Deborah Swenson
Author Interview - Deborah Swenson
Author of Till My Last Day, Book Two in the Desert Hills Trilogy
Rebecca Young Ackerman was raised to be a prominent lady in Boston society in the late 1880s. Being the dutiful daughter, albeit young and naïve, she always did as her father said. When he marries her off to a man of his choosing, she soon realizes how fast dreams of marital bliss can fall apart. Fearing for her life, an unexpected telegram regarding her brother, Caleb Young, gives her the opportunity she needs to take her boys and flee from her narcissistic husband. Always looking over her shoulder, her fear is real. Traveling across the country, a chance encounter with a certain gentleman finds herself wishing for a better life.
Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Burns In 2016, Nathaniel Burns, a well-respected police officer serving the tough neighborhood of Roxbury in Boston, finds his partner and himself answering a domestic violence call one airless summer night. Events unfold quickly and he suddenly finds life as he once knew it coming to a tragic end. Due to his mother’s ‘Celtic Gift,’ Nathaniel is transported back to 1875 to begin life anew. What he didn’t expect was to fall in love with a lady in peril in the Yuma desert of 1880.
Author Interview - Deborah Swenson
Author I draw inspiration from:
I draw inspiration from my love of watching the old Westerns with my Dad. Those memories I hold dear to my heart. Also, the books of the West by authors of Women Writing the West, romance books from Robyn Carr, Shirleen Davies, Shanna Hatfield, and many more.
Author Interview - Deborah Swenson | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Curled up in my favorite chair in my front room with a cup of tea while looking at the water and mountain views that surround me. Or when the weather is warmer, on my deck in my oversized wicker chair (same views) but with a glass of ice tea.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Walt Longmire, the iconic hero from Craig Johnson's 'Longmire' series.
I'm standing at the back of a crowd of strangers in a business center waiting for one of six elevator doors to open when two doors open at the same time. The crowd surges forward to the right elevator. I saw that it was going to be too crowded, so I alone chose to take the one to my left. Standing with my foot poised to move over the threshold, I stopped and came face to face with a tall, lanky cowboy leaning against the back wall of the elevator. It was him. From the top of his hat to the toes of his worn boots, he is pure cowboy through and through. He's not overly handsome, but there is something that draws me to his rugged and weathered look. Swallowing, I look down like a schoolgirl with her first crush, then back up into his crystal blue eyes. He smiles, tips his Stetson, and says, "Good Morning, Ma'am." I could barely choke out a whispered reply, but I managed, "Yes, it is." Then I say to myself, "Indeed it is."
Author Interview - Deborah Swenson | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I did technical writing during my nursing/ARNP career and was lucky to be published with a well-known healthcare publisher (W.B. Saunders Company). In 2013 I decided that I wanted to write something more fun. It was at that time I happily dove head-first in the literary world.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback: it feels as though I have something substantial in my hands. There's a certain craftmanship that goes into creating it. I think of the old libraries of Europe with their shelves filled with ancient volumes of master works whose hardcovers have become worn through the ages from the hands that have touched them. Unfortunately, hardbacks are a bit cumbersome to carry in a handbag or takes up too much space in a suitcase and can be on the pricy side.
Paperback: It still gives the reader the tactile feel of having the story in at their fingertips. Both my books are in the larger size paperback and I will say the price is more reasonable that a hardcover. Paperbacks can still pose difficulties with carrying but after hours of reading the smell of the paper is calming.
eBook: I read an eBook on my phone or laptop. I prefer the laptop because I can increase the size of the font. After spending the day at the computer writing this becomes very handy. There is also the ease and convenience of carrying an eBook on a tablet devise.
Audiobook: I've tried listening to eBooks but I find them distracting because it was usually when my concentration needed to be focused on the project I was working on (quilting and spinning fiber) or the road if driving.
The last book I read:
Women In White Coats, How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine by Olivia Campbell (2021). Park Row Books.
The author is a journalist specializing in medicine and women. Since my entire career focused on healthcare, I found this book fascinating, well-researched, and definitely well-written. At times, it made me angry and sad in regards to how women hoping to enter medicine were treated in a male-dominated field. Campbell takes the reader on an often unforgiving journey yet shows these women’s grit and perseverance while delving deep into the lives and struggles of several women doctors in both the US and the UK.
Author Interview - Deborah Swenson | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer is my method of choice for writing unless I'm away from my office and a story line or character pops into my head. I do keep a pencil and paper on my nightstand when a character calls out in the middle of the night to argue with me or to add or change their voice. It's those 2 am wake ups that can drive a writer crazy.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Pearl O'Callaghan who is the head housekeeper in my second book. She is an older (60s) Irish lass with a heart of gold, but one you don't mess with when it comes to protecting her Mistress and her two sons. She actually reminds me of my dearest friend of 50 years.
Author Interview - Deborah Swenson | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I've already had a very rewarding career in healthcare and to be honest, it checked all the boxes of what I wanted to be at the time. But, if I had to chose my dream career it would have been to be a volunteer in 3rd world countries.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
1880-1910. Call me old fashioned or born in the wrong time period, I loved the clothes during this era. They were elegant, flowing and modest and showed very little skin like today.
Place I’d most like to travel:
First and the easiest would be Eastern Washington. The vast differences seen from the West and East side of the Cascade Mountain range is amazing. The beauty of the rolling wheat fields and endless roads of solitude to travel make it my first choice. Returning to Ireland and researching my ancestry is a definite second.
My signature drink:
Tea, Tea, Tea! Or, a nicely made Cosmopolitan.
Favorite artist:
Albert Bierstadt and Charles Russel. Both artists of the West.
Music: Justin Moore, Dirks & Bentley and the late Toby Keith.
Number one on my bucket list:
Finishing my screenplay on my first book in the Desert Hills Trilogy.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Feeling Blessed: I have met so many great and humble authors and writers in the past ten years. It is nice to know I can reach out and know that other writers may be experiencing the same angst and joys as me, and we can commiserate through the difficult times and rejoice in each other's success.
Find more from the author:
https://www.facebook.com/deborahswensonauthor
https://www.instagram.com/deborahswensonauthor
About Deborah Swenson:
Author Interview - Deborah Swenson
Deborah Swenson is an award-winning author of Till My Last Breath, Book One in the Desert Hills Trilogy, and the newly released (2024) Till My Last Day, Book Two in the Desert Hills Trilogy.
She was New England born, Northwest raised, and is at home writing from an island in the Pacific Northwest. Her love of writing Western fiction began years ago, spurred on by memories of watching the wonderful classic Western movies with her Dad. When she writes, the stories seem to evolve naturally, like a movie playing out in her mind, allowing her to fall in love with her characters.
She was educated at local universities with undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner specializing in high-risk obstetrics. She had a lengthy and rewarding career that afforded her opportunities to write and publish nursing texts and articles and serve on an editorial advisory board for a nurse practitioner magazine.
Deborah has taken college writing courses and screenwriting classes, along with attending various conferences and writing workshops. It is through the encouragement of a dear friend that her dream of writing and being published has become a reality.
What keeps her excited about writing is her Faith, Family, and Friends.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys spinning fiber, quilting, photography, and reading. But most definitely, sitting by a fire with a hot cup of tea and reading a great Western romance completes her day.
