Thursday, October 20, 2016

COFFEE CHAT WITH JENNIFER LOCKLEAR

Good Thursday morning all . Today I am so excited to talk with a cool new author to me .
Lets all welcome Jennifer Locklear to the blog .




Tell us a little bit about yourself

I live in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, and I married my high school sweetheart, Morgan, in 1995. I’m the mother of two children, a son and daughter.

I enjoyed creative writing in adolescence, but set aside my hobby to concentrate on college studies, career and family. In 2010, I rediscovered my passion for writing when my husband recruited me to edit his own stories. We co-authored and published our debut novel, Exposure, via Omnific Publishing in 2014.
Writing is a second career for me. I also work in fundraising and development for a non-profit organization. Online, I have been a contributing reviewer for the Bookish Temptations book blog and am a founding moderator of Argyle Empire, an approved fan site for author Sylvain Reynard. I also enjoy participating in charitable activities, both locally and online.
 
 

You have your first solo book coming out soon. Tell us a little about it

My first solo novel is entitled “Constellation”. It’s a May to December contemporary romance set in Central Oregon. The story begins with the two main characters, Jack and Kathleen, having just given in to the temptation of mutual attraction.  The rest of the novel explores how this one spontaneous event alters Kathleen’s perception of her universe. When I initially began writing it I thought Jack would be a man of mystery, but the deeper I got into the story the more I realized that Kathleen was a woman with many of her own secrets.
Constellation is the first book in planned trilogy. I’m writing the second book now and have begun outlining the third installment. I even have an idea for a fourth book, although I haven’t committed to writing it just yet.


As a romance writer, how did you keep your story original and fresh
Personally, I love to read character studies so I tend to focus my energies on developing characters that are unique and fully-formed.  Ultimately a reader needs to connect with the character for any story to work well.  Once that connection with a character is made, the fun is in watching how these characters navigate through the situations they are presented with.
 
 

Do you have any rituals when you write and do you have a specific time of day you like to sit down and write
I carry a journal with me during the day so I can jot down ideas and conversations when they first form inside my head. I don’t always know what my characters are talking about specifically, but eventually I catch up with them and figure it all out. I tend to mold scenes and chapters inside my head before I ever sit down to write. By the time I begin typing (usually in the evenings), I have a pretty good idea of exactly what is going to come out. Even so, my characters like to throw me a few curve balls here and there.  Jack Evans (from Constellation) is particularly good at doing his own thing despite my attempts to instruct him otherwise.
 
 

What prompted you to become a romance writer
It really began with my husband.  He’s always been a poet and songwriter, but when he developed a talent for writing fiction, I wanted to support him.  I edited his stories for him and helped promote his writings online. He found a following within the romance writing community and eventually he coaxed me into the spotlight as well. I wrote my first romantic short story as an experiment in 2011. It was well-received and I’ve been writing romance ever since.
 
 

What kind of research do you do
I like to research my locales and settings. Many of the places I write about are places I have some personal experience with, but there are also some locations I’d like to visit and haven’t. Even if I think I know a place well enough to write about it, I do the research anyhow. Inevitably, I always end up learning something I didn’t know before and the extra bit of knowledge always strengthens my story.
 
 

What is the hardest part of writing for you
Finding the time. I have a full-time career outside of writing and I also have a family, so my free time for writing is quite limited. I’d love to set aside an hour or two a day for it, but that rarely happens.  I think this is why I’ve come to rely on writing in my journal and crafting scenes in my imagination. I want to maximize my typing time when I actually get to sit down and work on a story.
 
 

The best part of being a writer
Stumbling into the community of readers, bloggers, graphics artists and authors has been a life-altering experience for me. Before I became involved in writing, my life was much quieter. During the past several years, I’ve made wonderful and creative friends through the writing community and have traveled to places I likely wouldn’t have taken the time to visit otherwise. Although I’m naturally shy, writing has brought me out of my shell in surprising (and non-terrifying) ways.  I think I’m experiencing life more and making some fabulous memories as a result.

Now for some rapid fire questions

Coffee or tea
Tea, preferably Earl Grey.

Sweet or salty snacks
Salty more than sweet, but I enjoy both.

Morning person or a night owl
This is a no brainer. I’ve never been a morning person.

Favourite book
So many books fall into this category, it’s difficult to name just one. The only author I’ve ever gone out of my way to officially fangirl for is Sylvain Reynard, so I’m going to say “Gabriel’s Inferno”.  In complete honesty, the experience of reading that story changed the course of my life.

Favourite type of music
My favorite band of all time is a-ha. I’ve been a diehard fan since “Take on Me”.

Finally
How can people find and stalk you
 
You can find me on Twitter at both @MJLocklear and @RandomCran. I also have an Author Page I share with my husband on Facebook, Morgan & Jennifer Locklear. Currently, our website is being overhauled, but soon you should also be able to keep up with news and updates at www.locklearbooks.com.
Thank you for the wonderful interview Jennifer, its been a pleasure .

 













 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 






 
 







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