guest interview with Lucy Naylor Kubash

Today we are talking to Lucy Naylor Kubash author of Chance's Return.

blurb:

When prodigal son, Chance McCord, returns home to the North Star ranch, he faces a tragic past and a family divided. When young widow, Casey Girard, decides to spend the summer working on the North Star near the Grand Tetons of Wyoming, she doesn't expect to meet such a man as Chance, nor to fall so completely in love with him. They both must learn to trust in each other.

Can Casey's faith and love truly bring Chance home?

review:

This wonderful, heart-warming tale set in the mountains of Wyoming, tells the story of Chance McCord homecoming and his search to put the past behind him. The descriptions of ranch life and the changing weather add authenticity and a sense of realism. You become part of the story, smelling the smoke of the camp fires and the chill and damp of the rain. This captivating love story between Chance and Casey has you rooting for them both though out.

Hi Lucy and welcome.

First off, could you tell us a little about yourself and how long you've been writing. Do you write everyday? How does each session start? How do you proceed? How, where and why does it end?

I'm married (for nearly 38 years) and have a grown daughter and son. I've been making up stories for as long as I can remember, but I started writing them down around the time I was in junior high school. While I may not be working on a book or story every day, I'm usually writing something. I write a monthly column called the Pet Corner, and I'm president of my RWA chapter, so I'm often writing something in regards to that. Even though my children are grown and on their own, I don't seem to have anymore free time! I usually do my writing in the morning or evening, and it often ends when I have to go to one of my outside jobs (I have two) or to bed.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Inspiration comes from many sources. Sometimes from an article in the newspaper or a story on TV. Sometimes from a particular song or a place we've visited. Sometimes it's just a character or characters that come into my mind and won't leave me alone until I tell their story. I think most of my stories are character-driven.

Is there a story behind Chance's Return? How did the story evolve?

The answer to that is a story in itself. I have always loved westerns and stories set in the West. After my husband and I visited the Tetons, I knew I had to set a book there. I first wrote Chance's Return before my son was born, and he is nearly 25! I sold it to an inspirational publisher after attending my first RWA conference, but the following year, just before the book was scheduled to come out, that publisher decided to cancel their line of romances.

After several attempts to place the book elsewhere, I finally put it away. I was writing short stories for Woman's World magazine at the time and just concentrated on that, while caring for my family. Then I went through a rather long dry spell. I was still writing, but I didn't have anything published in quite awhile.

About six years ago I rewrote Chance's Return and sent it out again. It was accepted by an epublisher and actually won an award, but that publisher closed down. Once I had the rights back to the book, I submitted it to The Wild Rose Press, where it was accepted. I think with every rewrite, I learned something new about the characters and I hope I made the story better. Now it's with White Rose Publishing. I guess that goes to show you should never give up if you believe in a book.

What do you do in your spare time? (Assuming you have any ;-) )

I love to read and I am a gardener of sorts. I like to spend time with my family, when we can get together, and I love going to the movies. We have pets, one dog, one cat, and they tend to take up a lot of my time with their shenanigans, especially our Jack Russel Terrier, Zeke.

What person or experience inspired you to become a writer?

I had a few teachers who made encouraging comments on papers I wrote back in high school, and I took several creative writing classes in college, but it really wasn't any one person who inspired me to write. I just liked making up stories. I will say that reading a lot made me want to emulate the writers I admired. Oh, and when I was young, my mom and I used to go camping, and I remember being bored and sitting in the camper and starting to write down a story in spiral notebooks. That was really the beginning.

CR. When you write do you start with a plot outline, a character sketch, how do you begin? How do you stay on course?

I usually start with a character outline but it's not very detailed. I really prefer to just start writing and see where the story takes me. I sometimes have an idea of where I want it to go, what it's going to be about, but I often just let the characters tell me. If I get too carried away with an outline, I tend to lose interest. I will make notes as I go along, if I think of something that will happen in a later chapter, but it's better if I just get that first draft out and worry about fixing it later.

What made you write Inspirational romance?

I really didn't start out writing in that genre, but Chance's Return just seemed to lend itself to that sort of story. The stories I'd written before and the ones I wrote after (for Woman's World) were all sweet romance, so that's more my style. But I would like to write more inspirational, too. Maybe a sequel To CR. (Now that I'd love to see. I want to know what happens next)

What genre would you like to explore that you haven’t tried to write in yet? Will you? What would you never see yourself writing?

I would love to write mystery or suspense. I am actually working on a book now that has an element of mystery. I don't think I could ever write science fiction.

Do you have a favorite author or authors? Do you read a lot? Is there an author whose books you pick up just because they are the author?

I've always been an avid reader, and I have so many favorite authors. Two all time favorites are Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. I enjoy the mystery/suspense of Mary Higgens Clark and Karen Harper, and women's fiction like that of Karen White and Debbie Macomber. I buy anything by Luanne Rice, and I read a number of inspirational authors and category romance authors.

If you were granted three wishes by a genie, what would they be?

I would wish that people learn to be more respectful and tolerant of each other. That every homeless pet would find a family, and that I'd win the lottery!

If you could go anywhere to tomorrow, where would you go?

I would love to travel through the New England states, but I'd also love to go out West again and see the mountains. It would be great to visit all the national parks.

If you could see anyone tomorrow (dead or alive), who would it be?

My mom. She's been gone a little over a year now, and I think about and miss her every day.

Thanks for stopping by Lucy :) Chance's Return is avaliable from White Rose Publishing and Amazon in both ebook and soft cover.