Good morning. It’s Meet and Greet Monday!
With us today is Romance Author, J.J. Lore.
Welcome, J.J.!
Hello! Thanks for hosting me. I’ll try to wake up and be coherent even though it’s Monday.
What is a typical writing day like?
In an ideal world, I’d get up, have hot coffee and eggs benedict, then about eight uninterrupted hours to write to my heart’s content, with a break for a wedge salad and some iced tea for lunch. But, even though I write fiction, I live in the real world, so somewhere in between caring for a seven year old child, laundry, cooking, and desultory housekeeping, I try to sit down for at least a couple of hours a day at the computer and write. My time is very fragmented, so when I have the chance to be creative, I focus and get the words out. I’ve successfully completed two NaNoWriMo books and always served a home cooked dinner every evening of those months, so multi-tasking is a must.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live, do you have a significant other, any young ones running around?
As I mentioned above, I have a young son and I’m lucky enough to get to stay home with him thanks to my husband’s work. We live in central Ohio, in a beige house in the suburbs and drive non-descript sedans. I shop at Kroger and work out every other day. My favorite stress relievers are reading, watching movies, and going to thrift stores. You’d never guess I use my computer for writing erotic romances!
What is your favorite junk food?
Ooh, I have so many! I love any sort of dark chocolate, red wine (cab sav or a nice blend), cured meats, smelly cheeses, Cincinnati chili dogs, Pringles…now I’m getting hungry.
Preference – Sam or Dean Winchester? If you haven’t seen Supernatural (and why not! It’s MY Fave show LOL), then would you prefer Iron Man or Wolverine?
So sorry, but I’ve never seen Supernatural, so I’ll have to pass on that one. I can’t stand Iron Man and all his snarky little quips, so I’ll go with Wolverine. I’m a fan of chest hair.
What are you a collector of?
I love so much stuff (see above reference to thrift stores!); vintage evening bags, Trifari pins, Waterford crystal, cookbooks from the 1970’s, and French cast iron enameled cookware. I just bought a gorgeous iridescent emerald green beaded snap clutch from the 1950’s in perfect condition and I can’t stop looking at it.
Have you ever thrown a book you’ve been reading against the wall because you couldn’t finish it?
No. My dissatisfaction with a book is expressed by a curled lip and a raised eyebrow, followed by a quick burial in the Goodwill box.
Who is your celebrity crush—male and female?
Mmm, lots of male crushes; Idris Elba, Richard Armitage, Eric Bana, Aaron Eckhart, and Patrick Stewart all come to mind. Female crushes…Christina Hendricks and Cate Blanchett.
If you were given an all-expense paid, five day/night trip to anywhere, where would you go?
Only five days? In that case, I’d go to Japan. I’d love to see the contrast between urban and rural areas and I adore Japanese food, so I know I’d have a great time.
What is the most played song on your iPod/MP3 Player?
Urk, I don’t own either. I still use CD’s! My go to writing music is anything by Vangelis or Sigur Ros.
What song are you most sick of hearing on the radio right now?
Let It Go from Frozen. I wish everyone would just LET. IT. GO.
What is your favorite movie from the 80s?
The eighties were my decade, so I can’t pick just one. Blade Runner, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Aliens all of those come to mind.
Which Avenger character are you? (Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, etc.)
Let’s see, I’d marry Captain America, kill Iron Man, which means I’d have to…wait, this isn’t F/M/K? Sorry, got distracted there for a second. I’d like to think I’m Captain America, but I’m sure my family thinks I’m the Hulk. I do have a temper.
What is your favorite part of summer?
Walking barefoot in long grass, fresh berries, and sleeping in.
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, real or fictional, with whom would it be?
I’m not really envious of other people’s lives, so this is difficult for me. I’ll have to say I’d love to live as an extremely wealthy Roman at the height of the Empire, perhaps 100 A.D., in Rome with a quick side trip to a coastal resort town. I’d love to see the architecture, all the different cultures mingling, watch a chariot race, visit a fabulous bath house, and try some of those amazing dishes like roasted flamingo tongue or potted doormouse. Then again, maybe not some of those dishes.
If you had the chance to meet one author – past or present – who would it be? Why?
I’d love to meet George MacDonald Fraser. He wrote these amazing historical fiction books about a Victorian cad named Flashman. I love the character, the humor, and all the great references to British colonialism.
Who/What are you currently reading?
Right now I’m reading Greg Isles’ Natchez Burning. Really great story set in the modern South with a sub plot involving the civil rights movement.
Writing can be a crazy business. How do you stay positive within the craziness?
I keep the creative side separate from the business side. If you let your emotions and ego get caught up in what reviews say, or your sales figures, or rejections, you’ll become miserable and quit. Telling stories is completely different than selling them.
What do you think is your greatest strength as a writer?
The ability to focus and my determination to keep the story logical.
Did you always want to be an author?
