Today I have the extremely cool and super well-read J.A. Garland.

I love her tagline: Where Fantasy Becomes Reality!

Maybe it’s because I totally relate to it?

So read on…

ME:What was the first romance or book you read that grabbed you? Who is the author?

J.A.G: Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson. This book is a gripping read, one I have hung on to through many moves. Adventure and history abound as we follow several couples through their life journeys. If you haven’t read it, you are definitely missing out!

**OMG – I LOVED this Book J.A. – I sobbed and sobbed over it when Wandered let himself die… sorry**

ME: Is there an author that you get fan-girl crazy over? Have you ever met him/her? Do you want to?

J.A.G: I think I have read every one of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s books. Which is quite an accomplishment since she is quite the prolific writer! No, I have never stalked, er, met her. Of course I would love to talk to her, but not at a stuffy, automated book signing. I’m thinking it would be fun to chat about life and writing over coffee and beignets in a New Orleans cafe. What do you think, Sherrilyn? Are you up for it?

 What’s your:

• Favorite color?  Glacial blue, the kind that takes your breath away.
• Favorite season? Fall, when the leaves change color and the afternoons are crisp and chilly.
•  Favorite Hero – movie or book? Ash, or as he’s formally known, Archeron. The first Dark-Hunter ever created in the Dark-Hunter series, he is the perfect balance of torment and hope.
• Snack weakness (food or drink)? If you know anything about me, you know that I am a self professed cheese puff connoisseur. I spend a lot of time researching and sampling different types of cheesy goodness. Which leads me to my next favorite thing to do…running. Thank goodness, right, or else I would be a tank! I’m also very ‘into’ the P90X workout videos. I tried ‘Insanity’, but wasn’t all that thrilled. It was all indoor cardio, and besides missing my trail runs, I lost a lot of strength from not lifting weights. So, I went back to running and P90X. It is the perfect balance!
• What’s your Astrological sign? Capricorn. I am a full-time firefighter, which lends well to the type A personality, stubborn and driven.
• Do you write sweet and cuddly or toe-curling steamy lovin’ stories? Ha ha, no! My stories are urban fantasy, so there is lots of action, and not the between the sheets kind.
• Do you read sweet and cuddly or toe-curling steamy lovin’ stories? No. I write in the same genre’s that I like to read. I enjoy spy thrillers and urban fantasy–anything action packed that gets your pulse racing, and the pages turning.

ME: What’s on your desk when you write?

J.A.G: A big mug of coffee! I am a dedicated morning person. I get up before the sun, around 5am. I then drink a carafe of coffee–I’m not joking–I have the blood pressure to show for it, lol. Then I go for a run. I run at least 6 days a week. My favorite place to run is at a nearby park. 500 acres of trails, I love it! When I run I think about the next chapter of my current W.I.P. So by the time I get home, I am all ready to have at the computer. I peter out around noon, but get a second wind in the evening. Then I usually edit paragraphs I’ve already written, I don’t add anything new.

ME:  Do you write to music or quiet? If you do write with music, can you share one song that’s significantly impacted this story?

J.A.G: My writing area must be as quiet as possible. I used to listen to music when I wrote, then I realized that the emotion of the songs carried into my writing. Which can be a good and bad thing. Maybe you didn’t want flowery and passionate when you were constructing that fight scene?

ME: What’s your favorite line from your most recent release? Why?

J.A.G: Well, it hasn’t come out yet, but here is the first line from my WIP. I really like it because I think it has a strong hook. What do you think?

           It takes one part opportunity, two parts discipline, and three parts disposition to effect a solid assassination operation. Having two out of the three this chilly Seattle evening, Slade considered himself in an unusual abundance of good fortune. 

ME: What’s next? You don’t have to get specifics – but feel free to leave a tantalizing snippet or cryptic hook.

J.A.G: I am currently working on book two of the Halfling Chronicles. Without giving anything away, this novel pursues the origins of the Halflings and the Shadow creatures who wish to control them. It also follows Slade, who tried really hard in book one to take center stage. In this book he gets full rein, and boy does he take it!

 Thanks so much for chatting with me today, Sasha!

Website

Facebook

Twitter