Jill Shalvis is in the house! I am super excited to host Jill here at the Romance Dish today. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Jill is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author and a RITA award winner for the first book in her terrific Lucky Harbor series, Simply Irresistible. But did you know that she also has a blog where she chronicles everything from teasers and excerpts to pictures of gorgeous men to hilarious moments in her I Love Lucy-esque life? (Pssst! Check it out here!) Her latest release, Forever and a Day, is the sixth book in the Lucky Harbor series. I absolutely adored it and you can read my review here! Jill is a city girl who makes her home in the wild Sierras near beautiful Lake Tahoe. She certainly has plenty of inspiration! Welcome, Jill!
An
interview with Jill Shalvis on Lucky Harbor, writing and relaxing...
Tell
us a little bit about Lucky Harbor, the town your series is based in?
Lucky
Harbor is a small beach town on the Washington coast, where you could leave a
bucket of money on your back seat and it wouldn’t get stolen, but you couldn’t
keep a secret to save your life. If
Lucky Harbor was real, you’d want to live there for the warm, fun, caring
people -- and possibly for the hot guys.
Have you always wanted to
write romance?
Actually,
I was a journalism major and thought I was going the nonfiction route. But I kept wanting to embellish my
stories. They tend to frown on that in
nonfiction. Also, I wanted a happily
ever after. Romance was an obvious
choice. I gave it a shot and haven’t
looked back yet.
How would you describe your
writing style?
Warm,
funny, sexy contemporaries. Um, maybe
very sexy.
I saw on your blog you call
yourself a Glee ‘ho. What other shows
tickle your fancy?
Everything.
I should have said I was a TV ‘ho! Justified, Burn Notice, Breaking
Bad. I love reality shows too, Survivor,
Amazing Race … you know what? I think it’d be shorter and easier to stick
with EVERYTHING.
Tell
us a bit about Forever and a Day.
I’m
afraid I gave ER Dr. Josh Scott a bit more than his fair share of torture this
time around. He’s got a medical practice
that he inherited from his father, a five-year-old son whose mother walked away
from them both, and a sister he’s solely responsible for. And to top things off, a wayward puppy. It’s a lot, and our overworked hero is on the
very edge of burn out. He’s in desperate
need of … something.
And
that something shows up in the form of Grace Brooks. She’s lost just about everything in the
economic downturn, and the financial wizard is reduced to dog walking when Josh
hires her to do just that. He thinks
he’s helping her out, giving her a job, when in truth, she changes his world. And rocks it.
Grace,
who has fabricated her doggy resume, has little to no experience with pets or
five- year-old boys but, like she does everything, she digs in with her entire
heart.
And
soul.
Do you have any plans to
branch out and write in any other genres?
I
have my hands full at the moment with what I’m doing, but if I was to clone
myself, I’d want to write scripts for TV. Maybe the Big Bang Theory. Or
maybe … Criminal Minds! :)
If you weren’t writing what
else would you be doing right now?
Reading. Playing in the snow. Bossing the kids
around. Eating cookies… Taking a nap!!!!
Andrea here: Thanks so much, Jill! So, dear readers, Jill's Lucky Harbor series is about a small town located on the coast of Washington. What are some of your favorite small-town romances? Where are they set? The wonderful people at Grand Central have graciously offered to give a copy of Forever and a Day to one lucky commenter. (The giveaway is limited to U.S. or Canadian residents only.)
Congratulations on your release, Jill. I like the sound of the heroine...spunky, dives into something with all she has.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall a recent small-town romance that I've read lately, but I do like some of Debbie Macomber's small-town romances. The people know everyone and their business, are snoopy in a kind way, and look out for everyone. I think DM's romances are like she, herself; warm, inviting, and full of love (for family and her readers).
Congrats again on FAAD. Which, by the way, I love for a title because my husband always signs any cards or notes to me FAAD (he will love me Forever and a day). So, I have got to get this book and read it, LOL! :)
Aww, Deb, that's so sweet!! He sounds like a keeper. :) I hope you enjoy Forever and a Day!
DeleteCongrats whoo love your books , great prize,
ReplyDeleteKimh
Glad you're a fan, Kim!
DeleteI love this town and all the funny people who turn up. I have been hooked since the first book. Each heroine is different and the heros are DEFINATELY sexy. Love to win a copy of the latest.
