Caroline Clemmons Interview Published on: 30, Jul 2018
Where did you grow up? What was your early life like?
When I was an infant, my family moved from North Texas to Southern California. When I was almost eight, we moved back to Texas, this time to West Texas. I grew up in Lubbock, Texas, on the high plains—the Llano Estacado. As a child I was a fan of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and had hoped to ride the range with them rounding up rustlers and bank robbers. You can imagine how excited I was when I learned we were moving to Texas. I was certain I would see cowboys riding the range. My Dad tried to explain to me that real life wasn’t like the movies. Then, on our first trip to visit my grandmother, we drove by the Shamrock Ranch and there was a roundup in progress with cowboys wielding lassos and herding cattle. Poor Dad. Later, I was introduced to Nancy Drew mysteries and wanted to be like her. Fortunately, my interests broadened and I read a wider range of books, thanks to a very good teacher.
When was the first time you put pen to paper and wrote something meaningful? Did you ever publish it?I won prizes for newspaper articles when I was a freshman in high school and was editor of the school newspaper. After I was married, I was usually the publicity chair in every organization and took articles and captioned photos to the local newspaper to promote events. Once day, the editor asked me to work for the newspaper because I’d just brought in information on two events and had done the same thing the week before. The woman who had been covering that part of the county had said nothing happened that week for the second or third time in a row and the inches saved for her weekly column would be a problem for the editors. I took the job and loved it but the pay was not good. Still, I could work from home as long as I went in once a week to turn in my column and photos. I also covered weddings, live theater, and (boring) city council meetings. The woman I replaced had a masters in journalism and apparently thought news had to be cataclysmic. I wrote about local people and events and the newspaper’s subscriptions increased dramatically. Most people like to see their kids, neighbors, themselves featured in the local paper.
I’ve been a voracious reader since my dad taught me to read when I was a child. It wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I considered writing a novel. My mother-in-law brought me a grocery bag of romances and told me to read them because I could write one. I was surprised because 1) I never thought she quite approved of me, and 2.) the only writing of mine she’d seen were long, long letters I wrote each week.
When did you rescue your first animal? How many rescued pets do you have now?When we lived in a rural area this lovely lab/shepherd mix dog came to our yard. The owner came to get her and she ran and when he caughte her, he beat her. I was appalled. The next time she came, I fed her and when he showed up, I told him she was going to live with us now. He didn’t care--she had been his sister’s companion animal. The sister had to go into a nursing home and he was supposed to care for the dog. Instead, he tied her up outside. No wonder she ran away. We called her Molly and she was such a sweet dog. She was about three when we got her and lived another thirteen years. I still miss her.
Now we have three cats that are rescues: Sebastian, a large, long black tuxedo cat who is my buddy; Max, a mischievous Manx cat; and Jasmine, a shy rag doll. Our little rescued shih tzu, Webster, died last year and we haven’t quite recovered enough to get another.
What do you think makes a good cowboy romance? Who's your favourite famous cowboy?I think honor and dependability are the main characteristics—a man is as good as his word. My favorite famous cowboy was Roy Rogers. My favorite cowboy author is Louis L’Amour.
What excites you most about writing a new book?Beginning any new book is exciting because of the promises the endeavor holds. Although I plot, I’m always interested to see what little side trails my muse/subconscious travels. The beginning of the process is invigorating. About the middle I lose part of my enthusiasm, but then I regain it for the resolution and end.
Between the Link Dixon Mystery series and the Heather Cameron Mysteries, which one do you think you'd prefer more if you hadn't written them? What are some similarities you can draw between Link Dixon and Heather Cameron?Today I prefer the Link Dixon series but, truthfully, that depends on my mood. I might give another answer tomorrow. Heather and Link are similar in that they both have strong family ties and both are doing their best to honor their family yet build a life of their own.
When you first start a book, do you plan out all the characters beforehand or start with a couple protagonists and add new people as the story moves along?I start with the hero/heroine and a scene I visualize in my mind as if on a movie/television screen. That may or may not be the inciting incident but will be in the book. From there I plan sub-characters and then add to my book bible as the need for others occurs.
