Welcome Carla Kelly

 Anne here. Today I am delighted to present Carla Kelly, a beloved, award-winning and bestselling author of fine historical romance, as well as non-fiction and journalism. Carla has won the Romantic Times Career Achievement award, has twice won Romance Writers of America RITA award, and her readers regularly vote her books into top position in readers polls of favorite or beloved books. She's published nineteen (?) Regency novels, and many novellas. She has also published a collection of short stories set in the American Frontier, and has worked on historical non-fiction as well as working as a journalist. Carla, welcome to WordWenches.  

Carla: Gee, when you mentioned 19 novels, I had to look me up on Wikipedia (who put this entry in, I have no idea. My sisters deny any culpability, and I trust them). Here’s the butcher’s bill: 
    18 novels, plus two coming out in 2010: the third sister’s story in my Channel Fleet trilogy, out June 2010; a 4th novel just finished. 
      One anthology – Here’s to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army – which is a collection of my Indian Wars short stories.  TCU Press. This remains my personal favorite work. 
      11 Regency short stories, most of them Christmas stories.
      1 edited fur trade 1851 journal: On the Upper Missouri, by Oklahoma Press
       Several history monographs.
     Too many to count: news articles, feature articles and columns for the Valley City Times Record, written between 2005-2009.
      H’mm. This list wears me out. I think I’ll go lie down.

Anne: It's an impressive list. After many years at Signet, with the demise of the traditional regency, many people mourned what they thought would be the end of Carla Kelly books. I was delighted to see you'd moved to Harlequin Historicals, which then went through a turbulent period itself, though it settled down.  Did this change the way you approach your writing at all?

Carla: It’s made me more cynical about writing fiction. I just went through a real kerfluffle over an editor, which I think ended well for me. I’m now with the London office. Time will tell. On the other hand, I write the way I always do. Once I’m writing, I’m happy as if I had good sense.

Anne: Your novellas are much loved, especially your Christmas stories. You have one in the anthology, A Regency Christmas that's out now. Could you tell us about your story?

 Carla: Oh, it’s the classic dilemma of a Navy man who has been at war almost since he received a commission: What do you do when – horrors – peace breaks out? Our hero has some lives to check in on, which he was given to watch over  by a dying shipmate. Since it is a Christmas story and I gave it the perfect, most apropos title, “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks.” My former editor vetoed the title, so we went with  “Christmas Promise.” (Also, A Christmas Promise owes a tip of the hat to Cyrano de Bergerac)

Anne: It sounds fascinating - the Cyrano reference is intriguing. I have my copy on order; it's presumably somewhere over the ocean. I'm often overruled on the matter of titles, also.
Carla, one of the unique features of your books is that you often don't write about the aristocracy, but about relatively ordinary men and women existing in a period of great change. What appeals to you about this period and type of character?

Carla: As Abraham Lincoln so wisely pointed out, “The Lord must have loved the poor, because he made so many of them.” I’m an ordinary person, and I understand ordinary people. That’s why I write about them. Besides, am I the only author who thinks it’s a tad ridiculous to find dukes, earls, viscounts, and baronets under every bush? I mean, really. Also, I’m forever getting titles mixed up. Eliminating them from the mix makes my life easier.

     Writing about times of great change works for me. Was it Confucius who said, “May you be cursed to live in interesting times.”? This is greatly simplified, I realize, but to me, the best stories are those where someone has been handed a mess, and that person has to get out of the mess he/she is in. (Well, you can tell from that illustration that I was not an English major.) But isn’t it true? From Hamlet to The Time Traveler’s Wife, we’re handed a mess, and the story is how we deal with it.

Anne:  I like tossing my characters into a mess, too. One of the compelling features of your stories is the way your characters grow and change along the way. Which of your characters had the hardest row to hoe, do you think? Which was the most satisfying to write?

Carla: Characters grow and change because real people do (or should). I think Dr. Pierce in “Casually at Post” (the Indian Wars anthology) grew and changed. He was also enormously fun to write. So was Admiral Bright, in the novel I just completed. He had to change or lose his dear wife. Probably the woman with the hardest row to hoe was the heroine in “One Good Turn.” She had a tough life, but it was true to the period. My favorite man was Surgeon Philemon Brittle in The Surgeon’s Lady: a brilliant surgeon, low class, and with arrogance that gets him in trouble, now and then. We get to see a good, talented man struggle, because no matter how brilliant, he's the grandson of a pig farmer.  

What appeals to me about characters is how people can take a mess that is handed to them, and work through it with diligence and grace. I see it done all the time in real life, and that’s why I write about it. Art should mirror life, or we don’t learn much, as readers.

Anne: You have a master’s degree in military history and your characters are often in the military.  What draws you to military matters?

Carla: My dad was a naval officer (naval avionics, three wars), and I grew up on or around Navy bases in the U.S. and overseas. My first job as a seasonal park ranger was at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, which started me on a lifelong study of the Indian Wars. I like military matters because the best officers and enlisted men are frank, efficient, reliable and do not engage in overmuch bullshit. I like people like that, men and women.

