Interview–Deirdre O’Dare

Welcome to author Deirdre O’Dare who’s sharing our themed book party! First, tell us a little bit about the book you’re featuring today. Things like publisher, release date, ISBN and a buy link at least please! Also a blurb would be nice 🙂

DD: To Protect and —Seduce? is an older story but one of my favorites. It is an Amber Heat release from Amber Quill, ISBN: 978-59279-595-1 snd can be found with my backlist at www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/bio_ODare.html. On the Amber Allure side I also have several stories with police officers, special agents, Border Patrol officers or military men featured in them. I have a long term love affair with “Uniforms”!!

CTR: What made you decide to write this particular book? Did you have a special uniformed person in mind or just admire them all? Can you give us some story behind the story?

DD: I’ve associated with lots of military and law enforcement people most of my adult life. My late husband was in law enforcement and had been a Marine and our middle son has followed in dad’s footsteps. I really respect the folks who go into either field because it takes a special kind of courage and strength to do this or to be a firefighter or EMT. I also worked for the Army and Air Force as a civilian for many years so there is a lot of background I can draw on. Cops and soldiers appear in many if my stories and will probably continue to do so. To Protect… was inspired by the way I met my husband and was written in his memory not too long after he passed on so it is very special to me. Of course I had to jazz it up for fiction but it came from the heart and the character of Jack is strongly based on my special personal hero.

CTR: How about the spouses and SOs of our uniformed protectors—do you know one and sympathize with the special stresses they have to endure? Do you think couples can make two careers of this kind work?

DD: My husband was out of the military when we met but I do know the worries I had when he was out on a call as a police officer and things got dicey! I had a ‘scanner’ radio and probably listened more than I should have and of course worried. So yes, I do sympathize—a lot as I have known other cop and soldier wives too! In some ways if both members of a couple are in the military or maybe both cops, they do understand the business better but often the pressures can get the best of them and lead to less than happy endings. It just depends on the couple and how they deal with it I think. Either way it can be tough but rewarding if you can hang in there!

CTR: What do you think is the special appeal of men and women in uniform be it military, law enforcement, fire fighters or others? Do they make good romance characters because of this?

DD: The strength, courage and deep concern for people and “what’s right” that most of them have is a sexy combination! Dealing with danger creates a kind of adrenaline high that can fuel some hot times when the immediate crises is over. You want to celebrate the fact you are still alive and maybe resolved things in a good way so the spouse or SO can get the benefits of this. So definitely yes, I think they make great characters and I’m sure more will appear in my writing! I always say cops, Celts and cowboys are my favorite heroes and I guess I could add soldiers to that as well.

CTR: Let’s switch subjects a little bit now. Here we are at the start of a brand new year. Are you one of those folks who makes a big list of resolutions and struggles to keep at least some of them or do you take a pass on this custom?

DD: Resolutions seem too restrictive or demanding to me in many ways so I have finally come to make up goals and affirmations instead. I feel more positive and motivated by them! I’m not much of a ‘thou shall not’ or ‘thou shall’ person and don’t deal real well with authoritarian or regimentation kinds of things!

CTR: Do you have a goal, plan or dream for something to do this year?

DD: As always I want to keep writing stories–love stories with a happy ending or at least a happy-for-now ending. I’d also like to move back the desert southwest for mental health reasons as I do not do so well where it is gray, cold and –well, wintery! I really have to work to keep from crawling in a hole to hibernate like a bear! Colorado is lovely in the summer but the summers are too darn short!

CTR: Where do you see yourself and your writing career on Jan 1, 2012? 2020? Even farther into the future?

DD: I hope to see another ten or more stories by Deirdre O’Dare out there and a couple more anthologies in print by next year. In the more distant future, I have two or three ‘big’ novels in the back of my mind that I would like to get written and published. Beyond that I just take it as it comes. Every day and year is a privilege to experience and none of us have a lease on life! I’ve gone past big ambitions of best sellers and movie deals although if one should come my way I would grab it, of course! Basically I just want to keep on doing what I’ve been doing and loving!

CTR: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers today?

DD: I wish all of my friends and fans out there and the new readers who may decide to give me a try after today a truly wonderful year. I hope you will be inspired to follow your dreams as I have when after I retired from my day job I decided to pursue my life long dream and write! That dream has come true in a wonderful way—like the chance to be here today. I am so very grateful. Thanks Coffee Time for letting me gab today! I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of my anthology Daring Delights which features To Protect and –Seduce? and five other stories about cops and cowboys! So leave me a comment!! I’ll give you an excerpt in a bit.

CTR: Thanks so much for joining us today and please come again when you have a book that meets our theme.