It's my pleasure to welcome Jessica Scott to the Romance Dish today. I was first introduced to Jessica a few years back at various romance internet sites where we both posted - at the time, she was on active duty in Iraq - and I've followed her writing, and military, journey since then. She's a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats, three dogs and two escape artist hamsters, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She has commanded two companies, served in Germany, Korea, Fort Hood and Iraq. She says she's a terrible cook and an even worse housekeeper but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon. Her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house. Her debut novel, Because of You was released last November and October brings another new book, Until There Was You. You can find Jessica on the internet at her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. Sign up for her newsletter here.
Welcome, Jessica! Congratulations on the upcoming release of
UNTIL THERE WAS YOU. Please tell our
readers what they can expect from this book.
Evan & Claire are
an opposites attract storyline. They battle so often and so much when they
actually start getting along, neither of them can believe it. Here’s the
official blurb:
From the back
cover:
He plays by the rules, she’s not afraid to break
them. Now these two strong-willed army captains will prove that opposites
attract . . .
A by-the-book captain with a West Point
background, Captain Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for
an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of
redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. From that moment on, though, Evan has been at
odds with her, through two deployments to Iraq and back again. But when he is
asked to train a team prepping for combat alongside Claire, battle-worn Evan is
in for the fight of his life.
Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya
has worked hard to earn the rank on her chest. In Evan, Claire sees a rigid
officer who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. When
the mission forces them together, Claire soon discovers that there is more to
Evan than meets the eye.
He’s more than the rank on his chest; he’s a man
with dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire
share two crucial passions: their country and each other.
Sounds like a story I'm going to enjoy! Jessica, as an Army
officer, you’re already intimately acquainted with military life. How does this knowledge help – or hinder –
your writing process when creating stories set within the military?
Thanks so much for
having me here today! I’d say the military experience makes it harder b/c I
speak the lingo and understand so much more intuitively than non military
readers. I don’t say or think improvised explosive device, I say/think IED. I
don’t say physical training uniform, I say PTs and everyone around me gets
that. So forcing myself to translate makes things a lot tougher, you know?
That’s usually something I save for the round of revisions.
That has to be difficult when using acronyms is the norm. My late husband was career military (though we didn't meet until after his retirement) and I was forever asking him to translate the lingo.
Many scenes from books
and movies end up on the “cutting room” floor.
What’s the one scene you would never cut from UNTIL THERE WAS YOU?
Oh wow. In my last
book there were a couple of scenes that made it through every single draft. On
this one, I can’t think of a single scene that survived since the first draft.
I think the one scene that could not change, though, would be the one where
Claire first learns Evan’s secret. It’s probably my most favorite scene.
Most military-set
romances are romantic suspense yet your books are straight romance. Was this a conscious decision you made before
you started writing or did the characters dictate their story to you?
Well, first off, I
suck at writing suspense. Love reading, can’t write it worth a damn. But that
not withstanding, I did make a conscious choice to write these books as
contemporary romances. I wanted to showcase real things soldiers were facing
and have more emotional connection to them, if that makes sense.
That makes perfect sense! I know a lot of readers who enjoy romances in a military setting but don't want the suspense.
UNTIL THERE WAS YOU is
your second novel. Is it a stand-alone
or will readers enjoy it more if they read BECAUSE OF YOU first?
It’s a stand alone
novel. Originally, it was connected and the last book of the trilogy but my
editors worked with me to change things up to make the storyline more powerful.
There’s actually no overlap between UNTIL THERE WAS YOU and BECAUSE OF YOU.
You’re a wife, mom, active
duty Army officer and author. That’s a
lot of balls to keep in the air! How do
you balance all of your roles?
I don’t. Some days, being a mom wins. Some days, being a soldier wins. Other
days, being a writer takes precedence. Anyone who tells you they’ve got
everything covered, well, that person isn’t me. I drop things all the time. My
housework for instance. There is a mountain of laundry in my hallway that I
should be deeply ashamed of. Instead, I’m writingJ and happier for it, I
should add.
I imagine the
above-mentioned roles also bring a great deal of stress into your life. What’s your favorite way to relax and “get
away from it all?”
Every so often, when
things get really out of control, I go get a massage. It’s therapeutic in a lot
of ways.
I'm a firm believer in the therapeutic benefits of massage.
We never tire of
hearing how a new author receives “the call.”
The story of your first sale is unusual and fascinating. Will you share it with us?
Last year, right after
the Navy SEALS got Bin Laden, the romance world went nuts for military romance.
Sue Grimshaw had just been hired on at Ballatine Bantam Dell and I saw a blog
where she said she was looking for a military romance that was not romantic suspense.
I sent her a note on twitter because her old email address had bounced and
well, the rest as they say is history. Seriously, DO NOT do this unless
editors/agents say they’ll accept pitches that way.
What’s next?
Next up is finishing
up BACK TO YOU which will tie into BECAUSE OF YOU. That will be the last book
in this leg of the Coming Home series. After that, we shall see where the muse
takes me!
Thank you for visiting with us today, Jessica. It's been a pleasure! Do you have a question for our readers?
Tell me how you decide to try a new author?
I’m giving
away a digital eARC of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU to someone today!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica is having a preorder giveaway - the
UNTIL THERE WAS YOU PREORDER SWEEPSTAKES - all throughout September until Oct 7th!
If you preorder UNTIL THERE WAS YOU, you get entered into a chance to win a Kindle Fire HD or a Nook Color.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here’s the official excerpt!
UNTIL THERE WAS YOU by Jessica Scott, Excerpt
You can preorder UNTIL THERE WAS YOU at these ebookstores or wherever ebooks are sold!
B & N |
Amazon |
Powell's|
iBookstore
