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Interviews & Essays
On Wednesday, August 18th, bn.com welcomed Janet Dailey to discuss CALDER PRIDE.
Moderator: Welcome, Janet Dailey! We are so pleased that you could join us online to discuss your new romance, CALDER PRIDE. How are you this evening?
Janet Dailey: I am doing great, thank you!
Pat from Dallas, TX: Why has it been so long since you wrote a Calder book, Janet? We have all been waiting! What made you return to your beloved characters?
Janet Dailey: Obviously I have been asked for years to write another Calder, but I never felt there was another story until now. It first began with my publisher asking me if I would consider doing another Calder book, and I said I would think about it. Within a week I got a letter from a reader, and she asked the same question but added, "You know you have never told Pat's story." And it was literally like a lightbulb went on in my head. CALDER PRIDE is the result.
Scottie from Richmond, VA: How did you land your fantastic writing career, Janet? Tell us how you got your first book published.
Janet Dailey: I am the exception that proves the rule. My first book was accepted by the first publisher I submitted it to, but I was just like the hundred million people out there who wanted to write. I used to talk about it endlessly. My dear husband must have heard me say 800 times that I could write a book. But on the 801st time, he turned to me and said, "Shut up and write the book!" This made me absolutely furious, and I sat down and wrote the first book.
Cindy from Albany, NY: What inspired the interesting plot of your new book?
Janet Dailey: The Calder series itself. I had already introduced Cat Calder in the previous book, CALDER BORN, CALDER BRED, and when that reader mentioned that I hadn't written Cat's story I started wondering what it would be like to be a female growing up on the Calder ranch. What life would you have as a woman in such a male-dominated society? So to a great extent, knowing the personality of Cat and that streak of independence that would have to come out, the story practically wrote itself.
Katie from San Francisco, CA: What does the title signify?
Janet Dailey: The pride of Cat Calder. She had an enormous amount of pride. Pride can be a good thing and it can be a bad thing, too.
Linda Chestler from Niagara Falls, NY: Dear Janet, would you ever like to visit the Falls with your family, on me? All you have to do is say, "Happy Birthday" to my Mom. She get's teary-eyed if she just sees one of your books on the shelf! What a compliment for you! She's had a hard life but was able to escape her worries through your books! Thank you from all of her five children who are now grown and still worrying her! Ha! Ha!
Janet Dailey: A big Happy Birthday to her!
Nancy from Huntington, WV: Tell us about your childhood, Janet. Where did you grow up and how big was your family? Did your family resemble the Calder pack? Love your books!
Janet Dailey: I was born and raised in a little town called Early, Iowa, and it was a town of 500 people. I was related to half of them. I have three older sisters. My father passed away when I was 5 years old, and my mother remarried when I was 13 and I acquired four brothers, so I do have a big immediate family and a huge extended family.
Beth from Sarasota, FL: When you finished CALDER BRED, CALDER BORN, did you know that eventually you had to write a sequel?
Janet Dailey: No, I really had no intentions of writing any sequels to the Calder books when I finished CALDER BORN, CALDER BRED.
Sandra from Clarksdale: Who is your favorite Calder character and why? Does one resemble you the most?
Janet Dailey: I think I would have to say that Chase Calder is my favorite male character, because he was the first of the Calders whom I met. Curious that I said I "met" him. It shows you how real the characters become for me.
Melissa from New York, NY: Would you ever consider writing a prequel to the Calder series?
Janet Dailey: It would have to be a story about Seth Calder. I hadn't considered that, no.
M. Mercury from New York, NY: As one of your genre's top writers, what function do you think romance novels serve? Why are you personally attracted to writing romance books?
Janet Dailey: I think that romances serve the important function of entertainment, positive upbeat entertainment, but I also believe that life is nothing but a series of happy endings.
Emily from Alexandria, VA: What writers do you respect the most in your genre? Who are your favorite authors of all time?
Janet Dailey: My favorite authors of all time are easy. I have always been a huge admirer of Edna Ferber. She wrote GIANT and SO BIG (she won the Pulitzer for it), and I like James Michener and Louis L'Amour as well. L'Amour is the reason I love western books.
