What genre(s) do you write in and why? I tend to write in many genres, since the stories demanding to be told don’t care! So far, I can throw my hat into the rings of contemporary, time travel, paranormal and I’m also tweaking a young adult trilogy.
What is your favorite part of writing? Oh, I love writing myself into a corner and then trying to figure out how my characters are going to save the day with only seconds left to save themselves. It’s the ultimate brain-strain and I seriously get a rush when the solution comes to me. Oh! Oh! I know what happens next! Yeah. That’s me.
What is your least favorite part of writing? It’s not my least favorite, but it’s definitely the hardest part, and it’s marketing and advertising. Hard work! Whew!
Where do you get the ideas for your stories? Oh, dear, they honestly come from everywhere. Some are literally from dreams I’ve had, while others have been prompted by newspaper articles. Sometimes it’s a minor character who has caught my attention, and then suddenly I’m trying to figure out who that person is and what they need and who the heck is the perfect match? I don’t seem to lack for ideas; the more I write, the more I want the ideas to gel with the perfect person.
What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish? Make sure your book is really publisher-ready. Get a professional cover. Hire proofreaders and editors to make sure the story makes sense. Run it by critique partners to make sure the story is coherent. And give yourself plenty of time to learn the ins and outs of the industry.
Do you have critique partners? Absolutely! I have the two best CPs around. Laurie Gifford Adams, author of YAs, and Lorraine Lander, author of MGs, are my peeps. Seems like a weird combination, since I write romance, but our strengths are such that we can take a story down to a microscopic level and it still works.
Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park? It was like crossing the Sahara with two twisted ankles and blistering with sunburn and having only a test tube of water to keep me alive while being chased by poisonous scorpions and then falling down and landing on a cactus. Yeah.
Give us an elevator pitch for your book. Is it possible to forgive and trust the only man who ever shattered you?
Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses. Matteu MacKenzie is a hot Scottish bagpipe player, a Master Piper for a fictitious traveling band. He is crazy talented and super driven to accomplish his goals, but they always came at the cost of choosing his music over Cora. Now that he’s accomplished his goals, he assumes she’ll forgive him and take him back.
Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book. I’ve worked with animals in many capacities in my life, and knew I wanted to write about a veterinarian someday. My newest release, Ever Since, happens concurrently with Crazy Little Fling, but they are both standalone novels. In Crazy Little Fling, the veterinarian, Carla, goes on her dream vacation, but something bad happens to her technician, Cora, while she’s gone. So Cora goes home for the Christmas break and finds her family playing the matchmaker with Matty, the man who broke her heart. They have until the ball drops on New Year’s Eve to make the relationship work, or say goodbye forever.
Here’s an excerpt from EVER SINCE:
Matty accepted a plate from Nana and scooped up his slice of lasagna, his full attention on Cora, though she thought she did a credible job of pretending he didn’t exist, even going as far as to suggest some great colleges for her younger cousin to consider, throwing herself fully into the conversation.
But her cousin took one look at Matty’s glower and pushed out of his seat. “Cousin Matty! Here, take my seat. I’ll go sit with my brother.”
“How verra kind of ye, lad.” He set down his plate to her right and almost sat before stepping back into the kitchen.
The sisters exchanged glances. Cora whispered to Sherry, “Was it something I said?”
They chuckled and focused on their meal when Matty returned to her side, holding a sandwich plate with two slices of bread, one lightly buttered and one heavily.
“With a sprinkle of sugar, just the way ye like it,” he said, pointing to the barely-buttered one as he placed it between them.
Sherry audibly sighed.
Cora impaled her with a deadly stare. Not a peep for fourteen months, and his first words to her were about sprinkled sugar? No greeting, no apology, just a snippet that would ensure any of her family would believe he’d never left her side.
Cora seethed at his assumption that she’d blindly play along.
About the Author
Dorothy Callahan is one of those authors who annoys other authors by refusing to be tied down to one genre. If a tale demands to be told—even if she’s never read a single story like it—she’ll find a way to write the book of her heart. This is the only way to quiet those demanding characters begging to be heard.
She lives in New York with her wonderful husband, a pride of demanding cats, and two loyal dogs, all rescued from shelters (well, not the husband). Her love of both animals and writing prompted her to start READ AND RESCUE, an organization where animal-loving authors and readers can find one another. The unique aspect to this group is that each author pledges a portion of proceeds to his/her favorite animal cause.
When Dorothy is not writing, she and her husband enjoy shopping for antiques and renovating their pre-Civil War house. If you are interested in learning more about Dorothy or how to help other animals in need, please visit her at dorothycallahan.com, dorothycallahanauthor@gmail.com, Facebook at Dorothy Callahan Author, or Twitter @Callahanauthor.
Thank you, Cindy, for letting me join you today. I had a great time hanging out, and hope you did, too. Happy New Year, and happy reading!