Interview with Author JM Stewart and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome author JM Stewart to RFTC. JM is celebrating the recent release of her book A Second Chance at Forever and has stopped by to answer a few questions. Please give JM a warm welcome.

J.M. writes what she likes to call sweet and spicy contemporary romance. She's a stay-at-home mom by trade, married to her very own hero. They live in the Great Northwest with their two boys and two very spoiled puppies. J.M. has been devouring romances for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her passion.

Places to find JM:

| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
I’m a stay-at-home mom. My husband and I have been married for sixteen years and we have two teenage boys and two very spoiled puppies. I live in the state of Washington, around the Seattle area, where it rains like three hundred days a year. lol I published my first book a little over two years ago.

Did you always want to be a writer?
Honestly, the thought didn’t even occur to me until about eleven years ago. I actually majored in psychology in college (never graduated). Writing just kind of dropped in my lap one day. I had this very vivid dream that demanded to be written down. As I did, this story unfolded and I became hooked on the process.

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
I’m a bit of both. I’m a pantser with plotter tendencies. lol I used to be a pantser. I could sit down with the barest idea of a premise and just go. Over the years, as my writing grew and I learned the ins and outs of the craft, the way I wrote changed a bit. Nowadays, I need to know a few things before I can write the book. Who the characters are, what their GMC is, the premise. But I don’t actually write it all down. I more need to know who I’m dealing with and a general idea of where I’m going.

Where do your ideas come from?
Oh goodness, everywhere. A Second Chance at Forever, for example, came from something I’d read on the internet. It was a two or three sentence snippet that someone had shared, and it inspired me. My novel, The Playboy’s Baby, was my twist on the secret baby/ wealthy hero theme. Really, it can be anything. From something I read, to something I see on TV or even something someone says to me. I never really know. The ideas usually kind of jump out at me.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
A heart shattered by divorce, a life destroyed by tragedy...can they heal each other’s hearts and find happiness together?

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
I like romance of course, but I prefer the sappy kind. The emotional stories that tug on my heartstrings. I like families and a sense of community. I love strong secondary characters and characters who feel like you could meet them on the street. If you can make me cry, I’m yours.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
My all-time favorite is Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. It’s the one book I go to again and again. Every time I read it, I discover something else. The Fifty Shades trilogy is up there as well. Well, the first two books in the trilogy, at least. The hero, Christian Grey, really touched me, in a very personal way.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
The love scenes. I blush writing them, though I’m getting braver these days. lol But I find them difficult to balance, balancing the physical act with the emotional, so that they don’t come across sounding insert tab A into slot B.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
Well, I’d love to have dinner with Diana Gabaldon. I’d love to hear her writer’s view on her books. What it’s like for her, how she writes, that kind of thing. I wouldn’t mind having dinner with a couple of the big authors, either, like Nora Roberts or Stephen King, just to soak up some of their knowledge.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
At the moment, I’m working on the sequel to my novel, The Playboy’s Baby, involving the hero, Dillon’s, older brother, Logan. It’s an older woman, younger man story. The hero is a wealthy chef who finds out he has a daughter when her mother abandons her. The heroine is army wife who lost her husband in the war in Iraq and pens erotic romances to keep her mind busy. Toss in a dog with a penchant for rescuing people, set in a small town. I’m still figuring it out.

Recently divorced and working two jobs, Angela Lewis has no room in her life for love. Yet when her childhood crush finds her at the nightclub where she works as the sexy stripper, Candy Cane, and expresses his interest, Angela can’t resist. She only wants one night to live the fantasy her alter ego provides.

Alex McKinley is still trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life, and one night with Candy is exactly what he needs. He gets more than he bargained for, however, when he discovers she's the little sister of his best friend. Suddenly little Angie’s all grown up and driving him crazy.

The more time he spends with Angela, the more Alex finds himself falling for the woman she’s become. She makes him want to live again. But can he convince her to take a chance on him?

Purchase: | Amazon | All Romance | Kobo | Wild Rose Press |

What was she doing?

Seated behind the wheel of her car in the Diamond’s parking lot, Angela’s hands trembled as she punched the last number into her cell phone’s lighted display and hit the CALL button. She was playing with fire, but Lord help her, she couldn’t resist. She only wanted to hear Alex’s voice, to see what he’d say when he heard hers, see where the conversation would lead them.

Excitement zipped along her nerve endings. There had been something real and irresistible between her and Alex at the club tonight. For the first time in a long time, a man had seemed to see her. Right or wrong, she couldn’t resist.

As the first ring shrilled over the line, her heartbeat tripled in cold blind panic. She ran her trembling thumb over the END button. This was insane. She shouldn’t be doing this. She should hang up right now, call him tomorrow and tell him the truth. Tell him—

“Alex McKinley.”

The sound of his voice, deep, husky and relaxed, wound around her, settling into the pit of her stomach. “Did I wake you?”

He made a sound at the back of his throat, a sound of pleasure that teased her senses and provoked visions of the two of them together in the dark. “Candy. You actually called.”

She let her head fall back against the headrest. “How’d you know it was me?”

“Because the sound of your voice has been haunting me for hours.”

Check out whats up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 1 lucky winner from the ENTIRE tour a $10 Amazon Gift Card 

To Enter:

• Leave a meaningful comment or question for JM.
• Please leave your email address along with your comment to be entered. 
• Giveaway ends January 18th.

Good Luck =)