1.
Tell us about your
newest release.
Shadow’s Edge is the first installation of the Night
Prowler Novels, a paranormal romance/urban fantasy series about the Ikati, an ancient race of shape shifters
that originated in Africa and spawned the cat-worship culture that thrived
there thousands of years ago. They’ve settled in small, secret colonies around
the world and have a system of iron-clad laws that punish traitors and
deserters with death. In Shadow’s Edge, we follow Jenna Moore—and daughter of
one of the tribe’s most notorious deserters who’s been raised in ignorance
about her past—as she discovers the truth about her roots and is plunged
head-first into a world she had no idea existed when a handsome stranger shows
up offering her answers about her mysterious past.
The story is a blend of fantasy, suspense, mystery and of
course romance.
2.
Can you tell us a
little about your favorite scene in the story?
Well, there’s a very hot sex scene that takes place in a
tree and was a lot of fun to write, but I’ll leave that to the readers to
discover.
3.
Does your cover
represent what is between the pages?
The cover was a challenge because I was adamant about not
having the traditional bare-chested man/swooning woman scene that so many
romance novels depict. My publisher, Montlake Romance, was so supportive of my
ideas they even had the cover artist make me over half a dozen samples until I
got that edgy, sensual, mysterious vibe I felt embodied the tone of the book.
I’m very happy with it.
4.
How much research does
there go into your stories?
For Shadow’s Edge I did about two months of research and
character development before I began writing. Half of the story takes place in
Venice Beach, CA near where I live but the other half takes place in the
primeval forests of southern England. There are several actual places mentioned
in the book, though I took some poetic license and changed some details to
better fit the needs of the story. For instance, the New Forest in Hampshire,
England isn’t actually all forest, it’s pastureland and heathland as well, but
for the story it became all forest. The second installation in the series, Edge
of Oblivion, is set in Rome and I drew on a recent trip I’d taken there along
with many hours of online research to develop the setting.
5.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
Being a writer was the farthest thing from my mind during
my 20s and 30s. It wasn’t until I read Twilight and fell in love with Edward
Cullen that I was seized with the need to write a book. I didn’t have a story,
though, until one day the most beautiful black stray cat wandered into my store
(I own a flower shop). She has the most amazing ability to vanish into thin air
and is always looking at me as if she’s just about to say something—it got me to thinking about how mysterious and
interesting and misunderstood cats are, which led to a bunch of research on the
cat worship cultures of ancient Egypt and how cats have otherwise been maligned
throughout history, which led to the idea of a race of secretive shape-shifters
that live among us. (I made them panthers instead of housecats, though. Much
more dangerous.) Once I had the idea I wrote the manuscript in under four
months and that was that.
6.
What would you say
is your interesting writing quirk?
My writing space has to be perfectly silent or I go crazy.
My husband has taken to wearing wireless headphones when he watches TV in the
other part of the house because I find it completely distracting to hear
voices, music or sounds when I write.
7.
What was one of the
most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
How many people long to be authors. As soon
as you tell someone you’ve written a book, the first question they ask is,
“What’s it about?” The second thing they say is, “I’ve always wanted to write a
book.” And I tell them that if I can do it, so can they.
8.
Besides writing, what
other interests do you have?
Reading is my number one hobby. I am a book addict. I also
collect wine, which is a silly, pretentious hobby and one I am devoted to. Wine
makes me happy, therefore I drink a lot of it. I also love to travel, watch
movies and ride my motorcycle through the canyons of Malibu.
9.
Can you tell us about what’s coming up next
for you writing wise?
I’m currently working on the third installation of the
Night Prowler series which is set in Paris but doesn’t yet have a title. It
picks up where book #2 left off. After that I may write more in the series or
go off in a completely different direction, I’m not sure yet!
10.
How can readers connect with you online?
My website is www.jtgeissinger.com.
Facebook is www.facebook.com/JTGeissinger and twitter is
www.twitter.com/jtgeissinger. I’m also on Goodreads, or you can send me an
email at jtgeissinger@yahoo.com.
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