My guest today is romantic suspense author Beverley Bateman. Let's get to know her.
Welcome, Beverley. Tell us about yourself.
I
think I’m really quite a boring person. Everyone else is traveling to wonderful
places and doing exciting things. I’m Canadian and live in the Okanagan valley
in British Columbia, BC. It’s beautiful country. There are large lakes,
beautiful beaches, orchards of apples, pears, peaches plus raspberries,
blueberries and lots of other fresh produce. We have mountains and great
skiing, both downhill and cross-country. And of course, it’s wine country. We
have world class wines which I feel is my obligation to taste. I write, edit,
workout and spend a lot of time on the computer. In the winter, I snowbird with my husband and
two Shiba Inu dogs. I prefer San Diego
and Tucson to freezing temperatures and piles of snow. And I write while we’re
there, plus a little sightseeing, some dining out and relaxing
in the sun.
Here's the two of them together.
They are beautiful. I see where they like to sleep. This is where my dogs slept, too. LOL Although I only had one at a time.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Like so many
other authors, I’ve written my whole life. I wrote little stories in school. I
used to sketch out locked room murders and figure out how someone could
accomplish that. I wanted to write a book, but life, jobs, children,
interfered. Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided it was a
wake-up call. Positive thinking and good treatment worked on the cancer. I
decided I needed to write a book and a decided on an idea and wrote my first
book.
How long does it
take you to write a book?
That depends on
what you mean by – write a book. I’m one of those writers who write a brief
outline, maybe a line per scene. I’m sort of a
panster. Once I’ve thought about the story, the plot and the characters, and
write my outline I start to write. I write the whole story, usually 80,000 –
90,000 words. It takes maybe three months. Once finished I go back and edit,
probably at least three times, send it out to be edited and then I edit it
again. That probably takes another three months.
What do you like
to do when you're not writing?
I like to work
out. I go to the gym and I run in the mornings. I putter with watercolor
painting and I’m a beginning genealogist. And of course I like to read.
What is the best
part of writing for you?
It’s writing. I
know that sounds silly, but sitting down working on whatever story I’m writing
makes me happy. I like thinking about new ideas. I write them down because I
won’t start a new one until I finish the story I’m working on. I like working
my way through the story, killing off the bad guys and tying up loose ends and
making a happy ending. But as long as I’m writing, I’m happy.
Are your stories
driven by plot or character?
Definitely plot.
I come up with plots all the time. I love plotting murders and kidnappings and
anything long that line. Then I have to figure out the characters – hero or
heroine and after I decide on one I have to decide who their partner needs to
be. How do they complement or challenge the other? The plot comes
easy, but writing characters my readers can connect with is more difficult.
What do you hope
readers take with them after reading your work?
That’s a great
question. There can be happy endings. In most of my books I hope women realize
they can take control of their life. It may not be easy but they need to figure
out what they want and how to get it and then go for it.
What two authors
would we find you reading when taking a break from your own writing?
I confess I love
J.D. Robb. I’ve read all her books and love Dallas, Rourke, and Peabody and all
her characters. They’re fun reads and I love her plots. The second author is
probably Robyn Carr. I love her characters. (I wish I could develop characters
like hers) I love both Virgin River and Thunder Bay.
Tell us about
your latest book.
MISSING is a
contemporary western romantic suspense. It might cross over into the
paranormal, a little. In this book the hero’s brother is an American Indian
whose spirits from the past speak to him. MISSING is the
second in the Hawkins Family series. Luke is the second brother and he’s the
one who doesn’t work on the ranch. He’s the town of Duster’s doctor. Romance,
suspense, poisoning and kidnapping in contemporary Montana pretty much covers
the story.
Please share your story with our readers.
Running from a
disastrous engagement, and an over-powering father, Dr. Allie Parsons agrees to
help out an old friend and travels to Duster, Montana. She’s agreed to help the
local doctor for a brief period of time until he can find a permanent new
doctor. Raised her whole life in New
York city, Allie is greeted with culture shock when she finds out how small
Duster is, but she also finds a warm, friendly community. And the doctor turns
out to be young, tall, dark and handsome. He sends her emotions shooting sky
high. She’s welcomed into the Hawkins family and develops a relationship with
his daughter. A mysterious stranger leaves notes at the clinic and Allie fears
they are a warning he’s going to kidnap the doctor’s daughter.
Luke Hawkins,
one of the Hawkins’ brothers is looking for a doctor to take over half the
practice from the retiring doctor. He’s not expecting his temporary replacement
to be a young, sexy, single woman from New York. He knows she’s the woman he’s
been searching for all his life, but he also knows she won’t stay in Duster. He
doesn’t believe the notes are meant for him until his daughter is
kidnapped. Now he has to save his
daughter and convince the woman he loves that she really is a small town doctor
at heart.
EXCERPT
Allie
pushed open the door to the clinic and stepped into the small, crowded waiting
room. The slight scent of antiseptic tickled her nose. She stopped.
Silence crept across the room. One by one, heads turned toward the door.
Silence crept across the room. One by one, heads turned toward the door.
It
might be the novelty of a stranger, but more likely it was the novelty of a
stranger in fancy city clothes with a run in her stocking. She threaded her way
through the patients to the reception counter. Patients watched her. A few of
them put down the magazines they were thumbing through.
She’d
bet a month’s salary those magazines were three or four years old. The
furniture in the waiting room had seen better days, but it was serviceable.
