Coastal Magic Featured Author Spotlight & Giveaway - - Jeanne Adams

 

This month, Jeanne Adams is in the Coastal Magic Convention Featured Author Spotlight. Jeanne has been a friend of The Romance Dish since our early days in 2009 and it's a pleasure to welcome her back. Jeanne is an award-winning author of thrilling suspense, wicked Urban Fantasy, paranormal romantic suspense, and dramatic space adventures. Something for everyone! She also recently spent a year in Scotland (more on that in the Q&A). Please give her a warm Romance Dish welcome. 

Hi, Jeanne! Welcome back to The Romance Dish for your Coastal Magic 2024 Featured Author Spotlight!
 
Hi PJ! Thanks for having me! Always love talking with you.
 
You have a new novella (novelette?) coming out on November 28. What can readers expect from Trouble in Althor?
 
I do! Thanks for asking! It’s a short story set in Mercedes Lackey’s world of Valdemar and it’s a bit of a murder mystery. I had so much fun just being invited, much less having a story included. I’ve been a Lackey fan for a long time.
 
Your story is part of Anything with Nothing, the new Valdemar anthology. Please tell us a bit about this world, its history, and what makes writing a story set within it special.
 
Valdemar is an interesting country, a monarchy with a twist – the monarch and the heir, along with a huge contingent of guardians are Heralds. That means they’ve been chosen by white-coated, blue-eyed, intelligent and otherworldy horses called Companions. This particular anthology was interesting because the prompt was to create characters in a situation where they had to get themselves out with little to no help – or little to nothing to work with. (Hence the title, Anything with Nothing) I chose to use the Heralds only peripherally.
 
Writing a story in this world is so fun and such a challenge because Ms. Lackey is thorough and creative and there are already a lot of rules to what you can and can’t do in the world. That was part of the delight though, so I didn’t mind.

Anything With Nothing

This 17th anthology of short stories set in the beloved Valdemar high fantasy universe features tales by debut and established authors and a brand-new story from Mercedes Lackey.

The Heralds of Valdemar are the kingdom's ancient order of protectors. They are drawn from all across the land, from all walks of life, and at all ages—and all are Gifted with abilities beyond those of normal men and women. They are Mindspeakers, FarSeers, Empaths, ForeSeers, Firestarters, FarSpeakers, and more. These inborn talents—combined with training as emissaries, spies, judges, diplomats, scouts, counselors, warriors, and more—make them indispensable to their monarch and realm.

Sought and Chosen by mysterious horse-like Companions, they are bonded for life to these telepathic, enigmatic creatures. The Heralds of Valdemar and their Companions ride circuit throughout the kingdom, protecting the peace and, when necessary, defending their land and monarch.

Join a variety of authors as they ride with Mercedes Lackey to the beloved land of Valdemar and experience the many facets of this storied high fantasy realm.

 
Sounds like a lot of fun. 

You recently spent an extended length of time in Scotland. We’d love to hear about that experience and any highlights of your travels while there. Do you have plans to return?

 
Oh, my goodness, it was SO MUCH FUN!! I loved spending a year in Scotland doing my Master of Arts in Creative Writing with Edinburgh Napier University. I went as part of a dual-degree program with Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania. I’m in the second half of the program now, getting the MFA. It was hard being away from my family but thanks to Zoom, WhatsApp and other connection apps and programs, I talked to them every day!
Studying abroad was amazing. I honestly thought my opportunity for that was long past me, but this program helped me fulfill a dream I’d long given up on. Immersing myself in my “home” culture (I’m Scots/English/Irish) was amazing. Exploring Edinburgh was amazing. The rugby was amazing. It was one wonder after another pretty much for a whole year. (Except that week with Covid – that sucked).
I was able to travel to so many places I’d only read about – Durham, Aberdeen, Glen Coe, Carrbridge in the Highlands, and Shetland. One of the highlights was Shetland. I was there over 4^th of July weekend and I’ve never been so bundled up on July 4 in my life! Ha! Shetland was amazing, the people were fabulous and the puffins were beyond cool.

I absolutely hope to return next year for Cymera, the Science Fiction and Fantasy convention and/or for RARE, the romance author and reader event. Both are held in Edinburgh. Oh, and to go to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo again – that was an amazing experience!!
 
Did your time in Scotland generate any plot bunnies? Any plans to set a future story there?

 
SOOOOO many plot bunnies! There is a story on every street, around every corner, in every stone wall or cannonball-pockmarked alley. There are stories in doorways and chimneys and parks and that’s just in Edinburgh. Ha! The mountains will set you sighing. The beaches and lochs make you long to sight a kelpie or a mer-person. I have a story started in my Slip Traveler series that is set in Scotland…may be a few years in the making with what’s in front of it, but oh, yeah, Scotland will show up!
 
Let’s talk about you a bit. What are your passions (aside from writing, of course)?
 
Well, how long do you have? Ha! I love hanging out with my family, and reading, of course. I adore football and am an avid fan. My eldest son is a baseball player, so I’m definitely a sports mom there too. I used to show dogs, though have pretty much retired from that, I’m still into my doggoes and Labrador Rescue. I love history and film and all sorts of things in those realms. I’m a planner geek too, by the way. Love all the planners and stickers and stuff.
 
What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

Readers are seldom surprised by us crazy authors, but I guess they might be surprised to discover that I’d raised and trained show dogs for so long. Mostly Dalmatians and Irish Water Spaniels.
 
Valentines Day is just around the corner. Do you have any traditions?
 
 
We don’t have many Valentine’s traditions here at Chez Adams. My husband and I agreed when we were dating that we’d rather go out to dinner when it’s not quite so crowded, but we always DO have a Valentine’s Day date, even if it’s a bit after the celebrated holiday. I usually try to make a heart-shaped cake too. (One year I did it with food coloring and coconut flakes – they don’t take red food coloring very well…)
 
If you could time travel anywhere in the future or past, where would you go and who (real or fictional) would you take with you?
 
Oooh, that would be fun! If I could go and just observe (rather than having to live there!) I think I’d have to go to ancient Egypt. I’d love to see the court and the Pharoahs and the pomp and circumstance there. I’d also love to be a watcher along the walls in the court of Elizabeth the First. What an incredible woman!
As to whom to take with me…I’d have to take my friend and sometime co-author Nancy Northcott. (Given that, we’d probably have to go to the court of Richard III). Or my husband, who’s a major history buff as well, but with him along, I’d have to go to the European Theater in WWII, or Corregidor in WWII!
 
What are your goals/hopes for 2024?
 
My goals for 2024 are multiple! I have a number of books that have been languishing in my computer because of how complex my life became over the last few years. With so many family issues on my plate, I didn’t get to finish and publish many of the books in my arsenal. So 2024 should be the Year of Jeanne Publishes Books! Ha! My hopes, of course, are that readers like them – and all my books – and find escape, solace, fun and adventure in between the covers…of a Jeanne Adams book!
 
Thanks for visiting with us today, Jeanne! I’m excited to see you in Daytona Beach next February for Coastal Magic Convention 2024.  
 
Again, Thanks, PJ!  I’m SO looking forward to Daytona in February! See you all there!

Readers, if you could spend the next year anywhere of your choosing where would you choose and why?

Three randomly chosen people who post a comment before 11:00 PM, January 21 will each receive their choice of an e-book copy of Anything With Nothing or Love and Valentines at Caynham Castle. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

 

 

Click for more information about Coastal Magic 2024. Weekend and single-day registrations are still available. It would be wonderful to see some of you there!