Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Interview with romance novelist P. J. Jones


Today, Reviews and Interviews is a virtual tour stop for romance novelist P.J. Jones as she tours her book, Romance Novel, with Goddess Fish Promotions.

Commentors have a chance to win a $15 Starbucks or Amazon giftcard from our guest today. Details are below.

Okay, there are a lot of laughs ahead, so make sure you're ready before you read on...

Bio:
PJ Jones began writing Romance Novel in the spring of 2009 when she was seriously ill, thinking that this book would be her last dying legacy for mankind. After you read this book, you will probably wonder if she was trying to seal her fate in hell. Who knows? But PJ Jones has conquered her illness and is much better now.

PJ Jones has penned five ‘real’ romances under another name. She is also an avid reader of real romance novels. So why does she poke fun of them? Consider it comic relief.

Please tell us about your current release, Romance Novel.
Smella Rosepetal must find a millionaire husband to finance her baby’s heart transplant. She flies home to her deputy father’s ranch in Pitchforks, Texas, where she falls in love with Deadward Forest, a wealthy environmentalist vampire.

When a deranged murderer is on the loose in Pitchforks, killing romance heroines, Deadward assumes Smella would be safer without him. Smella turns to her childhood friend, Snake Long, for comfort. But Snake doesn’t have the money to save her baby, so Smella places herself in peril in a desperate hunt for a rich husband.

Time is running out for Smella’s baby, and she must escape the Australian Outback, then face down Flabio, an overweight and disgruntled, aspiring cover model, plus enraged vampire wives and their homosexual, vampire, cowboy husbands, a jealous were-gerbil, James Bond, a drunk rodeo clown and Smella’s strange boyfriend who wants to drain her blood, yet is repulsed by her smell.

What inspired you to write this book?
Over two years ago, I was suffering from an unexplained health crisis, and since laughter has always been my best medicine, writing Romance Novel was my source of therapy. I came up with the idea after dreaming about a crude and tacky love scene. I woke up, scribbled the scene on some paper and read it to my husband. We both had a good laugh, so I decided to finish the scene and share it with my critique group. Initially, it wasn’t my intention to publish Romance Novel, but my critique group urged me to publish through Kindle and Nook. I’m glad I followed their advice. Romance Novel has received great reviews and steady sales since its release.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Driving Me Nuts - Three mental patients, two loaded guns, one stolen car, and a whole lot of angry rednecks.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Am I a writer now? Awesome! I’ve been writing since childhood. When I was nine, I sold my first magazine subscription, The Dirty Toilet Water Book, to my best friend for a quarter. I sent her home-made magazines in the mail.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I’m a graphic designer. When I’m not designing, I’m writing.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Before I write, I usually sprinkle some fairy dust around the computer and chant, “My book doesn’t suck, my book doesn’t suck…”, then I create an altar of chocolate and offer it in sacrifice to the Muse of Creativity. Somehow, by the end of my writing session, the altar offering has dwindled, but that’s just the muse channeling through me to get to the chocolate.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Actually, I wanted to be a paleontologist, but I really can’t see myself digging up dinosaur bones in 100 degree heat. I have a hard enough time pulling hot towels out of the dryer. I’m glad I lowered my standards.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Thanks for visiting me today. I hope you get a chance to read Romance Novel. I hope you don’t burn your e-reader afterward. Thanks, Lisa, for hosting me!!!

PJ, it has been my pleasure. You sure do know how to spread the laughs! Best of luck with your writing - and keep laughing. :)

Readers, PJ is giving away a $15 Starbucks or Amazon.com gift card to a lucky commentor at the end of her blog tour. Leave a comment here and at any of her other blog tour stops to be entered to win. The more times you comment, the more chances you have. You can find PJ's tour dates here.

10 comments:

PJ Jones said...

Hey, Lisa, thanks for hosting me today. PJ

JeanMP said...

Love the character names, did you go through a lot of different ones before you settled on these to use?

skpetal at hotmail dot com

Chelsea B. said...

Chocolate for the WIN! ;-)
Wishing you great success!

justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

PJ Jones said...

Thanks, Jean. No, actually, the names just came to me. It was weird how this whole thing fell into place. PJ

PJ Jones said...

Chelsea, chocolate trumps all answers! PJ

Lisa Haselton said...

I think the character names are hilarious...the cover, too. :) Glad to have you here, PJ.

widdershins said...

Did that mystery illness have anything at all in common with consciousness altering substances? Because just from the little bit you revealed this sounds like an hilarious romp.

PJ Jones said...

Ha! Ha! Widdershins, I have to admit that I was taking painkillers during at least part of the time I was writing this. Luckily, or unluckily, I don't need painkillers quite so often now that the mystery has been solved. LOL! PJ

PJ Jones said...

Glad to have been here, Lisa. Thanks. PJ

Maria D. said...

Congratulations on the release of "Romance Novel" - it really sounds like a fun book. Love your WIP-Driving Me Nuts - It sounds like it will be a lot of fun too!

junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com