E.E. Burke's Best of the West with Jacqui Nelson

Welcome to day two of my Best of the West interview with Jacqui Nelson, who has just released a new Western historical romance, Between Heaven & Hell. 

Jacqui and I first met in 2010 at RWA when we were both finalists in the Golden Heart® Historical category. About a year ago, we worked together on a project with another GH pal, Jennifer Jakes. 

The result of our collaboration was Passion's Prize, a three-part novel that revolves around a historic railroad race and was inspired in part by the popular AMC television series "Hell On Wheels."

When it comes to inspiration, I find there are unending resources through research on actual events and real historical characters. The railroad race and several of the secondary characters in Passion's Prize came right out of the history books.

Jacqui: Where do I find the inspiration for our Western heroes—the GOOD (guys), the BAD (boys) and the UGLY (spirited adversaries who push them to their limits)? I don’t have to look far with the seemingly endless number of fantastic Western novels, movies and TV series. 

Need a little help remembering the magnetism of a great Western hero? Elisabeth created some awesome Pinterest boards to help us out!
 

Inspiration for Western Heroes

Western Heroes

E.E. Over the past year, I started creating Pinterest boards to collect images for research and inspiration. I have boards for each book. And I've even created boards specifically for Western Heroes, Outlaws and Bad Boys and even Historical Hotties.

Historical Hotties

Collecting images is helpful (and terribly addictive) for a "visual" thinker. 

Today, we thought we'd share a little about the sources of inspiration for the Western Heroes who appear in our latest novels.

Between Heaven & Hell is Jacqui's first Western historical romance and the book that won her the Golden Heart in 2010. I love the name of her hero, Paden Callahan. Here's how she came up with the name and more about the character:

Amazon e-book or print

Hero: Paden Callahan

Hometown: Came to live in San Antonio when he was twelve, and before that? Well, all will be revealed before the end of the trail.

Home for now: By day, the back of his horse, Cholla, and by night, a bedroll on the ground when the setting sun forces him to halt.
Past: Tormented by the brutal murder of his wife by the Comanche, Paden can't forgive himself for being a Texas Ranger who failed to protect the one person who needed him the most.

Present: Reluctant leader of a wagon train bound for the Western Territories. Just has to cross a thousand miles of hostile Indian land to get there. His biggest challenge turns out to be a woman raised by the Osage. Hannah aka Blue Sky uses her exemplary riding and shooting skills to earn a position as a scout on Paden’s wagon train so she can outrun her own violent past. Can Paden keep Hannah safe, or is history about to repeat itself?

Clint Eastwood

Movie Inspiration: Clint Eastwood in The Outlaw Josey Wales. After the murder of his wife and son, Wales is a man consumed by revenge. He eventually pursues a different path, becoming the reluctant leader of several eclectic souls who can’t seem to survive without his help. But are they helping him just as much in return? 

Paden’s name was inspired by Kevin Kline’s character in Silverado.

Picture Inspiration: www.pinterest.com/JacquiAuthor/between-heaven-hell-a-novel

Jacqui: I loved working on Passion's Prize with Elisabeth and Jennifer. We're all big fans of the television show "Hell On Wheels" and developing interwoven romances around a big railroad story seemed like a great idea. She's expanded on the series with her current book, Her Bodyguard. Here's a little more about a "bad boy" turned hero.


Hero: Buck O’Connor

Hometown: Harrisonville, Missouri

Home for now: He’s been hiding out in Texas, but returns to Kansas to help his only living relative avoid being bankrupted by the railroad.

Past: A former Confederate guerrilla, Buck is wanted for taking part in an infamous wartime raid into Kansas. His obsessive quest for justice for his family spurred him to do things he later deeply regretted and cost him the love of a woman he tried to protect.

Present: He rescues Amy Langford in the midst of an ice storm, finds out she’s with the railroad, and accepts an offer to be her bodyguard so he can use the position to aid his cousin. Too late, he realizes he’s falling in love, but he can’t tell Amy the truth—about anything.

Movie/TV series Inspiration: Buck is actually inspired by the stories of real life “bushwhackers.” Insofar as his looks and voice, I kept seeing and hearing a young Sam Elliott. 

Cullen Bohannon

His personality reminds me of Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount), the main character on AMC’s series “Hell On Wheels,” because Buck, like Cullen, is bent on getting justice at any cost. He’s been after it for years, but his decisions only make things worse.

