An Interview with Velda Brotherton: Author

Sylvia: Welcome Velda. Please give our readers an introduction of yourself and a little about your book.

Photo Credit: Velda Brotherton

Velda: Hello Sylvia. My name is Velda Brotherton and I write of romance in the old west with an authenticity that makes my historical characters ring true. Knowledge of the rich history of our country comes through in both my fiction and nonfiction books. Tough heroines, strong and gentle heroes, villains to die for, all live in the pages of my novels and books, which were first published in 1994. I began writing when I was 50 and now have 15 books published, with a new series under contract. 

My latest book is Stone Heart’s Woman, published by The Wild Rose Press. It’s set in Nebraska in the winter of 1879, when my hero Stone Heart and the white woman, Aiden Conner, meet under the most dire of circumstances, but cross the cultural barriers and fall in love. Aiden learns to love his people, the Northern Cheyenne, and together they see that the imprisoned people are set free and allowed to go home to the land of the Yellowstone.

Sylvia: Very interesting! What inspired you to write your first book?

Velda: I entered three chapters of what I considered a Western in a contest at the Ozark Creative Writer’s Conference. It was the first thing I’d ever entered anywhere, and it won first place and a note from the judge urged me to get it published. Published? I hadn’t even finished it. But I wrote it, pitched it to an editor at the Western Writers of America conference, and the rest was history, after it underwent changes to become a romance, that is. Penguin signed me to a two-book contract.

Sylvia: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Velda: Definitely. Most of my books concern the prejudices we all have at one time or another toward another culture, and how we can overcome them. If we could all get along and understand cultural differences, the world would be such a lovely place. 

Image Credit: Velda Brotherton

Sylvia: Very true. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Velda: When I first started writing, I became friends with Dusty Richards, who today has been published in the Western genre over 100 times and has won many awards. He told me then that “the road to success is littered with quitters.” I’ve always taken that to heart and believed that we can’t fail, unless we quit.

Sylvia: What marketing techniques have you used to sell your books and which ones have been most successful?

Velda: I began marketing long before the Internet became available to ordinary folks, so I’ve run the gamut of marketing techniques. Early on I did a lot of book signings, and discovered that the most successful ones were where several writers got together, read from their books, talked to the readers. I’ve done this in large and small libraries, historical societies, museums, and even book clubs, and had a lot of success. Now I spend a lot of time promoting online, building a platform and getting acquainted with potential readers through sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and a multitude of sites that display my books. Blogging I think is one of the best ways to make friends. The best way is to share, inform, and inspire readers and never, ever openly market your work over and over.

Sylvia: I agree! I truly enjoy blogging. It is such a great platform for connecting and sharing your expertise.  Why did you choose to write western romances? 

Velda: I think the genre chose me. I never read romances, not even western ones until my western won that contest, then the editor I was working with at Penguin asked me to turn it into a romance. No one was interested in publishing westerns with a woman protagonist. I grew up in Wichita, Kansas, which has a definite Western history. I’ve always liked westerns, both books and movies. My favorite book for a long time has been Lonesome Dove. I still read a lot of contemporary and historical westerns, but don’t read the romances because I don’t want to accidentally use someone else’s romance terms, characterizations or plots in my work.

Sylvia: Why did you choose to write western romances? 

Velda: I think the genre chose me. I never read romances, not even western ones until my western won that contest, then the editor I was working with at Penguin asked me to turn it into a romance. No one was interested in publishing westerns with a woman protagonist. I grew up in Wichita, Kansas, which has a definite Western history. I’ve always liked westerns, both books and movies. My favorite book for a long time has been Lonesome Dove. I still read a lot of contemporary and historical westerns, but don’t read the romances because I don’t want to accidentally use someone else’s romance terms, characterizations or plots in my work.

Sylvia: Why should we buy your book?

Velda: If you love history and romance, mixed well together, you should buy my books. I manage to share unusual historical facts with characters you’ll love and stories that blend excitement with sensual tension, and hopefully show what life was like for our ancestors. 

Sylvia: Is there a special place that you prefer when you write?

Velda: Yes. I’m fortunate to live in the Ozarks where I’m not interrupted by sounds of traffic. My office windows look out the back toward a wilderness that borders on the Ozark National Forest. My only interruptions are birds serenading me, squirrels chattering, an occasional silent herd of deer walking past. I wouldn’t trade this writing place for any other in the world. 

Sylvia: What projects are you currently working on?

Velda: One of my publishers has requested a novella for a special project he’s putting together. He asked that it be in my western historical romance genre, and so that’s underway. It’s the story of a legendary western woman, who may or may not have lived, and what I envision may have happened to her when she disappeared into history. Its fun making up a life for a woman who may have been created by early storytellers, but whom nevertheless, lives in the minds of many historians.

Sylvia: What is your POWER WORD? Why this word?

Velda: ENVISION. Because if we can envision a better world, perhaps we can help make it come true. 

Sylvia: Awww, I like that power word. The sky is the limit when you envision.  Well, thank you for this opportunity!  Please share your social media and book contact information.  

Velda:  I also enjoyed our interview. Thank you as well.  

• Website: http://www.veldabrotherton.com 
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/veldabrotherton  
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorveldabrotherton 
• Kindle books: http://www.tinyurl.com/7dr9mbn

Sylvia Browder

Sylvia Browder is CEO of Specialty Home Services LLC, a Home Improvement Company; a Small Business Consultant at Browder Consulting Group, a startup consultancy firm to help women with startup assistance, marketing, website and graphic design work and other support services. In addition, she has co-authored several published books; publisher of ‘Sylvia Browder’s Blog for Women Entrepreneurs’ a lifestyle blog; and publisher of ShopSpendBlack.com Business Directory & Blog platform created to help consumers find black owned businesses in a searchable format. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband of 30 years; 5 adult children and 5 grandchildren; church; friends and motorcycle riding.