Anne: I believe you are a historical free-lance guide in North Dakota. What do you enjoy about bringing history to life for modern audiences? Any disasters?

 Carla: Historical freelance guide; I'm not familiar with that term. I’ve been a park ranger twice with the National Park Service, if that’s what you mean.  I love sharing history with people who are truly interested. Hopefully, even some of my students on the university level caught some of that passion, too, when I taught them.

     Disasters? Oh yes. I remember slogging in rain and sleet with the chief ranger to locate some Indians in one of the tipis just north of Fort Union Trading Post NHS. We were co-chairing a fur trade symposium, and we had to make sure the guys were there. The weather was simple awful. We found them, and all was well in the tipi. I was wet and muddy.

     My personal favorite high-larious moment was when one visitor tried to convince a fellow ranger, Loren Yellow Bird (Arikara), that the Arikara were extinct. What made this such a side-splitter was that Loren and Marla were expecting triplets, and had two older boys. They’ve since added an adopted daughter to the mix. Gee, I love that super family.  I think that tourist went away convinced that he was right, and that the Arikara are extinct. Tourists. You gotta love them. Their taxes help keep the lights on in America's historic treasures.  

     My favorite moment at Fort Union was when I asked a little boy which of the animal furs he had stroked in the visitor center was his favorite (We had a hands-on display of many types of fur and pelts.) “I liked the gorilla,” he told me. His dad just cracked up. I told the little guy that I think he meant the bison robe…

    I could go on. Lots of favorite experiences. At Fort Laramie, it was telling an African American family about the stellar record of the Buffalo Soldiers, most of them former slaves, who served splendidly in the 19th century frontier army. Also at Fort Laramie, it was helping a blind woman “feel” my 19th century kitchen.

Anne: It sounds wonderful. Are there periods and settings you would love to write, but don't because of editorial preferences? Is there a book of the heart waiting to be written?

Carla: I currently have an Indian Wars novel, and a novel set in Spanish Florida - plus the usual regency - in front of my editors. Wish me luck. I’m right now finishing a novel for a Mormon audience which is set in SE Wyoming in 1911. Anyone would like the book, but it does have an LDS (Latter Day Saints) theme. I’m also tinkering with a fun idea for a mystery series about a juez de campo  in South Texas in 1700s.  

Anne: What books are coming up in the future?

Carla: See above. That's a proposed Regency set in England and Scotland during the darkest days of the War of 1812. I’m also planning a biography of an Indian Wars officer, Capt. Guy Henry, of the Third Cavalry. And that juez de campo (a gov’t employee who investigates cattle rustling, theft and burglary) keeps popping up. There never seems to be a drought of ideas.

You probably get this, too, Anne. People are forever asking, “How do you think up characters and ideas?” I’m always at a loss to explain it. I just, well, do it. So do you. Do any of you have any responses that might satisfy the interrogator?

Anne: Since I was a child I've had characters and stories happening in my head. All kinds of things can make a story sprout. I usually tell people I pick up story ideas like black clothes pick up fluff. Thanks so much, Carla, for joining us. It's been lovely.

Carla: Thanks. This was fun.

Let's chat — you're invited to share your thoughts on any aspect of this interview. So, have you ever been to a historical park? Tell us about it. Or do you have a favorite Carla Kelly book? 
One commenter will receive a Carla Kelly book.  

Comments

[Phyl]

I'm a huge fan, Carla, and delighted to read that we have 2 books of yours to look forward to in 2010. I also want to say that "Here's to the Ladies" was one of the most interesting anthologies I ever read. The variety of the stories really opened my eyes in a new way to frontier life.

I've had the privilege of visiting many National Parks & Monuments in the west. I've been to Fort Union, too. I remember standing outside on an August afternoon with the relentless wind blowing and thinking how lonely it must have been for pioneer families. And that the wind must have been maddening.

[Patricia Barraclough]

What an interesting post. I've got to check my bookshelves. I have a stash of Regencies, some I've read and some are waiting for me. Anthologies are a favorite. Am sure there are some of yours in there.
Actually, HERE'S TO THE LADIES sounds like it would be most interesting. Just checked it on Amazon and will definitely be getting it. "Fille de Joie" sounds like a hoot. As a military wife, I've been there. Not arrested, but neighbor comments on the noise.
Keep up the good writing. I'll look forward to finding and reading your books. We just might see you at a park some day.

[Carla Kelly]

Oh, Patricia, I got the idea for "Fille de Joie" years ago from a sweet older lady who told me what happened to her during WWII when she went to visit her husband at an army base. (I'm amazed people tell me anything...)

