Western Historical Romance
Date to be Published: 8/27/2013
U. S. Marshal Jamie
MacLaren will do whatever he must to find people who have been abducted,
then return them to their families. This includes the woman who
betrayed him then disappeared from his life.
Victoria Wicklund has
endured numerous obstacles since she left Fire Mountain. None
as frightening as being the victim of a kidnapping. At least that is
what she thought until Jamie MacLaren appeared to rescue her. He was
older, just as handsome as she remembered, and as unforgiving as the
Arizona sun in summer.
Neither expects the desire
they shared many years before to still burn as strong as ever. Nor
do they anticipate the accusations upon their return to Fire Mountain.
Will Jamie seek revenge, turning his back on the only woman he ever
loved? Can Victoria forgive herself enough to trust the one man who can
help her?
Author Bio
I
have been writing most of my life, but only recently began the
transition into fiction. Historical romance, contemporary romance,
romantic suspense, and short stories are what keep me reading, so that
is the focus of my writing.
I was
born in California, grew up between a growing beach town and a small
town at the base of the San Bernardino mountains. My mother originally
planned to name me Katherine, but she read an article in the paper about
a woman named Shirleen shortly before my birth, so instead of having a
cool nickname, like Kate, I am simply Shirleen. My mainstays growing up
were all the Nancy Drew mystery books; I loved them. Eventually I moved
on to mysteries, suspense stories, crime novels, and romance. Pride and
Prejudice will always be one of my favorites.
Besides
California, life changes have allowed me to live in Oregon, Colorado,
and Arizona. Everywhere I have lived has been inspirational in one way
or another, giving me the opportunity to meet remarkable people with
their own stories to tell. I've sailed, skied, owned horses plus lots of
other animals, and ridden various off-road vehicles. I enjoy dancing,
fishing, hunting, being the back-seater on my husband's Harley,
traveling and, of course, reading and writing.
Prior
to transitioning to writing fiction, I worked for Fortune 500 and many
smaller, start-up companies. Fortunately, I regained my sanity long
enough to start my own consulting firm, which I still maintain today.
My
husband and I spend most of our time at our main home in the mountains
of Arizona and our second home in Southern California. Between us we
have five boys with growing careers and families of their own.
So,
from my perspective, my life is a success and always an adventure. I
wouldn't change a thing; well, except finding more time to write.
I love hearing from readers, so please feel email me at shirleen@shirleendavies.com.
Website: http://www.shirleendavies.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/shirleendavies
Guest Post:
The Challenges of Writing a Series
Authors are an adaptable group. We
write wherever we happen to be when inspiration hits, we change our
personality to fit the character we are penning—an introverted
author may become and extrovert through their writing, we write short
stories and long tomes, and we pen stand-alone stories or plan out a
series ranging from three to ten books or more. All writing presents
challenges. For me, I encounter the most challenges when writing a
series, such as the MacLarens of Fire Mountain.
Series creation requires the author to
look toward the future and identify characters for books that may not
be penned for months. The author builds a family or community where
readers make a connection through the stories. Readers are encouraged
to become a part of this community and get to know the inhabitants.
Most important, the author must create
characters that readers like and want to follow over a long period of
time. An author once told me that readers of romance inhale them like
air—romance books aren’t a long-term commitment, but a short-term
‘story fix.’ This may or may not be true, but I do believe the
opposite is true of romance books that are part of a series.
Characters in a series become a group
of friends the reader relates to, commiserates with, and roots for.
If written well, the reader is able to visualize themselves as a part
of the community and not an outsider watching from afar.
The challenge for me is developing
characters that are interesting, engaging, and project different
personalities that complement the story and not detract from it. For
book one, Tougher Than The Rest, I knew the oldest brother needed to
have a stoic personality, a somber demeanor, and a no-nonsense
approach to his responsibilities. He didn’t have the luxury of
being anything else. The protagonist in book two, Faster Than The
Rest, didn’t have the same accountabilities and could afford to be
more of a rebel. Both characters appeal to me but in different ways,
much like a family. At the same time, the women in their lives must
fit into the family and not make the reader want to disengage from
the series.
Even though I write both stand alone
books and ongoing series, in the end, I much prefer writing a series.
Why? Because I get to become a part of the family and experience
their heartbreaks, troubles, and triumphs. And isn’t that what
romance is about?
I’d love to read your comments about
the difference between stand-alone or series books, or which you
prefer to read.
BUY LINKS
Amazon
Thanks so much Tricia for being a part of my blog tour for FASTER Than The REST and hope your readers enjoy it. I'd love to answer comments posted on this blog today or at anytime throughout the tour. Thank you for participating and don't forget to sign up for the raffle.
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