The
men and women stared at her, probably wondering who the heck she was. Several
patients smiled at her. She managed to return the smiles. At least no one
laughed.
A
man stood behind the counter, tall, broad-shouldered, and maybe thirtyish He
had curly dark hair, a strong, square chin and he caught her attention right
away. His cobalt blue eyes, under long dark lashes, latched on to her as she
walked toward him. Even partially covered by his lab coat, his muscled chest
strained against the white t-shirt.
If
he was the doctor he was definitely not the old geezer she’d expected. A
few feet from the counter, she stopped. His electric blue eyes locked on her.
She couldn’t look away. Sensuality oozed across the space between them. Her
breath hitched into an irregular rhythm, kicking her pulse up a notch.
“Good, you finally got here. I thought Jean would send someone a little faster.” His rich, smooth voice rolled over her. “Look, we’re backed up. Patients’ files are over there and the appointment book is on the desk. Check them in, pull their file, and put the file in the slot by the examining room door.”
“Good, you finally got here. I thought Jean would send someone a little faster.” His rich, smooth voice rolled over her. “Look, we’re backed up. Patients’ files are over there and the appointment book is on the desk. Check them in, pull their file, and put the file in the slot by the examining room door.”
“Excuse
me?” She stared up at the man snapping orders at her. She’d run away from one
tyrant and had no intention of putting up with another overbearing one, even if
he was knock-down gorgeous. His firm abs, linebacker-type shoulders and
muscular body did not compensate for his attitude.
Who did this jerk think
he was?
Her
back stiffened. She assumed he was the doctor, but his manners confused her. If
staff and working partners were expected to put up with this, no wonder they
hadn’t been able to find another doctor.
“You’re not going to make me repeat all that are you? I have a room full of patients. When I asked Jean to send a temp over from the hospital, I thought she’d send someone with training and at least a vague idea of what they were doing.” A sigh slipped through his lips and he rolled his eyes. The look he gave her placed her one step above an idiot.
“You’re not going to make me repeat all that are you? I have a room full of patients. When I asked Jean to send a temp over from the hospital, I thought she’d send someone with training and at least a vague idea of what they were doing.” A sigh slipped through his lips and he rolled his eyes. The look he gave her placed her one step above an idiot.
He
pointed to a huge pile of folders. “The patients’ files are…”
Allie
pulled her shoulders back, raised her chin and tightened her lips together.
“Excuse me. I believe you’ve made a mistake. First of all, I’m not stupid.
Second, I’m not your damn temp. I’m a doctor, Alexandra Parsons, M.D. I
understood you were expecting me.”
“You’re the new doc? Shoot. I didn’t expect you
today.” The heart-stopping man stared down at her. His full lips drooped in
apparent disappointment.
The disappointment could be her or the fact he still
didn’t have a temp. She couldn’t tell.
“I arrived early, so I could acquaint myself with
the town and find a place to live. I dropped by to introduce myself.”
He focused on her, drawing his eyebrows into a
frown. “You’re the new physician? I should have known by that fancy outfit, it
screams big city.”
“Sorry. I’ve just arrived and haven’t had time to
get my jeans and plaid shirt yet. I’ll move that to the top of my list, so I’ll
fit in.”
A smile tugged
at the corners of his mouth, but he controlled it, as he ran his fingers
through the tangle of dark curls.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1dYoRsZ
Sony: bit.ly/1dsvnu0
Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/1crQBHp
One last question, Beverley. Where can
readers find you?
I’m on Twitter http://twitter/kelownawriter
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorBeverleyBateman?ref=hl
Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Beverley-Bateman/e/B008M01F5E
Thanks for visiting today, Beverley. I wish you much success with MISSING.
Wonderful Interview. Love the excerpt from 'Missing."
ReplyDeleteThanks Cher.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks Diane for having me.
You're welcome, Beverley. My pleasure.
DeleteThe area you live in sounds like a paradise, Beverley. Thanks for sharing your process. Love your cover - do you make your own?
ReplyDeleteThanks Gemma and yes I love where I live - but not in the winter.
DeleteNo I don't make my own cover, I have a wonderful cover artist, Christy Carlyle who does them for me.
Great interview and Missing sounds like a fun read.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cindy.
DeleteGreat excerpt and interview. Do you have any of your watercolor paints on your website? I wish I could draw. Good luck on your novel. Google+'d
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea. I'm not sure how well I draw, but it's fun. No I don't have any paintings on my website. I'll have to take a look at them and see if there's any I might share.
DeleteI love JD Robb too. My book boyfriend is Roarke and I'd keep him if he would find me! :) Something about the strong women in the books from Eve to Peabody, Mira and Nadine. Everyone stands up for what's right.
ReplyDeleteA woman after my own heart. And Roarke is the perfect hero.
Delete"I think I’m really quite a boring person. Everyone else is traveling to wonderful places and doing exciting things." <<< You summed up my sentiments about myself, so I really relate. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd now I must find out why his daughter was kidnapped and what happens to her. Off to Amazon... lol
The exciting world of a writer - :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kaye. Enjoy the book.
Looks like a great read, Beverley. I enjoyed the peek into your life through the blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tara. I appreciate you dropping by.
DeleteI don't think you sound boring at all. And what adorable dogs! Great excerpt, too. Thanks for introducing us to Beverley, Diane! :)
ReplyDelete