Interview with Amanda Cabot

From afar, Cimarron Creek seems like an idyllic town tucked in the Texas Hill Country. But when former schoolteacher Lydia Crawford steps onto its dusty streets in 1880, she finds a town with a deep-seated resentment of Northerners—like her. Lydia won’t let that get her down, though. All will be well when she’s reunited with her fiancé. 

But when she discovers he has disappeared—and that he left behind a pregnant wife—Lydia is at a loss about what to do next. The handsome sheriff urges her to trust him, but can she trust anyone in this town where secrets are as prevalent as bluebonnets in spring?

Bestselling author Amanda Cabot invites you into Texas’s storied past to experience adventure, mystery—and love.

Ah, conflict! Gotta love it.
A writer’s job never ends, what are you currently researching?
I’m working on the third book in the Cimarron Creek trilogy, which features a Texas Ranger as the hero. Even though I’d done a lot of research for an earlier book with a Ranger, that book took place 25 years before this one, so there’s a lot I had to learn. It’s fun, though. I love finding little-known facts and sharing them with readers.

As a born and raised Texan, I love learning about Texas Rangers! I bet the book will be great!
What are three elements that are always present in your writing and why?
•    A happy ending. The reason for that is easy. I write romance, and by definition, a romance includes a happy ending. Besides, who wants to read about depressing things? I don’t.

•    A strong heroine. Although women’s roles have changed over the centuries, there’s no doubt that there have always been strong women. Those are the interesting ones, at least for me. It’s a bit like the need for a happy ending. Who’d want to read about a weak, downtrodden heroine? Not I!

•    God’s love. This is the single most important element, because it’s what gives my characters the strength they need to face life’s adversities and emerge victorious. It’s also what leads to the happy ending.

Amen! Where would we be without His love?
Care to share what books you are currently reading?
I’m currently reading Enigma of Fire by Marilyn Leach, with Julianna Deering’s Murder on the Moor next on the TBR pile. And yes, as you’ve probably guessed from those titles, I enjoy cozy mysteries.

I’m a fan of mysteries as well.
You’ve written more than 30 books. Do you have any advice on how writers can endure in the writing industry?
I have two pieces of advice. First of all, be flexible. The market is always changing, and while I don’t recommend chasing trends, it’s important to be willing to change with the market. For example, although I’ve joked that I can’t possibly tell a story in less than 110,000 words, readers now prefer shorter books, so when Revell asked me for manuscripts of 90 to 95,000 words, I learned to streamline my stories to fit the lower word count.  

The second piece of advice is to never give up. If you love writing – if it’s who you are rather than what you do – you should never let rejection stop you from pursuing your dream.

Thank you so much for sharing! Last but not least, how can readers help support you in your writing journey?    
The greatest help readers can give me – or any author, for that matter – is to read our books and, if they enjoy them, tell others about them. Online reviews are extremely powerful, but so is plain old word-of-mouth.
Thanks so much for inviting me to be part of your blog, Toni.  I’ve enjoyed it!