Author Interview – Shirleen Davies @ShirleenDavies #Harder

Tell us a little bit about your family.
We’re a combined family of five grown sons and eight grandchildren. My husband and I both were born and grew up in Southern California, but moved to the northwest mountain area of Arizona two years ago. We go back to California regularly but are always ready to get to our mountain home.
How do you work through self-doubts and fear?
I handle my doubts, which can be a real burden, by continuing to write. My focus is always on marketing for the books already released and writing the books that are in the queue. The trick is not getting bogged down with fear of what could happen, what others think, etc. Some will like my books, some won’t—that’s just a fact of life that each author must acknowledge. Developing a thick skin is one of my goals.
What is your greatest character strength?
It’s probably my ability to multi-task while working through projects at a rapid pace.
What’s your weakest character trait?
Taking on too many challenges at once. I guess that’s why I’m grateful that I can multi-task.
What motivates you to write?
The stories that just seem to pop into my head and need a way out. They mostly come at night when the house is quiet and I have time to jot down notes. Sometimes they come when I’m lying in bed, sometimes in the shower, and sometimes driving. If I didn’t have the stories pulling at me then I’d probably never write. Beyond that, I like the challenge and doing something that can be done as I mature, while traveling about the country, and that meshes well with the commitments of our large family.
What are you most proud of in your personal life?
Our joined families. Everyone genuinely loves each other and is committed to every family member. Watching some of the trials of others with combined families, I feel I am very fortunate to have such a blessing as five sons, daughters-in-laws, and eight grandchildren, and truly feel that each is my own.
What genre of books do you adore?
Of course I love western historical romances, but I also really enjoy contemporary romances with suspense or mystery thrown in. A close third is Regency romances.
Location and life experiences can really influence writing. Tell us where you grew up and where you live now.
I grew up in Southern California between homes near the beach and a small town at the base of the mountains. Camping, hiking, and going to the beach were the main activities when I was younger. I was also fortunate in that both sides of the family owned farms or ranches, so I grew up around horses, cattle, sheep, and chickens, especially during the summers when I spent a considerable amount of time with my relatives. I’ve lived in the western part of Oregon, in the mountains of northwest Colorado where we had horses and were exposed to cattle operations and trail rides. My husband and I currently live in a northwest community with a long history of cattle ranches. I guess you could say the western way of life has been in my blood from the start.
What is hardest—getting published, writing or marketing?
Definitely finding the time to write so that the ideas flow with little interruption. Marketing is time-consuming, but writing is more difficult due to the solitude I need to get the stories on paper.
What marketing works for you?
Social media has been my greatest marketing tool as it has made me aware of marketing opportunities such as book tours, book blogs, author interviews, and inexpensive promotional ideas. All of these have worked great, but I wouldn’t have known about them without first getting into social media.
Do you find it hard to share your work?
Yes. In fact, it wasn’t until the last few months that many of my friends knew I had a life as a writer. As far as Beta Readers and critique partners, that’s not hard for me at all as I accept feedback pretty well.
Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you?
My family is incredibly supportive and have become more so as they’ve seen how I intend to make this a long term commitment. Friends have been wonderful. Three of them bought Kindles in the last few weeks just so they could read my books!
Do you plan to publish more books?
Yes. The MacLarens of Fire Mountain will have at least six books. In addition, I’ve started to sketch out a second series of western historical romances that will be set in the mid-1800s and focus on a different set of men and women. A contemporary romantic suspense series is also in the storyline sketch stage.

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Genre – Western Historical Romance

Rating – PG-13

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