Interview with Author Jennifer McQuiston and Giveaway

Meet Jennifer McQuiston author of The Perks of Loving a Scoundrel.

Jennifer McQuiston is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Victoria-era historical romance, including What Happens in Scotland and Summer is for Lovers. The third book in her series, Moonlight on My Mind, will be released March 25, 2014. A veterinarian and infectious disease researcher by training, Jennifer has always preferred reading romance to scientific textbooks. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, two daughters (who got a pony out of mom’s book deal!), and a house full of pets.

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First off, can you tell us a bit about you?

I am a tea-drinking, world-travelling, pony-owning, romance-loving disease detective and mother of two. Not necessarily in that order!

Did you always want to be a writer?

Writing a publishable novel was never something I had imagined doing when I was growing up. I had wanted to be a veterinarian since the 4th grade, and I completely tracked science through college and graduate school. I’ve never even taken a writing course beyond the requisite creative writing for science geeks required to graduate with my Bachelor’s degree! But I have always been an avid reader, and if I reach way, way back, there was that time I won my school’s Young Author contest …. I wrote a story about a prehistoric man who invented fire in a very creative way.

What kind of writer are you? Panser or Plotter?

I am a total Pantser, which makes it challenging to write any kind of outline or synopsis. I tend to free-form my stories for about 100 pages, then I go back in and layer in missing elements. The thing I love about being a pantser is that every day is an exciting writing day – I never know what my characters are going to do next! And for the suspense books I have written, I never know who the killer/villain is going to be until the very end. 

Where do your ideas come from?

I apparently have a very vivid imagination, because none of this stuff goes on in my own life! 

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.

A notorious scoundrel and a bookish miss must track down an assassin without losing their heads… or their hearts.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?

I love historical romance above all other genres. My idea of heaven is a new historical romance and a day at the beach, with no interruptions! I also enjoy historical fiction and the odd contemporary romance if the author’s voice is full of witty banter and plenty of snark. 

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?

Although my favorite kind of story is historical romance, my favorite book of all time is Ken Follett’s 1980’s Pakistan-set story, Lie Down With Lions. I read this book when I was deployed to Ghana, Africa in 1999, during 3 months spent working on the global polio eradication effort. I found it in a local bookstore in Accra and it literally saved my sanity during the lonely nights. Plus, I would totally argue it is a historical romance – it has exotic locations, is rich in history, and features one of the most incredible sex scenes I’ve ever read!

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write? Why?

Sex scenes are tough for me, because I don’t want them to be ordinary or too scripted. I typically save those for last, putting “insert sex scene here”. And then, I take my time with them, coming back to craft them over a few days. 

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?

I am going with the three Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne (which would, of course, require me to go back in time to my favorite era!)

Last question, are you working on anything right now?

I am actually taking a much-needed breather in the near future. As most readers know, my day job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can get pretty intense (I blame Ebola, but Zika is partly responsible too!) I’ve written six books and a novella in only a few years, and my sanity is crying out for a little vacation. After that? Who knows!

When was the last time YOU took a vacation… and where did you go?

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer McQuiston continues her enchanting Seduction Diaries series as a bookish spinster and an unrepentant rogue unite to unmask a traitor.

Every girl dreams of a hero . . .

No one loves books more than Miss Mary Channing. Perhaps that’s why she’s reached the ripe old age of six-and-twenty without ever being kissed. Her future may be as bland as milk toast, but Mary is content to simply dream about the heroes and adventures she reads about in her books. That way she won’t end up with a villain instead.

But sometimes only a scoundrel will do.

When she unexpectedly finds herself in the arms of Geoffrey Westmore, London’s most notorious scoundrel, it feels a bit like a plot from one of her favorite novels. Suddenly, Mary understands why even the smartest heroines can fall prey to a handsome face. And Westmore is more handsome than most. But far worse than the damage to her reputation, the moment’s indiscretion uncovers an assassination plot that reaches to the highest levels of society and threatens the course of the entire country.

When a tight-laced miss and a scoundrel of epic proportions put their minds together, nothing can stand in their way. But unless they put their hearts together as well, a happy ending is anything but assured.

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Check out the Seduction Diaries series:

 

Up For Grabs:

• 1 Print copy of The Perks of Loving a Scoundrel

To Enter:

• When was the last time YOU took a vacation… and where did you go?
• US shipping ONLY.
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form. 

Good Luck!

Special thanks to Darcy Burke & Author's Pal for sponsoring this tour-wide giveaway.

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