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Welcome to our New Faces column, where we are delighted to introduce debut authors to our readers. This time we've visiting with Jennifer Morey, whose first release is The Secret Soldier from Silhouette Romantic Suspense, out in August, 2008. Jennifer, welcome to TRR! Tell us about yourself. I am a Midwest escapee from Neenah, Wisconsin. My parents loaded up me and my five brothers and sisters and moved us to northern Colorado, where I have been ever since. My twin sister and I are the youngest in the family. We have three older brothers and one older sister. My twin and I are very close, as I am sure you can imagine. She doesn't read romance, though. Her flavor is more along the lines of that sad, deep stuff that often has the word Pulitzer attached to it. Go figure. Being the late bloomer that I am, I went to college when I was 26 and graduated in 1997 with a BS in geology. Back then the oil and gas industry was lagging and we weren't paying too much for gas so I never found a job in that field. Besides that, my mom died two months after I graduated and that changed the course of my life. She was the first person who was close to me that I lost, so it really opened my eyes in the grand scheme of things. While geology was interesting and a satisfying academic challenge, I realized it didn't have my heart. Are you coming to romance writing from another job? Although I am working to quit my day job to write full time, I actually work for a pretty cool company. It is a satellite imagery and information company, and I work in the Space Segment alongside several rocket-scientist types who have become like a second family to me over the years. I am an Associate Project Manager and deal primarily with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Our government considers our satellites munitions, so we have to abide by the same laws as a manufacturer of, say, Army tanks. And since we have to insure our spacecraft for launch and on-orbit operations, we have to have licenses in place so that we can talk to our many and widespread foreign underwriters. It's a big part of my job to see that the licenses are current and that we comply with the regulations. I also track multi-million dollar milestones on our satellite contracts, run reports for program managers, and help with spacecraft parts procurement, tracking, and inventories. Sounds impressive, but really it's nothing more than a technical admin job. I won't deny it's a fascinating company, though. It is. And I am lucky to work there. What led you to write romance? I have always written something. When I was a kid, I drew pictures of horses (really bad ones) that had bubbles of dialogue above their heads. In junior high school, I hand-wrote stories that had hints of romance in them. I started reading romance in my late twenties, and completed my first story the year after college, when I decided to pursue a serious career. Tell us about your road to publication. It took me ten years to get published. Seems like a long time, but, in truth, I needed the time to learn how to write. My eighth manuscript sold. I'd say the first six were me learning to write, specifically storytelling and showing rather than telling. I was a terrible teller! Critique partners were an integral part of my road to publication. I went through several of them before I found the right ones for my personality and my writing style. I think it is important to find the right partners--people who are as much your trusted friends as they are professional and respectful. I don't think there is any such thing as a "bad" critique partner, because there is opportunity to learn from each experience. I have learned something from each and every partner that I have encountered and treasure them for that. I just believe these experiences are a necessary part of the writing journey. It's like dating. You have to go through a few guys before you find one that is right for you, but you learn something about yourself and what you want and need from the ones who didn't work out. Contests had a huge influence on my writing journey. They both helped me grow and led to that long coveted debut publication. At first, the feedback from judges (well, most of them...) was a learning tool. When my writing improved, contests became a great way to get my work in front of an agent or editor. Around the time I wrote my seventh novel, I began to final a lot. It was a clear sign that my writing had changed for the better and I was close to achieving my dream. My eighth novel finaled six times before winning the Finally a Bride contest, which landed me my first publishing contract. In order to succeed, authors can't be afraid or too stubborn to learn. You learn from your failures. This business is very unforgiving to writers who are easily hurt or intimidated by criticism. You need to grow a thick skin and embrace the criticism. Separate harsh observations from valuable insight. Since harsh observations can encompass valuable insight, this isn't always easy to do. Look for the criticism that resonates, no matter how poorly it is delivered to you, and forget the rest. Take your ego out of the equation. That's my best advice. What kind of research was involved for your first book? A lot. Because it involved military careers and a complicated rescue scene, I needed lots of help, which I got from someone with extensive Army background. I spent many hours in front of his whiteboard. I am lucky to work for a company that often hires people with military backgrounds. Tell us about your debut book. Cullen McQueen is an ex-Delta soldier who is now a reservist running what everyone thinks is a security temp agency, when in fact it runs covert government missions the public can't know about. A friend who is also Sabine O'Clery's father cashes in on a favor when he asks Cullen to rescue his daughter. Her story is all over the news--a contract hydrogeologist who's been kidnapped by terrorists in Afghanistan. The publicity makes Cullen nervous, but of course he agrees to carryout her rescue mission. Things go awry and they are forced to crash-land on a Greek island. Cullen gets her to safety and they go their separate ways, but their passionate farewell kiss is captured on a nationally recognized newspaper and a media frenzy erupts. Cullen is forced into hiding, but an attack at Sabine's Colorado bookstore draws him to her side. Battling the media and an intensifying love he doesn't want to admit is real, Cullen protects Sabine and helps her uncover the surprising truth behind her kidnapping. Who are your influences as a writer? Linda Howard, Karen Robards, and Rachel Gibson are my main influences. What does your family think of having a published romance author in their midst? They are very proud of me. My dad is my biggest promoter. He'd land me a movie deal if he had his way. Tell us about plans for future books. I am contracted for two more ALL MCCQUEEN'S MEN books, with no sign of SRS putting a limit on how many more will go into the miniseries. The second one should come out next spring and the third will follow shortly thereafter. I have an idea for number four, and my editor is expecting it to come her way in about six to nine months. SRS also offered me to do a collaboration with two other authors. All three short stories will be set in the same city during a blackout, but each couple will have a stand alone story. I will have a lot of fun with that one! It will be a Christmas 2009 release. How can readers get in touch with you? You can find me at www.jennifermorey.com. I love to hear from readers!
Jennifer, thanks for joining us, and best of luck with your future releases! |
