Miranda
Owen:
When you have two successful and entertaining cozy mystery
series, what made you decide to write romance? Do you read romance? If so,
who
are some of your favorite romance authors and books?
Jenn McKinlay: The cozy mystery market seemed to be
saturated
and I had written five different mystery series over the past eight years,
so I
felt like I had gone as far as I could go in that genre, so I asked my
editor
what she thought I could write in addition to the mysteries. Immediately,
she
said, “Romantic comedy.” Well, okay, then. So I decided to give it a go.
I do read romance and mystery and sci-fic/fantasy and YA – basically, I am a
genre fiction fangirl. I love it all! Favorite romance writers and their
books
(at the moment) are Christina Lauren’s DARK WILD NIGHT, Tessa
Dare’s A WEEK TO BE
WICKED, Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s NATURAL BORN CHARMER,
and
Kristan Higgins’s WAITING ON
YOU.
Miranda Owen: Do you know how many books will be in this Bluff
Point series? Do you plan on writing another romance series after this
one?
Jenn McKinlay: At this point, I know there will be three. I
do
have a proposal for three more for that series and I’ve written the first
book
in a new romantic comedy series called the Blumer Sisters with a
proposal for two more. We’ll see what happens but I am eager to dive into
the
new books as soon as I get the go ahead!
Miranda Owen: I love the zippy dialogue and tight friendships in
your
Cupcake Bakery
series, and feel like you’ve carried those things over in ABOUT A DOG. How
important
is it to you to have some humor and close friendships in your stories?
Jenn McKinlay: Thank you! I think that’s what makes my
stories
mine. I am a people person and no matter where I end up, a writer’s
conference, new job, even a tour of jury duty, I usually end up with a new
BFF
at the end of it. I’m that rare writer-extrovert combo, who must be seen to
be
believed sort of like a Yeti or a unicorn. Ha! Seriously, when writing
comedy, I
think having an ensemble makes the jokes flow and builds a feeling of
camaraderie, creating a community to which the reader becomes a critical
part.
Miranda Owen: I find a wide variety of romance heroes appealing, but
my
absolute favorite type of hero is like Gavin in ABOUT A DOG – a mix of sweet
and
sexy. What was your inspiration for Gavin? Do you like reading about
characters
like him as well?
Jenn McKinlay: Interestingly, I didn’t set out to make
Gavin as
lovable as he is, but he’s a veterinarian dealing with a rambunctious puppy
while trying to win over the love of his life, so it just fit. As a reader,
what
I respond to most in a hero is the knowledge that the heroine is the only
woman
for him. He can be a tough guy with a rocky past and rough edges, or be the
sweetest man alive with the patience of a saint, either way, I want to know
that
in the whole wide world there is one woman for him and it’s the heroine. To
me,
there is nothing more romantic.
Miranda Owen: Was it challenging writing a romance from the
perspective
of both the female and male main characters?
Jenn McKinlay: I loved it! My mysteries are either in third
person with one viewpoint or first person, so the story unfolds in a limited
perspective. Being able to switch from female to male was such a joy because
the
flirtation happening between them is like a hot potato that they lob back
and
forth. So much fun! The third book in the series, EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY, is
actually mostly in the male perspective because Zach, who is in the earlier
books, just has too much personality to contain. He hijacked the book, no
question.
Miranda Owen: What are you currently working on?
Jenn McKinlay: Having written almost forty books, I am
actually
taking my first break in eight years. I made a vow to myself when I turned
in my
last manuscript, that I wouldn’t write for at least a month while I catch up
to
all of the things I have neglected, namely my TBR pile that is threatening
to
bury me alive. After that, we’ll see if the publisher wants more Bluff
Point books or if I’m off to try my hand at something else like YA or
fantasy. It’s all very exciting!
Thanks so much for having me visit, Fresh Fiction!
Jenn McKinlay took her first decoupage class when she was twelve
years
old. Since then, cutting and pasting have become a way of life. With two
small
children at home, she finds decoupage a fun craft as well as a very handy
tool,
especially when used to cover up doodles made in permanent marker on
otherwise
lovely furniture. And yes, they know her by name at her local Michael’s
Craft
Store. She is the author of three previous novels under the name Jennifer
McKinlay and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her musician husband Chris,
their
two sons, two cats, one dog and one fish.
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