Joining us from Colorado is author Leslee Breene and her book Starlight Rescue. I automatically want to know what it's about because of the beautiful horse and setting on the front cover. So why don't we let her tell us more about her books and the inspiration behind Starlight Rescue. Welcome Leslee!
What can you tell us about yourself?
First
of all, thank you so much for hosting me today, MK. Well, I always loved
western history and I also loved romance… The historical genre seemed the logical
place to be for some years while I was learning the craft. I’m a Denver native,
so that played a part in the setting of my first book, FOXFIRE. Now I’m changing horses, so to speak, and venturing into
contemporary western settings.
Did you plan to be
a writer or did it just happen?
Short stories by
the early greats—Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Somerset Maugham—were magnets for me. I
ventured into writing short stores at the beginning and have had some luck with
them. The short story format is a great guide for a writer. Every sentence
counts. White River Phoenix was a
finalist in the 2011 Women Writing the West LAURA Competition and may be found
in the LAURA Journal at www.womenwritingthewest.org.
When did you decide
to take that step that made you a published author?
I had completed three novels, won awards, and was tired of “waiting for
the call.” So, I made the call. Ah, holding that first published book was sweet! FOXFIRE, 2001(www.authorhouse.com).
The Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek, Co., carried my book, but wouldn’t
allow a book signing as it was “self-published.” Admittedly self or subsidy
publishing was verboten at that time. Now, quite a few published authors are
taking that route. I’m proud of the leap of faith I had to take to put the book
out there. FOXFIRE was a national RWA
chapter award finalist before it was published. It is still available through
my website: www.lesleebreene.com.
I’m sure my husband bought me roses on
that occasion.
If you had to sum up STARLIGHT
RESCUE in 30 or less words, what would you say?
A Wyoming veterinarian fights to keep her rescue ranch. A footloose
filmmaker offers her an opportunity. But, can she trust him with her
animals…and her heart?
What inspired the
idea behind your book?
So many animals are
abandoned and/or abused these days. PBS airs some amazing documentaries on the
plight of wild horses. A story idea of how one young woman might make a home
for abandoned horses, and other animals, intrigued me greatly.
Without giving it
all away, please tell us a little something about how Kimberly is going to get through her biggest challenge.
Kimberly Dorn, the
heroine of STARLIGHT RESCUE, is a recent grad of vet school, and has inherited
a Wyoming ranch due to her mother’s sudden death. The ranch is in debt, but
Kimberly is a determined spirit. She carries guilt from a childhood accident
that rescuing animals seems to ease. She
has watched her dad succumb to alcoholism which has only made her spine stiffer
and her goals more worthy.
What message do you
hope readers take away from the book?
The message of
sparking an interest in adopting abandoned animals. The Denver Dumb Friends
League takes in thousands of horses, dogs and cats annually, many of them not
spayed or neutered. The loving example this shelter and others make in adopting
out four-legged critters is awesome!
What is your
favorite scene in Starlight Rescue?
The birth of a baby
llama, called a “cria” in technical llama terms. It comes quickly and at the
wrong time, at night. I give credit to Jerry Dunn, Colorado llama expert, for
her gift of sharing a true experience of her own with me.
What kind of
research was involved for STARLIGHT RESCUE?
A family of llamas emerged in my storyline. These
regal and intriguing animals I had only seen from a distance. I turned to Jerry
Dunn, llama expert and owner of Bear Track Farm, Golden, CO, for my research.
At her invitation, I spent a magical day at the farm observing about twenty
llamas. The males were quartered in a large rear stable,females on the side
property. She informed me that too much male rivalry would occur in keeping
them together. Jerry’s personal experience with breech birth lent specific
details to the birth scene in STARLIGHT
RESCUE. Her sharing of
recorded llama behavioral sounds was definitely enlightening.
Do you have to be
alone or have quiet to write?
Yes…and yes.
What has been your
greatest pleasure in writing this book?
The opportunity to
speak to various groups, and donating to animal charities such as the Horse
Protection League of Golden, Co., while participating in the Colorado Cowboy
Classic event, Lakewood Cultural Center, Lakewood, Co.
What do you have in
store next for your readers?
I’m looking into
offering a new short story, “Carpenter’s Crib,” on Amazon.com soon. My next
contemporary western novel, JOURNEY TO
SANDCASTLE, starts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The heroine Tess,
a divorced teacher, becomes the unwitting guardian of a bi-racial orphaned
girl. She takes the child from New Orleans to the Colorado San Luis Valley
hoping to meet her grandfather, who is estranged from the child’s missing
mother and has no knowledge of his granddaughter. Tess’s journey becomes a
spiritual quest to find her life’s path.
What type of hero
do you like best?
A straight arrow
kind of guy. Somewhat flawed, but a man who will “be there” for the heroine
when the going gets tough. It helps if he’s easy on the eyes, but what’s inside
is really what counts.
Why did you choose
to be an Indie writer and would you choose to self-publish again?