Berry from Williamsburg, VA: What first made you interested in writing western romances? Will you always set your books out west or would you consider a modern-city romance?
Janet Dailey: Actually, I do write modern-city romances. ILLUSIONS, available in paperback, is set between L.A., New York, and Aspen, Colorado, but my favorite is western backgrounds.
Micky from Philadelphia, PA: Is your own love life as passionate and satisfying as that of your heroines?
Janet Dailey: Let me answer that by giving you my husband's standard answer -- he does all the research for my books, and he has asked me to slow down!
Colleen from Seattle, WA: How many books have you written? How do you keep up your incredible speed?
Janet Dailey: I think it is 98 published novels. But first I have to say, if you had asked me if I thought I would write that many books I would have said you are crazy, but God blessed me with multitudes of story ideas. I never wonder about what my next story will be. I wonder about which one of the ideas I have will be the new book. I always have three or four or more story ideas buzzing in my mind.
Rose from PA: Janet, thanks for another Calder Book. When I read your books it's hard to put them down until their finished. I'm ready for a trip to the bookstore. How many children do you have and are there any grandbabies?
Janet Dailey: I have two stepchildren -- that I don't like to use the word "step" about -- and we have five grandchildren.
Marco Aurelio from Fortaleza, Brazil: Hello there, dear Janet! It's a pleasure to talk to you. I like your books a bunch. I mean it! Just loved ILLUSION, the last one of yours published in Portuguese. Nowadays, when your name comes to my mind, it's impossible not to think also about Nora Roberts. Tell us: How did you overcome your problems with her? What has happened since then? How are things going on in your life since this problem appeared? And also, how do you feel about all this? What do you think about Nora? Thank you. Really, thank you. Love your books!
Janet Dailey: It was an extremely difficult time, which is why I am so doubly blessed to say today that my husband is cancer-free; I have a new book out, CALDER PRIDE, which debuts next week on the New York Times list, and it along with the other four Calder books are in preproduction for either a miniseries or TV movie. As Chase Calder would say, "Maybe it is not as important that you get bucked off the horse but that you get back on!"
Linda Trathen from Lockport NY: How many books have you written all together, and what's your favorite?
Janet Dailey: Asking me which is my favorite book is like asking a mother which is her favorite child. The minute I try to say it is the first book, because it started it all, then all the other books rear their heads and say, "What about me?" I just can't pick a favorite.
Marco Aurelio from Fortaleza, Brazil: Hello there again, dear Janet: Do you have plans of one day writing your biography? It would be interesting. Do you have an email address? Do you answer fan mail? Ah! Do you have plans of visiting your Brazilian fans one day? Thank you!
Janet Dailey: I never know where I may travel. Who knows, one day I may end up in Brazil and if you log onto my web page -- www.janetdailey.com -- I am sure there is an email address there. Generally I do answer fan mail if there are specific questions. I really don't have any plans to write a biography.
Cary B from New York, NY: Ms. Dailey, one could say that in some ways you created the romance genre in America. How do you feel about the genre today? What do you think the state of romance publishing is?
Janet Dailey: I think the state of romance publishing is very healthy. Lets never forget that it is the good books that sell, the well-crafted, well-written ones, and romance novels will be around forever. Every time someone asks me about romances, I am always reminded of the song from Casablanca, "The world will always welcome lovers, as time goes by."
Claire from Reno, TX: When do you most like to write? Morning?
Janet Dailey: I get up at 4 in the morning. My husband says it is called the crack of dawn because you have to be cracked to get up at that hour. But I am a writer, so it is a bit redundant. I write every day, six days a week, and do a set number of pages each day.
Megan from bn.com: What is the worst job that you ever held and why?
Janet Dailey: In high school I worked in a laundry without air-conditioning, so between the heat of the dryers and the steam of the presses, I thought I would melt.
BJ from Kent CT: When are we going to see your characters on the big screen? Has any book been optioned?
Janet Dailey: Yes. Again, if you would care to log onto my web site, you will get constant updates. The Calder series is in preproduction. They are announcing soon who has been cast.
Amy from North Carolina: Do you have any suggestions on how I can get my start as an author?
