Lisa Renee Jones Interview!

I was lucky enough to be able to interview Lisa Renee Jones as a part of her blog tour (which I also reviewed The Storm That is Sterling and the review will be posted shortly). I myself am a new reader of her's but I must say after reading this book and having this interview with her, I can say that I can't wait to read more of her work!

  

1.     If you had to pick a theme song for your book, what would it be?

LRJ: For Sterling I always hear Tim McGraw’s – I MIGHT BE REAL BAD BOY BUT BABY I’M GOOD MAN in my head.  

2.     What is Rebecca’s favorite movie?

LRJ:Sleepless in Seattle. She’s a romantic at heart but always too busy in the lab to make romance a priority

3.     What scene in this book was the hardest for you to write and why?

 LRJ:It’s hard to name a scene without giving away anything BUT Sterling has a lot of pain in this book. He is so afraid of not being good enough, or strong enough, to save the people he loves. I think this is something we’ve all experienced on some level and to write this kind of emotion you have to dig deep and touch those feelings in yourself. They are hard to face because in life there are things we can’t protect those we love from enduring, and those are the most intense and painful.  

4.     If Rebecca were in a book club, what book would she be reading right now?

 LRJ:She would have a romance in hand and a science book in her bag.

5.     Is there a character in the book that shares some of your personality traits? If so who and how.

LRJ: You know, in this series I really don’t have a character that shares my traits at all. In Santa Baby, from Harlequin – that heroine is VERY like me. She has silly things happen to her and I so have silly things happen to me!

6.     Your book has strong military components to it. Do you have a background in military life or come from a military family? Or did you just like the idea?

 LRJ: My ex was Army and his father, who has passed now, and his uncles, were all Special Forces. My cousin is also married to a Special Forces soldier who gives me lots of tips. My father in law was there for the clean up of the 50’s mystery ship.  He was sworn to secrecy but he told a little before he died.  Not much, but enough to make me really believe there are big secrets at Area 51.

7.     One of the most interesting things about your book is that there are no vampires, shapeshifters, or the like and instead just alien DNA. How did you come up with this idea?

 LRJ: Partially because of my father-in-law and because I use to go to Vegas a couple times a year and the Area 51 region really interested me. I also have a fiancée who is going to medical school so we get into deep talks about genetic splicing and evolution of mankind.  I wanted something that was possible, that might really happen.

How did you come up with the GTECH?

I really just thought through names and though GENE and TECHNOLOGY and there you go. A new gene is discovered in the GTECHs so that sparked the idea.

8.     Why did you choose Las Vegas as the backdrop of the book?

 LRJ: I beat you to the punch on this one in the earlier answer. I love Vegas and it fit the Area 51 mystery well. I can write it with knowledge because I’ve spent so much time there which appealed to me as well.  

9.     Who are some of your favorite writers?

LRJ: Oh so many! I adore my good friend Donna Grant’s books. I am a HUGE Karen Moning fan. I love her historical and her Urban Fantasies. I love a good historical because I don’t write them and they let me escape and Gaelen Foley is a goddess of the pen, in my book. I have reread so many of her books over and over and I don’t re-read books. Patricia Briggs Mercy series is amazing. I love it. I could go on and on. I love booksJ

10. You had several books published very close together, how do you maintain such a steady stream of writing?

 LRJ: I write full time and I use to own a business and worked insane hours. I am use to working and don’t know how to relax. I’ve been working on that but not very effectively. I also find when I write all the time, I am more productive. Time off tends to make me get writers block.

11. Do you have any advice to aspiring writers?

LRJ: NEVER give up and get educated. Go to conventions and listen to the advice there. I learned so much by going to conferences and gobbling up advice. And we all get rejection. That means you’re a real writer. You can’t be a writer and never get rejection.

12. Finally, is there anything you want to say to readers about this book or any of your upcoming releases?

 LRJ:I just want to thank my readers for their support. I feel so fortunate that I get to write a book and people actually read it. It’s a true blessing.  I do have a lot of new stuff coming up and I’ll keep my site updated. I have lots and lots of contests and fun holiday events coming up too.

Thank you so much for having me today!