Meet author Davalynn Spencer

Internationally acclaimed novelist and Will Rogers Gold Medallion winner, Davalynn Spencer writes historical Western romance set along the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. She is a Publisher’s Weekly and ECPA bestselling author, and an award-winning rodeo journalist and former crime-beat reporter. She teaches writing workshops, plays and sings on her church worship team, and loves bacon and chocolate—but not necessarily in that order. Connect with her at https://www.davalynnspencer.com.

Tell us about your newest book.

Covering Grace is Book 6 of The Cañon City Chronicles series. Books 4 and 5 tell the story of Grace’s twin brothers, Cale and Hugh. Now Grace gets center stage—a perfect place after three years riding with Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. She can do it all—rope, ride, and take care of herself. But fitting in back at the home ranch is beyond her. She has more in common with her grandmother, Annie Hutton, the heroine of Book 1, Loving the Horseman. Full of the grit and independence of the renowned Hutton women, the road won’t be easy to the love and acceptance Grace longs for.

How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?

After three years with a Wild West show, Grace Hutton returns home to Cañon City with Harley the Wonder Horse and a broken heart. She needs work and a place to live—not romance.

Dan Waite is caring for his invalid father and trying to keep their hat business in the black. Grace Hutton turns out to be more than he bargained for because he’s not ready to bargain with his heart.

What genre do you focus on?

I enjoy writing historical Western romance because I love happy endings and cowboys. The 1880s are my favorite period of the American West. Life was simpler then. Not easier, by any means, just simpler. I believe that’s one of the primary reasons people enjoy reading historical fiction.

Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?

Grace Hutton has been riding around in my mind ever since I wrote her brothers’ stories. She’s the kid sister tag-along, and she resents it just enough to prove herself better than her brothers. But Grace also wears her name well, in the way she moves and thinks—in spite of her grit and sass.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?

As much as I would love to jump right on a story the first thing in the morning, I end up writing primarily in the afternoon – especially in the summer when I’m working outside more. I write every day except Sunday, and I look forward to that day of rest, a sabbath, if you will. I find it rejuvenates me for getting back to work on Monday.

What’s the best part of your author’s life?

Writing is hard work, but I love it. I’m compelled to write, to get the story of a character’s challenges out there so readers will root for her or him. The greatest reward is hearing from a reader who struck gold in a personal way because of how they related to the people, struggles, or themes in my books.

What’s one unusual fact about you?

When my children were little, our family went to Southern California and stood in line for two hours to get on the television show, The Price Is Right. I thought sure the people running the show would pick my husband in his cowboy hat, but they picked me! I didn’t win, but the consolation prize was a crate of Jelly Belly jellybeans. Can’t go wrong with that.

How have you changed or grown as a writer?

It’s all about word choice. Saying more with fewer words, the right words. I’m a work in progress, with hopes of achieving the more-with-less finesse of writers like C.S. Lewis.

What is your favorite pastime?

I like to walk early in the mornings and take pictures.

What are you working on now?

Currently I’m working on a Christmas novella collection and kicking around the idea of combining Books 4, 5, and 6 of the Cañon City Chronicles under one cover as I did for Books 1, 2, and 3.

Website: www.davalynnspencer.com

Link to book: https://davalynnspencer.com/books/covering-grace/

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