Author Interview: Jennifer Conner

Here we go, here's another great author's responses to my interview questions. Jennifer shares her insites on what makes a story great, how she finds inspiration for her writing, and her lastest releases!

Author Interview
1.) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? I wanted to find something I felt passionate about that didn’t cost tons of money to do. Shopping every minute was out, so writing it is. Writing is more difficult than I ever imagined it would be.

2.) What type of genre do you write in? Right now I’m writing Historical Romance in two times, Victorian England 1855 and the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. I also write contemporary romance, paranormal romance and erotica.

3.) What inspires you to write in this genre? What I would hope inspires all writers. You get an idea that you can’t get out of you head.

4.) Where to you get your ideas for your writing? With the Regimental Heroes series, I centered it around the Charge of the Light Brigade poem. It was a battle where the English were wiped out by the Russians. That led me to wonder how Post Traumatic Stress in the 1850’s would be dealt with and treated by the young noblemen who suffered.
In the Gold Rush series, I saw a TV show. I live in the Seattle area. There is an old part of Seattle that burned and the newer part was built above it. It’s referred to as Underground Seattle. The TV show was about a rumored ghost of a young prospector, looking for his gold, who still haunts the underground. A dead- unsexy ghost guy wasn’t going to work for a romance, so I used the idea; what if a young man hit a big gold strike only to lose it?

5.) Who are your favorite authors and why? Diana Gabaldon who writes the Outlander series. She is brilliant in forming her characters that are imbedded in your memory forever. DV Berkom who writes the Kate Jones Adventures for a great, exciting page turner. Chris Karlsen with her Knights in Time, sexy ghosts and knights. Darlene Panzera for her sweet short romances and characters.

6.) In your opinion, what key parts of a story make it great? The author has to put me in the middle of the story. I read every genre. Even if you write romance, I think you need to read everything to round out your writing. I am always about the hero. I usually write hero driven stories and read them too. I love a good angst hero that goes though so much to find love! Ahhhh

7.) What activities do you undertake for inspiration? I like to help new writers with their craft- it teaches me along the journey. I write a news column on Careers in Writing to pass on tips and tricks of the trade from and for other writers http://www.examiner.com/writing-careers-in-seattle/jennifer-conner

8.) Do you belong to any writing communities, or critique groups? Yes, my local RWA chapter. My critique group is one of the most important things I am involved in. If you are a writer, I think it is imperative to be in a strong critique group. The million seller authors I know personally are still in critique groups.

9.) Do you have a day job? Yes… it’s every writers dream to be able to give that up, right? It just means I need to be more focused other times and I have given up TV. Not movies, I’m still a junkie.

10.) If you could do it over again, what aspects of the writing/submission process would you change before becoming published? I wouldn’t have spent so much energy to get published by a big house. I love writing for an indie publisher. I love love (pardon the pun) and will probably continue writing romance, but with an indie publisher, I can write a historical romance, then a paranormal, then a contemporary without the pressures of being pigeonholed into a genre.

11.) What is the title of your upcoming/newly released novel, and where can we find it? The Reluctant Heir is the second in the Regimental Heroes series, Rush of Love and Fields of Gold are the Klondike Gold romances and in November I will have a fun contemporary Christmas romance, Christmas with Carol (out in November). All are available though Books to Go Now, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Android Marketplace, AllRomance, and Overdrive (your local library ebook system on request).
Watch the book trailers here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB0rYE-cSPg&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2TAMNKvh-Q&feature=player_embedded