Kay P. Dawson has tied up her pony in the corral and is here to sit a spell and tell us a bit about herself and her writing journey. She’s also offering a few of her books and items to one lucky individual who comments.
Please give her a warm filly welcome!
I grew up on a farm, and spent a great deal of my early life hanging around my grandparent’s farms. (We come from a long line of farmers, and my younger brothers are carrying on the tradition).
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In the fall, we even used to have an old-fashioned “thrashing” day when my great-uncle would fire up the old steam engine and all of us kids would follow along in the fields throwing the hay up onto the horse-drawn wagon.
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So, hearing the stories of when my grandparents were young, and when their parents were young always fascinated me. I used to imagine being back in the times they were talking about, scenes that I would play out in my mind as I pretended to be a pioneer. Of course, right around this time, Little House on the Prairie was a massive hit on our one channel TV, and I was drawn to the stories playing on the screen. (I always pretended to be Laura, and my sister was Mary. Sometimes I’d drag my brothers and my cousin in to play too, although I don’t think they were as excited about it as me.)
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Writing historical western romance was natural for me. I began reading the old western love stories when I was a teenager, at the same time everyone was reading the Sweet Valley High books. Something about the past intrigued me, and when my grandparents would tell a story about how they’d lived, I couldn’t get enough.
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The part I love the most about being able to write western romance is the time I get to spend researching. Sometimes, I can lose a whole day of writing because I’ve found something else fascinating that takes me off the path I was originally looking up.
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I’ve recently started writing some contemporary stories too, but all of my books have a “western” or small-town, rural feel to them. That’s all I really know, so that’s what I like to write about.
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When I was a little girl, I had a great uncle Rob who was the truest cowboy you could ever meet. He used to let me and my friend hang out in the stables with his horses for hours on end, and never once lost his patience with us. He had a smile for every one he met, and he had a soft, quiet voice you’d have to strain to hear. I always remember him with a cowboy hat on his head, and his dusty blue jeans..
So much of what goes into my books is taken from the people I’ve known and where I’ve grown up. Even though I’ve had stories take place in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Kansas, Texas…and now British Columbia and Yukon in the early 1900’s – I’ve never been to these places. I’ve had to research and learn, and spend some time getting a “feel” for the places I’m writing about.
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But they all have a common element, and that’s family, small town, rural roots. Those are the virtues that have defined me as I grew up, and that’s what I know best. Something about the call of home and family, where neighbors look out for each other and life moves at a slower pace.
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What about you? Have you noticed how much of your own upbringing and the people and places you spent time around as you grew up has defined what you do today?
I’d love to hear your comments below!
For those who comment, Felicia Filly plans to draw one of your names
for this sweet giveaway offer from Kay P. Dawson!
Thank you to everyone – all of the authors of the Petticoats & Pistols blog and the readers – for letting me hang out with you all today!
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I have a variety of books out at the moment – Mail Order Brides, Oregon Trail, and even a cattle drive romance! I also have some contemporary stories that take place in rural, small towns and a couple western time travel stories. (These I really enjoyed because it was so fun to imagine being able to actually travel back to the times I write about!)
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You can find all of my books listed on my website or Amazon author page:Website: http://kaypdawson.com
Kay P. Dawson Author Page: amazon.com/author/kaypdawson
If you’d like to join my fan group – http://www.facebook.com/groups/kaypdawsonfans/
You can also sign up for my newsletter at http://kaypdawson.com/newsletter/
**I have a book releasing today in the popular Mail Order Mounties series…you can see all of the newest releases as soon as they are available by joining the readers group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/MailOrderMounties/
