Please help me welcome Paisley Kirkpatrick to my blog today. Paisley is giving away a copy of her book Night Angel to one lucky commentor so be sure and leave her a comment.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?

Scotland would be my choice — anywhere in the Highlands would be an answer to a dream. My Mother’s family migrated from Scotland to the States several generations ago. While I was sitting in a boat on Loch Ness, I knew I’d come home. The feeling of familiarity on my first trip to Scotland has never left me. I choose Scots as my heroes, I get subscriptions to Scottish magazines, belong to a Celtic Hearts online chapter, and my addiction is Gerard Butler.

Do you have other talents?

My hobby is sewing. Over the past ten years, I’ve made and given away 33 quilts. Most of them have been crib size, made from bright colors and child prints of flannels. The others have keepsake photos on them, book covers, and favorite entertainers. Lately I’ve started making small pillows with print pillowcases. With all the hours we spend in front of a computer, they are perfect to fit behind your back or neck. On occasion I make tote bags. I’ve found that taking a break from the computer rests my eyes and gives my muse a chance to rebuild.

What inspired your latest book?

My great, great grandfather Charles Kirkpatrick came across the country in 1849. He kept a journal of the journey and it was so well written that it is kept under glass in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. My Mother was able to get a copy of the journal and I found it so interesting that I used a lot of information he shared in this story.

What is your next project and when will it be released?

September, 2013, is release date for the third book in the Paradise Pines Series: Forever After. Used as a wager in a poker game, Marinda Benjamin’s life is drawn into a devious scheme of adventure and revenge. She acquiesces to her blackmailing boss’s demands and takes a maid’s job at the Braddock farm knowing full well she is expected to spy on Dr. Braddock. Her father’s life and care of her ailing mother depend on whether she cooperates with the hateful banker and retrieves files on a fraudulent insurance scheme. When Ethan Braddock discovers her cleaning his medical office and realizes from the first that she is the pawn of his arch enemy, he gives her a chance to prove herself. Marinda survives being shanghaied and after a long journey ends up in San Francisco with Ethan. She is provided an opportunity to reclaim her self-esteem by providing the proof to have him jailed.

How does your family feel about your writing career?

I am so lucky to have the full support of my husband and daughter. Sometimes I think hubby is more excited about promoting my books than I am. He passes out postcards with my story information everywhere he goes. My daughter and I have lunch every Thursday and we brainstorm my story. I appreciate getting her input and am amazed at how many writer’s blocks she has crushed.

Do you have critique partners?

I am so blessed with my critique partners. They’ve been patient beyond words in helping me to learn the ins and outs of the writing world. I know they’ve been integral in me getting published. Recently I’ve found my first male CP and the lessons he’s given me in writing the male point of view are invaluable to me. He’s also pushed me into reading different genres and expanded my interests for new kinds of stories and characters.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am definitely a pantser. In fact, I love my characters to tell me their story and help me write it. Unfortunately, I find if I am doing something they are not happy with, they stop talking. There is nothing worse than a quiet muse. I’ve found that plying them with music from Phantom of the Opera brings them around fairly quickly. Of course, realizing what I am doing wrong and rectifying the problem helps a lot, too.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

Tom Selleck came to mind when I created Chase, the wagon train scout. He just seemed to fill the role of protector, hunter, scout, and blood brother to a Sioux. He is used to giving orders and having them obeyed. Then, this sassy young woman walks into his life full of bluster and opinions of her own. He has to learn to have more patience than he is used to having and keep her and the other emigrants alive on the trail west.

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

Darrah is running from the betrayal of three men and is holding onto her heart as tight as she can when she makes a marriage bargain to wed the scout in name only to enable her to join the wagon train. The scout can’t understand why she would put herself into such a position, but she knows to return home as a failure wasn’t in her best interest. She has few trail skills, but learns how to keep up with the others on the westward trail.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

I have always enjoyed reading historicals and also prefer to write them. We live in the Sierra Mountains and history from the 1849 gold rush surrounds us. My grandparents also lived in gold country and we spent a lot of time exploring all of the old gold mining sites. Historicals set in Scotland are also favorites of mine.

Do you write under a pen name? Why or why not? How did you choose it?

I do write under a pen name because I liked the one I chose and it moved me up in the alphabet quite a few notches. Kirkpatrick is my Mother’s family name and Paisley is an old town in Scotland that not only was the birth place of one of my great, great grandfathers but was one of our favorite places to explore in Scotland.

EXCERPT FOR MARRIAGE BARGAIN:

He tossed his hat near the heat and raked his fingers through dark, tangled curls before he got up and rummaged through his saddlebag. He returned and handed her a pistol. “Here, if it’ll make you feel more secure take this for protection. You could scream, but I doubt anyone would come to your defense out here.”
She held the barrel of the gun between her thumb and index finger. After a fleeting examination, she handed it back. “Umm, no thank you. I don’t feel that threatened.”
He put the weapon in his saddlebag. This time he returned holding a knife. “How about my Bowie knife?” he said, grinning.
She stared at the twelve-inch blade and bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. He was being absolutely charming. “You’re a tease. The thing is so large you could gut a buffalo with it.”
He let out a deep, exaggerated sigh. “Well then, this is all I have left.” He hunkered down and pulled a four-inch knife from his boot. “You might keep it for your peace of mind.”
Darrah accepted the weapon. “This one’s more my size, but I don’t have experience using a knife of any length. Would you mind showing me the proper place to stick a blade this short? If I must protect myself, I’d prefer to inflect the most damage possible with the first thrust.”
His right brow quirked. “For my own preservation, I think not.” He slid the Bowie knife inside his saddlebag and stripped off his wet shirt, tossing it next to the campfire.
Frozen in fascination, she couldn’t tear her gaze from the mass of dark curls covering his tanned, brawny chest. He is handsome in a rugged sort of way she had to admit.
He sat next to her and tugged off his boots. “The offer’s still open. You can shed the wet skirt and crawl under my fur with me.” His mouth eased into a dimpled grin. “I can guarantee you’ll not be cold anymore.”

BIO:

Discovering that riding off into the sunset was a lot easier on a computer screen than in real life, not to mention those saddle burns, Paisley Kirkpatrick began her career as an author. Hiding in the Sierra Mountain Range of California with her husband of 44 years, Paisley Kirkpatrick spends her time roping in the cowpoke of her dreams, or can be found wandering the streets of California’s gold rush towns to find inspiration for her books. She might not have found gold in them there hills, but she did find a love for the old west and the prickling of the stories that make up her Paradise Pines series.
Drawing on family history and a healthy imagination, Paisley kicks off her wild ride on a dusty trail with Night Angel. Don’t worry your little heads, though. It’s the first of many adventures in a time when men were men, and women knew how to put them in their place. If you love your cowboys rugged with a sensitive side, and your heroines with enough fire to light up the western sky, you’ve got a home waiting in Paradise Pines. Just be sure to bring a six-shooter because the Lady Paisley aims for the heart, and when she fires, she never misses.

Website link http://www.paisleykirkpatrick.com/
Buy links:
Not available at this time for Marriage Bargain
Night Angel:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Pines-Book-One-ebook/dp/B00909PON0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362274363&sr=1-1&keywords=paisley+kirkpatrick
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paradise-pines-book-one-paisley-kirkpatrick/1112576086?ean=2940014889667