Monday, August 24, 2015

Interview with Jennifer Apodaca, author of Exposing the Heiress




Title: Exposing the Heiress
Author: Jennifer Apodaca
Publisher: Entangled Ignite
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Kindle 

This Marine will protect her at all costs...

When wealthy heiress Alyssa Brooks finds out her stepfather has been paying her fiancé to marry her, she's humiliated and betrayed. She quickly breaks the engagement, only to be blackmailed by her nowex-fiancé, who threatens both Alyssa and the son she gave up for adoption. With nowhere to go, she turns to the one man she can trust.

Former Marine sniper Hunter Reece's lethal skills could save Alyssa's life. But his little sister's best friend has turned into a woman, who is an irresistible mix of secrets and sexiness. And while Hunter can trust himself to protect her, he can't trust himself to keep his attraction hidden...or even pretend to be the man that Alyssa remembers.

Because the only way to keep the lovely heiress safe is to become the one thing he knows she could never love...a killer.

ORDER INFORMATION

Exposing the Heiress is available for purchase at  
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What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
My husband, sons and being able to have a career I love.  I’m able to live my passion each day and never take that for granted.
How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
I would have to say that my life was pretty typical until my dad suddenly died when I was fourteen. At that point, it seemed my entire family began unraveling, and I lost the security and confidence of a strong family unit. In my books, I put the characters through trials, but they create a new family and friends circle to help them triumph and find happiness. But there are smaller influences too – my father was a WWII pilot and named his plane Blue Eyes after my mom. My parents had a very strong love that created in me the belief that real love is out there.  
When and why did you begin writing?
I began seriously writing after I was married and had three small children. My husband was going to school to get him Masters’ degree, and I went back to college to get my B.A. in Marketing. However, my true passion was writing, and with time at a premium, I had to choose between getting my degree and writing. I chose writing.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Yep. Around the time I was in high school, and reading voraciously.  I began to dream of writing then, but it was years and years before I wrote my first book.
When did you first know you could be a writer? 
That’s the thing – I didn’t know for sure. All I could do was try. There were a LOT of setbacks and disappointments along the way, but the joys, friendships and fans have made it so worth it.
What inspires you to write and why?
The characters in my head. It’s a drive I can’t really explain.
What genre are you most comfortable writing?
Hmm, good question. Right now, I’m happy writing contemporary and paranormal genres, and I almost always have an element of mystery or suspense in my books.
What inspired you to write your first book?
For my first book that published, I simply wrote the book I wanted to read at the time. Chick Lit was popular, I liked mystery and romance, so I wrote a mystery, DATING CAN BE MURDER, featuring a young mom with two sons who found out her dead husband had cheated on her. I was actually surprised when the book sold and The Samantha Shaw Mystery Series was born. All because I stopped trying to write what I thought would sell, and instead wrote the book I wanted to read.
Who or what influenced your writing once you began?
My husband. He believed in me every single day all the while understanding the realities of publishing. At that time, getting published and building a viable career was something of a longshot, but he supported me in my efforts.
What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
For me, it’s that I don’t write as fast as I wish I did. And balancing my career with the demands of my personal life.
Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?
Writing the entire Once A Marine series has taught me so much about the PTSD that combat veterans cope with.  The sensationalized stories in the media don’t capture the day-to-day struggles. Some get professional help, and others forge their own path. Doing the research, then living in the heads of the former Marine’s I create has given me a new empathy – to the extent that someone who hasn’t lived it can really understand.
Do you intend to make writing a career?
It’s been my career for 13 years, and I’ll do it as long as I can!
Have you developed a specific writing style?
I’m sure I have, but my goal is to improve with every book. To write leaner and stronger, showcasing the character and story to the absolute best of my ability.
What is your greatest strength as a writer? 
I’ll rewrite a scene, chapter or even the entire book as many times as it takes to get it right.
What is your favorite quality about yourself?
Sense of humor.
What is your least favorite quality about yourself?
Impatience
What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” 

Because it’s true. There are no shortcuts, or tricks. It’s just sitting down and struggling and bleeding until the story emerges. 
 

Award winning author Jennifer Apodaca grew up in Southern California and met her very own hero at the dog pound. She worked there, he came in on business, and it was puppy love. They married and had three wonderful sons.

While her husband worked on his master’s degree, Jen did the mom thing by day and went to college at night with the intention of pursuing a marketing degree. But her true passion was writing. With time at a premium, she had to make a choice.

Choosing writing, and with the full support of her husband, she poured herself into her dream. A mere eight years later, she published her first book DATING CAN BE MURDER. In her career, Jen has written a fun and sexy mystery series and a variety of contemporary romances. Taking the pen name of Jennifer Lyon, she also created a dark, sizzling paranormal series, and most recently, The Plus One Chronicles, an emotional and sexy adult contemporary series.

Jen has achieved many of her dreams except for attaining a self-cleaning house, a latte delivery service, and finding the holy grail of nonfattening wine and chocolate. She can live with those disappointments as long as she can keep writing the stories she loves to share with readers.  

For More Information

Visit Jennifer’s website.
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