Soaring Hearts by A.L. Boyd @embrace

Will hearts soar when pigs fly?

Alex’s job working for his family-owned radio station once took him all over the city reporting on major events—until the accident. His scars, both physical and emotional, cause him to withdraw into a self-imposed, semi-reclusive lifestyle. When his dad requests that he go to the world’s largest hot air balloon festival, he has to find the courage to break his isolation. Now he needs to find the courage to trust and love again.

Jeff had already been planning a move to Albuquerque when he lost his home, parents, and dog to a wildfire in California. To begin his new life, he agrees to help his sister and brother-in-law with their balloon at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Now he’s seen pigs fly and bees kissing, but will he find the love he’s been searching for?

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A cartographer by day, A.L.Boyd spends most of her free time with her horses, gardening, or reading.

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I never intended to be a full time writer, but stories sometimes just pop into my head. The writing came about as a way to get the stories out. Nothing is ever the same. The poem was from first hand experiences on a wildland fire. My horse's story is a memoir of 23 years of my life with my favorite horse. Any other stories are just stories that come to me in my sleep and make me want to write them down.

Where are you from, and where do you call home?

I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico. Yes Alien Capital of the World. I still live in New Mexico, only now in a tiny little town that’s barely a dot on the map.

What inspired you to start writing?

It’s a really sad story. One of my horses died, and I needed a way to release all the grief and depression I had bottled up inside. So I wrote his story in a memoir to my horse. Then later, I volunteered to help edit for the Goodreads M/M romance group, and the first year I helped, this really neat photo and prompt kept getting dropped by other authors. When it had been dropped for the third time, I already had visions for a story, so out of the blue, I volunteered to write the story.

How long have you been writing?

I started working on my horse’s memoir in 2012, but my first piece of fiction was done in 2013. I’d written a few poems before then also.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Get an editor, or join a serious critique group and be able to take the criticism well. Not everyone is going to like your work no matter what you do, but make sure you put out the best you can when you do publish.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Yes , all the time. Sometimes I need to “sleep on it” and dream something up. About half my ideas come from my dreams.

What Author’s in the genre do you read?

That list is so long I couldn’t even begin to start it. I read daily, and I’ll read any author once. If the book is extremely poorly written I won’t try another story from that author, but otherwise, I’ll read anyone’s work.

What comes first, the plot or characters?

I have to know the characters. The plot can’t come together with out the characters to guide me.

Describe the perfect writing space.

A desk with two monitors and ton’s of instrumental music. I prefer jazz and Celtic for writing music.

Do you do research for your books? If so, what does that entail?

Yes, My most recent book Soaring Hearts is set at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. For that one, I couldn’t attend the Fiesta last year, but I watched all the news coverage every day of the event. It drove my Hubby nuts when I wouldn’t let him change the channel every morning until the event coverage was over.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I have two novels and two short stories out. My favorite at the moment of the published books is my newest one Soaring Hearts.

Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?

Not too often yet.

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell us about?

I’m working on a time travel western. I started this story a few years back, but then I had a house fire and lost everything. I had to recreate my characters in my mind before I could continue the story. It’s a dual story told from present day and historical perspectives.

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