Jaci Burton sits down with Fresh Fiction Reviewer to talk romance, the
Play-by-
Play series, and what fans can look forward in the future.
Miranda: Jaci, thank you so much for joining us on Fresh Fiction!
Youโve
written in so many romance sub-genres โ paranormal, cowboy, sports โ whatโs
your
favorite and why?
Jaci: Contemporary romanceโwhich includes sports romance, cowboys or
whatever you want to put in thereโis definitely my favorite genre to write.
Itโs
because weโre grounded in the present, and I believe readers can identify
with the
heroes and heroines, with their careers, and their day to day lives. And
even if
sometimes the characters might seem a bit โlarger than lifeโ, itโs still
real, and
something a reader can relate to. Itโs certainly something I can relate to,
which
is why I enjoy writing in this genre.
Miranda: With his โClark Kentโ glasses and his sweet ways, Tucker
from
ALL WOUND
UP strikes me as a
perfect
โnice guyโ hero. Do you enjoy writing โnice guysโ as much as โbad boyโ
characters?
Jaci:I love a bad boy hero as much as any woman would. But thereโs
something about a nice guy
that
makes me swoon. And when heโs in active pursuit of his heroine? Now thatโs a
heart-melting hero.
Miranda: I love how character-driven and fun your
Play-by-Play books are. When you start writing a
book in that series, do you
feel
like the focus is on the main characters?
Jaci: Thank you! Iโve had so much fun writing the
Play-by-Play series. The focus in each of the
Play-by-
Play books is
always on
the main characters. While the hero may, at times, take a time out(pun
intended) to focus on his sport,
the
action soon gets back to the romance between the characters. Everyone has a
job, even our heroines, so
I like
to show my characters at work as well as at play. I feel it makes them well
rounded. I also like to
give them
friends and families, and have the main characters interact in and around
these dynamics, because
romance
never (or typically never) occurs in a bubble. But the main thrust of the
book is always going to be
about the
main characters and their love story.
Miranda: Do you have a favorite character youโve written or is there
a character from a book you
wrote
years ago, who you always wish you had time to write a story for but never
had the time?
Jaci: Actually, there are a few. Crush from my
Wild Riders
series, Noah Devlin from the
Devlin Dynasty are two whoโve always lingered in my head and I never
got around to writing their
stories. Nathan Riley from the
Play-by-
Play series needs his story told, and I hope I have the chance to
write it.
Miranda: Do you see a difference between erotica and regular romance?
Jaci: Thereโs a difference between erotica and erotic romance.
Erotica is a story about sexual
encounters. Romance doesnโt have to be a part of the equation. Erotic
romance is a romance with a heavy
dose
of sexuality included. As far as the difference between erotic romance and
other romances, the only
difference
is the level of sexuality shown on the page.
Miranda: What can we look forward to from you in the future? Will you
be writing in a new sub-
genre?
Jaci:
Jaci: ALL WOUND UP
released August 4th and is book 10 of the
Play-by-Play series. Coming up in October will be
HOT HOLIDAY NIGHTS,
a
Play-by-Play holiday
novella.
MAKE ME STAY, Book 5 of the
Hope series, will release
in December. Next year
will be more
Play-by-Play
and
Hope books.
At this point I have no plans to write in a new sub-genre, but I never say
never.
Miranda: Wow! You've been busy. I can't wait! Thank you so much for
joining us.
Jaci Burton is a
USA Today and
New York Times
bestselling author who lives in
Oklahoma with her husband and dogs. A lover of sports, Jaci can often tell
what season it is by what
sport is being played. She watches entirely too much television, which she
considers โbook researchโ.
When she isnโt on deadline, Jaci can be found at her local casino, trying to
become a millionaire (so
far, no luck). Sheโs a total romantic and loves a story with a happily ever
after, which youโll find in
all her books.
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In the latest Play-by-Play novel from the New York Times
bestselling author of
Quarterback Draw, a sexy baseball player is done striking out...
Tucker Cassidy is going through a slumpโboth with his curveball and in
his dating life. After having
a painful altercation involving his ex-girlfriendโs knee, the professional
baseball player is convinced
things couldnโt get worseโฆuntil a gorgeous doctor comes to the rescue at his
most embarrassing moment.
As the daughter of the owner of the St. Louis Rivers major league baseball
team, Dr. Aubry Ross has
been around jocks all her life. She knows the ins and outs of all their
games, and she isnโt interested
in playing.
When Tucker repeatedly lands in the hospital where sheโs working, Aubry
starts to think heโs getting
injured just to see her. Tucker is both funny and sexy, and Aubry is
pleasantly surprised to discover
he actually respects her job. But when her father disapproves of their
relationship, will Tucker let
threats of a trade get in the way of a game-changing love?
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