 Westerns Revisited with Debra Mullins Posted by Nancy Northcott Jun 3 2012, 12:27 am
Welcome, Debra! Your debut was a smokin’ pirate book, Once A Mistress. You’ve also written stories set in Regency England and are now re-releasing two books set in the American West. What draws you to these different periods? I’ve always loved swashbuckler movies and westerns, and who doesn’t love the dance of manners in Regency England? I enjoy different times and places as a way to escape our everyday world. Please tell us about Donovan’s Bed. Who are the hero and heroine, and what keeps them apart?
She knows Donovan is hiding something and has made it her business to find out what. When she finally does corner him for an interview, all he can talk about is his hunt for a wife and the list of qualifications that wife must meet. His list—and the fact that he told Sarah he’d like to take her to bed but not marry her—spurs her to put an article in the paper about his wife search, which brings every unwed woman for miles to their tiny town to set their caps for Jack Donovan. Is this book connected to The Lawman’s Surrender, or are they stand-alones? Donovan’s Bed is the first of the pair, and The Lawman’s Surrender is a sequel about Sarah’s sister and a certain U.S. Marshal.
The heroine is Sarah’s sister, Susannah Calhoun, who is accused of murder, and the hero is U.S. Marshal Jedidiah Brown, the man duty-bound to bring her to her trial in Denver. Like Donovan’s Bed, The Lawman’s Surrender is a funny, sexy book with lots of heart. Susannah and Jedidiah had entertained a brief flirtation in Donovan’s Bed, but being on the road together with a lynch mob behind them and the witness who can prove Susannah’s innocence ahead of them really brings them closer together. What led you to re-issue these titles from your backlist? I wrote these books years before there was such a thing as an e-book, but they are some of my favorites. All three of them (Once A Mistress, Donovan’s Bed and The Lawman’s Surrender) have been out of print for years. It’s fun to get them back out there as e-books and see people enjoying them again. What’s next for you? I’m currently working on a contemporary paranormal trilogy about the descendents of the survivors of Atlantis. Book one is due out around fall 2013. I’m also working on another western related to Donovan’s Bed and The Lawman’s Surrender. I just love that town! For more about Debra and her books check out her website. Debra is giving a download of Donovan’s Bed to one commenter today and is giving one to our June Members Only prize winner. So tell us–do you have a favorite western movie or book (it doesn’t have to be romance)? Who’s your favorite western hero, and is he the sheriff or a dashing outlaw? Please tell us whether you can read ebooks and, if so, in what format. Tweet Posted in backlist ebooks, Debra Mullins, western romances Comments62 thoughts on “Westerns Revisited with Debra Mullins” |
  
12 Bandita Days of Christmas
Anna Campbell
Anna Sugden
Annie West
Aunty Cindy explains it all for you
Australian Authors
Bandita Booty
Bandit Booty
Beth Andrews
Caren Crane
Cassondra's blogs
Cassondra Murray
Christie Kelley
Christine Wells
Christmas
coming attractions
contest winner
debut
Donna MacMeans
guest blogger
historical romance
Holidays
interviews
Jeanne Adams
Joan Kayse
Jo Beverley
Jo Robertson
Kate Carlisle
Launch Party
movies
paranormal romance
prizes
prize winner
Romance
romance bandits
Susan Sey
Suzanne Ferrell
Suzanne Welsh
T-shirts
Tawny Weber
travel
Trish Milburn
Uncategorized
writer's life
writing life 
|
|
 |
||
i’m prefer historical western and my fave is kaki warner author, love reading her book and i love brady, one of her hero in blood rose series
Eli
Have fun with him today
Helen
Hi, Eli! I don’t know this author. Can you tell us something about her books?
she is a great author
. i already read her book from blood rose series and there is 3 books from this series and all are good books 
Eli, congrats on the rooster! Can you tell us a bit more about Kaki Warner? Who is Brady?
I haven’t read Kaki Warner, though I know she was nominated for the RITA award a couple of years back. A huge honor!
Hi Debra and Nancy
Whoohoo on re releasing these books Debra I think this is a great idea i have always really enjoyed westerns and some of my favourites would be from Johanna Lindsey and Shirley Busbee just to name a couple and of course I can’t not mention Suzanne Ferral’s couple of westerns I have read and loved.
I loved watching western movies as well especially with John Wayne and Gary Cooper in them so so good. I don’t think I have a favourite loved them alI will be checking these books out.
I have a sony e reader and e pub is the format for this one
Congrats on the release
Have Fun
Helen
Helen, I have a weakness for westerns, too, and you know I loved Suz’s! I also like Leigh Greenwood’s various series.
