Peggy, thank you for inviting me to visit
your blog. I always look forward to meeting and hearing from readers. Let's
see, a little about the person behind the pen. Rather than the typical bio or
timeline of my life, how about my personal life as it relates to westerns? I
married my high school sweetheart at eighteen. His fathers' side of the family
is from Rusk, Texas where the old homestead was, though they're scattered about
now. My family is from Ohio so much of what I know about the west comes from
marrying into the Parmley family, listening to family stories and traveling
through the west. My husband collects John Wayne movies so I've seen almost all
of them. We've raised two sons who are grown and on their own now. I started
writing full time in Dec. and I love this new lifestyle.
Why did you decide to write
western historical romance? What is the appeal?
In a western, there are good guys and there are
bad guys, it's pretty clear who they are and the good guys always win. In
romance, there must always be a happy ever after for the hero and heroine. I am
an optimist and I always wish for a happy ending. I love history so the western
historical romance was a natural genre for me to start writing in when I
started out. I was attending the Ozark Creative Writers conference when Dusty
Richards, who is a western author, challenged everyone there who hadn't written
a novel to write their first western. That challenge was too good to resist.
;-)
How much research goes into your
books, and how do you tackle that?
I used to do most of my research using books,
searching online and speaking to experts on certain subjects. For instance in
my first book, A Desperate Journey, I
had a member of the Memphis SWAT team read my gunfight scene and advise me.
Then with my second book, Dangerous Ties,
I had the chance to shoot black powder guns and rifles, which had me hurrying
back to rewrite my gun scenes. Nothing is quite as good as hands on experience
for research, so I now try to find ways to experience the subjects I research,
or to at least find someone who has to advise me.
What is the best comment you ever
received from a reader? The worst or weirdest?
The best comment I ever received was on
Amazon. One of my readers reviewed my first book favorably and then bought my
second book and in the second review said I had become an "auto buy"
author for her. That thrilled me to my bones and I am still grateful for and
humbled by her comments. Sometimes I need to pinch myself to be sure I'm not
dreaming.
Tell us a little about your
writing style? Do you plan and plot your stories, or do you just plow through
them?
I used to write entirely by the seat of my
pants. Now that I am able to sell on proposal, before the first page is
written, that has changed. I'll get a story idea, have maybe a page written of
what I think is going to happen in the story and then start writing. I still
let my characters and my story lead me after I get started, because I want the
story and the characters to grow organically, not be forced into a straight
jacket.
Can you tell us a little about
your current work, Trapping the Butterfly? Is there a story behind the story?
My current work in progress, Trapping the Butterfly, is a historical
romance set in 1920's Hot Springs AR. My
husband and I have visited several times, staying at the Arlington Hotel where
Al Capone used to stay. I've always wanted to set a story there and one day I
imagined the heroine, standing in the park and knew it was time to start
telling her story. Trapping the Butterfly
will be an April 2013 release.
What sets your heroine Bethany
apart from all the other women in your hero’s Paul's life? Why is she perfect
for him?
She's different from the flappers he's been
spending time around. She hasn't bobbed her hair yet and dresses more modestly.
She's shy and sweet and she's the first woman who hasn't wanted something from
him. She doesn't have one manipulative bone in her body. He's been spending so
much time following gangsters and their girls he'd nearly forgotten there was
innocence like Bethany's in the world.
Have you ever had writer’s block?
How do you deal with it?
I once had a six-month writers block after
my 14-year-old golden retriever died. She would sit by my side as I wrote at my
desk and I was unable to write there after she was gone. I broke the writers
block by writing on a legal pad I would carry around the house, putting down
one sentence and then another. Since I couldn't write at my desk on the
computer, I filled the legal pad and wrote in every room, line by line until
I'd filled the pad. By the time I had filled it the writers block was broken.
I've never had it since. The book I recommend for helping to break writers
block is Write Mind by Eric Maisel. It is filled with exercises to help writers
break those blocks.
Can you give us a little
background on your hero Paul that’s only in your author notes, and not found in
your story? What inspired you to create this character?
Paul is tough guy, a strong detective who has
seen much of the world. What has not appeared in the story fully is the story
of the little boy (Paul) who used to chase and collect butterflies. When he
first sees Bethany she is in a park and there is a beautiful butterfly near
her. The beauty of the girl and the butterfly is frozen like a snapshot in his
mind, tapping into that part of him. It's a part he rarely lets other people
see.
Describe a favorite scene in your
current novel?
So far, the scene described above is my
favorite. I suspect it may remain so even after I've finished the first draft.
What else do you have in store
for your readers?
Oh, we have a fun week coming up with the
release of my first contemporary romance, which is set aboard a cruise ship. Aboard
the Wishing Star will be out Oct. 11th and I'm having an online
release party at The Romance Studio. Details and links are listed on Facebook for
all the events I'm taking part in that week if you look me up there. I'm also
taking part in the Lucy Monroe Online Reader Retreat from Oct. 8th
to the 12th where there will be games and prizes. Readers have two
more weeks to sign up for that event so check it out. Readers will have several
chances to win a print copy of my first western historical romance, A Desperate Journey during the week. I'm
also posting blogs Oct 8th to the 12th on the Desert
Breeze Publishing website which will be full of travel tips. I've worked as a
travel consultant and have set foot in thirteen countries, so I'll be sharing
some of what I've learned.
He found her dangling from a rope
Her life about to end in the
Black abyss of a mine shaft
Since coming west
Lillian's life had gone terribly wrong
Misplaced trust had shattered her soul
And a lust for gold had nearly forfeited her life
One man would bring her back
From the brink
One man would save her life
And give her back her heart
If he can severe the rope
That binds her with
The most Dangerous Ties
Debra's website http://debraparmley.com/
Debra on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Debra-Parmley/19909053561?ref=hl
Debra on Twitter https://twitter.com/DebraParmley
Debra on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2279340.Debra_Parmley
Debra's books through Desert Breeze Publishing http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/DebraParmley/Page.bok
Debra's Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Debra-Parmley/e/B002BM9H4A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1348252682&sr=8-2
Be sure and leave a comment, along with an email address to contact you, and you are entered to win a print copy of this book:
All the best, Debra! Your books sound wonderful.
ReplyDeleteDebra is having technical difficulties adding to the comments, so she emailed them to me to post here:
DeleteThank you Rustye! I hope you find them so. :-)
Great interview. Your books sound exciting. I am glad you got over your writers block. So sorry about you losing your writing companion. Looking forward to reading your book.
ReplyDeleteFrom Debra:
DeleteThank you Shirl! It's been several years now. I still miss her sometimes but it doesn't hurt any more. I hope you enjoy them! :-)
Debra, enjoyed getting to know more about you and your journey. The blurb from Dangerous Ties sure pulls a reader in!
ReplyDeleteAny of her books are awesome!!
ReplyDelete