Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Interview: Shot Through the Heart by D’Ann Lindun



I'm so happy to have author D'Ann Lindun here with me today. Let's get to know her a little better.

 Let's start with some fun questions! 

Do you prefer ... Milk chocolate or dark? 
Milk, but I’m not really a fan of chocolate.

Coffee or tea?
 Coffee with lots of cream and sugar, but I like chai tea, too.


Romance or a Thriller? 
Can I have both and have romantic suspense?

Mystery or Horror? 
Mystery.



Can you please tell us a little about yourself?

 I live on a small farm in SW Colorado with my husband and our daughter. Right now, we are growing corn. This area is famous for sweet corn! We have 12 horses, 5 Australian shepherds, a Queensland heeler, 7 cats and 8 ducks! I like to trail ride, and a perfect day for me is working the dogs and herding cattle with my dad. I am passionate about animal rights. Nothing upsets me more than animal abuse. Or any abuse, really. 



Did you always want to be an author? 
Not until 20 years ago when I took a class from Margot Early, who had just gotten her first contract, and I was hooked!

  
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? 
Growing up, it would have to be Walter Farley, author of the Black Stallion Series and of course Carolyn Keene, who wrote the Nancy Drew series.  Laura Ingalls Wilder. As an adult, I admire Anne Stuart and Linda Howard tremendously.

  
Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer? 
 Not until I met Margot. I recently got to tell her about my first book, and she was so excited! A professor in college named Dr. Sue Currey gave me a lot of encouragement. My BFF Kim, my CP and longtime friend, Kristi Knight, a newly pubbed author herself, are people who have never given up on me, even when I wanted to quit.

   
What is your writing atmosphere like? 
A desk in the corner of the living room. Very messy with notes scribbled everywhere, games, a cup of coffee or a glass of Pepsi. Pens scattered around, my glasses case, a novel. I can look outside to the flowers and the horses. Further I can see the corn and in the distance, Grand Mesa, my most favorite place in the world!  
   
What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your Least Favorite? 
Creating characters that live in my head! Bringing them to life!  Least fave? Hmmm…honestly, I don’t know. I love it all a lot!

                                            Your current book  your promoting is?
 Shot Through the Heart, a short suspense.

  
How did you come up with your story line? 
A new story will roll through my head like a movie. I then put names, places and conflict to it. I “saw” a girl being dropped from a cliff. I had to make up her name, who she was and who was after her.  

  
How do you choose your characters names? 
They usually come to me with the vision I see. If not, I think on it a bit. I usually write western stuff, so it would be odd to name a guy with an Englishman’s name!


 ~*~*~




When Laramie Porter’s sister-in-law Julie is beaten so badly by her husband she miscarries her baby, Laramie takes her home from the hospital. But just a few minutes after the women arrive home, Julie’s husband, who also happens to be a drug addict and the local police sheriff, shows up at the house on a murderous rampage.
 He kills Julie and attempts to murder Laramie. When he doesn’t succeed, he hauls them into the mountains and throws them off a cliff. Julie’s body lands in a pond, but Laramie hits a ledge, where she perches, terrified.

 Derrick Garrison is in the mountains moving his cattle when his dog finds Julie’s body in the pond. Creeped out, Derrick at first doesn’t believe his ears when he hears a girl crying for help. But he finds Laramie and pulls her to safety. Before she can tell him anything, a lightning strike starts a forest fire and they flee to a hidden valley.

 Fleeing a drug hazed killer, the fire, and a gun-toting old lady bent on collecting a reward, Laramie and Derrick do their best to evade all three . . . and fall in love along the way.




Excerpt:

They rode on for what seemed like hours. At times, she couldn’t even see Nightmare’s haunches as they moved through the mist. But she knew they were moving down by the way Pale slid his hindquarters under him. Foggy cloud whispered across her face, soft as a mother’s touch. Laramie’s heart raced so hard she feared passing out. “Think of Mom and Dad and what this will do them.”
                He ignored her.

                 “Daddy’s already so bad off, this will finish him.” Laramie’s voice broke as she thought about her father, living in a Denver nursing home, his body broken by a tractor accident.

                Finally, Lawrence stopped and dismounted at a spot in the trail wide enough for the three horses.

