Comment Below to Win an ARC of "Until There Was You"
Watch Jessica's interview on ABC
Jessica's answering reader questions in the comment section below
Thank
you so much, Jessica, for taking the time for this interview. You’re a busy lady and I feel lucky to have
you here today. Your novels are
wonderful romantic tributes to the men and women who fight for our country and
I appreciate that romance is at the center of your stories.
Until
There Was You is your second novel and will release on October 8th as the
second book in your Coming Home series.
You’re
also a career army officer and are married to a career NCO. Lots of army in your family.
Q: Until There Was You has laugh out loud
situations with soldiers and chlamydia.
(Really, readers. They’re
hilarious and completely non-offensive.)
Has this ever really happened?
A: Um, to me specifically? No. But I will say
that in the efforts of keeping my formation, ahem, clean, I do keep boxes of
condoms in the hallway for anyone to take. Why not, right? Have to promote
being a responsible adult and part of that means taking care of *cough*
yourself. And if you read any of the books from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,
you’ll realize that bored soldiers are soldiers who are getting into trouble.
The STD story was inspired by reality and let’s just leave it at that. :)
Q: Until There Was You’s hero, Captain Evan
Loehr, is thankful his troops haven’t spent “…a night in jail every single
weekend.” Does this mean they’ve spent a
night in jail on some weekends?
A: Yeah. Half the time spent as a commander
is dealing with soldier issues, either personal issues, finance issues, troopers
getting in trouble downtown. It’s all based on reality and that makes great
fodder for stories.
Q: Both novels discuss the army’s policy
that enlisted soldiers and officers cannot become romantically involved. Do you plan on writing a forbidden romance
tale for this series? If so, how
realistic do you plan to keep the army’s reaction to such a romance?
A: So much of what people get in trouble
for in the army depends on commander’s discretion. Contrary to popular belief
that soldiers are just automaton mindlessly following their superiors’ orders,
army leaders have a lot of discretion. And yes, in that sense, the next story
I’m working on after the 3rd book in this series is going to have an officer
and an enlisted man. They’re not a superior subordinate relationship though. I don’t
think I would ever write one of those because they’re an anathema to me.
Q: I can’t go into many details before Until
There Was You is released, but your stories deal with heavy emotional
issues. In Because of You (book #1) one
war-wounded soldier battles with suicide in vivid detail and two soldiers are
served divorce papers while deployed.
How much of this is written for tension and how much because these
things really happen?
A: I write the books the way I do because
half of it is a coping mechanism for me, personally. I’ve been in the army for
17 years now and I’ve seen how the war has changed not only our force at a
macro level but also at a personal level. We’ve got a lot of challenges and
writing about them for me is a way to share some of the weight of what our
soldiers carry with folks who might not know otherwise. It’s also a way for me
to - symbolically at least - give soldiers a happily ever after.
Q: Your characters are conflicted
between what they want and what the army tells them to do. Is there any tension at work because you
write about soldiers breaking the rules and officers making mistakes that cost
lives?
A: I don’t generally bring my writing to
work with me. One because it would break some of the rules I’m bound to follow
but two, I’m a company commander and I don’t have time for anything other than
work during the duty day. In that vein, no. The people who do know I write have
been tremendously supportive of it.
Q: Your Coming Home series is about
soldiers who’ve come home from the Iraq war and are learning to adjust. Why this war and why soldiers who’ve returned
home?
A: Because there are far too many books out
there that give a returning veteran PTSD and then one night of magic sex and
everything is okay. Coming home for me personally was the biggest challenge of
my life, far more difficult than leaving for war ever was. I wanted to capture
that and try to show some of the challenges beyond the stereotype of shell
shocked GI. Of course, I deal with stress and strain of combat but it’s so
often more than what we read about. It’s the daily adjustment of coming home
that can really break someone.
Q: I’m sure you’ve gotten this question a
lot. The first novel has two very strong
secondary characters whose marriage is on the rocks for some very heartfelt
reasons. Why is your third book about
them and not Until There Was You?
