Back Catalogue Books is my new regular Saturday feature, focusing on books that are not the latest releases. There is going to be a mix of Q&As and also reviews, depending on what I have the space for.
If you are an author wanting to take part in Back Catalogue Books then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you.
I hope everyone enjoys this weekly look back at some of the slightly older books that are about but still great, and that I eventually make a dent in my TBRs as a result of it!
Today I am delighted to introduce my latest guest to you all - Wendy Lou Jones.
Hi, my name is Wendy Lou Jones and I write emotional contemporary romance – sounds a bit like a confession, doesn’t it? - My last publication was 3 weeks ago and I’m a romance-aholic.
1) Please tell me about your first book, and what started you writing in the first place.
My first book published was The Songbird and the Soldier. It is the story of the troubles encountered by the long distance and insecurity of writing to a soldier in a war zone. My writing life started with a dream – corny, I know – and then I wrote a story a year for a few years. Songbird came after I wrote 3 books with no luck and the words ‘write what you know’ were starting to wear a bit thin, so I thought I might as well try writing about something I didn’t. I had written to a soldier in the earlier Kuwait conflict, so I had some idea of that, but the whole Afghanistan, British Military side of it needed a lot of research. I swear I got me an MI5 file over that! The defence dept. even spoke to me on the phone…
2) How many books have you written and what are they?
I’m currently writing book 7. After The Songbird and the Soldier, came By My Side, a twist on a medical romance, quite a dark book and close to my heart, which was followed by The Summer We Loved, a story about one of the side characters from By My Side. Also set in a hospital, but again, not your average medical romance. Recently I have published a set of rural romances, not quite as dark as the previous stories, but definitely still me.
3) Which book are you most proud of writing?
Probably Songbird, as it was my first and so took me into the publishing world.
4) Which book was your favourite to write?
I think that would be The Summer We Loved. It sort of flowed out of me. I wrote it in 3 months – my quickest ever.
5) Who are your favourite characters from your books and why?
The men. My heroes. I love them all, what can I say…? ;-)
6) If you could go back and change anything from any of your books, what would it be, and why?
Definitely The Summer We Loved. I had all the diary inserts in a different font throughout its creation, and that worked well, but when it came to the final check before publishing, all fonts had been lost and I had to fiddle with the writing to make them obvious. Not sure I managed it and if I had the chance to go back again, I’d just shift them all into italics, so you could see.
7) Which of your covers is your favourite and why?
I think The Summer We Loved, because it’s romantic and colourful and a beautiful picture.
8) Have you ever thought about changing genres, if so what else would you like to write?
I have one on the back burner at the moment and with my love of the tragic, probably wouldn’t make it into romance, maybe women’s fiction?
9) Looking forward can you let us know what you are working on next?
I’m currently writing the final Echoes of Nutt Hill book in the recent series, I have a more thriller-type romance half written and this tragedy in the planning.
10) I dare not ask for a favourite author, but is there any author’s back catalogue you admire and why?
I love Lisa Kleypas and have read most of her historicals. I’m planning on buying a couple more for my holiday this year.
11) Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your back catalogue of books?
Yes. They are intensely emotional stories, all the drama of life and death you get from a historical, but set in modern day. I love them and I hope you will too.
Thank you so much Wendy Lou Jones for being my guest today, I also love your cover for The Summer we Loved, and I think a fair few people reading this may also be romance-aholics!
About Wendy Lou Jones
My name is Wendy Lou Jones. I was born and raised in West Sussex, England and moved to Birmingham to study Medicine at University, where I was lucky enough to meet my husband. We now live in a little village in Herefordshire with our two grubby boys. I discovered a love of writing not long after my youngest son started school. And if you were to ask me what it was that made me make the switch, I’d tell you quite simply, that it started with a dream.
