TOUGH QUESTIONS FOR DAWNE PROCHILO

 We welcome Dawne Prochilo as our FIRST guest in the hot seat for our tough interview. Dawne has a brand new historical western romance out, JAKE'S LADY. This is the second in her series, The Butler's of Willow Creek.

More about that after we grill Dawne.
Have a chocolate croissant, Dawne and a cup of coffee.
1. Why do you write the genre you write?
I started writing in the sweet romance genre three years ago, as I grew up reading Harlequin. I ventured off, as a challenge two years ago, into the erotic romance. I succeeded and had five books published in that genre, but I found myself not enjoying it
as much as I do the sweet, true love connection that sweet romance offers. So, in 2012, I went back to my roots of sweet and I have actually found a love and calling for historical westerns- think 19th century old west. Someday, I would like to write an Edwardian era
(pre-post depression) series of books. I grew up watching The Waltons and felt such a connection to the lives and ways of the people. Perhaps base the series in the mountains of Tennessee, as I love the serenity of that area.
2. What does your family say about your writing?
They are very supportive of whatever my business venture is. When I first started writing, they called it a hobby. Granted, I was working a full-time job, but now as a full-time writer with 14 books published and eight more slated for release in 2013, they know
I am serious. My daughters have read some of my books, my son... none. My parents have read one.
3. What is the hardest part of being a writer for you?
Finding the one book that will hook new readers and fans, and finding a healthy balance between writing, editing and promoting. It is a vicious cycle.
4. What’s one piece of advice you give to an aspiring writer?
I'm sure many have heard this, but it is so very true. Never give up. Keep writing every day. If you love it, just do it. Never feel like giving up... it is all worth it in the end.
5. Do you open a bottle of wine if you get a bad review?
No. I actually open a bottle of wine when the writing is floating off my fingertips. As for bad reviews... I just take it with a grain of salt and move on. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, just as I am entitled to writing what I write.
 6. How do you handle rejection?
I actually have a shoebox, or two- well, maybe three, full of old rejections. Keep in mind this was before the age of technology and email submissions. All I can remember is 'sighing', folding the letter back up and sticking it in the box. I have to honestly say, I
haven't had a rejection in over three years- it is a GREAT feeling.
7. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer who gets rejections?
Use it as a learning block. Take the criticism, if offered, and use it to perfect your craft and writing style. Never feel bad or negative about it. Many famous authors of best selling books faced rejections.
8. What one thing would you change about your writing career?
Honestly, I don't believe I would change one aspect of it. Each book written, every manuscript and every connection I have made has made me who I am today in the industry. If not for all those stepping stones, I wouldn't be where I am at now.
9. Is editing a learning experience for you or a nightmare? Explain.
Learning experience. The first time I sat down to do my first edits three years ago, I sat at the computer and almost cried... all that red... all that green and blue.. all those comments. I actually remember saying, “why do I even bother?”. I have the answer now
as I sit and do my edits- which I must add are MUCH less, it has purposely made me a better writer, a more creative storyteller and I am grateful.
10. Paperback or ebook?
I have one paperback book and the others are all e-book versions. As an author, I have no preference, but I will say seeing yoru name on a print book that you can hold and autograph is such an exhilarating moment. As a reader? E-book. I LOVE my Kindle Fire!
11. Publisher or Self-Publishing?
I have done both and honestly, I prefer working with a publisher. Just a personal preference, no real explanation as to why.
12. How important are your book covers?
VERY important! Most readers, myself included, will pick up a book just by the cover alone. Crucial first impressions here.

