This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jeny Heckman will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Thank you “It’s Raining Books,” for hosting me today and to all of you for taking a few minutes out to share with me!
You are welcome! Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?
I love the paranormal and fantasy genre because it’s true escapism, right? Not only are you disappearing into a book for the hours you invest in it but you are also jumping into a new world, not possible in this one. I love the idea of that. And I love the romance genre because it’s inspiring, it’s hopeful and we need all of that, especially right now.
What research is required?
So, with the Heaven & Earth series, there’s really two worlds that are going on. The Greek god/Mt. Olympus/Tartarus world and modern-day. With each new book, there is more overlap between the two worlds and that is on purpose. In terms of research, there’s quite a bit because Greek mythology is followed, in some cases, religiously. You need to get the basics correct. In my world, we have the basics and then we have a few deviations to make my story, my story. There are so many conflicting stories depending on what version of Greek mythology you subscribe to, Homer or Hesiod. My goal is when I did change something up it still had a thread of truth. It was something that could be believed as something a particular god or goddess might do.
Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.
I have to tell you what I learned from each because they’re both important.
First, what I learned from Lilly is there’s devastation and then there’s life after devastation. I truly believe if someone loves you, they want you to be happy. If they should pass before you, no matter what their relationship is to you…spouse, parent, child, sibling, they want you moving on. Perhaps not forgetting but finding happiness and joy within your life.
With Colt, I learned that it doesn’t matter what your circumstances or age, it’s never too late to try something different, or to let go of a dream, to search for another dream. So, often you can fixate on a certain course of action for so long that you don’t realize you truly want something completely different. It takes courage to let things go.
Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?
I’m easily distracted. I’ve never had writer’s block and when I sit down to write, I can go for hours and hours, into days and days. However, you break me out of that trance and it’s hard for me to get back into it. So, when I write I need to shut everything off…email, cell phones, music with words, everything. I work in silence, with instrumentals or a sound machine and alone.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
I began as a pantser but have developed into a plotster. I create the whole plan, outline everything and then use it as a guideline to hit major plot points. Often, I get to the planned major plot points through pantsing. You get a character that decides he/she will be heard that day, no matter what and they go in the direction they go in, until we make our way to the point. Wonderful developments and sub-plots happen that way.
Look to your right – what’s sitting there?
My mouse, a candle, a bouquet of flowers from my daughter and my printer
Anything new coming up from you? What?
This has been a very busy year! February 14th, I came out with book one. It’s part of an anthology to benefit the Australia Wildfire victims and written from the perspective of a family at the Route 91 country music festival massacre. It’s my family’s story. The Warrior’s Progeny is book two of the Heaven & Earth series, at the end of the year Dee’s Cornucopia should be coming out. It’s a side novella of a fan favorite. Finally, I’m re-working the Catch, this first book I ever wrote, when I didn’t really know what I was doing. I love the story it just needs a little fine tuning. I’m hoping that will also come out this year or perhaps early next year.
Do you have a question for our readers?
I’m curious to know what your readers think of the paranormal/fantasy genre, in terms of topics. Do they like the vampires, werewolves and witches or do they like it when things are different and off the mainstream idea of paranormal like Greek gods, Leprechaun’s and ghosts?
Also, when you have a favorite author, how many books would you like to see them put out a year?
I’d like to thank you for taking time out and spending some of it with me today. I hope your lives are blessed and healthy. Cheers -Jeny
Colton Stone is a newly traded tight end whose reputation is as battered as his football helmet. When he receives a vacation invitation from his new teammates, he accepts. There he collides with Dr. Lillian Morgan, a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, and doesn't know what to think.
A widow with two children, Lilly travels to Kauai to attend the wedding of a friend and witness the union she lost three years prior. When she meets Colt, she struggles between letting go of her perfect past for an uncertain future.
Strange events begin to occur, out of the realm of normal consciousness. Black energy touches their world and the couple become pawns of the immortal Greek gods. Is the love between them real, or part of a larger prophecy?
Read an Excerpt
“You couldn’t have known,” Colt said.
“I’m a doctor,” she retorted. “I’m trained to know.” “Oh, bullshit.” She drew her brows together and looked at him with irritation. Undaunted, he continued. “You were his wife, not his doctor.” Glancing back at the picture, he drank from his glass. “He was a young guy...looked fit...father of two.” Colt turned to look at her again. “Young, fit, fathers of two don’t get stage four pancreatic cancer and die in ten months. He wasn’t your patient, Lillian, and you weren’t looking at him like a patient. He was your husband, and he died.”
“Colt.” She took a breath, placed a hand on his, and backed up a little. “Look, I know you want something, but we’re broken here, and I can’t give you what you...”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s not bullshit. It’s how I feel. I’ve got kids to think about and responsibilities. You want easy and I’m not that.”
“You don’t even know me, Lilly.”
“I know. That’s what I’ve been trying to say.”
“No, that’s what you’re trying to use as an excuse. Those kids aren’t damaged because of their dad, you are. Those kids have a mom who loves them and makes damn sure they aren’t damaged. You’re afraid to try, so you hide behind your dead husband.”
“How dare you be so callous?”
“How dare you use your husband to get out of trying again? You’re a beautiful, intelligent woman and your life isn’t over.”
About the Author:
She wrote her first book, the Catch, in a few short months but took several years before she gained the courage to self-publish it at her son’s urging, and her love for writing began.
In 2018, Jeny knew her next project would be a series that showed adults could have adventures in the paranormal-fantasy genre too. So, she created the Heaven & Earth series, a story of doomed Greek gods and their only salvation, their modern-day descendants. Her first book of the series, the Sea Archer, was immediately picked up by the New York publishing house, the Wild Rose Press, and won, “Best in Category” from the 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards.
In the year 2020, Jeny released, Dancing Through Tears, a short story from the anthology, Australia Burns: Volume Two, highlighting the Route 91 massacre from the perspective of one family at the concert, and at Mandalay Bay. She also intends to release, the Warrior’s Progeny, and Dee’s Cornucopia, in 2020, continuing the Heaven & Earth Series.
Jeny lives in Washington State with her husband of over twenty-eight years.
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