[Patricia Barraclough]

Forgot to talk about parks. We hit all we can on our trips. Most recently, we went to Texas. Did the Alamo, of course. What we enjoyed the most was our afternoon at the LBJ Ranch National Park and the Living History Farm adjacent to it. The ranch was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, the young lady who was our guide for the tour of the house wasn't very good and couldn't answer many questions. The farm was a very enjoyable visit. Spent a lot of time with the period characters, several who were volunteers. My husband and I are planning to try the volunteer park ranger program when we retire. One of the ladies there has sold her home and lives in her camper moving from one park to another. (Not enough room for my books)
We have been to Mesa Verde many times, and Fort Ticonderoga in Upstate NY, to name a few. We also enjoy going to Pow Wows, Highland Games & Celtic Festivals, and Reenactments of all historical periods and went to an awesome Rendezvous at Fort Bridger, Wyoming. That is in your neck of the woods (more or less). If you haven't been, it was wonderful. Hit the Pow wow at the Rosebud Reservation that same trip plus about everything in south-western South Dakota. The Crazy Horse Monument was awesome. Mt. Rushmore was a disappointment. We also hit Yellowstone and the Tetons that trip. There is still so much more to see!
Have a great Holiday Season.

[Carla Kelly]

Phyl, I remember sitting on the front porch of the officers' duplex at Fort Laramie and literally gritting my teeth as the constant wind got on my nerves. I think it was Glendon Swarthout who write a novel about a guy whose job it was to convey frontier women driven mad, to the nearest asylum. Oof.

[Anne McAllister]

My favorite all-time was Summer Campaign. Onyx and Jack have lived on in my mind ever since I read about them the first time (and I've revisited them many times since). It was a beautiful memorable book and set my Carla Kelly standard very high. I've enjoyed many others as well, but none as much as Summer Campaign.

[liz m]

If you didn't already have me... "Spanish Florida", it's like renewing vows, it is.

I, reader Liz, vow to follow author Carla.....

(Just don't wind up the plot with massive underground catacombs in the Everglades, someone's already done that. Tourists.)

[Sherrie Holmes]

Sherrie here. Carla, whenever the Grande Dames of Regency are mentioned, your name is always brought up. I have read and enjoyed several of your books, and they're still on my keeper shelf.

I had no idea you also wrote so many other things! How wonderful. Just from your interview I could tell you are the type of person I would love to sit down with over a cup of coffee and listen to you talk. You have such interesting stories to tell, and laced with humor, too. I'm glad to hear one of my favorite Grande Dames is still around and doing her part to satisfy readers.

[Minna]

Great post!

[Maggie Robinson/Margaret Rowe]

Carla, I didn't start re-reading romances until 2003, so I missed the nineties entirely. Romance friends raved about you so much I broke down and ordered quite a few used books from your backlist. I treasure those yellowed, somewhat-smelly books, and when I save up, I'll order more!

I became a big fan after Beau Crusoe. Although I like a haughty, devilish, rich duke as well as the next girl, you've done a sterling job with real people and their real problems. Thanks for giving me so much reading pleasure.

[Carla Kelly]

Anne, I appreciate your comments about "Summer Campaign." It was my first Regency. FYI, Onyx Hamilton was a sweet lady I met when I coordinated a Parkinson's Club through Cox Medical Centers, where I worked then. I asked her permission to use her name, and she graciously gave it. Years later, I happened to be visiting in Springfield, MO, when I was informed of her death. I went to her funeral. She was always so tickled that I used her name in my novel. It was a great name. She was a great lady.

[Virginia C]

Hello, Carla! Wonderful interview! History truly comes alive and becomes interesting when it is retold by someone with a passion for the subject. I truly admire the painstaking detailed research behind historical fiction. The more involved the author becomes in the culture, politics, social behavior,clothing and food of the time period then the more involved the reader becomes in the story. I was born and raised in Virginia, a state overflowing with "living history".

[Carla Kelly]

Liz, no fears about catacombs in the Everglades! My story is set in St. Augustine at Castillo de San Marcos, and involves a Spanish royal engineer (that fort is an engineering feat), and a shipwrecked Englishwoman. H'mm. I seem to enjoy shipwrecks, the sea, etc.

[Carla Kelly]

Wow, Sherry, a Grande Dame? Not so much this morning. I'm sitting here in my totally ragged nightgown. The house is all torn up because we're remodeling, and I know I have plaster dust in my hair. Our house has a bathtub upstairs, and one commode downstairs. We're bathroom challenged. No Grande Dame would ever admit that. Curiously enough (or not), the H/H in the regency I just finished have bought a money pit and it is being remodeled. Now where did I ever get that plot?
As for coffee, you bring the coffee, and I'll supply the peppermint tea and banana bread (as soon as I find my baking gear, which is buried with everything else in this remodel).

[Carla Kelly]

Maggie/Margaret, so you missed the '90s? I had to chuckle at that. Some folks in my generation missed the '60s entirely! Ah, the Beau. There really was a James Trevenen. Heaven knows how it happened, but I heard from a direct descendant of his who lives in Australia. (You gotta love the Interwebs.)He's named his son James, in honor of the earlier one, who did nothing that I wrote.

