Q. Why did you choose Montana as the backdrop for the Calder series? What is it about this part of the country that attracted you to it? Why do you think your readers are so drawn to this particular setting?

A. I wanted to have the Calder ranch located in the section of the West that was not densely populated. I had narrowed my choice to Wyoming and Montana. Like Texas, they both have the cachet that says “West.” While researching Montana, I discovered that eastern Montana had been settled mostly by Texans. That cinched a Montana ranch with Texas roots. It also determined the title of the first Calder novel I wrote in Big Sky County. I couldn't call it anything else but Calder Sky. The appeal of the setting is, I believe, based on our romance with the West

Q. The Calder family is in many ways, the quintessential American family. What qualities do you think they possess that have made so many readers from all over the world fall in love with them?

A. The Calders, while they seem bigger-than-life, aren't perfect. Each has his or her own faults and failings, but their desire is always to do the “right” thing. It's what I admire about them and I think the readers do, too.

Q. You show a great deal of range in your novels, from the lighthearted, enchanting romance in your latest New York Times bestseller, A Capital Holiday to the intricate and controversial themes and complex characters featured in the Calder series. Do you prefer one style of writing in particular? What are the challenges you face when writing a series compared to those of a stand-alone novel?

A. I never consider the novel I'm working on to be one style or another, or whether any of its themes or characters are controversial. I write what the story in my head dictates. Obviously writing humor is a lot of fun, and a great change of pace, but it is also very hard. Writing a series of novels is always a big challenge, mainly because what you write in one invariably has an impact on others. In the Calders I am constrained both by location and occupation. Mostly it's self-imposed. I don't want to write about the Calders being artists or actors; I want them to be ranchers in Montana. I think that's what the readers want too.

Q. You often confront topics that other authors might consider too controversial to take on. Why do you feel that it's so important to explore these issues, and is there one in particular that you feel most strongly about?

A. Life is full of controversy. Sometimes it's difficult to understand both sides of an issue. The only way I know how to accomplish that is to humanize. You can like a character but not agree with them. Perhaps fiction plays a role in teaching tolerance or a deeper understanding.

Q. In all of your Calder novels, you portray strong, proud women. Do you have a favorite female character among the members of the Calder family? Is there one with whom you most identify?

A. Where the Calders are concerned, it is next to impossible to have favorite characters, male or female. Obviously Maggie occupies a special place. And I greatly admire Jessy—she is a true woman of the new west. But if I have to pick one, it would be Lorna. She left comfort and conveniences of home and family to raise a family on the frontier. Her growth from a girl to a strong woman is one I take pride in.

Q. When you began writing the saga of the Calder family, did you have an idea of how the series would proceed, or did the lives of your characters develop differently than you originally envisioned?

A. Every Calder has his or her own story. Sometimes I am surprised as the reader. I don't pre-plan stories from one to the next. I write one, then start the next. It's amazing how often I unknowingly planted the seeds for the next in the prior novel.

Q. You portray Ty Calder as a man that women love to fight for, whether it's his ex-wife, Tara, his current wife, Jessy, or his sister, Cat. What do think makes him so irresistible to the women in his life, and to your readers?

A. I have always seen Ty as somewhat of an underdog. He didn't have the advantage of being born and raised on the Triple C. So his fight has always been to be a Calder. And we are all rooting for him to succeed.

Q. What are you planning next for the Calder Family?

A. What's coming in the next Calder novel? That will take 150,000 words to explain. But there are some great surprises in it.

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