Lala’s Book Corner Presents: Author Interview & Giveaway w/ Jennifer Rardin!

This Giveaway is Closed!

Thanks for Participating!

Winner will be announced in the next few days!

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Hey guys! I still don’t have internet at home, but i got to use my grandma’s this Sunday, so i left a couple posts scheduled for this week =)

I am so happy to have here today the author Jennifer Rardin. I’m a huge fan of her Jaz Parks series and I feel honored tha she agreed to come over. She is also giving away a signed copy of any book in the series!

Giveaway deets at the end of this post! Enjoy!

- When did you first start writing?

I might’ve begun earlier, but I first remember writing successfully in the sixth grade, when I was about twelve. I did little poems for my friends that they seemed to really love. I also wrote an essay for a contest about why I loved Sherlock Holmes. I won a book of his stories that I still have to this day. Talk about positive reinforcement!

- Have you always enjoyed Fantasy?

I was in thrall from my first encounters with Cinderella and Arabian Nights. When my school librarian introduced me to C.S. Lewis and Narnia in the fifth grade I thought I might’ve just found Utopia. But when my eighth grade English teacher actually let me read The Hobbit for a class project? I was hooked for life.

- Why writing Urban Fantasy?

For me, Urban Fantasy is the ideal mix of reality and myth. It’s the kind of story that pulls you in instantly, because you recognize the world and can relate to the people within it as if they were your classmates, your buddies, or your coworkers. But the conflicts, the issues, the monsters . . . that takes the story to a delightful new level in which you can almost believe in the supernatural and all its quirks and creatures. The combination of the two worlds, reality and fantasy, make the genre my favorite and one in which I’ll never tire of writing.

- Were there any Books, Movies, or Writers that have inspired you?

I’ve always been inspired by Stephen King, whose book, The Stand, is one that I consider a modern classic. Tom Clancy’s attention to detail and James Clavell’s genius with plot have both motivated me to try to improve my own work every time I sit down to the laptop. Humor can be extremely difficult to write, but I’ve always thought Dave Barry had a special way with words that could teach me a lot about how to keep my fans laughing out loud, even when everybody else on the train is looking them like they’re lunatics. So he’s been a special inspiration to me as well. (Believe it or not, I’ve taken some great tips from standup comics like Jim Gaffigan, Sinbad, and Paula Poundstone as well. It’s all in the delivery, baby!)

- What is your favorite subject in the Urban Fantasy Realm?

I like to think I’m not really stuck in one area, but prefer to explore new subjects as they become issues in the world or in my own life.

- As a fan I have to say that I just love Vayl and Jaz’s chemistry in the books. I do wish sometimes that we got to witness their most spicy moments for longer, any chance we’ll get to have that opportunity in future books?

Yes. But don’t expect graphic explanations, even then. Jaz does not kiss and tell.

Favorites:

- Favorite Paranormal themed Movie? Ghostbusters

- Favorite Paranormal themed TV show? Supernatural

- Favorite Paranormal themed Book? The Legends Trilogy by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

- Favorite Author? Stephen King

- Favorite Paranormal Romance Author? Maggie Shayne

- Who is your favorite of your own characters?

Jaz is my favorite character, because she’s a no-bullshit, in-your-face woman who hasn’t allowed her vulnerable side to be destroyed by her job or her tragic past. That’s a helluva feat, and I’m proud of her for pulling it off.

Which was the hardest to write? This latest (and potentially last) book in the Jaz Parks series, The Deadliest Bite, has turned out to be the most difficult to write. It’s not just that I need to tie up loose ends, because I’m leaving a few open just in case I get a chance to come back to the series in the future. To be honest, it’s that I’ve had a horrible spring. My mother-in-law passed away in December, and I’ve had some scary health issues to deal with since then that have, luckily, turned out to be the least terrifying option available to me. I’ve been trying to write through all this and have learned that, though the show must go on, sometimes it does so haltingly and with extreme effort on the players’ parts. I need inner peace to write well, and I have only just begun to regain that. Never fear, though, my friends. Jaz #8 will be the best you’ve read yet, because I wouldn’t give you anything less. Why? Because that’s what you deserve.

What would you be if not a writer? I’d probably own or manage a nursery or maybe work in a Botanical Garden. I’m a plant fiend. And my garden is languishing right now. Tomorrow I’ve gotta meet my word-count goal so I can get out there and pull some weeds!

Quickies:

- Coffee or Tea? Tea

- Up or Down? Up

- Virtual or Real? Real

- Right or Left? Right

- Vampires or Werewolves? Vampires

- Witches or Fairies? Witches

- Angels or Demons? Angels

- Friends or Seinfeld? Friends

- Rolling Stones or The Beatles? Rolling Stones

- Reading or Writing? Writing

- What is your favorite part of the writing process?

I like plotting new books the best. When they’re all fresh and shiny, waiting for me to begin work on them, they have that new-car-smell that just makes me feel warm all over!

- What is your least favorite part?

My least favorite part is getting stuck. I don’t call it writer’s block, because generally it doesn’t last more than a day. But I do find myself slamming into walls on a regular basis, usually because I’ve written myself into what seems like an impossible situation. Over time, I’ve learned the best solution to this problem is to dive into the characters even more than usual. Really live their current situation. When I do that, I can almost always figure out what they would do next.

- The Jaz Parks Series in your own words?

Thrilling, Scary, Romantic, Funny, Fast-Paced

- Any plans for more Books in the series?

My current project (The Deadliest Bite) is designed to tie up a great many loose ends. Because of this, it could work as the last book in the series, and I’m not contracted to write any more after it. However, you never know if demand will rise again, (come on James Cameron, make that suckah into a movie already!!) so I’m keeping my options open.

- What is coming up next for you?

I’m developing a new urban fantasy series. Unfortunately I can’t provide any more details than that, because my editor hasn’t looked at it yet. Hopefully I’ll know which direction I’m heading before the end of the summer.

- Do you have any advice or tips to those like me that want to become a published Author someday?

I truly believe the key to my success was never giving up. Now that involves several paths within it: a) writing in every form I could find to hone my skills (including radio advertising and grants) b) reading constantly, especially in the genre I ended up choosing to concentrate on, so that I understood the general rules, and knew what was missing in the industry (which meant I could provide the books to fill in those gaps) c) and, most important, marrying a man who supported me with every fiber of his being. On the days I waffled, on the nights my self-confidence jumped out the window, he was there to lift me up and keep me headed in the right direction.

- Anything you would like to say to your fans out there?

I love you guys. You’re the reason I trudge to my laptop on the mornings when I’d rather spend the day in bed. Thanks so much for being the best fans on earth. And hey, remember, it’s almost May. You know what that means? Only six more months until the November release of Bitten in Two! Yay! In the meantime, join me on Facebook for lotsa fun gossip regarding Jaz and the crew. Check me out on Twitter for my daily peck at the world. And definitely drop into my website for the newest installment in my short story starring your one and only Cole Bemont in The Case of the Bimbo Bloodsucker. Big fun awaits!

jennifer