Welcome, today we are talking with Missy Jane! I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy writing schedule to answer a few questions. First, let’s delve into who you are. Some of the questions may be untraditional but you’d be surprised at what readers connect to, and sometimes the simplest ‘I can relate to that’ grabs their interest where nothing else can.
Can you share a little something about Missy Jane that’s not mentioned in your bio on your website?
Hmm. Well, my “real” job is a work-from-home job as a bookkeeper. I’ve been in financials for many years and I really enjoy it. When we moved from Houston to the San Antonio area in 2022, my employer didn’t want me to quit so they suggested WFH. I love it. I’ve even joked with my husband that if we ever win the lottery I’m not quitting my job.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve written stories my entire life. I remember making stories up when I was little but not writing them down. I signed my first publishing contract in 2008 but had already been writing novels for a few years.
What have you found most challenging about it?
Lately, just getting it done. I used to be able to get a book out within a couple of months while holding down a full-time job and raising four kids. Looking back, I have no idea how I did it. Now that the kids are grown and I actually have more time on my hands, I can’t focus on writing like I used to.
What does writing do for you? Is it fun, cathartic, do you get emotional?
For me, it’s always been about getting the story out of my head and finding out how it ends. I’m a total pantser, so I don’t know what’s going to happen until I’m writing it. I wouldn’t say it’s an emotional journey, but it is cathartic in that it satisfies my need to know what happens.
Describe what your writing routine looks like. Are you disciplined with a strict schedule or do you have to be in the mood?
HAH! Absolutely no discipline whatsoever. I’ve never had any type of routine other than to sneak in writing time whenever I can. I’ve tried making myself stick to a schedule and it doesn’t work. I have to just write when the muse kicks me.
Did you go into writing thinking that it would be a hobby or a job?
I think I’ve always expected it to be a hobby. There was a time when I stayed home after birthing my 4th child that I considered trying to make a career out of it. However, I’ve never had a high-paying book. My Gargoyle series did surprisingly well when it first started, which was nice. But being very finance-conscious I knew it wasn’t necessarily sustainable. I was right since that publisher wound up shutting down.
What inspires you?
It depends on the book and sometimes the day. Right now, my stories/characters inspire me because I want to know what happens.
Let’s move on and give readers some insight into your personal life.
What are your pet peeves?
Haha, where do I start? It depends. I could write an entire book on my driving pet-peeves, same for work. Life in general? I think not enough people use common-sense. I know that’s a very common complaint but it’s true. I also wished more people had actual empathy. American society as a whole has become very self-centered.
Who is your hero?
Hmm. My writing hero would probably be Patricia Briggs. I love her writing and she’s a wonderful person I’ve had the pleasure of meeting multiple times. She actually bought Day Shift at one of the cons and I nearly had a heart attack. I have no proof, but she told me she liked it. My life hero would be my grandma (Nana). She had four children when her husband died, my mom was eleven. Nana worked as a nurse and raised the kids as a single mom in the sixties/seventies. She was a loving and very generous person. The entire neighborhood relied on her for her nursing skills.
Give us one thing on your bucket list.
Visiting a castle in Scotland. Other than writing another hobby is photography. I would absolutely love to take photos in Scotland.
What would readers find surprising about you?
Based on my pen name, some might not realize I’m Mexican-American. Integrating my heritage is something I struggled with in the early days of my career. In the past couple of years I’ve decided to be more focused on writing characters who look and talk more like me and my family. My newest release Breakfast in Bed will be the first book that includes unitalicized Spanglish.
If you could go to heaven, who would you visit?
My Nana because I suspect she would definitely be there.
Just for fun. What is your least favorite:
Hero type – The abusive Alphahole. I like grumpy heroes but not abusive ones, even verbally abusive.
Body part – On me? My abdomen. My youngest is 21 but I still have plenty of baby fat.
Overused word in a title – For the romance genre, probably Alpha
Genre – I don’t hate it or anything, but I very rarely read non-fiction.
Dirty word – Other than the obviously racist ones, cunt. I prefer to use other words in its place.
Now that our readers know who Missy Jane is let’s get down to the business of your book, Breakfast in Bed.
Please tell us a little bit about, Breakfast in Bed.
Breakfast in Bed is part of my Sophisticated Women series, which is about older women and younger men falling in love. Basically the women are forty, or about to be, and the men are around twenty-five. This book was written about a Hispanic couple, my first book to specify that, and it hits closer to home than any of my others. It was supposed to be book three, but I loved writing about Lizbeth and Emanuel. Their love story poured out of me effortlessly.
Here’s the blurb:
Lizbeth has set a challenge for herself—get down to her ideal weight by her fortieth birthday and then do something out of her comfort zone. Posing nude for a college art class is definitely out of her comfort zone, and the hot gaze of a young man in the front row has her confidence rising with every swipe of his brush on canvas.
In the twelve years since puberty hit, Emanuel has never had such a hard time hiding an erection. The final project in his senior art class is the worst place for it to happen, but with the woman laid out before him like a goddess it’s inevitable. And she is a goddess. Older than him by at least ten years, she wears her maturity like the finest jewels, enticing him more than any woman has in a long time.
A chance meeting puts Lizbeth in Emmanuel’s path, but then tragedy keeps her by his side. As they spend more time together and grow closer, she must decide if committing to a man nearly half her age is what she wants. Emmanuel is all in, or is he? Could it just be circumstances causing the intense feelings to rise so fast, or is it truly love?
Content warning: death of a family member.
What was your hardest challenge writing this book?
Though I grew up with Spanish being spoken around me, I’m not bilingual. I understand a lot of it and can say some basic replies, but I can’t have a full on conversation in Spanish. I wanted my characters to be bilingual, or at least as much as I am. Though I knew the words I wanted to use from verbal usage, I hadn’t ever written most of them. I had to use an online translator to be certain of spelling and accents, and I’m not positive I got it all right. I just hope any Spanish speaking readers give me a little leeway.
What kind of research did you have to do?
I only had to research some specific Spanish words that I’ve heard and used all my life, but never read or written. The book is based in the Houston area that I spent over forty years in, and the family dynamics and other parts are very familiar to me.
What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters?
They’re both very down to earth. Emanuel has a lot more family, but Lizbeth is able to blend right in. They have a lot of sexual chemistry right off despite the age difference. I wrote this one in the same style as the first book, which was originally published by Ellora’s Cave. They preferred sex right out the gate, so this one happens kind of quickly. However, I feel it progresses naturally based on how they interact with each other.
Any other works in progress?
So many! My next release will be book four of either my Gargoyle Masters series or my Archangel series. I’m close to finishing both. And then there will be books five and six. I’m also about halfway through what was supposed to be the second Sophisticated Women series. Hopefully Dinner for Two will be out early next year.
Any advice for aspiring authors?
Don’t give up. There’s a lot of chatter on X right now about querying for agents and publishers and how hard it is. If you really want to get your book out there look at all your options, but be wary of scammers. Mostly, write for yourself. No book is perfect and there is no book in existence that is universally loved by every single reader.
Final words?
I used 2023 and 2024 to mostly stay home and refill the coffers, so I plan to travel to signings a lot more in 2025. Come see me! If you already have your sights on a book event let me know, as I’m actively filling out my calendar for the next three years.
Thank you so much for the interview! I sincerely appreciate it.
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