Marketing for Romance Writers Magazine November, 2022, Volume # 5, Issue # 11 | Page 5

MARSHA R . WEST ( Cont ) INTERVIEW

MARSHA R . WEST ( Cont ) INTERVIEW

MFRW :
MRW :
Tell us about your latest book . What motivated the story ? Where did the idea come from ? Where do your story ideas usually come from ? I wrote VULNERABLE because I have a reader who begged , pleaded , and harangued me over several years to tell David Bourland ’ s story . David is the brother of the heroine in TRUTH BE TOLD , my second published book . My wonderful fan fell in love with him and really needed to know what happened to him . It took me a long time to figure out how to get him back to Fort Worth . At the end of TRUTH BE TOLD , he was in LA and had a new partner who looked to maybe become something more . As it turns out , the heroine in COM-
PROMISE — set in New Hampshire — has a sister who lives in Fort Worth , and she needed an expert security person . I love this story , and I ’ m so grateful to Belinda for demanding David ’ s book .
MFRW :
MRW :
year , too .
Which comes first , the story , the characters , or the setting ? For me almost always the location starts it all . I have a theatre background , and to direct a play — to tell people how to move on the stage — you have to know what the setting is . The impetus for TRUTH BE TOLD was a house I drove by three times a week going to Pilates and to babysit a grandson . I became obsessed with the house — who lived there ? What did they do ? During the Christmas holidays it was decked out with wreaths , trees , and twinkling lights . I stopped one evening and snapped a couple of shots . My cover artist used those shots to help come up with the cover . Of course , next comes the characters with the story idea intertwined .
MFRW : If you were on a reality show , what one would it be ?
MRW : LOL This is pretty easy . Most of my family and friends know how addicted I am to all things HGTV . So I ’ d like to be on House Hunters . Maybe they could help me find a second home in
Maine . Or “ OH , David !” as my husband calls David Bromstead ’ s show “ My Lottery Dream Home .” But gosh , I guess I ’ d have to enter the Lottery to win !
MFRW :
Generally , how long does it take you to write a book ?
MRW :
Pretty much a year from the first concept to the
book releasing . I began writing VULNERABLE
December 31 , 2021 , before I ’ d finished with some
preplanning because I feared if I didn
’ t I ’ d never get
the book ready for
a 2022 release . I
was driven to put
words
into
the
computer
before
the
year
ended .
And that worked .
I ’ m expecting an
early
December
release
date
for
VULNERABLE .
And I ’ ll begin the
next book before
the end of this
MFRW : MRW :
What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work ? I want to remind readers that generally things really do work out for the best , even when it doesn ’ t look like it at the time . The first time I ran for school board , I lost . It hurt really , really bad . I was convinced I was more qualified than the other candidates . And I probably was , but I lost anyway . That happens . I ran again four years later and won . It didn ’ t take long for me to realize how losing that first race was for the best . I had wonderful experiences that helped me in the job and my daughters were four years older and better able to deal with Mom ’ s crazy schedule . My husband worked long hours , and had I won that first time ? Well , let ’ s just say , after winning and seeing what all was involved , I was glad it worked out the way it did . So I hope my readers find hope and encouragement to believe “ Everything will be all right in the end — If it ’ s not all right , it ’ s not the end .” and fortunately , we all get second chances .
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