Get to Know the Author: Jennifer Shirk

Today's Get to Know You guest is Jennifer Shirk. Jennifer writes "fun, feel-good romantic fiction". Welcome, Jennifer!

JDP: Did your mother read to you as a child?

Jennifer: Well, surprisingly enough not really. I should really give her a hard time about that. LOL Fortunately, I read to my own child from the day she was born. J

JDP: Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?

Jennfer: I LOVED all the E.B. White books: Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web and Trumpet of the Swan. I received those books as a gift and I read every one of them more than once. And I was a big Superfudge Judy Blume fan. J

JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.

Jennifer: Hands down Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Her writing is funny and romantic and her stories never let me down.

JDP: Share a book you’ve read multiple times.

Jennifer: Honey Moon by Susan Elizabeth Philips. It’s a humorous book but quite tragic too. Yet, she still manages to wrap it up in a nice happy ending.

JDP: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?

Jennifer: iPad and hard copy. J I find I read them both about equally.

JPD: Ooooo, I’m so jealous. I sooooo want an iPad! Still savin’ up. What’s your favorite place to read?

Jennifer: My bedroom (it’s the warmest room in the house) and my study because I can feel like I’m not totally withdrawn from what is going on with the family. J

JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.

Jennifer: Romance (particularly romantic comedy), Young Adult, and Chick-lit.

JDP: What’s the last book you read?

Jennifer: Holiday Headlines by R.M. Gilbert (an ebook)

JDP: What are you reading now?

Jennifer: Susan Andersen’s Just for Kicks

JDP: What’s next on your reading list?

Jennifer: The new Susan Elizabeth Phillips book: Call Me Irresistible.

JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)

Jennifer: Well, I just don’t think there are enough humorous contemporaries and not enough sweet romances either.

JDP: Share a favorite book that you’ve read in the last 12 months

Jennifer: Oh, my. Let me think… I have to say my favorite was a YA: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. It was kind of romantic, funny, and had a little mystery to it too.

More about Jennifer! : Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.

She writes sweet romantic comedies and won third place in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her book, The Role of a Lifetime.

She's also a board member for Straight Ahead Ministries, an organization involved in helping spread the gospel and aiding medical and pharmacy students in Russia. She resides in a beach resort in NJ, and when she's not involved in all the above, she's taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter, and four hermit crabs. You can learn more about Jennifer on her website and blog

Books by Jennifer Shirk:

The Role of a Lifetime

Georgie on His Mind

Summary of Georgie on His Mind:



Georgie Mayer has no boyfriend and rarely goes out. In short, she needs a life. Since she's graduated college and returned back home, her brother's protectiveness has been in overdrive, and she hasn't been able to have any fun, never mind get a date.


So what's a poor particularly attractive girl to do in a situation like this? The only thing she can do: find him a woman!


He'll thank her for it in the end. That is, if his best friend Walt Somers would stop interfering with her plans. The handsome pharmacist has made no secret that he doesn't approve of what she's up to. Unfortunately, having Walt hanging around does strange things to her mind, and suddenly she can't help but take a healthy interest in him. But how can Georgie entertain thoughts of the two of them together when Walt still treats her like his best friend's little sister?

Get to Know the Author: Silvina B. Niccum

Our Get to Know You guest today is romance author Silvina B. Niccum. Welcome, Silvina!

JDP: Did your mother read to you as a child?

Silvina: I remember my father reading to me at night and tucking me into bed, my favorite story was Peter Pan and I had it memorized.  In fact, if he ever wanted to skip a part, I would promptly correct him and make him read me the full version. My daughter does this to me now so it’s gone full circle. 

My whole family in fact is basically made up of educators. My grandmother who lived two doors down in Rosario, Argentina was a special needs teacher and author who wrote a book that taught children to read.  She used this book on us when we were four and five years old, effectively teaching us to read at an early age.  My mother is a teacher also, so reading was a very big part of our lives and we constantly discussed books at the dinner table.

JDP: That’s cool. My mom was a teacher, too. Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?

Silvina: Besides Peter Pan I had a whole set of Musicuentos which I still have and let my children listen to.  They are beautifully illustrated books on record.  I listened to those every day!  I collected them, but my favorite was “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella”.

JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.

Silvina: One?  Well…I would have to say Charles Dickens.  I love his characters!  They are varied, and real.  His stories are entertaining and educational, a good combination. 

JDP: Share a book you’ve read multiple times.

Silvina: Jane Eyre.  I guess I should say that Charlotte Bronte is my favorite author for this reason, but I find that Jane is her own person—like she’s not really a character to me but my friend.

