wall. The room is small (7’ by 10’) and crowded, but I am very happy there in my own little writing world.
(And perhaps just a quick peek at your two Christmas novellas, Angel for Christmas and Stone Mountain Christmas.)
Mistletoe Mistake
Genre: sweet historical western
(Originally included in the anthology Wild Western Women… Mistletoe, Montana.)
Shannon Callahan worked hard to become a physician. In New York, she meets resistance to a woman doctor and feels she is no more than a midwife. When the opportunity arises for her to go to Montana and be the only doctor in the town of Mistletoe, she grabs the chance.
Riley McCallister is sheriff of Mistletoe. When he learns the new doctor is a woman, he is shocked and vows never to let her treat him—no matter how beautiful she is. Slowly, Shannon’s skill wins his respect—and more. Shannon’s expertise and dedication during a measles epidemic convinces the town she is a good doctor—but does their acceptance come too late?
Amazon buy link: http://a.co/gAkI0x7
EXCERPT:
Outside the store, a crowd of running children barreled into her and she grabbed the wall to stop a fall. “Whoa. Where are you going so fast?”
“They’re running from me.” The sheriff strode toward them carrying the saddest looking dog she’d ever seen.
Poor dog was filthy with several shades of brown hair. He was far too large to be toted around in the sheriff’s arms.
“Is that your dog?” She reached out to scratch between the creature’s ears. He ducked as if he thought she’d hit him.
After putting her parcel more securely under her arm, she caught the dog’s muzzle in her hands. “Poor boy, has someone been mean to you? I won’t hurt you.” She stroked his head and scratched between his ears.
The dog’s eyes lost their fear and he licked her hand. The crowd of children chose her distraction to run away.
“That Doan horde probably didn’t intend to be mean, but they were terrorizing this animal. Five of them fighting over him and pulling him first one way and then the other. They’re lucky he didn’t bite one of them.”
“Whose is he?”
“Never saw him before. Looks as if he’s missed a lot of meals.”
“And baths.” She smiled at the lawman. “I guess you have a dog, Sheriff. What are you going to name him?”
The sheriff shook his head. “He’s not mine. I just don’t want him harmed or frightened.”
“Or hungry or dirty or lonely. You definitely have yourself a dog.”
He leaned toward her and spoke over the dog, “I tell you, I don’t.”
Shannon crossed her arms. “Think not? Put him down and walk away and you’ll see.”
Shooting her a glare, he set the dog on the boardwalk. When the sheriff stepped away, the dog stayed at his heels.
Shannon laughed. “You’d better feed your dog, Sheriff. And name him.”
His eyes held mirth even though he pretended to be angry with her. “I should call him Shannon, but I guess I’ll name him Sylvester. I imagine I can get some scraps from the café.”
“Now you have someone to make rounds with you each day.”
He stopped and stared at the dog. “Hear that, Sylvester. Guess you’re the new deputy.”
Still chuckling, Shannon walked toward her new home. Getting out on such a nice day lifted her mood. She’d even had a halfway decent conversation with the sheriff. And his dog.
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Amazon Buy links for the novellas:
Angel for Christmas (contemporary) at http://a.co/d7U0toP
Stone Mountain Christmas (historical) at http://a.co/ae47MN7
Angel for Christmas (contemporary) at http://a.co/d7U0toP
Stone Mountain Christmas (historical) at http://a.co/ae47MN7
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