Interview with jj Keller

Hi and welcome one and all.  I’m excited to announce that we have jj Keller with us today.  She is here to talk about her wonderful book The Tarot Card. Hi jj and welcome to Coffee Time Romance & More.  We’re happy to have you with us.

Thank you, Liadan and Coffee Time Romance for your kind welcome.

Let’s start with something easy. Tell us a little about yourself and jj Keller the author.

I’m a simple country girl who loves storytelling. I strive to create stories that are innovative and imaginative, pushing myself to think outside the normal parameters found in traditional romance and romantic suspense. One of the most valuable tools to help me continue to strengthen my writing and my stories is feedback from my readers. I am ecstatic when someone takes the time to write, to tell me what they thought about the characters, the storyline, or even to ask if there will be another book to tell the story of the secondary characters. So please, don’t hesitate to write me and ask questions or tell me what you thought of the story. Not only do I want to converse with my readers, I love to! So, write away.

Personally, I live in Indiana. I’m married and have two sons. My sons are creative and are my biggest supporters. Unityhill, my eldest son’s LLC has produced all of the music for my book trailers. Go to youtube.com The Tarot Card to see their work.

When you first started writing, did you have a clue that you would have this big a following or you’d have as many books published as you do?

Never would I have imagined having eight contracted books. Every single time I think about someone wanting to read the words I placed on paper I get excited and nervous. If I didn’t have so many people supporting me and my writing efforts I would have hurled my laptop into the pond a year ago. My critique partners are the whirlwinds who keep my stories in understandable form. I get an idea and the story runs though my head so fast I can’t type quickly enough. I place the words on a document, review it and send it off to my friends. Bless them because if I haven’t made a lick of sense they straighten me out!

I can’t say enough positive comments about The Wild Rose Press, Tease Publishing, and Cobblestone Press. They have been extraordinary to me. In addition, the reviewers who took the time to read my stories and reported they became engrossed, involved, and didn’t want the story to end or want more.

The reviewers and the readers, who write and say sweet comments, make me stay up late at night to get a scene just right or to start a new story.

I’ve read The Tarot and was captivated from the very beginning.  Can you give our readers a small glimpse of the book? Thank you, Liadan, I can’t hear those words enough. The Tarot Card is about mistaken identity. A CEO and a scantily, clad, gypsy impersonator are trapped in an elevator, sparks fly and not from the failing mechanisms.

Kerry McClure wants to secure her CEO position. All she has to do is sign a contract with Rune Technologies. A mistaken identity creates a small slice of freedom for Kerry to engage in a romantic interlude with her elevator hero, but will it also prevent her from signing an important contract?

Stein Laxdale must get the business deal with McClure Ventures, or he’ll lose control of Rune Technologies to his ex-partner. When Kerry’s true identity is exposed, Stein must decide…is she his biggest threat…or his promise of a happy ever after?

Release date for print and e-book: May 5, 2009.

The characters of Stein and Kerry are fantastic.  How did their story come to life?

Please, Liadan, you’re making me blush. I enjoyed writing the story, it was a quick write, the words just blasted my mind and I couldn’t stop tapping the keyboard. The initial idea came from a stalled elevator.

I’d submitted a story to a publisher and the contract person’s name was Kerry. There wasn’t an identifier to indicate Mrs., Ms. or Mr. and I had to write a response letter. I wanted to note one of the above as part of a professional greeting, but research didn’t give me a clue if the Kerry I was responding too was a male or female.

As I contemplated a generic greeting, the elevator carting me to the twentieth floor stalled. The only other person in the lift was a gorgeous Chippendale, in a business suit. I’m a sucker for a well built man in a shirt, tie, and jacket. My cell mate, an extremely nice guy, talked to me during the wait and shortly thereafter our elevator took off again— in record time— and I had a story outlined in my head as I arrived at my destination.

Is it possible that we will see them in a future book?

Oh, I’d love to write a sequel with the secondary characters, Jessica and Ian. Jessica is Kerry’s best friend and Ian is Stein’s business partner. Jessica and Ian spar during the entire book, leaving them at odds when the story ends. I think both characters add comic relief and provide an additional bit of push and pull in the romance arena. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have them resolve their differences?

What is next for you?  More writing or will you take a break for the holidays?

I must write. It’s like exercise. I don’t force myself to do it, it’s not a chore. The activity is part of my life, like going to the gym to shake my bootie or lifting, I must get the tales out of my head and onto paper.

Currently I have two submissions being reviewed, Primary Contact, a family centered story of a single mother struggling to make ends met and falling in love and Undercover Housewife, a suspense in which the heroine has self-esteem issues and to regain faith in herself she helps a cop during an investigation. She discovers herself and that ecstasy doesn’t come in a pill, but through being loved and loving.

Future: I’ve started a sequel to The Ghost Inside, titled Resurrection with Ericka as the heroine. I’m excited to get the story on paper. If you like paranormal, then this book should be on your wish list because sassy Ericka and her trials with ghost hunters will keep you entertained.           

In addition, Theresa Sallach, friend and author, and I have started a sequel to Dark Shadows, titled Dark Justice. Mark is the hero and a minor character from Dark Shadows, Kayla, is the heroine.

What will you be doing for the holidays? 

I love a low-key Christmas and I enjoy crafting, so any opportunity to create centerpieces, I’m there.  I work at a university and often I’ll invite international students, to stay with my family over the holiday, to experience American culture and provide them companionship. My favorite part of the holidays is being with family. My parents are aging and I want to embrace them. Anytime I can get my kids to stay put for longer than an hour or two is a great day for me!

Please tell our readers how they can contact you.  Blog, website, email address, etc.

Thank you! You can reach me through Coffee Time Romance forums, jj’s Website, email address, and my not very active blog

If you had to write a list of things you have never done but would like to, what would be the top two items?  Um, the bucket list…keeping in mind I’m a fantasy writer, I’d like to have a load of cash dropped into my lap, and then I’ll travel through Germany, hoping to visit the Bavarian Forest, The Romantic Road and Cologne or Dresden for the art galleries. See the home sites of authors like J. R. Tolkien, Erich Kastner, Karl May or Wilhelm Busch. So much more to do before the big cross over.

jj, thank you for taking the time to be with us today.  It’s been wonderful having you here and I anxiously look forward to reading more of your books.

Thank you, Liadan and Coffee Time Romance. I’ve enjoyed answering your questions. Please look for The Tarot Card, May 5, 2009 and The Tower: Fall Into My Arms will be released on February 15, 2009 from Tease Tarot. Trade Agreement will be coming soon, from The Wild Rose Press, a thrilling suspense on the high seas.