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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