Guest Author, Paty Jager

Today's Guest Author is Paty Jager, fellow Rose and EPPIE winner. Paty and I tied for the contemporary romance EPPIE in 2008--I have the envelope that says so!!--and Paty was the one to let me know. (I never did hear from the EPPIE people, until the award arrived in the mail many weeks later.) But Paty was there, and was kind enough to share the news :)

Paty has a wonderful historical series about different professions in petticoats and I have to confess that it never occurred to me that she was writing about a woman, as in Marshal in Petticoats. Her latest release is Miner in Petticoats, and is available now at The Wild Rose Press (for 10% off!). She also has a free read available, Standoff for Love, so for a good deal from an award-winning author, check it out.

Who are you?

I’m a dreamer. Have been most of my life. I spent my summers riding my horse and making up stories in my head or sitting beside the river under a cottonwood either reading about far-a-way places or writing. All those years ago I never dreamed of being a writer, yet, looking back I should have know. The love of words and stories always fulfilled me. I read under the covers at night, when I was vacuuming- scenes and scenarios reeled though my head like ordinary thoughts at all times of the day. And now, I get to live my greatest dream, to bring my stories to others.

What type of stories do you like to write and why?

I write westerns, historical and contemporary. Why? Because I grew up in the west, loved learning about the history of my area, and I believe I’m more in tune with the western lifestyle than any other. I know lots of people who can write about exotic places without setting foot there, but I like to “walk in the shoes” of my characters and that’s hard to do if I can’t either read historical facts, have experienced it, or interviewed people.

What type of stories do you like to read and why?

I’ll read just about anything except sci-fi, werewolves, and vampires. As much as I dream, I just don’t get futuristic books or shows and I’ve always been scared to death of things that go bump in the night. To read a book about werewolves of vampires would have me not sleeping for days!

When do you write?

I’m an empty nester. All the kids are grown and gone. The hubby is off to work by 7 am, so I sit down at the computer catch up on e-mails and read blogs. Then I get breakfast and get dressed and spend the rest of the morning writing. After lunch if I don’t have chores to do (harrowing, raking, baling) I’ll write some more. A good day is 10 -12 pages.

When do you read? Where?

I read for pleasure mostly in the winter time. Early evenings, a hot bath, a good book. But I am always reading research books. When I’m cooking dinner, waiting for the hubby to come home, or when he’s watching a show on TV I don’t like.

Where did you get the inspiration for Miner in Petticoats?.

Miner in Petticoats is the third book of the Halsey brother series. Since I started the series with a woman in a predominately male occupation I had to keep the theme going. So Aileen, the heroine in this book, is a widow working her husband’s gold claim. I had to make conflict between her and Ethan, the oldest Halsey brother, so, he needs a piece of her land and she has a very good reason not to sell and refuses. He’s already promised other miners and his brothers he’ll get a stamp mill up and running. And he has never broken a promise. His determination to get a stamp mill running is just as adamant as Aileen’s to not sell an inch of her land.

How did you come up with your title and main characters’ names?

See above. LOL Again the title had to match the series titles. And the hero had to be the oldest brother because the heroine is a widow with a twelve-year-old boy so I had to use the oldest of the brothers. Ethan’s name just came to me when I wrote the first Halsey brother books. As I was writing it and determined there would be four brothers for that hero (Gil) I just kind of rattled off names and Ethan ended up being the oldest. For Aileen, I looked up Scots names because she is a displaced Scots woman.

How long did you write seriously before your first book was published?

I wrote seriously for about eight years before my first book was published.

Why do you write?

I write because there are stories and characters in my head that want to get out for others to see. And my husband says I get cranky if I don’t write. In a way, I write for sanity.

Award winning author, Paty Jager began her writing career as a freelance reporter for local newspapers, found RWA (Romance Writers of America), and after eight years broke into the publishing industry with The Wild Rose Press. Her western historical books are Gambling on an Angel, Marshal in Petticoats, Outlaw in Petticoats, and recent release, Miner in Petticoats. Her contemporary western, Perfectly Good Nanny, won the 2008 EPPIE for Best Contemporary Romance.

To learn more about Paty, her books, and to enter her website contest go to http://www.patyjager.com/