Author Inverview: Jerrie Alexander

Today I'm pleased to welcome Jerrie Alexander. She's a new romantic suspense author to me. Hope you enjoy another great RS writer. Welcome, Jerrie.

Sharon, thank you for hosting me today. I look forward to visiting and will be around all day.

What genres do you write and why? Anything interesting about how you got started? 

My first love has always been romantic suspense. I tried my hand at a couple of contemporary romances. Both will forever stay hidden. So for now, I'm sticking with what I do best, which is killing people. Hypothetically, of course)

I can't remember a time when I wasn't interested in writing. Majored in journalism but my desire to embellish quickly turned me to fiction. Life, love, family, and career intervened, and I wouldn't change that for the world. In fact, I think it helped me when I buckled down and concentrated on writing.

Do you like writing in series, or single?

I have two singles out and a short story on the way. I enjoyed writing them as singles. But I've had a number of requests from readers who want the secondary characters to have their own happy ending. I've written book one and two of the Lost and Found, Inc, series. Book one, Hell or High Water, is in the edit stage. I have to admit, I love writing the series.

Did you get “the call” or did you get the call to “go Indie?"

I sold to a small press first. The Green-Eyed Doll, The Last Execution, and Someone To Watch Over Me are published by The Wild Rose Press. But it will be Indie for me going forward. I like the idea of being in control of my schedule, covers, editing, and publishing!

Who is your favorite character you've created? Why?

Boy, that's a tough one. May I use the no name dog from The Green-Eyed Doll? I don't plot so it didn't surprise me when a stray mutt wandered up and befriended my hero. He'd eat the sheriff's food but wouldn't allow him to touch him. That dog wound up playing a significant role in the book.

Do you find it easier to write the bad boys or the good boys? I'm assuming both are heroic, but which ones are more fun to write?

Bad boys for sure! I love writing a hero who has a troubled past and inner demons to overcome. They're hotter, more dangerous, and a lot more fun for the heroine to tame. Or at least she'll try to tame him.

What about the heroines? Do you find it easiest to write the bad girls or the good girls?

I haven't written a bad girl. Not yet. :) My heroines have been through hell in one form or another and are stronger because of their experiences. They wind up in trouble, but don't always rely on someone else to come save them.

If you could have a date with one of your characters, which one would it be and why? Where would you go?

Not fair! I love each one more than the last while I'm writing them. I'd take any of them and head to the beach. Warm water, white sand, and a sexy hunk...I'd be happy.

If you could go to a desert island with two companions, who would you bring? What would you do there? What would you bring if you could bring anything?

You said go to a desert island as in voluntary, not that I'd be stranded, right? So immediately, Gerard Butler popped into my mind!

Okay, I'd take two well trained SEALS. Which by the way, I was fortunate to work with a young man who was a SEAL. He's my go to guy on anything that shoots or blows up!

I'd bring a working satellite phone, replacement battery, snorkeling equipment, and enjoy myself.

Pretend you have just sold your 100,000th copy of one of your books. What will you do to celebrate?

I'd buy my husband a new bass boat. Can you believe those things can cost 40K? It's like buying a SUV. He'd be over the moon excited to replace his boat with a new one.

Tell us something about you that most people wouldn't know or guess about you?

That once upon a time I sang lead in a band. We played Lions Club dances, proms, etc. It was great fun and will always be a good memory.

Who are your favorite authors/books?

Linda Howard's Death Angel!! That book will forever and always be in my collection. And Cherry Adair, anything she writes is great. My guilty pleasure is historical fiction by Elizabeth Hoyt.

What are you working on now?

I am 23K words into a new romantic suspense. Working title The Last Tear Drop. I read an FBI profile about erotomania and it peaked my interest. This is way past having a stalker. To prove himself worthy, the villain kills anyone he thinks causes the object of his affection trouble. But when he discovers she's never going to love him, he feels betrayed and all hell breaks loose!

Excerpt: The Last Execution

Ethan turned his head sideways as he studied J.T.’s face. Wide eyed, the boy pointed at the scar with his index finger. J.T. wasn’t surprised. The kid was probably curious.

            “How’d you get that?”

            “A piece of shrapnel—” He paused and considered Ethan’s age. “I was in the war. A bomb went off and a piece of metal smacked me in the face.”

            “Does it hurt?”

            “Not anymore.” J.T. marveled at the innocence in Ethan’s eyes.

            “Can I touch it?”

            “I guess so.” J.T. breathed in and waited. Ethan hesitated, leaning closer.

            “I’m not supposed to talk about your scar.”

            “Who said?”

            “Mama.”

            “It’s okay. I won’t tell.”

            J.T. turned his head to the side. No one had outright asked to touch the constant reminder of a day when his best friend caught the worst of an IUD. Hell, people shied away from his right side. Except Leigh, she looked him square in the face. He lay still while Ethan poked a finger into the scar a couple of times. After a few seconds of investigation, the kid cupped the scar with his small hand and patted lightly. The oddest thing happened to J.T.’s heart. It swelled inside his chest and then clenched.

            “Mama said you were a brave soldier.”

            Alien emotions swirled through J.T. and an unexplained urge to hug Ethan put a weird lump in J.T.’s throat. Unable to cope or understand, his mind raced for an idea, anything to end the moment.

The Last Execution blurb:

To survive, she must put the past behind her. To love, she must learn to trust.

Homicide detective Leigh McBride's first assignment with the FBI brings her face-to-face with a past she's tried hard to forget. And when her temporary partner, a cynical ex-marine, lights a fire in her she thought long-extinguished, her darkest secret is threatened.

Scarred both physically and emotionally, Special Agent J. T. Noble is a man of few words. He prefers to keep people at a distance—until he meets Leigh. He's attracted to her strength and drawn in by her secrecy. But in their line of work, secrets can be deadly.

When the killer they are hunting aims his vigilante justice at Leigh's past assailant, the fine line between right and wrong blurs. To heal the past—and find their future together—Leigh and J. T. must learn that only through trust and forgiveness can love grow.

Jerrie Alexander bio:

A student of  creative writing in her youth, Jerrie set aside her passion when life presented her with a John Wayne husband, and two wonderful children.  A career in logistics offered her the opportunity to travel to many beautiful locations in America, and she revisits them in her romantic suspense novels. 

But the characters went with her, talked to her, and insisted she share their dark, sexy stories with others.  She writes alpha males and kick-ass women who weave their way through death and fear to emerge stronger because of, and on occasion in spite of, their love for each other.  She likes to torture people, make them suffer, and if they’re strong enough, they live happily ever after.

The author of THE GREEN-EYED DOLL, THE LAST EXECUTION, and soon to be released, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, Jerrie and her husband live in Texas. She loves sunshine, children’s laughter, sugar (human and granulated), and researching for her heroes and heroines.

Social media links:

http://www.jerriealexander.com - website

http://www.jerriealexander.com/category/blog/

http://www.twitter.com/jerriealexander

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jerrie-Alexander /121521571355959?ref=hl

http://www.goodreads.com/jerriealexander

http://pinterest.com/jerriealexander/

Buy links: The Last Execution

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Execution-ebook/dp/B00BK9QU9K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365245740&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Last+Execution

Buy links: The Green-Eyed Doll

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jerrie+alexander+

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-green-eyed-doll-alexander-jerrie/1113957378?ean=2940015802665

http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=The+Green-Eyed+Doll