Jill McDonald-Constable On Writing Westerns and Her Love of the Genre

Under the pseudonym of Amos Carr, Jill McDonald-Constable has written numerous westerns for the Robert Hale Ltd Black Horse Western series. A passionate writer for many years, she tells us why she loves the western genre and just how she ended up being given an Indian name herself.

Where did your love of Westerns come from?

I’m an outdoor girl, that’s probably why I like Westerns. I was brought up surrounded by animals, and spent more time with horses than with people, which may just be why I put so many ‘horsey’ details in my books. I loved watching Western films and series, but never read a Western book. I was always really rooting for the Indians though. I have spent all my life writing in various genres, but the way I finally broke into Westerns is a series of strange occurrences.

My husband, Cris, never knew who his real father was, and often expressed a wish to find out. One birthday, I bought him a DNA test - it was eventually published on an ancestry web site. Within a few weeks, we had a match with someone in America, who, it turned out, is Cris’s second cousin, their fathers used to play together! Then, we discovered their great, great-grandfather had been a Chippewa chief! So from being a fan of Indians all my life, I am now married to one, and we have both been bestowed with Indian names!

Then, a little while after that discovery, I had a dream one night, which gave me the title; and almost the whole plot for a Western. I wrote it down, and sent it off to Hale. It was accepted almost immediately. When I told my mother I was at last going to be published, she asked what the book was. When I told her, she paled. Her father had never read anything but Westerns. (He had died before I was old enough to know what he was reading, and Mum had never been ‘bookish’). My second book was written, and accepted, very quickly, and now I can’t seem to stop writing Westerns. Maybe Grandad Harold is guiding my pen? I like to think so, as, somehow, I am able to write them quickly, and directly onto the computer, whereas everything else I write has always, for years, been done in longhand, then entered into the computer.

And the final, spooky coincidence is this – I live in a little place named Clayton-le-Moors, and the actor who played the original Lone Ranger was named Clayton Moore! This sounds more like the Twilight Zone than the Wild West!

What attracts you to writing about the Wild West?

I believe that it is the freedom of the age. There were very few frontiers then, and people were free to roam all the wide open spaces without constraint. I like that.

Westerns are traditionally written by men. What do you think the differences are between those books and your own?

I think that maybe my Westerns are a little ‘softer’ than those written by men, with more of a feminine presence, and dare I say, some romance? Those written by the men tend more towards violence, and for the most part, their women, if any, are still very minor characters.

What are your favourite characters from Western books, films or tv?

As a young girl, my favourite Western character was Little Joe, from Bonanza (just because he looked pretty!) Tonto was a favourite too, because he always saved Lone Ranger’s hide! It really depends what I am watching at the time.

Although there is one older Native American actor, Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves) – he’s a brilliant actor, and always has a twinkle in his eye, and his tongue firmly in his cheek. I find that very attractive.

What’s next for Amos Carr?

Next is my second book Crazy Man Cade, due out in October. Then I have three other Westerns at various stages of production, hoping for at least one or two out next year. (My alter ego is also working on three other books in different genres.)

If you would like to read excerpts, or more about McDonald-Constable, go to www.womanwholeads.webs.com

For more information on Robert Hale Ltd’s Black Horse Western series, check out our website.

Author Interview: Peter Cottrell Explains Why He Made the Move From Non-Fiction to Fiction

You’ve already published non-fiction books on the history of Ireland. What made you make the move into fiction?

I grew up reading swashbuckling adventure stories and absolutely love reading historical fiction. So, after writing a couple of non-fiction books about the Anglo-Irish troubles that followed the Great War, I decided to have a go at taking some of the incidents that I’d come across in my research and string them together to tell a story that captures the atmosphere of being a policeman in the Royal Irish Constabulary.  That way, I thought I could reach a wider audience than just those people who would choose to read straight history with a fascinating, albeit sadly neglected facet of our history.  I really think it’s important to get the details right so I have tried to be as accurate as possible.  Consequently, most of the events and many of the characters in the book are based on historical fact – IRA man Emmet Dalton really did win a Military Cross whilst serving in the British Army; Drumlish was attacked by the IRA; Constable Mullan died in an IRA ambush at Gaigue Cross and DI Philip Kelleher really was gunned down in mysterious circumstances in a Republican bar having a drink with IRA leader Michael Collins’s girlfriend!  Truth is often stranger than fiction and the more I researched for my non-fiction the more I realized that there was a story to be told.

England’s Janissary is about one man’s disillusionment with war. Why did you choose this area for your first novel?

