Who’s Got Character with Audra Harders

by | Nov 17, 2009 | Fiction Book Reviews | 19 comments

I am pleased to have another Seeker on board for today. With novels ranging from historical to contemporary, Audra has a whole slew of possibilities just waiting on the edge of publication and with the hint of writing she has on her website coupled with the company she keeps at Seekerville, we’re sure to see Audra’s books out on the shelf very soon. 🙂

 For a teaser into Audra’s tempting world of story, visit her website at:

http://www.audraharders.com/2009/04/my-books.html

Pepper: I’m so tickled you could be with us today, Audra. From the little bites of information you have on your website about your books, I can’t wait to have a chance to read them. Thanks for being here to tell us more about them.

 Audra: What an honor to blog amongst authors I love and admire! Pepper, honey, you’ve made my week!

 So…

Time for a little Q & A:

 Who is your favorite hero and heroine you’ve ever written? 

Hmm, my favorite hero and heroine? This is painful. When I’m writing historical romances, I usually have a dark, brooding lord or distressed lady. In contemporary, it’s between cowboys and a host of women who don’t really know who they’re looking for until some “he” makes it painfully obvious he needs her to save him from himself.

 I guess if I have to pick favorite children, I’d say Gabe Davidson from Rough and Ready, the first book in my Circle D series and Jennifer O’Reilly from Diamond In The Rough, the third book in the same series.

 Will you tell us a little behind-the-scenes creation of these characters?

 I had a long time to mull over Gabe’s personality traits considering he’s lived through two other books featuring his brothers, yet Gabe’s book is the first of the series. He’s a middle child and looks at life in a very keep-the-peace manner. He’s the guy his brothers know will pick up the slack for them. He’s the guy who wants to earn respect by being competent. It isn’t until he meets Melanie that his status quo is shaken. He’s finally met someone who refuses to let him shoulder their burdens for them. And he finds he wants to help her. The poor man really needed to discover out what HE wanted. With Melanie doing the unpredictable every time he turned around, he had no choice but find out why he cared so much. 

For my favorite heroine, I’d like to say Melanie Hunter who stole Gabe’s heart. But my real favorite is Jennifer O’Reilly, the heroine in Book 3 of the series. Jennifer had a major crush on Zac Davidson all the way through high school  … up until the day Zac broke her heart when she overheard him propose to the senior year rodeo queen. That’s when I found out that Jen had more spit and vinegar in her than I first imagined. When Jen agrees to help Zac while his receptionist is on medical leave, Zac realizes Jen is not the same childhood friend he once knew and, yes, loved. 

Pepper: Thanks so much for being a part of this, Audra. Let me know about when we can see Gabe, Melanie, Jennifer, and Zac in print so we can celebrate their stories with you. 🙂

Oh, and btw, Audra – of your books, my favorites are Blind Faith and Timeless Treasures. They both sound SOOO good 😉

Character Creation Tip of the Day:

Trouble…with a capital T. As humans, the core of our personalities shine out in trial. Why not with fictional characters too? One way to find out what your characters are made of is to ‘throw them to the wolves’, or ‘in the fire’, or to the school of ‘hard knocks’…whatever it takes to refine their characters. What does your hero do when his dreams are taken away? What does your heroine do when she’s in a lose/lose situation? Do the fight? Flee? Fuss? Faint?…any of those things tell you more about his/her character and helps you develop them in a more three-dimensional way J

Tomorrow?

My hope is to have fantasy author, Jeffrey Overstreet, stop by for a visit.

19 Comments

  1. Tina

    What an interesting peek into your characters Audra. I can’t wait to see them in print too!!

    Reply
  2. Ruth Logan Herne

    I love Gabe.

    Love him.

    Love cowboys in general, Gabe in particular.

    Oh, yum.

    And he’s so stinkin’ NICE you just root for him from the get-go because you can’t help but love the hometown aspects of him, of his life. Simple goodness.

    And he looks amazing in chaps. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Glynna Kaye

    Audra — I’ve read one of your manuscripts and can’t wait to read them ALL in published form!! There’s such a ring of authenticity in your cowboy heroes. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Audra

    LOL, ahh, you’re too kind Tina and Ruth : ) Talk about a real tug-o-war when it comes to deciding which genre you want to write — British historical or Cowboy contemporary. I guess it comes down to I live the cowboy essence, so my very proper Brits will just have to keep sipping tea.

    Thanks for having me, Pepper! This is so much fun!
    -audra

    Reply
  5. Pam

    Reading about Gabe was fun. Timeless Treasures is the one that knocks your socks off! Some publisher is gonna be very lucky to snap you up, Audra!

    Reply
  6. Myra Johnson

    Fun to learn more about your writing and characters, Audra! Here’s to seeing them come to life in published form very, very soon!

    Reply
  7. pepperbasham

    Look at that wonderful Seekers turnout! Fantastic. Of course, I can count on you guys 😉
    Audra, it’s such a delight to get to know more about you and your writing. It’s been one of my favorite things about this process. Now I need to encourage Glynna and Ruthy to ‘volunteer’ for their chance on the blog too, right? (hint, hint)

    Reply
  8. pepperbasham

    Pam too!!

    Reply
  9. Audra

    Sorry I”ve been MIA. Leaving tomorrow for a week and a half and work is just messing up my day!

    Thanks everyone for the kind words and encouragement! Glynna, Ruthy, Pam! Pepper is a fantastic hostess! As a matter of fact, for Seeker sake, I’ve pulled an Apple Crisp out of the oven for our Thanksgiving dinner here at work and lookie there! I’ve got an extra! So enjoy the treat complete with French Vanilla ice cream : )

    Pepper, I love what you offer authors here at Faith and Fiction on Fire! Awesome opportunity to chat!

    Reply
    • pepperbasham

      I’ll take some of that Apple Crisp, Audra. Wonderful! And…so you know, I’m in the process of searching for the best ‘cowboy’ picture for a hero in my wip. It’s not a ‘cowboy’ book – but a contemporary spinoff of My Fair Lady set in Appalachia 😉
      I’m a speech-pathologist so this is going to be FUN!!

      Reply
  10. Missy Tippens

    Great post, Audra! You know, it’s hard to believe, but I don’t think I’ve ever read any of your manuscripts! You need to send me something. 🙂

    Thanks for the run interviews, Pepper!

    Reply
    • pepperbasham

      Oh thanks, Missy. You’re as sweet as Audra’s Apple Crisp.

      Reply
  11. Audra

    Missy’s southern.

    Of course she’s sweet : )

    Reply
  12. pepperbasham

    Oh Audra,
    That’s my FAVORITE stereotype of all 😉

    Reply
  13. Audra

    Thank you for having me today, Pepper! So enjoyed popping in and visiting : )

    Reply
  14. Leslie Ann aka LA

    Audra,
    You surprised me. I would have thought your PP characters, though I love Gabe and Jen is going to be a hoot. It’s been an honor to watch them come alive.

    Precious Possessions…I can’t WAIT for your characters to stop sipping tea and start knocking around in your head to get out and dance on those pages again.
    Love you, drive carefully. And thanks 🙁 for the ‘crisp…more pounds to the hips, girl!

    Reply
  15. Mary Connealy

    Pepper and Audra. What a great interview.
    🙂

    Reply
  16. Cheryl Wyatt

    Great post, Audra! I KNOW you’re on the verge of selling. Love your stories.

    C

    Reply
  17. Julie

    Sorry I’m late — didn’t know you were here till today! I simply CANNOT WAIT to read an Audra Harders book!!!! Great interview Pepper and Audra!

    Hugs,
    Julie

    Reply

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