Jennifer’s Random Musings

FORBIDDEN LIASON…
Creed Fortune had hungered for Maya Blackstone for nearly a decade, but he’d held back to protect his family’s reputation. After all, the press would have a field day if they uncovered a clandestine affair between a Fortune heir and his very own stepsister! Then a heated argument between Creed and Maya turned into a feverish night of lovemaking. Even though the raven-haired school teacher melted his heart in ways he’d never dreamed possible, Creed had to find a way to douse their dangerous attraction. Otherwise, the sordid truth could topple the Fortune empire!

DAKOTA FORTUNES: Power is their birthright, oil is in their blood.

Please tell us about your book.
FORTUNE’S FORBIDDEN WOMAN is the sixth and final book in the multi-author “Dakota Fortunes” continuity series from Silhouette Desire. For anyone who’s read the previous titles in the series, this is Creed’s and Maya’s story…a story of forbidden love and long-suppressed desires.

FORTUNE’S FORBIDDEN WOMAN is part of a series, can you tell us about the process of writing a book that is part of a series?
Writing a book in a continuity series is definitely an interesting experience. When you write connected books as part of your own series, it’s complicated enough…keeping track of characters and events and such. But with this type of series, I got to work with several other authors and write a story that was closely connected to others. It gives new meaning to the idea of keeping track of characters and events. LOL

With this book, I was given notes for the entire series—every character, every plot, etc.—and then I was given specifics about my own story, and I was in charge of plotting things out the way I wanted them to go (while still falling in line with the other books in the series, of course), following up on the couples who had been introduced previously, and wrapping up the entire series in a satisfying, happily-ever-after way. That, I have to admit, was kind of neat.

What inspired the story?
The “Dakota Fortunes” series is a spin-off of previous “Fortunes” series developed by Silhouette Desire. I can’t say what inspired this particular story, exactly, since it was the brainchild of the Desire editors, but the characters are the offspring of previous Fortunes, with a very intricate family history. And I think Creed’s and Maya’s relationship may be the most intricate of those within the Dakota Fortune family; they had a lot to work through and a lot to overcome.

How much input do you have on covers?
Authors are always asked to give input on covers. I discuss ideas with my editor ahead of time and fill out an art fact sheet with details for the art department and artists—hair color, occupation, type of character, type of clothing, scene suggestions. And I’ve been very lucky, I’ve gotten some wonderful covers. Of course, there are never any guarantees that you’ll get a good cover or that you’ll end up with exactly what you wanted. I think the artists and art departments try to come up with a cover concept that is going to look good and be eye-catching. In the end, that’s the most important thing, anyway, not whether they give you the exact scene you wanted from the book or the right color of blouse on the heroine.

What do you hope readers get out of your books?
I hope readers get a few hours of enjoyment, a few smiles, and a moment at the end that makes them sigh. I just love a book that’s so good, you don’t want to say goodbye to the characters and can’t help giving a little sigh on the last page. That’s the type of story I try to tell every time, and the type of reaction I hope readers have each time they read one of my books.

What is your favorite part of being a writer? Least favorite?
I love creating great characters and entertaining stories. I love it when I’m writing and actually find that I’m amusing myself.

I hate revisions. I know it’s part of the writing process, but once a story is finished, I want to be able to move on to the next without having to stop and go back to work out kinks in the previous one. And—oh, yeah—don’t editors know that every word I write is brilliant and perfect the first time around?!? Sheesh!

Is there anything you would like to write, but haven’t? For example, any other genre you’d like to try?
Actually, the thing I’ve always most wanted to write is humorous contemporary. Really funny, sexy single titles a la Rachel Gibson or Susan Andersen. And , I have recently signed with St. Martin’s Press to do just that. I couldn’t be more excited, even though the idea of writing a big book after writing so many shorter ones is a little intimidating. But I’m already having a blast, and I’m delighted to really be able to let loose and work on something I’ve wanted to try my hand at for a long time.

If you were not an author, what would you do?
I would probably be a veterinarian, work at an animal shelter, or run a big cat sanctuary. (Can you tell I love, love, love animals?) Except for the veterinarian part, which would require entirely too much schooling and too little time for writing, I may still do the others eventually. The animal shelter part might be bad for me, as I’d end up bringing every single animal that wasn’t adopted home with me; so maybe I should just open my own shelter, that way they’d already be home. *g* And opening a big cat sanctuary isn’t out of the question, either. I’m starting with little cats of the domestic persuasion, but I’d love to be involved in rescuing and rehabilitating lions and tigers and cheetahs (oh, my!) one day, too.

How do you relax?
By reading, of course. There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book. And then there’s watching TV and movies. I do get a little obsessive about those.

What do you like to read?
Romance!—what do you think? Is there even anything else to read? I don’t care what kind…category or single title, romantic suspense, humorous contemporary, paranormal…I’ll read it all, but it has to be romance.

Thank you so much Heidi for the interview! Congrats on the great reviews! I look forward to reading many more of your books in the future and wish you much luck!

Giveaway!
I have an unsigned copy of Blackmailed into Bed by Heidi Betts and some goodies to give away!

Feel free to post about the contest and spread the word! Let me know if you have any questions!