With the start of summer we all need new material to read while sitting outside on the patio or while we're relaxing on vacation. Today we feature a book that will be coming out next month -- just in time to start reading a good new book. My guest today is multi-published romantic suspense author, Sandra Kerns. Her newest book, Securing the Rancher's Heart comes out next month.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I never
really thought about it until we moved to Minnesota and I was inside so much.
Then characters kept running around in my head as soon as I went to bed making
it hard to sleep. So, I started writing their stories down during the day and
could finally sleep. It wasn’t until I moved to Colorado a couple of years
later that I got any real training or information on actually doing it for a
career.
Where do you get your story ideas?
Everywhere!
In fact, I recently saw a commercial for Ancestry DNA that sparked one. I’d
seen the commercial dozens of time before and all I thought was I don’t need a
DNA test to tell me who I am. But this time what popped up in my head was, what
if someone got their DNA ancestry, then started the ‘family tree’ search, and
ended up digging up information someone wanted to keep secret. Oh yeah, that
one’s going in a book, so don’t steal it!
Tell us about your writing process. Do you plot carefully or
wing it?
I mostly
wing it when it comes to writing. Stories percolate in my head for ages and I
might write down a note here and there, but I do not plot. The act of putting
the entire story down in an outline kills the motivation for me. If I know the
end (other than it’s happy) I don’t want to write it. My characters tell me
their story as I go and it makes the journey more enjoyable.
How do you normally come up with characters?
I don’t
have a great answer for this. Like my story ideas, they just kind of blindside
me. Sometimes the story idea comes first and sometimes a character does. When a
character does he/she comes into my mind with a specific job/career. Then I
decide what can happen in that career to make their life difficult.
Tell us about your latest book and what made you want to write
it.
My upcoming
release, working title, Securing the
Rancher’s Heart, (due out June 21st) will be the first book in
my new Master Security series. First, this series is a spin-off of my Masters
Men series that featured the Masters/Collins clan through all of them getting
married. My readers constantly want more of the Masters brothers and this was
my way to continue using them. The brothers have all retired from their
previous careers and joined forces in the part-time security business Ace
Masters had started a few years earlier.
Securing the Rancher’s Heart came about
because Chance, a character with a minor role in Her Master Match, kept yammering for his own story. He grew up on a
dairy farm and had a high school crush on an upperclassman who was the daughter
of a rancher. I’m sure you know the old saying that ranchers and farmers don’t
get along. That’s where the fun starts.
What do you like best about your hero and heroine?
I like
Chance’s battle between his family’s heritage and his desire to follow his own
dreams. He was also a star shortstop in high school. I’m from NY and love my
Yankees, (though I miss Derek Jeter immensely), so Chance being a shortstop
just makes him irresistible to me.
For Marley,
it’s her inner strength and determination to succeed while at the same time
caring about others and her community. Granted, that strength and determination
get her and Chance into some major arguments. Hey, what’s a romance without a
challenge?
How about a blurb?
A Rancher. An intruder. A Security Man.
Marley Jasper can't deny
trouble is knocking on her door whenshe has to shoot at an intruder. She needs
to make her guest ranch secure before the season's kick-off barbecue. When she
walks in the Master Security office, the last person she expects to see behind
the desk is the baseball player she had a crush on in high school.
When a gorgeous woman walks through the office door, Chance Dugan thinks his luck for the day has changed. Then she introduces herself and he realizes his mistake. The daughter of a rancher was definitely too good to be seen with the dairy farmer's son. Too bad she looks even better than before. When she tells him she shot at an intruder, the past is pushed aside by his protective instincts. The problem is those instincts don't work to protect him.
When a gorgeous woman walks through the office door, Chance Dugan thinks his luck for the day has changed. Then she introduces herself and he realizes his mistake. The daughter of a rancher was definitely too good to be seen with the dairy farmer's son. Too bad she looks even better than before. When she tells him she shot at an intruder, the past is pushed aside by his protective instincts. The problem is those instincts don't work to protect him.
If you like strong heroines,
determined heroes, and a little suspense in the mix, you’ll love Securing the Rancher’s Heart.
Preorder link:
How can readers reach you or find you online?
I love to
touch base with readers. They are so much fun to talk to. If they want to sign
up for my email list and get to know me a little better along with getting 2
free ebooks, they can go to: http://sandrakerns.com/welcome
Or check out any of the following:
Website: http://sandrakerns.com
Facebook: Sandra
S Kerns Facebook
Twitter: @SandraSKerns
Blog: Ramblings & Reviews
LinkedIn:
Sandra on
LinkedIn
Pinterest:
Sandra S. Kerns on Pinterest
Goodreads: Author Sandra S Kerns
Amazon: Sandra's Amazon Author Page
Smashwords: Sandra's Smashwords Author
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What are you working on now?
I’m working
on books 2 & 3 in the Master Security series so I can get the series off
with a bang this summer.
That sounds like a busy summer for you, but should make enjoyable reading for the rest of us. Any questions or comments for Sandra?
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Rebecca, Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog. I hope your readers enjoy learning a little about me, but more about Chance and Marley. I had so much fun writing and researching their story.
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