Monday, July 29, 2013

VBT: Playing the Field- Interview with Jennifer Seasons










Welcome to my stop on the Playing the Field tour! Today, I have an interview with the author, and sharing an excerpt. I am scheduled for a review, but somehow, I managed to overbook with reviews all around the same time, and speed reader that I am, still didn't manage to finish some books. So my review will post at a later date. 


 tell me about yourself, and your writing.

  I’m married with four children.  I grew up split between Southern California and ranches in Wyoming and South Dakota.  Those very different environments and sub-cultures gave me a lot to draw from with regards to my writing.   And it definitely affects my writing.  And yes, I have a soft spot for the country even though I choose to live smack in the center of town.   That’s why I’ve been nagging my hubby for chickens in the backyard.  I miss having fresh eggs.

How long have you been writing? How many published books do you have, and what genres?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid.  My first full-length manuscript was written when I was twenty-one and will NEVER see the light of day.  It’s a really awful Regency romance.  Once I tried my hand at contemporary romance I found my niche and PLAYING THE FIELD is my second published novel to date.

Do you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, do you ever consider straying outside your genre?

 So far I’ve only published contemporary romance, but I would love to write a cozy mystery series with a paranormal bent.  I think that could be all kinds of fun.

Are you a plotter or do you write from the seat of your pants?

  I used to be a pantster until I discovered the value of plotting.  Then my work got a whole lot better and my use of time became much for efficient.

What is a typical writing day like for you?

 Well I have four children and my youngest just turned eight months old, so there really is no “typical”.  I’m usually up before dawn and try to get some time in before the baby or toddler wakes.  Then I work around their nap schedules, cramming in writing between laundry and dishes and grocery runs.  If I’m not exhausted I’ll put in another hour or two after everyone is asleep.  So to summarize, I pretty much write all day on an off.

Who do you love to read? Favorite authors, favorite books?

 Oh, to narrow it down.  So hard!  I love Julie Garwood’s historicals, Rachel Gibson, Juliet Blackwell, Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Jane Austen, Virginia Wolff… I could go on.


Tell us a little about your latest release.

  PLAYING THE FIELD is the story about a single mom determined to provide a safe, simple life for her child by avoiding romantic relationships, and the super confident, sexy professional ballplayer who has to convince her that nothing is safer than his love.


What are some of your other hobbies outside of writing?


  Hobbies?  What are those?  I have four kids.  Seriously though, when I have some precious free time I love to garden and go hiking in the Rockies with my family.  I also love to draw with chalks, go to the Farmer’s Market, browse thrift shops, and refinish vintage furniture.


What is a talent you wish you had, but don't?

 I wish I could surf.  I’d totally be a surfer girl and catch waves all day.  Unfortunately, I’m terrible at it.  Really really terrible.  Bummer.

             Favorite color?  All shades of purple—except really pale lavender.  I like it bold. :)

Weather: Hot or cold?

 Cold.  I’m totally a colder weather person.  Must be all my northern European blood.

Favorite place to read?

  Curled up on the couch.  It used to be my hammock—until my dog ate it.  *sigh*


Favorite non-alcoholic drink.

  Don’t laugh, but it’s actually water.


Playing the Field
Diamonds and Dugouts #2
By: Jennifer Seasons

Blurb

Single mother Sonny Miller has spent years avoiding love. A rotten childhood and an even rottener ex-boyfriend left her determined to protect her son—and herself—against the risks of romance. That is, until hotshot ballplayer JP Trudeau swaggers into her carefully constructed life, all sin-with-me eyes and irresistible grin. Sonny can't help but feel drawn to the sexy, confident man, even as every fiber of her being tells her to keep running the bases . . .

JP is known for being fast on his feet, not fast with his heart. But meeting Sonny and her boy sparks something in him—something he's never felt before, not from all the cleat-chasers in the major leagues. Sonny may be hell-bent on keeping him at arm's length no matter what, but this rookie has a plan. To get the girl, he must step up to the plate and convince her to take another chance on love . . . before this game gets rained out.





EXCERPT:

Chapter Two

“Hey, Charlie. Want to see a magic trick?”
The kid nodded vigorously, “Yeah!”
Glancing behind him to make sure the photographers were watching, JP held up the ball and announced, “Now you see it, now you don’t.”
That got their attention. Camera shutters started clicking as he went about amazing the boy with the one and only trick he knew. Even Sonny seemed to be fascinated. She kept leaning forward from her hideout a few feet away to get a better view. When he held out his hands in front of him and the ball had disappeared, Charlie’s eyes went wide. “No way!”
“How did you do that?” came her sexy voice behind him.
Not finished, JP shot her a wink and relaxed his stance. “Magic.”
She gave him a face and he outright laughed. “I don’t believe in magic.”
Now that was really just too bad. Everybody needed a little magic in their lives. “Here, Charlie. Why don’t you take my hat for a second?” He took off his cap and handed it to the kid.
Thoroughly engrossed in the trick, the boy grabbed it eagerly and asked, “Where’d the ball go?” He’d been scanning the ground like he was hunting for Easter eggs.
Sonny stepped up beside him and added, “The real question is if you can bring it back.” The skepticism in her tone implied she didn’t think he could.
How wrong she was. “Thanks for holding my hat, kid. I’ll take it back now.”
Charlie handed it back and JP made a display of putting it on his head. “Ouch. Man, what is that?” Faking confusion, JP pulled off his hat and turned it over, inside facing up. And right there in the center of his cap was the ball, snowy white in the afternoon sun.
The boy practically shoved his face into the ball cap. “Holy cow! How did you do that?”
One of the guys from the Post piped up nearby, scribbling furiously on a tiny notepad. “Hey, Trudeau. Want to introduce us to your friends?” He glanced up from the pad and adjusted his eyeglasses. “You know, for the byline.”
JP flashed his best grin. “Sure. This here is Charlie Miller, shortstop for . . .” He trailed off and glanced down at the kid in question. “What’s your team’s name?”
Charlie puffed out his chest and stood as tall as he could. To the reporter he boasted, “I play for the Longmont Hawks.”
Sonny spoke up, her voice soft and kind of tense. “Is this just your normal? I mean, all these photographers and stuff?”
Glancing down, he noted she looked tense too. He was so used to being in the public eye that he forgot how uncomfortable it could be to some. “Yeah, it’s pretty much just part of life. You get used to it.”
She looked up at him and her gorgeous eyes shuttered. “I couldn’t do it.” He opened his mouth to respond when a thump thump on a microphone turned his attention toward the low stage. The event coordinator was almost ready to give her speech. That was his cue to get moving.
“Hey, I have to go. But it was great meeting you, Charlie.”
His gaze slid to Sonny. A lazy smile curved his lips. “It’s been a real pleasure.”
He watched color bloom in her cheeks and couldn’t stop the heat that started to coil in his belly. Didn’t particularly want to, if truth be told. He’d never dated a single mom before, but then again he’d never encountered one like her either. It was more than just her looks and the fact that he was seriously attracted to her.
She had something.




Buy Links
Author Info
Jennifer Seasons is a Colorado transplant. She lives with her husband and four children along the Front Range, where she enjoys breathtaking views of the mighty Rocky Mountains every day. A dog and two cats keep them company. When she's not writing, she loves spending time with her family outdoors, exploring her beautiful adopted home state.

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