Two of my favorite western movies are John Wayne’s Big Jake and Gary Cooper’s High Noon. Did you know Cooper made two movies, early in his career, with the “It Girl” of silent films, Clara Bow? Apparently they were an item for a while. Cooper plays a reporter in It and a pilot in Wings, two of the more famous silent films still available.
I love John Wayne movies, too, though The Quiet Man is my favorite (hey, I’m Irish ). But I love his westerns like Big Jake and McClintock. He and Maureen made a great couple! I call Donovan’s Bed my “John Wayne” book because those movies inspired it.
Debra, The Quiet Man has fans around here. It has been mentioned often in the comments on movie blogs.
Nancy
I so loved the Seven Brides series all the books had the heroines name as the book title and then there was Ana Leigh who wrote The Mackenzies series which I also loved and I am sure Leigh Greenwood did another series about Cowboys that was great as well. This is bringing back some memories of books read and loved many years ago
Have Fun
Helen
Helen, I still have those Seven Brides books, and The Cowboys, too. I loved them.
Hi Debra
I haven’t read many wesrterns but I have read Suzanne Ferral’s westerns and enjoyed them…. will have to read yours when they are released
I have a sony and use epub
Thanks Barbara
Hi, Barb! I love Suz’s cowboys, too. Can’t wait for the next one!
Barb, mine are already out! Donovan’s Bed came out in February and The Lawman’s Surrender came out in April.
Welcome to the Lair, Debra! I really admire authors who have such eclectic genres in which they write.
If you had to pick a favorite era, what would it be?
Hi, Jo! You know I like different periods, too. I’m hoping the rise of indie pubbing will let authors explore, and readers enjoy, periods other than medieval Scotland and Regency/Victorian/Georgian England.
Hi Jo! I have to admit I’m partial to Westerns simply because the characters can be anyone from any walk of life. People often went out west to get a new start, so that gives me lots of material to work with, especially if the character is trying to leave something behind or has a secret. Lots of fun!
Whoops, forgot the question. There’s an old 80′s movie that I loved called SILVERADO. I remember at the time thinking that the old westerns I loved as a child were making a resurgence.
My favorite? Has to be Clint Eastwood from RAWHIDE! Sometimes that theme song gets in my head and keeps turning over and over LOL.
Jo, I don’t have Rawhide, but I have several other TV themes on my iPad.
I think Easteood has achieved icon status by now. The man is amazing. I don’t care to watch his wife’s reality show, but that’s a whole different thing.
I love humor in my westerns, and one of my favorites is Support Your Local Sheriff with James Garner. Anyone ever see that one? If James Garner westerns and John Wayne westerns had babies, they would be my westerns! LOL
Debra, Support Your Local Gunfighter and Support Your Local Sheriff were drive-in staples when I was a young un so I saw them a couple of times. I think James Garner is such an under-appreciated actor. Loved Suzanne Pleshette in those too.
Ever see James Garner in Murphy’s Romance? Love that film and love small towns!
I love “Dances With Wolves With Kevin Costner
Gail, would you believe I’ve never seen that movie in full? It’s on my must-see list.
Nancy, you haven’t seen the whole thing because it’s so LONG! I watched it all the way through once, but haven’t been able to make it all the way through since. It was a good movie, though, so maybe I will again one day!
My favorite Kevin Costner cowboy role, though, was when he played Jake in ‘Silverado’. He was so young and dumb and CUTE and such fun in that movie!
There’s another I haven’t seen all the way through. I keep meaning to. . . .
I haven’t seen that one either. Keep meaning to…
My favorite wester book is Brave Heart by Lindsay McKenna.
Hi, Minna–You know Lindsay has lots of fans in the Lair.
Never read her either, though I’ve heard of her. Did you know Nora Roberts wrote one western historical? It’s called Lawless. I think I have four copies…backups for my backups
My favorite western movie is Big Jake with John Wayne.
Sandy, that’s my favorite John Wayne movie.
I really enjoy that one, especially since Patrick Wayne plays one of his sons!
Hi Nancy! Hi Debra! What a fun interview. I love the sound of the newspaper editor giving the ex-bounty hunter a hard time. It reminds me a bit of one of my favorite romantic comedies ever, Anne Gracie’s HOW THE SHERIFF WAS WON. Lovely clash of personalities who are just meant to be together! Good luck with the new venture. I love that a lot of books that haven’t been available in years are now hitting the market.
Anna, I recently discovered Anne Gracie’s historicals and found I liked them. Is this a historical or a contemporary?
Nancy, she wrote one book for the Duets line just before it folded and it was absolutely hilarious. A city girl inherits a rundown newspaper in a small Montana town and basically decides she wants a fling with the sheriff. So there’s all this lovely fish out of water comedy and hijinks when she’s trying to corner him – he’s interested but convinced she’s going to leave and he’s not interested in just being someone to pass the time with. There’s a real touch of Rio Bravo (another favourite western) in it. I wondered if it might have been released on Kindle but it doesn’t appear as if it is. If you ever see it, grab it. You’ll be chortling the whole way through.
