Author Spotlight-Robyn Corum-Melinda Heads West

Today, I’m excited to have a fellow Crimson Romance author, Robyn Corum, as my guest. Welcome and thank you for being on my blog!

I’m excited to be here, Ashlyn.  Thanks for asking me!

I’m not one to beat around the bush, so to speak, so let’s jump in to this fun interview :). You write historical/western romance. Tell us why this subgenre of romance appeals to you as a writer and reader?

Oh, I love the image of a rough-and-tumble cowboy!  A strong man who isn’t afraid to walk into a gunfight, but can be soft enough to romance the woman of his dreams. And I love the time period I write about – the late 1800’s.  It was a slower time, and when people relied more on one another.

Yes, I can understand the appeal. Cowboys are all of the above and more. Definitely swoon worthy. Believe me, I have my share of pics of cowboys on my Pinterest board. The six-pack abs, Levis hung low, the Stetson hats . . . yep, definitely would love me a cowboy (Ashlyn clears throat and attempts to get back on track). Do you have plans to write in a different sub-genre?

I also write poetry, flash fiction and young adult fiction.

That’s great! As writers, we’re creative people. It’s good to have different outlets for the words and voices in our heads. Hopefully, we’ll get to read excerpts when you’re ready to share :). In two sentences, sum up your book, Melinda Heads West.

A young woman named Melinda must travel across three states to pick up a family deed.  In doing so, she encounters mayhem and danger, and eventually finds true love.

Wonderful summary! I want to root for her already. And the thought of reading about not one, but two sexy cowboys, had me adding Melinda Heads West to my to-be-read shelf. Tell us more about the strengths and weaknesses of your three main characters?

Melinda McCorkle is a feisty young woman who is learning to trust herself in the world.  She’s not attractive in the classic sense, but she is strong and proud.

Lucas Wilhite is an ex-officer who is willing to do what he must to get what he wants.  He’s a good man deep down, but he makes bad decisions.

Gary Boone is sure of himself when it comes to his work, but not when it comes to his heart.  He’s brave and attractive. 

I love them already. Strong, proud, stubborn, confident individuals, yet flawed in relatable ways. Was your journey to publication a cake walk or a hard climb to the top?

It was a relative cake-walk!  I wrote the book in about seventy days and the second publisher that looked at the manuscript accepted it.  It was published six months later. 

OMG girlfriend! And I thought my three months was fast. Congrats! For those who don’t know this . . . digital publishing moves fast. What are the joys and pitfalls of being an author?

I love being a writer.  I love the swish and bang of different words on a page.  The joys come when you write an especially powerful section of a manuscript – when the words come exactly as you want them to.  When you can actually get the scene from your head to come to life and dance on the blank white page.  The pitfall is trying to forever describe that experience to someone else! 🙂

Run us through a normal writing day for you.

I get up about five thirty in the morning and sit down at my computer.  The first thing I do is check my emails and correspondence.  When I get ready to start writing, I read the last chapter and try to ‘fall back into’ the scene.  Then I jump in.  I’ll work until lunch time at least.  When I get stuck, I stop and play solitaire on my iPhone for a few minutes. 🙂 Then I start again.   I try to write at least 1,000 words a day when I’m working on a manuscript. 

LOL, solitaire as a mental break is awesome! Are you working on anything new? If so, can you share or give us a sneak peek?

Yes.  Right now, I’m working on a project I’m really excited about.  It follows a young woman who starts out in the gritty tenements of New York City’s Lower East Side in the late 1800’s, but becomes a mail-order bride to a man out west.  It has great potential if I can tell it correctly. 

I love the mail-order bride trope. Happy writing to you, and I’m sure you’ll pull it off. Thank you, Robyn for stopping by.

To stalk Robyn Corum, please visit or follow her at the links below. To buy her book, click on the cover image above.

Robyn’s Blog:  http://robynsrules.blogspot.com

Pinterest https://pinterest.com/robyncorum/

LinkedI http://www.linkedin.com/pub/robyn-corum/27/127/8b4

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/MelindaHeadsWest

Twitter:  @robyncorum

Email:  robyncorum@aol.com