I am so happy to have Jan Romes with me today. One night on Twitter,
Jan Romes and Sandy Owens were busy drooling, twitting, and tweeting over the
men of NCIS. That was something I could easily relate to, so I tweeted my way
into their droolfest, and that’s how I met Jan. So on with the interview...
First, tell us a
little about yourself.
Thanks for having me on your blog today, Denise!
Let’s see, a little about myself…
I’m a shy person by nature, but life keeps pulling me out of
my shell in one way or another (and that’s a good thing). I enjoy writing
humorous contemporary romance, but I love to read all genres. When I’m not
creating stories, I can be found working as a part-time fitness instructor or
gardening. But enough about me, let’s talk heroes!
As writers, we often
become emotionally attached to our characters. Who is your favorite hero you’ve
ever written?
Each hero has a special place in my heart, but if I had to
pick the one that stands out from the rest it would be ‘Kiptyn Thomas’ from my
book One Small Fib. Kiptyn grew/changed the most. He was a billionaire who got
a rush from making money; it was his world…until he met Allie Blue. (I still
get excited about this love story!)
Have you ever fallen
in love with or had a crush on one of your heroes? Tell us about him.
I think we fall in love with each hero we write. They
represent bits and pieces of the men in our lives. I think I had a crush on
Jared Kelly from Kiss Me. He’s a handsome cop who understood Lacy Goodlow
better than she understood herself. For a guy to understand you, to really ‘get’ you, is incredible!
How do you develop
your heroes? Do you imagine their personality or their physical appearance
first? Do they grow as personalities as you write or do you do a character
sketch before you type the first word?
Once I figure out my story line and my heroine, the hero is
easy to develop. I have to know her before I can know him. (Does that make
sense?) I can easily picture him from that point, and I have a pretty good idea
where I want his character to go.
I like to give my
heroes a personality quirk, just so they aren’t too perfect. Have you ever written a quirk for one of your heroes
and what was it?
I love heroes with quirks; gives them depth, makes them real.
For Kiptyn Thomas in One Small Fib he had to deal with a touch of OCD. In Lucky
Ducks, Kasen Isaak had a mild case of dyslexia.
How do you name your
hero?
To name my hero, I consider who he is (i.e. billionaire
bachelor) and his personality --- Kiptyn Thomas, III, says wealth/old money.
Tough, but loveable – Jared Kelly.
Who is your favorite
hero in books, movies, or television?
My favorite hero at the moment is from television: Leroy
Jethro Gibbs from NCIS!! Sexy, in-charge, but flexible! (Tony Dinozzo runs a
close second – great sense of humor)
Who is your hero in
real life?
My husband! He’s loving, supportive, and laughs at my jokes!
(He ‘gets’ me!)
Tell us about your
most recent release and where we can find it. Who is the hero and what do you
like about him the most?
My recent release is Kiss Me. It was published by Champagne
Books on 4/2/12. My hero is Jared Kelly; handsome cop and all-around good guy,
who has to deal with a dysfunctional family just like my heroine, Lacy
Goodlow. The way he handles his
situation and Lacy’s, makes you like him straight away.
Blurb:
Falling for the cop who wrote her a
speeding ticket and dated her spoiled stepsister throws Lacy Goodlow’s world
into chaos, but ignoring her heart to keep the peace is not an option.
Excerpt:
“Sir, seriously,” she whimpered. “I haven’t been drinking. And I
need to get going.” She held her wrist up so he could see her watch. “My
sister’s bachelorette party has already started, and if I don’t get there soon,
she’s going to blow a gasket.”
Deputy J. Kelly’s eyes widened perceptibly.
Crap. He was picturing the same thing she was—drunken women and lots
of alcohol.
Regardless, she was late. Lacy blew out a weighty breath of
frustration, and contemplated making a move for his gun or handcuffing herself
to his cruiser; anything so she wouldn’t have to face the wrath of Angela.
Deputy Kelly’s first command was for her to walk a straight line.
Ha! Her sandal teetered on a stone and she swayed sideways. Next, touch the end
of her nose. The earth must’ve shifted, because she missed and almost jabbed
herself in the eye. And because of the diet cola she’d downed on the way there,
she was fidgeting all over the place. “Are we done?”
Without answering the question, he leaned forward and took a big
whiff.
An involuntary prickle of pleasure pulsed through her.
“I’m not going to administer the breathalyzer because your eyes
aren’t glassy or red, your speech is not impaired, and I don’t smell alcohol on
your breath.”
Duh. He’d been sniffing for alcohol, not enjoying her perfume.
She mumbled a feeble thank-you, but it was drowned out by a car
filled with teenagers who buzzed past and hollered “Strip-search her.”
You can buy Kiss Me at the following link: Champagne Books
Website - www.janromes.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/JanRomes
Kiss me sounds like a fun read, Jan. I'll have to
get me a copy. Thanks for being here today.
I'm tickled to be here today! Thanks again for having me, Denise! :-))
ReplyDeleteJan, I agree about falling in love with our heroes--if we don't, how can we expect the heroine to fall for them. And Gibbs (NCIS) is still a favorite. :-) I'm looking forward to reading Kiss Me. Sounds good!
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