At His Command

Interview with Brenda Coulter

1. Where did you get the idea for your story?My editor asked me to write Book 3 of the six-book, multi-author "Homecoming Heroes" series. She gave me the names and ages of the hero and heroine, their current occupations, and said she wanted a story about a jaded older man who finds himself charmed by a younger woman.

2. How did it become a part of the Homecoming Heroes series?(See above.)

3. What gave you the idea for the plot?I really couldn't say. I fiddled with and discarded several ideas before it started coming together. That's how it always works for me.

4. What inspired the title for you story?It was assigned by my editor. I have to say I had a problem with it at first, because "At His Command" suggests the hero is a military officer--and when the book opened, my hero had already left the army and become a civilian attorney. But then it occurred to me that "At His Command" could be a reference to the fact that by the end of the story, both the hero and heroine have decided to serve God fully. So that worked out great.

5. What was the most difficult thing about writing Jake and Maddie’s story?I really don't think in terms of "easy" parts and "hard" parts when I'm writing. It's all a wonderful challenge!

6. How much research did you have to do?Quite a bit. But it was all fascinating, especially what I learned about Apache helicopters.

7. What advice would you give to those desiring to write romance?Read romance every day. Pay special attention to how the author is whipping up your emotions and try to figure out what techniques she's using to accomplish that. Romance is all about emotion!

8. What was your favorite thing about writing At His Command?As always, I loved writing the "guy" scenes, especially the ones where you see Jake's befuddlement over his developing love for Maddie.

9. How long have you been writing? How many other books have you written? How many published? I began writing in December 2000. Not counting my work-in-progress, I have completed seven romance novels and sold four of them.

10. Any words of wisdom for new writers?Don't take yourself too seriously. Have fun!

Thanks Brenda, this is a great book and hope many go out and buy it.