Celia Yeary Interview & Book Giveaway!

Joining us today is Celia Yeary. Celia is an eighth-generation Texan, a former science teacher, graduate of Texas Tech University and Texas State University, mother of two, grandmother of three, and wife of a wonderful, supportive Texan. Celia and her husband enjoy traveling, and both are involved in their church, the community, and the university as retired faculty. Central Texas has been her home for over thirty-five years.

Thank you for joining us today, Celia. Please make yourself at home and let’s begin. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

After I'd written about ten stories, all novel length, one after the other! Okay, I thought, maybe I'll turn to writing now! Publishing was a different thing. I had to study how the industry worked.

Were books a big part of your life growing up? If so, what books would you say influenced you most as a child?

The Strawberry Girl Series was a favorite, and I read every book in a large historical series for ages eight to twelve. Each book told the life history of a famous person. I can still see those books, just the right size, with lovely drawings. In particular, I remember Nancy Hanks (Abraham Lincoln's mother), George Washington Carver, and Sacajawea.

Will you share with us a little about your publication journey?

Well, it's a short journey, began in 2007. I have three books with one publisher and two coming soon from another one. I also write essays and anecdotal stories about my childhood, and I've have the good fortune to sell some of those.

Where do you usually get your ideas for your Historical Romances?

I find my ideas from Texas History—people, places, events, wars. I know the state so well and much of its history, so it's easy to formulate a story. I have ancestors back before Texas was even a Republic, so that would be over two hundred years ago. A few of my stories have snippets from something I know about an ancestor.

How much research do you usually do?

Too much! Editors have rejected more than one manuscript because it reads like a history book. This has been a huge learning curve for me. "Do not include everything I know about an area or its people." I say this to myself when I write.

I’m afraid I’m with you in that boat. It’s hard to find a happy medium. Are there some new releases you’d like to tell us about?

Yes, thank you! My second Texas Historical was released January 29. Title: TEXAS BLUE, from The Wild Rose Press. It's somewhat related to my first one—ALL MY HOPES AND DREAMS. I hope Texas Blue is as successful as the first.

Here is a blurb about TEXAS BLUE:

She wasn’t a fit mother…

So said the county judge who hired Buck Cameron to retrieve his little daughter. But when Buck finally locates the pretty mother and child, he finds the claim very hard to believe. Now, he faces a dilemma. Should he obey the order? Or should he defy the judge and rescue Marilee and her child from isolation?

She’d been banished…

Rejected and abandoned by her father, Marilee Weston used the pain of betrayal to survive. Now, she needs a way out of the forest, where she and her daughter had lived for five years. But the towering pines and fear of the unknown imprisoned her. How could she begin a new life for herself and five-year-old daughter? Will the alluring stranger free her, or prove to be even more dangerous?

What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you first started writing?

I wish I had known about POV. You realize ordinary readers don't know a thing about it—I certainly didn't. But when we begin writing, POV seems to be an overriding task to master. Even if my story is the novel of the century, if the POV hops all over the place, then it's no good. I still read novels in which POV seems to have been thrown out the window, yet, with romance novels, one must learn pure POV or remain unpublished.

Since becoming a published author, what has been your best experience (book signing, an email from a fan that really made your day)?

Interesting question. I have two examples. One—many friends here in town bought my book, loved it, and now they're signing up to buy my second one. That means a lot to me to have a little fan base. Second—my husband bought his own book, asked for my autograph, read it, and sent me a fan letter! How sweet is that?

That is sweet! We all need fans like that. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers out there?

Try to take rejections as a matter of course. They are part of the process. Also, love your own book! Even if others might not, it's your creation and someone else probably will love it, too.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I always write at my little desk in my little corner. I have everything I need right here, plus a big window to my right. We live in a wooded area, so I see wildlife all the time.

Oh, that sounds great. I can almost imagine you sitting there writing and a little doe comes into the clearing…Awww. So are you listening to any music while you’re sitting there at your little desk, watching the wildlife?

Sadly, I must have complete silence to write. I listen to music only when I'm answering mail and reading messages and replying on Yahoo loops. Then, the radio is set to a classical station. I listen to whatever plays.

When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?

Reading, of course. I have coffee once a week with my writing group--we call ourselves The Write Girls—and we talk shop. My husband and I travel some, although less and less each year. I'd rather just stay home, but my husband has itchy feet and wants to go someplace. And we enjoy our three young grandsons. What a joy.

What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?

I'm competitive—I don't look the part, and don't act it, either, but underneath, I'm thinking on how to do better. I learned to play golf at age forty, and worked and studied books until I could beat everyone in my group. Second thing—I don't become angry if I lose—at golf, or getting a contract. I save my anger for important things, such as the injustices often heaped upon the unfortunate children of the world.

You’re at the checkout counter in your favorite department store and you’re purchasing something from the book, music & movie sections. What are you buying?

Oh, a great question. I'm buying Linda Lael Miller's new McKettrick Brothers Series; a cd by Taylor Swift; and the movie Open Range.

Do you have a favorite TV show?

No, because there's so little on that interests me. I choose something we both can watch, then both of us read.

What’s your favorite movie?

I'm not a big movie fan, but I loved Titanic, Dr. Zivago, and I love the newer James Bond movies.

Where can we purchase your books, and do you have a website?

My website is: http://www.celiayeary.com
Purchase the print or eBook from The Wild Rose Press: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/celia-yeary-m-366.html?zenid=57ad7256e86ad3a9df7ee64e5018ad7b

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you, Sweetest Romance Authors! I'd love to give a pdf of TEXAS BLUE to one person who comments. Celia

How generous! Thank you so much for joining us today, Celia. It’s been both a joy and pleasure getting to know you better, and your books sound wonderful. Folks, be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if your name is drawn. The winner will be notified Saturday afternoon. What are you waiting for, start commenting!