Wacky Wednesday: A Visit With Jessica Scott, author of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU

On Monday, I reviewed Jessica's second contemporary romance novel, UNTIL THERE WAS YOU - if you haven't read my review yet, please take a moment and please do, we'll wait for you but do hurry back because the author, Jessica Scott, will be with us in just a moment. Just click on the title of the book to read the review.
 
Jessica Scott is not your average romance novelist. She's a career army officer, mother, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She has commanded two companies, served in Germany, Korea, Fort Hood, and Iraq. She considers herself a terrible cook and an even worse housekeeper, but she’s a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon. She's also been published in the New York Times AT WAR blog -  so, she's no slouch.  She's also an awesome romance writer.

Please join me in welcoming Jessica Scott to UNWRAPPING ROMANCE.

Amy:  Hi Jessica, it's an absolute delight to have you here with us today. Thank you for taking time from your very busy day to visit with us. Perhaps you'd like to tell us a little bit about yourself for the benefit of those who don't know you yet.

Jessica:  I’m thrilled to be here today! Thanks so much for having me. Honestly, I’m just a regularly hyperactive over achiever. I live in constant fear that someone is going to figure out that I’m a fraud and call me on it. I’m married w/ 2 kids, 3 cats, 3 dogs, 2 hamsters and a couple of fish and I’m also in the army.  

Amy:  LOL! Jessica, you're no fraud and even if you were, we won't tell. As a woman living in a world dominated by men where women have to be as tough and physically skilled as any male soldier, I'm curious about what drew you to writing and why you chose the romance genre?

Jessica:  I had a fantastic battalion commander tell me once that everything is about relationships. When you think of life in those aspects, it changes the way you deal with things. Romance is nothing if not about relationships, you know? Plus, my grandmother got me started reading romances when I was younger so it was kind of a natural fit for me to graviate into the genre. The romance writers I’ve met along the way are so incredibly supporting and amazing. I’ve never met a group of folks who are more willing to lend a hand or a shoulder, you know?

Amy: Most definitely! The romance community is one of the most fabulous group of people I've ever met. I love how you center your stories around the harsh realities of military life, its rules and regulations. As a woman in the military, you're already placed in a position of scrutiny, so I'm wondering if your fellow soldiers know that you write romance and if they do, what do they think of it?

Jessica: Some of my former soldiers know about it but for the most part, I try to keep my writing life separate from my military life. I’m a company commander and it would be grossly inappropriate for me to talk about my writing in a professional forum. So most folks don’t know about it until after I leave the unit. The folks that do know about it have been amazingly supportive and kind of in awe that I’ve managed to carve out the time to get a book written, revised and sold, you know?

Amy:  I'm rather in awe of that, too. You are true model for the modern woman. Reading UNTIL THERE WAS YOU was especially easy for me to connect to being the daughter of an officer who, like yourself, began his career as an enlisted man then went to, what was then, called War College where he was recommissioned as an officer. I know that those who have seen action tend to carry much of their experiences tucked deep inside, just as you have Evan, Claire and Reza do in the story. Without divulging your own secrets, how much of you has been instilled in Claire? I can see where she may be a reflection of your military experiences as a female officer in the Army?

Jessica: Claire is a lot like me in that she’s a hot head and she always thinks she’s right but other than that, she’s completely fictional. I’ve never done any of the things Claire has done, except for getting my butt chewed by a full bird colonel. That actually happened to me more than once and let me tell you, it is NOT pleasant.

Amy:  LOL! They aren't any easier on their kids, believe me! In reading UNTIL THERE WAS YOU, we meet supporting characters who endear themselves to us as much as the hero Evan and the heroine Claire. Will Reza, Sara, and Mallory ever have their stories told?

Jessica:  I have already started on Reza’s book. I love a tortured hero and wow is he screwed up. Sara hasn’t taken hold yet in my mind as a full blown story. Mallory may show up down the road but I’m not sure yet.

Amy:  Oh, how I was hoping you would write Reza's story. His character really touched me and so I either wanted to smack him upside the head or hug him. My absolute favorite scene in the story (I had many) was the scene where Claire first sees Evan's tattoo. My dears, I'm not going to give anything away but I just want to tell you that I thought it was the most incredibly sexy scene and they didn't have sex. So Jessica, can you tell us where your inspiration for such an incredibly sensitive and unique scene came from? By the way, it made me cry.

Jessica:  I love that that scene made you cry! Personally, I love it when a book moves me enough to make me cry but that’s another story. Back to the tattoo scene. I have to give credit where credit is due: the Romance Man suggested that Evan needed a tattoo. As far as the inspiration for the scene, I love it when a big powerful man stands with his head bowed. It’s a symbol of strength and to be honest, it was going to take a very strong man to love Claire.

Amy:  Wow, it worked and Evan is an incredibly strong man. I think that was what was so touching about that scene. He let his guard down and at that moment he was practically putty in her hands. I loved it!
Do you have any favorite authors who you enjoy reading and have they had any influence on your writing?

