Interview with Jordan Summers

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Jordan Summers. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

I understand you have a new release out called OFF LIMITS. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

First off, thank you for having me here. I call OFF LIMITS my ‘Ms. Congeniality on an airplane’ story because my heroine is fairly uncouth. She doesn’t play well with others and frankly hates to fly. That makes her fairly hostile to the passengers and unhappy with her assignment.

OFF LIMITS is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

It was actually my fourth or fifth choice. The original title for my Blaze was Revenge of the Sky Goddess. I still like it better, but OFF LIMITS isn’t bad. It hints at what is happening between the hero and the heroine. Or should I say, what should be happening.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Actually, no. I didn’t do a lot of research for this book because I was a flight attendant for fourteen years, so I had ‘some’ experience. I did however phone the ATF to see if there were any slang terms for arm’s dealers. There wasn’t any that I could use, but they were all extremely helpful. I took a LOT of liberties with this story. (ie I made it all up.) So any mistakes I made concerning the ATF are all mine.

What character did you like writing about the most, and why?

In OFF LIMITS, I actually liked my heroine, Delaney a lot. She got to do (and say) a lot of things that I would’ve loved to have done when I was flying. Writing this book was very cathartic for the flight attendant in me.

If your book was made into a movie, what actor would you like to fill your hero’s shoes?

Clive Owen. The name says it all. *g*

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Is that a trick question? I have several authors who inspired me. The first one would have to be Virginia Henley. She writes wonderful heroes and stories that are rich in detail. I have quite a few of her books on my keeper shelf. She’s also the reason that my very first attempt at writing a romance was in the historical genre. It was a pirate adventure as I recall. *g* I also love Kathleen Woodiwiss. Her stories always swept me away and made me want to write better. Susan Johnson taught me that hot can be defined many ways.

The next generation of authors also inspire me. Lynn Viehl with her wonderful world-building and twists on vampire lore. She gives fantastic advice too. ;) Dara Joy with her delicious heroes (Yes, I still have a crush on the hero from Mine to Take. He’s mine. All mine, I tell you. ;). Patricia Briggs has the ability to weave an amazing story. She writes awesome urban fantasies. I try to learn from their writing. Angela Knight and Emma Holly redefined hot otherworldly heroes, while building richly emotional love stories. Marjorie Liu and Eileen Wilks show me that the world really is populated by a variety of people and that my worlds should be too. Charlaine Harris taught me that humor applied sparingly can be far more effective than slapstick.
All these authors inspire me with their talent, drive and abilities. They make me want to sharpen my writing skills, tell better stories and evoke powerful emotions. Basically, when I grow up, I want to be able to write like them. J

What do we have to look forward next?

My next novel is quite a departure from the light-hearted Blaze. I have my first single title mass market release in November 2008. RED is a twist on the Little Red Riding Hood tale. It’s a near-future, post-apocalyptic story about a woman who sets out to find a killer and in the process finds herself. Oh, and she also has to stop a blood war. RED is the first book in my DEAD WORLD series for Tor. It will be followed by two more books, SCARLET and CRIMSON in 2009.

Thanks, Jordan Summers!

No, thank you!

Jordan will be checking in today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio:
Jordan Summers is an ex-flight attendant with a penchant for huge bookstores and big dumb action movies. She prefers quiet dinners with friends over maddening crowds. Happily married to her very own Highlander, they split their time between two continents.
Jordan is a member of the Romance Writer’s of America, Novelist Inc. and the Published Authors Network. She loves to hear from readers.

Check out author’s website at: http://www.jordansummers.com/ Buy OFF LIMITS from Amazon on March 1, 2008 or at the eHarlequin website in ebook in Feb. 2008. RED will be available for pre-order soon.