JDP: I understand what you mean.  I have lots of “friends” from my favorite books. Now…Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?

Silvina: I love the smell of books, I love the feel of paper and I love to look at my book shelf.  But I have to say that Kindle is handy.  I just got one for Christmas and I use it all the time now!  I can take it with me while I wait for my kids to do their sports and it saves my spot in every book that I’m reading.  Also I downloaded like 50 classics for free!

JDP: I admit, the Kindle is pretty cool. What’s your favorite place to read?

Silvina: Under the muted shade of a tree, or curled up in a blanket by a sunny window.  I am solar powered!

JDP: I love that! I think I’m solar powered, too. LOL! What are your three favorite reading genres.

Silvina: Historic Fiction, Fantasy and Mystery. 

JDP: What’s the last book you read?

Silvina: The last two books I finished were: Mary Queen of Scotts: The Fair Devil of Scotland, by Jean Plady and Mary, Bloody Mary a Y.A. by Carolyn Meyer.  I’ve been studying the lives of the Medici, the Italian family who ruled Florence for many centuries and funded the Italian Renaissance.  Mary Queen of Scotts married Catherine de Medici’s son, so I wanted to read about her next!  Then I got sucked into the whole English drama from that same period, so I read about Bloody Mary.

JDP: Oh, I love those time periods and historical characters, too! What are you’re reading now?

Silvina: Inferno, by Dante Alighieri. I’ve been reading that for a while, it’s long and though I enjoy it, it's not a page turner. 

I’m also reading some books written by some fellow writers from my publisher that need to be rated and reviewed. 

Rabbit Chasing Beth Rider, by Ellen C. Maze

Heartless, by Jaimey Grant, and In the Arms of Angels by Linda Boulanger. 

I also read out loud with my ten year old, Ben Franklin: Inventing America. I read this with him because he is part of a homeschooling group called “The Knights of Freedom” and I am one of the advisors for the group.  We read a different book a month and discuss it. 

JDP: What’s next on your reading list?

Silvina: 1984, by George Orwell. It came recommended by my mom.  I also want to continue with my 1500’s fixation and read about Queen Elizabeth.

JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)

Silvina: I love the Classics, I think that we could spend our entire lives reading the classics alone!  But I’m on a Jean Plady/Victoria Holt/ Philippa Carr kick.  (They being the same person)

JDP: Share a favorite book that you’ve read in the last 12 months

 Silvina: I really enjoyed reading Scaramouche, by Raphael Sabatini.  It was filled with history, a little romance, action and suspense.  I also loved The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy.  I just love the character of the Scarlet Pimpernel!  I love him, I love him, I love him!  He fits into today’s society so perfectly.  On one hand he’s the spoiled Metro sexual, socialite and on the other he is a hero who under many hilarious disguises, rescues the innocent from the guillotine.

JDP: I read The Scarlet Pimpernel last year and loved it, too! Thank you so much for joining us today, Silvina. It was a pleasure to spend this time with you.

More about Silvina:! : Silvina B. Niccum was born in Rosario, Argentina and raised in Buenos Aires.  Her family immigrated to the US, when she was fourteen.  She attended the University of Utah and studied Spanish Literature.  Silvina now lives in Dallas, TX. with her husband and her three homeschooled children.  Learn more about Silvina by visiting her website and blog.

Books by Silvina B. Niccum:

Veiled

Summary of Veiled:

.

 “I have always existed, not just me but all of us, the un-embodied spirits who wait to live.”

Tess is an unborn spirit, who is about to embark on a much awaited journey into mortality to a brand new planet called Earth. She is chosen by the Eternals for an important mission, and is put under a rigorous training by a half-human, half-lion Seraph.  This training exposes Tess to some of her darkest fears and insecurities.  These experiences force Tess to work on her gift as a discerner of thoughts and reader of auras—thus helping her become one of Heaven’s most powerful angels.  But even angels falter, and deep inside her a gnawing fear is growing. Will she meet her soul mate in life? Will their love be strong enough to overcome the forgetting effects of the Veil? And, is she prepared to take on the responsibility of keeping the most dangerous renegade and leader of the Fallen Angels at bay during mortality?

Get to Know the Author: Rachel Rager

Today’s Get to Know the Author guest is romance author, Rachel Rager.

JDP: Welcome, Rachel! Did your mother read to you as a child?