Janet Dailey: The toughest advice there is -- write! If that is what you want to do, go for it. My husband once told me, it is the things you don't do that you regret the most. I knew when I got to be 80, I didn't want to be saying I wish I had written a book. If someone wants to write, just go for it. There isn't any other advice other than that.
Nell from Chicago, IL: What are some of your favorite movies? Love stories, of course!
Janet Dailey: Obviously I would have to say "Giant," the Edna Ferber novel made into a motion picture. There are so many others. I loved "Roman Holiday," with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Gone with the Wind." And more recently "As Good as It Gets" and of course, "Sleepless in Seattle."
Megan from bn.com: Recommend three books that you have read recently and enjoyed.
Janet Dailey: I read COLD MOUNTAIN and enjoyed that. That is the only fiction I have read lately and would recommend. I have been reading so much for research lately. That is the problem with being a writer, because pleasure reading goes to the wayside.
Ellen Wood from Portland, ME: Do you know any men with beautiful gray eyes like Logan and Quint?
Janet Dailey: [laughs] Actually I did meet a man with gray eyes, which was one of the reasons I chose that physical description, because the eyes are so distinctive and so uncommon. You just don't see it everyday.
Lorraine from CT: Do you plan on doing another series about the Old West and family?
Janet Dailey: Actually, I do have an idea for another generational series such as the Calders, but set in Texas. I haven't started it yet. It is one of those ideas floating around in my mind.
Melanie from USA: I notice you quote your husband a lot. Didn't you once shoot him? Or -- wait--somebody else's husband shot him, was that it? Somebody shot somebody. Could you clear that up for us?
Janet Dailey: I am afraid I don't know what you are talking about. My husband hasn't been shot.
Cindy from Atlanta, GA: Janet, thank you for some very entertaining reading. My question is, how long does it take you to write a novel such as CALDER PRIDE?
Janet Dailey: Each novel varies, sometimes because of the research involved, but the average time it takes to write most books is between three and six months, and that is the actual writing.
Pam from Miami, FL: Can you imagine doing anything other job than writing? What do you like most about being a writer?
Janet Dailey: I suppose there are several other things that intrigue me, and they are my hobbies. I love watercolors and photography, but the thing I like best about writing is the constant learning, because you always have to learn something new about a place or profession or occupation. You are always learning when you write.
Marco Aurelio from Fortaleza, Brazil: Hi there again, Mrs. Janet! I've got three questions: 1) There was a time when you used to publish more than one book per year. Now, you make it only one. Why? 2) Who are the contemporary authors that you read? (Please, don't take that one has an offense) 3) Do you still read the books by Nora Roberts? Thank you, dear. You mean a lot to me. Your books, too, of course. :)
Janet Dailey: Actually, I have slowed down. Partly because the books have gotten longer and the research for them has become more in-depth, so to avoid overkill I do virtually one a year. I read everything; I will read anything I get my hands on, from westerns to nonfiction to romances to mysteries to "general fiction." I like a good story, period. Actually I don't read Nora books anymore out of respect for her.
Mir from Florida: A recent essay in the
Romance Writer's Report decries rape in fiction as a disservice to women. Having written abusive type heroes in your books, including rape, how do you respond to the critique of using rape and abuse in romance fiction?
Janet Dailey: I always question the use of the word "rape" when applied to romance fiction. Rape is an extremely violent and abusive act and should always be illustrated as such in fiction. There is a huge difference, night and day, between being raped and being ravished.
Moderator: Thank you so much for your time tonight. Before we go, is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?
Janet Dailey: The one thing I would love to say to all my fans is, happy reading and thank you for your support and encouragement.
Read an Excerpt
A north breeze swept across the private airstrip and rustled through the grass at its edges. It was Calder grass, growing on Calder land and stretching in all directions farther than the living eye could see.
Directly southwest of the airstrip stood the headquarters of Montana's famed Triple C Ranch, the home of the Calder Cattle Company. For well over a hundred years, the land had tasted the sweat, the blood, and the tears of the Calders.
Too many tears, Chase Calder decided and leaned heavily on his cane. For a moment, his big shoulders bowed under the weight of the thing that hung so heavily on him. But there was no one around to see this brief display of weakness by the Calder family patriarch. He stood alone outside the airstrip's metal hangar.
