Dorothy Garlock

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This month it is an honor to introduce popular author Dorothy Garlock to TRRC's readers.  I have been indulging in Ms. Garlock's books for years, and if you have not explored her earlier romances, they are not to be missed!  Please welcome Ms. Dorothy Garlock!

Debora Hosey:  I just finished reading A PLACE CALLED RAINWATER for review.  I found it compelling and absorbing, gritty and raunchy, emotional and very satisfying.  The villain of APCR was a nasty piece of work. Did you find it difficult to write about him, or did you enjoy delving into the dark side? Every time he made an appearance, I was glad Thad, Blue, or Joe was right there, too! 

Dorothy Garlock:  I like to write about villians.  I want my readers to have someone in the story to hate and turn the pages to see that the cad gets what's coming to him.  I especially liked writing about this villain...because he was also someone to be pitied.  But his meanness out-weighed any sympathy you had for him.

Debora: In each of your books you make a point of including a real-life historical figure.  Why?  And what was it about Jelly Bryce that compelled you to use him in APCR?

Dorothy:  For me a real-life historical figure puts the reader more firmly in the time period.  I try to find one in the area and the time of my story.  Jelly Bryce was an interesting and real-life character...one of the best sharp shooters recorded. 

Debora:  One thing that I especially enjoyed was the male banter between Thad, Blue, and Joe.  You have a wonderful flair in writing male characters!  Do you prefer writing about them?

Dorothy:  I try to make my readers feel many emotions.  I want them to cry...if possible, to love, to hate and to laugh. Banter between characters was the only light thing in this story.

TRRC:  Your stories have spanned the ages. Which time period have you most enjoyed writing about?  Have you enjoyed one era over another?

Dorothy:  That would be hard to say.  I've always admired the folks who came to this new rough country and settled it. I like the period starting in the early 1800's and then the short time in our history when we settled the West.  I also like the time before and after World War l.  It was be easier to say the part I like the least.  That would be from about 1980 to the present time.  Don't ask me why...it would take too long to list the reasons.

TRRC:  What prompted you to switch from traditional western/frontier type of romances to those in the 1930s and 40s stories like WITH HOPE, WITH SONG, and AFTER THE PARADE.  I loved that series, and your love for that era shone through.  What was the pull for you with those? I also appreciate the darker edges in your stories.  They make them more compelling and realistic and in a lot of ways, I think they grab you harder because of that edginess.

Dorothy:  Change of pace, I guess.  People are people what ever the setting. Good, ordinary folks have wonderful stories.  I'll never write about the "Glitzy" jet setters. 

TRRC:  My favorite series consisted of Ribbon...followed by the three With books and then After the Parade. Though the setting is historical, in romance they are considered a contemporary setting.  Do you feel the industry standards that say books set after 1900 are 'contemporary' should be altered?

Dorothy: Yes, I do.  I consider anything 50 years old to be historical.  When you get right down to it, yesterday was history.

TRRC: In your book WAYWARD WIND, the heroine, basing this on the books I've read from your backlist, had to be the feistiest you have written.  The story opens with Lorna threatening to shoot a would-be rapist.  In that period, it took a gutsy woman to stand up to a man.  Was she an easy heroine to write or did she constantly prove to be a challenge?

Dorothy:  Lorna was the granddaughter of Maggie from ANNIE LASH and ALMOST EDEN.  I couldn't make her anything but feisty. I also gave her a beautiful singing voice to soften her a little.

TRRC:  Considering all your books, which character has been the most difficult to write?

Dorothy:  I guess it would be Burr Macklin in GLORIOUS DAWN.  I didn't want the reader to like him too much during the first part of the book. 

TRRC: If you had to recommend one book of yours to a prospective reader, which one would it be and why?

Dorothy:  If a reader was a die-hard Western reader, I would suggest LARKSPUR.  It is a western with all the usual conflicts...Indians, land grabbing and villains aplenty.  If they liked a gentler story, I'd suggest HOMEPLACE or RIBBON IN THE SKY.  They are love stories set in a rural area.

TRRC: What would you like you readers to take away from your books?

(Click here for a review of A PLACE CALLED RAINWATER)

(Click here for a review of MORE THAN A MEMORY)

(Click here for a review of THE EDGE OF TOWN)

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