Today we have Davalynn Spencer with us. Davalynn is a wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters, She writes cowboy romance. She is an ECPA and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author and winner of the Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Inspirational Western Fiction. And she’s fairly certain her previous career as a rodeo journalist and crime-beat reporter prepared her for life in Colorado, wrangling Blue the Cowdog and mouse detectors Annie and Oakley. Tell us a little about yourself and how you were raised.

I grew up a California farmer’s daughter with a love for horses. That’s probably why a handsome cowboy caught my eye.

What’s your favorite genre to read and write. Who’s your favorite author?

I like stories with laughter, danger, grace, and love, and I enjoy writing the same. My next release is contemporary, but primarily I write historical/Western. Either way, there will be a cowboy in my stories. One of my favorite authors is Joanne Bischof.

What age did you realize you loved books? When did you start writing?

I wrote my first story in the sixth grade, and my teacher used it as a skit during our annual science-conservation trip. As an adult, I wrote nonfiction pieces for rodeo-related publications and worked as a crime-beat reporter several years before pursuing my dream of fiction.

Tell us about this book. What did you learn about yourself through writing it?

This is a book of my heart – one that welled up from the inside and bubbled over onto my computer screen. For this “director’s cut” of an earlier version, I’ve included previously omitted scenes, redone the cover, and titled it with what I originally had in mind. Basically, I followed my heart and its vision for Laura Bell and Eli Hawthorne. At the end of the book, readers will find a brief explanation about my connection to the story.

Do you normally use an outline for the books you write, or do you just start with a few ideas?

Typically, my books start with a few ideas or a specific scene. I’m not much of an outline person, but once I have a sense of where I want to go, I map out the journey. It’s easier to get where you’re going if you know the way.

Is there a special place you like to write?

In the winter I write on my laptop in front of the woodstove. During the summer, I write in my office where I can see hummingbirds and deer through the window.

What was something that surprised you in the way this book unfolded? What character do you like best?

It’s hard to pick a favorite character because they’re like very close friends and I love them all. In The Miracle Tree I realized I’d shared a lot of things about myself—not the situations the heroine goes through, but the way she responds to them. The most surprising aspects of this book were the animals and how their interactions played out. I even had an argument with one of the dogs, but that’s a story for another time.

What advice would you give a new author?              

Never quit; keep writing.

What project are you working on now and how do we find your books?

I’m wrapping up a Christmas novella, Snow Angel.

Where can we find your books?

All my books can be found on my website at https://www.davalynnspencer.com or on my Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Davalynn-Spencer/e/B002EZUEZK . A free novella can be accessed by signing up for my quarterly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/xa81D

 

 

 

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