Lora McDonald

Lora - Ms. Hailstock, you have written several books over the years. Would you please tell our readers a little about yourself?

Shirley - My first book was published in 1994. Prior to selling a novel, I wrote confessions, short stories, non-fictions for a parent and child magazine and for a bride’s magazine. I wrote my first novel on a dare from a fellow romance reader. Once the book was finished, my friend liked it and suggested I try to get it published. That book never sold, but others have.

Lora - How do you decide on the topic for your books?

Shirley - I like to do things that I haven’t seen done before. I usually let the story tell itself to me and I write it. Some topics such as Alzheimer’s disease and the plight of the homeless are so much in the news that they settle into my head without me being conscious of it, and I wrote books using those elements. While the plot usually comes first for me, sometimes a character will show up in my head and demand a book. I might not have a book at that time, but I find them patient and they will wait for their story to be told.

Lora - For our readers that might have missed a book or two would you please list your books?

Books by Shirley Hailstock

WHISPERS OF LOVE September, 1994 0-7860-0055-4

CLARA’S PROMISE June, 1995 0-7860-0147-X

HOLIDAY CHEER ANTHOLOGY December, 1995 0-7860-0210-7

WHITE DIAMONDS August, 1996 0-7860-0296-4

LEGACY July, 1997 0-7860-0415-0

I DO! ANTHOLOGY..February 1998 0-7860-0486-X

MIRROR IMAGE June 1998 0-7860-0521-1

WINTER NIGHTS ANTHOLOGY December 1998 1-5766-369-4 (Hardcover)

OPPOSITES ATTRACT March 1999 1-58314-004-2

WINTER NIGHTS ANTHOLOGY December 1999 1-58314-039-5 (Paperback)

ISLAND MAGIC ANTHOLOGY February 2000 0-312-97300-4

MORE THAN GOLD October 2000 1-58314-120-0

HIS 1-800-WIFE April 2001 1-58314-157-X

A FAMILY AFFAIR August 2002 1-58314-366-1

A FATHER’S FORTUNE February 2003 0-373-24521-1

Lora - Which book is your favorite and why?

Shirley - This is a very hard question to answer. Several books I am writing are contending for Favorite book. Of those I have written, I like something different about each one, but if you insist that I choose I’d have to say there is a tie between WHITE DIAMONDS and MORE THAN GOLD.

Lora - Before you begin writing a book, what type of ideas run through your mind as you prepare to decide on the personalities that your characters will have?

Shirley - The people usually come to me as the characters that should be in this book. Their professions have a lot to do with who they are and what kind of experience level I need for a character, but often they are just ordinary people who get caught in an extraordinary situation. In my book CLARA’S PROMISE, about a school teacher from Virginia who goes to Montana to start a new life in 1899, I needed someone who was strong and persistent. She also needed a sense of fairness. These qualities came to be as I developed both the character and the story simultaneously.

Lora - As a romance writer do you ever write about romantic experiences that have happened in your life or the life of others close to you?

Shirley - All of my books have some element of my own experience in them. If you’re asking if my personal love scenes or sexual fantasies are portrayed in the books, I take the fifth on that. If you’re not, I’ll give you a real life experience. I did once go into a hotel room and find it already occupied by a man. In my novella, An Estate of Marriage (in the ISLAND MAGIC ANTHOLOGY) I used "double-booking" of an estate in Hawaii as the plot of the story. Unlike myself and the man in my room who worked out the situation by having the hotel give me another room, Stephen and Naomi each refused to vacate the space and thus true love wins out in the end.

Lora - In your book DANGEROUS FORTUNE, the storyline was written around a young woman, Sela, who thought she was bad luck in the love department because something always happened to the men in her life. Of course she met a man that changed her mind, but do you believe that sometimes women really miss finding Mr. Right based on past experiences?

Shirley - I never wrote a book called DANGEROUS FORTUNE or had a character named Sela. I have a novella in the I DO! ANTHOLOGY called The Engagement. The character’s name is Serena. I can still answer the question. I do believe women and men miss out on finding Mr. or Ms. Right due to past experiences. The heart is such a tender organ and a bruise can last for a long time, a breakage may be un-repairable. Once someone has been burned, it is very hard to put yourself out there for it to happen again.

Lora - In your latest book A FAMILY AFFAIR, the storyline is centered on a bet that Wesley Cooper makes with his friend about finding the perfect woman to settle down with. Many authors write about women worrying about their biological clock, but not many have men are concerned about the family issue. How did you decide on this plot for a book?

Shirley - I know a lot of men, brothers, friends, divorced and singles who don’t want to be alone, who really want children. Some come from large families, some from other situations that involve children, some of them like Wesley who meet a lot of people and nothing ever clicks for them. I thought what if I wrote about a guy who really wanted a family because of his own past experience with his family: a character who was loved and got attention from both his parents. This would possibly lead to him wanting to continue that experience with his own children, but he had to have children first. Then what if he met the perfect woman, but she didn’t want anything to do with him, not even a date. The result is A FAMILY AFFAIR.

Lora - Both characters in this book were also employed in the area of science, was it difficult to develop the personality of Dr. Brenda Reid, an intelligent woman that worked in the field of astronomy?

Shirley - Astronomy is a field that interests me, so I allowed Brenda to learn about it so I could use the knowledge. I read a lot on the Internet and there is an observatory not far from me. The New Jersey State Museum has an observatory, and they have several programs a year that are open to the public. I have taken my children to these programs for years and some of the information stayed in my mind. When I started to develop the book, I wanted it set in a remote location. It seemed natural to use a profession that you didn’t find often. Brenda is extremely intelligent and having no need for men, she’d take a job in a remotely located college. And I admit the line about "…seeing the stars in the sky more than those in a man’s eyes" ran through my head like a song refrain.

Lora - You have just been selected as the first African American President of RWA, congratulations. How do you feel being selected as the leader of this organization?

Shirley - I am proud that the membership felt I could do something for the organization. As President-Elect, I have received a lot of press coverage because of becoming the first African-American president. I've had articles in the New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Essence Magazine. As President, I have to focus on the health of the organization. We need to remain financially secure and to guide the organization in its purpose. There are three things that RWA is focused on; making the RITA, the highest award for romance fiction, more well known in the marketplace and beyond; changing the image of romance to show that the books are well-written, well-researched and contain stories of consequence which are uniquely different from other books; and the emphasis of the stories in the books is on relationship (not sex) and overcoming the obstacles that affect our lives. Being African-American opens doors with the press and could help in moving our goals forward at the same time.

A few interviewers have asked if the spotlight will be on multicultural romantic fiction during my term in office. I don't think this can be avoided. Even if I don’t do it, the press will ask the questions. This, in itself, is putting the spotlight on multicultural fiction. I hope for a colorless line, but I live in the real world. There are more opportunities for African-American romantic fiction, and if my presence will further open doors to fiction and authors, I think it is a good thing. Just as I believe that changing the image of romantic fiction is good, so is adding additional authors and stories of ethnic groups that aren’t the current mainstream is good.

Lora - I know your schedule will be very hectic with this new role, how will being in this position affect the time you will have to write future books?

Shirley - I have studied time in the past, so I can say it is a flexible thing. As my children are growing up and going off to college, leadership of RWA is coming into being. The time I had to spend on school projects, PTA, senior prom chaperone, etc. can now be used for something else. Quiet time at home will increase while trips to the grocery store will decrease. I have always been a very organized person. So I believe everything will fit. Additionally, a lot of the day-to-day work of RWA is done by the office staff freeing the board members to concentrate on strategic issues and to free up time to write.