Rachel: I'm sure that she did, though I don't remember. I remember reading to my sister (who until ten years ago, enjoyed reading lots more than me.) And I remember reading to my mom during the summers, because I was behind the class. So, I don't know if my memory is just really bad and I can't remember, or if she didn't do it much. I do remember my dad reading me the comics from the paper every Sunday when I was older!

JDP: That’s a fun memory to have of your dad! Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?

Rachel: I don’t remember having a favorite book but I loved The Berenstain Bears! I still do!! In the sixth grade my teacher read us My Teacher Is An Alien by Bruce Coville and Mike Wimmer and I really liked that.

JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.

Rachel: One of my favorite authors is Maria V. Snyder. She wrote the Study and Glass series beginning with Poison Study. Her story plots are intricate and fun! And I LOVE her hero! J I also love Marcia Lynn McClure. And as reading her books got me interested in writing, I am eternally indebted to her! Her book always have yummy kisses and are lots of fun!

JDP: Share a book you’ve read multiple times.

Rachel: Just about every book I own I have read more than once. I have a short memory, so I can reread things over and over, even if I know what happens. I always forget the details, so it’s like a new story every time!

JDP: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?

Rachel: I prefer the good old hard copy. I just love holding the book!

JDP: Me, too. I bought a Kindle earlier this year, but still find myself choosing to read hard copies when I can. What’s your favorite place to read?

Rachel: I LOVE reading curled up on my couch. It’s leather and so comfortable. I don’t buy a couch unless it envelops me when I sit in it! But since I moved last year, my couch sits in front of the window, and it’s a little drafty so I prefer to read in my bed where its warm. But you can bet that come warmer weather, I’ll be back on my couch!

JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.

Rachel: My first favorite is Romance! And I prefer all books with at least a little romance! I also like historical and recently have enjoyed a little fantasy too.

JDP: What’s the last book you read?

Rachel: The last book I read was The Rogue Knight by Marcia Lynn McClure.

JDP: What are you reading now?

Rachel: I’m reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas again! This is one of my favorites! And I’ve read it over and over! (It was the only book I read all the way through from sixth grade to graduation!)

JDP: Oh, I love Alexandre Dumas! Only my favorites are The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. I’ve read those so many times, I’ve lost count. LOL! What’s next on your reading list?

Rachel: Next, I’m hoping to get to The Pirate Ruse by Marcia Lynn McClure and the Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. They have been sitting on my shelf for a while now, waiting patiently for me to get to them.

JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)

Rachel: I would really like to read Romantic Fantasy. I haven’t explored this genre much, but I’m intrigued by the idea!

JDP: Share a favorite book that you’ve read in the last 12 months

Rachel: Are you really going to make me pick just one?! I went to my Goodreads page (don't laugh) only to discover that I read close to sixty books last year! How can I pick just one?! So, since this is my interview, I’ll give you a couple of my favorites! (eye brows wiggling)

Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy

The Countess Below Stair by Eva Ibbotson

These are some of my top picks. So if you want to see what else I read and loved, visit me on Goodreads!

JDP: That’s a great list, Rachel! I read The Scarlet Pimpernel last year and loved it, too. I really need to check out The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas. Thanks for mentioning it! And thanks so much for visiting with us today.

More about Rachel! : Plunged into a musical family at birth, Rachel Rager was exposed to the excitement and magic of musical theater throughout her childhood. Starry-eyed, she attended college musical rehearsals with her pianist mother – imagining herself as the heroine in the spotlight – becoming a hopeless romantic from the start. Though Rachel’s own natural musical gifts motivated her through college and she now holds a vocal performance degree in operatic singing, she has loved writing sweet romance novels for over seven years. Creative writing has served as a beautiful escape from the emotional rigors of raising her family.

Rachel published her first novel, By Love or By Sea in April of 2009 and continues to write sweet romance novels. She currently lives in Provo, Utah with her handsome husband – the love of her life – where she enjoys curling up by a blazing fire with a good book, getting her own creative thoughts on paper, and singing until the coyotes start howling. She loves picnics in the park and being the mom to three future starlets. Learn more about Rachel on her website and blog.

Books by Rachel Rager:

By Love or By Sea (paperback and ebook)

The Tiger, Unleashed (ebook)

A Season For Love (ebook)

The Feather Kiss (ebook)

Wednesday Romances (ebook)

Summary of The Tiger, Unleashed: The year is 1878 and Violet Barnes has lived a normal life in her little sun-scorched California town. The daughter of the mayor, she struggles with the image people expect of her and how to deal with her betrothal to a man of her father’s choosing. When she meets a dark stranger, Blake Stanley, Violet’s need for adventure is fueled by his mysterious existence. Even when his past criminal record is revealed, she longs for the safety she feels when he is near. Discovering that he was accused of killing her brother, her faith in his innocence wavers. Still, her heart speaks to her of a love that can only be born in the heavens and she decides that she will always love him, regardless of his past. To save her love, Violet must prove Blake’s innocence before the real criminal discovers the truth about Blake and kills them both.