Jessica:  Who are my auto buys? Sherry Thomas, Laura Griffin, Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series, Laura Kinsale, Courtney Milan. I would say that Nalini Singh is the most recent author who has influenced me. She has such an evocative way with words. I love the deep sensuality in her writing.

Amy:  No argument there, she's awesome. Last question and one I ask everyone, if I have the opportunity. IF you could be ANY character in ANY book, not necessarily one of your own - who would it be and why?

Jessica:  Oh wow, well let’s flash back to my youth: I’d want to be Lessa in Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight. She’s the first strong female character I remember identifying with and man, who would pass up an opportunity to ride a dragon? Yes, that’s my inner nerd shining through!

Amy:  LOL! Imaginative and fantastical - great start to your creative inspiration.
Jessica, having you visit has been such a pleasure and an honor. I'm sure my readers join me in wishing you congratulations on the release of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU. I'm definitely going back to read BECAUSE OF YOU - I've heard great things about it. Thank you for Evan and Claire's story, it was one of those that I didn't want to end. Also, thank you, and God Bless you, as well as your family for all that you do in your service to our great country and may He always keep you safe.

Jessica:  Thanks so much for having me here today! I’d love to give away a copy of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU to someone who answers this question:

What character would you be in what book? 

 

Amy:  Well, my dears, you've been issued a challenge from this lovely lady. Leave a comment with an answer or even just a hello along with your email address to be entered to win a digital copy of Jessica's hot, steamy romance featuring lovers in uniform, UNTIL THERE WAS YOU.  Good Luck.   

Giveaway Prize:  A digital copy of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU by Jessica Scott
To read an excerpt from this fab new contemporary release click HERE.

Blurb for UNTIL THERE WAS YOU:

He plays by the rules, she’s not afraid to break them. Now these two strong-willed army captains will prove that opposites attract . . .

A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Captain Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. From that moment on, though, Evan has been at odds with her, through two deployments to Iraq and back again. But when he is asked to train a team prepping for combat alongside Claire, battle-worn Evan is in for the fight of his life.

Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked hard to earn the rank on her chest. In Evan, Claire sees a rigid officer who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. When the mission forces them together, Claire soon discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye.

He’s more than the rank on his chest; he’s a man with dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.

Giveaway Rules:   THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Thanks for playing.

* Giveaway is open to everyone (void where prohibited).

* Answer Jessica's question in a comment but be sure to leave an email address so you can be contacted if you win.

 

 

 

* One  lucky commenter will be chosen at random to win a digital copy of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU and notified by email and then announced in a special post on Saturday.

 

* Giveaway runs until 11:30PM EDT, Friday, October 12, 2012, so comment now and Good Luck.

 

If you're interested in learning more about Jessica Scott and her fabulous books as well as what's coming next, please visit her website and feel free to follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

 

Happy Reading Everyone!

 

UNTIL THERE WAS YOU by Jessica Scott, Loveswept from Random House, available now in ebook formats.

 

                                                            

Unwrapping: Showing You Care

Wednesday is the 70th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Never does a year pass that I don't think of the lives that were lost that day and all the lives lost since to keep our country free from those who would try to overshadow us or force us back into a life from which we fought so hard to be free. It's December, the holiday season is upon us and we shouldn't forget that there are young men and women far from their homes, their families and still putting themselves in harm's way to keep our freedoms that we cherish so much.

You're probably wondering why I'm not talking about this on Wednesday, Dec 7 but I actually have two good reasons for that. The first reason is that I would like to see all of us do something, even if it's the smallest thing with a thought to all those who have lost their lives since 2001, been injured or are still standing watch and doing their duty in a far off land before Wednesday.  What kind of thing, you may ask?  Well, I've not come empty handed but have some suggestions:

Donate to any of a number of charities that aid military personnel and their families.

Wounded Warrior Project,  To honor and empower wounded warriors. To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

Fisher House is a private nonprofit organization, that supports America's military in their time of need. Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times - during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.

These are just two that help wounded military and their families but each branch of the Armed Forces including the Coast Guard have their own emergency relief funds to help take care of their own. They could all use your help.

Donate a calling card through Operation Uplink. Operation Uplink is a unique program that keeps military personnel and hospitalized veterans in touch with their families and loved ones by providing them with a free phone card. Using contributions from supporters like you, Operation Uplink purchases phone cards and distributes them to servicemen and women who are separated from those they care about.

Are you an animal lover? How about fostering a beloved pet of deployed military personnel?

Foster Military Pets is a program where Pedigree® Brand and Winn-Dixie have teamed up to help our military service men and women who have been deployed and need someone to foster their pet while serving our great country.

Operation Nobel Foster was officially launched on September 23, 2001 to provide temporary foster homes for military and paramilitary owned cats. Please do volunteer to help our military have their pets to come home to if you can.

Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets - Supporting our Military, Veterans, and their beloved Pets to ensure the pets are reunited with their owners following a deployment (combat or peace-keeping mission) in harm's way to fight the global war on terrorism or unforeseen emergency hardship impacting their ability to retain their pet's ownership rights.

There are many more groups that help take care of our military personnel's pets while they take care of keeping us free so if you don't see something here that you can help with, please contact your local SPCA or County/City Animal Shelter to see if there's a need in your community.

If your budget just won't allow any of the above suggestions, you can give blood through the American Red Cross, or take a moment out of your day to visit a local VA hospital or nursing home (they love to be read to) or simply just hold a door for an aging veteran. It's the gratitude and thoughtful appreciation that is priceless.

Now for my second reason for presenting this information today instead of on Wednesday. I recently read a book by a new author that brought the Attack on Pearl Harbor to my mind. This awesome story takes place in the future but an attack on our freedom is timeless. KC Klein, the author of this amazing scifi/urban fantasy romance novel has graciously agreed to visit with me on Wednesday and answer a few questions plus she's going to give away an e-book copy of her very first published novel, DARK FUTURE, to one lucky commenter on Wednesday's blog, so please plan a visit.

Remember the Christmas Season is about giving, not just gifts but giving of a moment or a thoughtful act. I hope you'll think about doing something to help our dedicated military personnel have a better Christmas or just do something really nice for a stranger because the opportunity was there.

I'd love to hear how you plan to help someone less fortunate this Christmas Season. 

Happy Reading Everyone and see you on Wednesday for An Interview with KC Klein and a GIVEAWAY!!

My lovely friend, Maya Rodale has created a video that expresses just what I have been attempting to implant in the minds of not just men but other women ... it's truly NOT dangerous to read Romance Novels. Please watch, listen and change your way of thinking - before it's too late and you miss out on all the fun!!

Thank you so very much, Maya!!

Unwrapping: Veterans Day - Thank You!

To all the Veterans and their families - thank you so very much for your service, your sacrifices and your outstanding loyalty to the Red, White and Blue!

As the daughter of a Veteran, I have a deep appreciation for all that our military do so that we may reserve our freedom and the rights provided us by our government. I'm glad a day is set aside to pay tribute to all of the Veterans of this proud country but personally, I believe every day should be Veterans Day. So the next time you see an active duty military personnel or an older person wearing any kind of military insignia, please do something nice for them like hold a door open, let them step in front of you in line or just smile and say 'thank you' ... it will be so greatly appreciated.

As Romance readers, we love our heroes in or out of uniform ... partial to a military man out of uniform, if you know what I mean.  Romance Novels abound with heroes and although Regency centers around English heroes, Americans have their share of historical heroes beginning with those that fought for our freedom from the Brits in the first place.  Our proud country has a long history of men and women willing to sacrifice everything for our freedom beginning with the first Marines, the Minutemen and the civilian colonists that took up arms against the British tyranny suffocating our society, economy and right to free speech. The uniforms may have changed over the past two hundred and thirty-six years but the cry for freedom and the willingness to defend it hasn't changed one bit. Our United States Marine Corps is celebrating its birthday this month, actually yesterday (November 10) and next year we will celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the start of the War of 1812.  A war that our young country fought to preserve the freedom that had just been won less than 35 years earlier. We lost 2,260 American soldiers, marines and sailors both on land and on the ocean fighting a war against Great Britain and their North American colonists - our neighbors to the north, the Canadians - but we persevered and maintained an unbreakable hold on our freedom that still thrives today.  That's a very long history, my friends.  By the way - Happy Birthday Marines, semper fi.

I love Regency Romance but I have often wondered why it is that we only focus on the British scene for our romance stories. Why don't we have more stories of the era involving Americans both as heroes and heroines? One author, who is one of my personal favorites, has been for years creating stories that do blend the societies and it makes for some very enjoyable reading. The author - Johanna Lindsey, the series - the Malory Novels ... we have heroes and heroines from both sides of the pond meeting, falling in love, fighting each other and others who get in their way. The Malory-Anderson family is a mixed bag of ladies and gentlemen who bring the best of two worlds together and give honor to the steadfast loyalty that each side of the family, whether Malory or Anderson, have for their kin and their countries.  Since this is more a tribute to our American Veterans and a thank you for their sacrifices, I'm not going to discuss literature more than just that at this time. If you're interested in Ms. Lindsey's Malory series or any of her other works, please feel free to visit her publishers website. I will include a list of her Malory novels at the end of this post.

In the meantime, may all our brave Veterans, including my father who is a Veteran of both WWII and Korea, have a good day every day and may your families be proud for you are each our greatest heroes and shall always be remembered for all that you have allowed us to take for granted. Our greatest thanks and gratitude this day and always.

Happy Veterans Day and Happy Reading Everyone!