Fabulous Author Friday ~ D'Ann Lindun

Please help me welcome author D'Ann Lindun!

Without further ado....

Tell us a little about yourself.   

Falling in love with romance novels the summer before sixth grade, I never thought about writing one until many years later when I took a how-to class from Superromance author, Margot Early. I was hooked! I began writing and never looked back. Romance appeals to me because there's just something so satisfying about writing a book guaranteed to have a happy ending. My particular favorites usually feature cowboys and the women who love them. This is probably because I draw inspiration from the area where I live, Western Colorado, my husband of twenty-nine years and our daughter. Composites of our small farm, herd of fourteen horses, five Australian shepherds, a Queensland heeler, eight ducks and cats of every shape and color often show up in my stories!

Did you always want to be an author?  

Not until I took Margot’s class.  Then I thought I might actually be able to do it.

What is your favorite part of being a writer/author? 

Putting the stories/characters living in my head onto paper, and having others read and enjoy them.

Tell us a little about your book.

Wild Horses involves a cause dear to my heart—

the slaughter of the American mustang.  The heroine, Castaña Castillo, doesn’t like it, but she believes the government knows what they are doing by removing the horses from federal land.  Jake Breton is a disgraced FBI agent who is sent to arrest Castaña’s brother for murder.  They are forced together, both trying to find Castaña’s missing activist brother.

When did you start writing and when did you finish your first book?

It was twenty years ago, and I finished that first manuscript in about a year.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Everywhere!  A TV commercial, driving to work, at work, in a dream, my imagination…

Do you plot and outline or do you just write?  

Plotter or Pantser?  Pantser!  I get an almost fully developed scene in my head, then I write it.  From there, it’s figuring out GMC, names, location, everything.  I’ve tried to plot, just can’t do it.  If I do, it takes all the fun out of it for me.

Can you tell us a little about the process of getting your first book published?  

Sure!  My CP sent me a note that Crimson Romance was looking for subs.  I have a drawer full of manuscripts I was unable to sell, so I sent one in.  About two weeks later, I got an email from Jennifer Lawler, saying they wanted it!

What book have you most recently released?  

When this interview comes out, I will have two brand new books out, Wild Horses from Crimson, and A Cowoby to Keep from Ruby Lioness Press.

Fabulous! That is so exciting!

What was your favorite part of the book?  

In Wild Horses, it’s when Castaña finds she can trust and rely on Jake.

Rate your story in terms steaminess?  

Not super high.  3.5.

Do you have another book in the works?  

Always!  I’m working on two now.

What advice would you give new authors?  What have you learned about the business?  

Oh, lord.  How much time do you have?  Learn your craft.  Don’t give up.  Write and keep writing.  Don’t be discouraged by a rejection.  I have over 200.

Boxers or Briefs? 

Boxers.

Pizza or hamburger?  

Pizza, super supreme.

Beer, Wine, or mixed drink?  

I don’t drink, except maybe a margarita on my birthday.

If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Would you write or read there, or do something else?  

The mountains, on a horse camping trip. I would do a lot of riding, some reading and nap!

(Character Questions)

What were your first impressions of each other?  

Castaña:  Jake was sick, he was sunstroked.  All I could think was to get him out of the sun.

Jake:  She was unbelievably gorgeous.  Even in my delirium, I could see that.

What’s your favorite characteristic of each other? 

Castaña:  Jake’s open mindedness.   

Jake:  Her loyalty.

 

What are your plans for the near future? 

Castaña:  I’m going to move back to my hometown and train horses.  

Jake:  I’m getting a transfer to the Payson office.  We’re going to go from there. 

Excerpt from WILD HORSES

"Damn, it's hotter than the devil's backyard out here."  Castaña Castillo took one hand off the steering wheel just long enough to swipe at the trickle of sweat running down the nape of her neck and adjust the volume on the radio.  One of her favorites, "Amarillo by Morning", wafted from the speakers. 

            Not even George Strait's silky-smooth voice helped ward off her exhaustion.  Castaña’s hands felt like twisted claws wrapped around the steering wheel, and the space between her shoulders ached until she prayed it would go numb.  The AC had gasped out its last breath of cool air somewhere in the middle of Texas yesterday afternoon.  Both windows in her old Dodge were down, blasting June air through the cab like a roar from an open furnace.  An enormous red and orange sun sinking out of the Arizona sky made a blinding glare on the bug-splattered windshield.

            Her eyes burned from keeping them open.  She'd tried to rest last night, parked near the highway, huddled in her combination camper-horse trailer, but worrying about her missing brother had kept her awake until almost three in the morning.  According to a woman who refused to identify herself, no one had seen Martin in a few days.  The mystery caller implied that he might be lying out in the forest hurt . . . or worse. 

Thank you so much for visiting with me today D'Ann!  I loved getting to know you and learning about your newest release!

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