February 13, 2013

The Valentine Interviews:  Shirley Hailstock

Author Shirley Hailstock wraps up the Valentine Interviews with a mini-interview about her latest offering, Legacy.

Bettye: Shirley, what's your story about?

Shirley: Legacy is the story of Michael Lawrence, a traumatized attorney who’s turned his back on the law.  Discovering he is the heir to a fortune, he must return to the city and work with Erika St. James, the beautiful new president of a multinational corporation.  While his thoughts of her stray from the boardroom to the bedroom, someone else has plans to make him pay for past deeds.  And Erika is the pawn he’ll use to force Michael into the open.

Bettye: I don't know how I missed this when it was first published as an Arabesque romance, but now that it's available as an eBook, I'm going to pick up a copy. Can you share with us your inspiration for writing this particularly storyline?

Shirley: Often stories just pop in a writer’s head.  This didn’t happen with Legacy.  The hero, Michael, popped into my head.  He sat on that mountain in Maryland for three years before I found a story for him.  I was on my way to Philadelphia.  I can’t remember why, but I was driving South on Route 95 and the city appeared before me on an extremely clear day.  I looked the skyline of huge building and thought, money; that’s how I’ll get him to come down.  I’ll make him an heir.  Once Erika showed up as the heroine, the story congealed in my head and I plotted it out and wrote.

Bettye: I'm so happy to hear I'm not the only one who gets partial ideas that marinate for years before it all comes together! What would you say to those readers who haven’t read your book about why they would like it?

Shirley: I believe they would like it for the same reason I like it.  I love strong women characters.  I love men who can be vulnerable, but are equal to the heroine.  I love a mystery along with the romance.  So if a reader likes Sandra Brown, she’ll probably like my books.

Bettye:  Forget those semi-abusive alpha males and give me a vulnerable man any day! Do you have any special plans for Valentine’s Day?

Shirley:  Unfortunately, I don’t.  There’s no special man in my life right now and I have a deadline very close to Valentine’s Day.  I’ll probably be writing/editing/polishing the book to get it in on time.

Bettye: Good luck meeting that deadline, Shirley!  Thanks for stopping by.

Readers, Legacy by Shirley Hailstock is now available at Amazon, BN.com, and Smashwords. Download your copy today!