I'm so excited to welcome paranormal romance author Jacqueline Paige to the Speculative Salon!
Welcome Jacqueline! Tell us about your latest book, including its genre. Does it cross over to other genres? If so, what are they?
JP: My latest book is Heart: Animal Trilogy. It’s a paranormal romance. It’s a shifter book so I guess that would be considered crossing into other genres.
How do you come up with ideas?
JP: Honestly, I’m not sure. It takes the strangest thing for stories to come to me. Heart started forming in my mind when I was on vacation at a nice quiet lake up North… why my brain started thinking about wolf shifters and a woman that ran from her home while I was canoeing across a beautiful lake, I have no idea! By the time we were ready to go home, I had a ton of pictures and half the story written inside my head!
Tell us a bit about your journey to publication.
JP: It wasn’t really a journey I planned. My first book was actually written as a joke, or at least it started out that way but a month later I had an entire story appear on the pages that came out of my brain. I was astonished, it was good. I kept writing and it turned into a series, but that’s as far as I went with it for almost three years. By the time I decided to submit something I had something like seven full books written!
Three years later and book fifteen is now published and there’s a lot more to come…
What are your favorite paranormal creatures or which paranormal creature do you find the sexiest?
JP: My favorite paranormal character would have to be witches, they just have the coolest skills! The sexiest is another story, definitely shifters … wolves are good, tigers are even better. There’s just something about the animal magnetism of a shifter. Rawr!
Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?
JP: It’s different each time. Sometimes the plot comes to me first, so I have to hash it out a bit to see what characters will fit in. Other times the characters appear out of nowhere and then I have to figure out their story. Either way there is always a certain amount of research, but I never really go far in plotting or outlining because my characters tend to change it and do what they want.
What did you learn from writing your first book?
JP: I learned two very important things, first you should not have really long finger nails while typing like a crazed person to keep up with your own brain – it leaves indents in the keys after a few months. Second thing I learned was you can never edit enough – ever. It doesn’t matter how many times you go through the story, you will always find some error that escaped you the last ten times.
Are your stories driven by plot or character?
JP: It’s a mix ‘n match for me. One time my characters are racing to keep up with the plot and then the rest of the time it’s reversed.
How do you balance a life outside of writing with deadlines and writing muses?
JP: Some days I don’t. With kids I think you just get used to doing too much and you just keep going. I have learned one thing though, agreeing to six new releases in one year is exhausting! Editing, rewrites, proof reading and more editing, toss in a whole lot of promotion and it’s a whirl wind of chaos for twelve months.
As for keeping up with a muse that never sleeps, I’m really good at scribbling down thoughts in the dark so I can hopefully fall back to sleep afterward.
What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?
JP: A little bit of happy. I write to entertain and give everyone a break from reality.
List two authors we would find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.
JP: JR Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon
Thanks so much for answering our questions. Best of Luck!
Thanks for having me!
JP: My latest book is Heart: Animal Trilogy. It’s a paranormal romance. It’s a shifter book so I guess that would be considered crossing into other genres.
How do you come up with ideas?
JP: Honestly, I’m not sure. It takes the strangest thing for stories to come to me. Heart started forming in my mind when I was on vacation at a nice quiet lake up North… why my brain started thinking about wolf shifters and a woman that ran from her home while I was canoeing across a beautiful lake, I have no idea! By the time we were ready to go home, I had a ton of pictures and half the story written inside my head!
Tell us a bit about your journey to publication.
JP: It wasn’t really a journey I planned. My first book was actually written as a joke, or at least it started out that way but a month later I had an entire story appear on the pages that came out of my brain. I was astonished, it was good. I kept writing and it turned into a series, but that’s as far as I went with it for almost three years. By the time I decided to submit something I had something like seven full books written!
Three years later and book fifteen is now published and there’s a lot more to come…
What are your favorite paranormal creatures or which paranormal creature do you find the sexiest?
JP: My favorite paranormal character would have to be witches, they just have the coolest skills! The sexiest is another story, definitely shifters … wolves are good, tigers are even better. There’s just something about the animal magnetism of a shifter. Rawr!
Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?
JP: It’s different each time. Sometimes the plot comes to me first, so I have to hash it out a bit to see what characters will fit in. Other times the characters appear out of nowhere and then I have to figure out their story. Either way there is always a certain amount of research, but I never really go far in plotting or outlining because my characters tend to change it and do what they want.
What did you learn from writing your first book?
JP: I learned two very important things, first you should not have really long finger nails while typing like a crazed person to keep up with your own brain – it leaves indents in the keys after a few months. Second thing I learned was you can never edit enough – ever. It doesn’t matter how many times you go through the story, you will always find some error that escaped you the last ten times.
