Happy Friday! My guest today is the prolific and talented DV Berkom. DV addresses a common concern many authors face. Stay comfortable with what’s working, or grow as an author? Please welcome D.V. Berkom. ~ Donnell
By: DV Berkom
Author DV Berkom
I’ve been writing about a female assassin for several years now. There are currently ten books in the series, and I’ve got a few more planned. But after that many books, I was feeling a little burned out. Don’t get me wrong, I love, love, love writing Leine Basso’s stories. Seriously. But I needed a refresh.
I’d been thinking about writing a Western for a while. Well, to be exact, for the past year a fully formed action-adventure trilogy set in the Wild West kept nagging at me. I grew up watching Clint Eastwood and John Wayne and Lee Marvin and James Garner in some fabulous Westerns (they were/are a favorite of my dad’s and I love watching with him.) My late grandfather, too, always had his nose in a Western—his favorites were Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey. I enjoyed reading them all right, but there was something missing.
Why did the men get to have all the fun?
So, I did what I had done in the assassin thriller genre—I set to writing a book with a strong female character that I’d want to read. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off—I’m much more comfortable writing gritty crime thrillers featuring a globe-trotting female assassin. High-tech gear? Check. Nasty villains who want to vaporize my character? Check. All manner of firearms, fiery explosions, and exciting attacks? Check, check, check!
With the Claire Whitcomb Western series, there were no cell phones, no high-tech weapons, and no vehicles, other than trains and stages. How could I keep the story fast paced and exciting if I couldn’t rig a C-4 explosion or have my character wipe out a terrorist cell with a submachine gun and a handful of frag grenades? I researched everything—from clothing to food to specific firearms and modes of travel prevalent in the areas that served as settings. Of course, being in the middle of a pandemic, I couldn’t travel to the specific places I was writing about. Thankfully, pre-pandemic I’d spent a lot of time in both regions. And, I had help from several excellent sources.
When it came time to launch Retribution, the first book in the series, I was a little nervous. I’ve been lucky to have a growing cadre of voracious readers that devour both of my thriller series. Would they enjoy a completely different genre in a different time period?
I shouldn’t have worried. I gave readers on my advance reader team the option of checking out the new series, and I’m happy to say a good number of them accepted. Of those folks who read the first book, only two readers decided the genre wasn’t for them. The rest have embraced Claire’s story, and for that I’m deeply grateful.
Switching genres accomplished what I needed to do—it stretched my writing beyond my comfort zone, and in doing so has refreshed the creative well so that I’m raring to go on the next Leine Basso thriller. It was also a heck of a lot of fun—especially researching the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Wyatt Earp, and my favorite character of them all, Doc Holliday.
Now, though, I’m presented with a new problem. I originally devised the series as a trilogy—Retribution, Gunslinger, and Legend. I’m happy with the arc of the story, of Claire’s life, and have no problem ending the series with Legend. But several readers have asked me to continue Claire’s story.
Perhaps when I’m in need of a refresh, I’ll pick up where Claire and her horse, Rose, left off…
About Book One in the Series:
They took everything. Now she wants revenge.
Spring 1880: Claire Whitcomb and her family are building a good life near the boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, when tragedy strikes: a group of renegades attack, killing everyone but Claire and burning their home. Not knowing who to turn to, Claire teams up with Mart Duggan, the town’s tough-as-nails marshal, to track down the outlaws responsible. Duggan and his friend, Thomas, a local Ute, skirt the law to get results, but that’s fine by Claire.
She’s gunning for the men who destroyed her life—and won’t settle for anything less than retribution.
About the Author: DV Berkom is the USA Today bestselling author of action-packed, fast-paced thrillers. Known for creating resilient, bad-ass women characters and page-turning plots, her love of the genre stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, action/adventure books, and crime thrillers.
A restless soul and adventurer at heart, she spent years moving around the US and traveling to exotic locales before she wrote her first novel and was hooked. More than a dozen books later, she now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Mark, and several imaginary characters who like to tell her what to do. Her most recent books include the Claire Whitcomb Westerns Retribution, Gunslinger, and Legend, and the Leine Basso thrillers Shadow of the Jaguar, Dakota Burn, Absolution, and Dark Return. DV’s currently hard at work on her next thriller. https://www.dvberkom.com/claire-whitcomb-westerns/
I’ve read all three Western trilogy books by DV and they are amazing!
DV, thank you for being my guest today. Unfortunately I have had a slight family emergency and will be checking in late. I have purchased Retribution and can’t wait to read. Apologies if this blog is delayed.
Linda, thank you for commenting and stopping by!
Thank you, Linda! It was a fun series to write 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Yikes–hope everything is all right, Donnell! Thank you for having me here today. Enjoy Retribution!
Looking forward to the Westerns. The trilogy is in my Nook. I’ve enjoyed the other series–especially Kate Jones–so I expect I’ll get hooked on Claire as well. Good to see you on Donnell’s blog.
Thanks, Amber! I hope you enjoy them. And thanks for stopping by 🙂
I have read all three of western series. They were so well written. I have been a fan of
westerns since I first started reading my dad’s westerns. Please do not stop as I think you
have a whole new type of story to tell.
Hi Linda! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the books. I’ve got a few ideas percolating in my brainpan, so we’ll see how things go. I’ll finish Leine’s next thriller and then reassess…
Thanks, everyone for stopping by to read Dv’s thoughts on series writing and mixing it up. Can’t wait to read her new western series, particularly because it takes place in and around near Leadville. Technology is an interesting conundrum these days. It can give an author an AHA moment or interfere with a plot point. Can’t wait to see how Claire Whitcomb survives pre-technology! Thanks again, DV!
Omg my guy is James Garner, mostly war movies. Love the cover and am very intrigued!!!
Yes! I loved Garner. Especially his droll delivery… And thank you, Vicki, for the kind words about the cover. I thought my designer nailed the feeling I was trying to convey with the series. Thanks for stopping by!
Being male and coming from a male dominate society I personally loved the Claire Whitcomb’s series. I always thought why not have some bad-ass women characters that took it to the arrogant men that seem to get away with everything. I have not read all your Leine Basso’s stories, but have enjoyed the ones I have read. Please do not stop Claire’s story. I think that there is more story to tell. I read many different genres. However westerns are a favorite of mine. I have been hooked on Claire. Thanks for writing a great series.
I was one of the ARC readers for the Whitcomb series that was a bit skeptical about reading a western. I do enjoy western TV shows/movies but just never got into reading westerns. I tried the first one and was absolutely hooked – the subsequent books could not come out fast enough. I really enjoyed each and every one. Thanks for the great stories.
Thanks for the kind words, Bruce! I loved writing Claire–especially her bad-ass ways 🙂 I’ll probably look into writing more of her story–or possibly another character from the books.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Kim! I had hoped to wrangle a few non-Western readers into loving the genre. Happy it worked! Thanks for stopping by.