[Carla Kelly]

Virginia C, my dad was in the Navy, so we lived at one time in Norfolk, VA. I love the history in your great state. I mean, you can swing a cat and hit a half dozen historical markers.
As for historical detail, that's the fun part of writing for me. As a historian, I love research; so much that sometimes it is with a sigh that I step away from the historical document and write the novel. One reason I have been writing so much lately about the Napoleonic Wars is that a) I like the subject. b)I have done so much research on it, that I can write another novel on that subject without spending a huge amount of time researching it. I make plenty of mistakes, but early research, done well, pays off for years. (And bloody swash is fun to buckle.)

[Carla Kelly]

Sherrie, you mention Mt. Rushmore being a disappointment. I have to share my favorite Mt. Rushmore story, which comes from my (now) late superintendent at Fort Laramie. When Dick Maeder was a young ranger pup, he was doing the ranger mozy at Mt. Rushmore. A tourist stared at the sculptures, his eyes big as saucers, then turned to Dick and asked, "When did they dig those up?"
I rangered at Fort Laramie when there weren't too many female rangers. I was asked once or twice if I should be addressed as ranger or rangerette. Sigh.

[Anne Gracie]

I laughed at that story of digging up the sculptures at Mr Rushmore, Carla. I used to know a guide at Conwy Castle in Nth Wales, a medieval fortress built right on the coast.
She once overheard a tourist saying the castle was beautiful all right, but why on earth did they build it so close to the railway? LOL

[Carla Kelly]

Anne, I do love tourists. Truly, we get insightful comments, plus the not- so-insightful. It's all fun.
Here's one that happened to a ranger friend of mine at Fort Union: We'd been visited at our fur trade fort by a hungry weasel, who hung around part of the summer and seriously diminished our annual supply of bunnies. (chorus: Awww!)
Anyway, Dave was giving his history talk in the fort's courtyard when Willie (the weasel) came trotting through the group of tourists like he belonged there, carrying a bloody and almost-dead bunny in his jaws. One tourist stared, bug-eyed, and said, "Well, that was certainly a Disney moment!" Willie provided us with some color that summer.
This happened to me: I was staffing the desk in the visitor center one day when a wide-eyed female tourist came in, looked at me in my uniform, and said, "A woman ranger. Thank God!" Not sure what she meant, but I had a good chuckle later.

[Kristal]

Carla, I'm especially interested in the history of women on the western frontier, so I loved Here's to the Ladies.

Are you thinking of a particular publisher for your LDS themed novel?

[Linda Banche]

Hi Carla, I love your books. I like the wealth of historic detail in an interesting story.

Your stories tend to have a harder edge than most Regencies, making your books more faithful to the time. Although I believe all romance is part fantasy, the past is not the present, and a lot of books forget that.

I think my favorite book of yours is "Libby's London Merchant", mainly because you had me guessing right to the end which of her two suitors the heroine would accept. I thought she would make the obvious choice. She didn't. Good for her, because the one she chose was better for her.

[Debbie]

I am the proud possessor of the entire Kelly fiction canon, including Daughter of Fortune (set in the 18th century Southwest) and Here's To the Ladies (my favorite book of short stories ever)and all of the anthologies. I am never in the position of having "nothing to read" because if I can't find anything new to hold my interest, I know I will be satisfied with any Kelly I happen to pull off the shelf.

[Maureen]

Hi Carla,
I really enjoy your books and am glad that you continued writing with Harlequin Historicals. Your characters really come alive for me with such realistic behaviors and thoughts. I have enjoyed all of your stories but my favorite has to be Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand. That story dealt with so many issues like grief, love, families and even war in a matter of fact and believable way.

[theo]

Welcome, Carla. Great interview.

I've been to Keweenaw and Isle Royale. They're not the most popular national parks, but they're absolutely gorgeous! Sleeping Bear Dunes is also a national park if I'm not mistaken, though they're pretty boring if you don't ride a quad. Just lots of sand. lol

I am ashamed to say I've not read any of your books and I can't imagine why because I love historicals. You're definitely on my TBR list now.

[Carla Kelly]

Kristal, I'm going to go to Deseret Book first with the novel (I'll be peddling it on my own), and then probably to Covenant Books. Don't know if you're LDS or not, but it's a huge market that main stream publishers don't seem to be aware of. If they were, they might try to get in on the action, because LDS women like to read stuff that's well-written, but maybe not so gamey as some romantic fiction can be. And LDS women read a lot, and will pay for good books.

[Carla Kelly]

Linda, it was never a question in my mind, as I was writing, that Libby would marry the doctor. He had her best interests at heart, and not his own, as the duke did.
But having said that, many readers requested the duke's story. "One Good Turn" gave him the perfect partner. It also gave me a chance to visit a theme I have always liked: redemption. And the odd experience that sometimes the best of things come out of the worst of things. It happens to all of us.