Picture inspiration: www.pinterest.com/authoreeburke/her-bodyguard-steam-romance-and-rails-series

E.E. You can find more inspirational images for our stories here:

Elisabeth's Inspiration Boards
Jacqui's Inspiration Boards

Jacqui's books are available on Amazon and other major online retailers. You can also find more about on her Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads. 

Today, we're giving away three eBooks: Jacqui's latest, Between Heaven and Hell, our collaborative novel, Passion's Prize and my current release, Her Bodyguard. All you have to do is enter the raffle and leave a comment.

Do you have a favorite Western hero? Who is it, and what makes him your favorite? 

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E.E. Burke's Best of the West with Golden Girl Jacqui Nelson

For the next two days, I'm delighted to feature Jacqui Nelson as my Best of the West guest author. I've dubbed her "Golden Girl" because she's a three-time Golden Heart® finalist and winner. 

If you love historically rich stories set in the Old West, you won't want to miss Jacqui's newly released novel, Between Heaven & Hell, which takes place on the Oregon Trail and is the first of two Western romances she'll publish this summer.  

Purchase from Amazon

On a trail full of danger, will he guide her to heaven or hell?

Hannah knows one thing the moment she enters Fort Leavenworth—she's arrived in Hell. But inside is the means to a new life, a position as a scout on a wagon train bound for the Western Territories. All she has to do is convince the wagon master, Paden Callahan, she's the right person for the job.

After his wife was murdered by the Comanche, Paden let his work as a Texas Ranger consume him. Now he wants nothing more than to disappear into the West. Unfortunately, the one man he can't refuse has asked him to guide a wagon train full of tenderfoots across thousands of miles of Indian land. But Paden's greatest challenge turns out to be Hannah, a woman his heart won't allow him to ignore even though she was raised by an enemy he hates.

Here's an excerpt

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas - 1850

     Paden Callahan lifted his gaze skyward. High above him, the pale blue arc didn’t even come close to rivaling the eyes of the woman standing beside him. How on earth had she made that shot? He knew only a handful of men capable of the feat she’d accomplished. Most of them were seasoned Rangers. Men from a life he’d left far behind. 
     He shook his head. A woman couldn’t be a scout. The job was chockfull of hazards. But the competition had been dangerous as well. Why had he allowed her to stand off against a brute like Dawson? Why had he behaved so impulsively? 
     Dawson looked none too pleased either. He clutched his rifle against his chest in a white-knuckled grip. “If you hire her instead of me, you’ll be sorry.” The scout’s voice was as close to a hiss as any Paden had heard. The man wasn’t going to leave quietly.
     Paden suppressed a growl of impatience. He hadn’t shot anyone in years and meant to keep it that way. He strove for an even tone. “I’ve got a whole saddle bag full of sorrys. Adding another won’t make much difference.”
     Dawson lowered his spent rifle until it hung by his side. His free hand twitched, inching toward the loaded pistol strapped to his hip.
     Paden drew his revolver, cocking it on the upswing and leveling it at Dawson. The feminine gasp close beside him made him freeze. He suppressed the urge to tell her he wasn’t a killer. Why lie? He’d pulled the trigger in the past, and Dawson needed to believe he’d do it again. “Keep the supplies we advanced you. That’s more generous than I have to be. But this is the last time I’ll tell you—leave.”
     Dawson slunk off with his two cronies dogging his heels. Paden released the hammer and shoved his revolver back into its holster. Then he spun to face the woman.
     This time she didn’t retreat, but every bone in her slender body leaned away from him. He shouldn’t have reached for her earlier when she swayed on her feet. Being almost grabbed by a lout like himself had only added to the storm of emotions he sensed in her: caution warred with curiosity…and something more.

Meet Jacqui

I first met Jacqui in 2010 when we both were finalists in the RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart® contest. She won the Historical category that year. Guess which manuscript? Yep, Between Heaven and Hell.

Jacqui's love for the Old West came from watching classic Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm. She now lives on the west coast of Canada where she works in a bookstore (lucky girl). 

Besides writing stories set in the American West, she's also working on a romantic suspense series set in Victorian London. 

Learn more about Jacqui by visiting her website or following her on social media. You can also reach her through email at Jacqui@JacquiNelson.com

www.JacquiNelson.com

www.facebook.com/JacquiNelsonBooks

www.twitter.com/Jacqui_Nelson

www.goodreads.com/jacquinelson

www.amazon.com/author/jacquinelson 

www.pinterest.com/JacquiAuthor

Now, on to the questions:

E.E. What led you to write Western historical romance?

