Guest Author - Dawne Prochilo

Today I welcome Dawne Prochilo to talk about what made her decide to write historical western romance.

I have always been an erotic / contemporary romance author but I do have a prolific writing background- from newspaper staff writer to online web content writer and my 12 novels- I have a wide range of writing.

I also have an expansive reading genre selection. Thrillers to suspense and all sub-genres of romance. But my one true love in the romance genre is westerns... historical westerns to be exact.  I have never attempted to write westerns, let alone historical westerns. I've always been a contemporary/present day romance writer. So here I am challenging my writing abilities and styles. I am stoked!

Catherine Anderson, Carol Finch and Linda Lael Miller to name a few, have always been my idols and I love their writing styles, story premises and characters. So here I am, Dawne Prochilo- former erotic romance author, heading into the ranks of these amazing authors.

I started writing my historical western romance series (The Butlers of Willow Creek) about one month ago and have almost 9k into it. I am building the characters, learning the old weest lingo (with the help of a couple of research books purchased from eBay) and starting my own little old west town and story lines.

I am having so much fun with the era words, clothing, etc- I actually had to chuckle recently. I had sent over the first two chapters to a mentor's review. She writes cowboys and knows the lingo very well and I respect her opinion. Everything was perfect with the exception of the man pulling up his knickers... really? Yes, I laughed. She chuckled. I changed it to trousers and moved on.

There's just something about a cowboy calling a woman darlin', his swagger in his denim jeans, the way you just know he smells of leather and a hard day's work and the strut of confidence he has that makes me swoon- see, I got the word right.

It is all trial and error when writing about unfamiliar topics, centuries and all that goes along with them. I have discovered the story flowing from me, with a few roadblocks when I am stumped with verbage. I know the way I want the story to play out, I just need to make sure I say it the right way. My series is based in 1898 in the Northeast Colorado Territory and I want perfection and no reader to question a phrase or word.

I recently read a historical western based in the same era/decade and saw a few phrases that really stood out. One was 'a walk in the park'. Were there any parks in the 19^th century old west? Doubtful. But when did that phrase really begin? Regardless, it stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Hence why I am taking my time, re-reading and editing as I go.

I am thrilled with my transformation back to contemporary romance, and even more anxious for this series to be completed and submitted. I do love challenging my writing abilities and hope to continue on with the western writing. I may have found my 'branding' in the business.

Blog- http://dawneprochilo.blogspot.com