 NOW FOR THE PERSONAL SIDE...
1. What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? 
Caramel or peanut butter swirl
2. Favorite meal is… deep dish pizza with way too much bacon and cheese.
3. Name one place you’ve never been that you’re dying to visit. Anywhere in the northeast. I love Vermont or New Hampshire... peaceful places, I have heard.
4. Your favorite vacation spot is… Anywhere with mountains.
5. First name of the one man or woman who got away. Brian
6. Favorite color is… emerald green
7. Favorite car is… my little Mazda 6
8. Gourmet meal out or shopping trip? Shopping trip
9. What do you do to cheer yourself up if you’re having a bad day? Think positive and remember silly moments in life that made me laugh or smile.
10. Name an embarrassing moment you’ve had in four sentences or less. Let's see... in high school I sat down on the curb during lunch and without knowing it, sat on a broken piece of glass.. cut my (rhymes with glass) and had to go to principal's office to call my mom. Quite embarrassing!
A Bit About the Books
  Willow Creek, Colorado, 1898 Ellora 'Ellie' Jameson arrives in town from back east, escaping a controlling father and adulterous fiancé. She meets Jake Butler in the restaurant while applying/begging for waitress position. Her shyness attracts Jake but it is his thoughtfulness and protective ways that makes Ellie realize he is man just for her. When Ellie's fiancé comes to town in search of her, Jake takes the lead and defends what is his now.
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Willow Creek, Colorado, 1898 The oldest Butler sibling, Cody, has his eye on newcomer, and saloon gal, Lydia Parsons. She is an innocent duped into a world of an unpleasant profession and he knows he needs to rescue her. He vows to help her escape her current life. Stealing her away from the life as a saloon girl and giving her the future she deserves, Cody is shocked with her revelation. She is harboring a secret; one that will make for a ready made family. Lydia never meant to decieve Cody, but what choice did she have? She never meant to end up in this predicament and would do anything to be Cody's wife and to find Charlie, the other male in her life. Can Cody keep his promise to Lydia? Even after discovering her 'secret'. 
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  Sadie Callaghan is a self-proclaimed healer and ancestor of Wiccans. Always the local outcast, she finds herself at the center of hate crimes and a suspect in various criminal offenses. Under the tight scrutiny of Sheriff Walt Malone, she needs to prove her innocence before her stalker can harm her. The threat to her life increases when local religious leaders attack her verbally. Can Malone save her before the real assailant gets to her, or does he still believe that she is the perpetrator? Time is running out as the two turn to each other. 
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TUESDAY TALES - SAND IS THE WORD PROMPT

FINDING LOVE IN SANTA'S WORKSHOP

The dining room table was decked out in a festive Christmas cloth. Will’s dad, Sandy, held a sharp knife and faced the succulent baked ham. The aroma of the ham, candied yams and faint scent of a cake baked earlier in the day made Giselle’s stomach rumble. Don’t make a pig out of yourself.

 “Everything looks delicious, Muriel,” Giselle sat down.

Bobby grabbed the seat on her right while Will sat across from her. His gray eyes were wary and hooded, she couldn’t read him. Food was passed then tasted amid grunts of satisfaction. Sandy was the first to stop eating long enough to speak.

“Giselle, I see you setting at that computer working night and day. Whatcha doin’?”
“I’m writing a new business plan.”
Will raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Not going back to the old job?”
“My boss assigned me this new business plan over vacation so I could see if I wanted to run it.”
“Another jet-setting position?” Will cocked an eyebrow.
“This is a work-at-home assignment.”

Will dropped his fork. “Work at home?”

“He gave me a choice to sign another five year contract or take on this, instead.”
“How come?” Will continued questioning her while Muriel and Sanders looked on silently.
Giselle felt heat rise to her cheeks. She took a bite of ham to avoid answering.
“Come on, girl. You’re keepin’ me in suspense here,” Mal chimed in.
“He said maybe I’d want to stay home…have a family or something…” Her blush deepened. You can fry an egg on my face.
“A family?” Will put down his fork. “I didn’t think you wanted a family. What did you tell him?”

Mustering all her nerve, she raised her gaze to meet his. “I told him my plans for a family had…” her voice shook for a moment,

“changed…and I’d be signing another five year contract.”

Silence filled the room.
Will’s face froze, his eyes watered slightly.  “Where did he get the idea you wanted a family?” He choked out.
“I said so back then…said the contract could be only for five years because I’d hoped…” she lowered her gaze to her hands, her voice sunk to a whisper, “I’d hoped to be engaged or married by then.”
“And?” Will continued.

A sting behind her eyes warned her tears were close. “Since I no longer have that…prospect... I might as well take the five year contract. It pays better and will keep me away from Pine Grove.”

****   

Pleading exhaustion, Giselle begged to be taken home soon after the meal was finished. She and Will had exchanged polite chit chat but nothing meaningful. He drove her home and parked in her driveway. As she turned to open the car door, he placed his hand on her forearm.