Jacqui: I grew up on a cattle farm in the middle of nowhere (aka northern Canada). My playground included a barn, a root cellar, a work shed, a forest and many fields. I spent most of my time in that unique playground, because we only had two TV channels with nothing much of interest on either of them.

But occasionally something did come on that captured my attention and kept me inside—Western movies starring many great actors but mostly Clint Eastwood. I loved the gritty feel and the grand adventure at the core of those stories. When I decided to write my own story, I wanted something with that kind of feel. So a Western was the logical choice—either that or a pirate story.

E.E. How do you come up with your characters?

Jacqui: Every character I’ve ever read about or watched in a movie becomes fodder for my own characters. It’s great fun taking snippets of those characters and creating a brand new one who comes alive in my head. Just call me Dr. Frankenstein J

E.E. Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

Jacqui: Both, actually. One of my favorite movies is LadyHawke where two ill-fated lovers (Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer) have a spell cast over them (very fairytale). They go on a quest with a reluctant sidekick (Matthew Broderick) who stirs up lots of adventure (and action). There’s a reason why this movie is one of the examples in Debra Dixon’s wonderful writing book “GMC – Goal, Motivation, Conflict.” The movie has it all.

E.E. What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Jacqui: Although I love LadyHawke, it’s edged out of being my favorite movie by The Crow. It’s violent. It’s heartbreaking. It’s a rollercoaster ride of action and adventure, but it’s also a fairytale full of hope and friendship. And of course it stars Brandon Lee.

E.E. What is your biggest vice?

Jacqui: I’m obsessive compulsive with the saying, “Just one more…” In my day job at a bookstore, this sounds something like: “I’ll just shelf this one last book, then I’ll…” In a used bookstore where books are being dropped off every hour, there’s a never-ending supply of books to be shelved.

In my writing life, this goes something like: “I’ll just finish writing this one last sentence, then I’ll…” Once again, when writing a book the sentences are never-ending, or at least they can feel that way until we reach “the end” and then the editing fun begins.

E.E. Is there a “Blooper” in your story?

Jacqui: Not sure if this is a blopper, but in my newest release, Between Heaven & Hell, my hero is from Texas and he’s named his horse Cholla. I always imagined my hero and heroine eventually having a conversation where she asks what Cholla means. He replies, “It’s a cactus. My horse is often as prickly as one.” Then he tells her she can’t judge his name choice, because she, after all, named her horse after a cloud. That conversation never made it into my book, but it did play out in my mind every other day while writing the book.

E.E. Be honest, when reading...do you put yourself in the heroine’s role? 

Jacqui: I always do…doesn’t everyone?

E.E. If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up? 
Jacqui: I’ve always thought I’d enjoy being an art restorer, but I have very shaky hands so I know I’d be terrible at it. So instead I might try studying to be a paleontologist again (and finish the course I quit when I was nineteen). Then I could spend my days surrounded by old bones and history.

E.E.: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book? 

Jacqui: Catch up on my sleep. More than likely I’ll have put in a lot of late nights, and probably one or two all-nighters, in order to meet my deadline. Then I’d clean my house and go to the grocery store to restock my empty cupboards.

E.E.: Which of your characters would you NOT invite to dinner, and why? 

Jacqui: I wouldn’t invite Dawson, the loud-mouthed braggart that my heroine competes with in order to win her role as a scout on the wagon train, and his two cohorts. All three men are despicable in their individual ways, but Dawson’s knife-wielding crony is the worst. He gives me the chills.

E.E. What three things are, at this moment, in your heroine’s purse, satchel, reticule, weapons belt or amulet bag (whatever she carries)? 

Jacqui: The two things my heroine is never far from are her horse, White Cloud, and her shotgun. She’s on the run from a man who’s vowed to kill her, so both the horse and the weapon are essential. But her horse is so much more than a means of escape. As with many people who become isolated when tragedy strikes, my heroine’s horse has become her steadfast companion and her best friend.

E.E.: What is your hero’s “kryptonite” – in other words, what will bring him instantly to his knees? 

Jacqui: My hero’s “kryptonite” is when anyone talks about what happened in San Antonio or when anyone says his dead wife's name. Unfortunately, Jeannie’s father has no qualms talking about his daughter if it will help my hero let go of the past and start living again.

More BEST OF THE WEST 

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at Jacqui's debut novella, Adella's Enemy, which also appears in Passion's Prize, a three-part novel we wrote together along with another Golden Heart finalist, Jennifer Jakes. And we'll be talking about how we find inspiration for our Western Heroes.

