Jacquie: I live just outside Atlanta, Georgia, with my husband, Joe, and our nine-year-old son, Christopher. Joe and I both grew up in New York (Noo Yawk), on Long Island, and met in college. I graduated with a business degree and spent the next eight years working for TWA in pilot crew scheduling, then in the flight operations office. I really enjoyed my job, but I wanted to be full-time mom, so I resigned when Christopher was born. One of the best things about working for an airline is the flight benefits - the first time we had to pay full fare for an airline ticket, we almost fainted!

We moved to Georgia (Jawja) in 1994, when Joe's company was bought by another firm. It's a great place to live, although I miss my family and the beach (pools are nice, but not quite the same!). I write full time while Christopher is at school. When I'm not writing, I do typical "mom" stuff - volunteer in the classroom, cheer at soccer and basketball games, and try to tame the pile of laundry that never seems to go away (we call it Mount D'Alessandro).

Donna: Does you family support your writing?

Jacquie: I am so blessed with my family. My husband is the most supportive, wonderful man. He is so proud of me, it's almost embarrassing! He hands out bookmarks to everyone at work, arranged a booksigning at a bookfair in his office building, learned how to design websites so he could build me one - you name it, he does it with a smile on his face. My son takes right after his dad, proclaiming me "famous" and telling all his friends that his mom is "da bomb" (that's good--I think!). My parents, sister, and my in-laws are all equally as supportive - passing out bookmarks, bragging about me - it makes me blush! But it's all wonderful and I appreciate it so much because I have writer friends whose families do not support them, and I see how hard that makes things for them. Any success I may have already achieved or may achieve in the future is 100% because of my incredible family.

Donna: Do you let anyone read what you have written before you send it to your editor?

Jacquie: Good grief, yes!! I need all the help I can get! I'm in a critique group with three other writers and we meet once a week. The feedback I receive from these ladies is invaluable to me. Every time I yell, "Help!" they throw me a life ring - which is good, because I'd probably drown on my own! After my critique group and I are done with the manuscript, I give it to a "virgin" reader, usually another writer friend who knows little or nothing about the story, to see if everything flows correctly. I also have my mother and sister read it for two reasons: 1) they're savvy, experienced romance readers who can pinpoint inconsistencies and are great at catching any typos, and 2) they'd be really pissed if I didn't let them read it!

Donna: When did you decide to become an author and why did you chose to write romance?

Jacquie: I've always been interested in writing, and I promised myself that when we bought a computer, I was going to sit down and write the story that had been buzzing around in my mind for the past several years. We bought our computer in early 1994 - about two months before we realized that we were probably going to be moving to Georgia. The reality of moving away, selling our house, was not conducive to sleep - so instead of pacing the floor at 2 a.m., I'd write. And write. And write. After we moved, I discovered Romance Writers of America and Georgia Romance Writers. I never considered writing anything other than romance. I've loved the genre since I was a teenager and read my mom's Harlequins. I love the emotional pull of two people falling in love, and, of course, I love the happily-ever-afters.

Donna: How did you go about selling your first book? How long did it take?

Jacquie: I joined Georgia Romance Writers in March of 1995, and sold my first book in September, 1998. During the interim, I attended meetings, workshops, and conferences - learning so much, discovering how little I'd known before. RED ROSES MEAN LOVE is actually the second book I wrote. While I was writing it, I was submitting my first manuscript around to editors I'd met at conferences. I came so close to getting it published, but it didn't quite happen, and I was incredibly disappointed - so much so that I quit writing (right in the middle of RED ROSES!). After about a month, I fel like writing again, but I didn't want to continue with RED ROSES (too heartbreaking to work on a second historical when I couldn't seem to sell the first one). So, I completely switched gears and wrote a contemporary romantic comedy. I wrote that sucker in six weeks and had a blast doing it.

When I finished it, I was ready to go back and tackle the rest of RED ROSES. When it was done, I entered RED ROSES in several RWA chapter contests. I was lucky enough to win one of the contests - the Novel Beginnings contest sponsored by Washington Romance Writers. The finalist judge was a very well-respected agent - someone I don't think I would have been brave enough to approach on my own. I wrote her a thank you note and asked, since she'd liked the first chapter, if she'd be interested in seeing a proposal. She called and said no - she'd like to see the whole book! Needless to say, I mailed it to her lickety split. She called about SIX weeks later, and told me she loved it and thought she could sell it. After my pulse returned and I picked myself up off the floor, I listened to some changes she wanted. I made the revisions, she sent the manuscript out to eleven houses, and within a month had an offer on the book. About three weeks after that, she sold the contemporary romantic comedy I'd written in the middle of RED ROSES - that book is now KISS THE COOK.