[Carla Kelly]

Wow, Debbie, you have "Daughter of Fortune"? You're cool. That was my very first novel, and I have a soft spot in my heart for it.

You might be interested that done the road a bit - hopefully not too far - I want to revisit the Spanish possessions in America, hopefully with a novel whose outline is before my editor now, and then with a series about that juez de campo, in the Texas Spanish missions. He'll be a bit weary, a bit cynical, a bit tired of his job, a bit looking for a more interesting life, mabe a bit lonely. We'll see if he finds what he's looking for in Espiritu Santo,located close to presdent-day GOliad, Texas.

[Carla Kelly]

Maureen, a lot of readers enjoyed "Mrs. Drew." That's probably my only full-length novel that seemed to write itself (ahem, usually there is more effort involved).

A lot of readers were struck by the fact that Roxie had enjoyed a fine first marriage. Since I seldom ever read Regencies, that revelation floored me. I mean, surely not every woman's first husband is an ogre. Just trying to be a realist here.

Several readers have suggested novels about grown-up Lissy and Helen, but that would be out of the Regency period.

[Carla Kelly]

Theo, I hope you like my books. I'm glad you like national parks. They're a great blessing to America, and we love them to death, esp. the popular ones. If I were queen of the world, the National Park Service would get a lot more funding. Some ranger housing is scary.
Once I was in charge of an Elderhostel program re: Lewis and Clark in N.Dakota. When the program ended,a few of the hostelers were not leaving town for two days. I offered to take three hangers-on to nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park to fill the time. One man, a physician, was simply in raptures over the beauty of that not-too-heavily-visited park. At the end of the day, he told me it was one of the best places he had ever been in the whole world. Now Sandy was a guy who probably had been everywhere, because he could afford it. I was truly touched that he enjoyed Theo. Roosevelt NP and ranked it so high. And I agree totally with him. It's an oasis.
Ever been to Fort Fredericka NHS on St. Simons Island, GA? A true gem.

[Carla Kelly]

Debbie's comment about having the whole Kelly fiction canon amused me. This summer, I wrote the short history of Fort Buford. H'mm. Title. I think it was "Sentinel at the Confluence." It was based on research I did in 2000-2001 for a State Historical SOciety project involving researching the fort's infrastructure.
Out of that 2000-2001 report, I wrote what became a popular monograph in historical/ North Dakota circles: a discussion of army sinks (privies) and military sanitation. I'm the 19th century porta-potty lady.

[Janga]

I started reading your novels with Marian's Christmas Wish and haven't missed one since. I've also read Here's to the Ladies and all the novellas. The ones I reread most often are Reforming Lord Ragsdale, One Good Turn, and "Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter," but I count them all as lovely gifts that have a place on my keeper shelves.

I've read around a dozen of the 2009 Christmas books, and your "Christmas Promise" and Courtney Milan's "This Wicked Gift" are my only keepers. Both tell stories of characters who are not aristocrats. I admit to having favorites that feature dukes and earls and duchesses and countesses, but I'm also grateful that you and a few others give us extraordinary stories of ordinary people. Thank you.

[Carla Kelly]

Ah yes, Janga, the extraordinary ordinary people we all know and love.
I'm glad you liked "Kathleen Flaherty." She was a favorite, as her story was based on something my Grandma told me once.

I don't know if this is true or not, but my editor at Signet told me years ago that "Marian's Christmas Wish" was the first full-length, holiday-themed Regency. And now there are so many. Seems like a no-brainer to me. I mean, after all, Christmas is a wonderful time of year and perfect to write about.

[Valerie L.]

I, too, own Daughter of Fortune, and I can begin to tell you how excited I was to have found it at my local thrift store. Your books are exceptionally hard to find because so few of your readers are willing to part with them and want to read them again & agtain.
My absolute favorite is Reforming Lord Ragsdale, with One Good turn a close second. Can you tell stories of redemption rank high for me? I haven't been west of Cleveland, but I have been to St. Simon's Island. Even though I was there decades ago, I can still recall the atmosphere of another time, another place. Thank you for the joy of reading you have given us and I can't wait to read more of your books in 2010 and beyond.

[Susan/DC]

Coincidentally I was at my library's used book sale on Saturday and found a copy of "Regency Christmas Wishes", the 2003 Signet Regency Christmas anthology (the Signet Regency line and its Christmas anthologies have been gone for several years, and I still miss them). The book includes "Let Nothing You Dismay", another redemption story, although part of what makes the story so poignant is that the hero has spent much of his life attempting to right a wrong that stemmed only from good motives. I cried at the story of Jack Dawes. This was also one of the few stories that, I think, realistically incorporates religion without at all being preachy. Within its short length it contains many of the attributes that make Carla Kelly stories special: smart, insightful characters who are not perfect but who embody compassion and a willingness to learn and grow, epiphanies that stem organically from the events and interactions, secondary characters who are 3-dimensional, villains whose motives make them human rather than Snively Whiplash.

