Tell
me about yourself, and your writing.
Hi!
I live in Western Canada with my husband and my
dog Lou, a Pug/Terrier cross who rules our lives way more than
she should. I’ve been reading since I figured out who Dick, Jane
and Sally were, and I’ve been making up stories in my head for as
long as I can remember. But it took me a while before I felt
confident enough to put those stories down on paper.
How
long have you been writing? How many published books do you have, and
what genres?
I’ve
been writing for about 20 years, although I didn’t become published
in novel length fiction until 2007. I guess you could say I had a
very long apprenticeship in writing.
In
January 2014, when ALWAYS
A BRIDESMAID is published, the third book in my Left at the Altar
series, I will have ten published works. I write in the romance. I
love adding humor to my books whenever it’s appropriate, as well as
a touch of the paranormal.
Do
you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, do you ever
consider straying outside your genre?
All
my books are romance, but I write in several sub-genres of romance
including contemporary, historical (set in WW2), romantic suspense,
and paranormal. I guess you could call my paranormals ‘paranormal
light’. My paranormal romantic suspense, SEEING
THINGS, features a heroine with psychic abilities. BURNING
LOVE, is about a couple of match-making angels who constantly get
themselves into trouble as they match a firefighter with a girl prone
to setting cooking fires. I can’t seem to write about angels
without using humor!
If
I was ever to stray from the romance genre, it would be to write a
mystery series. I love cozy mysteries with a continuing sleuth and an
interesting group of secondary characters. But I’d have to give my
sleuth a love interest because that’s the kind of writer I am!
Are
you a plotter or do you write from the seat of your pants?
Mostly
I’m a plotter. Nothing scares me more than a blank screen and a
blinking cursor! I need at least a vague road map so I have a clue
where I’m going. In addition to doing some kind of outline, I also
fill out character sketches so I can figure out who my main
characters are and what motivates them. I like to know not only what
they look like, but what happened in their pasts, and what they want
for their futures.
What
is a typical writing day like for you?
Typical?
What’s typical? It usually goes something like this on a day I’m
not at my part-time day job: wake up around 7 am, shower, eat
breakfast, take dog for walk, sit down at computer to check email and
Facebook. Whoops, I mean, to write. Okay, there may be some Internet
browsing going on. Eventually I will write. Until I get hungry. Or I
have to put a load of laundry in the dryer. Or the dog needs to go
out. Sometimes it’s hard to keep my butt in the writing chair, but
the main thing is I keep coming back.
Who
do you love to read? Favorite authors, favorite books?
I
enjoy Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann, and Mary Balogh among others.
I just read Lisa Kleypas’ book SMOOTH TALKING STRANGER and really
enjoyed it, so I’ll be sure to look for more from her. One of my
favorite series is Nora Robert’s Chesapeake Bay series –
SEASWEPT, RISING TIDES, and INNER HARBOR. They’re stories about
redemption and second chances, and confirm that no child is ever
beyond hope if he receives the love and care he needs.
What
is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next
year?
At
the moment I’m putting together a proposal to write a couple more
books set in Paradise, North Dakota, the setting of FIRST AND AGAIN.
I’m hoping my editor likes my ideas and I can return to my
fictional small town. I’m also working on another series about a
man who can only gain access to Heaven by taking three mortals back
in time and giving them a second chance at love. I’m calling it my
Twice in a Lifetime series.
If
you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
If
I had a paranormal ability, it would be to eat all the potato chips
and Doritos I want and not gain weight. Seriously, I’ve thought
about being able to read people’s minds or predict the future, but
I’m not sure I’d want to know other people’s thoughts; what if
they don’t like me? I’m not sure it would be a gift to know what
happens before it happens. But one ability I think would be totally
cool is time travel. I’d especially love to witness interesting
events from the past. Wouldn’t it be cool to go back to 1969 and
attend Woodstock?
If
you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would
you have?
Well,
I’m more of a dog person, but it might be fun to have a pet dragon.
As long as he’s not too big, and he’s got that fire-breathing
thing under control. At least he wouldn’t shed!
Tell
us a little about your latest release.
FIRST
AND AGAIN is a small town romance about second chances, trust, and
learning where we belong. Here’s a blurb:
Bridget
Grant is back in Paradise. Paradise, North Dakota, that is.
