Author Jennifer Haymore Talks Writing, Offers A Giveaway

It’s always fun having author Jennifer Haymore drop

by to talk about her writing and her latest release.

She joins us today on a stop of her Historical Romance Blog Tour promoting her current release, SECRETS OF AN ACCIDENTAL DUCHESS. Here’s a brief synopsis of the book: With her pale hair and slim figure, Olivia Donovan looks as fragile as fine china, and has been treated as such by her sisters ever since a childhood bout with malaria. But beneath her delicate facade, Olivia guards a bold, independent spirit and the kind of passionate desires proper young ladies must never confess... 

It was a reckless wager, and one Max couldn't resist: seduce the alluring Olivia or forfeit part of his fortune. Yet the wild, soon-to-be Duke never imagined he'd fall in love with this innocent beauty. Nor could he have guessed that a dangerously unpredictable rival would set out to destroy them both. Now, Max must beat a Madman at his own twisted game-or forever lose the only woman to have ever won his heart. 

Thanks to Jennifer and the good folks at Grand Central Publishing, I have 3 copies of SECRETS OF AN ACCIDENTAL DUCHESS to giveaway. Please see the end of the post for the giveaway guidelines.

Always wanting to know more about authors and how they create their wonderful stories, I ask Jennifer some questions.

Mason - What is a typical writing day like for you?

 

Jennifer - I’d divide this into two separate kinds of days. A typical “good” writing day and a typical writing day. 

 
In a typical writing day, I procrastinate throughout the day with busy work--not writing! Then, when the sun goes down and I have to make dinner and do homework with the kids and work on nighttime family stuff, I start to panic. My thoughts run along the lines of “What on EARTH did I do today? How is it possible I got no words down? I was so busy, but what’s more important than getting my word count in!? Jennifer, you’re a moron.” 

  
Then, hours later, when the kids are asleep, I get some tea, put on my headphones with background noise (i.e. music I don’t really listen to) and get to typing. 

 
On a “good” writing day, I’ve been focused and in the worlds of my characters so much that hardly any time has passed before I’ve written my daily word count. On those days I spend the evenings with my family relaxed and knowing I’ve made progress. 

 
Obviously, my constant goal is to get more typical “good” writing days in!

Mason - What one piece of advice do you always pass along to new writers?

 

Jennifer - Keep reading and keep writing. The two most important things in becoming a writer.

 

Mason - What led you to become a writer?

 

Jennifer - I’m one who was “writing since I could pick up a pen.” Truthfully, I was very isolated from other children and their activities as a kid, so I ended up living in my head a lot. When you do that, stories begin to form in there…

 

Jennifer, thanks so much for guest blogging. I enjoyed learning about your ‘good’ writing day versus the typical.

Now for a bit more about Jennifer. Just before her eighth birthday she went sailing with her family in a 42-foot sailboat across the Pacific. Since there were no local schools (except those pertaining to fish) nearby, her mother home schooled her. Jennifer says she demanded a new story every day so she write, doodle and write some more. By the time they arrived in Hawaii the following year, Jennifer had a portfolio of stories, and she was hooked.

For more on Jennifer and her writing, visit her website at http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/, drop by her blog, and find her on Twitter.

On to the giveaway guidelines. To enter this giveaway, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with the subject line, “Win ACCIDENTAL DUCHESS.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. And, just so you know, I don’t share the mailing information or use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance at 1 of 3 copies of SECRETS OF AN ACCIDENTAL DUCHESS (ISBN: 9780446573153), a 432-page paperback, will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, Feb. 16.

If you’re a writer, do you have typical writing days versus good? If you’re a reader, do you have good reading days versus typical? Thanks so much for stopping by.
 

Guest Blogger, Jennifer Haymore

Today I’d like to welcome author Jennifer Haymore as the guest blogger here today at Thoughts in Progress as she begins her blog tour.

“A Touch of Scandal” is Jennifer’s second book and it’s scheduled for release in April. Here’s a brief synopsis of the book: The last thing Garrett, Duke of Calton, expects to find while tracking his sworn enemy is the delectable, mysterious Kate. This beautiful servant girl rouses a longing the battle-scarred ex-soldier had never hoped to feel again. But when she turns out to be the sister of the man he seeks, he's convinced he's been betrayed.

Kate knows her duty to her family, yet how can she ignore Garrett's powerful pull on her heart? Or the heady temptation of his stolen-and sizzling-kisses?
Scandal has followed the duke since the war. Now the greatest shock of all is on its way-the one that can separate Garrett and Kate forever.

Thanks to Jennifer, and Anna and the folks at the Hachette Book Group, I have five copies of “A Touch of Scandal” to giveaway. Please see the end of the post for more information on the giveaway.

Jennifer stop by today to talk about why she writes historical romance.

If you asked me when I was 5, 15, or 25, what my favorite books of all-time were, I would have listed historical fiction books at the top. When I was five, I loved the Little House on the Prairie series. When I was fifteen, my tastes were more eclectic but still historicals were up at the top—I loved everything from The Witch of Blackbird Pond to Mary Renault’s books set in ancient Greece. And then when I was twenty-five, I’d have probably said Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and River God by Wilbur Smith. 

 
At first, I didn’t know that there was such a great market for historical romances with UK settings. Before I started writing seriously, I was obsessed with genealogy, and I learned that just about every one of my ancestors was from England. 

I visited there and was enthralled by the historical sites, by imagining my ancestors living, breathing, fighting, and loving in these places. 
 
So while I love the history of the world and of all the places in it, it seemed natural for me to turn to the homeland of my ancestors to write about.
 

So my tastes always leaned towards historicals. I love history—I love how so many things that have happened in history are truly stranger than fiction. I think writing in a historical context lets me explore so many interesting and exciting events, cultures, and ideals while still staying true to the core of humanity and the thrill of falling in love.

 

Thanks Jennifer for stopping by today. It’s always interesting to learn why authors write in the genre they do.

Now for the giveaway, I have five copies of “A Touch of Scandal” to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and no post office box addresses can be accepted. The deadline for entering the giveaway is Wednesday, April 14. To enter, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with “Win Scandal” in the subject line and include your name and address in the body of the e-mail. 

For a little background on Jennifer, as a child she traveled the South Pacific with her family on their homebuilt sailboat. The months spent on the sometimes-quiet, sometimes-raging seas sparked her love of adventure and grand romance. Since then, she's earned degrees in Computer Science and Education and held various jobs from bookselling to teaching inner-city children to acting, but she's never stopped writing.

You can find Jennifer in Southern California trying to talk her husband into yet another trip to England, helping her three children with homework while brainstorming a new five-minute dinner menu, or crouched in a corner of the local bookstore writing her next novel. To learn more about Jennifer visit her website: www.jenniferhaymore.com.