Jane's biggest problem, though, is her inexperience with men. Marcus might be the man to help her add some interesting firsthand facts to her novels. Maybe she can also discover if happily ever after only happens in books.
Read an excerpt from PhDs, Pornography, and Premeditated Murder
Visit J.L. Wilson's web site
About J.L. Wilson
I was born in a small town in Iowa, and have traveled extensively, living in several different regions of the U.S. and briefly overseas. I've been writing most of my life and seriously writing, trying to be published, since 2004. Now I have 13 books out and will have 3 more out this year, with contracts for more mysteries and paranormal thrillers in 2011. Stay tuned for more from me!
Backlist:
(Romantic Suspense/Mystery)
Your Saving Grace, Cerridwen Press
Brownies, Bodies, and Breaking the Code, The Wild Rose Press
Candy, Corpses and Classified Ads, The Wild Rose Press
If Not For You, Cerridwen Press
Nowhere to Run, Resplendence Publishing
Brilliant Disguise, Resplendence Publishing
Autographs, Abductions, and A-List Authors, The Wild Rose Press
Sun, Surf, and Sandy Strangulation, The Wild Rose Press
Mayhem, Marriage, and Murderous Mystery Manuscripts, The Wild Rose Press
Homicide, Hostages, and Hot Rod Restorations, The Wild Rose Press
(Paranormal/Time Travel)
Forgiveness, Cerridwen Press
Endurance
Temperance
(Paranormal/Other Planet)
Human Touch, The Wild Rose Press
An Interview with J.L. Wilson
By Holly Hewson for The Romance StudioHH: J.L., thank you so much for talking with us at TRS. Please tell us about your featured book, PhDs, Pornography, and Premeditated Murder. JL: I had a lot of fun writing this book and I hope it comes through in the prose. P3M tells the story of Dr. Jane Renard, a college professor, who took a dare once and wrote an erotic novel. To her shock it was a huge success -- and now she has a secret life as a Phyre Fox(pronounced "fire"), an author who writes a series about a female secret agent and all of her exploits.
To further complicate things:
- Jane is up for a promotion and she's deathly afraid her secret life as a 'hot author' will get out.
- Jane's best friend, Maggie, has an ex-husband who is stalking her and Jane gets involved in keeping Maggie safe.
- Jane's ex-husband is murdered in front of a thousand Z.Z. Top fans at the State Fair and Jane was in the audience when he died. That's how Jane meets Marcus Sloan, a security guard at the Fair, who helps prove her innocence…and who initiates Jane into a world of romance she never thought she'd experience.
- Jane's family insists on helping her with her various problems, much to her chagrin.
HH: How is Jane different from your other heroines to date? JL: Jane is a loveable ditz. There's no other way to describe her. She totally lives by the motto: "Often wrong, but never in doubt." She charges ahead, certain she's correct only to be stopped by something she never considered.
Look at her life as an erotic writer. She's almost a virgin -- she was briefly married then immediately divorced (or was she? That's a central question in the book -- was her divorce 'real' or not?). She's only had sex with 2 or 3 men in her life. When she decided to write an erotic book, she just did some 'research', reading a lot of similar books.
When she meets Marcus she realizes she has a God-given chance to do some first-hand research. And Marcus is more than willing to help her. ::grin::
Jane is also deeply committed to her family and friends. She'll do anything to help Maggie escape her abusive ex-husband and she'll go to any lengths to help her nieces be happy.
I have to admit: Jane is one of my favorite heroines, if not the favorite. She's strong but willing to admit when she needs help; loving but not sure how to love; determined to have a good life on her own but willing to take a chance when Marcus comes into her life. Plus she loves Eric Clapton, Z.Z. Top, 19th century American fiction, and has two cats (William Dean Howls and Ezra PoundCat) who watch over her every move. She's the sort of woman I would like to have as a friend.
HH: Where did you get the idea for having Jane's academic career put in jeopardy because of her private writing life? <g> JL: I was once married to a college professor so it was easy to remember the political maneuverings that go on in a university setting. When it came time for tenure and promotion, a university can be as crazy as any national election (sometimes crazier). I had fun recreating some of the office politics I witnessed.
I also attended a conference where Eloisa James talked about her life as a college professor and a romance author. I thought it might be fun to create a heroine who suddenly finds herself in an awkward position of juggling two such different lives.
HH: What you like about Marcus and what unique thing can you tell us about him? JL: Marcus has a great sense of humor and he is willing to allow his pre-conceptions about Jane (a college professor) be overturned once he gets to know her. He wasn't afraid to change his life radically when he quit the police force and went into security work, and he's not afraid of Jane's family -- after all, he has a large family, too, and they're poking their nose into his business. In fact his brother is the detective in charge of the investigation into Jane's ex-husband's murder.
HH: What else do you have in store for lucky readers? JL: My next release is in August with Shadow of Doubt, or as I call it, "Death at the Casino." It continues the stories started in Brilliant Disguise and Nowhere To Run, with some of the same characters. The two main characters, Nathan and Margaret, are mismatched lovers who get embroiled in Native American legalities when Margaret's uncle dies.
HH: What's the most important thing you've learned in your writing career since you first published? JL: Success is something every writer has to define for herself/himself. It can't be dictated by things like best-seller lists, sales figures, and product placement on a shelf. Those are concrete measures of success for some people, but each person has to determine what makes them happy, what makes them say, 'yes. I'm happy with that.'
HH: What accomplishment are you most proud of? JL: I think having 15 books in 3 years is pretty darn good. I did that while working full-time outside the home and I managed to keep relatively sane in the process. I'm also proud that I can write about older heroes and heroines and find a good audience for them. When I started there were few people who wrote for that demographic. I feel like I helped pave the way.
HH: As an author, how do you meet all of the demands of the industry and the readers and stay sane? JL: I write the kind of books I'd like to read -- light, romantic, and fun with characters I want to get to know. I dislike books that are dense and heavy, full of despair and anger and grief. I want to escape and that's the kind of books I write. So far, so good!
HH: What are you reading right now? JL: I'm re-reading some of my favorite mysteries from Martha Grimes. The Man With a Load of Mischief is one of my favorites and so is Jerusalem Inn. I love the way she draws the characters and lets their foibles help dictate the turns of the plot.
HH: Any big plans for the summer? JL: I have two conferences to attend -- Malice Domestic in Virginia at the end of April and RomCon in Denver, in July. I also have several other trips planned. In fact, I'm a bit over-scheduled since I'm out of town every other weekend until the end of July. I also have some gardening to do as well as some writing on a new series that I've started. Then there's edits for my books next year and a new series I want to get going and… There's always something!
HH: Thank you!
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