The drone of a twin-engine aircraft had Chase Calder squaring his shoulders and lifting his gaze to the immense blue sky overhead. His sharp eyes quickly spotted the plane making a straight-in approach to the landing strip. His son Ty was at the controls, and his daughter Cathleen was the plane's only other occupant.
The plane touched down and rolled toward him. Chase glanced at the heavens, the ache intensifying in his chest.
"Where am I going to find the words, Maggie?" he murmured, talking as he so often did to his late wife.
But there were no words that could dull the pain of the news he carried. Just as there had been none to blunt the knife-stabbing pain he'd felt five years ago when he learned his wife Maggie had died in the plane crash that had so severely injured him.
Chase shifted more of his weight onto the cane, his expression grim as he watched the twin-engine plane taxi to a stop near the hangar. Within seconds of the engines' being shut down, the plane's rear door opened and out stepped his twenty-year-old daughter, Cathleen.
His eyes softened at the sight of her. In many ways, Cat, as the family called her, was the image of his late wife, with her glistening black hair and eyes that were as green as the Calder grass in spring. It was a striking combination, made even more stunning by the mingling of fineness and strength in her face.
Simply dressed in navy slacks and a white silk blouse, Cat came toward him with quick, confident strides. Chase glanced briefly at his son when Ty emerged from the plane, experiencing a familiar surge of pride for this tall and broad-shouldered man of thirty-five who bore the unmistakable stamp of a Calder in every hard-boned line.
But it was Cat who concerned him now, this full-grown woman who was his little girl. Chase straightened to stand squarely on both feet, abandoning his reliance on the cane, needing to be strong for her.
With a smile on her lips that was positively radiant, Cat ran the last few steps and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He held her close, reminded again of his daughter's tremendous capacity for emotion, a capacity that could swing to the extremes of laughter, softness, and anger.
"It is so good to be home again, Dad," she declared on a fervent note, then pulled back to arm's length, her green eyes sparkling with happiness. "Where's Jessy?" She glanced beyond him, then tossed a teasing smile over her shoulder when Ty walked up. "Don't tell me Ty's bride-to-be is off somewhere chasing cattle?"
"She's at the house." Chase saw the startled lift of Ty's head and the sudden sharpening of his gaze as he caught the faint scent of trouble in the air.
Cat was oblivious to it. "Wait until you see the sexy nightgown I bought Jessy for her wedding night, Dad. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't." She stepped closer and studiously straightened the collar of his shirt, slanting him a look packed with feminine wiles. "At least, not until I talk you into making this a double wedding. It's ridiculous that Repp and I should wait to get married until after I finish college. That's--"
"Cat." He gripped her wrists to still the movement of her hands, his cane hooked over his arm. She looked up, surprised by the hard tone of his voice. "I have bad news."
"Bad news?" Her eyes made a quick search of his face. "Don't tell me Tara decided to contest the divorce from Ty at the last minute? It's supposed to be final--"
"No, it isn't that. The divorce is final," Chase said. "It's Repp. There was an accident late last night--"
"Dear God, no," she murmured, her eyes widening in alarm. "Is he badly hurt? Where is he? I have to go to him."
She tried to pull free of his hands, but Chase tightened his hold even as Ty gripped her shoulders from behind, bracing her for the rest.
"It's too late, Cat," Chase stated in a firm voice. "Repp was killed instantly."
She stared at him for a long, brittle second, her expression awash with shock, pain, and denial. "It can't be true," she said, in the thinnest of whispers. "It can't be."
"I'm sorry." There were no other words Chase could say.
"No." She said it over and over, her voice growing in strength and volume until she was screaming it. Chase gathered her rigid body into his arms and silently absorbed the pounding of her fists on his chest, waiting through the rage until she finally sagged against him and broke into wild, body-wrenching sobs.
"I'll bring the truck around," Ty said quietly, and Chase nodded.
By the time the luggage was transferred from the plane to the ranch pickup, that first violent shock of grief had subsided, leaving Cat numb with pain. She felt wooden, unable to move on her own, and offered no protest when two pairs of hands helped her into the cab.
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