Donna: Where do you get the ideas for your books?

Jacquie: This is tough. I know so many writers who say they have gazillions of ideas, and I'm thinking - Can you throw a few my way!? My ideas all come from characters. I "see" characters in my head. I "hear" conversations in my brain. I have literally hundreds of scenes floating around in my mind. So, my ideas come from the people I dream up. The challenge is finding something for them to do! I tend to get a lot of ideas from reading the newspaper.

Donna: Do you work from an outline? Do your characters ever try to take over and rewrite their scenes?

Jacquie: I don't work from an outline. I work more from scene sketches. Going in, I know the beginning, the basic plot, and the end, and that's about it. After almost every scene, I sit back and say, "what's going to happen now?" I wish I could write a detailed outline and know from the start that in chapter 5 this will happen, and in chapter 8 they'll kiss, and in chapter 12 blah blah will happen - but I just can't do it. I greatly admire writers who can corral their thoughts that way - I'm sure it's an incredible time saver. I'm just not that organized. Bummer! As for those characters, yes, they often surprise me. I'll start a scene with only a germ of an idea, and the next thing I know, it's ten pages later and those people have just said and done the most unexpected things!

Donna: What is the hardest part of writing a story?

Jacquie: For me, it's plotting. I have no problem dreaming up people - it's finding things for them to do that gets me! I try to alleviate the problem by pairing up people who are opposites, so the plot and conflict can emerge naturally from character. For example, in RED ROSES, Stephen is a nobleman, Hayley is a simple country girl; he has no real family life, her family is her life; he's experienced, she's innocent; he knows nothing of love, her life is full of warmth and love, etc. If opposites didn't attract, I'd be in real trouble!

Donna: What is the funniest thing that has happened related to your writing?

Jacquie: It has got to be the news of my first sale. When my agent called, she said, "I have an offer on your book." I asked, "What does that mean?" She said, "It means someone wants to buy it!" And what did I say?? I slapped my hand on my forehead and said, "Oh, no - did my mother call you?" After she finally convinced me that it wasn't my mom who wanted to buy the book, I practically hung up on her - I had to tell my husband! I called Joe at work and said, "You'll never guess what." He said, "Oh my God, you're pregnant." That suggestion completely unraveled my whole train of thought and several minutes of a veritable "who's on first" routine followed. "I'm pregnant?", "I don't know - are you?", "I don't know - am I?", "Don't you know?", "No! At least I don't think so." "You don't think so?", etc., etc. We finally got it all straightened out - I sold a book, and I wasn't preggers. Whew!

Donna: Is it easier writing love scenes knowing that mostly women will read them?

Jacquie: No, actually I think it's harder. Romance readers are smart women - and they like romance. I think that if the scene I write isn't romantic and satisfying enough, I'm going to disappoint them. Let's face it, if I was writing the love scene for a male audience, I could most likely get away with saying "they had sex" and move right on to the next chapter. That's not to say that men can't and don't appreciate romance - what I mean is that I believe women readers are more apt to feel dissatisfied if the love scenes do not touch them emotionally on some level.

Donna: Who are the authors that you read for pleasure?

Jacquie: Unfortunately, my reading time has been cruelly slashed! While I'm not complaining about having a deadline (I waited a long time to get one!), it does seriously cut into my pleasure reading time. My TBR pile rivals Mount D'Alessandro in height! My favorite romance author is Nora Roberts, and I especially enjoy her J.D. Robb books. I also like to read mysteries - my favorites are Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. I love re-reading Jane Austen. My favorite book of all time is THE PRINCE OF TIDES, by Pat Conroy.

Donna: RED ROSES MEAN LOVE is a terrific story. How long did it take you to write it?

Jacquie: It took about nine months - but that includes stopping in the middle and writing KISS THE COOK. The actual writing time was about six months.

Donna: What inspiration did you use for your characters? Are any of them based on real people that you know?

Jacquie: The inspiration for my characters comes mostly from my imagination, but I do draw on personal experiences. For example, in RED ROSES, the inspiration for Aunt Olivia was my own Aunt Addie, who was as deaf as a post. In KISS THE COOK, the hero is an accountant, and oddly enough, my husband is an accountant (do I have a fabulous imagination or what!?). Of course, he isn't called an accountant on the back cover copy - he's called a "financial whiz", because supposedly no woman really wants to sleep with an accountant. Of course, she hasn't met the hero yet ...

