In 1991, she sold a short contemporary to Meteor, a publishing house that has since folded, and then, upon the advice of her agent, Pattie Steele-Perkins, she explored the historical genre. In 1995 her first historical novel, Homespun Bride, was released by Kensington. A move to Harlequin Historicals produced her first book for that company, Gerrity’s Bride, and since 1995 she has seen seventeen more books published with the distinctive Harlequin logo on the spine. Foreign copies of her works have a place of honor on her bookshelf, with over a dozen countries represented.

A charter member of the Lowcountry Romance Writers, she has spoken before community groups, judged national contests and finds satisfaction in helping aspiring authors become published. But of primary importance in her life is her family, most of them living many miles distant from South Carolina. Her husband, Ed, is retired, and spends much of his time directing her activities, planning trips for research and keeping her on course.

Carolyn will share an anthology with Kasey Michaels in December 2002, the finale to the Carradignes: American Royalty series, which has been a cross-line miniseries with five titles during 2002. Books three and four of her current Texas series will appear in March and July of 2003.

Best-selling historical author Carolyn Davidson recently took time out from her busy writing schedule to do an interview with Writers Unlimited.

WU: Why did you decide to become a romance author and why historical romance?
CD: That's an easy one to answer. I've been reading romance since I was twelve years old, writing it since then, too. I had notebooks full of stories about teenagers and their exciting dates. When I decided to get serious about this thing it was many, many years later. My first published novel was a contemporary. My agent set me on the right track in 1993 when she told me that my "voice" was more suited to historicals. She was right.

WU: Do you write full time or do you have another career?
CD: This is it. My only other employment involves being a wife, and I'm very fond of that part of my life.

WU: Can you give us an example of a typical day in the life of Carolyn Davidson?
CD: My husband is officially retired, so we no longer get up at 5:30 a.m. and have the luxury of sleeping in if we choose. Usually breakfast is over by 9 a.m. and then I spend time at my computer, either writing for several hours, or answering mail, both electronic and the snail variety. On occasion my mind goes blank and I push away from the desk and we go out for lunch or to the neighborhood Wal-Mart. When I'm on a deadline I may spend up to ten hours a day at the computer. Evenings are spent visiting with friends or family or, (my favorite pastime) reading while my husband watches sports on tv. I read at least three books a week.

WU: Readers today demand accuracy in the books they read. How much research about life styles, setting, dialect, etc. goes into one of your stories?
CD: Not a whole lot, to tell the truth. I write about the late 1800's and my Sears & Roebuck catalogue from 1895 is pretty well dog-eared from my thumbing through it to find what I need so far as clothing and household items are concerned. I'm from a family of farmers on my mother's side, and the memories of my grandmother's stories are vivid. I tend to write books about ordinary people who face extra-ordinary circumstances, old-fashioned stuff that apparently speaks to my readers about the early days in this country. I get lots of mail from men and women who are reminded of the "good old days."

WU: Tell us about any upcoming releases and works in progress.
CD: My newest book, one I share with Kasey Michaels, is called "Heir to the Throne," and will be released in December from Harlequin. My half of this anthology is titled "A King Without A Country," the only historical of the entire royalty series. In March "Tempting A Texan" will be released, the third in my Texas series, and following it, in July, will be "Texas Gold," the fourth and final book. After that I'll have a part in a Christmas anthology late in 2003. I'm beginning a new book this week, part of the Colorado Confidential continuity, and it will appear early in 2004.

WU: How do you come up with the ideas for your books? Do you have a brainstorming session with someone or do they just kind of "pop" into your head?
CD: I don't brainstorm with anyone. Usually I just look at a blank screen until a scene begins to form in my mind and I begin writing. Not a very practical way to run a career, but it seems to work for me. Nothing ever goes according to plan when I try to plot a whole book, so I tend to wing it. I'm an editor's nightmare.

WU: A lot of aspiring writers suffer the agony of rejection after rejection. How hard or easy was it for you to "break in" to the published ranks?
CD: I've had lots of rejections, but most of them were for contemporary novels that were really, really bad, now that I look back on my early years as a writer. Harlequin Historicals rejected one of my ideas three times and I finally decided it just wasn't going to fly and gave it up as a lost cause. But usually they seem to like what I come up with. It took me several years to sell my first book, and that was only accomplished after I found a wonderful agent, Pattie Steele-Perkins, and let her take care of all the hassle in my life.

WU: Any words of wisdom for those that would like to follow in your footsteps?
CD: Associate with other writers if possible, and find someone to read your "stuff," someone who isn't afraid to point out your flaws. If you're anything like me, you probably have a few, but "practice makes perfect," as my mother used to say. If you are truly a "writer," you'll write. Develop your skills, pay attention to grammar and spelling, find others who share your dream and keep writing. My favorite trick is to read aloud what I've written. It's easier to catch your mistakes that way, and you'll know whether or not the words flow in a natural rhythm.

WU: Where can readers contact you?
CD: I have a post office box for snail mail. P.O. Box 2757, Goose Creek, SC 29445, and my email addy is Carolyn@CarolynDavidson.com. I answer mail from either place, but I tend to do better with the electronic variety.

Visit http://www.CarolynDavidson.com for information on Carolyn's upcoming releases and more.