Sharon Mignerey
Interviewed by: Lauretta Pierce
I'm married to my best friend, and have been for
more years than seems possible. Our two daughters are grown and on
their own. Along the way I've had a few careers: selling cameras,
owning a secretarial service, being a technical writer, and a short
stint as a professional development manager. Of these, I was a
technical writer the longest and wrote software documentation for
mainframe computer programs. The rulers of my house are two lhasa apsos
(both rescue dogs) and a cat.
Forever, or sometimes that's how it seems. I've always wanted to write
novels from the time I was in second grade and learned stories could be
made from the sentences we had to write that demonstrated we knew what
the spelling words meant. Through the years I was raising my children
and pursuing other careers, I always wrote on the side, and I always had
my dream focused on being a published novelist.
My inspiration was a classic case of working through my frustration
about a personal situation. I had a business that failed, and in the
middle of all that turmoil, an aha! came to me--what if a man and a
woman on opposite sides of a bitter lawsuit were destined for each
other? It was clear to me that my personal situation wasn't going to
have a happy outcome--at least not for me. But I'm always looking for a
way for good to manifest itself. Two things did for me. First, I'm a
lot wiser. Second, I was given the idea for this story--and the good
that has come out of that far outweighs the negatives I was encountering
at the time.
For me, the core of any book is always character. I see plot and
character as two sides of the same coin, and they evolve together.
After I had the initial idea, I asked lots of questions, which is
basically the process I go through for any book. Most important for me
are to know why a character holds the particular core values and beliefs
they do. Then, story evolves to put those values and beliefs to the
test. From the beginning, I had the idea that Brenna and Cole, the
attorney for the man suing her, would fall in love, and I also knew that
she would lose the lawsuit against her. That presents a pretty big
obstacle in the relationship. But that wasn't enough to sustain a whole
novel. The process of developing back story and conflict enough to
sustain a story is partly employing tools (such as questions like: what
is this character's most powerful dream? Greatest regret? Most valued
possession? Worst memory, and so on) and mostly magic where odd bits
come to you while you're doing dishes or walking the dogs.
I have my editor to thank for that title. The working title for the
book was "Small Deceptions." I like "Cassidy's Courtship" a lot and I
think my editor's instincts were good.
My answer to this question will also include the answers to several of
the other questions. In the process of brain storming, I knew I needed
something special to keep this woman, who was being sued, from being a
victim and from looking stupid for getting herself into the situation.
Out of that idea, I had a flash that she was illiterate. Immediately, I
realized that what I knew about illiteracy was filled with
misconceptions and stereotypes. To make Brenna a functioning adult who
was hiding this thing that shamed her, I needed a back story that made
sense--hence the military family that moved around a lot and where the
kids went from school to school to school. The kid who falls through
the cracks and is able to get through school without being able to read
is all too common. And every one of those kids has coping mechanisms.
I found all that research fascinating and incorporated into Brenna's
character as much realism as I could manage within the frame of a
romance novel. I also liked the idea of her being part of a family
where excelling was expected--a circumstance that would make her choices
all the more difficult for her.
In building a romance novel, a central question a writer must ask is:
why are these two people perfect for each other and why is a
happily-ever-after impossible? If that happy ending is possible, then
there's no conflict and no novel. So, as I'm developing characters,
there's a give and take in finding things that draw them together
(compatible values, for instance) and in finding things that keep them
apart. Since Brenna was a drop out, it made sense to me that Cole
should be a well educated man. Since she had grown up moving all the
time, he should have deep roots. Since she couldn't rely on her father
to provide her with love and respect, he should have that from his
father. And most importantly, he needed to be tough enough and strong
enough to protect her but with absolutely no threat ever directed toward
her.
I'm not quite sure how that all evolved--part of the magic of the
creative process. I did know that I wanted there to be a hint that he
was redeemable at the end of the book. An important point to remember
with all secondary characters is they are the heroes of their own
stories. So, I needed reasons for him to be the way he was, and the
context for his need for perfection came out of putting him in a
situation where men could die if less than the best was given. The
difference between being a hero and a villain is often a matter of
degree. A hero is strong, whereas the villain takes that strength to
the next (unacceptable) level of abuse or absolute control.
All the research I did indicates this is commonly the way it is, and
I've seen it that way for myself. Sad, though, and something (as a
society) we're gradually becoming more aware of.
So far. The next question that follows is why? I've always been most
interested in the way relationships between men and women come about, so
it's a natural that I'd be drawn to romance. For a long time, romances
were the only genre in which women were the heroes of their own stories
without being the side kick or the object of lust/love/attraction for
the male hero. Only in romance did she get her dream ... and the guy,
too. The evolution of stories within romance over the last fifty years
have been very much a reflection of women themselves, how they view
themselves in the world, and the kinds of opportunities open to them.
When you look at many of the New York Times best selling women authors
today, they have their roots in the romance genre, even if they are no
longer writing romance. And those books share in common a legacy of
romance: the heroes are often female, and the outcome of the story
depends on them. I love being part of that, and I'm very proud of the
legacy.
I've just finished my sixth novel, tentatively entitled IN TOO DEEP, and
it will be released in June 2003 from Silhouette Intimate Moments.
You can usually find me in my office at the computer with the music
blaring, two lhasa apsos asleep at my feet, and clutter on my desk.
When I get stuck, I'll take my notebook (not a computer, but an old
fashioned notebook and a pen) to the library or the food court at the
mall or the coffee shop. A change of pace and scenery usually does the
trick in opening up new ideas.
I'd love readers to come away with one of my core beliefs. Dreams can
come true when you're willing to work for them .. so always hang onto
the dream, always believe.
Cassidy's Courtship
September 26, 2002
2. How long have you been writing?
3. What inspired you to write the novel "Cassidy's Courtship?"
4. How did you come about the plot for "Cassidy's Courtship?"
5. How did you come about the title for "Cassidy's Courtship?"
6. How did you come about Brenna James character?
7. How did you come about Cole's character?
8. How did you come about the relationship with Brenna and her father?
9. Why didn't Brenna's mother have any control over how her husband treated Brenna?
10. Is romance the only genre you write?
11. How many book have you written?
12. What type of atmosphere do you require to write?
13. What message would you like readers to receive from reading "Cassidy's Courtship?"