National bestselling author Jamie Beck’s realistic and heartwarming stories have sold more than one million copies. She’s a 2017 Booksellers’ Best Award finalist, and critics at Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work “smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing novels, she enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking as well as hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family. Fans can learn more about her on her website, www.jamiebeck.com, which includes a fun “Extras” page with photos, videos, and playlists. She also loves interacting with everyone on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JamieBeckBooks.
1. First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
Before becoming an author, I worked as a commercial real estate and lending lawyer. My husband and I have two teenagers and a puppy, so I’ve got plenty to do when I’m not writing. He and I grew up in Pittsburgh, so even though my kids were born and raised in Connecticut, they bleed black and gold (go Steelers). I love to travel and read, I’ve dabbled in piano and guitar, and am still searching for some kind of regular exercise that I actually enjoy. I like to cook but prefer eating—the more carbs the better. And if I couldn’t write anymore, I’d want to study psychology. Lastly, I can’t believe I’m on the other side of fifty because I swear I blinked and twenty years flew by.
2. Did you always want to be a writer?
In my teens, I dreamt about writing for television or film. I loved nighttime dramas like L.A. Law and movies like Dead Poets Society. But my family didn’t encourage artistic careers, so I ended up getting my law degree and masters in business (just a minor detour!). Thankfully, I got the chance to dig into writing when I was a stay-at-home mother with young kids in school.
3. How did you come up with the concept and the characters for your newest release The Memory of You?
The idea came after the bombing that happened at an Ariana Grande concert in England. I remember thinking about how easily my teens could’ve been hurt at an event like that. That thought spun out into wondering about how different people respond to trauma (I love psychology), and then I played around with ideas for a series based on friends who each survive a different kind of trauma, and how their coping tactics affect them and their relationships.
4. How did you get to “know” your characters? Did they ever surprise you?
I wish I could claim to have a consistent method for creating characters, but I don’t. Some materialize very well early on, others take more time. I try to understand who they are and what made them that way before I come up with any significant plot (because I feel plot has to spring from character, not the other way around). And yes, I do get surprised by characters—often midway through the book. This requires lots of rewriting, but I have to go with my gut when I become aware that my character would do or feel something different from what I’d originally planned.
5. What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
The research was fascinating. I met with therapists, reads books and articles about trauma and memory, and read personal blogs from assault survivors. Of course, I was writing a second-chances love story, so I chose not to delve too deeply into the details of the attack. The story’s primary focus is on the couple and, to a lesser extent, the friendship rift that makes up the series arc.
I also enjoyed writing a book set near my hometown. Connecticut’s coast has so many quaint towns, I hope I created one that readers will enjoy visiting.
6. What do you like to do when you aren't writing?
I like to listen to music, watch movies and read, ski, dance, and enjoy good food with friends.
7. What are some books that you enjoyed recently?
I’ve read several good books lately. Kristan Higgins’s Good Luck With That, Maddie Dawson’s Matchmaking For Beginners, and an advanced review copy of Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets come to mind.
8. Last question, what are you working on right now?
I’m currently writing the third book in the Sanctuary Sound series. I always have a love-hate relationship with books that close a series. At this point, I often get tired of the setting (which is why, in this case, I’ve sent the heroine on an extended trip across Europe before bringing her home for the second half of the story), but I do love tying up all of the open threads. Now, I’m really eager for readers to meet Steffi, Claire, and Peyton!
Before becoming an author, I worked as a commercial real estate and lending lawyer. My husband and I have two teenagers and a puppy, so I’ve got plenty to do when I’m not writing. He and I grew up in Pittsburgh, so even though my kids were born and raised in Connecticut, they bleed black and gold (go Steelers). I love to travel and read, I’ve dabbled in piano and guitar, and am still searching for some kind of regular exercise that I actually enjoy. I like to cook but prefer eating—the more carbs the better. And if I couldn’t write anymore, I’d want to study psychology. Lastly, I can’t believe I’m on the other side of fifty because I swear I blinked and twenty years flew by.
2. Did you always want to be a writer?
In my teens, I dreamt about writing for television or film. I loved nighttime dramas like L.A. Law and movies like Dead Poets Society. But my family didn’t encourage artistic careers, so I ended up getting my law degree and masters in business (just a minor detour!). Thankfully, I got the chance to dig into writing when I was a stay-at-home mother with young kids in school.
3. How did you come up with the concept and the characters for your newest release The Memory of You?
The idea came after the bombing that happened at an Ariana Grande concert in England. I remember thinking about how easily my teens could’ve been hurt at an event like that. That thought spun out into wondering about how different people respond to trauma (I love psychology), and then I played around with ideas for a series based on friends who each survive a different kind of trauma, and how their coping tactics affect them and their relationships.
4. How did you get to “know” your characters? Did they ever surprise you?
I wish I could claim to have a consistent method for creating characters, but I don’t. Some materialize very well early on, others take more time. I try to understand who they are and what made them that way before I come up with any significant plot (because I feel plot has to spring from character, not the other way around). And yes, I do get surprised by characters—often midway through the book. This requires lots of rewriting, but I have to go with my gut when I become aware that my character would do or feel something different from what I’d originally planned.
5. What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
The research was fascinating. I met with therapists, reads books and articles about trauma and memory, and read personal blogs from assault survivors. Of course, I was writing a second-chances love story, so I chose not to delve too deeply into the details of the attack. The story’s primary focus is on the couple and, to a lesser extent, the friendship rift that makes up the series arc.
I also enjoyed writing a book set near my hometown. Connecticut’s coast has so many quaint towns, I hope I created one that readers will enjoy visiting.
6. What do you like to do when you aren't writing?
I like to listen to music, watch movies and read, ski, dance, and enjoy good food with friends.
7. What are some books that you enjoyed recently?
I’ve read several good books lately. Kristan Higgins’s Good Luck With That, Maddie Dawson’s Matchmaking For Beginners, and an advanced review copy of Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets come to mind.
8. Last question, what are you working on right now?
I’m currently writing the third book in the Sanctuary Sound series. I always have a love-hate relationship with books that close a series. At this point, I often get tired of the setting (which is why, in this case, I’ve sent the heroine on an extended trip across Europe before bringing her home for the second half of the story), but I do love tying up all of the open threads. Now, I’m really eager for readers to meet Steffi, Claire, and Peyton!
Steffi Lockwood has survived more than most. Recovering from an assault, she returns to her coastal Connecticut hometown to rebuild her life the best way she knows how: with her hands. But starting a remodeling business with one longtime friend puts her in the middle of a rift with another. Worse, being hired by her ex-boyfriend’s mother forces her to confront old regrets.
Public defender Ryan Quinn wasn’t shocked when his wife left him, but he was floored when she abandoned their daughter. With his finances up in the air, the newly single dad returns to his childhood home in Sanctuary Sound. The last person he expects, or wants, to see working on his family house is Steffi Lockwood—his first love who shattered his heart.
Although Steffi and Ryan are different people now, dormant feelings rekindle. But when Steffi’s secrets begins to surface, will it bring them together…or tear them apart for good?
- 1 $25 Amazon Gift Card + digital copy of The Memory of You
To Enter:
- Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.
Good Luck!
Special thanks to Montlake Romance for sponsoring this tour-wide giveaway.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
0 comments :
Post a Comment