Look who I have as a guest today!!! J.M. Stewart, known to many of us simply as Joanne. She's here to talk about her BRAND NEW RELEASE--HER KNIGHT IN BLACK LEATHER--and to share tidbits of her life. Joanne is one of those supportive darlings who has a knack for seeing most everyone's side in issues. That inate ability brings deep emotion to her writings.
Joanne, what
is your life like away from the computer? Tell us something about your
household.
My husband and I have two boys,
17 and 12, respectively. I’m a stay-at-home mom and I have been since I was
pregnant with my youngest (who is now bigger than me!). Unfortunately we don’t
have family nearby, so we decided we didn’t want to put our kids in daycare. I
didn’t like the thought of someone else raising my kids. I mean no offense to
those who do, by the way. For it was a personal choice. So, we made a sacrifice.
So my days are usually spent
fending off laundry and cleaning toilets in between pecking out chapters. ;)
What
is the story behind your book title?
I stink at titles. What I do is
try to come up with titles that sum up what the story is about. I have to admit
Her Knight in Black Leather was a stroke of genius I have yet to replicate. I
think an angel must have whispered it in my ear. lol Originally, when I first
started this book, way back when, it had a working title of Dark and Dangerous.
But that didn’t fit where the book ended up.
So, I had a Word document out one
day and I was writing down every combination of titles I could think of as well
as looking through titles on Amazon to get ideas, when I ran across the phrase,
“Knight in Shining Armor.” Which is where the title comes from. It’s a play on
that phrase. Which is exactly what the hero, Michael, is for the heroine, Cat. He
comes to her rescue. And in the process, she rescues him.
"In the process, she rescues him." Oh, I love that. So, what
is your writing schedule like?
I’m a die hard pantser. That
means, I take an idea, a couple of characters, and I run with it. Well, not
quite, but you get the idea. And I can’t write under pressure. I cringe
thinking about the day I actually have a deadline for a publisher. Because I
get test anxiety—the more stressed I get over something, the less likely I’m
able to do it. So, I write when the mood strikes. If it doesn’t and I get
stuck, then I force myself to sit down with the manuscript.
But… because I don’t work outside
the home, I have all day to write. And I usually do. I’m a bit OCD when it
comes to my writing. I usually write from the time the boys get off to school,
around 7am, until dinner time, around 5. Some days I get a lot done. Some days
I don’t. I’m determined not to worry about it until I have to. I’m determined
to enjoy the process of writing my books. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Do
you ever dream of writing in a different genre?
I actually have a love affair
with historical romance. I adore knights and castles and the regency era of London.
In fact, I didn’t actually read contemporary romance until I started writing
it. But I’ve read historicals since somewhere around high school. I wish I
could write historical, but unfortunately, my brain just doesn’t have the knack
for the amount of historical detail needed. I’m the type of learner who needs
to see something in order to truly grasp it, so, for me, in order to write a
historical I’d feel proud of, I’d need to go back in time and live in the era.
Which I would be perfectly okay with…so long as I didn’t have to stay there. ;)
I'm also fairly certain I don't have the voice for it. My writing voice is very contemporary.
If
your new release were being made into a movie who would you cast to play your
heroine and hero?
Oh, I love this question! I’ll
start by apologizing on not including a picture. I don’t want to get tangled up
in any copyright nightmares. So, I’ve included links instead. It’s kind of
lame, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
For Cat, that would be easy—Katie
Holmes, when she has long hair.
Michael is a bit harder. I
haven’t found him yet. I need someone tall, with very dark hair and very dark
eyes. They’re all too light haired, or too clean cut, too “pretty boy” and Michael’s
a bit rough around the edges. So I had to go hunting in order to find this
answer. Oh, the things I do for my job. *sigh* ;) I think Joe
Manganiello would be very close. I see Michael with a five o’clock shadow
though, as opposed to a beard. Or possibly Eric
Bana.
Blurb:
Cat
Edwards has spent her life playing the wallflower in an effort to escape the
repressive weight of her mother’s tarnished name. Dragged to a bar by her best
friend in an effort to forget a broken heart, the shy bookworm is determined to
be someone else for the night, but quickly gets in over her head. She discovers
chivalry isn’t dead after all when a mysterious stranger comes to her rescue.
He’s wearing black leather and a mischievous smile that promises to be exactly
what she needs.
When
his terminally ill father suffers a setback, Michael Brant returns to the town
he swore ten years ago he’d never return to. He’s come back this time
determined to make peace with the past, but being home brings up memories he
doesn’t want to remember anymore. His first night in town, he’s captured by a
damsel in distress. Cat’s beauty is made all the more alluring when he realizes
she has no idea who he is. He can’t resist spending a single night in her arms.
With her, he’s only a man, disconnected from his family’s name and the past
that haunts him here.
As the
town erupts with the news of his return, Michael’s dark past comes back to
haunt him, putting Cat in danger. Someone is threatening her life and the life
of her family. Desperate to keep history from repeating itself, Michael offers
her his family’s name in order to keep her safe. When the lie spirals beyond
their control, can they stop their hearts from becoming entangled as well?
Excerpt:
He touched her arm, hoping to ease
the fear all but screaming at him from her eyes. “What happened this morning?”
Cat’s head turned as she darted a
glance around her, before her gaze finally settled on him again. “I was
threatened. A very angry digitized voice called me names and told me I’d pay
for my indiscretions.”
Anger surged in his chest, settling
in his gut like hot coals that set fire to his blood. That goddamn article.
Someone dragged her into his mess. “Have you called the sheriff?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but it didn’t do
me any good. He said he’d log the complaint and to let him know if I get any
more, but unless I’m being threatened in person, there isn’t much he can do.
The calls are coming from one of those prepaid cell phones, but the phone was
registered to someone who doesn’t exist.”
“A fake name.”
She nodded and turned to stare at
the ground, her whole demeanor taking on a soft vulnerability that twisted at
his insides. The calls clearly frightened her, and an overpowering need to
protect her surged in his gut.
The rebel in him flared to life like
an old, familiar friend. Whenever someone pushed unfairly, something within him
always pushed back. The way she looked now reminded him too much of the pain he
heard in her voice as they stood in the gazebo during the fireworks. She was
being threatened, and the intimidation worked. Anger surged in his blood.
Damned if he’d sit by and allow someone to take that fire from her.
Before he could stop himself, he
cupped her face in his palms and seized her mouth. He allowed himself a moment
to revel in the sweetness of her lips, the way they melted beneath his own as
her body leaned ever so subtly into his, then released her.
“Let ’em object to that indiscretion.”
He furrowed his brow, not bothering to hide the scorn in his tone. “Whoever’s
got you in their sights now has me to contend with. Come on, I’ll take you
home.”
About the author:
J.M. Stewart writes sweet and
heartwarming contemporary romance with a touch of passion. She’s a wife, mother, spiritualist, and lover of puppies, and happily addicted to coffee and chocolate. She lives in the Great Rainy Northwest with her husband of sixteen years and theirtwo sons. She's a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her passion.
Where you can find me on the web:
Buy link:
“What did you need from me last night, Cat?” His
hot breath teased her neck, the sensitive skin below her earlobe, and images
invaded her mind. Of his mouth latching on there, leaving his mark. The
possessive look in his eyes when he plunged inside her body, claimed her as
his. How simultaneously wrong and right it felt to be claimed that way. They
were strangers, yet deep down, she couldn’t deny she gave him a piece of herself
last night.
