also on the Seventh day of Christmas...

Roxanne Rustand is here to talk about her new Love Inspired book Hard Evidence. If you would like to win a copy please leave a comment or send a note to ladystorm282001@yahoo.com.

Stormi: Tell me about yourself.

Roxanne: My husband and I have three children--two are in college, and one has graduated. We live out in the country on an acreage with two Border Collies, a host of sweet, friendly barn cats, and two horses. You can see photos of most of them (two footed and four!) at my websites: www.roxannerustand.com and www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand My husband is a sales rep for a drug company. I have a Master's degree in Nutrition, and work twenty hours a week as a Registered Dietitian at a residential psychiatric facility. People sometimes ask why I don't just write full time, but I love the staff and clients at my day job, and I really enjoy the contrast of my two careers!


Stormi: When did you know that you were a writer?

Roxanne: After college, I mostly read nonfiction...but then a friend introduced me to a wonderful fiction author, and from then on, I was totally entranced! I read voraciously, and then slipped into writing for a regional horse magazine that she owned. She gave me my first computer, and it was such fun that I started writing a story. Things just evolved from there. My mother, however, maintains that she always knew that I would be a writer someday. It just took me a long time to find my way!


Stormi: Did you find the road to publication smooth, bumpy or just plain rocky?

Roxanne: I started writing without any thought of being published. It seemed like such an impossible dream that I didn't even entertain the thought. But then....I joined RWA (Romance Writers of America) and learned about The Golden Heart, their national, annual contest for unpublished writers. That too seemed like an impossible mountain peak, but it seemed like a way to find out if I was anywhere even near the ballpark, compared to all the aspiring authors. So...I entered, just hoping for some hint of validation. Getting a call saying my ms had finaled was such unbelievable, unexpected news! So..my good writing friends Judy, who gave me the computer, and Lyn Cote, who was also aspiring at the time, went with me to RWA in Hawaii for the conference. My ms did win, but I didn't make my first sale for three long years afterward. Something very cool, though, was that Lyn met just the right people at that conference. She changed the direction of her writing, started down the road to writing inspirationals after that, and has built a wonderful career in the inspirational genre!

Stormi: Hard Evidence is a love inspired suspense novel, that was a really good read. Why do you write suspense? Tell me what it was about this book that you liked the most.

Roxanne: I love writing a strong spine of mystery or suspense in my novels--it keeps me really interested in what's happening in the story, and helps give a story a definite, driving structure. I also love exploring interpersonal relationships, as well as having a developing relationship betweenthe main characters...and my favorite place in the world in the Grand Teton National Park. The Tetons are absolutely stunning....and this trilogy is set just south of there. So this Snow Canyon Ranch series touched on everything I enjoy!

Stormi: You told me that Snow Canyon Ranch is going to be a series, and I can't wait for the next one, so tell me about your current WIP's.

Roxanne: The Snow Canyon Ranch series involves the three adult daughters of a tough, domineering, independent ranchwoman who is now slipping into dementia. The entire family was estranged by complex issues early on, and now their mother's illness is drawing each daughter back into the area to build a new life for herself. Coming home isn't easy, though. There are old wounds, old realtionships to deal with...and in each book, there are enemies and dangers that none of the sisters expect.
I had so much fun writing this series!

Roxanne, thanks for stopping by my blog.