Sala, Sharon
(Dinah McCall)

PERSONAL:

Born in Prague, OK; children: two.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Prague, OK.

CAREER:

Romance novelist.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Career Achievement Award, Romantic Times; National Readers' Choice Award.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Sara's Angel, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Honor's Promise, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1992.

King's Ransom, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Always a Lady, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Gentle Persuasion, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Annie and the Outlaw, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Diamonds, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Queen, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Lucky, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Chance McCall, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 1997.

Finders Keepers, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 1997.

For Her Eyes Only, Harlequin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1997.

Ryder's Wife, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Roman's Heart, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Sweet Baby, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

A Place to Call Home, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Remember Me, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 1999.

Reunion, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 1999.

Royal's Child, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1999.

The Miracle Man, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Butterfly, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

Mission, Irresistible, Harlequin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

When You Call My Name, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Familiar Stranger, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Shades of a Desperado, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Snowfall, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

Dark Water, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

The Way to Yesterday, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Amber by Night, Silhouette (New York, NY), 2003.

Deep in the Heart, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 2003.

Out of the Dark, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Second Chances, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 2003.

Whippoorwill, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Missing, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

The Amen Trail, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

Rider on Fire, Silhouette Books (New York, NY), 2005.

The Chosen, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

Nine Lives, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

AS DINAH MCCALL

Final Act, Robert Hale (London, England), 1985.

Dance, My Heart, Robert Hale (London, England), 1986.

No Substitute for Love, Robert Hale (London, England), 1986.

Leprechaun's Gold, Robert Hale (London, England), 1987.

White Orchid, Robert Hale (London, England), 1988.

Precious Cargo, Robert Hale (London, England), 1989.

Dreamcatcher, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 1996.

Jackson Rule, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 1996.

Tallchief, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 1997.

Legend, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 1998.

Chase the Moon, Five Star (Unity, ME), 1999.

Touchstone, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 1999.

The Return, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

Storm Warning, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

White Mountain, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

The Lacey Inheritance, Ulverscroft Large Print Books (West Seneca, NY), 2003.

The Perfect Lie, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Mimosa Grove, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

Bells of Danger, Ulverscroft Large Print Books (West Seneca, NY), 2005.

Bloodlines, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

Jillaroo, Ulverscroft Large Print Books (West Seneca, NY), 2005.

The Survivors, MIRA Books (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

Contributor of stories to numerous books and anthologies.

SIDELIGHTS:

Among the most prolific romance writers of her time, Sharon Sala has written dozens of novels and continues to garner wide readership. The Oklahoman began writing in the early 1980s but didn't gain enough confidence to submit her work for publication until her father and sister died in close succession. Taking destiny into her own hands, Sala submitted a manuscript to a publisher and beat the odds by having her first submission accepted. She has published several books a year nearly every year since, writing under her own name as well as under the pseudonym Dinah McCall. Sala focuses her story writing in the genre of romance suspense, occasionally incorporating paranormal elements.

When an interviewer for Romance Review asked Sala about her writing process, she noted that in many cases her story lines come to her in a dream. From there, Sala remarked: "If it's close to deadline, I write well into the night and early morning hours because that's when my house is the quietest. I write about ten to twenty pages a day when I'm doing a first draft, then edit as I go. Once the manuscript is finished, I go back through it about two or three times to check for time-line errors and the like, and then mail it off." Of her career as a writer, Sala is most proud of how her work has affected readers: "I never realized how personal it would become, or how intensely the readers would connect with what I wrote. It continues to humble and amaze me."

Sala has been widely commended for her intricate and believable characterizations, her ability to set a dynamic pace, and her knack of drawing in readers from the first page. Romance Reader reviewer Jean Mason declared: "Somehow McCall always makes me suspend disbelief and accept that there are forces in the universe that are not accessible to my alarmingly prosaic mind. Most of all, she makes me care about her characters." In a Romance Review article, a contributor noted: "Her books never cease to amaze me in the variety and color that she weaves together for an unforgettable story." Another Romance Review writer remarked, "not many authors can blend emotions and spine tingling suspense as well as this talented lady."

A recent example from Sala's body of work is 2003's Whippoorwill, a historical western romance set in the Kansas Territory, about the events that are set in motion by the arrival of preacher in a small Old West town. Kathy Boswell, writing for Best Reviews, found that the book was "one of the most interesting stories I've ever read. There were eccentric characters galore and I enjoyed meeting each and every one of them." Booklore contributor Denise M. Clark remarked: "Ms. Sala excels in creating wonderful characters and compelling plot lines. With Whippoorwill, she has outdone herself." Thea Davis noted in a Romance Reader review: "Sala delivers a moving dramatic view into life in the Kansas Territory, as the barrenness of the environment provides a perfect backdrop for the bereft feelings of so many of her characters."

Nine Lives represents Sala's abilities as a thriller writer and as a creator of memorable characters. The central character is a young woman from a tragic background who becomes a bounty hunter; she ultimately tries to hunt down her father's murderer as well as a close friend who goes missing. A fellow bounty hunter who helps her in her search becomes an unlikely love interest. Blogcritics contributor Mel Odom commented: "Sharon tells stories with breakneck pacing, breathless suspense, crisp and crackling dialogue, and about characters you get to know almost immediately." Odom went on to describe the book as "a bristling, brawling, full-throttle read that sucks a reader through the pages like a black hole."

Sala turned to current events in formulating the plot for 2004's Missing, in which a military officer suffering from post traumatic stress disorder takes respite in a small West Virginia town, falling in love with his female host, whom he ultimately must protect from a local malevolence. On her Web site, book reviewer Harriet Klausner called the novel an "engaging tale," further commenting: "What moves Missing is a character driven story in which love is the fabulous real healer." A contributor to Romance Review maintained: "This story was everything I am looking for when I pick up a book.… Sharon Sala proves once again that she just can't write fast enough for this anxious reader."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

ONLINE

Best Reviews,http://thebestreviews.com/ (March 7, 2003), Kathy Boswell, review of Whippoorwill; (November 10, 2003), Harriet Klausner, review of Whippoorwill.

Blogcritics,http://www.blogcritics.org/ (October 25, 2006), Mel Odom, review of Nine Lives.

Booklore,http://www.booklore.co.uk/ (February 19, 2003), Denise M. Clark, review of Whippoorwill.

Romance Reader,http://theromancereader.com/ (January 11, 2007), Thea Davis, review of Whippoor-will; (October 5, 1998), Jean Mason, review of Legend.

Romance Review,http://www.aromancereview.com/ (January 11, 2007), reviews of Missing, The Chosen, and Touchstone, and author interview.*