Q & A with romance author Josie Malone

Thanks for being here today, Josie.

Hi Becky. Thanks, for inviting me.

Would you please share a short bio about yourself?

As Josie Malone, I write mainstream western romance. Under my “real” name, I write young adult realistic and paranormal fiction.

I live on the family farm, a riding stable in the Cascade foothills. I organize most of the riding programs, teach horsemanship around my day-job as a substitute teacher, nurse sick horses, hold for the shoer, train whoever needs it – four-legged and two-legged. And write books in my spare time, usually from 8PM to 2AM, seven days a week after a long day on the ranch.

When I can’t write, due to the overwhelming needs and pressures of the “real” world, words and stories fill my mind.  Even when I muck the barn, I think about books or short stories or pieces in progress and map out the writing in my mind. My newest project is a spin-off of The Daddy Spell, the story of Audra Dawson who has been holding out for a hero and actually finds one.

Do you consider yourself a shy and/or introverted person?

Yes, I am shy.

In what ways has being shy or introverted hindered your writing career?

It’s always been difficult for me to speak up to outsiders and that includes editors and agents in a face-to -ace meeting. So, I really like the new email approach. I feel much more confident at the computer.

In what ways has being shy or introverted helped your writing career?

I think it’s easier to identify with my characters. They’re usually brave, bold and risk-takers. When I’m feeling wimpy, I pretend to be one of them and as Louis L’Amour used to say, “Attack, always attack!” It’s also one of the reasons why I use my grandmother’s name as a pseudonym. She was incredibly strong and a real hero to me. So, I know when people call me, Josie, it’s time to step up.

What’s the hardest part of this business for you?

Oddly, it’s social media – I love my emailing and staying connected, but I had a real tough time figuring out Facebook and I still don’t have a handle on Twitter.

Tell me about a time that you had to step outside your comfort zone either in your writing career or in your personal life?

Writing for me has always been a case of stepping out of “my comfort zone.” The expectation in my immediate family was that I’d marry during high school or as soon as I graduated. Instead, I followed my uncle’s advice. He told me, “Don’t settle!” So, I opted for a life of adventure not one that I saw as “quiet desperation.” Or as Robert Frost wrote, “…I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference…”

What’s one tip you could share with shy and introverted people that’s helped you?

As the cliché goes, “follow your dreams,” and never “give up on yourself.” Or as my uncle still tells me, “Don’t settle.” By that he meant for me to hold out and keep writing even when my books weren’t selling. After 20 years of only selling newspaper and magazine articles, I’m an overnight success! I have three books out from BookStrand and my new young adult series will start coming out in the fall of 2012.

Would you please share a short blurb of your book and where my readers can buy it?

My newest mainstream western romance will be out next month from BookStrand.

Trailing a serial killer, Homicide Detective Beth Chambers is thrust into 1888 Washington Territory where she encounters injured Rad Morgan, a ruggedly handsome marshal who believes A Woman’s Place is behind her man. Now, Beth must save Rad’s life, apprehend the killer, and prove herself capable as a law officer.

Former soldier and survivor of Andersonville Prison Camp, Marshal Rad Morgan faces his toughest challenge in Beth Chambers, a determined woman from the future who’s never learned “her place.”  But when he is shot and left for dead, he must put himself in Beth’s hands if they both want to survive.

Can these two headstrong people put their pride aside and work together to find the deadly killer and stop him before he destroys this world and their future?  As they fight for justice, love helps them discover A Woman’s Place is what and where she chooses to make it.

A Woman’s Place will be available through Bookstrand, Barnes and Noble.com and Amazon.com

Where can my readers find you on the web?

I have two websites, one for my mainstream western novels – www.josiemalone.com and one for my young adult stories, www.shannonkennedybooks.com

Thanks so much for being here today, Josie!

Good luck with the newest book!