Charlene Sands is a USA Today Bestselling author of thirty romance novels, writing sexy contemporaries and historical stories set in the Old West. Her stories have been honored with the National Readers Choice Award, the Cataromance Reviewer’s Choice Award and she’s a double recipient of the Booksellers’ Best Award. She’s a member of the Orange County Chapter of RWA as well as the PAN liaison for the Los Angeles Chapter of RWA. When not writing, she enjoys great coffee, bowling in a woman’s league, country music, reading books from her favorite authors and going on movie dates with her “hero” husband. She loves holding contests and giveaways via www.charlenesands.com . Twitter and Facebook her!!
Carrying the Rancher's Heir
The passionate, impulsive evening Tagg Worth had spent in the arms of brown-eyed beauty Callie Sullivan was madness. Visions of their tryst still haunted him, but their one-night stand was a mistake the wealthy rancher swore he would not repeat. Hawk Sullivan's daughter was strictly off-limits—especially since Hawk's main goal in life was to put Tagg out of business.
Then, suddenly, there was a baby on the way. His baby. Tagg vowed to do the right thing, no matter what it cost him. But his inconvenient new bride tempted his solitary heart down a path a Worth didn't dare follow….
CAT: How often to you get lost in a story?
CHARLENE: Always. Since I’m writing so much, I use a lot of discretion when choosing a book to read. I have a long list of my favorite authors, including many, many Desire authors, but from other genres as well. It’s seems I always get lost, in the best possible way. It’s the great form of entertainment for me and a way to escape the real world!
CAT: What’s the first book you remember reading?
CHARLENE: For romance, as a young adult, it’s an easy question… Kathryn Woodwiss,’ The Flame and the Flower. That book got me hooked on romance.
CAT: What’s your favorite fairy tale?
CHARLENE: I love a tortured hero and have often modeled my stories to some degree to The Beauty and the Beast. Who doesn’t sympathize with the Beast and the moral of that story is the absolute best. Shrek did it well with the first story too.
CAT: What turns you off like nothing else?
CHARLENE: There’s a few things, but I really dislike a woman with a foul mouth. Or a man for that matter. It has to do with respecting the people around you and respecting yourself. Not to say, that the heroes in my stories don’t often curse, but it’s usually within the realm of what’s acceptable and not altogether disgusting.
CAT: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
CHARLENE: Try some Tim McGraw, The Cowboy in Me or Something Like That, or Toby Keith’s, Should Have Been a Cowboy. My hero, Taggart Worth is an ex-rodeo champion turned CFO on his family’s ranch. Most all country songs apply. I’m a big country music fan. Have seen all the major country artists in concert. Those romantic ballads and boot-stomping country songs help inspire my western cowboys and ranchers.
CAT: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
CHARLENE: I love talking about this movie. It’s an oldie but tells a classic, by-the-book, romance. If you are just learning how to write a romance, I recommend, It Happened One Night, starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. I have to watch it once or twice a year. It’s in black and white, but the story shines and holds up against time.
CAT: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?
CHARLENE: No. I wish I could. I listen to music before and after I write, for inspiration. I’ve never figured out how my kids could listen to music and study. I need complete and utter silence. I’m fortunate to have a beautiful office and the house to myself for most of the day. I get a lot done from 7 am to 4 pm. I know everyone has their own way of working, but for me, I can’t have even the slightest distraction.
CAT: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?
CHARLENE: I work part-time for a local hospital where I teach baby-care and childbirth classes in the evening. I love getting out and away from the computer, but if I were completely honest, if I couldn’t write, I’d be trying to figure out a way that I could. I fall into the category of writers, where writing isn’t what I do, it’s who I am. That said, being a part of my students’ lives when they bring new life into the world, is very rewarding!
CAT: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?
CHARLENE: Usually, I start working on another book, or write up a proposal for another story. At times, I’ve been known to simply read for a few days… I miss it. And if I’m really lucky, it will work out that my hubby and I can take a few days off for a weekend getaway.
CAT: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?
CHARLENE: Aside from having the best family, a wonderful hubby, a daughter and son – then my answer has to be all of my dreams have beenrealized. I’m doing what I truly love. How many people can say that? But at the same time, I do set goals for myself and I’m always challenging myself and trying to do better.
CAT: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?
CHARLENE: I enjoy both. Coffee black, unless that yummy hazelnut creamer is available. And tea, the same. Straight up. I guess it depends on my mood. Mornings are always coffee.
CAT: What does it mean to love someone?
CHARLENE: Love makes the world go round. At times, I have to laugh at people who diss romance novels, because they don’t get it. We write about the most fulfilling emotion on earth. Where would we be without love? And to love someone, whether it’s your spouse, your child, your friend, well, there is nothing that quite compares, is there?
CAT: What color would you make the sky if it wasn’t going to be blue anymore and why?
CHARLENE: Chocolate, for obvious reasons. <G>
CAT: What would you say is your most interesting quirk?
CHARLENE: I put things away without realizing it. Sometimes, in the wrong place. I’m a little bit of neat freak and when I’m deep in thought, I just go on auto-pilot. Usually, it happens when I’m thinking about a scene or plotting a story, which is most of the time.
I’d love to thank Cat Schield and all the writers here for allowing me to grace the pages of your wonderful “Get Lost in a Story” blog. I’ll be giving away to one commenter today, a $10 Amazon Gift card.