Which character did you have the most fun creating in "Cinderella Treasure Trove"? What would you say makes them so complex or interesting?The heroine. She is hardworking and tries to take care of her brother and those around her. She is not avaricious, but overjoyed to at last not have to worry about every penny and to get her brother away from bad influences. She’s a bit naïve but sincere.
How do you choose the backdrop or place that a story is set in? In what ways would the story have been different if you set "The Kincaids" in a place outside of Texas?I choose Texas unless I’m in a project that is set elsewhere. I don’t believe the Kincaid series would have differed very much no matter in which western state it was set. It’s about family and tradition and building a life. Those are found everywhere.
How much discipline does it take to be a writer? Would you say you are disciplined?Writing for a living takes a lot of discipline and I’m fairly well disciplined but not well as some I know. People ask have you seen this television show or that movie, but I haven’t. Or, why don’t we go have lunch/breakfast? Of course, sometimes I meet friends, but I have a writing schedule. Many people think if you work from home you can always do this or that and make it up another time. In a sense, you can, but you can’t make up much dalliance or you fall behind. There are so many unexpected roadblocks like family health issues that take time away from writing that if you’re already behind, you’re in big, big trouble.
What inspired The McClintocks books? Why do you think you and so many other romance authors are so drawn to Ireland and Scotland?I love Ireland and things Irish. However, what inspired the book was a wreck my husband and I came across in which a brand new double-cab pickup truck carrying four brothers/cousins was going so fast it went airborne across the interstate and landed on another vehicle, killing everyone in both vehicles. The State Troopers were covering the bodies as we went past and the looks on the troopers faces is frozen in my mind. The newspaper reported they were Irish Travelers and none old enough to be driving. In following weeks there were additional stories about the Travelers. When my husband and I went to Ireland, we learned more about the Travelers and other displaced Irish. The hero and heroine came to me and I wrote their story. Of course, I loved Ireland and Scotland. I wanted to stay in Ireland but we had those airline tickets home...
Due in part to the clearances, so many Americans are of Scot-Irish descent that we have a special interest in those countries. However, if you’ve seen inside old castles, you realize life there would not have been that good even for those of royal birth. I enjoy Rhys Bowen’s books about Lady Georgiana Rannoch (Her Royal Spyness series). In it, Ms Bowen describes the Scottish castle in which Georgiana lives/lived with her brother and it’s much more realistic than most I’ve read. The reality of life back in the 1600-1700s in Scotland and Ireland (and other countries) was pretty grim. The point of our books is that we provide entertainment and—while I take seriously being historically accurate—we are writing fiction. It’s all right if everyone lives happily ever after even though in life that doesn’t always happen. For our hero/heroine it must.
Of all the series you've written, which one was the most emotionally taxing?I believe that would be the Montana series I wrote for Debra Holland’s Montana Sky Series of Kindle World. I had to follow her parameters rather than mine and include many of her characters. Now that the Kindle World series are being taken down from Amazon July 16, 2018, Debra is graciously reverting those rights to me and I’m re-publishing them with the same cover minus the Kindle World logo and Debra’s Montana Sky banner. I’ve changed the names of all her characters in order to republish. Writing my own series offers much more freedom because I decide what the story includes. Well, my muse and I do.
Do you have any current projects you're working on? What have you learned about being an author so far from all the books you've written?I’ve learned that publishing changes almost daily—especially marketing! I wanted to write books, and didn’t realize how much time would be required marketing, marketing, marketing.
Currently, I’m working on several projects, not concurrently but scheduled. I’m in an anthology titled UNDER A MULBERRY MOON with eight other authors releasing July 19, 2018. I am in a series set in Utah titled Widows of Cougar Creek and the titles of my books are GARNET and BLESSING (both women’s names) and will be released in October 2018 and March 2019. Next is coming up with the plot for a new Kincaid novel. After Christmas, I’ll write a new Stone Mountain Texas novel that is already plotted, SNOWY BRIDE.
As my 2018 goal, I set publishing at least ten titles. A couple will be longer and I may make only eight or nine.
