Jodi Linton | Jax Garren Interview

For this blog I brought along my friend, author Jax Garren, to chat with me. We met in a whirlwind sort of fashion this past May. I’d signed my first contract with Entangled Publishing, and through the grapevine was told I needed to join the Romance Writers of America. I know. That’s supposed to be the first line of action for every romance writer…um, well I did things backwards. At any rate, I wound up at the Digital Darlings happy hour, and the rest is history. Please give my fellow Texas Hill Country author a warm welcome! *PSST* Jax had to answer a Texas lightening round questionnaire.

Interview questions

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a small town girl living in the “big” city (Austin’s getting big, anyway). I love both worlds, the calm, friendly beauty of country living and the energy and options available in city living. I also love to travel, try new things, meet new people, eat new foods. And, of course, read new books!

2. What was your inspiration for your current book/recent release/work in progress?
The Elf and the Ice Princess was written during a rough space when my husband and I accepted that we weren’t going to be able to have children and started gathering the will (and the paperwork) to apply to be foster parents. It was an emotionally dark time for me, but one that also brought us closer together as a couple and solidified my belief that while we can’t always get exactly what we want, there is always a path that leads to happiness if you keep hoping and keep trying. Unlike Carrie, the heroine of the story, I had my Prince Charming by my side the whole time while she finds hers along the way!

3. What’s your favorite thing about your current hero/heroine?
I’ll talk about Hauk, the hero of How Beauty Met the Beast. I wanted to write a Beast for whom appearance was a real issue. Hauk is an ex-military burn survivor who is scarred over 80% of his skin, including his face. But despite this, Hauk has a good heart and is able to laugh and make jokes. I believe a good sense of humor is one of the best things a person can have when dealing with trauma, and Hauk’s ability to laugh despite his painful past is my favorite part of him.

4. What authors do you fangirl over? Who is on your auto-buy list?
I’m all over Kim Harrison’s Hollows series. I can’t believe there’re only a couple left!! I love anything written by Kresley Cole, and snap up Kristen Callihan’s Darkest London and Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series. As far as non-UF/Paranormal goes, I love everything written by historical romance writer Sherry Thomas. Jessica Scott, military romance, is also amazing (and factually accurate; she’s career military and a war veteran). I read my first M/M last year, by Ava March, and I love her work, too—particularly her historicals.

5. What TV show are you in love with right now?
Doctor Who. My husband and I watch it all the time. It’s such a great mix of genres with a hero who’s brilliant, complex and kind.

6. What’s next for you?
I’m working on the next book in the Tales of the Underlight series. After that, it’s either a ghost story set above the Arctic Circle or valkyries on motorcycles. Not sure which yet!

Lightning round
Beer or wine? Gin. (I have a medical condition that means I’m not supposed to drink alcohol at all…but if I do, it should be clear liquor.)
Country music or Rock-n-roll? Rock. Although I do enjoy country. (Small town Texas girl!)
Horse or cow? Horse! I miss riding!
Cowboy boots or heels? Heels. The higher, the more fun.
Salty or sweet? Salty, totally.
Honky-Tonks or dance clubs? Hmm… gotta go with honky-tonks. I prefer dancing with someone.
Raylan Givens or Bud from Urban Cowboy? Who? How about…Tenth Doctor or Eleventh?
I pick Tenth! David Tennant,*sigh*

The Elf and the Ice Princess

A frozen heart…
Three years ago, amid grief and defeat, the man who once made Carrie Martin believe in happily-ever-afters deserted her on New Year's Day. Ever since, she’s seen no reason for holiday joy amid the materialism and chaos of the most stressful time of year. So when a tipsy guy in a mall elf costume falls into her lap at happy hour and starts spouting poetry, it's just one more reason to be disgusted at the season’s excess.

A man who’s more than he appears…
Brett Virtanen, part-time elf and a caterer in training, is smitten with Carrie’s strength and sass. Having faced down a painful past of his own, he's determined to be the one to warm her frozen heart. But when Carrie's job forces her to attend a gala hosted by her ex—and his new wife—it could take more magic than a costumed elf can conjure to make this ice princess once again believe in love.

How Beauty Met the Beast

A sergeant – scarred beyond recognition and now defending a colony of anarchists living beneath the streets of Austin, Texas – must rescue a burlesque dancer/rebellious heiress whose family–ties put the home he's found and the heart he guards at risk

The Beast

Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley "Hauk" Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He's starting to lose hope...and then he sees her.

The Beauty

Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn't see. After she's kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?