Are your stories driven by plot or character?
JP: It’s a mix ‘n match for me. One time my characters are racing to keep up with the plot and then the rest of the time it’s reversed.
How do you balance a life outside of writing with deadlines and writing muses?
JP: Some days I don’t. With kids I think you just get used to doing too much and you just keep going. I have learned one thing though, agreeing to six new releases in one year is exhausting! Editing, rewrites, proof reading and more editing, toss in a whole lot of promotion and it’s a whirl wind of chaos for twelve months.
As for keeping up with a muse that never sleeps, I’m really good at scribbling down thoughts in the dark so I can hopefully fall back to sleep afterward.
What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?
JP: A little bit of happy. I write to entertain and give everyone a break from reality.
List two authors we would find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.
JP: JR Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon
Thanks so much for answering our questions. Best of Luck!
Thanks for having me!
Heart Book I in Animal Trilogy
By Jacqueline Paige
Three women without knowledge of their true heritage...
Three men that have waited for their mate all of their lives...
Hearts and tempers collide with wild passions and animal instincts
in the Animal Trilogy
Heart
Torn from her sheltered life, Rayne is alone and scared after she discovers her fiancé is not the man she thought he was. Unable to accept the corrupt world he belongs to, she flees to the furthest possible location she can reach on her own. Nothing could ever prepare her for the journey and what she finds out when she arrives.
Is she strong enough to survive on her own?
The epitome of the lone wolf, Devin stays in the wilderness and far away from people, avoiding the decision of whether to accept his title as leader and alpha of the pack. One alluring woman stirs up his resolve and passion when she disturbs his solitary world. The man inside is tempted in a way he can’t understand but his wolf knows he’s found his mate.
Can he have her without succumbing to the responsibilities waiting for him?
TBR November 1st at Eternal Press http://eternalpress.biz/people.php?author=428
By Jacqueline Paige
Three women without knowledge of their true heritage...
Three men that have waited for their mate all of their lives...
Hearts and tempers collide with wild passions and animal instincts
in the Animal Trilogy
Heart
Torn from her sheltered life, Rayne is alone and scared after she discovers her fiancé is not the man she thought he was. Unable to accept the corrupt world he belongs to, she flees to the furthest possible location she can reach on her own. Nothing could ever prepare her for the journey and what she finds out when she arrives.
Is she strong enough to survive on her own?
The epitome of the lone wolf, Devin stays in the wilderness and far away from people, avoiding the decision of whether to accept his title as leader and alpha of the pack. One alluring woman stirs up his resolve and passion when she disturbs his solitary world. The man inside is tempted in a way he can’t understand but his wolf knows he’s found his mate.
Can he have her without succumbing to the responsibilities waiting for him?
TBR November 1st at Eternal Press http://eternalpress.biz/people.php?author=428
Excerpt:
If nothing else she was warmer now. How long would the rain last? Do I want to wait it out and then try to find a washroom – in the dark? Rayne shook her head before she could go any further with that thought. There was no way she was getting out of this car until it was light out, rain or no rain. How many hours until daylight? She debated very briefly whether she could squirm around and reach the purse to get her phone. Highly doubtful.Besides being cocooned in the puffy material, the phone was off for a reason and turning it on just to check the time wasn’t worth the risk of Aiden being able to trace the location. Truthfully she didn’t know if that was possible even though all the movies referenced it being so, but understanding what type of man Aiden was and what he was capable of, she wasn’t taking any chances.
Working one arm free from the bag, she shifted far enough forward to reach the ignition; he couldn’t track the cars clock. Turning the key, her heart sunk when she noted the time, there were too many hours left until dawn. She looked out the windshield and froze, her heart jumped into her throat. Afraid to so much as breathe, Rayne stared at the animal a few feet away from the headlight. Her brain first said dog, but that was no dog. That was a wolf; it had to be a wolf. Were wolves that big? It seemed bigger than in any pictures she’d seen.
She sat there looking at it, not sure if she should honk the horn or just sit and try not to get hysterical waiting for it to leave. The car may be metal, but the roof was something this animal could probably get through. As she continued to stare at it she couldn’t help thinking it was a beautiful creature. It’s grey and brown fur looked soft and thick, not that she’d ever be able to find out if it was. It was the way the haunting grey eyes watched her that made her decide not to honk the horn or scream as loud as she could, which had crossed her mind briefly. Rayne was fairly certain it was as surprised to see her as she was to see it. Didn’t wolves travel as group? A pack? She wanted to look around and see if there were more in the trees, but the logical part of her brain said she was better off not knowing. Never argue with the logical part.
She was sure she stopped breathing all together when it took a step closer to the car and then turned quickly back towards the trees. As she was reaching for the keys it stopped and looked back at her for the length of two heart beats before it bolted into the trees and disappeared.