Today's drawing is for two eBook copies of Jacqui's latest Between Heaven and Hell. Just enter the raffle and leave a comment.

Do you have a favorite Western movie or television show? What is it, and why is it your favorite?

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Get Lost With Sherrie Hansen!

Folks, please help me welcome Sherrie Hansen to our blog! I'm so excited because Sherrie is another person who writes about my own favorite place, Scotland. Let's get busy!

WHO IS SHERRIE?

Twenty-three years ago, Sherrie Hansen rescued a dilapidated Victorian house in northern Iowa from the bulldozer's grips and turned it into a bed and breakfast and tea house, the Blue Belle Inn. Sherrie grew up on a farm south of Austin, Minnesota. She has lived in Bar Harbor, Maine, Colorado Springs, CO, and Augsburg, Germany. She attended Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. After 12 years of writing romance novels late at night when she couldn't sleep (mostly because she was so keyed up from working 12 hour days at the B&B), she met and married her real-life hero, Mark Decker, a pastor. Sherrie lives in 2 different houses, 85 miles apart, and writes on the run whenever she has a spare minute. With her Wildflowers of Scotland novels, "Wild Rose" and “Blue Belle”, she has seven books in print. Sherrie enjoys playing the piano with the worship team at church, needlepointing, photography, decorating historic homes, traveling, and going on weekly adventures with her nieces and nephew.

THE STORY BLURB

Isabelle doesn’t want to be found. Michael doesn’t want to be found out. When Damon starts searching for the centuries-old gold he thinks is buried in Tobermory Bay, it won’t matter what walls they’re hiding behind. Rocks will fall. Castles will crumble. No secret will be safe.

 Age-old castles and blue-watered bays,

White sandy beaches and quaint cottage stays.
A rainbow of colors, and chocolates, hand-dipped,
A valley of bluebells, and sheep, freshly clipped.
Legends galore, buried treasure, and more…   
In Tobermory, Scotland, that’s what’s in store.

READ AN EXCERPT!

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS SHERRIE?

Contact: sherrie@bluebelleinn.com    
Website: http://www.BlueBelleBooks.com   
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SherrieHansenAuthor   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SherrieHansen  
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2870454.Sherrie_Hansen
Pintrest: http://www.pinterest.com/sherriebluebell/
Blog: http://sherriehansen.wordpress.com/  

AND NOW...

Alexa: How often to you get lost in a story?
Sherrie:  I read in spurts, just like I write. In the summertime, I’m lost in my work - entertaining guests at my B&B and Tea House.  In the winter, I’m always lost in a story, either my current work in progress or a book written by one of my favorite authors.

 

Alexa:  Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release? 
Sherrie:  I love Celtic music, and enjoy Secret Garden, Nightnoise, and a favorite Canadian group, The Rankin Family.  Whether a toe-tapping jig or a haunting melody, the music helps me envision the landscape of Scotland and the cadence of the voices. For Blue Belle, you might also listen to the song, Jump for My Love. You’ll understand why when you get to the end.  

Alexa:  I'm right there with you and the Celtic music! What was the first story you remember writing? 
Sherrie:  I used to write plays for my cousins to perform under the trees in the front yard of my Grandma Hansen’s house. We even charged admission, little entrepreneur that I was (and still am) The first one that I remember was a story based on the song, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” Let’s just say my cousins weren’t all that thrilled. But the audience did give us rave reviews.       

Alexa:  What’s something you’d like to tell your fans? 
Sherrie:  Please don’t make assumptions about my books until you’ve read one or two. My books and book covers are unique and not easily categorized, so it’s hard to put a traditional label on them. My characters are a little older, and my stories are primarily second chance at love scenarios. They’re romance, but they’re much more than that as well – one reviewer called them “the thinking woman’s romance”. They sometimes have faith and family themes and dilemmas, but they’re not Christian fiction.  Some have steamy scenes. They’re filled with Midwestern-isms and handmade quilts, Victorian houses, B&B’s, quaint European locales, and delicious foods. I’m told they’re sometimes humorous and that they’ll sometimes make you cry, that they’ll keep you up all night reading to see what’s going to happen next. So, if reading this reminds you of someone you know, please recommend my books, or better yet, buy them one for a gift! Thank you.

