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Read some interviews from past editions:
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Zelda Benjamin
April, 2008
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Shirley Marks
December, 2007
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Donna Wright
December, 2007
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Carolyn Brown
August, 2007
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Roni Denholtz
June, 2007
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Tara Randel
April, 2007
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Sydell Voeller
February, 2007
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Sheila Robins
December, 2006
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Ann Holt
October, 2006
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Cynthia Danielewski
July, 2006
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Jane McBride Choate
March, 2006
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Kathryn Meyer Griffith
January, 2006
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Mel Taylor
November, 2005
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Kathleen Fuller
September, 2005
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Tracey J. Lyons
July, 2005
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Ludima Gus Burton
May, 2005
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Holly Jacobs
March, 2005
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Sandra D. Bricker
January, 2005
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Kathryn Quick
November, 2004
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Cheri Jetton
September, 2004
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Heather S. Webber
July, 2004
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Karl Fieldhouse
May, 2004
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Shelley Galloway
March, 2004
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Ilsa Mayr
January, 2004
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Kathy Carmichael
November, 2003
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Dorothy P. O'Neill
July, 2003
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Joani Ascher
May, 2003
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Patricia DeGroot
March, 2003
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Barbara Meyers
November, 2002
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Christine Bush
September, 2002
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Debby Mayne
July, 2002
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Jean C. Gordon
May, 2002
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Charles E. Friend
March, 2002
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Norma Seely
January, 2002
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Glen Ebisch
November, 2001
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Gina Cresse
September, 2001
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John Paxson
July, 2001
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Terri Alcock
May, 2001
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Clifford Blair
March, 2001
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Amanda Harte
January, 2001
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Kent Conwell
November, 2000
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Carolyn Brown
September, 2000
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Annette Mahon
July, 2000
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Marjorie McGinley
May, 2000
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Jack Lewis
March, 2000
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Amanda Harte
January, 2000
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Joyce and Jim Lavene
November, 1999
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Return to the current Author! Author! interview:
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S.J. Stewart
April, 2008
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Author! Author!: January, 2003
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Click on images to learn more about these books.
An Interview with
Nancy J.
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When did you first start writing?
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I fell in love with reading first. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series was my favorite and in 5th grade, I tried to get my best friend to write a pioneer novel with me. She didn’t make it past the first page, but I discovered I loved creating stories as much as I loved reading them. It wasn’t until I took a creative writing course in college that I finally understood that I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to take people away from the worries of their lives. I wanted to have fun.
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Where do you get your ideas?
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My characters come to me. I see a scene like a movie clip in my head and I think... what if... and a story is born. For example, in A Wanted Man, I knew that Trey had a price on his head and I knew that he didn’t like women. Then I saw this young woman standing on the edge of a mountain looking through a pair of binoculars and I saw a wanted poster in her pocket. Then I thought, “what if it’s a woman, who tries to collect Trey’s bounty,” and a story was born.
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What are you working on now?
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I am working on Taggart and Shay’s stories. They are the last two brothers and I smile when I think of the women I’ve got for them. Tag is a horseman. He believes he’s the only one who can catch the legendary wild stallion. What if there’s a woman who can catch the horse first? And Shay, Shay is the angel faced gambler. What if there’s a bet he just can’t win?
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Where do you find the time to write?
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I carve out time in the evenings. For me it’s the love of the story that gets me in the seat. I used to write when my children were napping. Now that they are older, they know that Mom writes at certain times and they are great about letting me.
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Do you have any advice for inspiring other authors?
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Keep writing. Never give up. The only way you learn a craft is by doing it and the more you practice the better you get. Be dedicated to your art and believe in yourself. It’s the only way to touch the stars.
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