LB    First of all could you tell us a little about yourself as an introduction to the visitors to this site.

My writing career began in journalism, but eventually I decided to dedicate myself full time to a career in romantic fiction.  I wrote my first manuscript in 1984, then wrote sporadically between raising children and moving around the country with my aerospace engineer husband.  In 1991, I settled down to write full time, found RWA and PPRW, then sold my first book (SHADES OF ROSE) in 1993.
 

LB    I finished reading ANOTHER DAWN last week and have to say that I really enjoyed it.  However for those who have not read it yet, would you like to tell us all about this novel and the inspiration behind it?

DS     Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed ANOTHER DAWN.  This story came about through pure fate.  Once every decade or two I force herself to clean my file cabinets.  I discovered notes from a college political science debate, and an article I'd kept about a young man who survived the electric chair touched me just as profoundly as it did the first time.  I was haunted by this man’s story, and by morning Luke Nolan had introduced himself to my muse.

Wrongfully convicted of murder at the tender age of eighteen, Luke is a grown man with the social, emotional, and sexual sophistication of an adolescent.  After his execution goes awry, he awakens a century in the past with the dead chaplain’s clothing and the prison doctor. He can’t leave her behind, because he’s no killer and she cried for him.  She doesn’t remember her name or anything about him or his conviction; an I.D. bracelet says her name is  Sofie.

ANOTHER DAWN is the story of a hot blooded, honorable, American male trapped in the guise of a priest, and a woman who’s anything but what she seems.  They prove that love transcends the boundaries of time, the constraints of society, and is a miracle in and of itself.  There's a sneak peek of chapter one at  http://www.debstover.com/dawn.htm
 

LB    The end of ANOTHER DAWN left a few loose ends (Marshall and Zeke) - do you have any plans to write a sequel dealing with these two characters?

DS    Zeke's story is resolved in the epilogue, but Sam Weathers lives forever in my readers' hearts, and he haunts me. <G>  He's the spirit in question from my second book, A WILLING SPIRIT.  ANOTHER DAWN is set a few years before SPIRIT, so U.S. Marshal Sam Weathers fits right into the story when he goes after an alleged criminal from his area.  Sam will play a larger role in my October 1999 historical, STOLEN WISHES, which is set in the same region as A WILLING SPIRIT, and only a few months earlier.

Readers have asked for Sam's story, and I'm plotting and planning something in the future for him.  Stay tuned.

(LB    A Willing Spirit is in my TBR pile and will be added to this site at a later date)
 

LB    What do you read for inspiration and how do you go about researching your novels?

DS        I read everything by Jill Barnett, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nora Roberts, Maggie Osborne, and Jennifer Crusie.  Humor is my favorite, and if it's sexy and funny, that's even better.

I do a lot of research on the internet, but also the old-fashioned way at the library.  I also utilize historical societies in the areas where my books are set.
 

LB    You debut in the Fantasy genre is drawing closer with the upcoming release of THE ENCHANTED GARDEN in the A DANGEROUS MAGIC Anthology.  What sort of a reaction have you had so far for your debut and do you see yourself branching into other genres too?

DS    My heart belongs to Romance, though I enjoyed writing "The Enchanted Garden" very much.  It's still very much a Romance, however.  Readers seem to be enjoying my faerie prince, though I must confess the short format isn't my favorite venue.  I prefer nice, long books.

I hope to write mainstream women's fiction in the future, as well as my Romances.
 

LB    What projects are you working on currently and what can you tell us about your October 1999 release, STOLEN WISHES?  (Living in Nottinghamshire (the centre of Robin Hood Country) myself I look forward to the release of this novel with anticipation)

DS    At the moment, I'm writing my first contemporary for Kensington's new "Bouquet" line.  The working title is INDECENT EXPOSURE, but I don't have the release date as yet.   Again, I prefer writing longer books, and I hope to have a future in single title contemporary women's fiction and Romance.

STOLEN WISHES is my first "straight" historical, and it's a rather twisted "Robin Hood" story set in 1896 Indian Territory.  At that time, this encompassed extreme eastern Oklahoma.  The state of Oklahoma wasn't formed until the two territories were united in 1906.  Many Americans don't realize this, but since I used to live there, I'm familiar with local history.

Robin and Mary Goode were orphaned while traveling across America with their parents in 1888.  When Mary (age 13) fell ill with the same fever that took her parents' lives, the  authorities took her older brother (who has Down Syndrome) to an asylum.  In those days, this is what happened to people with disabilities.  Once Mary recovers, she goes to the asylum and rescues her brother and his two new friends--a midget who believes he's Friar Tuck and an almost seven foot tall Cherokee Brave who fills the role of Little John. Robin, of course, is Robin Hood.

THE MERRY ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD was his father's favorite book, and after he dies, Robin lives in a  fantasy world.  Mary takes her brother and his "Merry Men" across the border into Indian Territory, where Robin dubs the forest "Sherwood Forest."  Mary believes the "Merry Men" live a harmless fantasy.  What she doesn't realize is that they've been fulfilling their destiny to "steal from the rich and give to the poor."

That's when Marshal Shane Latimer comes onto the scene.  You may remember Shane from ANOTHER DAWN as the young man in jail.  Sam Weathers is his friend and mentor in the story.  There's an excerpt at http://www.debstover.com/robin.htm
 

LB    Which novel have you enjoyed working on the most and why?

DS    ANOTHER DAWN, because it's the work of my heart.  I really believe in this book, because it takes injustice at its worst and makes it right.
 

 LB    You have expressed your opinions on the "Image of Romance" on your own website.  Would you like to tell us a little about this and what we can all do to help change the image?

DS    Please write to publishers to express your opinions of covers that degrade women and the genre.  Boycotting "clinch covers" won't accomplish anything but hurting the author and cheating you out of a good book.  The covers definitely do not reflect what's inside the book.  Sure, there may be sex and passion--one can hope <g>--but there's also a story, compelling characters, and adventure.  Romance is so much more than sex, yet these covers are what the world sees.  To the unenlightened, their only perception of the genre is based on these misleading covers.
 

LB    In connection with your "Image of Romance" project - what sort of reaction have you had from your readers and have you begun to see any changes in the way romance novels are seen to the world?

DS    I believe Romance is more respected than it once was, and I credit Romance Writers of America's "Grow the Market" campaign with much of that.  I also applaud Avon and their courage to try something unique and sophisticated on the covers of their contemporary Romances.  I think this will draw readers who've looked down their noses at Romance.  Authors like Nora Roberts and Susan Elizabeth Phillips have drawn many readers from non-Romance audiences, and I believe this helps us all in the long run.

Some readers claim to prefer the clinch covers, but I believe they are the vocal minority.  Most booksellers and readers I talk to say just the opposite.  Clinch covers are embarrassing to the reader and humiliating to the author.

Readers can help support the genre by buying books new whenever possible.  I very much believe in new/used booksellers--my favorite bookseller is one--but if a book is available new, please try it new if at all possible.  Publishers won't be aware of the demand if they don't see the numbers.  If your favorite time travel is resold fifteen times at a used bookstore, but the numbers on the new sales were low, the publisher will believe no one wants time travel or paranormal or whatever.
 

LB    And finally, do you have a message for all your readers out there?

DS    Keep reading Romance, and try a new author or sub-genre often.  Live dangerously. <G>

And thanks for your continued support.
 

And thanks again to you Deb, for doing this interview.  I look forward to seeing your new books over the next year and am sure they will be as entralling as your others.
 

Books by Deb Stover:  Almost an Angel, Some Like it Hotter, A Willing Spirit and Another Dawn

Deb Stover's Web page.