Website/Blog – www.wendyloujones.weebly.com
Twitter - @WendyLouWriter
Facebook – www.facebook.com/escapeintolove
Harper Impulse - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/authors/wendy-lou-jones
‘One Stop’ Buy links and Amazon UK abridged :
The Songbird and the Soldier - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/the-songbird-and-the-soldier
http://goo.gl/MoKr57
By My Side - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/by-my-side
http://goo.gl/0FY0WC
The Summer We Loved - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/the-summer-we-loved
http://goo.gl/qMV9rH
Today I am delighted to introduce my latest guest to you all - Wendy Lou Jones.
1) Please tell me about your first book, and what started you writing in the first place.
My first book published was The Songbird and the Soldier. It is the story of the troubles encountered by the long distance and insecurity of writing to a soldier in a war zone. My writing life started with a dream – corny, I know – and then I wrote a story a year for a few years. Songbird came after I wrote 3 books with no luck and the words ‘write what you know’ were starting to wear a bit thin, so I thought I might as well try writing about something I didn’t. I had written to a soldier in the earlier Kuwait conflict, so I had some idea of that, but the whole Afghanistan, British Military side of it needed a lot of research. I swear I got me an MI5 file over that! The defence dept. even spoke to me on the phone…
2) How many books have you written and what are they?
I’m currently writing book 7. After The Songbird and the Soldier, came By My Side, a twist on a medical romance, quite a dark book and close to my heart, which was followed by The Summer We Loved, a story about one of the side characters from By My Side. Also set in a hospital, but again, not your average medical romance. Recently I have published a set of rural romances, not quite as dark as the previous stories, but definitely still me.
3) Which book are you most proud of writing?
Probably Songbird, as it was my first and so took me into the publishing world.
4) Which book was your favourite to write?
I think that would be The Summer We Loved. It sort of flowed out of me. I wrote it in 3 months – my quickest ever.
5) Who are your favourite characters from your books and why?
The men. My heroes. I love them all, what can I say…? ;-)
6) If you could go back and change anything from any of your books, what would it be, and why?
Definitely The Summer We Loved. I had all the diary inserts in a different font throughout its creation, and that worked well, but when it came to the final check before publishing, all fonts had been lost and I had to fiddle with the writing to make them obvious. Not sure I managed it and if I had the chance to go back again, I’d just shift them all into italics, so you could see.
7) Which of your covers is your favourite and why?
I think The Summer We Loved, because it’s romantic and colourful and a beautiful picture.
8) Have you ever thought about changing genres, if so what else would you like to write?
I have one on the back burner at the moment and with my love of the tragic, probably wouldn’t make it into romance, maybe women’s fiction?
9) Looking forward can you let us know what you are working on next?
I’m currently writing the final Echoes of Nutt Hill book in the recent series, I have a more thriller-type romance half written and this tragedy in the planning.
10) I dare not ask for a favourite author, but is there any author’s back catalogue you admire and why?
I love Lisa Kleypas and have read most of her historicals. I’m planning on buying a couple more for my holiday this year.
11) Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your back catalogue of books?
Yes. They are intensely emotional stories, all the drama of life and death you get from a historical, but set in modern day. I love them and I hope you will too.
Thank you so much Wendy Lou Jones for being my guest today, I also love your cover for The Summer we Loved, and I think a fair few people reading this may also be romance-aholics!
About Wendy Lou Jones
My name is Wendy Lou Jones. I was born and raised in West Sussex, England and moved to Birmingham to study Medicine at University, where I was lucky enough to meet my husband. We now live in a little village in Herefordshire with our two grubby boys. I discovered a love of writing not long after my youngest son started school. And if you were to ask me what it was that made me make the switch, I’d tell you quite simply, that it started with a dream.
Website/Blog – www.wendyloujones.weebly.com
Twitter - @WendyLouWriter
Facebook – www.facebook.com/escapeintolove
Harper Impulse - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/authors/wendy-lou-jones
‘One Stop’ Buy links and Amazon UK abridged :
The Songbird and the Soldier - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/the-songbird-and-the-soldier
http://goo.gl/MoKr57
By My Side - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/by-my-side
http://goo.gl/0FY0WC
The Summer We Loved - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/the-summer-we-loved
http://goo.gl/qMV9rH
Thank you so much for letting me wallow in past loves for a while, Rach.
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