Although my last
three books have been published through traditional publishers (Five Star/Gale-Cengage
and Treble Heart Books), my first book was an Indie experience.
FOXFIRE was reviewed enthusiastically by Maggie
Osborne, an RWA lifetime achievement award winner, and I had a chance to get my
feet wet in the promotion arena. A challenge and a pleasure! I’m keeping my
options open as to self-publishing.
If you could get anyone to read your book, who would you
choose and why?
The editors of Hallmark Hall of Fame. Having my ms. produced
as a Hallmark TV film is a dream and a goal I’ve imagined since I first began
writing novel length fiction twenty some years ago. I believe there aren’t
nearly enough insightful films with characters who truly care about each other
and this planet out there as family entertainment.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your
reader’s today?
I welcome visitors at my website: www.lesleebreene.com
and www.facebook.com/lesleebreeneauthor.
The Book
Wyoming
veterinarian Kimberly Dorn must
fight to keep her rescue ranch from persistent land developers. She harbors a
lingering guilt from a childhood tragedy that can only be eased by rescuing
abused and abandoned animals.
Gabe
Trent, an adventurous wildlife filmmaker, offers her a profitable opportunity
to save her ranch. But can Kimberly trust him with her four-legged critters…and
her heart?
“Starlight
Rescue will make you smile, sigh,
and fall in love—not only with the heroine who has a heart as big as the
mountains she calls home, but also with the animals she rescues. Don’t miss
this keeper!”
~ Deb
Stover, Award-winning author of The Gift
The Giveaway
Leslee is offering a copy of Starlight Rescue to one lucky commenter! Drawing will take place August 2nd.
Her
current novel, STARLIGHT RESCUE, is
set beneath the Wyoming Big Horn Mountains on an animal rescue ranch. It
received an RWA PASIC Book of Your Heart Award in the contemporary,
Single-Title category.
HEARTS ON THE WIND- Gale/Cengage (2008), a Denver bestseller, was Ms.
Breene’s third published historical romance.
Her second novel, LEADVILLE LADY –
Thomson/Gale (2006), received the
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers PEN Award.
The RWA Valley Forge Chapter awarded second place to her debut novel, FOXFIRE- 2001 (Authorhouse.com.)
Her short
fiction has been published in various magazines, won national awards, and was a
finalist in the 2010 and 2011 Women Writing the West LAURA Competition.
An Excerpt
Starlight Rescue
“I’m
a collector of animals,” Kimberly Dorn explained to her would-be renter, Gabe
Trent. “Horses. Llamas. My horse came to me by accident. A farmer in the area
had neglected her so badly that she almost died.”She winced at the memory. “Starlight
could have been auctioned off to a glue factory. There was another older mare
that I wasn’t able to rescue. Her ribs stuck out like a barrel. She had to be
put down.”
His
features held concern. “I don’t have much patience with people who mistreat
animals.”
“I
don’t either. Mostly it was because of dementia. The old man let me take her
off his hands for half a dozen bales of hay and a huckleberry pie.”
“Sounds
like a fair trade to me.” In the afternoon sunlight, Gabe’s collar-length hair
shone a rich black. The kind of hair a woman would love to run her fingers
through.
Her
heart rate rising, Kimberly abruptly strode out of the yard. “The rental
building is down the road,” she called over her shoulder. With long strides, he
caught up with her and she slowed her pace. Okay, so this Gabe Trent was a
free-spirited animal lover. But if she rented the place to him, she needed to
find out more about his background. “Where are you from, Gabe?”
“Originally
Montana. Been traveling around for a few years. I’m a wildlife photographer and
filmmaker, and I need sort of a home office. My uncle Ty owns the Reliable
Hardware Store in town. He told me he thought you had a room.”
“You’re
Ty Trent’s nephew?” She sent him a sidelong glance. “You look kind of familiar.
Do you visit much?”
“Not since my college days. Last time I
remember, I helped around the store the summer after graduation.”
Her
memory leaped back to one summer after her senior year. “Hmm, I remember a
lanky guy who worked at the store and drove a flashy red pickup.”
“Yeah.
That was my graduation gift from my dad.”
“A
few of my friends bet on who would get you to ask them out first.” Kimberly
nearly bit her tongue.
“Of
course, I never did.” Not much you didn’t...you little fibber.
Gabe
let out a spontaneous chuckle. “That was a long time ago.”
“We
were just kids.” One thing was sure, he wasn’t a lanky kid anymore. He’d
muscled up in all the right places. Changing the subject, she said, “Your work
must be fascinating. You film the beauty of an animal and I try to heal them.”
His
eyes shimmered with interest. “Are you a vet?”
Proud
of her profession, she smiled. “I earned my degree last fall from Colorado
State. Now I’ve got to build up my large
animal practice—to keep the ranch going.”
He
nodded and looked beyond the cottonwood trees, their newly bursting leaves
rustling against a blue Wyoming sky. “That’s a tall order for one gal.”
