Interview with Celia Yeary

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Celia Yeary. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.  

I understand you have a new release out called All My Hopes and Dreams. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book? 

This is a story about a striking Spaniard, Ricardo Romero from the far western edge of the Texas Frontier, and a prim, proper East Texas lady, Cynthia Harrington, who are strangers, yet they impulsively marry. Each has a reason for the quick wedding.

All My Hopes and Dreams is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name? 

The heroine, slightly spoiled by her only relative, her banker father, believes one day all her hopes and dreams will come true. All she needs to do, she thinks, is choose her beloved, and he will propose, and they will live in the East Texas town forever where she holds a coveted social position.

What made you decide to write in this genre?

I read all kinds of genres, and I especially enjoy western romances. A number of years ago, new western romance novels became fewer and fewer. The dreaded term—the western historical is dead—upset me. So, I began to play around with writing one. In two years, I had five written, but you can imagine how badly I put them together. I had a lot to learn. But, oh, I had so much fun writing about love and adventure, set within the excitement of the old west.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book? 

The first western romance I wrote was TEXAS BLUE (it’s now contracted and in final edits.) In that story, two secondary characters, Ricardo Romero and Cynthia Harrington got together behind my back while I wasn’t looking. They clamored around in my head until I agreed to write their story.

What are your favorite historical research books and why?

I hate to admit this, but I Google almost everything. However, I am a native Texan, and all my stories are set in Nineteenth Century Texas. I know Texas very well. The most commonly used books are a Texas History textbook, an American history textbook, a book about women titled Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine, a book titled Way Out Yonder, an old Life book series on the American West, and various others I find in the library. Clothing is important, so I researched websites that sell authentic clothing. I did such a good job, I wrote an article and listed all the websites and their line of historical clothing. It’s posted on my publisher’s website under The Garden for other authors to use.

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why? 

Prissy Miss Cynthia Harrington, of course. This young lady needed to be taught lessons on standing up for herself against powerful forces and adversaries, on making her husband love her, and on changing into a worthwhile individual who could make a contribution instead of believing everything would be handed to her. I did a great job redeeming her, and boy, did she need it.  

Tell us about how you develop your characters. Do you create character sheets, do interviews, that sort of thing? How does your research affect your character development?

I do none of those. Characters appear and develop as I write. It seems that every character I use vaguely resembles someone I knew sometime in my life. Real people, themselves, are the best subjects. You might call me a panster, because I usually have no idea how this story is going to move along. I don’t change it much, either, once I have the plot down.

What are some common speech terms, dress modes, transportation or housing facts that you found interesting for your time period? 

Don’t get me started. You’ll wish you hadn’t asked that question. Speech: Western men typically say ma’am and call women Miss or little lady. Dress modes are tricky, because the real costumes men wore in the 1800’s really were not attractive. So, Western romance writers dress heroes in clothing close to modern dress. I love to dress my heroine up in the fashions of the day, but sometimes she must wear men’s clothing or pass-arounds for one reason or another. Oh, and if you’re undressing the hero and heroine, you must use the proper terms. Housing? My files are full of snapshots of historic homes, inside and out, cabins, barns, etc. I photograph physical objects more than I do people. A hero or heroine is always only in my head.

Do you have any authors that inspired you? 

Absolutely. Dorothy Garlock, Janet Dailey, Linda Lael Miller, Jodi Thomas, Kathleen Eagle, LaVyrle Spencer, Maggie Osbourne—to name a few favorites.  

What do you feel is the most effective promotion you have done for your book?

I don’t know. This is new to me, and I did not do as much as most. It was overwhelming. This interview is only my third. For some reason, my book has done very well. It stayed on the Publisher’s Best Sellers list for several weeks. I actually attribute that to the fact I believe there are others out there who are looking for Western romance books, and the fact that my cover is outstanding. Who can resist a sexy cowboy, a horse, and a sunset?

What do we have to look forward next? 

Texas Blue, a novel starring Buck Cameron and Marilee Weston. Also, a Wayback, Texas series book contracted titled Showdown in Southfork (Wayback, Texas is a fictional town that features the rodeo every Saturday night—where a cowboy falls in love every eight seconds. An author must follow the guidelines of the town and premise.) I have two free reads on The Wild Rose Press: The Wedding Auction and Merry Christmas, Victoria. Look on the left side of the home page and click on FREE READS (each ten pages.)  

Thanks, Celia!

To celebrate her book release, Celia Yeary is offering a free ebook of All My Hopes and Dream to one lucky commenter on today's blog. She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio. As a fifth generation Texan, I love to read and research all aspects of the state. Even though my degrees are in science and education, I find the history, the people, and our ancestors much more interesting topics, which provide endless characters and situations to create love stories.
Although my husband and I travel, no place on earth is more precious to my heart than our home in the Texas Hill Country, surrounded by acres of live oaks and whitetail deer. Romance novels are not my only form of reading material, but they are my favorite, and I wouldn’t leave home without several tucked away in my luggage. Being a member of Romance Writers of America has provided information, encouragement, and guidelines to help me on my exciting journey. What fun it is!

Check out author’s website at www.celiayeary.com . 

Buy www.thewildrosepress.com .