Welcome to the Story Impact author interview podcast.

With host Lisa Towles, this episode explores the life and work of Robin Somers — an award-winning Western Mystery author whose Wild Horses Mystery Series follows crime reporter Eleanor Wooley through the Sierra Nevada foothills and high desert of the American West, where disappearances, murder, land conflicts, and the fate of wild horses become deeply intertwined. Together they discuss journalism, landscape, wild horse advocacy, and the crime fiction series that grew out of a life lived close to the land. Essential listening for mystery readers, Western fiction lovers, and anyone drawn to stories about truth, secrets, and freedom.

Robin shares the personal experiences behind Eleven Stolen Horses and Three Marys, including what she witnessed at a wild horse roundup in Alturas that changed the direction of her life and work. She also talks about writing a protagonist shaped by her own journalistic instincts, the spiritual awakening embedded in the landscape of the American West, and what she hopes readers carry with them after finishing the series.

In this conversation, Lisa Towles and Robin Somers discuss:

• How Robin's journalism career shaped Eleanor Wooley as an investigator
• What Robin witnessed at a wild horse roundup — and why she couldn't let it go
• Why Eleanor Wooley isn't hardboiled — and why that matters
• The spirit in the landscape: what Robin hopes readers take away
• Advice for writers attempting their first series
• A first look at Book Three — The Last Roundup, coming winter 2027

This episode is ideal for mystery readers, Western fiction lovers, wild horse advocates, and anyone who enjoys thoughtful conversations about the intersection of place, purpose, and storytelling.

Learn more about Robin Somers: robinsomers.com

Story Impact is hosted by Lisa Towles — award-winning crime novelist and founder of the Story Impact platform, which includes book coaching services for authors, workshops, and a quarterly literary magazine.

Learn more about Story Impact:

storyimpactconsulting.com/podcast

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