The Tiger, Unleashed is a story of heartache, betrayal, and love; a love that can endure the feuds of family and the laws of the state. Through faith and trust, this novel illustrates the trials the heart must endure when faced with incredible odds.

Get to Know the Author: Gail Pallotta

Today our Get to Know the Author guest is Inspirational romance author, Gail Pallotta.

JDP: Welcome, Gail! Thank you so much for joining us today. Did your mother read to you as a child?

Gail: Yes, my family loved books. My grandmother gave me A Child’s Garden of Verses. My mother read them to me so often the binding unraveled. She read The Wizard of Oz over and over because I asked her to.

JDP: Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?

Gail: When I started reading, I loved any Nancy Drew books.

JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.

Gail: I love to read, and I enjoy almost any genre, so it’s hard to pick just one author. For classic books, I’d say Theodore Dreiser. He hooked me with An American Tragedy. For fun, I read the Anne George mysteries; for classic love stories, Jane Austen.

JDP: Share a book you’ve read multiple times.

Gail: I rarely read a book or see a movie more than once. I read Pride and Prejudice a couple times because of papers I was writing about it. I also read Of Human Bondage a second time. I wrote guidelines to compare and contrast it to the Scriptures for an educational program with a Christian publisher.

JDP: That must have been a very interesting project! I’ll bet it led to some fascinating discussions. Okay, here’s a very important 21^st Century question: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?

Gail: I’d love to have an e-reader, but I don’t. I have read several e-books on a laptop and loved lying back, relaxing and flipping the pages. I’ve read so many hard copy books and have so many, they’re like old friends. As far as I’m concerned, I just want to read a good book, either way is fine.

JDP: What’s your favorite place to read?

Gail: Lying on the sofa or propped up in bed. Is there any other place? I guess there is. I sometimes read books on trips when my husband is driving. It’s a great way to pass the time. I have read while waiting for an appointment, but it isn’t relaxing for me. I know many read on the beach or by the pool, but that doesn’t work for me either. The sun’s too bright for my eyes, even with sun glasses.

JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.

Gail: Mysteries, Christian romance, and mainstream.

JDP: What’s the last book you read?

Gail: Journey to Forgiveness by Laurean Brooks. It’s a sweet romance with a feisty heroine. It was fun seeing how she and the hero got together.

JDP: What are you’re reading now?

Gail: Right before Christmas I started Last Writes by Sheila Lowe. She’s a handwriting analyst who uses her skill to help solve mysteries in her books.

JDP: Oh, that sounds interesting! I may have to check that series out. What’s next on your reading list?

Gail: I’m not sure. I have a long to-be-read list.

JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)

Gail: Any book that has a good story and hope. I’ve only read one book that I absolutely didn’t care for. I won’t give the name of it, but it was a book without hope.  

JDP: Share a favorite book that you’ve read in the last 12 months.

Gail: All the Way to Heaven by Elizabeth Sherrill. A best-selling author who was a co-writer for God’s Smuggler among other books, she also has written about people such as Corrie tin Boom. She also wrote for “Guideposts.” This book tells how she became a Christian. It’s filled with wonderful stories of her travels and some of the people she met along the way. Each chapter is written with depth and insight.

More about Gail! : Love Turns the Tide is Gail’s first romance, but she’s been writing for as long as she can remember. Her first story appeared in a grammar school newspaper. Much later, she worked as an editor and copywriter. After she married she helped her husband with his business, but continued to write. Between the feature stories she wrote at work and the freelance pieces she placed, she published several hundred articles. After some of them were selected for anthologies and two ended up in museums friends and family nudged her to “do more.” Then, she undertook a lifelong dream and wrote a novel. In 2004, the year she published her first book, Now Is the Time, the American Christian Writers Association named her a regional writer of the year. In late 2009, she published her first romance, Love Turns the Tide, an e-book. This past November an excerpt from Love Turns the Tide won the Clash of the Titles Contest in the best nature / weather scene category. Learn more about Gail on her website and blog

Books by Gail Pallotta:

Now Is the Time

Love Turns the Tide

Summary of Love Turns the Tide: In this Christian romance with a bit of mystery twenty-six-year-old Cammie O'Shea is shattered by a heartbreaking split-up with her fiance and challenged by a new job in Destin, Florida. A feature writer, she dreads meeting her boss, the editor of The Sun Dial newspaper. But, her real source of angst turns out to be Vic Deleona, the influential real estate developer she must write about to generate interest in the paper. While she refuses to open herself to another painful relationship he attempts to court her. When he makes extra business appointments with her, she resents having to spend so much time with him. But after a break-in at her friend's condo and her unit, Vic comes to their rescue. When he tries to solve the mystery, Cammie sees a different side of him. He even takes her to church. But, she has an offer to return home. Will Vic catch the criminal and win Cammie's heart or will she leave Destin?

Love Turns the Tide can be purchased through Awe-Struck Publishing. 

Get to Know the Author: Anne Patrick

First, my apologies that this weekly post may seem to have vanished off the face of the earth. It hasn’t really. I simply got distracted with a trip to Salt Lake City to visit my sister and kind of let this series slide while I was gone. But it and I are both back now! So today we resume our Get to Know the Author series with romantic suspense author, Anne Patrick.

 JDP: Welcome, Anne! Did your mother read to you as a child?

Anne: Oh yeah!  She passed her love for mystery and suspense on to me, which in turn fueled my very active imagination.  It was my mother who encouraged me to write my adventures down instead of acting them out.  I usually got into less trouble this way :-).

JDP: Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?

Anne: A teacher reading Escape from Witch Mountain, by Alexander H. Key, was the first to really inspire me to read.  I still think often about this book and  those two mysterious orphan children, with extraordinary powers, and their black cat named Winkie.  Come to think of it, as much as I enjoyed this book it's a wonder I didn't grow up to be a writer of the paranormal.  Hummm....

JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.

 Anne: Hands down, it’s inspirational romantic suspense author Dee Henderson.

JDP: Share a book you’ve read multiple times.

Anne: Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series.  I’ve read each at least twice.

JDP: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?  

Anne: After playing with my aunt’s Kindle I have plans to buy my own.

JDP: What’s your favorite place to read?  

Anne: Same place where I write, my faithful rocking chair.

JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.  

Anne: Inspirational, Romantic Suspense and Mystery.

JDP: What’s the last book you read?  

Anne: Tess Gerritsen’s Ice Cold.

JDP: What are you’re reading now?

Anne: Irene Hannon’s Against All Odds.

JDP: What’s next on your reading list?

Anne: Next on my TBR list is In Harm’s Way by Irene Hannon.

JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)

Anne: Dee Henderson.  Did I mention I love her books! :-)

JDP: You may have mentioned it once or twice. LOL! If you like her that well, I guess I’d better check her books out! Share a favorite book that you’ve read in the last 12 months. 

Anne: The book that stands out the most is The Shack by William P. Young.  It came out in ‘07 but there was so much controversy connected to it I put off reading it.  I’m glad I read this amazing book.

More about Anne! : Anne Patrick has penned more than a dozen novels of Romance, Mayhem & Faith, including the award-winning and best-selling Journey to Redemption & Fire and Ash.  Her works continue to receive 4 & 5 star reviews from readers and reviewers.  Anne has an alter ego by the name of Kinzie Monroe, who writes Inspirational Romance.  Anne, you might say, is the dark side of Kinzie.  Anne’s books may be darker in subject matter, but they all carry messages of hope and faith.  Born and raised in Oklahoma, she now makes her home in Kansas.

To learn more about Anne, please visit her website or blog. She loves to hear from her readers!

Publishing Credits:

Journey to Redemption

Dark Alliance

Reservations for Two (by Kinzie Monroe)

Lethal Dreams

Ties That Bind

Out of the Darkness

Fire and Ash

No Greater Love (Kinzie Monroe)

Sabotage

Christmas with Hope (short story) – ‘Sweet’ Christmas Anthology

You can find buy links to all my works on Anne’s website.

Summary of Fire and Ash: Fire Investigator Sadie McGregor has been called to her hometown of Emerald Point, Missouri to investigate a suspicious fire which claimed the life of a local college student. By appearance the fire looks like the girl was just careless. What Sadie and Sheriff Quinn Harrington discover will not only affect those close to them, but will rock the entire community of Emerald Point and put Sadie’s life on the line.Sadie’s life isn’t the only thing at stake. Struggling with the guilt of having been responsible for the fire that killed her family, when she was only seven, Sadie doesn’t feel she’s worthy of God’s love and forgiveness. Will Quinn be able to prove otherwise before it’s too late?