A: I really struggled with getting Laura
& Trent’s book right. Because I was having such a hard time, my editor
wisely suggested that I move on to the 3rd book in the series to get some
distance from the characters and it was a smart move. Now that I’m working on
BACK TO YOU - Laura & Trent’s story - it’s so much smoother this time
around.
A:
No, no and yes. :) I actually tried
to have a wet dream and the awkwardness that followed. Sort of like that scene
from There’s Something About Mary. Yeah, it didn’t make the final cut, lol!
Q: We’ve read the blurb. Any sneak peeks for Until There Was You?
A:
Of course!
Evan had no idea what the hell he was thinking, but this
woman had struck a chord inside him, awakened a hunger that refused to be
ignored. Kissing her was a mistake, a sensuous, gorgeous mistake.
He gave over to the temptation he’d fought earlier and
lifted his hands to her neck, sliding his palms over her skin to thread them
into her hair. It was warm silk against the back of his hands, a raw, simple
pleasure.
Her mouth opened beneath his, her tongue sliding against
his, signaling a salient desire that penetrated his defenses and made him no
longer care that she was in his brigade. There were no rules against them doing
any of this—whatever this was—but he didn’t date at work. As he lost himself in
her taste and touch, he seriously reconsidered that personal rule. He captured
her quiet gasp against his mouth and felt the locks turning on the chains that
held his restraint.
It was a long moment before Claire eased back, nibbling
on his bottom lip before she broke the tentative connection between them.
“What was that?” he asked, his voice rough and unfamiliar
to his own ears.
She smiled. “A mistake.” She swiped her thumb over his
bottom lip. “But one I enjoyed.”
She eased back until he was forced to release her. Regret
settled in his belly that this would go no further. “I’ll see you around,
Evan.”
He watched her go, the slight sway of her hips more
alluring because she did not try to affect any sensuality. She simply walked,
cloaked in confidence and sexual appeal.
He let her go. Because Evan Loehr knew all about
mistakes, and he wasn’t about to make one with Claire Montoya.
Now
to get personal. Verrrrry personal.
Q: I’ve taken to Twitter and acquired
a picture of your bathroom. Two
things: that color is very, very blue
and how many cosmetics do you own??
Jessica packing for RWA 2012
A: To answer the first question: the blue
was inspired by a bathroom I saw in a Pottery Barn catalogue. I’m a Maine girl
by heart and I love coastal decor. And to answer the second question: I have no
idea. But I do know that a girl cannot have enough lip gloss. It’s an
addiction. Someday I’ll join a twelve step program.
Q: Why did Oprah call you? To tell you she’s adding your series to her
book club list, right?
A:
A couple of years ago, Oprah did a
show about women in the military and her producers wanted to get the name of a
friend of mine who had a custody battle related to her military service. I
didn’t give up the name because it wasn’t my place and well, that’s the end of
the story. It was exciting for the half a day I was waiting for the call back.
Any
closing remarks you’d like to leave us with?
I’m
really excited about Until There Was You. It was a hard book for me to write
and I’m thrilled that people are enjoying it.
To celebrate the long awaited release of my second book, I’m having a super giveaway the UNTIL THERE WAS YOU PREORDER SWEEPSTAKES all throughout September until Oct 7th!
If you preorder Until There Was You, you get entered into a chance to win a Kindle Fire or a Nook Color. I’m also giving away a digital eARC of Until There Was You to someone today!
Jessica, thank you again for being here. I appreciate it very much. As a token of my appreciation - I put washable markers in the hand of my four-month-old and let him squiggle them around. His first ever picture was drawn for you:
Despite my efforts he's yet to learn the alphabet. Alas, the words are written by me.
Jessica Scott is
a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats, three dogs and two
escape-artists hamsters, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things
stuffed and fluffy.
She has commanded two companies, served in Germany, Korea,
Fort Hood and Iraq, and been lucky not to get fired. She is a terrible cook and
an even worse housekeeper, but she’s a pretty good shot with her assigned
weapon. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still
loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.
"Until There Was You" is the second book in the Coming Home series
and can be read as a stand-alone novel
How's the sex scenes?
