Darlene Franklin's Gunfight at Grace Gulch

We're happy to have Darlene Franklin with us today talking about her book, Gunfight at Grace Gulch. To learn more about Darlene and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
When I decided to write a mystery in a small town, I had no hesitation about the setting: Oklahoma, in a place settled during one of the land runs. When the people of Grace Gulch reenacts the most famous gunfight in town history, one of the actors falls dead of a real gunshot. A brief newspaper paragraph about a vintage clothing store inspired my heroine, Cici Wilde. She provided the costumes for the actors, her sister handled the prop guns, and her old boyfriend shot it. She had plenty of reasons to want to solve it!

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
My first book (Romanian Rhapsody) came out in 2005. As proposal after proposal was rejected, I began to fear I would be a one book wonder. When Barbour opened the Heartsong Presents: Mysteries! line, I gained new hope. Susan Downs gave me a lot of guidance as I submitted two rejected manuscripts before Grace Gulch sold.
On a bittersweet note, I received my advance copies the week my daughter died in 2008. A year later, my second mystery (A String of Murders) was released as part of the final shipment of Heartsong Presents: Mysteries! books. The third Grace Gulch novel (Paint Me a Puzzle) is currently scheduled for release in 2011.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m a huge sports fan—I miss my Colorado teams, here in Oklahoma!
My favorite colors are yellow and red.
I was on the Howdy Doody show when I was a kid. (That dates me!)

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just finished the rough draft of a manuscript that has been requested on spec. Huge relief. Now I’m starting on my next contracted book, book 3 of the historical Vermont series. Love’s Raid was inspired by the northernmost battle of the Civil War—St. Albans’ Raid. When the bank in Maple Notch is robbed, Constable Daniel Tuttle doesn’t if the work of Confederates—or someone much closer to home.

5) Parting comments?
Thank you for having me on your blog, Dawn! I love a good mystery and was delighted in the opportunity to create my own heroine!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I have two blogs: http://www.darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com/ and http://www.thebookdoctorbd.blogspot.com/. I also have an author page at amazon.com.