Are you looking for new, captivating novels to add to your bookshelf this year? Do sweet, contemporary romance stories set in the wild American West sound like your cup of tea? Well my friend, if so, you’ve stumbled upon the right blog post!
Cali Black is an author who just made her debut that you need to know about.
Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Cali and her work, thanks to connecting through an internet networking group for writers. She recently released her new novel to the world, which is set in Montana and revolves around the love story of protagonists Carrie Carter and Clay West. Blue Skies, Blue Eyes, is the first book of her four-book Blue Skies Series.
It has been an honor recently to chat with her in-depth and learn more about Cali, her creative process, writing hopes, and author dreams. I couldn’t be happier to help Cali share the excitement of her accomplishments by featuring her this month. Let’s just get into it!
It all began for Cali two and a half years ago during the doldrums of COVID quarantine. The notion to try writing a book of her own struck her while watching Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas movies.
“I thought I could write one,” she says. “So I tried and finished my first book in only a couple of months.”
Through the help of like-minded friends, she quickly found out that she had much to learn about the art of crafting stories. For the next two years, Cali would spend much time acquiring knowledge and revising her words, in order to turn her work into something great. These days she is enjoying her freshly discovered passion, and the writing journey – as well as finding it to be rather habit-forming.
“Only now that I’ve gotten started do I think that I might not want to stop!”
The inspiration behind Blue Skies, Blue Eyes was perhaps a bit of a no-brainer for Cali. While she may call Southern California home, a part of her just seems to have been made for the vast western range, and the untamed wilds of Montana.
“I have always loved the American West. Wide open spaces, crops, cowboys, and adventure lurk in my heart as things that I love, “Cali says. “I think I was meant to be a rancher in another life,” she adds with a laugh.
“In my early thirties, I took a trip to Wyoming with my sisters, and we saw a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) show at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. I was hooked and so when I went to write a romantic story, it just made sense to me that the male main character should be a bull rider. And a good one!”
Just as the life of a rodeo cowboy is filled with adventure and challenges, so is the process of writing and publishing books. It takes grit and determination to see such a project through to completion. Cali has experienced many rewarding and enjoyable moments throughout the production.
“I think my favorite part of the process of publishing a book has been creating the cover,” she says. “It’s probably also a favorite activity because once you have your cover you can see the whole package coming together. The visual reminder that your book is almost done is fantastic!”
On the flip side, other parts of being a writer are not fun and can draw some blood. As nearly any author would concur, sending your drafts out for others to read and accepting constructive criticism in return is no cakewalk. Cali denotes struggling with that along the way.
“It is HARD to have people critique and evaluate your work because we writers pour our hearts into these stories,” she explains. “That being said though, I NEEDED the advice of those who read for me and once I figured out how to make use of their comments, I am so proud of the finished product. I truly have beta readers to thank for the fact that my book is being enjoyed by people today.”
Will you find yourself amongst the readers already loving Blue Skies, Blue Eyes? Cali hopes so, and that her stories would speak to you in some way. She hasn’t typically planned her novels around any particular message. She prefers to let the characters “take the wheel” as she learns about them and the plot by putting the pen to paper. Her goals pertaining to what she wishes readers will glean from her books are fairly simple.
“As a Christian writer, I do believe God can use anything – even fiction stories – to encourage us and if that happens for someone, I feel happy about that, Cali says. “Aside from the deeper issues though, my real goal is to tell some attention-grabbing stories that entertain people and allow me and others to vicariously experience great moments like bull-riding, running our own guest lodge, or seeing a calf being born.”
Cali is a married mother of three. She is a homeschool teacher to two of her three children and also teaches high school speech for the local home education network. Her days are busy, but she manages to make time for writing.
“I have no routine,” she chuckles. “I do like to write in the early mornings or late at night or sometimes even in the middle of the night! It’s hard when kids are around, but I write on notes in my phone so I can do it anywhere which helps. I’ve gotten thousands of words written while waiting for basketball practice to finish!”
When she’s not busy with writing, teaching, family duties, or watching her kids play sports, Cali enjoys walking and traveling. She loves reading books from a number of fellow romance authors as well.
“I am a big fan of Debbie Macomber, Karen Kingsbury, and Beverly Lewis,” says Cali.
In recent times, she has also been diving into the world of indie authors. “I like Kara Eriksson, Becca Turner, Macie St. James, Remi Carrington, and Emma St. Claire…I am trying to read a lot of sweet western romances… I do find that they inspire me and sometimes just give my brain a break. Pulling a story out of thin air can be exhausting so sometimes it’s great just to sit back and read the product of someone else’s hard work.”
Are you ready to learn more about Cali and enjoy the products of her labor?
You are invited to come along on Cali’s adventures via Facebook and Instagram. Staying connected by signing up for her newsletter is a fantastic option as well. As a thank you for subscribing to receive the once-a-month (no spam) e-newsletter, you are entitled to an exclusive offer of a free novel.*
“You will like this book if you like sweet western romance with some faith themes,” Cali says. “If you enjoy reading about ranch life and bull riders, sweet heroes who make mistakes but keep working to get it right. And if you can stand a little angst and heartbreak before the glorious happily ever after.”
“Some of my books have visible faith themes and some don’t, but all of my books are sweet,” she adds. “There is no language and steamy, sizzling, kisses only.”
So what are you waiting for? It’s time to grab your boots, lasso your inner rancher, and head out into the wild unknowns of love with Blue Skies, Blue Eyes by Cali Black!
(*Please note the e-newsletter signup is a two-step process of submitting the form on the website and then looking for an email within which you must click a verification link confirming that the email is yours.)
Fading Blue Owl 