
Paranormal Romance
Literary Wanderlust
April1, 2021
294 pages

Veterinarian Piper is pragmatic enough to know her marriage wasn't working, which is why she left Dylan a year ago and pretends it hasn't hurt like hell every day since. Then Dylan calls out of the blue and tells her to come right away for an animal emergency. Piper arrives on the ranch that used to be her home to find her horse savagely killed. She can't fathom what could have done it. One thing, however, is obvious. Piper still loves Dylan.
Dylan isn't over Piper, not by a long shot. After her horse was ripped apart by something he's pretty sure wasn't a bear, it feels so good to hold Piper in his arms again. If only they could find a way to undo the mess that drove them apart.
An epic blizzard hits, trapping Piper and Dylan on the ranch for what just might be their one chance at reuniting. But as things get a whole lot scarier, it's clear something evil has brought them together.
Hunted by the supernatural, they must fight for their lives, but can they also fight for their love?
Interview with Joy Jarrett
by Sherry PerkinsĀ
About Joy Jarrett
The Interview
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times — interviewing authors is my favorite part ofĀ the Paranormal Romance Guild. The authors are fun and fascinating, just like the books they write. Joy Jarrett is no exception. She’s been to veterinary school (there’s a bit of a story there), likes a good, scary romance and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes toĀ writing or getting your books in front of readers! If you want to know more, here are the questions we asked of Joy:
- “A scary good romance,” is a phrase used to describe your novel, “Old Cravings.” It’s a blend between two book genres — a little romance and a lot of horror. What made you decide to blend the two? How did you balance the romance with the horror?
I do read romance, but without some exciting twist, I can easily get bored. I love romantic suspense, and often find myself wishing that the threat to the couple was something supernatural. This differentiates me a little from more traditional paranormal romances. Rather than the characters being part of the paranormal world, the paranormal invades my charactersā normal world. This is the difference between fantasy and horror. As an example, a traditional paranormal romance might be about two werewolves in opposing packs that fall in love, and thatās a fantasy world. Iād be more likely to write about a couple falling in love that discovers werewolves are attacking people in their town and have to save everyoneāand thatās more horror. I looked at all the books I enjoy reading and realized it was a lot of thrillers. I hope Iāve created a supernatural thriller romance withĀ Old Cravings. I could never find anything to read like that and really wished I could. So I wrote my own. I donāt want to be horrified when I read or watch movies, but I do want to be scared. (Think Stranger Things) I decided my paranormal romances would be scary booksāfun horror that doesnāt cross tooĀ much into the horrifying. I think both horror and romance ask the same question though: Will they/wonāt they survive? Either as a couple, or literally survive and thereās so much tension there. I balanced the romance inĀ Old CravingsĀ by making sure the supernatural threat to Piper and Dylan forced them together and made them reevaluate their relationship. And without giving too much away, in the end youāll see the supernatural threat occurredĀ becauseĀ of their relationship.
- I understand you enjoy playing board games. What’s your favorite? Have any of the game strategies helped you with your writing or life in general?
I love Settlers of Catan and Agricola. My kids enjoy these games as well and Iāve always thought how good it is for them to think strategically and how that can translate to planning skills in life. I hadnāt really thought about how game strategies could help with my writing, but thatās an interesting question. I think strategy games like the two I mentioned could definitely help with writing and life in general, because both of them involve thinking ahead and coming up with a lot of contingencies. These kinds of games force you to be flexible when another player thwarts your next move, and so often, characters thwart a writerās next move by taking on a life of their own in a story. Itās good to be able to think of alternative twists and plot trajectories when writing a bookāor in lifeābecause things rarely go to plan.
- It seems you’ve spent a good deal of time with animals, working in a pet store, a safari park and a veterinarian hospital, plus you have a degree in zoology. Did this help you to develop the main character, Piper, in “Old Cravings”? On a related note, is your main character semi-biographical or purely imagination?
I did go to veterinary school in Scotland for a short time before deciding against being a vet. Iāve always been fascinated by veterinary medicine and the career, even if I decided it wasnāt for me in the end. It takes a special kind of person to be able to balance the medical side, entrepreneurial aspect of running your own business, and helping both animals and humans. Unfortunately, thereās a lot of euthanasia involved in being a veterinarian, which is something I ultimately didnāt want to do. That takes a tough blend of being compassionate and thick-skinned, and that makes for an interesting type of character for stories. Working in various animal settings certainly helped me write Piperās character. I wouldnāt say Piper is autobiographical thoughāother than us both attending UC Davis.
- You’ve travelled to Britain, visited some castles and other interesting sites. Is there a future story in there somewhere?
There are already several stories there that Iāve written! I absolutely love visiting castles and manors in the UK and have been lucky enough to stay in several castles and historic homes over the years. Iāve written two Scottish contemporary romances as part of a series set in a castle hotel that was partially inspired by my stays in three different castles in Scotland. I hope to publish those soon. Iāve also written another scary good romance style book set in an English castle with a safari park, which was inspired by one of my favorite places in England, Longleat. Itās a 500-year-old Elizabethan manor with an amazing drive-through safari park. Since I also interned in a safari park in Oregon years ago, I combined the two settingsāwith a supernatural twist, of course.
- Also, you’ve been a librarian. Wearing your librarian’s hat, do you have any advice for new writers, marketing or developing a fan base?
I work part-time as a school librarian and in a public library. Working in libraries has certainly shown me that people pick up a book based on the cover. I notice people making their selections in the new book display, and they tend to pick up the colorful covers first. Then I see them read the back cover. Itās shown me that the cover gets someoneās attention first, and the jacket blurb cements their decision whether or not to read that book. Also, the decision is typically very fast. So those pieces are critical. You get maybe thirty seconds to impress someone.
Once someone actually reads your book, you can hopefully develop fans, and thatās how you get more readers. I canāt say I know exactly how to grow that fan base, but I do know the one unforgivable sin an author can commit is to write a boring book. People read to be entertained and/or to make them think differently about the world. When someone tells me they didnāt like a book, the number one reason is that it was too slow or too much work to read.
Iām surprised how often people come into the library and immediately ask for reading suggestions without even browsing first. Even with libraries being free and presenting no financial cost, books still represent a big investment of time, and no one wants to waste theirs on a dud book. People are eager for recommendations and will listen to librarians or friends and family. If you can grow a rabid fan base for your story, theyāll hopefully talk up your book to everyone they know. Itās rare someone doesnāt take a book recommendation because everyone is always happy to get ideas for their next read!
FOLLOW Joy Jarrett ON THESE LINKS:Ā
Website www.joyjarrettbooks.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoyJarrett
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorjoyjarrett/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorJoyJarrett/
Twitter https://twitter.com/ScaryJarrett
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