Not scathing, but very hot and intense with interesting positions.
How are the story lines?
THIS is where Jessica brings the heavy. Her story lines are phenomenal and filled with so much reality surely someone has mistaken her books for partial tell-alls.
Would you read it again?
YES. I read an unfinished ARC - meaning I've pre-ordered me a finished copy.
Back of the Book
He plays by the rules, she's not afraid to break them. Now these two strong-willed army captains will prove that opposites attract . . .
A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Captain
Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for
an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the
deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. From that
moment on, though, Evan has been at odds with her, through
two deployments to Iraq and back again. But when he is asked
to train a team prepping for combat alongside Claire, battleworn Evan is in for the fight of his life.
Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked
hard to earn the rank on her chest. In Evan, Claire sees a rigid
officer who puts the rules before everything else—including his
people. When the mission forces them together, Claire soon
discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye.
He’s more than the rank on his chest; he’s a man with dark
secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and
Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.
Review
Until There Was You is a contemporary military romance set in 2008 Colorado Springs, Colorado.
It's focuses solely on the romance between hero Evan and heroine Claire and there is no suspense.
They are in Colorado training troops who are not ready for deployment. Evan demands the training schedule be followed. Claire almost encourages mutiny because she doesn't want to send her friend unprepared to war. This is their tension - this is not their story.
Evan and Claire are emotionally wounded characters and sex does not fix them. They do not need the other to make them readable.
I do not fully understand secondary character Lieutenant Engle's purpose. Is she ditzy, but tries hard? Smart, but somehow utterly useless? Do we like her, do we hate her? Why are people upset about Claire's treatment of her? The Lieutenant didn't pass her inspections.
I settled on ditzy, but tries hard despite being a cry baby. I'm not sure if that's right. I blame this on my having read an ARC and not the finished book. (And despite my dislike, her wishy-washy likeability is very lifelike.)
Secondary character Reza Iaconelli is solid and adds greatly to the plot. His humor, immaturity and problems are perfectly written. Amy's small character is excellent, too.
Having read several deleted scenes, I really wish Loveswept would up their word count on this one. Jessica's writing amazing stories and the deleted scenes would contribute more substance. (Like the home-coming scene - even a small section of it. Most definitely the Evan-rats-Claire-out scene - minus some butt chewing and add more Evan/Claire dynamic.)
Published by Loveswept, an imprint of Random House. Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this review. eARC received from author in exchange for an honest review.
In one week Ravishing Romances went from completely on time to totally behind. Some serious stuff happened and family takes priority. (Me and my immediates are all great and in good health.)
To keep the blog active, let's pretend this is the best blog post ever and give stuff away!
Ravishing Romances has featured contemporary romances lately - continuing the trend: comment below (leave your email so I can contact you), follow my blog (links to your left) and enter to win:
There will be three winners, each winning one novel a piece. eBooks will be sent via Amazon.
Contest ends Monday, August 13.
What's Taking so Long?
I have approximately 16 novels on my To-Be-Reviewed list. I could technically post a review every other day and knock them out quickly. But I won't.
Authors put their blood, sweat and tears into their novels and I refuse to give them anything less in return.
I don't skim. I don't speed read. I don't rush through a point just to throw up a post and move on.
Writing a review is a very involved process. Most books are given to me by the author and my reviews are discussed with them prior to any posting. If I dislike their novel they usually wish to know why and we discuss it in great detail. Before I criticize a section I double-check my facts. If I find typos, I'm usually typing a 30 minute email showing them where the typos are.
To upload a post takes even more time. The review is filled with links to their social media sites, book selling sites and previous interviews.
It is a great compliment to receive any book for review and it will be treated as such.
If I have to review these novels 6 months after their published date - I'll do it if that's what is required to get the review right. Ideal? No. But I will not disrespect these talented people with giving them half of my attention or efforts.
I recently received this Facebook post from an author, "This is a TERRIFIC review. Wow. Nailed it. Thank you."
Time it took me to write his review? 3-4 hours (not including reading).
Time it took him to write his novel? Probably months.
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