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Julie
Lence
has bucked the odds and recently had her first book, Luck
of the Draw, published by Asylett Press. Julie is a member
of the Pike's Peak Romance Writers where she has found lots of
inspiration. |
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What was the first Western historical novel
you remember reading?
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Well, this is a hard question. I
began reading romance in the late 80's/early 90's and don't exactly
remember my first western. If I had to venture a guess I would
probably say something by Johanna Lindsey. A friend introduced her
work to me early on and I was hooked. I remember going to Waldenbooks
and buying as many of her books in one time as they had. As with any
book, I have to like the characters. If I don't, I don't care what
happens to them, no matter the plot. With all the westerns I've read,
I can say I have enjoyed them because I cared about the characters.
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What
made you choose to write a western historical as one of your first
manuscripts?
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I
have always loved the American west and horses. I grew up watching
John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and TV westerns and thought it a great
era. From clothes to speech to everyday life, anything to do with
cowboys and a ranch had me hooked. I enjoy a porch overlooking a
corral of horses, sagebrush and mesquite, and have a great time
envisioning characters in these settings. I think I was born in the
wrong generation, as that way of life has always been a fascination
for me. |
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What part of the writing process do you
enjoy most-the research? creating the characters? developing the
plot? providing the historical context?
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With
Luck of the Draw, I have to say I enjoyed the characters the
most. Royce is a favorite of mine. I will always have a soft spot
for him. And I absolutely adored Paige and her gumption to stand up
to Royce and not let him run roughshod over her.
With
the book I'm currently writing, I have had to do more research and
found it to be fascinating. From maps of cities to how did they
travel to this place and what was it like back then, I have learned
many different things. |
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Tell us about
your debut novel, Luck of the Draw. |
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of the Draw is the story of one man soured on love until the right
woman stands up to him and shows him life is meant to be enjoyed,
not tolerated. Most of the story takes place on Royce's ranch and
centers around him trying to prove card-sharp Paige is lying in her
claim to have amnesia. Royce believes she's come up with a clever
scam to steal his family's money and will go to any lengths to
expose her charade.
I didn't have an
inspiration for this story. I just knew I wanted a hard-headed,
temperamental cowboy, his brothers to tease him, a woman who would
not let him push her around, a ranch and a barn dance somewhere in
the story. And an outlaw--I love outlaws. They are so much fun to
work with. They can be as nasty as you want and have a heart as big
as the sky.
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What
actors would you cast in the roles of Royce and Paige and why?
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For
Paige I see Reese Witherspoon or Alicia Silverstone, mainly because
they resemble Paige. For Royce I don't have a clue. My vision of who
Royce is doesn't meet with any of today's actors. And, I hate to say
this but there really isn't one actor I'm captivated with. To cast
Royce, I'd want an unknown who fit my image of him. |
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As
a new author, what has been your experience since you sold your
first book? How have things changed for you?
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more devoted to a writing career. Perhaps I won't ever be rich and
famous, but I like being a stay-at-home mom and having the
opportunity to treat my writing as my full-time job. I make a
schedule every week on what I want to accomplish and try my best to
succeed. I am also more determined to get the next book published,
and I've learned more about writing in the past few years than I did
in school. I also had the opportunity to help record a book for the
Blind and Dyslexic in Denver last fall. That was an interesting
experience since I'd never been in a recording booth, and a great
way to help others. I feel very strongly about everyone knowing how
to read and write and am forever stressing the point to my son.
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Can
you share with us what you're working on now? |
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Currently, I'm working on
Lucas Weston's and Missy Morgan's story. He has agreed to escort her
back to her home in San Francisco. Much of the story takes place there
and involves Lucas helping Missy save her business. As with Luck of
the Draw, this one has a large cast of characters, humor, and an
outlaw
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Finally,
what are some of your favorite western romances?
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My all-time favorite is Mail-Order
Outlaw by Millie Criswell. Ms. Criswell created a charming cowboy
plopped into high society and injected a lot of humor to his plight. I
sympathized with him and laughed the entire time. Ms. Criswell has
also written many other westerns, all of which I have enjoyed.
Vivian Vaughn wrote a couple
of western series I really liked. I searched all over used book stores
finding them. Johanna Lindsey's Savage Thunder and Angel are
two more favorites. Also, Leadville Lady by Leslee Breene.
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