Also, the mention of the wind made me think of a book I had to read in high school: O.E. Rolvaag's "Giants in the Earth". HS was a long time ago, but I still remember his descriptions of the roar of the wind on the Dakotas prairies and its effect on the lonely pioneer women.

[J Poorman]

Ms. Kelly - I want to thank you for the many hours of pleasure! My first Carla Kelly was "Marian's Christmas Wish" (even though I found the heroine's age a little difficult) but you have been an auto-buy ever since. Perhaps my favorite was/is "Summer Campaign" because it came out while I was caring for a dying parent - that one really resonated for me. I bought "Here's to the Ladies" when I was in Montana visiting my Aunt... so I let her read it first and then snatched it up and brought it home with me. Now of course, I will have to pull it off the shelf and read it again.

I look forward to whatever you write and I think the thing I have liked most about your characters is that I would be comfortable sitting down to a cup of tea (or coffee if they had it) with them and listening to their life stories. Perhaps that is a bit of you provide me? A short respite from my daily life - where I can sit in the kitchen of the world you create.
Thank you again,
J Poorman

[cheryl c.]

Carla, I enjoy reading Christmas stories every year. Your anthology REGENCY CHRISTMAS WISHES is a favorite reread of mine. Your story "Let Nothing You Dismay" in that anthology is poignant and so heartwarming.

[theo]

***Ever been to Fort Fredericka NHS on St. Simons Island, GA? A true gem.***

Carla, unfortunately, no, I haven't. But I can understand the doctor's opinion. Isle Royale is so quiet and peaceful. And so remote. One can almost feel like they're the only person on earth when standing in the midst of the stillness.

[Carla Kelly]

Valerie, your comment about "Giants in the Earth," gave me almost a visceral reaction. After 13 years in North Dakota, my husband retired, and we moved to Wellington, Utah. Still cold, yes, and snowing like fury today, but still a milder climate than North Dakota, where Rolvaag set that powerful book. Do I miss Nodak, esp. after our little town nearly flooded this spring and we all became refugees for a while? Yes, I do. A lot. It's easier for me to write about resiliant people, because I know so many.

This is a bit silly of me, but I was in Wal-Mart earlier today, and passed the little kiosk where there are samples of mood DVDs and CDs. One press of the button, and there I was, listening to an American Indian flute song and getting weepy-eyed, because I miss my Arikara, Sioux, and Assiniboine friends from the Dakotas.

If you want to read another Nodak book, one bleak and gripping, try "The Bones of Plenty." Powerful.

[Carla Kelly]

Oops, Susan, it was you who made the comment about "Giants in the Earth." My blushes. See above!

Valerie, "Reforming Lord Ragsdale" is being published in Japanese, almost as we speak. If it is an edition as lovely as the "Mrs. Drew" book, I'll be pleased. That publishing firm gussies up paperbacks with a lovely book jacket. How classy is that?

[Carla Kelly]

Dear dear J. Poorman, your lovely expression, "Sit in the kitchen of the world you create," went right to my heart. I guess that is what I try to do, especially with the ordinary people I write about. I've spent my life in the kitchen, and have no particular plans to go anywhere else.

As for Marian being young, yes, she was. And as someone else mentioned, the past is not the present. Polly Brandon, my third half sister in the CHannel Fleet is a young one, too, and her fellow older. It fits, though. They come to depend on each other mightily, as all good characters should.

[Carla Kelly]

Cheryl, I'm a bit surprised how many people seem to like "Let Nothing You Dismay." It is a sad story, in many ways. For many people, Christmas is not a happy time, I fear.

FYI, I sent a query to my editor this morning, and the powers that be in London are actually going to mull around the idea of a three-novella Christmas anthology.

[Carla Kelly]

Theo, if a national park makes you feel like the only person on earth, at times, then I think it is doing its job! This is corny beyond belief, but many a day I climbed to the level at Fort Union on the wall where I could look out and see the Missouri River flowing by. I always sang "Shenandoah," there. Here's another confession: I've sung in the Dunker Church at Antietam NHP, and also in Vicksburg NHP. The Vicksburg spot was the marvelous rotunda that I think is the Illinois battlefield monument. I was there with my mom, now deceased, and we wanted to check the "note rot" potential of harmony. We sounded so great in that enclosed space! Now that Mom is gone, it's a special memory.

[Wendy Jones]

I have a shelf of Carla Kelly books right next to my Georgette Heyer collection. Whenever I need a good book, I can select from so many wonderful stories. Reforming Lord Ragsdale was my first Kelly book, and remains one of my favorites. I love how you informed me about the "Irish problem" as well as telling a whopping good story. Thanks so much!!

[Deb Hale]

I loved "A Christmas Promise", Carla! Despite my best intentions to draw out the story and savour it a chapter or two at a time, I devoured it in a single sitting. The same thing happened last Christmas with Marrying the Captain. I love sea-captain heroes and you write them brilliantly.

