Getting to know you with Davalynn Spencer

Today I have Davalynn Spencer on my blog. I met her at the new Love Inspired Heartsong Presents goodreads group. Her latest book has just been released.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I have a serious addiction to bacon and chocolate. Not together, but one is as good as the other. Besides that, I’m married to a retired rodeo bullfighter and clown, and I’m the mother of one not-so-retired bullfighter. Needless to say, I’ve bloodied my knees in prayer a few times, not just for them but also for our daughter and older son. Once a mom, always a mom.

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?

As a child, I read whatever was in our home library, particularly if it had a horse in it.

3. Do you have a favourite genre to both read and write?

I read across genres but I most enjoy books with a strong romantic thread. Perhaps that’s what got me started writing inspirational romance. I love happy endings and discovering how people work through their problems. Whether historical or contemporary, love stories are full of encouragement.

4. Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?

As crazy as it sounds, the author who most influenced me is one I discovered in the sixth grade—as a teacher. I populated my classroom bookshelves with the books of Gary D. Schmidt because of the way he wrote. Readers can see, smell, feel, and taste his stories. That is a personal goal of mine: to draw readers into my settings so they feel as if they are there.

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

Again – the sixth grade, but as a student. I wrote a short story that our teacher used as a play during a class outing. After that, I was hooked on words.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?

I started freelancing more than twenty years ago and worked as a crime-beat reporter for about six. My freelancing has appeared in Western Horseman, American Cowboy, Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Upper Room, Quiet Hour, and many other publications. In the 1990s I edited and wrote the monthly publication for the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys, Inc., The Line Rider, and later contributed a column to them. Though all these years involved writing nonfiction, in my heart I was a novelist just waiting to break out. I wrote two books and participated in a webinar with literary agent and agency owner Joyce Hart. She liked my work, encouraged me, and gave my name to one of her agents. My first sale was a Christmas novella ebook to Pelican Books in 2012. My first Heartsong Presents book debuted in 2013, The Rancher’s Second Chance.  

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

A chocolate maker or a rancher. (wonders if the two could be combined)

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

I enjoy taking our dog to the Arkansas Riverwalk or just walking out in the country where we live. I sing and play the piano and guitar, and have played on worship teams for years. (Love Hillsong!)

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

There are several places I’d like to see: Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, and Israel.

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?

I would choose Gayle Roper because I love her writing, and actually did have lunch with her at a writer’s conference in Estes Park, Colorado. Next would be my agent, Linda S. Glaz, because she lives in Michigan and I live in Colorado. But first, I’d have lunch with my daughter who lives in California and I don’t get to see nearly enough.

11. Finally can you tell us about your current books and/or any that will
be coming out soon. Also where we can find you on the web.

I have three Heartsong books coming out this year: The Cowboy Takes a Wife (Feb.), Branding the Wrangler’s Heart (May), and Romancing the Widow (Aug.). You can reach me at my website, www.davalynnspencer.com where you can sign up for my inspirational, every-other-week blog, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorDavalynnSpencer where you’ll find a subscribe button to receive my quarterly newsletter.