Interview with Janet Quinn

Hello Readers and welcome to Coffee Time Romance. Today I am speaking to Romance Novelist, Janet Quinn. Hello Janet, it is good to have you with us today. Everyone is eager to hear more about Janet Quinn. Why not pull up a cozy chair and have a seat. I heard you hurt your back so just sit back and relax and share a soothing cup of tea.

I am all comfy with my tea and ready to chat.

What prompted you to write this thrilling story, Dressed For Dying?

Many years ago, when I was in college, I wrote my master’s thesis on the reporters of the 1890’s and always wanted to write a book about a reporter.  Finally, Sean Madigan was born. He is everything a reporter needs to be to survive in that time. For him to be successful he has to cover murders and he has to solve them so he has the story before the police do. 

How did you feel while writing it? Confident, self-confident, unsure, certain…?

I had moments of all of the above. This was the first story I ever wrote in first person and found I kept slipping into third person. Also, since it has a mystery and timeline, I had to keep track of what day and what time it was. I got half way through and not a clue the day or the time.

Since it was so different from anything else I’d written, it took me over a year and a half to send it out.  I was really excited when I sold it to Amber Quill Press. It is the story I always wanted to write, but I wasn’t so sure about it.

I love your characterization of Sean and Bridget. They have a way of connecting with the reader. I know they did with me. They show a wide range of emotions that make them life-like. Did you create them from someone you know?

I think all of my characters probably come somewhat from someone I know, but Sean and Bridget are not modeled after anyone. When I am writing a book, I spend a vast amount of time with my main characters, getting to know them.  I do character webs and interviews until they become real to me. Then they will pretty much write the story themselves. 

Is there anything different that you would change about any part of the story?

Actually, this is one book that I haven’t wanted to go back and change anything. Maybe that is because I went through it so many times and I really liked the finished product.

Do you dive right into your characters and become a part of the story?

When I start a story, I write the first three chapters to get a feeling for the characters and the story. Then I flesh out the characters and plot the rest of the story. Of course, the story does not always come out exactly like I think it will in the beginning.
 
What does the future hold for you, any new projects that you would like to discuss with us today? Lots of books possibly planned for the future? 

I plan on writing another Sean Madigan book. I have the dead body, I just haven’t figured out who the murderer is yet. I also am planning a parallel universe story where the hero is a cop in New York City and gets pulled into an alternate universe full of magic. The heroine is a type of police officer that uses magic rather than bullets. They are hunting for the villain who is sliding between dimensions. Of course, they fall in love.

I am also starting an urban fantasy series. The hero has been around for a 1,000 years with the job of keep the monster chained. He is searching for the ancestor of the monster who had the power to release her. The heroine is that ancestor and a hunter of paranormal monsters. They become a team.

Then there is Sam. I have two chapters left in Freedom’s Treasure and it will finally be done. Sam was in The River’s Treasure and was such a wonderful character I gave him his own story. It is an Underground Railroad story. It would be done now if I hadn’t hurt my back.

In what order do you write? For example starting beginning to end, combiningparts, in random order or in development cycle?

I start on page one and write to the last page.  I have trouble weaving in parts if I do not write them in the order they happen.

What do you feel is, or isn’t being done to promote authors?

Because of the budgets that most publishers have, I feel authors pretty much have to promote themselves. Unless an author is a big name, she isn’t going to get much from the publisher.

You have been given the opportunity to visit either New Zealand, Holland, or Australia, which one do you choose to visit and who do you plan to accompany you?

I would go to Australia. I’ve always wanted to visit there and then I would want to write a book set there. I would take my oldest son or my friend Phil with me because my sister won’t go.

You have planned for a lovely night out with your loved ones but when your order arrives; your meal is a disappointment. Do you complain to the waitress/waiter, or just let it slide?

It depends on what the disappointment is.  If they put lemon on my plate, which I am really allergic to, I’ll complain to the waitress/waiter.  If the meat isn’t cool right or the potatoes are cold, probably not. I also probably won’t go back.  

If you were to plan a wedding, and a honeymoon, tell us what it would consist of?
I would plan a small garden ceremony with just my family and friends. I would have a buffet with seafood and champagne. Then I would spend two weeks in Hawaii which is one of my favorite places. 

You have just won a day to spend with any celebrity of your dreams. Who would you choose and how would you spend your day?

This is a difficult one. I would like to spend the day with James Patterson talking abut writing. I really like his books.

Thank you Janet for being with us today and allowing us to get to know a little more about Janet Quinn. For those of you who haven’t read a book by Janet, you are in for a treat. Her writing keeps me mesmerized until the end.