Donna: What type of research did you do for this book?

Jacquie: I have shelves and shelves of reference books in my office, along with every issue of the Regency Plume. I don't like taking books out of the library unless it's absolutely necessary - I prefer to own them so I can look things up any time I need to. Most of my research is done on a "need to know" basis - if I need to know about something specific, like a type of transportation or style of clothing, I look it up.

Donna: As you can tell from RBL's book discussion, we loved RRML! What was your favorite question or comment?

Jacquie: I actually found the entire the discussion fascinating - and incredibly flattering. I can't tell you what a great feeling it was to read those comments and realize that something I'd written had inspired so many opinions and touched so many people.

Donna: You wrote much of the book from the hero's point of view. Will you continue to do this?

Jacquie: Absolutely. As a reader, I like to know what the hero is thinking and why he's doing what he's doing. As a writer, I want my reader to fall in love with this man, and it's so much easier to fall in love with someone we know. And since it's not like a guy to tell us how he feels, I just fix that by climbing into his head and ferreting out all his secrets. So there, Mr. Strong and Silent!

Donna: You wrote such wonderful secondary characters. Will we see any sequels from RRML?

Jacquie: I hope so. I'd like to do Callie's story, and have even toyed around with the idea of Gregory's story. I tried to redeem him enough so that he could possibly be hero material - provided the right woman came along, of course! Several readers have also asked about Justin and Victoria's story - sort of a prequel - and I'm intrigued by that idea as well. I really hated to say goodbye to the Albright family, so I hope they'll show up again in another book.

Donna: Your next book, KISS THE COOK, will be released in May of 2000. Would you tell us about it?

Jacquie: KISS THE COOK is a contemporary romantic comedy set in Atlanta. The heroine is an up and coming caterer who wants to expand her business, but she's financially strapped. She applies for a bank loan, but first has to survive the financial review required by the bank - not easy when the reviewer turns out to be the sexiest guy who ever breathed air. The hero and heroine embark on a series of zany adventures - think I Love Lucy meets the Marx Brothers. Things really get messed up when ... well, I can't give it all away! An excerpt and the first chapter are posted on my website. I'd love for you to drop by and read a few pages!

Donna: Was it easier writing a contemporary book? What type of romance do you prefer to write?

Jacquie: Well, I'd have to say it was a little easier to write the contemporary for two reasons. One, it was about 100 pages shorter, and two, I didn't have to worry about historical facts or anachronisms. I honestly don't prefer one over the other. I love the Regency period, and I enjoy the freedom of contemporaries.

Donna: Can you give us a hint at what is "in the works?"

Jacquie: I'm plotting out another contemporary and another historical. The holidays have slowed me down a bit, but after the New Year I'll be back writing full time.

Donna: How does the internet affect you as an author?

Jacquie: The internet has had a major impact on my career. Through my website and by visiting romance friendly sites such as RBL, I've been able to reach more readers than I ever dreamed possible. I've received e-mails from people in Europe, Singapore, Australia - all over the world! RED ROSES MEAN LOVE was Amazon.com's bestselling romance for September and it's already gone into a second printing. None of that would have happened if not for the internet and internet sales. I think that romance readers are a very loyal group, and I've received incredible support from the readers I've been fortunate enough to meet online.

Donna: What are some of your favorite websites and discussion boards?

Jacquie: I've only been to two boards - here at RBL and the board at The Romance Journal. I enjoy both sites - especially now that I've figured out how to work the "click here to reply" thingamabob! I also like The Romance Reader site. I love Amazon.com - I'm always plopping something in my shopping cart. I get a package from them about once a week. And I just discovered buy.com. They have the best prices on everything - we bought ourselves a new camera for Christmas!

Donna: Do you have any advice for the aspiring authors here at RBL?

