 As a child of the eighties, I've been a huge fan of many movies that came out in that decade. Back to the Future? LOVE that trilogy. Made my husband watch them. Star Wars? Many of you know by now how I feel about that space-themed fairy tale.
I also love The Princess Bride. Flight of the Navigator. Soooo many other films I could name - but when I met my new kitty, we came up with her name based 90% on the way characters from the movie WILLOW address the titular character. We welcomed our precious new kitty to the family earlier this summer, Willow the Tabby. Even as I type this, she's on my desk, between me and the keyboard, purring at me. She's super affectionate. She comes when called. She's eight months old now and already happily a house cat who (occasionally) explores the great outdoors. The family that fostered her informed me that sweet Willow was found on the side of the road, in a duffle bag full of her brothers and sisters. :-( Who. Does. That?! In case you're wondering, Izzie the Aussie and Willow the Tabby are getting along fairly well, too. The first couple of days were rough, but now they both run to the door when I come home, demanding love. And they both cuddle up next to me when I'm reading. So life with pets is absolutely wonderful. I plan to put Willow in a story soon. How do you feel about pets in stories? Ambivalent? Annoyed? Or do you find them adorable?
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 How do you feel about a bad-boy hero?
I think Anne Shirley said it best for me. "I'd like a man who COULD be wicked. But wouldn't be." This is just who I am. I always fall for the wounded, mysterious guy in books and movies. (Don't get me started on Ben Solo.) My oldest daughter is the same way - she will never forgive the Avatar animators for pairing the kick-butt heroine with a little bald boy when she could've had a fire prince. We watched Phantom of the Opera the other day, and she (without prompting from me) took the Phantom's side! My husband is a real-life good guy. He was law enforcement for a time. But the other night we were talking about this very thing and he looked me right in the eye. "If anyone ever hurt you, I'd burn down everything and everyone in my way to make them pay." I mean. Yeowza. That makes my heart fluttery. I'm all about the layers that a bad guy has going on. Layers upon layers. Plan upon plan. This is a guy who thinks things through. He knows the world isn't a safe place, and he takes it upon himself to protect what's his (including the heroine) at any cost. He also is emotionally mature. He knows pain and suffering. He's been broken and pulled himself back together. Wesley the Farm Boy? Sure, he's nice. But the Dread Pirate Roberts - he's seen stuff. And he's going to stop at NOTHING to get the girl, revenge himself on the (real) bad guy, and ride off to his pirate ship. So who does this quasi-bad-boy thing right? K.M. Shea does! Royal Magic - the hero was literally the villain in the last book, and he's still a ruthless fighting machine. Check and mate. Magic Forged - a vampire. But not a broody mopey teen. A vampire who wields his power and influence with precision. And totally supports his lady-love. Crown of Shadows - the hero is literally an assassin. The meet-cute is him trying to fulfill a contract to kill the heroine. Spoiler alert: doesn't work. And it takes three awesome books for their slow-burn romance to kick into gear. Check out her books HERE on Amazon. So who's your favorite bad-boy love interest? And yes, in case you were wondering, I'm madly in love with the new Loki series on Disney+. *swoon* How Do You Decide What to Write Next? Answer:Sometimes, I have to look at what's due. What have I promised to my editor? My fans? Is anything on pre-order? Once I've met obligations, and it's literally just ME picking what happens next, I choose the story that's most impatient to get out. I have those. Stories that are on my mind, with the plot and characters doing circles from the back of my brain to the forefront, over and over until I take notice of them. That's how I decide. Which story is taking up the most of my mental bandwith? That's the one that has to get out next!
Great question! -Sally  Do you like character bios? I always have, and they're pretty essential for me to create as an author. Today, I'm sharing the heroine for my next western/Victorian novel: Evelyn Lyon, Countess Tyneham. At least, that's her name for about half the book. Then she becomes Mrs. Evelyn Morgan, wife to our favorite foreman, "Frosty." Evelyn is so much fun to write. She's my third heroine who starts her novel as a widow - but she's the first one who isn't all that sad about it. She's too busy surviving to mourn a man who didn't hold her in very high regard. I've loved writing about her as a love interest because she has so much going on in her head and emotions, so much to worry about, with a daughter as dependent on Evelyn making good choices as Evelyn is. Karen Gillan (ugh, typo in the graphic - sorry!) is Scottish. My heroine is not. But Karen has that copper-haired, playful beauty that I picture as I write Evelyn. This book is different from the first of my westerns because, this time, we have a woman who is used to the stylish life of English High Society suddenly dropped in the desert, amid coyotes and cowboys, and expected to learn how to do everything a prairie wife has to accomplish every day. While caring for three children and coming to know the near-stranger she married. Evelyn has a lot of pluck, though. She's determined to make the best of things. And if that cowboy she married wants to flirt with her, he can go on ahead and flirt! She'll just keep on guarding her heart. At least. She'll try. ;-) She has a hard road to travel. Her mother brought Evelyn up to believe that her only asset is her beauty and her only value is that of a pretty wife on the arm of an important man. Before long, Evelyn discovers what her mother taught her may not be the only way to claim a place in the hearts of others. Copper for the Countess is the second book in the Hearts of Arizona Western/Victorian romances. It's available for pre-order now and will be released in September.  |
AuthorI write clean and sweet Historical Romance Novels, I live in the desert, I'm a mom of four, madly in love with my husband, and I love to read! Affiliate Links Used In PostsArchives
August 2021
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