Thanks, Anna. I’ll keep an eye out for it!
I’m going to look that one up!
I really like westerns. I wish they still made them. Westerns tend to feature nice man candy. What? Me? Shallow? Tombstone springs to mind. Going back to older films, I love Red River and The Big Country. Both brilliant, epic films.
I’m with you on the eye candy, Anna! The one I found hard to love was ‘Unforgiven’. Despite an exceptional cast (and a good story), there was no one to root for in the film. I despised them all – even Morgan Freeman! If I can’t love Morgan Freeman in a film, something is WRONG!
Caren, I thought it was really powerful but not really a lovable film so I know exactly what you mean. And man, the splatter fest got a bit much by the end. All that violence isn’t really my cup of tea.
I saw a western on TV recently–Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris–but I’m not sure of the title. And, again, did not see it all the way through. *sigh*
Speaking of man candy, Sully in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. ‘Nuff said
Deb, welcome! I am a fan of all the eras you write, so reissues are very welcome. I love novels and movies set in the western frontier, though there haven’t been as many recently as I would like. I LOVED the remake of ‘True Grit’ that came out in 2010. That film had many of the classic Western character types, including one of my favorites: spunky girl.
One of the great things about Westerns is that (except on old TV shows, maybe) no character was all good or all bad. The frontier was a hard place and it often forced good people into compromising their principles to survive. The Honest John homesteader often ends up dead in a Western because he refuses to compromise his principles.
I really loved the character of Dan Evans, played by Christian Bale in the most recent version of ’3:10 to Yuma’. He was a good guy who was trying hard to prove himself, especially to his gunslinging son, by taking a bad guy to justice. Great movie and great character growth!
I didn’t see 3:10 to Yuma, either. I’m not a huge Russell Crowe fan, and it looked very violent. I take it you thought it was good?
Hi Caren! I didn’t dare watch True Grit. Once John Wayne has been in a movie, why remake it? It’s my own little protest
Welcome, Debra! Love the sound of your books and those fabulous covers *g*
One of my favorite westerns was Young Guns (yes, I am a child of the 80′s *g*) Loved Kiefer Sutherland in that movie!
Hi, Beth–I have the theme song to Young Guns (by Bon Jovi) on my iPad. The video for it was pretty cool, too.
Child of the 80′s here, too, and I loved Young Guns, but for Lou Diamond Phillips. I just love LDP!
Watch out Eli! No telling what sort of mischief the GR Bandito will get up to!
I’m a big fan of westerns – films and historical romance.
My favorite Western historical romance is probably The Tender Stranger by Carolyn Davidson. It’s an old one, but still my favorite.
I LOVE Silverado! What a great and fun film.
Tombstone is another favorite. Loved Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday. Then again, I loved Dennis Quaid’s Doc Holliday in Wyatt Earp as well.
I’m a big John Wayne fan as well. They have a special place in my heart because I watched so many of John Wayne’s westerns with my Dad.
Chisum was one of my favorites as it had a bad guy and a sheriff vying for the hand of Chisum’s daughter.
Big Jake is another favorite.
And Caren, I loved 3:30 to Yuma as well !!
Louisa, I love Big Jake–because of the family dynamic, I think.
I have actually seen Wyatt Earp all the way through and liked it a lot.
One of the things I enjoyed about the show Firefly was the frontier setting of some of the episodes.
Louisa, I used to watch John Wayne movies with my dad, too!
My favourite western book is Pieces of sky by Kaki Warner.
Chey, can you tell us why you like that book so much?
That’s the second time someone mentioned Kaki Warner. I’m adding her to my to-buy list.
Hi Debra – Welcome to the lair
Can’t remember the title of my favorite Western romance but it was written by Julie Garwood. She wrote so many of my favoirtes.
Favorite Westerns: Silverado – lots of heroes to love, Lonesome Dove – epic sort of Western, and so many John Wayne movies. It’s been a while since Hollywood brought out a western. Heck, I even liked Cowboys & Aliens – of course, that might be because Daniel Craig was born to wear his six-shooter so low on the hip.
Donna, I think you might be the first person to mention Lonesome Dove today. As for Cowboys and Aliens, I think Daniel Craig was the best part of it, and the six-shooter did, indeed, look great on him!
I saw Cowboys and Aliens. We could not WAIT for it to come out! I never liked Daniel Craig as 007, but I enjoyed him in this movie. And Harrison Ford can read a grocery list, and I am there!
I like any of Diana Palmer’s cowboys.
What do you like about them, bn100?
I read many a Diana Palmer in my day, but lately I’ve gotten away from them. Maybe I need to see what she’s been up to!