December Joyathon: Interview + Giveaway with Jenn LeBlanc

Meet Jenn:
I have several constants in life that define me:
Colorado, Canon, CJ, kids and curls.
Born and raised in a household of other people’s children in this beautiful state —very nearly with a camera in hand— I never left. I started my own family, got used to the curls, went to college, built a CJ, and started a business, all with a camera in hand.

TRATR original
click for an excerpt

TRATR revamped
releases today

I always had another passion; storytelling born from daydreams and nightmares. My fingers were never as quick as my mind, and no amount of practice got them there, so it was difficult and frustrating to have this inside me. When my second daughter was born her inherent traits kept me pinned— my only escape the keyboard. Spending my days in parenting chat rooms I got highly adept with one-handed typing and I can still type just about as fast with one hand as I can with two. It’s a great talent to have when engrossed in a scene and in need of a hit of caffeine. I recently finished my first novel but I quickly realized: I was born a photographer.
From the realization that someone ELSE would be shooting the cover of MY book my control-freak took over. What started as an easy cover shoot ballooned into this completely new kind of media, designed specifically for digital book readers.
I live and thrive off chaos and the constant flow of the creative process. I wear shorts and flip-flops year-round —much to the chagrin of my friends and family— and I am currently working on the illustrations for my second novel.

Where To Find Jenn: Twitter | Facebook | Author Site

Kati: Who is Jenn during the holidays? (author, gift giver, last minute shopper, baker)
Jenn: Mom frantically trying to find the best possible gifts on a severely limited budget, LOL. And yes, primarily last minute because I hate shopping crowds so I avoid them until it is too late. Which is awful. I do bake during the holidays, which I don’t really normally, though I don’t know about baking this year since I won’t eat any of it. :) (Trainer Derek would not approve)

K: What is your favorite thing about the holidays?

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J: Oh, I don't know. Christmas was always my mom's favorite holiday, and Thanksgiving was my grandmother's so it is weird now, with both of them gone. We usually eat out for Thanksgiving, and Christmas is a production of shuffling kids around to different houses. What I would like, is to have a front room big enough for a nice Christmas tree, and to have all my kids with me on Christmas morning. Someday, maybe. I do love mulling spice though, I guess that's my favorite thing right now. I always boil cider on the stove with mulling spice and the whole house smells so good! I also love the activities we do, the Christmas spirit, the stuff that has nothing to do with all the shopping.

K: Which authors (dead or alive) would you invite to your holiday party?
J: Ashley March, Delilah Marvelle, Julie Anne Long, Pamela Clare, Tiffany Reisz, Melissa Mayhue, Elaine Levine, Shana Galen, Zoë Archer, Teresa Medeiros, Stephanie Laurens, Lisa Kleypas, Courtney Milan, Meljean Brook, Melissa Schroeder, Maisey Yates, goodness there are so many. I’d like a good mix, a lot of historical with a little paranormal, erotica, suspense and even some cowboys and steampunk mixed in. That about covers it right? (uh, is there room for one more? I'm coming too. Edward Cullen creeping in the corner style.)

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K: If you’ve written a holiday themed/titled book, what is it about? If you have not, would you write a holiday themed/titled book in the future?
J: The next serial I have planned actually starts at a Christmas wedding, because I grew up watching White Christmas and my dream wedding was always full of red velvet and white maribou. Right now the heroine is known as clementine, but that will change soon. I just don't have enough of a feel for her to name her yet. My daughters were eating clementine's at the time, so it stuck. It is probably as close to holiday as I’ll get for a book.

K: What is your favorite Christmas story, book or movie? (Mine is White Christmas)
J: um...well...yeah there is that, which I already mentioned, but I think more than that is the Grinch. He is my absolute hero because he shows the capacity for change. And he is fuzzy and green with an awesome sidekick. (NOT the live action version. No NONONONO. NO.)

K: What is the most annoying Christmas song?

