Hi Cindy,
Thank you for having me today.
What genres do you write in and why?
I write romantic suspense and contemporary western romance.
While in college I found an old romantic suspense paperback in a friend’s basement. When I read it, I was hooked. So when I decided to write, romantic suspense seemed right. Since then I’ve also written contemporary western romance; I mean who doesn’t love the cowboy?
In my contemporary novels the characters are from both small towns and large cities, including Sierra Creek, a small imaginary town in the California foothills, and the real city of San Francisco. Each location allows the characters to have a variety of experiences. In both Shattered Rules and Money Power and Poison the counterpoint of a resort area, Lake Tahoe and Carmel by the Sea, where people come to relax and have fun, plays against the hero and heroine dealing with mystery and suspense while everyone else is oblivious to the danger.
Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
I get ideas from events in my local area; say a big storm or a small earthquake. I think what if two people were caught in it. What would happen? How would it change their lives? How would it affect their relationship, whether they are strangers or good friends? Hearing a love song can trigger an idea for a romantic scene with the characters of a work in progress. A theme, survival, hope, or redemption, forgiveness also gives me inspiration. Sometimes a single sentence uttered by a stranger will prompt an idea for a novel. In my suspense novels, news articles are sometimes a jumping off point. I’d say that was especially true for Shattered Rules.
What inspired your latest book?
The thought of living off the land and being self-sufficient was my inspiration for Her Country Heart; book one in the Sierra Creek Series. While living in Los Angeles, I often heard people wish they could leave the city and live in the country, no traffic, and no time clock. What if a single mother returned from the city to her rural home with plans to make it on her own? Without any experience farming, what would happen? What if her old high school crush was given the responsibility of making sure she left town?
Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.
My hero, a cowboy, is strong emotionally and physically. He’s up to any challenge and thrives on competition. Though he didn’t have much of a family life growing up, he’s loyal and when he gives his word, he keeps it. His fault: he doesn’t let anyone get too close and avoids personal relationships. He rarely shares his feelings and wants to be in control of his emotions at all times. He’s run by logic.
Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.
My heroine, a positive thinker, leads with her heart and is never shy about bringing people into her family unit, be they strangers or old friends. If someone is in trouble they can count on her to help. Her fault is that she too often ignores the harsh realities of life and is therefore unprepared to make the practical choices needed to have financial stability.
Is your book part of a series?
Yes, though each book can stand alone. Her Country Heart is book one in the Sierra Creek Series, where strong cowboys and determined women intersect in the small California town of Sierra Creek.
Book two is His Country Heart, my work in progress. Amy and Wyatt, from the first book, struggle to plan their wedding and their future life together while family conflicts and physical circumstances beyond their control threaten their chance at happiness. Book three, Country Hearts Together, continues the couple’s journey and this time the emphasis is also on their best friends Vanna and Manny as they look for love in all the wrong places.
I’m also writing a romantic suspense. What would you do if your husband went to the store for a quart of milk and disappeared? Why don’t the police care? And who is following you?
How much research do you do for these books?
I do a fair amount. Each book is different, so it will vary from book to book. For Her Country Heart, I’ve spent time researching quarter horses, apples, and organic farming. No fruit acknowledges the conflict between a man and a woman better than the iconic apple. When I needed an idea for a farm in Her Country Heart, an organic apple farm fit the criteria.
The apple signifies the tension between man and woman and the temptation of being drawn to the opposite sex when you know it’s only going to cause trouble in your life. How many of us have been attracted to someone and thought, “I shouldn’t go there but…”
I love apples and there are many varieties from countries all around the world, New Zealand, and Japan to name a couple. What is your favorite apple? Leave a comment for a chance to win a kindle copy of Her Country Heart
Five things about the apple you may not know:
- The Adam’s apple was named because in the bible Adam was tempted by Eve and took a bite from the apple she offered him. He choked and couldn’t swallow it. According to the myths, that’s why a man’s larynx is larger than a woman’s.
- Johnny Appleseed born John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845) was an American pioneer nursery man who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois as well as the northern counties of present-day West Virginia (Citation Wikipedia). Information about him is still taught in many schools and there are movies and videos about his life.
- “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” According to research on the internet, the saying came from Great Britain, a Pembrokeshire proverb c1866. “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” Other variations can be found from 1913 onward.
- Apples and vitamins, there are many including A, C, K and several of the Bs. One apple can supply much of the needed vitamins, so saying to eat one every day is close to the mark.
- There are over 7,000 varieties of apples. By the way, the Crab Apple is from the US and the Macintosh Apple is from eastern Canada. Though there are many new varieties, the Red Delicious is the most popular one.
Blurb
Her Country Heart
Why is Amy Long attracted to the only man who can stop her from achieving her dream?
Amy needs a fresh start. After years of living in the city she returns to Sierra Creek to run her grandmother’s farm. Does she still belong in the small town?
Cowboy Wyatt Cameron doesn’t think so. As half owner, he’s promised to sell the farm and send her packing.
What can she do to change his mind?
Will sparks fly without breaking a heart?
Excerpt
“Sierra Creek,” the driver shouted as the Greyhound Bus came to an abrupt stop on the two lane highway.
Amy Long pushed her hair behind her ears and grabbed her worn suitcase. Surprised to see her hand tremble, she seized the case with both hands and rushed toward the front of the bus.
A gust of hot wind slapped her face and gravel pelted her bare legs as the bus pulled away. Sierra Creek population five thousand, she read a faded road sign. There wasn’t a building in sight.
After years living in city, she’d forgotten how sweltering and desolate it was here. She’d vowed never to return home. Odd it was the first place that came to mind when she and her young son needed a fresh start.
With Granny gone, there was no family left to welcome her. She swallowed a sob. Maybe it was a mistake to come back.
The relentless afternoon sun beat down and her shoulders and arms began to redden. San Francisco, the air conditioned city, seemed a million miles away.
She cleared her dry throat and wiped perspiration from her forehead. What wouldn’t she give for some shade and a bottle of ice water?
With a sigh, she pulled out her smart phone and checked the time. Thirty minutes since she’d arrived at the bus stop and not a single car had gone by. Where was the arranged ride into town?
Granny’s handyman promised to meet her. He obviously wasn’t a stickler about being on time. She groaned and reminded herself she was in the California foothills not in a busy metropolis where time was money.
The sound of a truck rumbled in the distance. With the back of her hand, she wiped her bangs out of her eyes and squinted. Hopeful, she watched the pick-up come closer. A shiny black Ford F150 with extended cab pulled up in front of her.
“Amy,” a man yelled through the open window as his dark hair fell casually over a high forehead and deep-set blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She moved nearer and viewed his wide cheekbones, clean shaven jaw and full lips. About thirty?
“Hi.” A flutter of recognition stirred in her as palpable charm radiated from his broad smile, Wyatt Cameron.
His muscular arms flexed as his huge hands squeezed the steering wheel. “Don’t just stand there. Get in. The judge is waiting.”
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BIO
An author of romantic suspense and contemporary romance novels, Reggi writes tales of love lost and then found and stories of heroes and heroines who discover love and wonder if they’ll live long enough to enjoy it. They control their panic and manage their passion as each fights to discover a hidden strength. Can they survive multiple ordeals and carry on to reach their goals and find love?
She can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to write. Even as a kid she told stories to her friends. It always surprised her when they listened and asked for more. Before writing her books, she worked in the medical field and as an advertising manager.
She studied screen writing and creative writing at University of California at Los Angeles, (UCLA) and is a past chapter president of Romance Writers of America and is a current member.
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