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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Interview with Author Jennifer McQuiston and Giveaway


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.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes |

 

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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

22 comments :

  1. My husband and I drove from Cleveland, OH to St. Louis, MO; Little Rock, AK; Memphis, TN; and then Louisville, KY before heading home this past April. It was our first trip together without kids since all three were away at college. We had a blast...it was fun just being "us" again.

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  2. Scotland 2010
    I want to win this book very badly. Crikey! Ah loove Scotland!

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  3. This passed weekend went to San Diego california for our 30th Annv.
    Penney

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  4. We took a vacation a year ago and went to Lake Tahoe, NV.

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  5. We went to Alaska last year. It was beautiful! My daughter and son loved the zoo in Anchorage, while my husband and I enjoyed panning for gold and zip-lining.

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  6. sad to say it's been 2 years since I've left the state I live in :( I live in the Midwest and we went to Florida!!! It was awesome. I'm now going to go seriously look at taking another vacation soon! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Well, let's see, went down to Santa Cruz this past weekend bc my sis in law they're moving to Texas next week so we all decided to spend the weekend at our aunts n uncs home for a farewell dinner... also we found out she's expecting :)

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  8. My mate just took me to the Beach in Ventura, CA for a long birthday weekend.

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  9. this past summer, we took the 17yob on a trip to tour colleges/universities. That was my summer vacation.

    denise

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  10. My husband and I just sailed for 23 nights on a cruise ship that went to Canada, New England and Bermuda.

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  11. My last vacation where I went someplace was Disney World 2 years ago this Thanksgiving

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  12. My husband and I took a long weekend to visit Estes Park, Colorado last October.

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  13. I went to New York last spring and it was very cool. I got to see the woman in gold painting.

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  14. I just got back from a trip to Scotland with my sister at the beginning of September! It was an amazing trip!

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  15. After 8 years, I FINALLY got to go back to Mexico this past July to visit my dad's family and was able to take my husband and son. The army kept me from going back as I was part of QRF and a medic, so it was always no, lol. We had a wonderful time traveling and celebrating my step sisters wedding.

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  16. Hilton Head Island - might not sound exotic, but so relaxing to do nothing but beach, pool, and eat.

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  17. My last vacation was spent at Table Rock Lake in Missouri -- my personal happy place.

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  18. In September 2015 I spent 10 days in Maine.

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  19. last year - to the beach with family

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  20. The last vacation I took was in May and we took the kids to Disneyland.

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  21. My last vacation was probably 10 years ago when I still lived on the East coast. My husband and I went to Wildwood Crest and Cape May on the New Jersey coast.

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  22. The last vacation I had was during the summer of this year. My family and I went to visit my aunts in Kentucky.

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