BookWenches

Interviewed by Bobby

Today, we're visiting with Stacey Coverstone, author of High Lonesome, which we recently reviewed here at the BookWenches website.

Hi Stacey. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us at BookWenches about you and your work. We love getting to know our authors; it makes reading your work just that much more enjoyable.

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Has writing always been a dream of yours? Your website says that you’ve written a couple of childrens’ books. Will you tell me about them?

I’ve written ever since I can remember, and it was always my dream to become a publisher author, but I worked full-time and was raising my daughters and didn’t have the time or energy to pursue publication, even though I wrote all the time. I decided to try my hand at writing for children when my girls were young, and my two books were published by Brilliant Books in 1996 and 1998. They were distributed all over the world and translated into four languages; French, Spanish, Icelandic and Norwegian.

Tell me the story about the first novel you wrote. Your website indicates that you were inspired by a visit to guest ranch?

When I received my Master’s Degree in 2007, my husband’s gift to me was a week at a cowgirl camp at the Double E Ranch in Gila, New Mexico. We were up every morning at seven o’clock feeding horses and mucking stalls, rode into the Gila National Forest every day, I learned to rope cattle, team pen, barrel race, and we went on a day-long cattle drive which culminated in branding, vaccinating and ear tagging. As a result of that fantastic experience, I came home and went straight to work on my first ever novel.  It’s still unpublished, but that guest ranch was the inspiration for my novel, High Lonesome, which you recently reviewed on your site. By the way, I had such a great time at cowgirl camp that I went back the next year.

Many of your books have a western theme to them. Have you always been fascinated by the West? Do you prefer to write about the Old West or more contemporary times?

I grew up watching westerns on TV, such as, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, and Big Valley, so I fell in love with cowboys at an early age.  I’ve traveled out west many times, to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana and of course, my favorite state, New Mexico, where I owned land.  The mountains and deserts and the beauty of nature and the western and southwestern landscapes inspire me creatively and fulfill me spiritually. I also love horses (I own three) and consider myself a cowgirl, so this is my favorite genre to write. I write both historical and contemporary stories and enjoy both equally.

What inspiration do you turn to when developing your characters? Have you ever had a character resist your attempts to mold them “just so” and break off on their own? Do you ever worry about your characters after the story ends?

Some of my characters are inspired by real people I’ve met in my travels, but most come strictly from my imagination. I go into a book with a basic idea about who my characters are; what they look like, the part they’re going to play in the story, etc., but they mostly develop themselves as I go along. I’m a “write by the seat of your pants” author.  I don’t worry about my characters once the story has ended, but I do think about them a lot and miss them. They become good friends during the writing process and it’s hard to say goodbye to those I feel close to. That’s exactly why I had to write a sequel.

In your opinion, what makes for the ideal man? How do your heroes differ from this? What about your villains?

My ideal man has a sense of humor, is trustworthy, confident in himself, is kind to people and animals, has a lot of patience, loves with all his heart, and looks great in jeans, boots and a cowboy hat.  Most of my heroes have some of these same qualities, but they also have flaws, which makes them human and more interesting.  My villains normally act like you’d think a villain would act—selfish, uncaring, hard…

What about chemistry? What makes for the perfect chemistry between your hero and heroine?

They must be immediately attracted to one another physically, and also feel some emotional or spiritual connection to one another. 

Do you have any advice that you can offer aspiring authors?

Keep writing because practice doesn’t make perfect, but it makes you better and better with each story.  Develop your craft by learning from fellow authors and editors. Use constructive criticism to your advantage.  Find a critique partner.  Try not to take rejection personally, because not everyone who reads your work is going to love it, or even like it, and that’s okay.  Finally, it’s never too late to make your dreams come true.  If you want to write, do it.  As Larry McMurtry, one of my favorite author says, “If you wait, all that happens is you get older.”

Your website indicates that you are currently working on a sequel to your soon-to-be-published novel Outlaw Trail. What inspires a sequel as opposed to a stand-alone novel?

I decided to write the sequel to Outlaw Trail because I loved my hero and heroine, Grey and Josie, so much and didn’t want to say goodbye to them.  They’re in the new story, Third Time’s A Charm, as secondary characters. There could be a third book, making this a series.  I haven’t decided for sure. I may want to write another contemporary when I’m done with this novel.

What are you working on right now? What can your readers look forward to in the future?

I’m working on Third Time’s A Charm.  It’s the story of Sabra Bennett, a young socialite from Boston who hops the first train out of town after an unfortunate accident occurs and meets Tucker, an Irish sheep rancher from Colorado.  They make a long journey to the newly founded town of Gumption, along with Grey Paladin and his brother, Rusty. Romance blooms, but Tucker has a few flaws that become a thorn in Sabra’s side—and she has a big secret that she intends on taking with her to the grave. 

Of the stories you have written, do you have one that you consider a “favorite”? Why or why not?

That’s such a difficult question to answer because it’s like asking a mother to choose which of her children is her favorite. My debut novel, Lucky in Love, holds a special place in my heart because it was my first published book and it takes place in the real town of Tularosa, New Mexico where I had planned on moving to a couple of years ago. I also love Outlaw Trail because of the traditional western components in the story; bad guys, action, gunfights, Indians, and fighting nature.  Delaney’s Crossing was fun to write because it’s a western romance set in 1888 but the twist is it’s also a time travel story with a bit of fantasy thrown in.

Stacey, thank you for taking time out of your schedule to talk with us. We wish you the very best, and I'm sure our readers will agree with us when we say that we look forward to your next release! 

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For more about Stacey Coversone and her work, please visit her website at http://www.staceycoverstone.com   Her novel High Lonesome, which we reviewed for the BookWenches site, can be purchased here: Wild Rose Press. Stacey’s other works can be found at the following e-publishers:  Eternal Press and Champagne Books (in August).  Her debut novel can be purchased at Amazon.com and other online bookstores, or through the author herself.  She enjoys hearing from readers at her email address: staceycoverstone@gmail.com