Jacquie: My best advice for any aspiring author is the following: First, join RWA and your local RWA chapter. You will receive so much valuable information - even if you cannot attend meetings, the newsletters and the RWR are chock full of useful information. Second, if you are able, attend a writers' conference. The workshops are invaluable sources of information and you'll meet other writers, editors, and agents. If you cannot attend a conference, buy some cassette tapes from the RWA conferences on subjects that you feel you need the most help with (I always pick up the plotting tapes!) Third, try to get into a critique group. This can be tricky - you have to form a group with people you trust to give you honest, helpful feedback - but if you can find that, it will not only help you to stay on track, it will provide you with support. Writing is a very lonely business - don't isolate yourself from other writers. Let them help you. Chances are, they're as happy/miserable/depressed/elated/tired/discouraged/ecstatic as you are! Fourth, take your time. The romance industry isn't going anywhere. Don't be in a rush to send your manuscript off to an editor until you know it is as wonderful as you can make it. And last - write. Writing is what makes us writers - not whether or not we're published. I was a writer long before I signed a publishing contract, and even if I'd never seen that contract, I'd still be a writer. Why? Because I write. If I'm lucky enough that an editor wants to buy what I've written, that's great. But even if she doesn't, I'm still a writer.

If anyone has a specific question (or a bunch of them!) about writing, I'd be happy to try to answer them. My e-mail address is given at the end of this interview.

Donna: Anything else you would like to say?

Jacquie: Only that I enjoy the RBL Romantica site, and I'd like to thank all the ladies who have made me feel so welcome here. I really appreciate your willingness to try a new author - and your kind words and support have meant a great deal to me. And thank you for inviting me to do this interview!

Donna: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview for us. We are very happy to count you among our ranks at RBL Romantica!

Jacquie: Thank you, ladies! Best regards!

Jacquie, on behalf of RBL Romantica, I would like to thank you again for this wonderful interview. It has been great having you at RBL, and we hope that you will continue to join us on there. You have a wonderful future before you and it is great to be able share it with you from the beginning.

~Donna~





Ketchup
September 2005

Donna: I can�t believe that it�s been over six years since your first interview! At that time your second book, KISS THE COOK, hadn�t even been released yet. Since then you�ve had twelve new books, including WHY NOT TONIGHT? which came out last month!

Jacquie: YOU can�t believe it?? Neither can I! And I�m so glad you put it in writing for me. I�m going to print out what you wrote - that I�ve had "twelve new books" since then - and show that to my family, along with a smug, "HA! THIS is why we have dust bunnies!"

Donna: What�s new in your life since then? Did you ever conquer Mt. D�Alessandro?

Jacquie: If only! Sadly, Mount D�Alessandro (nickname for my laundry pile) continues to grow. Where is erosion when you need it, huh? It�s worse than ever because my son is now a teenager. How this happened, I don�t know. Wasn�t he only a baby yesterday?? His clothes are a lot bigger than they were six years ago and he changes them like three times a day! And please don�t mention the amount of TOWELS this kid uses - OY! He just does not grasp the concept that, if you are drying your CLEAN body and your CLEAN hair with CLEAN towels, you can use those towels again. He�s in the high school marching band so there are a lot of practices, which means a lot of sweating, which means a lot of clothes changing, which means a lot of showers, which means a lot of towels (you see where this is going, right?). My husband (aka The Most Patient Man on Earth) will use a towel more than once, but I suspect that�s because he can never find any because they�re all on the floor in our son�s room. My son will throw in a load of laundry, but he never checks the pockets of his stuff, so a lot of gum gets put through the wash. And of course he chews Big Red - so RED gum goes through the wash. Anyone looking to have a teenage guest for a few days/months/years - just let me know! *s*

My husband and I love being band parents and are very involved with our son�s musical activities. He�s a drummer and our living room is now taken over with his HUGE drum set. He also has a set of tenor drums - that�s what he plays in marching band - it�s like four drums together. (If you watched "Tommy Lee Goes to College," it�s the same instrument Tommy played in the college marching band). My husband plays the piano, I play the keyboard, the kid whales on the drums, and we have a great time. As you can imagine, it�s VERY noisy at my house!

Donna: Most of your books have been released in other countries with completely different covers. Which are your favorites?

Jacquie: Hands down, my favorite is the German cover for NAKED IN NEW ENGLAND. You should check it out - it�s posted on my Website on the Around the Globe page, and I just love it! When I opened the package from my publisher (they send me the foreign copies), I cracked up (no pun intended *s*). It�s just fun and playful and so perfectly captured the tone of the book. And in case anyone wants to know - YES, that is MY nekkid butt on the cover. Yup. That�s me. Absolutely. That�s my story and I�m sticking to it! My second favorite is the Spanish cover for THE BRIDE THIEF. It�s just so elegant and rich looking. The book itself is gorgeous - it�s a paperback, but it�s really big - like the size of a hardback.

