Interview & Giveaway: Jill Sorenson

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Jill Sorenson is a friend of Romance Around the Corner. She's a great person to talk --or Tweet-- to, and on top of that, she’s a fantastic writer. She’s been here before as a guest reviewer, and I’ve reviewed her books, but today she’s putting her author hat on and answering some of our questions about her new book and her writing process. So please, let’s give her a warm welcome!

Hello, Jill! Welcome to Romance Around the Corner. 

Q. First things first: tell us a bit about yourself and your books. What is it about Romantic Suspense that appeals to you as a writer, and I assume, as a reader?

JS: Hi Brie! Thanks so much for having me. I live in San Diego with my family, I like twitter, and I write romance. I think RS appeals to me because I love conflict and tension. I’m drawn to that rollercoaster feeling, the drop in the pit of your stomach during a climb. Danger heightens emotions and arousal. Whee!!

Q. One of the reasons I enjoy your books so much is because the romance and the suspense complement each other and there’s a great balance between them. Is it difficult to achieve that balance; to not let one element overpower the other?

JS: Thanks for saying that! Some readers think I’m better at one than the other, and of course opinions vary from book to book. I consider myself a romance author first, so I always try to deliver on that front. But I’m also a diehard plotter. If the suspense plot doesn’t hang together, the whole story falls apart. I like to integrate the two elements. Rather than striking a 50/50 balance, I just do what feels right for each project.

Q. Dangerous Touch is one of my favorite books, in fact, I re-read on Thanksgiving. So I can’t interview you and not ask if you’re planning on writing another story with a hint of a paranormal element to it.

JS: No, I’m not. Suspense with paranormal elements is a “hard sell” (or it used to be) and I’ve had similar projects rejected. It’s interesting that my first book is your favorite. Marc Cruz is my most dominating hero (I think) and I don’t know if I’d be comfortable writing him that way today. I still love the psychic touch angle though. 

Q. Let’s talk about your new book, Aftershock. This one is a bit of a departure from your usual stories. The suspense doesn’t come from a murder mystery or bad guys chasing good guy, instead we have a group of people trapped under a collapsed highway. The story almost has a dystopian-like quality to it that I found refreshing, especially in a genre that can be a bit repetitive. Where did you get your inspiration? Was it hard for you to deviate from the usual romantic suspense story? What came first the characters or the story?

JS: I was waiting for a green light from my publisher on sequels to my previous books, and I’d just had a serial killer proposal rejected. I was on twitter, naturally. A Harlequin editor tweeted that she loved disaster movies and would like to see a storm/natural disaster story. I knew I could do that. Give the people what they want, right?

It wasn’t an easy book to write because it’s relentlessly dark and gritty. There is no escape, no sunlight, no peace until the very end.

I usually think of a setting first. Then I fit the right characters into that setting and build the story around them.

Q. What are you working on now? I know Freefall will follow Aftershock, but what else can we expect from you in the future? 

JS: I just finished a cabin romance novella for Passion & Peril, an anthology with Suzanne Brockmann (Dec 2013). It’s more fun and sexy than suspenseful. Next up I’m writing Badlands, which features secondary characters from Aftershock and Freefall. 

Q. So, why do you tweet about vaginas so much? Just kidding! *grins* I know the answer to that: you’re vagical! LOL

JS: Great question! ;) I tweet about vaginas because I love vaginas! I do it for fun but I also have a serious reason. The romance world is just too focused on men/heroes/peens in my opinion. VAGINA POWER. VAGICAL GIRLZ FOREVER.

Q. Finally, what’s your favorite Romance novel?

JS: Such a hard question. I looked over my “old favorites” page on my web site. I’ll go with One Summer by Karen Robards.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions! 

JS: Thank you for having me!

About Jill:

Jill Sorenson writes sexy romantic suspense for Harlequin and Bantam Dell. Two of her novels, Crash Into Me and Set the Dark on Fire, have been excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine.

After earning a degree in literature and a bilingual teaching credential from California State University, Jill decided teaching wasn’t her cup of tea. She started writing one day while her firstborn was taking a nap and hasn’t stopped since. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two young daughters.

Connect with Jill:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog

About the book:

THERE'S A FINE LINE   

As an emergency paramedic, Lauren Boyer is dedicated and highly capable. Until an earthquake strikes, trapping her beneath the freeway with a group of strangers-including Iraq war veteran Garrett Wright...  

BETWEEN PERIL AND PASSION   

Handsome and take-charge Garrett aids Lauren in her rescue efforts, even as the steely look in his eyes seems to hide dark secrets. When a gang of escaped convicts goes on the attack, Garrett's bravery makes him more than a courageous bystander to Lauren. If they can save the others before time runs out, maybe, just maybe, they can explore the fire igniting between them-if the truth about who he really is doesn't pull them apart forever....

Aftershock by Jill Sorenson

HQN. December 18, 2012

GIVEAWAY

Jill has kindly offered one copy of Aftershock and one copy of Risky Christmas (this book includes two stories, one by Jill and the other by Jennifer Morey). To win, just leave a comment for Jill or tell us about your favorite Romantic Suspense. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving your email on the comment, please come back Sunday, December 16 to see if you won, because I won’t be able to contact you. Open to US residents only.

Rules:

• One winner gets a copy of Aftershock by Jill Sorenson.
• One winner gets a copy of Risky Christmas by Jill Sorenson and Jennifer Morey.
• Contest open to US residents only.
• Giveaway ends 12/16/12 at 5pm EST.
• Winners will be chosen using random.org and announce here.
• For more details read our Giveaway Policy.