I’m so happy to welcome my
good friend, Jana Richards. She writes warm, witty, romantic comedy.
RW: Would you like to write a different genre or
sub-genre than you do now?
JR: I would love to write a mystery series. I have
a vague idea about what I want to write; it would be set just after WWII, and
my hero would be a returning veteran with baggage and secrets. I just haven’t
figured out what they are yet! But whatever I write, I’m pretty sure there would
be some element of romance in it.
RW: Tell us about the scariest thing that ever
happened to you.
JR: Getting attacked by a dog was probably the
scariest thing that’s happened to me. I was walking my dog, and a bulldog that had
escaped from his yard started following us. Then he started jumping up on me
and biting. I got six stitches in my foot (I was wearing sandals) and puncture
bites all up my left arm. Not fun. It took me quite a while to work up the
courage to walk my dog on my own again.
RW: Wow! That would be scary. At least your
own dog kept you from developing a fear of all dogs.
RW: Generally, how long does it take you to write a
book?
JR: Way too long! In truth, it’s totally variable. I’ve
written some books/novellas in a matter of few weeks. Something about those
books made the writing flow easily — Yay! Others take months. And still others,
years. When that happens, it means that I’m stuck on some element, or maybe
something about the writing or the research scares me and makes me put it on
the back burner. I’ve got one book on the back burner right now that I wish I
could bring to a boil!
RW: I think we all know that feeling!
RW: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do
you just go with the flow?
JR: I do my best to write every day. Sometimes it’s
a blog, or an interview rather than a work-in-progress, but it’s still writing.
If you’re going to be a professional writer you can’t go with the flow. You
have to treat your writing like the business it is. You couldn’t run a regular
business by showing up when you felt like it; you’d soon be out of business.
Writing is no different. You have to show up every day and do the work.
RW: How do you come up with story ideas?
JR: Story ideas come from everywhere; TV shows,
newspaper articles, even songs. The trick is to sift through all those ideas
and pick one that will work. It needs to have an interesting conflict and a
meaty plot. Sometimes I think I have a great story idea, only to discover
half-way through the writing that the conflict I thought so clever isn’t strong
enough to sustain the book. I hate when that happens! Fortunately, it happens a
lot less often now than when I first started writing.
RW: What can we expect from you in the future?
JR: In the next couple of years, I hope to have
lots of new books available for readers. I currently have six books in various
stages of “not quite done”, and once I finish them, look out!
RW: If I were a first time reader of your books,
which one would you recommend I start with and why?
JR: I’d say start with Her Best Man. It’s a light-hearted, fun contemporary and the first
book in my Left at the Altar series. Though HBM (and the other two books in the
series) has a lot of humor, it also has tug-at-your-heart moments. Each of the
three books opens with someone being jilted at the altar.
RW: What are the elements of a great romance for
you?
JR: Great characters that I can cheer for/fall in
love with, a strong conflict that makes me wonder how these two are ever going
to get together, and an interesting plot with lots of things for the characters
to do.
RW: Satin sheets or Egyptian cotton?
JR: Definitely Egyptian cotton. I love the warmth
and softness. I don’t like feeling like I’m going to slide out of bed!
RW: Hunky heroes or average Joe?
JR: Both! Especially when that average Joe steps
out of his ordinary world and does something above average.
RW: What do you hope readers take with them after
reading your work?
JR: First of all, I hope readers will be entertained. I hope the characters and
their story stay with them long after they finish my book(s). And I hope they
learn a little something about trusting in love.
RW: Those are all the questions I have for
you today. Thanks so much for visiting my blog.
Her
Best Man
The Plot:
Sarah Stevens experiences a
bride’s worst nightmare; being dumped at the altar. When she goes on the
Caribbean cruise meant to be her honeymoon in order to lick her wounds, she
discovers her ex-fiancé has sent his brother, Will Marshall, the former best man,
on the cruise as well. Everyone on board thinks they’re newlyweds, and Sarah is
too embarrassed to set them straight. How is she supposed to share a tiny cabin
with a man she barely knows? How is she supposed to pretend that she and Will
are on their honeymoon? Even worse, how can she keep from falling in love with
him? Sarah discovers the best man for her really is the best man.
