Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Writing Wednesday: Chatting with Romance Author Jana Richards



Today I'm chatting with author Jana Richards, who writes romance for The Wild Rose Press (among other things.) I read and reviewed (and thoroughly enjoyed) her novella CHILL OUT this past winter, as part of the Candy Hearts Romance series, and invited her to come talk about writing and life.

Welcome, Jana! Tell us bit about yourself, and what kind of books you like to read and write.

I’ve tried my hand at various types of writing, everything from magazine articles and short stories to full length romantic suspense, WW2 romances and romantic comedy. I love creating characters with a sense of humor but also a serious, darker side. There’s nothing more interesting than peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When I’m not writing or doing housework (not my favorite thing), I’m at my part-time day job as a bookkeeper/admin assistant. I live in western Canada with my husband and my dog Lou.

As I said above, I like variety in my writing in regards to length and the romance genre. These days I’m also experimenting with series writing, which is great fun but hard work. I like to read romance, of course, in many genres, especially Regency historicals, but I also love mysteries, and many literary works.
 
What's your favorite part of being an author?

Being able to write in my pajamas all day! Seriously, although I do enjoy hanging out in my PJs, it’s not my favorite part of writing. I love being in control, creating characters with personalities and backgrounds, and putting them in tough situations to see what happens. I get to pull the strings. The act of creating my own little worlds and the people who inhabit them is my favorite part.
 
What's your approach to writing? Do you plot or go with the flow? 

I use a somewhat messy hybrid method of both plotting and writing by the seat of my pants. I need an idea of where I’m going, so before I start writing, I create a synopsis of sorts that gets the bare bones story down. As I’m writing, I’m winging it to a certain extent, definitely going with the flow. Sometimes when I get stuck, or I’m not sure which direction to take, I’ll go back to that synopsis and expand or change it so I get a better picture of where to take my characters next. My synopsis is usually a handwritten mess, with bits crossed out and arrows going in various directions. I’m probably the only one who can understand it, and even I have trouble sometimes!
 
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why? 

If I had a superpower, I would want to be able to speed read. I’d love to be able to touch a book and absorb everything about it from start to finish. So many books, so little time!

Tell us about your latest release!

It’s not my newest or latest release, but The Girl Most Likely (ebook version) is on sale for .99 cents from May 13 to 27, 2016. Here’s the blurb:


Cara McLeod, the girl most likely to have the perfect marriage, is now divorced and, in her own words, “fat, frumpy, and over forty.” The thought of facing former classmates—and the ex-husband who dumped her—at her high school reunion terrifies her. Cajoled into attending by her kids and her best friend, Cara enlists help at the gym to lose weight and look great for the reunion. Personal Trainer Finn Cooper is more than willing to help—but does he have to be so to-die-for gorgeous?

Finn thinks Cara is perfect just the way she is. She’s everything he wants in a woman, except for one thing—she can’t get past the fact that he's eight years younger. To Finn, age and weight are just numbers. But can he convince Cara the numbers she worries about add up to only one thing for him—love?


If you prefer a print version, The Girl Most Likely is available in print from The Wild Rose Press.

Love the sound of your story! I need to grab a copy... Okay, you’re casting the movie version of your novel – who would you choose for the main characters? We’re talking dream cast.

Cara is 43 in my book, and I wanted her to be as beautiful as Michelle Pfieffer, though she’s put on a few pounds. At 35, Finn is eight years younger. Do you know British actor Aiden Turner? He plays Ross Poldark in “Poldark” on PBS. Gorgeous. I think he’d make a perfect Finn.
  
Oh yum. I'd go see that movie! Where can readers find your book and where can they find you online?

The Girl Most Likely can be found at the following on-line retailers:








I can be found around the internet at these places:

Newsletter Signup: http://www.eepurl.com/m3UnT

Thanks so much for being my guest today, Jana! Best of luck with your 99 cent sale! 
 

16 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hear you on the housework, Jana! Best of luck with The Girl Most Likely. Oh, and I had to delete this message earlier because my fingers just weren't hitting the right keys and I didn't see it until too late :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Barbara!

      Delete
    2. Barbara, I would really like to have a spotless, organized house. I just don't want to do it! So many other things I'd rather be doing. Don't worry about the extra message. I'm just glad you stopped by!

      Delete
  3. House work -- Yuck -- Good Luck with sales on The Girl Most Likely.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awesome interview, ladies! Sometimes I'd love to be able to speed read, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Jeannie! And thanks for the tweets, too!

      I never thought of speed reading as a super power... does that make me a superhero if I can already do that? Now, speed CLEANING would be a superpower I need!

      Delete
    2. Yes! Speed cleaning! I need that too! Thanks for stopping by Jeannie.

      Delete
  5. Great superpower. Although I do like to reread old favorite books realllllllly slowly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, very true Charlotte. Some books just get better every time you read them. They need to be savoured. I'm glad you were able to stop by.

      Delete
  6. Love the title, "Girl Most Likely," and wishing you the best of luck with your release!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the good wishes, Hebby! Much appreciated.

      Delete
  7. Katie, thanks so much for having me on your blog. It's been lovely to be here!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Jana, I loved reading about your hybrid method of plotting and pantstering. I hope you keep those synopsis copies they sound like an arts and craft project. Good luck with your new release.

    ReplyDelete

Go ahead - leave a comment! You know you want to! But don't be Anonymous - that'll just get you deleted. And who wants that?