Donna: You�ve won quite a few awards since we last "talked." Care to brag a little?

Jacquie: I think my mom must have been a judge. *s* The awards are very flattering and I have them displayed in my office. They give me motivation to keep on going on those days when I feel like every word I�m writing is dreck. One very cool recent contest thing was that this year I received my first RITA nomination (given by Romance Writers of America) in the short contemporary category for WE'VE GOT TONIGHT. It was especially nice since that book was my last book for Harlequin Temptation. It was so sad to see that line come to an end after twenty years.

Donna: In our last interview, you said that you would like to write about some of the secondary characters in RED ROSES MEAN LOVE. Are there any plans for a sequel to this book?

Jacquie: At this time, no. But it�s still in the back of my mind - along with writing the story for the heroine�s younger brother from THE BRIDE THIEF. The younger brothers� names from RED ROSES MEAN LOVE were Nathan and Andrew - both names I love (which I guess would be why I named my characters those names *s*) - so I used them for the last two historical heroes I�ve written. But they�re not the Albright brothers.

Donna: Did you know that WE�VE GOT TONIGHT won a 2004 RBL HUGHIE for Best Contemporary Series/Category Romance?

Jacquie: NO!! I didn�t know that! I�ll have to add that to by Website page! Thank you so much - I�m honored and very flattered. Hey - was my mom a judge?

Donna: Your next book, NOT QUITE A GENTLEMAN, has just been released. In this book, we return to Regency England for romance and intrigue. When did you know that you would write Nathan�s story?

Jacquie: I had an inkling when he first popped into my mind as a minor secondary character in LOVE AND THE SINGLE HEIRESS (he was the Unfortunate Suitor). By the time I finished that book, I knew I wanted that sexy doctor to be my next hero.

And here�s some insider scoop about NOT QUITE A GENTLEMAN, because some readers have asked me, "The book has a RED cover - didn�t it used to be BLUE?" Well, there�s quite a story about the cover. It actually used to be blue with copper lettering. During the summer, however, it was discovered that another author from another house had a strikingly similar cover - the same blue background and with a mask (what are the chances?!?). Anyway, at that point it was too late to do anything with my cover except change the background and the lettering colors. So the book became red and the lettering yellow gold. We all agreed that the red was actually better - the color really popped and was very eye catching. Unfortunately, I just found out that an error was made at the printer and, instead of using the yellow gold lettering on the cover, the printer mistakenly used the COPPER lettering! So the book is red with copper lettering. Needless to say, it�s not very attractive - neither the title nor my name stand out at all (well, unless you happen to be standing in direct sunlight and holding your body at a 37 degree angle ;)). My publisher and I are very distressed about it, but unfortunately it�s too late to do anything about it. If the book goes into further printings, the mistake will be corrected, but for now it�s done. If no one has read me before, there�s no way they�ll pick up the book and say, "Wow, this is really nice, I think I�ll buy it." And even if someone IS looking for my name, they won�t see it. So - if you happen to be looking for my name, be warned - you�re going to have to REALLY look for it because you can�t see it. I�ve told my mom to clear out the garage and make room for the 10,000 books she�s going to have to buy. *s*

Donna: Will Colin get a story of his own?

Jacquie: Yes!! I�m working on it now and it�s due out next fall. To give you a tiny hint: Colin goes to London to find himself a bride and instead finds himself in the middle of big huge mess - a murder investigation - and he�s very attracted to a woman from his past who will not do AT ALL as his bride. Heh, heh, heh. Oh, man, is he SUFFERING!

Donna: Can you give us some hints about any future plans?

Jacquie: I have four books coming out next year! In February, I�ll be in a Harlequin Blaze anthology entitled SINFULLY SWEET which revolves around Valentine�s Day and chocolate. I have another anthology and an as yet untitled Blaze coming out in the summer, and Colin�s story (a historical) in the fall. After that, I�m hoping to keep writing both historical and contemporary stories in between bouts of laundry and teenage stuff. *s*

Donna: Thank you so much for taking the time to let us "ketchup" with you, Jacquie.

Jacquie: Thank YOU! It�s been so much fun - and I really appreciate you inviting me! My Website is all new and updated and there�s a new contest running to win a signed copy of any of my backlisted books - I hope you�ll all stop by at and enter. Thanks again, ladies! Keep being fabulous and happy reading!

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