Your Bio:
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, Canada, 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
Excerpt:
“You have a beautiful engagement ring,” Josie
commented.
Sarah felt her positive resolve slip a little. She
stared at the ring, uncertain why she still wore it. Did she miss Brad that much, or was it the
idea of being married she missed?
“Thank you,” she said simply, hoping Josie would drop
the subject. Apparently, that was too much to hope for.
“Why is it you and Will don’t wear wedding bands?”
“Josie, that’s really none of our business,” Ted
rebuked gently. He took his bride’s hand and planted a tender kiss on each of
her fingers. “We talked about this, sweetie. Boundaries, remember?”
Ted’s love for Josie shone in his eyes, despite her
lack of tact. He knew all her foibles, weaknesses, and plain old stupidities,
and he still loved her. Sarah wondered why someone couldn’t love her like that.
She stared at her engagement ring and thought of the day Brad had given it to
her. She’d been so happy and so hopeful of a wonderful future. But now all her
plans and dreams were gone, her hopes of having a family of her own dashed. How
could he have done that to her?
The sob seemed to come from the pit of her stomach,
working its way up her body until it just burst uncontrollably out of her
mouth. She covered her mouth with her hand, shocked by the emotion as well as
by the tears flooding out of her eyes. To her surprise, she found herself being
drawn into Will’s embrace. She sniffled against his shirt, embarrassing herself
further by getting his shoulder wet.
“It’s okay, Sarah,” he whispered. In a louder voice
she heard him speak to the rest of the group who had stopped in mid-chew to
stare at her.
“Sarah’s had a very difficult couple of weeks,” he
began. This was it, she thought. This
was where she got outed as a fake bride. She sucked in a breath. If he told the
truth would he go to jail? Would she?
“We don’t have any rings because a few days before the
wedding the jewelry store where we purchased our rings burned to the ground. Our rings were lost and Sarah was devastated. As
you can see, she’s still emotional about it.”
Sarah sniffed against Will’s shoulder. What?
“Oh Sarah, how awful for you!” Josie said.
“But that’s not everything,” Will continued, his voice
taking on a serious note. Sarah stopped sniveling to listen to what he’d say
next. “The wedding dress she’d ordered was lost in transit. She had to wear a dress off the rack.”
Josie took in a sharp breath. “No!”
“But the last straw came when a pipe broke at the hall
where our reception was going to be held and the place was flooded. We had to
cancel.”
Again, more ohhs and ahhs sounded around the table. Where
did he come up with these crazy stories?
Beatrice chuckled. “I’ve heard some wedding disaster
stories, but yours take the cake. Don’t worry, Sarah. Someday you’ll look back
and laugh, I promise.”
Gladys raised her glass. “Here’s to Sarah and Will.
May their marriage be luckier than their wedding.”
“Hear, Hear.”
Everyone raised his or her glass in a toast. As Sarah
wiped her eyes, Will made a toast of his own. “To Sarah. Nothing but blue skies
from now on.” He took a drink from his glass, his blue eyes full of compassion,
with a hint of humor twinkling under the surface.
Sarah picked up her wineglass. How had he done that?
She knew Will’s stories were more about saving his butt than protecting her
from humiliation, but still, she’d rather be thought of as the girl whose
wedding blew up then the girl who got dumped at the altar. For that she was
grateful.
And how had he made her feel so safe and comforted in
his arms? She shivered a little, remembering the gentle touch of his hand
sliding up and down her back. For that she was less grateful. She was confused
enough already about her feelings.
Sarah reluctantly tipped her glass to Will. “To blue
skies.”
Contacts:
Author
Website: http://www.janarichards.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_
Amazon
Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
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