~It All Starts With J~

Today I am interviewing romantic suspense writer Jacki Renee. Jacki is a passionate reader, an even more passionate writer, and is inspired by the music she hears. Take it away Jacki…

---

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Born and raised in sunny Southern California, I am a single mother of two amazing daughters, ages 24 and 16 (the age difference is a blessing and a curse). We have pampered 3 dogs with 3 different personalities. We have a “J” tradition in our family, it started with my parents and continued with my siblings and myself. Everyone’s name starts with the letter J. Invitations and holiday cards come addressed to: The J-Family. Yes, family gatherings are funny when someone gets a name mixed up and has to run down the list of “J” names until they get the right one. It’s even funnier when my mom does it; she calls out each name in age order.

What do you do when you are not writing?

In high school and Jr. college, I took sewing classes. A few years ago, I took knitting and crocheting classes, and I loved it. I’ve decided to get back into crafting clothes in between writing. I’m attempting to sew linen wrap pants with a matching no collar half-jacket, and tank top to wear to the RWA 2017 Conference in Orlando, Florida. If it doesn’t look a hot mess, I will take selfies in the outfit at the conference and post them on my social media sites. Wish me luck.

Where do you get your ideas?

Music sparks my inspiration to write, and I listen to a variety of music. I credit my story ideas to the emotions I sense when listening to music. It’s the tone of the artist’s voice mixed with the sounds coming from the instruments that sends my literal mind into another dimension. For example, NECESSARY LIES, the first book in the Lies trilogy started as a short story for a post on a free social publishing site.

One morning, while driving to work and listening to Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM, the first two lines of the song Stay With Me by Sam Smith made me ask myself, ‘what if Bryan felt that way?’ and the seed was planted for the story to grow into a full-length novel with plot twists and turns and a secret backstory.

One evening I was watching Dancing With The Stars and heard Leela James sing Fall For You live. Her soulful voice gave my story its journey of trust and love. While sitting in the car waiting for my daughter to return from middle school grad-nite, Not A Bad Thing by Justin Timberlake came on the radio. My hero now had a voice and a purpose, and the one book turned into the Lies trilogy. Necessary Lies, Lies You Tell, Secret and Lies. But the other characters demanded to have their story told, and the Men of Phantom series was born.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

The brotherhood and bond between the Men of Phantom is based on the friendship my nephew has with his friends. They have known each other for 20+ years. These young men are ‘ride-or-die’ friends and all successful in their own way. I try to capture that bond in each story of the series. When they gather together you can best believe they have me laughing so much tears roll down my cheeks and my sides hurt. I’m also secretly taking notes.

I also like to people watch to give my characters personality. Give me a tall cup of ice cold lemonade, something to snack on, and a crowd… I can spend an entire day writing character profiles.

Will you have a new book coming out soon?

Come hell or high water, Secrets and Lies, book 3 in Lies trilogy will be out in October 2017.

Although the trilogy was written prior to the release of the first book, the release of Lies You Tell was late because of health issues and the need to write a better story. Immediately after the release of the first book, I started editing Lies You Tell and found that Bryan’s story wasn’t appealing enough. In my heart and mind, my characters evolved. Therefore, my writing had to adapt to the new and improved characters.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

My advice to aspiring writers is to use industry guidelines as an example to be different. Memorable authors are the ones who dared to take a risk and stand out from the crowd. The very first writing contest I entered, a judge wrote: ‘You need to read more books in your genre and follow those examples. It’s obvious you are clueless about what romantic suspense is’ [copied directly from the scoresheet]. Little did that judge know, I do read romantic suspense, but I believe there is more than one way to spin a suspense tale.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

I’m fascinated by the way the brain processes words, and I purposely use that knowledge to keep readers guessing. The method to my madness is for you to see the story through the eyes of the characters. I strive to create a portal to a different reality. So come on— travel the road with me. Experience the peaks and valleys, twist and turns, as my characters walk into the arms of Happily Ever After.

---

Lies You Tell

by Jacki Renee

In the second installment of the Lies trilogy by Jacki Renée…

Once a liar…

Danielle Hawk should have known better. As a trained psychologist, she constantly asked herself how she married a man she really knew nothing about—a man she’s still not sure she knows much about. There are too many unanswered questions, too many unexplained absences from home. In order to protect her heart, Danielle decides to pull away from Bryan emotionally—even though she can’t make herself give up the physical side of their marriage. But an up-close view into the world of a government operative, makes her question her true role in Bryan’s life. Worse, she fits the description of an enemy operative.

 Always a liar…

Bryan Hawk makes his living lying. And he’s damn good at it. But the lies he’s told are ruining his relationship with his wife, Danielle—and things will go from bad to worse if she finds out there are still secrets he must keep. But as second in command of PHANTOM, a secret military agency, there are some things Dani can never know in order to keep her and the children safe—not least of which is that he and PHANTOM know Dani’s first husband is still alive and being held for interrogation by Bryan’s team. With homeland safety on the line, Bryan and Dani must have faith in each other again in order to save themselves and their children.

But is it too late to rebuild that trust?

---

Buy Links

Amazon  |   iTunes  |  KOBO

 

---

Learn more about Jacki

Website http://www.iamjackirenee.com/product/telling-necessary-lies/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/iamjackirenee

Twitter https://twitter.com/iamjackirenee

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/iamjackirenee/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomJacki_Renee

 

 

---

Want to know more about Jacki? Have a question for her?

Post your comments below, and she will get back to you.