Wednesday, September 6, 2017

The Mine Welcomes Historical Western Author Kari Trumbo

This week I am thrilled to introduce you to Kari Trumbo. Kari writes historic western fiction. Her newest series, Seven Brides of South Dakota follows several sisters as they find love in (you guessed it) South Dakota.

Here's a peek at Kari's latest release: Romance in Rapid

Frances Arnsby has only three weeks to learn about romance.


That’s all the time she has before the stagecoach whisks her back to Deadwood. Excited about a glowing future as a romance dime novelist, her hopes are dashed when her manuscript fails to connect. She hasn’t lived enough. Her dream will be over before it even starts if she doesn’t add life, love…passion.

Chief reporter Clive Davidson is intrigued by the vibrant woman submitting her work to the paper. But when his plan to help goes horribly wrong, he must decide if teaching her about romance is worth the risk…to his career and his heart.

As Frances enters a world of upper crust dalliances and deception, she discovers that perhaps Clive was right all along: romance in the stories are just that…fiction. Her career means the world to her, but if she can’t learn what true love really means, it could cost more than she ever thought possible.

Get Romance in Rapid, the fourth book in the Seven Brides of South Dakota Series, by Kari Trumbo. A bit of history, a touch of romance, and a whole lot of fun.

Order here

Series order (which are all available in the Kindle Unlimited program)





Suzie: Welcome to the Diamond Mine, Kari! Thank you for taking the time to join us this week.

Kari: Thank you for having me!

Suzie: Let’s get you warmed up with a couple multiple choice questions. Ballpoint, Uniball, or fountain pen?

Kari: Oooh, tough call. Ball point. I’ve never had a real fountain pen. If I had, that might change my answer.

Suzie: Early bird or night owl?

Kari: I don’t like to get up in the morning, but I do find that I can be productive in the morning. I’m usually a night owl. With 4 kids, that’s when my house is quiet.

Suzie: Fill in the blank: Some day I want to _______.

Kari: be on the USA Today bestseller list

Suzie: Okay, now it’s time to delve deeper into who Kari Trumbo is.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? The best one?

Kari: Worst job? I was a telemarketer (don’t hate me!) for a company in the cities who would set up furnace inspections. The inspector’s intent was, of course, to sell a furnace to those people. It felt icky and I only lasted about 2 months.

Best one? I bet you can take a good guess.



Suzie: I'm sure telemarketers have an extremely high turnover rate. I'm not sure I would have lasted two months. 
Do you have any secret talents?

Kari: I can wiggle my ears? I don’t know. I have a lot of things I enjoy doing that I never do in front of anyone else because I honestly have this crippling fear of judgment. I sing, knit, and take pictures, but never at the same time.

Suzie: I can see multitasking with the singing :). 
Name a place you would like to visit that you haven’t been to yet.


Kari: France. I took French for seven years with the intent to spend a semester in France in college. I got married instead. I have no regrets about getting married, but I’d still like to visit France.






Suzie: Oh, France is a good one. Paris, wine country, and more! 
Name one thing that drives you crazy.

Kari: I’m so annoyed by the anti-hero or the emasculated male in fiction. I LOVE to see a manly hero. He doesn’t have to be an alpha, but let him be a good MAN. 

Suzie: Switching gears, tell us a little about your reading habits. What was the first book you remember reading? How about the first one that made you cry?

Kari: That is a tough question. I think my first read was Frog and Toad. The first story that made me cry is easy, Charlotte’s Web.

Suzie: What book do you wish you could have written?

Kari: I don’t have one. Each author is so different.

Suzie. The popularity of Amazon and the book industry as a whole tells us that's a good thing since each reader is different as well. 
Do you have a favorite place to write? A favorite time? Must-have snacks or drinks?