No! I never even considered it until I sent a manuscript off to a publisher on a whim and they accepted it. Before, I’d written lots of non-fiction in my professional life, but the idea that a story I’d made up was entertaining to someone else was a complete shock.
No matter the story, where do you always draw inspiration from when you begin each story?
Being true to my characters and making sure they get their HEA. I like my characters and want the best for them. They have to persevere in the face of a lot of obstacles because that makes the story more fun, but in the end, I’ve never written a character I wouldn’t want to have as a friend or neighbor.
What was the worst summer job you had in your teens?
Looking back, none of them were that bad, but working in a deli could be disgusting sometimes, especially since I usually closed, which meant I had to clean a day’s worth of grease and food residue off of slicers, counters, trays, and the floor. Don’t even ask about how awful it was to clean out the grease trap under the sink. I’m gagging just thinking about it.
Forbidden
By J. J. Lore
Evernight Publishing, 27 June 2014
ISBN/ASIN: B00LC9KZYE
Blurb:
Working to heal wounded Alphan warriors is the new duty of bondmates Leo and Deklan. Although recovered from severe injuries received on the field of battle, they are no longer fit to fight. Their orderly, all-male existence is turned upside down when an injured human female becomes their new responsibility.
Aura Tremain wakes up in an alien hospital, healing from a beating delivered by the Xyrans who’d kidnapped her. Upon her discharge, two handsome Alphan men offer her refuge until she’s well enough to travel.
Even though Leo and Deklan know they will never be permitted to bond with Aura as their souls demand, they can’t ignore the desire she stirs in them. Her time with them is short, but so intense. Will the intimacies they share be strong enough to withstand the expectation that bondmates are for battle-worthy warriors? Can their passion bind the three of them forever?
Buy Links:
J. Lore bio and social media:
J. Lore needs three things; strong, black coffee, time to write, and…well…you can guess the third. When she isn’t inventing fantastical tales filled with passionate people, she’s shaking sriracha on whatever she’s eating or reading about the Justinian plague. For updates on her erotic romance releases, visit her at http://www.jjlore.com/ She’s also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/J-J-Lore/1393971707546734 , Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8188490.J_J_Lore and Twitter @JJLore1
Excerpt:
It was strange to wake up in a bed with an alien male, no, two alien males, she amended. She glanced over to see Leo was still asleep, sprawled on his belly, his head cradled on his bent arm. Lots of thick muscles under gleaming skin on display. They both looked so strong.
She turned her head back to Deklan and jumped with surprise to find him watching her with half-closed, sleepy eyes.
“Sleep well?” he whispered.
She nodded. Deklan’s eyes crinkled at the corners. He inhaled and stretched his arms over his head with a sigh, inadvertently dislodging the sheet even further down his body. He was wearing dark pants so there wasn’t much more she could see, not that she should be looking any further. She couldn’t quite take her eyes off him, though. As he lowered his arms, the one closest to her nudged along her shoulder and coasted down her arm, his large hand finally coming to rest next to hers. He edged closer and watched her for a moment. She could feel the heat of his body.
“Do I look very different?”
“Different than what?” Aura whispered back, unwilling to disturb Leo when he’d been so kind to her.
“A human male. I’ve never seen one in the flesh nor seen a human female until the ship landed.”
“You look different. Bigger, stronger. Your skin is…” She trailed off, not quite sure how to put her newfound affinity for gold.
“Is what?” Deklan rubbed his hand along his chest, bumping over swells of muscle, disturbing the fine black hairs tapering down his abdomen. His voice was rough, and the timbre of it vibrated some previously unknown part of her ear.
“It’s beautiful.” Her honest assessment resulted in a disbelieving smile from the Alphan lounging next to her.
“It serves its purpose. I’d never call it beautiful, especially compared to yours.” Deklan glanced at her face, then her shoulders and arms exposed by the borrowed tank she’d worn to sleep. She knew she was blushing since her face was so hot. In an effort to compose herself, she looked over at Leo to find he was still deeply asleep, unmoving from when she’d last seen him.
A large hand sliding along her arm brought her attention back to Deklan to find he’d edged closer and turned so he was curving against her now. Maybe he was just affectionate in the morning, maybe—
The sudden press of a hard cock against her hip made her shiver. At least, she assumed the hard, warm shaft she could feel through her thin clothing was a cock. Deklan was alien, so perhaps his equipment was different. Although why he’d be aroused in proximity to her was a mystery. Perhaps he was similar to a man and this was just the usual morning reaction.
“Your skin is so smooth and soft,” he murmured as he ran his fingertips along her hip, then her belly, cloth bunching up under his fingers, exposing some skin at her waist. The slight parting of fabric made her shiver, made warmth spike into heat along her nerves. “Not frightened?”
“No,” she whispered, caught up in the intensity of his gaze, the sheer sensual pleasure of having someone touch her.
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