I think your original title was perfect for the story -- wish you could have kept it. That happened to me with my Christmas novella title a couple of years ago. :o/ I was going to call it "My True Love Gave to Me" because the Twelve Days of Christmas song/game figures in the story, but I ended up with a A Midwinter Night's Tale to match the "Tale" titles of the other two stories.

I'd love to see HH put out a collection of your Christmas novellas.

[Judith Laik]

Great interview, Anne.
Carla, you've been at the top of my list of favorite authors for many years. I thought I had all your books, but it looks as though I may have missed a couple, as some of the books discussed didn't sound familiar to me. I guess that's actually good news, because I can now go track them down while waiting for your 2010 books to be released!

[Patricia Rice]

Carla, so lovely to have you with us today! I, too, adore the "common man" theme of your books and wish we could do them more often. You're on my autobuy list!

As to Mt Rushmore, we were doing a national park tour one year and ended up there on an evening when the lightning created fabulous pyrotechnics. Never felt so close to the sky in my life, so I was impressed.

[Kristal]

Carla, I hope I will see your book at D. Book!

My family went to Moab for Thanksgiving, and of course we drove through Wellington. Are you or your husband from there?

This summer we finally stopped at Cove Fort for the first time. Have you been there; if so, what did you think? I thought it was very interesting and well done (everything was too nice, of course). We got a kick out of a live mouse that ran through the kitchen - added that note of authenticity!

[Carla Kelly]

Judith, you mention Georgette Heyer. I always smile when I read her, especially Frederica, with the Baluchistan Hound. Cousin Kate is a real barn burner, but it's my guilty pleasure. I personally think A Civil COntract is her best-written book. My favorite Austen is Persuasion - not because of the Royal Navy link (altho I like that), but because there is a bitterness to it that yanks my chains.

[Carla Kelly]

Deb, personally, I don't know how anyone can resist a sea captain. I guess they're another guilty pleasure of mine. If I'd been your editor for your Christmas story, I'd have said OK to your very nice title.

[Carla Kelly]

Oops, I did it again. Wendy, you mentioned Georgette Heyer. I'll blame my scattered brain on the generator going in my kitchen while the contractors put up sheet rock. Remodeling is a trial.

[Carla Kelly]

Patricia, here's an open invitation to visit Utah's five national parks, most of which are not far from where we live, on the coal-mining, hardscrabble side of the state. Not until Ken Burns' recent special did I learn (duh) that Utah has the most national parks of any state. It's a geologist's paradise. As we were driving home Saturday, I was snapping away at the colorful rocks, just like the tourist I will always be. Well, we've only lived here for four months, so I can be excused.

[Carla Kelly]

Well, Kristal, you're a buddy. We moved to Wellington because of some friends of ours in Price who really like the area, and thought we would, too. Wellington is a great little town: 1500 citizens and two BIG meetinghouses. Welcome to Utah, eh?

Haven't been to Cove Fort yet, but it's high on my next-spring list.

Here's hoping Deseret Book is interested.

[theo]

Oh, Carla, what a precious memory to have. My mother is many years gone now and I have few memories that I can cherish.

And next time, I'll make sure I sing when I'm out there :D

[Ann]

Tis the season to remember "Marian's Christmas Wish" the first Carla Kelly book I remember reading. I'm so looking forward to reading more.

[RevMelinda]

Hi Carla,

What a great interview, and so many great comments too! I am a long time admirer and also keep your books next to Georgette Heyer's on my keeper shelf.

I am a great fan of Mrs. Drew, Libby's London Merchant, and One Good Turn. But there's something about The Wedding Journey that really speaks to my heart. Seems weird to say that I "love" the way that Death is almost another character in that book, but I do. (I'm odd because I work in hospice, LOL.) You capture the mystery of death in all its contexts and conditions, and the way that life and death flow into and out of each other in a truly authentic way. Thank you for a great read that engages heart, mind, and soul.

And I would also put Civil Contract at the type of my Heyer list because I find its bittersweet love story achingly sad and achingly beautiful all at the same time. There are so many layers to that book--kind of like there are so many layers to every Carla Kelly book!

Blessings to you,
Melinda

[RevMelinda]

. . . at the TOP of my Heyer list, I meant to say. . .

[maryjoputney]

Carla, thanks so much for joining us at Word Wenches! I remember reading SUMMER CAMPAIGN when it first came out and thinking, "WOW!"

I loved your story of the Willie the Weasel and that Disney moment. *g*

May all your many and varied projects prosper--

Mary Jo

[Andrea Penrose]

Hi Carla, Thanks so much for visiting. I've been a huge fan of yours since our Signet Regency days and have so enjoyed your recent books too. Would love to hear more about your "ranger" days! Come back soon and tell us more!