Alexa:   If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why? 
Sherrie:  It’s the early 20^th century. I’m wearing a long, flowing, blue gown with a fitted waist, my hair dressed in a pompadour, my cheeks as pink as an apple blossom with excitement, my dance card full, surrounded by The Crowd at a Deep Valley High School dance. My favorite books are the Betsy Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace – a Minnesota, Victorian age series similar to the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, with a book for nearly every year from kindergarten on up until Betsy was grown up and married. What a grand time it would be to live out one of the scenes I’ve read about so many times.  

Alexa:  What question are you never asked in interviews, but wish you were? 

Sherrie:  Strangely enough, no one ever thinks to ask me if I’ve climbed a mountain, which is a shame, because I have, and I’m very proud of it. The greyer my hair gets and the plumper I get around the middle, the more I think back to the day I scaled Pike’s Peak, a 14, 115 foot peak outside Colorado Springs, where I lived for 11 years. It was one of the most awesome moments of my life. I did it! I really did it!

Alexa:  Which of your characters would you most like to invite to dinner, and why? 
Sherrie:  I would invite Anders from Night and Day or Tommy Love from Love Notes to an intimate, candlelight dinner for two. Dinner with Anders would be very brief, and might go half-uneaten. Tommy Love would hopefully serenade me with love songs in front of the fireplace while I snuggled under a quilt and watched the flames dancing around the logs. 

Alexa:  What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing? 
Sherrie:  I find it a real honor when people read my books. It somehow says to me that what I think, and the words that I say are worthy of someone’s time and attention. I feel like people really come to know me when they read my books, and if they enjoy what they read and are somehow enriched by my words - it’s an incredible high. I have no children, so in a very real way, the books I write are my legacy.

Alexa:  Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? 
Sherrie:  I totally detest being trussed up in a corset, girdle, or any kind of tight, restrictive clothing.  I love the loose, unfitted styles of the 1920’s – think Downton Abbey’s post war seasons – and the adorable hats the ladies wore during the same era. Totally me.

Alexa:  Describe an absolutely perfect day. 

Sherrie:  Morning:  Sleep late, wake up to a cool breeze coming in the window and breakfast in bed (my husband makes the absolute best scrambled eggs).  Afternoon:  No appointments, no meetings, no phone calls – doing whatever I want to do in my nightgown. Maybe a massage sometime late that afternoon. Evening:  Dinner at a favorite restaurant with my family and favorite friends from everywhere in the world. Calories would be conveniently non-existent, and my nephew, Cole, and his wife, Kayla, would provide musical entertainment. The evening would end with some honest, open conversation, a little dancing, and a lot of hugs.  Nighttime:  A memory foam mattress, my husband, a beautiful view of the countryside, peace, quiet, stars… you’ll have to use your imagination for the rest.   

 Alexa: What’s up next for you, Sherrie?

Sherrie: I’m 3/4 of the way done with Shy Violet, my third Wildflowers of Scotland novel. Readers can look forward to seeing a dashing bagpipe player, some scruffy pirates that are smuggling whiskey, Eilean Donan Castle, and some major interactions with Rose, Ian, and Lyndsie from Wild Rose, and Isabelle from Blue Belle.  You can read the first chapter at the end of Blue Belle.

Alexa: Do you have any questions for your fans?

Sherrie: Which wildflower of Scotland do you most identify with and why? Thistle Down (a bit prickly)?  Wild Rose (always getting into trouble)? Blue Belle (not feeling very perky for one reason or another – even a bit downtrodden)? Shy Violet (have trouble speaking your mind or standing up for yourself even when you know you should)?

Folks, be sure to leave a comment! Sherrie will be giving away an ecopy or print copy of Blue Belle to one lucky commenter! Sherrie, thanks so much for joining us today!

Note: Please leave an email address for notification. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

PAW ENFORCEMENT

Get Lost in a Story welcomes 

DIANE KELLY 

author of the Death & Taxes romantic mystery series & a brand new 

Paw Enforcement K-9 cop series

Before we get on with the interview, here’s a quick excerpt to give you a taste of the story:

Chapter One

Job Insecurity

Fort Worth Police Officer Megan Luz

My rusty-haired partner lay convulsing on the hot asphalt, his jaw clenching and his body involuntarily curling into a jittery fetal position as two probes delivered 1,500 volts of electricity to his groin. The crotch of his police-issue trousers darkened as he lost control of his bladder.

            I’d never felt close to my partner in the six months we’d worked together, but at that particular moment I sensed a strong bond. The connection likely stemmed from the fact that we were indeed connected then--by the two wires leading from the Taser in my hand to my partner’s twitching testicles.

