Shawna Williams' "The Good Fight"

Title: The Good Fight.
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing.

Cover blurb: Roger Talbot's life is defined by his devotion to public service. Having just successfully prosecuted a brutal murder case, Roger turns his attention to discovering the shady dealings of Niles Parker -- the town's former mayor, Roger's old boss and the father of the woman Roger almost married.

Pennye Carrington ran away from Port Delamar with plans never to return. However, learning that her brother had murdered a family member of a famous movie star changed those plans. Pennye comes back with the hope of bringing stability to a family in disarray, but facing the torment of her childhood may be more than she can handle.

Roger's mission to bring down Niles Parker and Pennye's desire to keep her brothers out of trouble create a middle ground, where two people who couldn't be further apart, embark on a danger-filled journey of discovery to find themselves and each other.

1) How did this story come to you?
After the release of No Other, my debut novel, I had several readers ask me if the sequel, In All Things -- which was already under contract based on a proposal -- was going to be about Roger, Jakob’s rival in No Other. When I told them that it wasn’t, they expressed disappointment. While writing In All Things, however, his character crept in unexpectedly, and in a rather profound way. He was hardly present throughout the book, but his name and the impact he’d had on Jakob in the previous book kept coming up. When In All Things released, once again I had readers asking me if I was going to write a book about Roger. As I looked at certain elements of the story, I realized that the relationship between Jakob and Roger wasn’t quite finished, and that it would also serve as the cohesion in a three book series if I chose to write another book. Furthermore, Roger was a rather interesting character with a unique angle from which to explore. So, here it is. The Good Fight is the third book in what I’ve dubbed, “The Series I Didn’t Intend to Write but My Readers Made Me Do It.”

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I pitched this book with a proposal. The other two books had been met with a favorable response by readers, so Gail Delaney, the EIC of Desert Breeze was excited about the prospect of a third book. We both just wish we’d known this would turn into a series a little sooner so we could’ve given it an official title.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) I write Historicals, but I’m equally fond of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
2) I’m a small person, but I can out eat a giant if it’s Mexican food -- especially if it’s spicy.
3) I once performed a dance routine on a television show in Hong Kong.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I edit for two publishers, so at the moment I’m playing catch-up on some work, but I’m about to sign a contract for a sequel to my Christmas story Orphaned Hearts, which released last December with Desert Breeze. I’m also working on a story called Memoirs of a Ghost Town. It’s not a romance, and it blends a contemporary story with one set in the past. I’m unsure right now as to where I’ll pitch it. I need to finish it first.

5) Parting comments?
While The Good Fight is the third book in a series, it is written so that it can be enjoyed as a stand alone. It’s also different than the other two books in that it’s a romantic suspense and the other two are more romantic drama-ish. I wanted to take advantage of Roger’s job as District Attorney and the fact that readers have been itching to see Niles Parker experience some sort of consequence for being his sorry self. The character of Pennye became one of my favorites during the writing process. I could easily relate to her sense of adventure and sympathize with her insecurities.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.shawnakwilliams.com/
http://shawnawilliams-oldsmobile.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/shawnakwilliams
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shawna-K-Williams/236629884245