                 “Oh, God. Thank you.” Laramie was so relieved that she’d finally broken through to her brother, she almost fell off Pale. Her hands had gone so numb she feared them never working right again. But her relief turned to terror when Lawrence untied Julie and lifted her body off Dancer’s back. With no show of emotion whatsoever, he carried her to the edge of the trail.

                 “No, Lawrence!”

                Hefting her high, he let go.

                Far below, the sound of Julie’s body crashing into the rocks reached them.

                Laramie’s screams reverberated through the mountains, bouncing from peak to peak. Frantic, she fought the leather binding her to the saddle. This cannot be happening. Please, please let me wake up!  Pale danced dangerously close to the edge. Her movements were going to cause Pale to fall with her, dragging Dancer and Nightmare with them. Laramie froze.

                Lawrence turned and walked toward her. She shook her head from side to side.                                               “Lawrence. You’re my big brother. You don’t want to do this.”

                Like a robot, he untied her as she sobbed and begged.

                As blood rushed back into her tingling hands, the pain became unbearable. She couldn’t
lift them to fight back when Lawrence unloaded her from Pale. She kicked at him, but he dodged her feeble attempts and carried her toward the same place he’d dumped Julie. Tears poured down her face as Laramie twisted and kicked, but nothing seemed to faze Lawrence. “Please listen to me. Think of what this will do to your career,” Laramie begged. “This will destroy it.”

                As if he couldn’t hear her, he dangled her above the clouds below. Unable to hold on, Laramie was helpless. She tried to connect with Lawrence through her eyes, but he showed no sign of emotion, no remorse.

                 “Don’t,” she pleaded just before he let go.



Author Bio:

Falling in love with romance novels the summer before sixth grade, D’Ann Lindun never thought about writing one until many years later when she took a how-to class at her local college. She was hooked! She began writing and never looked back. Romance appeals to her because there's just something so satisfying about writing a book guaranteed to have a happy ending. D’Ann’s particular favorites usually feature cowboys and the women who love them. This is probably because she draws inspiration from the area where she lives, Western Colorado, her husband of twenty-nine years and their daughter. Composites of their small farm, herd of horses, five Australian shepherds, a Queensland heeler, eight ducks and cats of every shape and color often show up in her stories!

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28 comments:

  1. Great interview and excerpt--it's a heart-breaker!

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  2. What a great interview! Love this book, D'Ann!

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  3. Loved the interview, D'Ann. I can picture all those animals you have :)

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  4. Fabulous interview!! Excerpt drew me right in! Love this book and all of D'Ann's books!! Congrats on the release!!

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  5. HI D'Ann! As I'm visiting I'm drinking a chai tea...so found it funny you like those too! You'll have to stop by and have one with me! lol

    Enjoyed the interview and loved the excerpt! Congrats on all your success! You amaze me with all your energy...you've had non-stop releases! WOOT WOOT!!!

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    1. Hi, Christine! Thanks so much! I do like chai a lot!

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  6. Congrats on your release! I thought my 4 dogs, 2 cats, gecko, and fish were a houseful! :)

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  7. Wow what a view you have outside while writing. No wonder your books as so good :-)

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  8. D'Ann, Walter Farley had a huge impact on my young life as well. The first book I read from him was Little Black, a Pony. I wish I had that book today. I also wish I had the Black Stallion series too. Read and loved them all. I have The Black in a Breyer.

    Loved your excerpt.
    Congratulations, D'Ann.

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    1. Brenda~
      Walter Farley was awesome! The only one I didn't love was the Black and the Girl.

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  9. Loved the excerpt and always great to learn about you!

    Nikki

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  10. Congratulations on Shot Through the Heart! I can't wait to read this one!!

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  11. I loved this book - just finished over the weekend. Good luck to you, D'Ann!

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  12. Very awesome interview, ladies! Congratulations on this new release, D'Ann! Can't wait to see what you have up next as well. :)

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  13. Super congrats on your new release. And the best of luck on your tour. Hope sales are fantastic.

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  14. Congrats on your latest release. Wonderful post.

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  15. Great interview, ladies! Congrats again, D'Ann...

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  16. Congrats D'Ann. Love this story!

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