Welcome special guest: author Jessica Jayne ( @JessicaJayne13 @evernightpub #erom )

Today we have author Jessica Jayne visiting. She says, "I am a born and raised small town Ohio girl, who moved to the Sunshine State after graduating from college with a bachelor's degree in English. In the journey of life, I became a wife and a mother of three children. So, life is always an adventure."

So, Jessica, what inspired you to become a writer?
* I’ve been writing in some fashion since I was able to put letters together to form words and words together to form sentences. I’ve always been a reader, so I think I became inspired to tell the stories that were in my head and well, being a writer was sort of inevitable!

When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
* I wrote my first story when I was quite small. I hand wrote it and illustrated it myself. (My talent does not lie in illustration :)) It was a story about identical twin girls and an adventure they had in the woods. I think my parents still have it in their attic.

How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
* I probably had about ten partial stories written before I decided to sit down and put a full one together. Once I did that, I submitted it to a variety of publishers. And now I can’t seem to stop writing or submitting.

What genre(s) do you write in? What drew you to write in it/them? What’s your favorite genre of all to write in?
* I write in the erotic romance genre. I think I was drawn to the romance side of things because at the base of everything, I’m a romantic. I love being swept off my feet. And I was always drawn to the drama of romance. When I started writing romance, I found it difficult to keep the erotic element out of it. Sex is a part of romance, love and let’s be honest… life. And I don’t think it should be something that anyone should be ashamed of so long as the individuals are consensual in the act. I’ve often thought about what made me want to include erotic elements in my stories and I’ve come to find it to be a very personal reason. When I was seventeen, I was sexually assaulted and it took me a long time to get my life back on track. I found writing consensual and satisfying sex scenes to be almost therapeutic.
* But I have started collaborating with Nikki Prince on a paranormal erotic romance and that has been challenging for me, but I must admit… it’s also been fun!

What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
* Best advice – Don’t stop writing. When you get stuck, just keep writing. It will work itself out. And it’s the truth.
* Worst advice – Work now. Play later. I was once told by someone that I needed to take my legal career seriously and work at a large law firm so that I could sock away a bunch of money and live the high life when I’m fifty or sixty. I’m a firm believer that we don’t know how long we are here, so we have to enjoy every moment and for me, that doesn’t include working 15 hour days. I’m glad I followed my heart…

How do you celebrate/deal with acceptance/rejection letters?
* I celebrate my acceptance letters initially with a little jig I call “the acceptance dance.” It can be done anywhere and is usually accompanied by the “I’m getting published” song. Then of course, if my husband is not privy to the performance, I call him immediately to share the exciting news. Then I call my girlfriends and tell them too!
* Rejection is obviously different. I won’t lie. Rejection sucks. It’s hard to hear that something you poured your heart into is not right for a certain publisher. But that is the reality of being an author. I’ve learned to take the good with the bad and though it still stings to get that rejection email, it doesn’t hurt as bad as it initially did because I realize it is all part of the game.

In regard to the book you’re promoting, which actor and actress do you envision playing the roles of your hero and heroine? If there’s a villain or other characters who are pertinent to the story, who would play those parts?
* John Dorsey could be played by Ryan Gosling or Chris Hemsworth. Gosling seems to have more of the domineering abilities that I imagined in John. Chris is more of the size and look. Either would be great!
* Elizabeth Wright could be played by Isla Fisher. She has almost the exact look I had in mind when I started writing this story.

The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
* Board Stiff is part of a series entitled Taking Advantage. The series, itself, looks at three younger men that sit on the board of directors of Advantage Insurance Company. Each book tells a different guy’s love story. In essence, each book could stand alone, but you will meet and see interaction between the characters in all books. So, if you read Board Approved after Board Stiff, you will get a little insight as to where John and Elizabeth’s story has gone because they are in the second book, Board Approved.
* The idea for Board Stiff developed as I was waiting outside of a boardroom preparing for a presentation. Elizabeth’s scene in the boardroom popped into my head. I made a note of it on the side of my notes for the presentation and John and Elizabeth’s story was born.

*** Now for some fun info… ***
Are you a cat, dog or both kind of person?
* I’m a huge dog person. Not that cats aren’t great… but there’s something about the love of a dog that just makes life grand.

Which do you prefer: rain or sun & warm weather or cold weather?
* I was born and raised in northeast Ohio, which for about 275 days out of the year was pretty gloomy. Winters were grey. Fall was grey. And spring was rainy. Since I’ve lived in Florida for the past 15 years, I get 300+ days of sunshine every year. When I am forced to go more than three days without sun, I am moody! So, I am a sun and warm weather kind of girl! Give me the beach, bikini and flip flops and I’m good to go!

What’s your favorite number?
* 13 – because everyone says its bad luck! It’s been good to me!

*** About Jessica Jayne’s book… ***

~ Blurb ~
Taking Advantage, 1 ~ a Romance on the Go & an Editor's Pick!
* John Dorsey’s life is good. He is the owner of Dorsey Construction. He’s the youngest person on the board of directors for Advantage Insurance Company. He lives on the beach. And he knows he can have any woman he wants. John’s got the world at his fingertips… except he’s yet to find a woman that stimulates both his body and mind.
* Elizabeth Wright worked hard in a large Tampa law firm making a name for herself, but it came at the expense of her personal life. When Advantage Insurance Company offers her a job as corporate counsel, Elizabeth cannot turn it down. The thought that she can have a successful legal career and a life excites and intimidates her.
* But when their worlds collide one day in the Advantage board room, neither Elizabeth nor John knows what’s hit them. All they know is they can’t stay away from each other.

***Buy Jessica Jayne's book here***
Evernight Publishing | Amazon | Amazon-UK | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand

***Find Jessica Jayne here***
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Thank you for joining us here today, Jessica! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your work.