Welcome Bobbie Russell/ Barbara Baldwin, to Love Romances & More. We are excited to have the opportunity to speak with you and learn more about your work. 

Thanks. I love talking about writing!

How long have you been writing; was it something you have always wanted to do? 

Always, although I never really thought “I want to write the great American novel.” I still have a story I wrote in second grade – 5 whole pages on blue lined paper! I even did my own crayon cover! I’ve written poems and teacher resource material, but didn’t start writing full-length novels until 25 years ago. Gosh, that’s a lifetime ago! 

What influenced you to get published? How long did it take you to get your first book published? 

I was an avid reader and I thought, “I can do this. No, I can’t. Yes, I can.” So finally one day I stopped with “Yes”. LOL – The first book I WROTE took 25 years to come out. My first PUBLISHED book, actually the 3^rd book I wrote, took 14 years. In between were lots of rewrites, short stories, poems and magazine articles.  

What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing? 

Lots of physical stuff – playing golf, quilting, making pottery and fused glass. And I love to travel. 

Often a writer’s first book is the toughest to write. Was this true for you? If so, what helped you get through it? If it wasn’t the first, which one was the most difficult to write? The easiest? 

With 11 novels and numerous short stories over 25 years, it’s difficult to remember. I would have to say NEVADA GOLD, one of my time travels, was the easiest. Taking a 21^st century independent woman and throwing her back to 1850 with no microwave and blow dryer was such fun! Writing something funny is always easier! I know there’s been difficulties; I just can’t remember. I have two great critique partners who can always help me get through a bad spot. 

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT sounds really enticing.  Can you tell us a short synopsis?

Linc makes a rude remark in court about an elderly lady, so the judge sentences him to community service in a ladies’ retirement home. The women there also have attitudes, surprising him with their frank discussions of sex and questions about how firm his butt muscles are. However, the director of the retirement home, Suni Hart, is anything but old.  She’s smart, sexy and has an attitude about sex – she likes it a lot – and the little old ladies decide Linc is the man to sate her addiction.   

How did you come up with the storyline and characters for ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT? 

I was at a conference in Desert Springs – a perfect retirement community in an area where there’s lots of wealthy people. (OK, I’m not retirement age nor am I wealthy! I was just there!) So I figured, what’s the most opposite thing I could do? And that was putting a young guy in an old ladies’ home.  

What is the Cupid's Kisses short story collection from Total E-Bound?  

Total E-Bound puts together short stories under one banner, in this case Cupid’s Kisses, usually having 4 short stories available in the group. This allows readers to pick and choose, and get some great reading for extremely economical prices. They also did groups called Halloween Heart-throbs and Coming for Christmas. Even though the short stories have a holiday theme, they’re super reading any time of year. And of course, I have short stories in each of the collections! 

I am a huge Historical Romance fan. It sounds like DREAMCATCHER could be right up my alley. Can you tell our readers a little bit about it? 

Willow has been told hanging a Dreamcatcher over her bed will catch the bad dreams, but her nightmares about the events causing her amnesia still haunt her. Garrison York tries to help her discover her past, but their instant attraction makes him want to concentrate only on current pleasure. They succumb to the passion they feel even as deadly events threaten to tear them apart. Neighbors try to steal land for railroad expansion and relatives will kill for fortunes in gold and it’s up to Garrison to keep Willow safe, allowing no one else to enjoy the erotic delight he finds in her arms. 

Do you usually outline your stories before you write, or do you "go with the flow"? 

Somewhere in-between. I usually know where I want the story to go in my head even if I don’t write it down. And I have scene notes on scraps of paper. But once I start writing, sometimes my characters lead me astray! And that’s OK; it’s their story. 

Most authors are also avid readers. Is this the case with you? If so, who are some of your favorites? Have any influenced your writing? 

Although I write historical, time travel and contemporary, I most avidly read historical. Favorites through the years are Julie Garwood, Catherine Coulter, Amanda Quick and Kathleen Woodiwiss. I don’t know if they’ve influenced my writing, per se, as much as my attitude and love for the craft. 

You have written books under the names Barbara Baldwin and Bobbie Russell, what influenced you to use a pseudonym for some of your writing?  

I write romance with varying degrees of sensuality. Not everyone cares for erotica, so when I wrote for Total E-Bound, I decided to set up a separate website and name – Bobbie Russell. 

I see from your website with WCP (http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/authors/Barbara_Baldwin.shtml) that you love to travel. What is your favorite vacation spot?  

Ireland. No doubt about it! I love the green, the language, the history! I set one of my short stories for Total E-Bound there – Twelfth of Never. 

Do you find it difficult at times to write love/sex scenes? 

I LOVE writing love scenes! I love creating the intimacy and physical aspects, and finding a lot of different places to make love. Love scenes show growth and are a healthy part of any couple’s relationship. Now, I also must say I like writing the “push me up against the wall and …” well, you know. Those are fun and face it, sometimes you just have to have it quick! 

If you could write and be guaranteed publication of any genre of book, what would it be? 

Romance, of course. I’ve written everything from teacher resource material to grants and documentary scripts and I still go back to romance. 

Are you working on anything right now? Can you tell us a teaser about these projects? 

I’ve just started a time travel romance that takes place in 1856 aboard the Steamboat Arabia, which actually sank in 1856 and was salvaged in about 1988. (I love the history part of writing historicals!) I also have a grand idea for a series of contemporaries set in a little coal mining town called SNOW, an imaginary town I keep going back to in other short stories I’ve written. 

Any final advice to aspiring authors? 

You can only write well what you love to write. For example, I could never write science fiction, but that doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t be writing it! 

Thank you so much for spending time with us at Love Romances and More. We wish you the greatest success in all of your future endeavors. 

Thanks so much for allowing me time with you! I hope readers will venture to my websites and see what I have in store for them!

http://authorbobbierussell.tripod.com

http://www.authorsden.com/barbarajbaldwin