Q&A and Giveaway with Author Jackie Ashenden

I’m so excited to welcome debut author, Jackie Ashenden to our Hot Seat today! 

I first ‘met’ Jackie a few years ago, while we were both pursuing publication.  I was a devout follower of her blog, and one of the reasons was because of the absolute candor of her posts-I admired her ability to share the ups and downs of the publication journey.  Her posts were also wickedly entertaining and witty-which gave me the first glimpse into her writing.  I wasn’t surprised to learn that last year, Jackie not only sold to one publisher, but to two!  Jackie writes for Samhain and Entangled Publishing.  I’ve already purchased her debut book, FALLING FOR FINN and I can’t wait to dive in!

 

I’m so very thrilled for you, Jackie, congratulations!

 

Q:  Jackie, can you tell us a little bit about your journey to publication?

Thanks so much for having me here today, Victoria. Well, I started writing when I was about 12 and just never stopped basically. But I never really considered pursuing publication fulltime until I met a romance author at a family gathering. She was really encouraging and since I'd been writing secret romances for years, I thought I'd give it a go. Took four years to finally get The Call. Four very hard, difficult years where I gave up every time another rejection rolled in. But I'm stubborn and just couldn't leave it alone. I loved to writing and I'd wanted to be an author ever since I could remember, so I kept on going until I got that magic email from my lovely Samhain editor.

 

Q: Can you tell us the difference between what you write for Samhain and Indulgence? 

Okay well, they're both contemporary romances but the ones I write for Samhain are definitely not category romances, while the ones I write for Entangled are. My Samhain books are much darker, angstier and grittier in terms of language. They're hotter too. In my Entangled books the emphasis is more on the humour than the dark angst, and they're flirtier and lighter. But still hot! ;-)

 

Q:  What are some of the challenges in writing for two different lines?

Switching focus from angst to humour can be tough. I think naturally I tend to head for the angstier, dramatic side of things so it takes me a while to get back into a light, flirty headspace after I've finished a Samhain book. It's not so hard the other way because I think a couple of jokes never go amiss in a darker book.

 

Q:  How do you balance writing, social media/promotion, and family?

Ugh, well, I'm still learning about all of that. It's really hard. I'm thinking that in order to meet deadlines and feel like I'm in control of my writing, I'll have word counts I have to meet each day. Then juggle everything else around it. I've never done that before so it's going to be interesting.

 

Q:  Can you tell us a little about your writing process?

When I get an idea for a book, I do like to think about it a lot before I start writing. And I concentrate on my characters first of all since they're the most important part of the book.  I think about the type of people they are, their backgrounds, their past and how those fit together. I usually brainstorm with my CPs via email and/or Skype as well which works great for me. Then once I have a good grasp on my characters and the setup, I start writing.  

 

Q:  What is a typical work day like for you?

Writing is my day job so I usually check social media/email in the morning, then start writing/editing once the kids are off to school. My most productive time of day is the afternoon – which doesn't fit in well with school times alas, but I do what I can.

Q:  Can you tell us what you’re busy working on now and what/when your next release will be?

I'm just finishing up my fourth Samhain book to send off to my editor, then I've got the third book in my Entangled series to finish. I also have a special Entangled project that I've been asked to be a part of and that book will be next one to write.

So, my next release will be the first in my Talking Dirty series for Entangled. It's slated for May but date and title are to be confirmed so crossing fingers it'll be a go. After that, my next Samhain release, Black Knight, White Queen, will be out in July.

Thank you so much for being here today, Jackie.  Once again, I’m just so thrilled for you and wish you nothing but success!

 

Thanks so much for having me! Lovely being a guest with you guys!!

 

 

When you’ve been burned, the heat of the moment is the scariest place to be.

Six months after a sexual assault, Anna Jameson has decided enough is enough. She’s sick of being a victim, of letting the experience have power over her. She wants her fear of physical intimacy gone, as in now.

In the quest to reclaim her sexuality, she needs a man. A man she trusts absolutely. A man like her best friend, Finn.

Finn Shaw is all about taking risks. He does it every week on his extreme sports TV show. But there’s one boundary he’s never pushed, and that’s his friendship with Anna. When his hyper-intellectual family kicked him to the curb over his dyslexia, Anna stuck by him.

Her request to become friends with benefits throws him for a loop. He can’t deny her anything, but this is a whole different ball game. Once they’re skin to skin, there will be no hiding the fact that he’s loved her for years.

When their chemistry burns out of control, Finn decides he’s the one who’s had enough. It’s time to break out of the friend box—and show Anna that risking her heart is a risk well worth taking. Even if it costs him her friendship.

 

Warning: This book contains a strong-willed heroine who knows what she wants, a daredevil hero intent on showing her how much more she could have, sexy love scenes that’ll melt your heart, and a grand gesture you’ll need a tissue for.

 

Amazon

Barnes&Noble

Samhain

 

You can also visit Jackie on her website & blog:  www.jackieashenden.com

 

To Enter for your chance to win an e-book copy of FALLING FOR FINN, all you have to do is leave a comment!  Of course, if you can't wait to buy your copy, just click on any of the links to purchase :-)