Turning off the key, she sat in the dark leaning back against the seat while she tried to remind her body how to take air in. In this moment with her heart beating so loud she could hear it, or at least it felt that way, Rayne reached the decision that she was not getting out of the car until daylight, and even then was questionable. One more conclusion was also not turning the lights on again; her mental state was much better not knowing what else was outside of the car. She checked to make sure the door was locked, she did know a wolf wouldn’t just walk up and use the door handle, but she felt better knowing that she was locked in and more importantly other things were locked out.
Pulling her arm back into the sleeping bag, Rayne shuffled down as far as she could and closed her eyes. The sooner she slept, the closer daylight was to getting here. Over the noise of the water beating off the car, she thought she heard a howl.
About the Author:
Jacqueline Paige is a world class multi-tasker being a mother to five adventurous and unpredictable children, a cafe manager and having a colossal imagination that allows her to step outside of reality into a world of paranormal romance —with just a touch of suspense.
Jacqueline lives in Ontario, Canada and avoids the ever changing weather of the region she lives in by creating other worlds to fall into in her stories of all things paranormal.
Her first book was published in 2009 and since then has published ten. She is always writing and currently has more than a dozen stories in one stage or another of the writing process. You can check out her website for more information at:
If nothing else she was warmer now. How long would the rain last? Do I want to wait it out and then try to find a washroom – in the dark? Rayne shook her head before she could go any further with that thought. There was no way she was getting out of this car until it was light out, rain or no rain. How many hours until daylight? She debated very briefly whether she could squirm around and reach the purse to get her phone. Highly doubtful.Besides being cocooned in the puffy material, the phone was off for a reason and turning it on just to check the time wasn’t worth the risk of Aiden being able to trace the location. Truthfully she didn’t know if that was possible even though all the movies referenced it being so, but understanding what type of man Aiden was and what he was capable of, she wasn’t taking any chances.
Working one arm free from the bag, she shifted far enough forward to reach the ignition; he couldn’t track the cars clock. Turning the key, her heart sunk when she noted the time, there were too many hours left until dawn. She looked out the windshield and froze, her heart jumped into her throat. Afraid to so much as breathe, Rayne stared at the animal a few feet away from the headlight. Her brain first said dog, but that was no dog. That was a wolf; it had to be a wolf. Were wolves that big? It seemed bigger than in any pictures she’d seen.
She sat there looking at it, not sure if she should honk the horn or just sit and try not to get hysterical waiting for it to leave. The car may be metal, but the roof was something this animal could probably get through. As she continued to stare at it she couldn’t help thinking it was a beautiful creature. It’s grey and brown fur looked soft and thick, not that she’d ever be able to find out if it was. It was the way the haunting grey eyes watched her that made her decide not to honk the horn or scream as loud as she could, which had crossed her mind briefly. Rayne was fairly certain it was as surprised to see her as she was to see it. Didn’t wolves travel as group? A pack? She wanted to look around and see if there were more in the trees, but the logical part of her brain said she was better off not knowing. Never argue with the logical part.
She was sure she stopped breathing all together when it took a step closer to the car and then turned quickly back towards the trees. As she was reaching for the keys it stopped and looked back at her for the length of two heart beats before it bolted into the trees and disappeared.
Turning off the key, she sat in the dark leaning back against the seat while she tried to remind her body how to take air in. In this moment with her heart beating so loud she could hear it, or at least it felt that way, Rayne reached the decision that she was not getting out of the car until daylight, and even then was questionable. One more conclusion was also not turning the lights on again; her mental state was much better not knowing what else was outside of the car. She checked to make sure the door was locked, she did know a wolf wouldn’t just walk up and use the door handle, but she felt better knowing that she was locked in and more importantly other things were locked out.
Pulling her arm back into the sleeping bag, Rayne shuffled down as far as she could and closed her eyes. The sooner she slept, the closer daylight was to getting here. Over the noise of the water beating off the car, she thought she heard a howl.
About the Author:
Jacqueline Paige is a world class multi-tasker being a mother to five adventurous and unpredictable children, a cafe manager and having a colossal imagination that allows her to step outside of reality into a world of paranormal romance —with just a touch of suspense.
Jacqueline lives in Ontario, Canada and avoids the ever changing weather of the region she lives in by creating other worlds to fall into in her stories of all things paranormal.
Her first book was published in 2009 and since then has published ten. She is always writing and currently has more than a dozen stories in one stage or another of the writing process. You can check out her website for more information at:
2 comments:
Thanks again for having me here today!
I absolutely love the header pic(s) of your blog!
Great interview, Jacqueline! Thanks for the great advice & best of luck with your series :)
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