Welcome Alison Bruce Today

When did you seriously sit down, and say to yourself, I’m going to write a novel?

I was twenty years old. I had dropped out of college because I couldn't get into a journalism program (my high school English mark was too low). I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was twelve – that or a super hero – but now I was really going to try to write and get published. My mother gave me a job painting trim and told me to go for it. Painted the house, and wrote maybe two pages. I had to leave home and get a real job to be able to focus on writing. Then I had to experience life for a decade or so before I wrote something worthwhile.

If you were to start again, with the knowledge you have now, what would be the first thing you do?

The first thing I would do is go back to my younger self and kick her in the keester. A couple of rejections was all it took to make me give up back then. I would have told her to take writing courses and start with short fiction. Most of all, I'd tell her to suck up the rejections and keep trying.

Do you have the support of family and friends?

Absolutely! My family might have thought I was crazy at times, but they have always been supportive. Under A Texas Star might never have been completed if not for my friends. The first couple of drafts were written on a Commodore Plus 4 - a computer that was orphaned by changes in technology. I had a lone hard copy, outputted on newsprint by a dying dot-matrix printer. One friend, Janet, took the hard copy, scanned and OCR’d it. A few years later, Frances cleaned up the many files and turned them into a few. Then she bugged me until I went back to work on it. For the first and final drafts, I had Amanda and Nancy, respectively, checking the manuscript for errors, logic gaps and suggestions for improvement.

Do you have a book coming out? If so what?

Under A Texas Star, a western mystery/romance is out now and available in eBook and trade paperback formats.

How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

Everything in my life is grist for the mill. When I was in a car accident, being taken to hospital on a backboard, I distracted myself by taking in the sights and sensations so I could use it later in a story. In Under A Texas Star, Marly’s riding lessons were inspired by my own experience. Fortunately, Marly isn’t allergic to horses. My riding lesson almost ended in a trip to the hospital.

Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

My schedule is a bit messed up with promoting Under A Texas Star, but generally I write an average of 1000-2000 words per day – or the equivalent time in editing - five days a week. Which five days depends on work, kids and when I can retreat to a coffee shop.

What do you have coming up? Any teasers you want to give us?

I have a mystery, Legacy, coming out next year, and two sequels to Under A Texas Star currently being plotted. Legacy is a near-future mystery with a touch of romance. The westerns also have a mystery plot but are part of a serial romance, building on characters introduced in Under A Texas Star. Readers will find two common themes with these books: I have a soft spot for lawmen; and coffee. Seinfeld had Superman. I have coffee.

What is your writing routine once you start a book?

I am constantly plotting stories in my head. First I write enough to establish the direction, tone and where I want the story to lead. Then I stop to figure out what I need to know. Research, story arcs, character outlines, maps, tables and figures accumulate before I go back to writing the novel. I have a little celebration when the number of pages in my novel exceed the number of pages in my notes.

What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?

I'm not comfortable with some of the stereotypical romance novel euphemisms for sex and body parts. To me a hot rod is a car. I like my loves scenes to feel real – which often means a bit of awkwardness or playfulness mixed in with the passion. I do playful very well.

What kind of research do you do?

My history teachers would be proud. I do more research now than I did for most essays. I use my local library, the Internet, primary sources if available. Sometimes I go off-topic, as one intriguing bit of information leads to another, but I keep it all. You never know when I'll need to know that Victorian women used lampblack to enhance their eyebrows and eyelashes or what a glove stretcher looks like.

Fill in the blank favorites -

Dessert: Crème Brulee

City:  London  – maybe Paris or Quebec City. It's so hard to choose.

Type of hero – the laconic, stonger and smarter than he seems type. Must have a sense of humour.

Type of heroine – intelligent, tenacious, able to adapt – eventually – to most situations. Also must have a sense of humour.

One of them - hero or heroine - must be able to make a decent cup of coffee... or at least appreciate one.

What are some of your favorite things to do, or your hobbies?

Reading and writing top the list. When I’m not doing one, I’m generally doing the other. I love to travel. Most of all, I love hanging with my kids - especially those quiet moments when we tuck up in my bed and chat.

Who are some of your other favorite authors and/or genres to read?

I love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. He’s a brilliant writer and I take it as a literary tragedy that he has been afflicted with early onset Alzheimer's disease. I’ve been reading Georgette Heyer and Louis L’Amour since my teens. They have had the most influence over my writing Under A Texas Star. Writers like Elizabeth Peters, Paul Doherty and Eric Flint inspire me to make sure my research stacks up. I think I’ve read everything by Janet Evanovich. I don’t read straight up romances, but I like a cross-genre romances. Just about everything I read and write has an element of romance and mystery in it.

Which of your books has been the easiest to write?  The hardest?  The most fun?

I wrote the first draft of Under A Texas Star while spending a week in hospital, recovering from surgery. It took twenty years before the final draft went to my publisher, but most of the problems I had with the book were technological.

The hardest was Legacy - my mystery coming out next year. I had the characters and pages of research and world building, but I didn’t have a mystery. It wasn’t until after my mother died and I learned a few new things about her life that I had the inspiration for murder.

Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

Characters usually come first. Often I literally dream them up. The dreams they appear in don’t make a lot of sense, but the characters feel real - probably because they are a subconscious mash-up of several people real and imaginary. Sometimes a setting will inspire a story or a scene within a story. From there I decide what I where I want the characters to end up. If I don’t have a climax to work towards, it’s hard to plot out where the story is going.

If we asked your muse to tell us three things about you, what do you think they might say?

Her lead female characters are often distressed but never damsels about it.

Has a thing for men in uniform.

Fuelled by coffee.

