Author Feature:Joanne Sundell

"The Parlor House Daughter is a compelling story of the Old West, and an unexpected romance, evoking the distant past while celebrating the timeless wonder of the healing power of love."

- Susan Wiggs~New York Times bestselling author

Please welcome my friend and colleague, Joanne Sundell!

Tell us about your newest release, The Parlor House Daughter.

First, I have to thank you, Tiffany, for allowing me this opportunity to blog with you today!

You are most welcome. I'm excited to have you here!:0)

My latest Five Star-Gale release is THE PARLOR HOUSE DAUGHTER. I invite you to come and HAVE FUN TODAY discussing the brave women—whether parlor house daughters or forced to walk the streets—who are our heritage here in Colorado.

As for my newest release, THE PARLOR HOUSE DAUGHTER, it’s perhaps best described in this jacket blurb:

“Bound by birth to the world of prostitution, Rebecca Rose is born in a pine shack, a crib at the end of the line in Nevada City, Colorado Territory, in the mining town’s red-light district. Bound by birth to uphold his family’s good name and sizable fortune, Morgan Larkspur is born in Denver City with a silver spoon in his mouth and iron spurs on his heels. Their lives intersect in 1880 Denver when Becca is seventeen and Morgan, twenty-five. Immediately attracted, they’ve no idea of the high price they’ll pay for this—the danger awaiting.

A child of four when “hell came calling,” Becca determines to grow up and seek her own justice for what her mother suffered. The law won’t help a whore. She’d do what she needed to stay alive, knowing she’d never live happily ever after as in fairytales, yet never ashamed of what she was. When Morgan steps inside room number eight at the Palace behind the beautiful, untried prostitute, looking for nothing more than a pleasant distraction, he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events neither could have imagined in their worst nightmare.

The Parlor House Daughter is a suspenseful, romantic page-turner, set against the backdrop of hustle and bustle, gold-and-silver-rich Denver, where fortunes change hands often and misfortune befalls many. Where the society elite hold themselves apart from the lower classes, and where the fine line between truth and lies easily crosses over.

When Becca and Morgan discover they have nothing to hold onto but the love they once shared, will it be enough to withstand the impossible choice forced upon them—a choice no one should ever have to make?”

Sounds wonderful! What are you working on now?

Writing and marketing … marketing for THE PARLOR HOUSE DAUGHTER, out this month, and for MEGGIE’S REMAINS, due out next July and … writing a Civil War series (book two a WIP potentially due out in 2010, fingers crossed here).

Ooh, Civil War stories are so heartwrenching (in a good way, of course)! Do you have a favorite heroine amongst your characters?

I don’t because each one is my favorite at the time of their writing. They’re like my children, once created it’s hard to choose a favorite. To date, I’ve written about strong, brave heroines—an immigrant doctor in Golden City, a young deaf woman in Colorado Springs, a child born into the world of prostitution, and a young woman trying to escape her nightmares, fleeing Boston for the Colorado Rockies—who helped settle and soften the West.

How about a favorite hero?

Same answer here, as you might predict. I can’t choose between Jake Whiskey and Aaron Zachery and Morgan Larkspur and Ethan Rourke. I just can’t. They’re all alive and well and still falling in love in my head most days. It’s the schizophrenic price we pay for writing, is it not?

Boy, you're not kidding. :0) Tell us a little about your road to becoming published.

A long yet sweet road … one might argue. I’ve been writing for ten years, give or take. In 2004 I entered the LERA/RWA contest in NM and won in their historical series category. The important thing here is there I was able to “pitch” to then, Five-Star editor, Russell Davis and later able to “sell” to Five Star, which is now an imprint of Gale, a part of Cengage Learning. From submission to sale took several months, and from sale to publication takes a year, give or take. It’s a road well-worth traveling and I’m ever grateful and humbled, being published now.

Congratulations! Where do you find inspiration?

In history, Colorado history and the Victorian Era to be more precise. I love old-fashioned, traditional romance and easily revert back to another time when this was vogue. Really, I love the 19th century because of all the overlays of the double standard and the challenge to find romance in such a “Victorian” environment. Because I’ve lived in Colorado a long time I find the “turbulent, colorful” environment of days gone by, riveting, with stories coming at me from most all directions on most any day. Clearly, I find inspiration in old-fashioned romance and love to think about falling in love in days of old.

History adds its own romance to our romances, doesn't it?! How do you research?

This process is unending. From the inception of a novel to its completion, I’m ever rummaging through my books collected and folders and charts and graphs and old letters and internet sources, et al … trying to “get the history right.” Suffice it to say, the research IS the most important part of writing any historical romance, for me certainly. The research also takes far longer than the actual writing of the book. Before I “key” the first word of any story, the characters have been born out of my research and are “writing the story” now, and not me. With my first 4 novels, all set in Colorado, I’ve been lucky to already have “a sense of place.”

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

I live in the mountains and you probably know how that goes. I’m shoveling snow in winter or tromping through mud in summer or out with my huskies, hiking in the wilds. My children are grown and, except for my son who lives in Denver (bless him), I have to hop on Frontier to see them, darn it. As a family, we all traveled together for many a year. I miss that now, of course. The main thing I do when I’m not writing is actually “get dressed,” every day, changing out of my flannel pj’s on occasion.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why?

The most romantic spot I’ve ever been is Santorini in the Greek Islands. This could be the Lost City of Atlantis, you know … sigh. Ascending the cliffs to reach Santorini, once there, the vista awaiting takes your breath. I think it’s more romantic than Venice, which is a close second. A third would have to be Australia. Who can resist the Land of No Worries!

…and they all lived happily ever after …

THANK YOU, TIFFANY, for this wonderful day!

Thank you, Joanne, for taking time out of your busy schedule to hang out here with us! Here are some ways to learn more about Joanne:

http://www.joannesundell.com/
http://www.myspace.com/

And here's information about her newest book:

THE PARLOR HOUSE DAUGHTER, hardcover from Five Star-Gale
ISBN: 978-59414-722-7
Available online at amazon.com or any bookstore!

Joanne has also graciously agreed to offer one of her beautiful books in a contest. Just leave us a comment and you're entered to win! You'll also be entered into my "Blind Date with a Book" contest which goes until the end of the week.

Thanks to Joanne and to all of you readers for joining us.