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Interview with Love Romances
by Valerie

Please welcome Ms Jaycee Clark, author of the wonderful Kinncaid family series. Thank you for spending your time to do this interview for us.

Thank you so much, Val, for having me.

Please tell us about yourself. Do you have any hobbies?

Myself? That's a boring thing. Lol. I'm bad about talking about myself. I'm married, to the same man I fell in love with eleven years ago. He still makes my heart flip and can make me mad enough to want to strangle him and make me sigh when he just looks at me. We've been married now for nine years and have two great kids. AS for hobbies, I like to fiddle with photography and when I'm in the mood, baking desserts. When there's time, I like to ‘attempt' to play golf with hubby, I'm not a great golfer, but it's fun. Also love swimming and snow skiing.

 How long have you been writing, and how long did it take to get published?

I've always written. As a child I made up stories, loved to write poetry and loved to read. In school my best friend and I would co-write stories, but I didn't start writing, with the idea of finishing my own book until a few years ago. It took me over a year to write my first book, a truly horrible historical. I had no idea what I was doing and, sadly, though not surprisingly, it showed. Lol. After that I joined critique groups and learned a few things and then set out with Deadly Shadows in mind. That book took only a few months, and the other Deadly books soon followed.

 To get published? Oh, jeez. I started subbing query letters and partial manuscripts two, three years ago. Went the agent route, went the traditional publishing editor route, and finally decided I'd try epublishing. I love it. :)

What made you take the romance road?

Well, I like the happily ever after, regardless of whether or not the girl and the guy are married or engaged at the end of a book or if it's just the idea that they could one day. I like the idea that they were in some way better off and that love healed and in the end, did win.

Your ‘Deadly' series is becoming very popular, did you ever think that it would?

Popular? Wow, didn't know that one. Hope is a better description I think, but it was one of those, ‘probably nots'. I love the series and the family, but whether others would I never really knew. Some people from critique groups and contests, had already shown me that I tend to be an either/or author. Either they like it or they don't. And that's fine, that's the way it should be. It's why we have so many different subgenres. Honestly, though, it still takes me by surprise when someone says they loved it, or they cried, or want to know when the next one is coming out. Makes me feel good, but it's still a surprise, kind of surreal.

Your characters are very well written. Especially your antagonists. Do you feel as if they live as you write?

Thank you, Val. I love my villains. :) Live as I write, hmm, I've never really thought that way, I guess. I suppose they do tend to ‘live' as I write them. I know in some scenes, at certain points, they seem very real. *shrugs* I just tend to do character sketches (that's what I call them). I sketch out their likes and dislikes, their quirks, the things that annoy them so that when I write them, it's easy to get in their heads, if that makes any sense. lol

  The Kinncaid's are a marvellous family. How many books are planned in the series ?

As of now, five. For the five brothers. I'm currently working on Ian's, but also plotting Quinlan's as his is tied into this one. I don't know. Others have asked if Jock and Kaitlyn will get a turn, or Ryan and Tori. I have no idea. For now, five. Though they might get short stories at Christmas or Easter or something. lol

What inspired you to write this series?

Oh, I don't know. Honestly I don't really. It was a lot of different things, rather a lot of different plot ideas. I come from a medium size family (at least to me with four siblings). My parents both have lots of siblings, which makes my extended family huge. So family has always played a large role in my life and no matter what book I write, or start plotting, I find it has family ties in it, rather good or bad. So I took the ‘family' idea, took the plot ideas and broke them up into siblings. The rest, well, you've read it. Lol.

  Do you suffer from the dreaded ‘writer's block', if so, what are your remedies?

Strangely enough, not so much writer's block, as time, or maybe writer's worry. Lol. I have lots of ideas, I know where things need to go, sometimes I stress about how I want to get there and that will hold up the process. But mostly, it's the time factor, more than not having anything to write about.

Do you also read much? Who are your favourite authors?

I used to read all the time, but now, not so much anymore. I'm still new to epublishing, but and there are a few I've read and some I love and can't wait for their next one. Mandy M. Roth, Michelle Pillow, Jaci Burton, there's a lot of great authors out there, I just don't have time to read them all, unfortunately. I need a handheld because as of now, when I go somewhere and take a book, it's a traditional book. Currently, I'm on a mystery streak, for the most part. JD Robb, Hooper, Kellerman and Fraiser. There are lots and lots. I wish I had more time to read. I tend to read in ‘moods', a while back I only bought historicals, then it was contempts. Now I'm into mysteries. Next? Sci Fi? Who knows. Lol

Have any of these authors influenced your work?

I don't know. I do know that when reading, I like some element of suspense no matter the subgenre. So yeah, I guess so seeing as how, when I write, I have to have suspense, and a villain. I tried writing straight romance one upon a time (remember the horrible historical?) and it flopped. I find I have a hard time reading straight romance anymore. I need someone to hate, someone for the heroine, or the hero to beat, and I guess I tend to write that way too.

Do you extensively plot your books, or do you just ‘go with the flow'?

Depends. I used to ‘go with the flow'. But now, with deadlines and time I find myself plotting more and more. It's easier to write that way, at least until your characters take a sharp curve you weren't expecting and then you need to figure out how to go from there. So it depends.

Please tell us a little about a typical writer's day.

You mean there is a typical writer's day? Why didn't I know of this before? Lol. With little ones, there is no typical day. One day I may get a lot of writing done in the morning, another that afternoon, another I may write for hours after bedtime. Then I may go for a couple of days and get no writing done at all. It just depends. Though this fall they are both going to be in school for part of the day, so I'm sure things will change.

Are you working on anything at the moment. Can you give us a little teaser?

Now? Yes, now I'm working on DEADLY GAMES the fourth in the Kinncaid family series.

All I can tell you is that the black sheep of the family, finally returns home.

How does your family feel about your writing ?

Well, I know the boys are up to something they shouldn't be when they lean around the corner and say, “Don't worry, Mom, you can just stay in the office and keep writing until we tell you to come out.” Lol. Yeah. (Visions of strange, but quiet messes fill my mind) lol. No, my family is supportive and excited, can't really ask for more. :)

Can you give some advice to aspiring writers ?

Keep at it. Know that not everyone is going to love your work, some are probably going to hate it, and that's fine. Just keep writing, keep at it and one day, it'll happen.

Lastly, what is your star sign?

Star sign. I'm a Libra. :)

Anything else you would like to add?

Not that I can think of, except to say thank you, Valerie for the interview and thank you to Love Romances for having me. :)

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