Interview with Romance Author Marcia Lynn McClure

Marcia Lynn McClure is surrounded by the gorgeous and captivating desert land of New Mexico, creating the perfect mood to write her romance novels. Her parents and grandparents were a great influence. She grew up hearing “tales of runaway buckboards, mule-drawn plows; stories of hardship and tragedy, love and loss.” These family legends led Marcia to writing novels. She is the mother of three children and has one grandson. Marcia is a romantic at heart and the author of 22 “clean” romance novels.

“Escape into adventure, mystery, and the captivating kisses of Marcia Lynn McClure romance!”

Weathered Too Young: When Lark appears on the Evans’ porch, Tom instantly hires her to keep house and cook for himself and his cantankerous elder brother, Slater. It doesn’t take long for Slater Evans to unknowingly capture her heart. Lark’s true age is not the only truth she has kept from Slater and Tom Evans. Darker secrets lay imprisoned deep within her heart. However, secrets are made to be found out. Would Lark discover the love she’d never dared to hope for?

Hello Marcia! In your novel, Slater Evans says: “I hate rabbit stew. We’re ornery old men, set in our ways, and we don’t take kindly to change.” I love this quote! Please tell us about your book: Weathered Too Young, and what kind of man this Evans fellow is.

Slater Evans is delicious! Masculine, brooding, and hiding secrets…yet with a clever wit and sense of humor! Basically he’s the kind of cowboy one might see in one’s dreams! “Perfectly imperfect!” I adore him! He so tugs at my heartstrings…and he’s irresistible. Very heroic, too…of course!

Hey, I love perfectly imperfect men. Where do you get your ideas? Do you get most of them from life experiences?

I absolutely DO get most of my ideas from real life experiences! So many character attributes and events in my books are based on personal experiences, family history stories, etc. A few of my reader favorites that were based on true life: Brevan McLean’s plowing accident, Dusty getting ‘stuck’ to Ryder, Reb Mitchel stripping off his shirt so Sage can take a peach cobbler out of the oven…and the list goes on and on!

To me, that makes a story even more intriguing. You once wrote that if your readers close one of your books with “a contented sigh and a delighted smile, feeling rejuvenated, cheerful and edified,” then you have achieved what you set out to do. Please tell us your thoughts.

My goal is to (though it may sound way too cliché) sprinkle sugar! Life is too stressful…too fast-paced…too demanding. We all need moments of respite…just some time to let our minds and bodies escape for a time…to rejuvenate. I want my books to be that escape…something a reader can pick up and bathe in…relax, smile, laugh, maybe even weep…but something that makes them feel uplifted when they’re finished…helps them to pick up and carry on with a delighted little smile on their face because they just lingered in something delightful. I just want to “sprinkle sugar.” Once (at a fan club meeting)…when someone asked me if I ever get down in the dumps and stuff…I said, “Sure! Of course! Everyone struggles!” The woman asked me why I never showed it, and I said, “Because I’d rather be a sugar-sifter than a manure-spreader.” I didn’t think much of it at the time, but for me it’s a great analogy of my feelings…and of what I want my books to be. Does that make sense?

It makes perfect sense to me. I need that little uplift simply because of life’s little trials. What does your family think about your writing?

My daughter loves my books…whew! She writes, too…and is awesome with the mystery angle. She thinks the whole thing is fun! My husband and sons…well, they don’t mind it…too much. It’s just that they do tend to get mobbed when they attend events with me…and since they’re all sort of shy (although ridiculously handsome), it’s sometimes uncomfortable for them. But in the end…I think they just look at it like it’s just a normal part of life!

That’s wonderful. I remember the very first time my daughters picked up one of my novels and began reading. I was a nervous wreck. I, too, write historical romance, and I was so afraid they wouldn’t like it because most of them were into fantasy or Jane Austen. How can you compete with that? I remember how relieved I was when they told me that they loved my writing style…whew! What a relief!!! Okay, Marcia, it’s time to tell us something about the real you that we’ll never forget.

Do you mean like trivia stuff? Like, when I was four years old I almost drowned in a manure pit or that I was lead vocalist for several pop/rock bands in college? Or do you mean like a life philosophy? Hmmm…as far as my feelings on life…here’s one that’s very important to me: Everyone you meet should feel better about themselves because they met you. Not that they should think you’re great…they should be assured that THEY’RE great. We’re here to “esteem” one another…and that’s what we should do…that and sprinkle sugar in our wake!

I have enjoyed this interview immensely. Now I know the real you… (and I’m not talking about the manure, either… Poor you!) Marcia, you have sprinkled sugar all over my path. All we need is a little sweetener in our lives.