[gretchen fucio]

I'm late to the party- and for one of my favorite authors! I was late in discovering you, too, Carla, because my first Carla Kelly was Beau Crusoe. It is hard to find your backlist- any chance of re-issues? I do have Mrs. Drew and another favorite- The Wedding Journey. What I like about your books is the true humility of the characters- they are grateful for what they have, and don't feel sorry for themselves. They don't expect to have everything other people have- they are not envious. In fact, they are people of great moral character- and that is rare in life or in fiction, nowadays. Thanks for creating people we can all aspire to be!

[Carla Kelly]

Melinda, your comment about death related to The Wedding Journey was intriguing. From 1995-1997, I worked as a PR coordinator for a 4-state hospice corp. I do understand what you said about death. Maybe I haven't been aware, until your comment, how it has informed my writing. There's something about interviewing the dying, or their family members, that sharpens the intellect. I only had the job for two years, before we moved to Nodak. I just don't know how those angel nurses do that hard work, year after year. I must say, it was rewarding to go home after a day of hospice work, and know that I had done something good.

[Carla Kelly]

Well, hey, Mary Jo. May your projects proser, too.
ck

[Carla Kelly]

Gretchen, moral character in fiction is a fine line, and I don't always do the balancing act very well. If characters are too good, some people think it's hokey. Maybe I've been blessed to know a lot of caring, resolute people, who find their way into my fiction. I'm not sure I know how that works.
As for re-issues, I'm pretty clueless. I do have the copyrights to all my Signet fiction, which has been handy when that Japanese press came calling and wanted to publish some.
One nice thing: yesterday I received two copies of a Harlequin Quills imprint which paired "Beau Crusoe" with a Judith Manning novel. I emailed my editor to thank her, and she said she had no idea either! Publishing remains a mystery.

[Pam P]

Hi Carla. I always like reading your short stories in those regency anthologies. Still trying to get many of those older titles, finally just found Miss Milton Speaks Her Mind, one highly recommended to me.

Loved Beau Crusoe. Libby's London Merchant is another favorites, and The Surgeon's Lady.

[Anne Gracie]

Carla, I think the Harlequin Quills book might be an Australian edition. Certainly Harlequin Sydney puts out lovely, lush-looking trade paperbacks with two historicals in each under a "Harlequin Quills" label.

Thank you once more for joining us on Word Wenches. And thank you to all those who dropped in to visit with Carla.

anne

[J Poorman]

Please, please, please tell me there will someday (soon?) be a collected edition of Carla Kelly's Christmas short stories?

I would pay a chunk for that one since I know I have missed some of the Regency anthologies over the years.

JPoorman

[Joyce Yee]

Hi Carla,

I'm very glad to see this new interview with you about your life and writing! I chuckled at your story about the little boy who responded to his dad at Fort Union about what he liked best.

Regarding your writing, I'm really happy to hear that you will have two books coming out this year in 2010, including the story of Nana and Laura's younger sister, I just finished rereading Laura's story and loved Philemon's down to earth style and care of the men in the Navy that he serves so well. In looking back over the books of yours that I have read, I notice that you often make the heroines and heroes very down to earth, smart folks in contrast to some of their family members: Ellen Grimsley's family in "Miss Grimsley's Oxford Career" is one of my favorites - each time that I reread, I chuckle a lot at the contrast between Ellen and her youhger brother Ralph, compared to their siblings Gordon and Horry - Ellen and Ralph have all the brains and common sense, and Gordon and Horry don't.

I also really appreciate that your heroines and heroes are often so down to earth, not necessarily physically beautiful but having much strength of character. So one of my other fav couples in your regencies is Lydia Perkins and Major Samuel Reed, she is much unappreciated by her family, and Samuel Reed is an amazing and brilliant officer who looks after the men who serve him very well.

[Carla Kelly]

Joyce, I guess all a writer can do is write about what she knows. I happen to know a lot of down-to-earth people, and I think their vision of the world has rubbed off on me in ways that I am often not aware of, until someone points them out.

Seems to me it is the ordinary people of the world who are often called upon to do extraordinary things.

ck

[Joyce Yee]

Carla,

I forgot to add that I'm glad you have other books in other historical eras in the works, including Spanish Florida and the Indian Wars planned and in review by your editors, plus an LDS novel - I would read your writing in whatever historical period you set your stories, given how much in depth character development and historical research you put into all of your writing! Wishing you well in your negotiations with your editors, please let them know you have lots of fans who would read whatever you write, no matter which historical period your stories are set in!

I also really appreciate the tremendous personal challenges your characters often have to undertake in their lives, whether that's caring for seriously ill people or otherwise coping with family dilemmas - the growth and development they undergo is very touching.

I'm really enjoying the sisters' saga in your Channel Fleet novels, and Laura's embarassment about how she just endured her marriage to her elderly husband Lord Taunton is one, not realizing that she had nothing to blame herself for, and she actually did a tremendous job of caring for him after he suffered his stroke.