Welcome to the blog, Darlene. I’m so excited to have you here today. Congratulations on your new release, Hearts Sewn With Love, part of the “Sew in Love” Collection.

What part of this story did you enjoy researching the most?

I really liked learning about the early history of San Francisco and how the business owners recycled the hulls of abandoned ships in the harbor to be used for their store fronts. One ship even became a jail.

Who is your favorite character in this novella and why?

The heroine, Maggie McDermott, resonates with me because of how she blossoms over the course of the story. She was a poor Irish girl ready to enter into a loveless marriage out of duty to support herself and her mother. Then she travels to California and discovers with awe and wonder that she has other options. She can open her own business and earn equal pay to a man, almost unheard of in other parts of the country in 1850. Now she can live life on her own terms and decide what it is she truly wants.

I, myself, am originally from New Jersey and when I moved to Washington state with my husband, I also discovered I had other options. I realized that in this new place there were so many more job opportunities available to me than I had ever before considered. The realization was exhilarating!

Oh, I love that! Can’t wait to meet Maggie in the story. I just started the novella collection this weekend! 🙂

What has been the most memorable book you’ve read so far this year?

Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon. It is a romantic suspense and the motivation, thoughts, and actions of the villain stayed on my mind long after I finished the book.

I’ve not read any of her books before, but I need to!

As a speaker and writing coach to writers everywhere, what is one of your favorite workshops you’ve presented?

Solid Story Structure. I love analyzing the plot structure of books, TV shows, and movies and nailing down the specific turning points for each one to use as examples in my classes. I have also taken small groups of writers and held overnight “pajama plotting parties” where we all stay up late and work on the plots for our stories together. This has been a lot of fun!

Love that idea. How fun! 🙂

Which is easier for you to write – historical or contemporary? Can you tell us why?

I write both and I think I am torn between the two. While a contemporary might not have as much hard to find research as a historical, and seem easier to write, a historical allows for more creative liberties. Without today’s modern technology, the characters in a historical can get away with things that you and I wouldn’t. For instance, a hundred years ago, they didn’t have satellites, cell phones, surveillance cameras, and GPS to catch someone committing a crime.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

I would like to write another contemporary cowboy ranch series. And I am also putting together a proposal for a suspenseful 3-book Civil War series that I am really excited about which features 3 sisters who need to rescue their father from behind enemy lines.

Oh, that sounds wonderful, Darlene. Thank you so much for joining us today!

Thank you so much for having me as a guest today. If anyone would like to learn more, please visit: www.darlenepanzera.com

GIVEAWAY!!

Darlene has graciously offered to give away a copy of the new novella collection, Sew in Love, to one lucky winner. Enter below and it could be YOU! 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! Contest ends December 10, 2019. (US residents only, please.) The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!