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NTRWA June
2004 Spotlight On...
GAIL DAYTON
by Juliet Burns
Gail Dayton
is a relatively new member of NT. She only joined our chapter in 2002.
And, even though she lives over 280 miles away, she’s still managed to contribute
by donating a critique for our raffle at the annual Writers Workshop last
November.
Born in Ohio, raised in Texas and Idaho, Gail was the oldest of 4
children. Her father was a physicist, working at the atomic energy
research center, and her mother a loving homemaker. Gail’s parents are
“just good people”, she says, and both always told her she could be
anything she wanted.
Gail earned a Masters in History and along the way, met the love of her
life, Myles Shelton—sorry folks, I got first dibs on using that name for
a hero. Myles and Gail met while in the marching band at Baylor and spent
the night together on their first date. Of course, it was on a bus with
43 other band members. Miles and Gail live in Clarendon now where Myles
is the president of Clarendon College.
Like most true writers, as a child Gail loved to read and was always
making up stories. She wrote her first story at age 9. As an adult she
started out writing in long hand and got so used to getting her ideas
down that way she still does her first draft writing by hand on
loose-leaf notebook paper. In 1992, she acquired a word processor and
began typing her first manuscript. By 1995, she had joined
RWA®
and was motivated to complete it to enter it in the Golden Heart.
Although that manuscript is still under the bed, she kept writing. While
living in Waco, she was a charter member of
the Heart of Texas RWA® chapter. Finally, in 2000, she got
“the call” and HIDE-AND-SHEIKH was released as a Silhouette Desire in
November of 2001 and was a 2002
RITA® Award Finalist for Best First
Book.
Her second book HER CONVENIENT MILLIONAIRE was also a Silhouette Desire
and released in May of 2003.
Gail is a true renaissance woman. She earned a Masters degree in History
and taught history at a junior college, but she’s also worked as a
paralegal for a County Attorney Prosecutor, and was a newspaper editor,
as well as raising 3 children. She sews, crochets, quilts, gardens, and
is a very talented painter! You’ve got to check out the pictures of her work
on her website. They’re gorgeous!
Currently she’s working on THE BARBED ROSE, the second book in a trilogy
she just sold to Luna. Yes! A 3-book contract!! And she didn’t even have
a proposal for the third book!
THE ONE ROSE Trilogy centers around a compass rose, the symbol for the
magic in the story, based on the cardinal points of the compass. THE
COMPASS ROSE is the title of the first book, due to be released in March
of 2005. Gail has painted a picture of this compass rose that can also be
found on her web site. Of course the best reason to check out her website is to “Hunt the Hunks.” Yummy!
Speaking of hunks, Gail’s most romantic moment is not a typical story.
For several months, family matters kept Gail from having time or energy
to write. One afternoon, she finally had a few moments and took her pad
out to the back porch to scribble down some ideas. Her husband, Myles,
walked by and stooped down to peer over her shoulder. Then he asked, “What
are you working on?” When she told him she was starting something new, he
said, “Oh good. I’d noticed you hadn’t been writing in a while, and I was
beginning to worry about you.”
Now that’s a man to keep!
Visit
Gail’s website.
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