#

I didn’t set out to become a hero. I decided on a career in law enforcement for three other reasons:

1)  Having been a twirler in my high school’s marching band, I knew how to handle a baton.

2)  Other than barking short orders or rattling off Miranda rights, working as a police officer wouldn’t require me to talk much.

3)  I had an excess of pent-up anger. Might as well put it to good use, right?

Of course I didn’t plan to be a street cop forever. Just long enough to work my way up to detective. A lofty goal, but I knew I could do it--even if nobody else did.

I’d enjoyed my studies in criminal justice at Sam Houston State University in Hunstville, Texas, especially the courses in criminal psychology. No, I’m not some sick, twisted creep who gets off on hearing about criminals who steal, rape, and murder. I just thought that if we could figure out why criminals do bad things, maybe we could stop them, you know?

To supplement my student loans, I’d worked part-time at the gift shop in the nearby state prison museum, selling tourists such quality souvenirs as ceramic ash trays made by the prisoners or decks of cards containing prison trivia. The unit had once been home to Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame and was also the site of an eleven-day siege in 1974 spearheaded by heroin kingpin Fredrick Gomez Carrasco, jailed for killing a police officer. Our top-selling item was a child’s time-out chair fashioned after Old Sparky, the last remaining electric chair used in Texas. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

To the corner, little Billy.

No, Mommy, no! Anything but the chair!

            I’d looked forward to becoming a cop, keeping the streets safe for citizens, maintaining law and order, promoting civility and justice. Such noble ideals, right?

What I hadn’t counted on was that I’d be working with a force full of macho shitheads. With my uncanny luck, I’d been assigned to partner with the most macho, most shit-headed cop of all, Derek the “Big Dick” Mackey. As implied in the aforementioned reference to twitching testicles, our partnership had not ended well.

That’s why I was sitting here outside the chief’s office in a cheap plastic chair, chewing my thumbnail down to a painful nub, waiting to find out whether I still had a job.

Read a Little, Buy the Book

AND NOW FOR THE INTERVIEW!

Angi:   You’re known for quirky characters and humor in your Death & Taxes series. Is your new Paw Enforcement series similar?

DIANE:  Definitely!  My humor is my trademark, and my characters in Paw Enforcement are just as zany. My heroine, rookie Fort Worth police officer Megan Luz, has an Irish temper that she doesn’t always control well. She’s a master with her baton. Her new partner Brigit is a stubborn shepherd-mix with dominance issues. When the two of them are paired up, it’s a fun, funny mix.

Angi:  I see that you write some chapters from the dog’s point of view. What was that like?

Diane & Reggie
She's a deaf Dalmation/American Bull Terrier mix

DIANE:  So much fun!  A challenge, too.  I had to really think like a dog and imagine how I would feel if I were in Brigit’s shoes – er, paws.  I have 3 dogs myself, so I’ve had some experience with canine behavior, but I also worked to make Brigit have a unique personality all her own.

Angi:  So your cop has anger issues and the dog has dominance issues. Who’s the leader of their pack?

DIANE:Good question.  They two continually vie to see who will emerge as the alpha.  These moments allow for lots of humor, and for development in their relationship.

Angi:  Did you perform any special research for this series?

DIANE:  I attended the Citizens Police Academy in my town, where I learned a lot about police work. I also interviewed two of the K-9 officers.  They gave me lots of insider information. It’s an absolutely fascinating line of work.

Angi:  What’s next for you?

DIANE: Death, Taxes, and Silver Spurs, book #7 of my Death & Taxes series, releases at the end of July.  Paw and Order, book #2 in the Paw Enforcement series, releases on December 30^th, just in time for people to spend those gifts cards they got for Christmas. 

FIND DIANE

Contact   Website     Facebook   Twitter @DianeKellyBooks 

Goodreads   Killer Fiction   Previous GLIAS interviews

The TARA HOLLOWAY series by DIANE

DEATH, TAXES, AND A FRENCH MANICURE

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A NO-WHIP LATTE

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND EXTRA-HOLD HAIRSPRAY

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A SEQUINED CLUTCH

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND HOT PINK LEGWARMERS

READ THE EXCERPT

DIANE’S giving away one book from her backlist to one North American blog commenter leaving their email address.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Feel free to email your contact information to Angi at GetLostInAStory@gmail.com instead. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DIANE WANTS to know: Who have your favorite non-human characters been in books, movies, or TV shows?