Justine Davis took some time to discuss her new Last Stand series, Texas Justice, and its first installment Lone Star Lawman.
What do you imagine Lily’s first article was as a journalist?
I don’t have to imagine, I know. ;-) Since she started on the Last Stand local paper, The Defender, as the “society” columnist, it was, ironically, an article on family party thrown by the Highwater clan to celebrate yet another Highwater rising to the position of police chief. She had a bit of a crush on Shane Highwater back then, although she doesn’t want to admit it now.
Has Lily always been skeptical of authority figures or did this happen later in life?
She’s not, in general. She likes and respects her boss, and liked and admired Shane’s father when he was Chief. She likes meeting the K-9 officers her mother works with. With Shane, on the other hand, she’s definitely got a very personal ax to grind. And it’s worse because she was attracted to him, before.
Everyone in town thinks Police Chief Shane is pretty attractive: Who flirts with him the most in Last Stand?
I can’t imagine why, given this was the picture I had posted throughout the writing of it:
But there’s no question about who flirts with him the most, it’s Minna Herdmann! The hundred and two-year-old matriarch of Last Stand flirts with him endlessly, and he indulges her as he would no one else. And when she insists he escort her to her birthday bash, one of the big annual events in town, he goes in full dress uniform rather than his usual western attire, because…well, Minna. (who, by the way, was loosely based on and named after my grandmother, who in real life made it to that age handily)
Did Shane play any sports growing up in Last Stand?
He played baseball in high school for a while, but his first love won out and he went rodeo all the way. He still competes in the calf-roping event at the annual Last Stand 4th of July rodeo, usually setting the time to beat on his horse, Zach.
What are you currently reading?
I’m reading the launch Last Stands, because it’s so important to keep all the details straight across the books by different authors. I suppose that could be considered work, although it’s hard to think of it that way since they’re so good! But next up on the “reward” pile (the books I get to read when I finish a book) is the brilliant Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Prophecy, the latest in her Guild Hunter series. I’ve been hoarding that one so I can read it closer to the release of the next book in the series because I hate waiting for them!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author of more than 70 books, (she sold her first ten in less than two years) Justine Davis is a five time winner of the coveted RWA RITA Award, including for being inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame. A fifteen time nominee for RT Book Review awards, she has won four times, received three of their lifetime achievement awards, and had four titles on the magazine’s 200 Best of all Time list. Her books have appeared on national best seller lists, including USA Today. She has been featured on CNN, taught at several national and international conferences, and at the UCLA writer’s program.
After years of working in law enforcement, and more years doing both, Justine now writes full time. She lives near beautiful Puget Sound in Washington State, peacefully coexisting with deer, bears, a pair of bald eagles, a tailless raccoon, and her beloved ’67 Corvette roadster. When she’s not writing, taking photographs, or driving said roadster (and yes, it goes very fast) she tends to her knitting. Literally.
I had the opportunity to read Joanne Rock’s The Perfect Catch and, while reading your book, I caught the reference to Mr. Ramsey! So cool!
I even recognized Graham McBride’s name (which I had to go buy Eve’s book).
I enjoyed this feature.
Fun Q&A!