I want to welcome Jessie
Clever. First I’d love you to introduce
yourself.
Thank you for having me today! I’m a storyteller at heart and love to give
readers a moment of escape from the day to day.
I’ve been writing since I was a little girl, and it’s my absolute dream
to share my stories with readers.
Tell us about your
latest release.
When She Knows
came about when I said goodbye to my 20s and reflected on what I had
learned. There’s a lot of me in this
book, and I don’t often get a chance to write about things I’ve encountered
personally. I hope some of the aspects
of the heroine’s character will help other women in similar situations and
going through a similar time in their life.
I believe there is a lot of pressure on young women to do it all, and I
hope they find in this book that they only need to do those things that are
worthy of them.
Now I have a few
questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us
writers.
1.) Who is your
favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show.
And why?
My favorite villains are always the one that makes you
wonder whether or not they are really a villain. I love the show The Good Wife for this. Sometimes you think they’re good, and then
they turn around and stab their friends in the back. That shows real human characteristics and not
just black and white characters that fit nicely into a plot.
2.) Who is your
favorite character out of your books? Why?
I don’t play favorites.
No, I really do. Jane, the
Duchess of Lofton from my Spy Series, is my absolute favorite, because she
simply popped into my head one day fully formed. Now she feels like an old friend.
3.) What genre do you
write? What made you pick that one?
I read voraciously as a child, and only when I began to
understand how much books costs did I realize the predicament I put my parents
in. I grew up in the sticks without a
handy public library, so my dad’s solution was to buy boxes of books at
auctions for $1. The boxes were always filled with romance novels, historical
and contemporary. I fell in love with
the books that I had available to me, and that was what determined what genres
I’d write in.
4.) What are you
working on now?
I’m working on the next book in the Franconia Notch Trilogy,
When She Falls.
5.) What got you to
start writing?
I always say writers are born, not made, and at the very
ripe age of 7, I knew I was going to be a writer. I had just received a picture book based on
my current movie obsession, Dick Tracy. It was the first picture book I read
all on my own. That was the beginning of
the end for me.
6.) Where do you get
your ideas from?
Everywhere! I warn
people to be careful around me, because what they say could end up in a book.
7.) What would people
who read your work be surprised to find out about you?
I’m afraid of stairs and swamps. Stairs because I don’t have depth perception,
so I can’t see them at all. I can only
imagine myself tumbling right down them.
Swamps because seriously. Swamps
are freaking scary!
8.) Do you have any
special talents?
I’m a classically trained pianist. (Against my will and at the directive of my
mother!)
9.) What was the one
piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck
with you? Why?
Keep writing. I read
an interview with Lynn Kurland who said while she was submitting her
manuscripts she kept writing, so in case an agent/editor came back saying the
manuscript wasn’t the right fit, she would be able to say, well I have three
more. No matter what, I keep my hands
moving on the next manuscript.
10.) If you could talk
to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what
would you talk about?
Audrey Hepburn.
There’s so much I would like to ask her about surviving hardships,
finding beauty in harshness, and persevering.
11.) What song would
you say describes your life?
Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon. I use dance as of way of stress relief, and
there are moments when I throw up my hands and say just dance!
12.) If you could come
back as any animal – what would it be?
Dog. Specifically one
of my writing partners, Lady Barks-a-lot or Captain Licky. They are extremely lazy Basset hounds.
Title:
When She Knows: Franconia Notch Trilogy Book One
by
Jessie
Clever
Blurb:
His latest problem is her newest
assignment.
Shannon Wynter has it all figured it.
Abandoned by her mother and left to care for her agoraphobic father, Shannon
focuses on building her career as a journalist to the detriment of all else
including her love life.
Ian Darke has his own problems.
Battling past failures, Ian sets his eyes on launching a new factory for his
father’s defense firm. But it’s the very father he failed that will do anything
to sabotage Ian’s progress.
And when Shannon follows an anonymous
tip that leads her to Ian’s factory door, the last thing she expects to
discover is what she already knows.
Goodreads Link:
Purchase links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IAMgPa
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1SWp4R9
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1M6StJw
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1DnqC4F
All Romance eBooks: http://bit.ly/1IHyZsj
About the Author:
In the second grade, Jessie began a story about a duck and a
lost ring. Two harrowing pages of wide
ruled notebook paper later, the ring was found.
And Jessie has been writing ever since.
Armed with the firm belief that women in the Regency era
could be truly awesome heroines, Jessie began telling their stories in her Spy
Series, a thrilling ride in historical espionage that showcases human faults
and triumphs and most importantly, love.
Jessie makes her home in the great state of New Hampshire
where she lives with her husband and two very opinionated Basset Hounds. For more, visit her website at
jessieclever.com.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1foelMH
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1IM6UPJ
Google+: http://bit.ly/1rpRvsU
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/KZQ4TQ
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1fge8x9
Excerpt:
"But fraud for a defense contractor is serious. You don't want to defend your reputation as a
provider to our armed forces?"
It took him a minute to realize that clicking noise was
her following him over the pavement. He
spun around, his arms coming up once more to gesture his acquiescence, only she
was standing too close, and instead of gesturing with authority, he ran into
her, his arms striking her shoulders and knocking her against him.
He froze, feeling the length of her body collide with his,
the scent of her shampoo invade his senses, her breath fall across the exposed
skin above his shirt collar. He felt her
hesitation, the hitch in her breath, before she shoved against him, pushing
herself away.
"I'm very sorry," he said, his hands moving
uselessly in front of him as if to help her regain her balance.
She stood with her pad held against her chest like some
sort of shield, and he felt his anger drain into annoyance.
"I'm sorry," he repeated, much more carefully,
"I don't have a comment, and I need to get back to work. Please excuse me."
He turned slowly this time, resuming his walk to the
loading dock door.
"What is it that you're using this factory for, Mr.
Darke?"
He didn't answer.
No matter how much he wanted to turn around and rail about his stupid
brother's stupid decisions, he did not.
He kept walking.
"Fraud, I mean, come on, that's-"
And then he did turn.
"If you want a comment, you can call our PR
department."
"Great!" she said, and he almost smiled at her
enthusiasm as she pulled up a clean page of her notebook. "What's the phone number?"
He shook his head at her and let his feet carry him back
to where she stood on the pavement, notebook poised for the phone number.
"Shannon, was it?" he said when he was close.
He had felt her breath hitch when she had bumped into him,
and now he dared to step a little closer than politeness would have
dictated. He saw it again, the slight
hitch in her chest, and he felt a smile spread over his face. He leaned in, dropping his voice to a soft,
rich level.
"Have you heard of the Internet, Shannon?"
"Yes," she whispered softly, her eyes locked on
his.
"Use it," he said and
walked away, leaving her standing in the parking lot, her pen completely still.
Thank you so much for having me, Barb!
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