by Barbara White Daille
~*~*~*~*~*~
Interview with Barbara White Daille:
Crystal: Today I have the pleasure of hosting Barbara White Daille. Welcome Barbara! I'm so excited that you are here to visit with us today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us
today?
Barbara: Sure.
Thanks for asking. I’ve been writing since before I could spell and knew from
about kindergarten onward that it would be part of my life forever. I wrote
many short stories before completing my first novel in the eighth grade. The
book included elements of what I still love to read and write—romance,
suspense, and mystery.
Crystal: What are you currently working on?
Barbara: I’m pulling together two more story ideas for the
Hitching Post Hotel series. Readers just can’t get enough of matchmaker Grandpa
Jed and his family, and neither can I! I’m also working on a brand-new series
about a family of ranchers. The brothers all have dates with destiny, and the
surprises that come along change their lives completely.
Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for your current
release?
Barbara: Ally, the heroine, is best friends with the heroine
of the first book in the series, The
Cowboy’s Little Surprise. Readers have always wanted to know when Ally
would have her story told, and I finally found the right hero for me—or I
should say, for Grandpa Jed—to match with her. I had always wanted to have a
heroine whose first and only love left town before she could tell him how she
felt about him. Then I wanted him to return, giving her the chance to be with
him long enough for him to fall in
love with her. And…along with a
little surprise…there you have Reagan and Ally!
Crystal: When you are not busy writing wonderful stories to
keep us lucky readers entertained, what do you like to do? Do you have a hobby?
Barbara: Among
many other things, I love walking, biking, crossword and Sudoku puzzles, going
to the gym, and of course reading. My biggest loves are my DH (dear husband),
chocolate, books, chocolate. And more chocolate.
Crystal: Do you have a favorite snack that like to munch on
while writing? If so would you mind sharing what it is with us?
Barbara: One of the answers above might have given me away
already. My fave snack is chocolate cookies, and I could eat them every day.
But sometimes I go wild and have chocolate cake…or chocolate muffins…or just
plain chocolate!
Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share
with us?
Barbara: I have so many favorites between the hero and the
heroine in the new book, I wouldn’t know where to start. So here’s one of my favorite scenes with the
heroine, Ally, getting to know the hero’s baby:
Ally transferred Reagan’s
son to the baby seat and strapped him in. “I’ve only been out to the ranch once
before. My mama and the other ladies of the women’s circle sometimes have
special Saturday meetings. And one Saturday a long time ago, when Mrs. Chase,
your abuela—your
grandma—had the meeting here, she invited all of the ladies to bring their kids
along.”
After hoisting her
purse and the diaper bag onto one shoulder, she picked up the baby in his
carrier. He didn’t let out a sound.
So far, so good. Keep talking.
“This was when I was
in junior high school. You’ll find out all about school someday. Anyway, that
Saturday, I got to see your daddy.” The memory made her voice suddenly rise.
She looked at the baby in alarm, but he simply stared up at her. “He was
grooming his horse outside the barn. And would you believe, I got hit with an
attack of shyness. Me, Ally Martinez, The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh.
Crazy, isn’t it? Well. I sat on the darned corral fence for almost an hour,
never even saying hello, just watching him work.”
As she went up the
steps to the house, she shot a fond glance toward the corral. Then she looked
down at the baby. Sean seemed transfixed by her story. Maybe there wouldn’t be
much to this babysitting after all.
Reagan had told her
the kitchen door at the back of the house would be open. She went inside and
took the baby over to the table.
She hadn’t gotten
her fill of Reagan that day long ago, but it was the first time she had ever
been able to sit and stare at him unnoticed by anyone. Including him,
unfortunately.
“Your daddy’s a
couple of years older than I am,” she explained. “Well…probably closer to
three, and I guess he thought I was just a little kid. He never did pay much
attention to me.” Leaning closer to the baby, she whispered, “But let me tell
you, things are going to change now. What do you think of that?”
The baby looked up
and instantly gave her his answer. He stiffened his arms and legs, scrunched up
his face and let out a screech.
“Hush,” she said
hurriedly, rocking the seat slightly. The movement did no good and even seemed
to upset Sean more. “Shh-h-h. Shh-h-h. Don’t cry, baby. Your daddy will hear you and
fire me on the spot.”
“I already hear
him.”
She jumped and let
out a screech even louder than Sean’s.
Reagan’s voice had come from
the other side of the kitchen. Reluctant to turn and face him, she stared down
at the baby, whose face was getting redder by the minute. So was hers, judging
by the heat flooding her cheeks. Reagan had heard the baby crying. But had he
also heard anything she had said to the baby?
Crystal: Do you have a favorite background noise you like to
have going while you write (TV, Music, kids playing)?
Barbara: Just the clicking of my keyboard. Television and
music with lyrics mess with my focus, and even music without lyrics distracts
me too much. I suspect I like the quiet better because it’s easier for me to
hear the voices of the characters in my head. Well…all right. I don’t actually
hear voices, but I do compose sentences in my head before I can get to sit down
at the keyboard.
Crystal: Thanks for visiting. It has been a
pleasure having you visit today. Can you think of anything else you would like
to share with us today?
Barbara: Thank you for inviting me to drop in. I
have lots I’d love to share, but I’ll keep it to these comments:
First, it’s a pleasure being here, and
I’m always happy to respond to comments or questions readers leave for me. I
love to chat, so they should also look for me out on social media.
Second, I love being able to write
series books because they give me the chance to go back and visit with
characters who have become good friends. But I’d like readers to know that even
when my books are connected by those overlapping characters and friendships, then
intertwined with small story threads, each book still stands alone. That is, my
hero and heroine always reach their own happy-ever-after by the end of their
own story.
Finally, I tell stories for myself and
my readers, and I hope they enjoy reading the books as much as I do writing
them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
About the Book:
HER SECRET COWBOY CRUSH
Ally Martinez has always been
known as a fun and flirty kind of gal. But deep down she’s never forgotten the
cowboy who left town. When her crush Reagan Chase comes home after a five-year
absence, Ally knows this is her big chance. The
guy I’ve always wanted. Only Reagan has something different in mind…
Still reeling from his last
relationship, Reagan needs a babysitter for his month-old son. With Ally’s
help, he can get his family’s ranch ready for sale and get out of Cowboy Creek.
The problem? Ally is one seriously cute distraction. But Reagan will do
whatever it takes to keep his heart safe. Even if it means losing the only
place—and the only woman—he can call home.
Links:
Amazon | B&N | Books-A-Million | Harlequin | IndieBound | Kobo
~*~*~*~*~*~
About the Author
Barbara
White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love
the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used
to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and
chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too!
Barbara
wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed "The End"
to her first novel many years later...in the eighth grade. Now she's writing
contemporary romance on a daily basis. Sign up for her newsletter to keep up
with the latest in her writing life: http://barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter.
Social Media Links:
Newsletter http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter
Amazon
author page http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-Daille/e/B002J6B0QQ
Harlequin
author page http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=1244
Goodreads
author page
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille
Thanks again for the fun interview, Crystal, and for sharing my new release with your readers!
ReplyDelete