Thursday, July 1, 2021

INTERVIEW with JR PACE

 


I would first like to thank JR Pace for taking the time for this interview!


My first opportunity to read a JR Pace novel was COLD AND BITTER SNOW.  It's a short story, but wow was it full of detail.

The Sharp's Cove series is full of suspense and intrigue and these heroes all have a fight on their hands.  These stories are standalone romances, but you have to read the series in order to understand the mystery and the suspense builds up with each story.  You WILL NOT be sorry!


BIO:

I’m an action & suspense romance author and enjoy writing stories where characters have to wade through danger to find their happily ever after (the higher the stakes, the more fun I have as a writer).

I love writing about strong women, alpha heroes, and Love with a capital L.

I’m currently hard at work on the first book in my new series, a search & rescue romance set in the French Alps.

I currently live in Madrid, Spain, with my husband and our two children, and am an avid reader as well as a writer.

 

Are you a male/female writer?

I’m a female writer.


When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I was a reader first, but I’ve always loved making up stories.  I love action and adventure stories, and I love romance, so when I started writing it made sense to write books where those ingredients came together.


Did you have any influencing writers growing up?

Too many to list!  I used to read (and still do) almost anything that crossed my hands.  But I did read a lot of classical mythology (Greek, Roman, but also Norse myths and legends…) — think of The Odyssey, The Illiad, but also newer retellings of the story like Dan Simmons’s Ilium.  I think a lot of my inspiration for heroes and heroines comes from these myths and legends.


Are any of your characters based on people in real life?

Not really — that seems like a bit of a slippery slope!  I might find inspiration in someone I know, but it’s usually a small aspect of a character.  Everything else I make up as I go along.


Where do you draw your book inspirations from?

I used to keep a small notebook where I’d jot down ideas as they came up.  Now I use my phone for that, but the concept remains the same.  I might be doing laundry or out jogging or crossing the street, and I’ll come up with a seed of an idea.  Usually a question, or something I’m wondering about.  I give those notes a subject that includes the words “future idea” so I can easily find them again later.


Do you have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?

I used to let characters lead the way, but they always got lost and didn’t lead me to the end of the novel!  So I’ve become a plotter by necessity.  I don’t outline every single detail, but I outline the story arc, key scenes, and (most importantly) the ending, before I start writing.  Everything else, I discover as I go along.


When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?

No, it’s all in my imagination.


Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation.  What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?

Reading! 😊   I have two young children, and I think it’s fair to say I used to have a lot more free time and hobbies before I became a parent — now I sometimes feel like driving my kids to and from things ought to be considered a hobby.  But maybe because of this, I now also enjoy those precious moments, where I get to lie by the side of a pool reading a book for a bit, even more. 


Who are your favorite current authors to read?

There are so many amazing authors out there.  I love Protector Romance, as well as Adventure Romance and Romantic Suspense, and I’m amazed by the talent of authors working in these genres.  To cite just a few (in alphabetical order because I wouldn’t know how to list them otherwise): Leah Ashton, Theresa Beachman, Janie Crouch, Cynthia Eden, Riley Edwards, Anna Hackett, Kennedy L. Mitchell, Nicolina Martin, April Wilson … Aghhh, I could keep going for a while!


What are your favorite books by others?

Anything written by the authors mentioned above!  But really, I’m the reading equivalent of an omnivore — I’ll read most things.


Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?

Yes, location is really important to me, I really like to picture the places in my stories, and hope the reader does too.  They’re often places I’ve been to, but sometimes they’re places I’ve yet to visit.  This summer, for example, I’m hoping to spend a few days in the French Alps, in a town that appears in the series I’m currently writing.


Do you write in single or multiple POV?

I alternate between “his and hers” POV.


What do you find to be your best research tool?

Google is great, of course, but I also keep journals of places I’ve been to, so I use those as well, and I’m also always asking people about things, so I get to call that research too.


Do you write under a pen name?

Yes, J.R. Pace is my pen name — my real name is harder to spell!


What genre do you write and why is this your preference?

I always write romance (because I love HEA!), but I also need the danger and the high stakes, so I write suspense romance, adventure romance, and post-apocalyptic sci-fi romance.


If you are a duo writing team, how do you share the writing process?

Nope, it’s just me!  But it’d be exciting to write a book with somebody else sometime 😊


What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

To just turn on the computer (or pen and paper) and get started.  I have a couple projects in a drawer that won’t see the light of day anytime soon, but finishing those novels helped me realize I could do it, that I could go from aspiring writer to writer.

 

I hope you enjoyed this interview!


Check out all my interviews/reviews for JR Pace!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2022/06/author-at-glance-j-r-pace.html#more


Make sure to give JR Pace a shout-out and FOLLOW her on social media!

Connect w/ JR Pace:

EMAIL ADDRESS:
jrpace.author@gmail.com   

WEBSITE:
https://www.jrpace.com

AMAZON:
https://amzn.to/4dQIc4F

GOODREADS:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19794362.J_R_Pace

BOOKBUB:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-r-pace

FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/jrpace.author

INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/jrpace_author/

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP:
https://www.jrpace.com/stay-in-touch/


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