The Interview:
GRACIE: I’m
excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Jean! Please tell us a little about
yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?
JEAN: I had a successful career in real estate but
when the business turned snarky just walked into my manager’s office and quit.
His response was a shocked ‘you can’t’ and
I smiled, waved, and walked out.
GRACIE: Is there
any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing
or person that influenced the genre you write in?
JEAN: Mary Balogh’s
advice to me once still guides me out of the dreaded void of dangling middle. I
asked her once what she did when she hit that and she said “Make it worse”.
GRACIE: As a
prolific author with an extensive backlist and current titles, can you still remember
when you got The Call and what was your first published book?
JEAN: Druid’s
Daughter was my first published book. I was doubly excited when my new editor
asked me if I had anything else ready and I sent her the next book in the
series, My Darling Druid. Two books at
once after three years of rejections! I think I’ll always remember that.
GRACIE: What do
you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d
known before you started?
JEAN: That publicity
and promo are endless and I mostly dislike this part of the business.
GRACIE: Please,
give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your Passionate
Pursuits series.
JEAN: Elves seems a
natural sequel to Druids and Mages. There are so many elf types and I want the strong
blonds found in Scandinavian literature. Some elves are tiny, as in the
leprechauns and of course I wanted elves that were sexy.
GRACIE: What brought about your
interest in Elves, Druids and Mages?
JEAN: I grew up
reading a lot about King Arthur and those tales are really about magical super
heroes. And I’m a dreamer. Seems a natural progression to me
GRACIE: In
Forbidden Pursuit, besides destiny, what is it you believe makes Arden and
Brielle a perfect match?
JEAN: Arden is
destined to fall in love only once and that love will last forever. That’s part
of an elves’ destiny. Brielle needs plenty of help, including growing into her
feelings. They need each other.
GRACIE: What do you believe is Gareth’s Achilles’ heel and how do
you go about stomping it in Gareth’s Gambit?
JEAN: That’s interesting phrasing for this book! Gareth has one leg a little shorter than the
other and he’s conflicted by his feelings of power as a Mage, and his feelings
of inferiority over what he regards as a defect. Our heroine has a big job on
her hands to get him to declare his love when he doesn’t feel worthy. In spite
of the fact his strengths are quite evident. He’s unsecure.
GRACIE: Of all
the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?
JEAN: My first one
published, Druid’s Daughter. It brought
me so much joy and was the start of my career. In fact my license plate is
Druids 1.
GRACIE: I know
this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters
is your favorite and why?
JEAN: Now that one I
really can’t answer. Maybe Gareth in Gareth’s Gambit. Wounded heroes always
grab at my heart.
GRACIE: What
about your characters makes them unique?
JEAN: Not an easy question to answer. I don’t
really know, except for the fact that I
love them all and maybe that comes through.
GRACIE: What is
your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?
JEAN: The best part
is the days when the words just flow. The worst part is the publicity.
GRACIE: Are you a
pantser or do you outline?
JEAN: I’m a pantser
who outlines as she goes. Does that make
sense to anyone but me?
GRACIE: Makes
sense to me! You mentioned a previous career in real estate, but if you weren’t
a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?
JEAN: Something
artistic, but I don’t know what.
GRACIE: Who are
some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why
they’re your favorites.
JEAN: Mary Balogh, Sabrina
York, Judith McNaught, Tina Donahue. As you can see I have pretty eclectic
tastes. And I love history.
GRACIE: What are you
working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the
future?
JEAN: A loooong
historical titled The Lame Lord. Also a
shortie for a boxed set of Romance4Us writer. Not titled yet, but it will be a
short, sensual historical, set right after the Peninsular War.
GRACIE: Do you
have a website and/or how can readers contact you?
JEAN:
www;jeanhartstewart.com jswriter@earthlink.net
I would love, love, love to hear from a
reader.
GRACIE: Where and
how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?
JEAN: I’m at Ellora’s
Cave, I blog regularly at Romancebooks4us and
Seven Sexy Scribes,
Facebook, Twitter, my own e-mail at jswriter.earthlink.net, and just about any place
they have internet. I’ve soon have eight
books at MuseitUp. I find I no longer
enjoy writing erotica and Ellora’s Cave wants only that, so I’m shifting a lot
of my stuff.
GRACIE: What
advice do you have for beginning writers?
JEAN: Keep
writing. Don’t let anything stop you.
Don’t listen to the negative voices.
GRACIE: Anything
else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?
JEAN: Nope, think
this excellent interview covers everything.
Thank you so much for having me.
GRACIE: Jean, thanks so much for taking time from
your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and
giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let
you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!