The protagonist, Kevin Flynn, is a war veteran whose experiences in the Great War not only made him a ‘hero’ but stripped him of his innocence.  In a way there are no heroes or villains in this story, just men tainted by violence and unlike many of us, Flynn has no illusions about what he is capable of and the story looks at how he copes with that unpalatable truth.   In a way the book isn’t just about one man’s disillusionment with war but rather his disillusionment with himself.  Although my own experiences on operations don’t come anywhere close to those who fought in the Great War, I decided that it would be sensible to write what I know – so there are elements of me in Flynn, as well as elements of soldiers and policemen that I have known.  Flynn has mixed feelings about violence; as do many of the characters in the book.  He sees violence as a means to an end, but is not convinced that the ends in the story merit it.  Faced with the turmoil of post-war Ireland, Flynn joins the police, partly to try and recapture the sense of belonging the war gave him and peace took away and partially because he his sickened by the willingness of some to turn to violence to get their way.  Whilst Flynn is fictional he is an amalgam of several men I came across during my research.  Ultimately, I chose this theme for my first novel because I wanted to try and bring out many of the problems soldiers have when they come home from war, whether it was Flanders in 1918 or Afghanistan today; and I chose an ex-Dublin Fusilier turned RIC policeman because there few books who tell the story of this period of Anglo-Irish history through the eyes of men like Flynn.

How much is your experience in the Territorial Army; Regular Army and the Royal Navy reflected in the detail of the novel?

To be honest it was crucial in being able to write England’s Janissary.  I always get frustrated when I read books or watch films about conflict that get things wrong and it is easy to tell whether a writer or film maker has actually spoken to a soldier, let alone been one.  Hopefully the fact that I have first-hand experience of military life and operations comes through in the book.  I served as the Deputy Team Leader of the UN Military Observer team in Mostar during the Bosnian war where I experienced first-hand what it felt like to be shelled and shot at.  I also served for over three and a half years in Northern Ireland and based many of the characters in England’s Janissary on members of the RUC and Royal Irish Regiment that I came into contact with.  It also helped that my brother was an inspector in the Metropolitan Police so I based some of the characters on policemen I met through him as well.

What tips would you give any non-fiction authors looking to make the move into novel writing?

I think I would repeat the advice that I was given by an author friend when I decided to write historical fiction. Don’t write history with a bit of a story, tell a story with historical background.

England’s Janissary is out now in hardback.

Check out the Facebook page for England’s Janissary here.

Author Interview: Jan Jones Discusses Her RoNA Rose Award Nomination and All Things Romance

Credit: John Robertson

Congratulations on your nomination for The RoNA Rose Award for The Kydd Inheritance. How does it feel to be nominated?

Thank you, I’m absolutely thrilled! This is the third year running that I’ve been shortlisted for the award (it was previously called the Love Story of the Year). I’ve been up against very strong stories each time, so I’m delighted that the reading panel enjoy my books enough to include them on the shortlists.

Why do you think the Romance genre is so popular?

I think love, companionship and happiness are things that everybody wants. They make your heart beat faster, they make the day brighter. Reading about characters you care for going on that journey and finding that bond makes you feel good by proxy. It lifts the soul.

Why did you choose to write Romance books?

I write books that I’d like to read. (I also write mystery serials and general-interest short stories.) In the case of the romances, I get caught up with my characters and want to write their story. I also want to make my readers happy!

Where do the ideas for your books come from?

There are no shortage of ideas in my head – it’s more a case of which ones make short stories, which ones are suitable for magazine serials and which ones have the potential for a full novel. I usually start off with the main characters and the situation and take it from there. I normally know what the ending will be, and a couple of key scenes along the way, but the rest of the book comes from the development of the characters themselves. It is as much a delight for me to find out about and write as it is – I hope – for readers to read.

How useful do you find it, as a writer, to belong to like-minded societies like the RNA?

Oh, beyond compare. Writers are generally a bit odd, living inside our heads as we do for long periods of time. It was a huge relief to me when I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association and discovered masses of other people who did just the same. I’ve made a lot of very good friends through the RNA whom I would never have met otherwise. On the business side, The RNA also has parties which are tremendous for networking, and they run conferences where we can all hone our craft, brush up on our PR, find out about the latest opportunities and trends, or simply talk about work.

As a regular tweeter, do you recommend it to would-be writers as a source of support?

Definitely. The lovely thing about Twitter is that you don’t have to be glued to it all the time, but it is there whenever you need a tiny break. Any time of the day or night you can log on and chat to someone. It’s a good source of answers to quick questions, it is lovely for cyber-hugs if you feel a bit low or convinced that what you’ve just written is rubbish. It’s good for keeping in contact with existing friends and for making new ones. Getting a Twitter response is instant gratification – it reminds you that you are not alone in the universe.

The Kydd Inheritance is out now in hardback.

You can follow Jan on Twitter @janjonesauthor or check out her blog.

If you would like more information about the Romantic Novelists’ Association, check out their website.