Happy Friday! Today we're featuring contemporary romance writer Jessica Lemmon, and if you're not following her on Twitter, you're missing some pretty fantastic tweets! But first, the interview!
What
do you think makes a good book?
The truth. I love honesty in
writing. If it’s raw and real and makes me feel what the characters are
feeling, I’m sold.
How
did you come up with the idea for your book Hard to Handle?
Hard
to Handle is my second book, so Aiden’s
and Sadie’s characters were introduced in Tempting
the Billionaire. In a way, this made Hard
to Handle easier to write because I already knew their personalities. BUT.
Aiden and Sadie dated and broke up in the background of that first book. The
challenge was figuring out what, exactly, had gone down between those two. I
knew Aiden rode a motorcycle, and thought it’d be fun to pair him with a girl
who was terrified of riding. To make it fun, I made her very passionate about
her job…selling motorcycle parts! Sadie was a blast to write. She’s honest and snarky and so very strong. She’s
such an honest character.
What
was the “hardest” part of writing Hard to Handle?
Ironically, the hardest part of
writing Hard to Handle wasn’t
writing Hard to Handle! It was
writing the companion (prequel) novella Can’t
Let Go. Can’t Let Go is the
“before” the “Happily Ever After” for Aiden and Sadie and I have to admit, it
absolutely tore me up to write. In the beginning, they had it so, so good. They were in love, and it was
easy to see how much they needed each other; how deserving of love they both
were. Then Aiden’s mom gets ill and BOOM, Aiden’s family tragedy shoves Sadie right
out of the picture.
Writing a breakup is no joke,
people! And when I wrote the scene where Aiden’s entire family is talking in
the living room, I cried. Like, actually sobbed
while writing it. I’d never done that before (or since). I’ve had readers claim
to have shed tears at that scene, too, which is just about the highest
compliment you can pay a writer. I’m all, “You cried! Yay! I’m so glad!” LOL
There are 3 books in the Love in
the Balance series:
1. Tempting the
Billionaire
2.
Hard to Handle (and the prequel novella: book 1.5 Can’t Let Go)
3.
The Millionaire Affair (coming 2014)
My favorite? Okay, confession. I
think I’m still in love with Aiden. Don’t tell Tempting’s Shane…or Millionaire’s
Landon, though. I love them, too. ;-)
Do
you have a nickname?
A lot of people call me by my
Twitter handle (@lemmony). Usually followed by asking me, “Is it okay if I call
you that?” The answer is absolutely YES! Totally okay. I signed up for Twitter
a long, long time ago and wasn’t sure
what to make my handle…so I named myself after my license plate (on my yellow
car) which reads: LEMMONY. It stuck, and after I became “an author”, I decided
to leave it. I thought the nickname was fun and memorable. :-)
Fast Facts:
Coffee
or tea? Coffee! Starbucks, if you have it.
White
wine or red? Yes.
Champagne
or liquor? Sure, I’ll have some of that,
too.
Laptop
or desktop? Desktop. I have a lot of
notes/stuff to spread out!
Casual
or couture? Casual, all the way.
Motorcycle or bicycle? I want to say motorcycle, even though, like Sadie, I don’t ride. Somehow, though, I think Aiden Downey could talk me into it. Especially if he wore down my defenses the way he did Sadie’s in Hard to Handle… ;-)
About Jessica Lemmon:
Jessica Lemmon has always been a dreamer. At some point, she decided head-in-the-clouds thinking was childish, went out, and got herself a job . . . and then she got another one because that one was lousy. And when that one stopped being fulfilling, she went out and got another . . . and another. Soon it became apparent she'd only be truly happy doing what she loved. And since "eating potato chips" isn't a viable career, she opted to become a writer. With fire in her heart, she dusted off a book she'd started years prior, finished it, and submitted it. It may have been the worst book ever, but it didn't stop her from writing another one. Now she has several books finished, several more started, and even more marinating in her brain (which currently resides in the clouds, thankyouverymuch), and she couldn't be happier. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want. (While eating potato chips.)
About Hard To Handle:
ONCE BURNED
Sadie Howard never dates a guy more than once-but Fate has other plans for her when it comes to Aiden Downey, the one that got away. Aiden loved her, left her, and broke her heart. Yet suddenly she's bumping into him at every turn, driven to distraction by his wicked grin and rock-hard body. Now she can't resist finishing what they started-as long as she doesn't let herself fall in love . . .
TWICE AS TEMPTING
Aiden Downey threw away the best thing he ever had when he let Sadie go, and now he's determined to win back the woman he's always wanted. Sadie agrees to let him into her life-and her bed-as long as there are no strings attached. But Aiden's not about to make the same mistake again. Can he convince her to take a second chance on a once-in-a-lifetime love?
HARD TO HANDLE buy links:
Jessica Lemmon on:
Twitter: @lemmony
No comments:
Post a Comment