Kari: I get up and track my ads at the same time every day. Then I hit Facebook and make sure I’ve responded in some way to those who have posted to me (that’s an important one). Unless I have a deadline and need to write more than my minimum, I edit during the day. I always have at least 2 books going at the same time. Juggling them between writing and editing. After I’ve hit my goal for editing, I’ll take a break and clean or…something. After supper, I hit the computer once again and get my 3000 words in for the day. I started making a daily goal for myself two years ago and it’s always worked for me. I started with 500 words a day and steadily worked up to the 3000 I’m at now.

Suzie: What is your writing kryptonite?

Kari: Pain. When I’m hurting (physical or mental) I have trouble writing. I’m not one who can focus that feeling.

Suzie: Share with our readers more about your books. Which of your characters is most like you? Which would you accept a date with?

Kari: There’s a little bit of me in all my characters. But with some of them, it’s only a very small bit. A year ago, I would’ve said Margot from To Love and Comfort. Now… probably Frances from Romance in Rapid. She’s an aspiring author and has this hesitancy in her life that is so like me.


Who would I accept a date from? No question about it, Hugh Bradly from Kisses in Keystone. Somehow, every good quality of my husband ended up in Hugh and he was so easy to write.







Suzie: Aww, love that your husband inspired your hero. What is the craziest/most interesting/funniest thing that’s happened to you while researching a book?

Kari: I once read an article on corsetry that said that if a woman just released the busk (the front closure) on a cinched corset, she might pass out from the sudden rush of blood as her body settled back into place. It doesn’t take much, anyone who’s felt light-headed while pregnant knows this. But that ruined all the bodice-ripper fiction I used to read in my late teens. (there wasn’t a whole lot available in Christian fiction at the time) A passed out heroine is not attractive.

Suzie: What’s your favorite part of writing series?


Kari: My favorite part of a series is bringing old primary characters back as secondary characters so readers can see what happened. I love that their stories don’t have to end.

Suzie: That's also what I love about reading series! Which of your books do you recommend first for someone who is just finding you?

Kari: That would honestly depend on who was asking and what they were looking for. For a light, short read, I’d say start with the Cutter’s Creek series. For a nice long series that tackles some tough issues like alcohol, physical temptation, prostitution, and forgiveness, pick up the Seven Brides of South Dakota series.


Suzie: Thank you again for spending some of your precious time with us!! I’m looking forward to the next book in your Seven Brides of South Dakota series!



Here's a little more about Kari (and where you can keep up with her online)






Kari Trumbo is an inspirational romance author, blogger and proud home schooling mother to four great kids. She interacts often on reader groups on Facebook and volunteers at the local library when needed. When she isn’t writing, she is obsessively reading and expanding her skills as a wordsmith. Kari lives in her great-grandfather’s remodeled 1890-built home in central Minnesota with her husband, children, cats, and one hungry wood stove.











Kari is giving away a signed print copy of Dreams in Deadwood to one of our readers! Earn more entries by following Kari on social media.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Rules of giveaway: Print copy to US addresses only (electronic copy may be substituted for international entries). Contest is not valid until five (5) different people have left comments. Winner will be randomly on Sept 13, 2017.



8 comments:

Perrianne said...

I'm torn on this one because I do love a series. But I am prone to grab a book and invariably it's book 3 in a series. Then I need to backtrack and find the rest of the series. I find that frustrating. I guess I could go either way. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity.

perrianne(dot)askew@me(dot)com

Elly said...

This is a new-to-me author. I'm really excited about her books and looking forward to getting the opportunity to read them!
Elly -Indiana-

Suzie Waltner said...

Perrianne - The books in the series stand alone so you could read them out of order. That said, Dreams in Deadwood is the first book in the series :)

Elly - Kari was a new-to-me author this year too but I'm glad I found her!

Jan H said...

I like series because it is like getting to know a family or community. I like singles when I don't have a lot of time to read. fishingjanATaolDOTcom

Unknown said...

Wonderful interview. I love Kari's books. lacy1942(at)Gmail(dot)com

Paula Shreckhise said...

Love historicals. Going to look these up!

Paula Shreckhise said...

I like both series and stand alones.

Becky said...

I like both stand alones and series, but I enjoy series the most. It's fun to read more in depth about the other characters that you meet in one book.