Spotlight on Susan Page Davis and Gunsmith's Gallantry

Don't forget the new rules of the spotlights here. Random questions will be inserted in each spotlight for you to find and answer in the comments in order to be entered. So, be on the lookout!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUSAN PAGE DAVIS is the author of thirty novels. She and her husband Jim, a freelance editor, live in Kentucky with the youngest two of their six children. They also have six wonderful grandchildren. A native of Maine, Susan is adjusting to life in the South She’s an ACFW Book of the Year Winner, a two-time Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest Winner, and her July book, The Crimson Cipher, from Summerside Press, was named a Top Pick at Romantic Times Book Reviews.

GUNSMITH'S GALLANTRY
by Susan Page Davis
Published by Barbour Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

The shy gunsmith has problems—women problems!

Hiram Dooley’s sister Gert is about to leave him to get married—if Sheriff Ethan Chapman would ever propose; his sister-in-law, Rose, thinks Hiram should marry her, since they’re both widowed; and the woman he truly loves, Libby Adams, is blind to his regard.

Schoolmarm Isabel Fennel has a different problem—a man claiming to be her uncle came to town…and then disappeared. She’s afraid her has to do with his disappearance. Hiram helps the sheriff end a brawl at Bitsy Shepard’s saloon, and a mysterious stranger claims to be heir to a mining claim. The mayhem continues when Cyrus Fennel shows up with a black eye and tries to sell his land.

Can Hiram and the sheriff, along with Libby and the other members of the Ladies’ Shooting Club, discover what’s behind the mysterious events in Fergus? Will the uproar derail Hiram and Libby’s blooming romance, or can the Ladies’ Shooting Club save the day once again?

Readers, buy your copy of Gunsmith's Gallantry today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

It grew out of the first book, The Sheriff’s Surrender. Hiram’s story was begging to be told. I knew it would take drastic events to get him to step up, so I put him in several uncomfortable situations. My husband used to be a gunsmith, and he was a big help on this series. Also, I wanted to deal with Cyrus Fennel, the man everyone in Fergus loved to hate.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

Not a lot, other than having lived in the West and visited the Idaho mountains.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Hiram would be plain vanilla. Libby is black cherry—in a crystal dish.

4. Are there any themes in Gunsmith's Gallantry that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Forgiveness and trust are big in this book and the entire series. Hiram can barely trust anyone enough to talk to them. Libby must trust her own instincts and forgive the annoying people in her life. Trudy has to trust Ethan and forgive his foibles. Isabel has perhaps the biggest leap—trying to trust her father.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

My favorite part was the first time Hiram went into the Spur & Saddle with Ethan. The hardest was the big event at the ranch near the end of the book. I won’t say too much, but it took some choreography.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

My July book is The Crimson Cipher, set in 1915. Emma Shutser’s father is murdered. The Navy was going to try to entice him to go back into the Signal Corps and solve ciphers. After his death, they recruit Emma instead. She soon finds herself pitted against an unseen enemy known as Kobold (German for “goblin”). As saboteurs work to prevent America from joining the Allies in war, Emma and her colleagues try to stop them.

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Thank you, Susan, for being in the spotlight with us.

NEW!! Readers, answer the question associated with the spotlight in the comments, then leave your email address for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Gunsmith's Gallantry. If you do not answer the question, you will not be entered.

Question: You may not have had to back your friend up in a saloon brawl, but when was the last time you had to step outside your comfort zone, and how did you deal with it?

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

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