“Wait, can we talk?”

She closed the door and turned to face him. He looked down at his hands then up at her.

“I didn’t know you wanted to get married – have kids. I know I’ve been pretty rotten to you since you’ve been back. Do I still stand a chance with you?” 

A half-smile captured her lips. “A month ago, I would’ve loved to hear those words.”

“And now?”

“Now? The Will I once loved is gone. I’ve looked into your eyes and all I see is anger and hatred.  The Will I loved never could have treated me like you have. Not in a million years. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body.” She stopped and took a shuddering breath, glancing out the window. “He was the sweetest, nicest most generous, caring man on Earth.” She turned to face him.

“But he doesn’t exist anymore. He’s gone probably never to return. I don’t like the man who’s replaced him. Still stand a chance? You never stood a chance to begin with.”

“I’m still me.”

She shook her head. “You’re someone else. Someone I don’t like. I’m going to get out of your way…leave you alone. You’re a stranger to me.  He hung his head.

She opened the car door and got out, picking her way across the icy walk. After shutting the front door, she slid down against the inside of the door to the floor, dissolved in tears.

Five minutes later, there was a knock on the front door.
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SWEET ROMANCE ROCKS!

What is it about a sweet romance? Sweet romance is all about the strong bond of two would-be lovers. Even if they are lovers behind closed doors, like in Under the Midnight Moon, the emphasis isn't on the physical part of their relationship, but the emotional. As a writer of sweet as well as spicy romance I know writing sweet romance is more challenging. The plot has to be tighter, more logical and you don't have a sex scene to fall back on. I love writing sweet romance and have written four so far, in addition to my spicy books. Here's a sneak peek at my sweeter side of love, The Moonlight Series.

MOONLIGHT AND ROSES 

This sweet contemporary romance novella is the prequel to "Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights". It tells the story of Caroline Davis, an artist, who gets her Masters Degree then returns to New York City to live with her mother. Linda Davis knows her health will not last and is determined to make sure her daughter has a secure future. Caroline has her own ideas.
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SUNNY DAYS/MOONLIT NIGHTS

Can a woman run away, back to her past? Do you have someone in you’d like to reconnect with?  Caroline Davis White wasn't looking for Mickey, now Mike Foster, her childhood crush, she was fleeing her philandering husband, seeking peace and quiet, time to reflect on changing her life. But there was Mike, saving her from a mishap...again, bigger than life and even more handsome. 

A well-known artist, Sunny thought she could escape, disappear back to the cabin where she spent her summers as a child. But she was wrong. Her husband refused to let her go. There hadn't been a divorce in Brad White's family...ever! And he wasn't about to break that tradition now.  Could Caroline shake him loose and what about Mike? Where did he fit into her life?

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APRIL'S KISS IN THE MOONLIGHT

How could anything bad happen to a young woman, fresh from graduate school, who strikes out on a new path rather than return to take a job with her father’s firm? April McKenna sets off for an escapade that ends in tragedy. Injured and alone she is taken in by a family friend who lives in a small town in the Catskill Mountains in New York.

During her recovery, April resolves to carve out an exotic life of travel and adventure. But she didn’t count on a sexy fireman upsetting her plans. Gavin Dailey has dated practically every woman in the county, but when he meets April, he knows he’s finally found the one he wants.  Only a stubborn man like Gavin wouldn’t let April’s resistance to his charm and his small town change his plans. Determined to win her, he pulls out all the stops until he encounters one stumbling block he didn’t count on. Only a near-catastrophe resurrected from the past gives April the tenacity she needs to make the right decision for her life in April’s Kiss in the Moonlight. 

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UNDER THE MIDNIGHT MOON

Can attending a wedding and a funeral on the same day change your life? Mindy Winslow’s life was altered forever when she met gorgeous lawyer, Drew Armstrong, and found out about her inheritance from her mentor, Lou. Embraced by the townsfolk at the wedding of her college roommate, Mindy sought to make her goal a reality in tiny Pine Grove, New York. But the exposure of a promise made then broken secretly, destroyed her dream. Will she be forced to face “I told you so” from her father or will love find a way to resurrect hope from the ashes?  $5.99

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