ReplyDeleteThey are sexy, aren't they, Trish? Jill writes some of the BEST heroes! ;-)
DeleteSusan Wiggs- The Lakeshore Chronicles series- set in upstate NY, Avalon, NY near the shore of Willow Lake
ReplyDeleteDebbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, Washington, Promise,Texas and Hard Luck, Alaska series
Diana Palmer- Jacobsville, Texas
Harlequin has the Tyler, Wisconsin series. They also have the Tyler, Texas + Sioux Falls, SD= Fortune family series.
Rachel Gibson- Gospel,Idaho books
Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series was set in Forks, Washington
Janet Chapman's books- Midnight Bay, Maine
Robyn Carr's Virgin River, California series
GREAT choices, Laurie!! I always hear a lot of buzz about Robyn's Virgin River series, but haven't read any of them. Maybe someday!
DeleteAndrea, it was the Dishes' enthusiasm for the books of Jill Shalvis that started me reading them. Now I never miss one. I love Forever and a Day. It's my favorite of the Chocoholic trilogy. I'm reviewing it tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI've been a fan of small-town settings since before the current trend. I have a dozen or more on my never-miss list. The one I'm most eager to revisit right now is Lisa Kleypas's Friday Harbor. Six days until Dream Lake brings my return ticket. :)
I'm so glad we helped you discover Jill's books, Janga! And I totally agree with you about LK's Friday Harbor series. I'm counting down, too!
DeletePlease don't enter me, I just got Jill's book. I don't read a lot of contemporary but Jill is one of my favorite authors!! And her blog is just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYay, catslady! Well, if you read only a small amount of contemporary, you sure picked the right author to read! Isn't she hilarious on her blog?!
DeleteI love Jill's Lucky Harbor books. Another favorite small-town series of mine is Jodi Thomas's Harmony, TX series.
ReplyDeleteJodi's Harmony books are a good choice, LSUReader!
DeleteAs others have mentioned, the small town romances that I've read are LK's Friday Harbor series and some of Rachel Gibson's books.
ReplyDeleteKim, I recently discovered Rachel's Lovett, Texas series and LOVE it!
DeleteYay! I just read the announcement that there will be more Lucky Harbor books.
ReplyDeleteI was thrilled when I read that, Janga! :)
DeleteAhh, Josh sounds like a wonderful hero. Plus the wayward puppy is bound to tug at my heartstring! I adore animals in stories. Congratulations on your newest release, Jill.
ReplyDeleteI love animals in stories, too, Na. They can really add to it if done right. :)
DeleteI really liked Dundee, Idaho series by Brenda Novak.
ReplyDeleteThanks, LilMissMolly! I'll have to check those out. ;-)
DeleteCongratulations, Jill! I love your books. I can't think of any other small town romances that I have read besides the Fortune family of Texas.
ReplyDeleteAren't her books terrific, Cathy?! *g*
DeleteCongrats on the new release. Love jills books. Love books about small towns. Love lauren dane's chase bros series in petal georgia, and kathleen brooks bluegrass series about keeneston. Love them because of the gossip aspect, the small town closeness, and everyone knows everyone & what thet do. What a great giveaway.
ReplyDeleteChristinebails@yahoo.com
"Love them because of the gossip aspect, the small town closeness, and everyone knows everyone & what thet do."
DeleteVery well said, Chris!
Congratulations on the book! I like Katie Lane's series.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Love this series of Jill's. Also into Emily March's Eternity Springs series.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea and Jill,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I'm a newbie to your books. Although I have read so many good things about your work, including Andrea's wonderful review here of "Forever and a Day;" I always fall into the velvet trap of "So many books, so little time." However, now I'm going to make a real effort to read your work. Since Christina Dodd called me a linear reader at RWA/2012 last weekend, I will start at the beginning of the Lucky Harbor series ASAP!
As for my favorite small town books: I love the small Texas towns in some of SEP's Chicago Stars books, Lisa Kleypas' current series set in Friday Harbor in Washington State's San Juan Islands and Lori Foster's "Winston Brothers" books. Just to name a few!
I have heard such wonderful things about Jill's books and am still trying to get to them. The small town element appeals. They are special places that bring out the best, and often the worst in people. The small town series I have enjoyed that come to mind are The Virgin River series by Robin Carr and Janet Chapman's series set in Maine. There are more and all enjoyed.The small town is itself a character in most of these books.
ReplyDeleteKeep writing those books. I will get them all read soon.
Love this series! I'm reading Lucky in Love right now. Can't wait to get to this one. I think it was the covers that caught me first. They all have a very innocent, small town feel. I love them all!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the interview.
Tami
I really enjoyed Debbie Macombers Cedar Cove series. Small town series are a lot of fun - especially some of the quirky supporting characters.
ReplyDelete