What was it like for you growing up ,what inspired you and when did you first find out that
you were interested in writing stories?

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I loved stories, and I loved reading. I learned to read when I was four or five and
memorized poems from my father’s One Hundred and One Famous Poems, although I
didn’t always understand them. (And still don’t.) I never wanted to be anything else
except for a movie star, and that didn’t work out.

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What was it like for you growing up ,what inspired you and when did you first find out that
you were interested in writing stories?

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I had a traditional 1940s and 1950s childhood. I was born on a farm in Virginia. Mom
took us to all the historic places there before we moved to Denver when I was six. She gave
me a love of history, and my books have historic settings. I don’t remember lightening
striking and realizing I’d be a writer. It was something that crept up on me.

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Can you tell me one thing about yourself that people might not already know?

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I integrated the bar at Denver’s historic Brown Palace Hotel. It wouldn’t allow women to
sit there unescorted, assuming they were prostitutes, I guess.

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What preparation do you do before you start writing a book and what do you think the key
things are when writing a good book?

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I do about half the research, reading every book I can find on the subject, although I
already am familiar with what I write about. Then I continue to research as I go along. I
write every day. I think that’s important. If you plan to go to Peru on vacation and write a
book, chances are, you’ll never do it. The secret is writing a little bit every day, not writing
the whole thing in one sitting.

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What are your favourite books .who for you has been the best story book character ever
made and which authors inspire you?

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I love mysteries. In fact, I write a monthly column on mysteries for the Denver Post. (I
write another on books of regional interest.) I’m inspired by Truman Capote, although his
writing makes me wonder why I ever thought I could be a writer.

What music and television are you into and do you use them for inspiration?

I mostly watch CNN and am inspired by Adam Schiff James Carville and others who
oppose Trump.

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What hobbies do you have and what other things do you like to do in your spare time?

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I’m interested in historic preservation. My husband and I own an historic house that we
restored in Georgetown, Colorado. I’m also interested in quilts, which play a part in many
of my books, although I’m not a quilter.

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Can you tell us about your latest book and what are the main reasons why people should
read it?

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Tough Luck is about a girl, 14, who does west in 1863 to find her father, who left Illinois to
find a gold mine. He’s written only three letters, and everyone but Haidie, my main
character, thinks he’s dead. So Haidie cuts her hair and dresses like a boy, and she and her
younger brother, Boots, head to Colorado to find Pa. She has a number of adventures, and
meets various characters. The ending is a con game. The book’s been compared to True
Grit and The Sting.

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What is the best character or plot you have ever thought of and is there any ideas you have
rejected which you wish ud have used?

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Probably Mattie Spenser in The Diary of Mattie Spenser. She’s more like me than any
other character I’ve created. We have the same birthday and are the same height, but she
has better hair. I’ve never dismissed an idea for a plot, because ideas for plots are so hard
to come by for me.

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How would you answer the question.... Who is Sandra Dallas

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I have no idea.

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If one of your books was made into a film or TV programme how would you approach it ?

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I wouldn’t be involved.

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Can you tell us about any ideas you have for future work?

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If I had any, I wouldn’t tell you.

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What are you main reasons for writing books?

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These days, royalty checks.

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What would you like to say to the people who have either bought your books or are
thinking about it?

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I hope you think your time wasn’t wasted reading it. I’d like readers to enjoy themselves
and maybe learn a little something.

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If you had to describe yourself and your writing style to someone reading this who didn’t
already know you , what would you say?

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I was a journalist for 35 years, so my style is direct, with an absence of adverbs.

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What are you up to at the moment and what’s next for you?

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My next book, The Hired Man, set in the Dust Bowl, comes out a year from now.