She’s
swallowed her pride and moved back to her hometown with her daughter
after her divorce and the loss of her catering company. Now she’s
trying to navigate the strained relationships she’d left behind –
including her first love, Jack Davison.
Jack
never forgot Bridget, or the day she left town – and him. When
Bridget caters a lunch at Jack’s tourist ranch, old flames
reignite. They have more in common than ever – Jack’s also a
single parent. Though they both try to keep things casual, Bridget,
Jack and their girls are starting to look a lot like a family.
But
Bridget’s only planning to stay in Paradise until she’s saved
enough to relaunch her business. Jack’s invested too much in his
ranch to leave. And with their daughters involved both have a lot
more at stake than heartbreak. How can they risk falling in love?
What
is something that you absolutely can't live without? (Other than
family members)
Coffee.
And possibly a good Internet connection.
Could
you ever co-author a book with someone? If so, who would you choose,
and what would you write?
I’d
love to co-author a book with Suzanne Brockmann. I think it would be
amazing to work with someone as talented as she is. I’d be happy to
write anything she wanted me to!
If
you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who
would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?
I
would love to spend a day with Jane Austen. I’d like to see the
desk where she wrote and the pen and ink she used, and hear her talk
about her writing process. I’d love to go on a long walk in the
English countryside with her, and listen to her thoughts about
writing, and her books, and maybe her ideas for books she never had a
chance to write.
What
are some of your other hobbies outside of writing?
I
like gardening, going to movies and concerts (not sure that’s a
hobby, but I’m going with it), and yoga. And reading, of course!
If
you were on the staff to have a book adapted to movie, what would you
pick?
I
think THE
DEFIANT HERO by Suzanne Brockmann would make a great movie. It
has a lot of action, with heroine’s daughter and grandmother being
kidnapped by terrorists. The kidnapping/terrorist plot is interwoven
with the World War Two story the grandmother tells to the little girl
and the terrorist who is supposed to be guarding them. Both stories
are very visual. And of course there’s a great love story. Two love
stories, actually. The grandmother tells the story of the love of her
life.
What
is a talent you wish you had, but don't?
I
wish I could play a musical instrument, like piano or guitar. I would
also love to be able to speak several different languages.
Favorite
color?
Today
it’s blue. Tomorrow it could be yellow. It depends.
Weather:
Hot or cold?
How
about in-between? I hate being too hot or too cold, so warm suits me
best. It’s the reason I like spring and fall the best.
Favorite
place to read?
In
bed.
Favorite
meal
I’d
have to go with lasagna.
Favorite
non-alcoholic drink.
Coffee,
with milk, no sugar.
If
you could travel anywhere and do anything, no limits or money holding
you back, where would you go?
If
it was safe to go to the Middle East, I would love to see the
pyramids in Egypt, the Wailing Wall in Israel, the ruins of Carthage
in Turkey. There is so much history there that I’d love to see.
Jana Richards
a Rafflecopter giveaway
First
and Again
Jana Richards
Genre: Contemporary
Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Date of Publication:
October 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-14268-9643-9
ASIN: B00E1UY6GE
Word Count: 87,000 words
Book Description:
Bridget Grant
is back in Paradise. Paradise, North Dakota, that is.
She's
swallowed her pride and moved back to her hometown with her daughter
after her divorce and the loss of her catering company. Now she's
trying to navigate the strained relationships she'd left
behind—including her first love, Jack Davison.
Jack never
forgot Bridget, or the day she left town—and him. When Bridget
caters a lunch at Jack's tourist ranch, old flames reignite. They
have more in common than ever—Jack's also a single parent. Though
they both try to keep things casual, Bridget, Jack and their girls
are starting to look a lot like a family.
But Bridget's
only planning to stay in Paradise until she's saved enough to
relaunch her business. Jack's invested too much in his ranch to
leave. And with their daughters involved, both have a lot more at
stake than heartbreak. How can they risk falling in love?
About
the Author:
When Jana Richards read
her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to
commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to
end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she
was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she
didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense,
and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from
short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in
generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the
paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was
a 2008 EPPIE finalist.
In her life away from
writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown
daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga,
movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order.
She and her husband live in Winnipeg with their Pug/Terrier cross Lou
and several unnamed goldfish. She loves to hear from readers and can
be reached through her website at www.janarichards.com
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
Newsletter signup:
http://www.eepurl.com/m3UnT
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