What is your favorite season and why?

Fall – not too hot, not too cold. I like warm days and cool nights. Spring is nice too, if it isn't raining, flooding or suffering lasting winter or premature summer.

Congratulations, your novel was just picked up by a major Hollywood studio. They are letting you cast the characters. Name the book you would choose to be made into a movie and who you think would play those characters.

It’s a bit aging when you realize that the actors that immediately come to mind are too old. Fortunately, my kids are still young enough to watch YTV because I’d love to cast Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam in iCarly, as Marly Landers in Under A Texas Star or Bonnie Wright who plays Ginny in the Harry Potter movies.

Josh Holloway would be a great Texas Ranger Jase Strachan. I saw him in a red carpet photo with stubble and longish hair and thought - yep, he’s the one. A few years ago I would have cast Hugh Jackman.

I’d like to cast Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-O) as Hugh Birke. It’s only a supporting role in Under A Texas Star, but he’d be the male lead in one of the sequels. Josh Brolin would do well for Sheriff Langtree. He has cameo appearance in Under A Texas Star and a plot for another sequel.

If you could choose anywhere in the world to set up your desk and write, where would you like it to be? What’s so special to you about this place?

Pick a café, any café. I’m currently writing this in my local Starbucks. I’d be happy in a sidewalk café in Paris or Lucca, Italy - or better still a series of venues in cities all over the coffee-drinking world. (There’s a reason my blog is called “Have laptop - will travel”).  It’s not just the ready availability of caffeine. I love the atmosphere of a café. I find it easier to focus without the distractions of home or office and, when I do need a bit of distraction, people watching can be very fruitful. 

Sneak peek into Under a Texas Star by Alison Bruce

Disguised as a boy, Marly joins a handsome Texas Ranger in the hunt for a con man and they must bring the fugitive to justice before giving up the masquerade and giving in to their passion.

When Marly Landers is fooled by con man Charlie Meese, she's determined to bring him to justice―even if it means dressing up as a boy and setting off across the plains to find him.

Texas Ranger Jase Strachan is also after Meese, for crimes committed in Texas. He joins forces with the young boy in a journey that takes them to Fortuna, where a murder interrupts their mission. Jase is duty bound to find the killer, no matter the cost.

Marly carries out her own investigation and comes to the aid of Amabelle Egan, the sister of one of the suspects. But appearances are deceiving, and Marly is mistaken for Amabelle’s suitor, making her a target for the killer. Not to mention, Charlie Meese is still out there.

Under the Texas stars, Marly and Jase are drawn together by circumstances beyond their control, yet fate plots to tear them apart. Will Marly finally get her man?

Under A Texas Star, by Alison Bruce, Imajin Books (www.imajinbooks.com)

The eBook is available at Amazon Kindle Store (http://www.amazon.com/Under-a-Texas-Star-ebook/dp/B00501H6YM) and Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/58583).

The trade paperback is available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Under-Texas-Star-Alison-Bruce/dp/1926997115/ref=tmm_pap_title_0) and Create Space (https://www.createspace.com/3610402)

Excerpt

Jase had two revolvers. A Colt Peacemaker, which he wore in his holster, and a Colt Navy, a relic of the war. He had Marly start with the lighter weight Peacemaker.

She followed him to a place where deadwood created a natural wall. Using large stones, he set up six targets. Then he counted off fifteen paces and signaled her to stand beside him.

He handed her the Peacemaker. "Point and shoot."

Marly reluctantly took the gun and checked it before straight-arming the revolver in front of her and pulling the trigger. The gun wobbled and a clump of dirt flew up several feet in front of the target area.

Jase stepped up behind her and reached around her waist.

"Steady the gun with your other hand."

As he posed her arms, his hard muscles pressed into her back. Torn between fear and excitement, Marly stiffened.

"Relax," he whispered. "Take your time. Speed will come. Squeeze, don't pull." He backed away and cleared his throat. "And try aiming. It helps."

With great concentration, she aimed the gun, instead of merely pointing it. The shot went over the targeted stone.

"Better. Watch me."

Marly handed over the gun with relief.

"Now draw a bead on your target. Stare that pebble in the eye and shoot it before it shoots you." He demonstrated, picking off the next target. Then he spun the Peacemaker and handed it back, grip first. "Try it. Think of it as somethin' that can shoot back."

With a fatalistic shrug, she accepted the gun and followed his instructions. The stone exploded into dust. She looked at Jase in surprise and received an 'I-told-you-so' expression in response.

"Again," he ordered.

She hit the next target, but not dead-on. It ricocheted off the log.

"Again."

She missed.

"Don't try so hard. Just do it."

Click.

"Don't to forget to count your shots," he said, setting up more targets. "You have to reload first."

He handed her the Winchester .44 carbine. They hunted around for more targets and set them up. He counted off twenty-five paces this time, explaining that the rifle had a greater range and accuracy than the handgun.

"Ready?"

Marly took a deep breath. One. Two.

The stones exploded in quick succession.

She backed up five more paces. Three. Four. Five.

Not one miss. All hits were dead-on.

She gave him a smug grin. He acknowledged it with a raised eyebrow. Without warning, he threw two pieces of wood into the air. Marly swung the rifle up and both pieces of wood were hit, square on. Jase let out a whistle of admiration.

"My Aunt Adele," Marly explained, expertly topping up the Winchester's magazine, then cradling the rifle in her arms. "She thought that riding horses was a waste of resources and sidearms were only respectable when carried by an officer of the law. Even then, she wasn't too sure about them. But I can hitch and drive a pair, and she made sure I learned to hit what I was aiming at with a shotgun or a rifle."