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J: I hate, with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns, The Little Drummer Boy. I don’t know why, and I know it is one of the most popular but all that pah rump pah pum pumming is just obnoxious. (agreed)

K: Real tree or fake tree?
J: Colorado = real trees. Plus they smell good.

K: Specific gifts or gift cards?
J: Unless you have the penchant for finding something that truly speaks to the recipient I say go with the gift card. I am one of those people who hates wasted anything, and all the gifts that don’t get used because the giver didn’t really know the givee make me nuts. I guess that can be considered rude, but I believe time and effort should go into the giving. If you don’t have that much to give just grab a gift card and let them do the work. It’s just as thoughtful, in fact I would much prefer a gift card than some fruitcake, or something else awful. Really it’s more thoughtful to give a Starbucks card than some kind of foodstuff that may or may not end up in the garbage.

K: Fruit cake or gingerbread?

oh for the love of coccyx. click.

J: Oh, well there we go again, gingerbread is the clear winner here. ;) (Oh for the love of coccyx! Are you anticipating my questions? Slightly creepy...)

K: Just enough decorations or “every tree lighted, blow up snowglobe, snow man in the yard” decorations?
J: I used to go all out, outdoor lights indoor lights the whole shebang. When the kids were little they got a new ornament every year, and it was a giant production. It wasn’t necessarily that they got older but that we bought a house and it is little, so the front room hardly fits us much less fancy stuff, which makes me sad. We have yard decorations now, but last year we didn’t do the big tree because there just wasn’t room for it anywhere.

K: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
J: I like Christmas Eve because it is more peaceful and quiet, in general. Christmas is chaotic and there’s a lot of driving around to family and then switching kids with other parents and it has really sapped the actual day for me. I enjoy the festivities leading up. And by festivities I mean doing things, ice skating and drinking hot cocoa, riding the horse drawn carriages on the 16th street mall, all the lighting ceremonies etc... NOT the shopping. I rather hate how much shopping has changed the face of Christmas.

goldenvisitorsbureau.com

K: What are you looking forward to in the new year? (any new projects?)

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J: Oh yes. YES YES YES. Perry. Need I say more? Oh there’s Twitchy too. For those of you who haven’t read my book THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE the new improved version is out today, it is a serial novel, and the final, never before released, parts are coming out in February. That is Perry’s story. Twitchy (that’s just a nickname) is another book that will be out this year. I’m really excited about this one because the heroine is SO VERY different. (I'm totally Team Perry but won't turn this into a Twilight-like rivalry.)

K: Author’s choice.
J: What is YOUR favorite part of the holidays? What do you do to get into the Christmas spirit?

Thanks Jenn for participating in the Joyathon! I'm sure there's drool on everyone's keyboards after your interview. Isn't there always? lol. I think they quit reading after G's abs. *shakes head*

A WALLFLOWER CHRISTMAS:

The Wallflowers are four young ladies in London who banded together in their wild and wickedly wonderful searches for true love. Now happily married, they join together once again to help one of the world’s most notorious rogues realize that happiness might be right under the mistletoe.…

It’s Christmastime in London and Rafe Bowman has arrived from America for his arranged meeting with Natalie Blandford, the very proper and beautiful daughter of Lady and Lord Blandford. His chiseled good looks and imposing physique are sure to impress the lady in waiting and, if it weren’t for his shocking American ways and wild reputation, her hand would already be guaranteed. Before the courtship can begin, Rafe realizes he must learn the rules of London society. But when four former Wallflowers try their hand at matchmaking, no one knows what will happen. And winning a bride turns out to be more complicated than Rafe Bowman anticipated, especially for a man accustomed to getting anything he wants. However, Christmas works in the most unexpected ways, changing a cynic to a romantic and inspiring passion in the most timid of hearts.

Where To Buy: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt

Now that you've wiped the drool from your keyboard, Jenn is giving away a copy (e-book for international or paperback for US) of A WALLFLOWER CHRISTMAS to one(1) lucky reader. Here's how to enter:

• Leave a comment answering Jenn's question along with your email addy, ninja style: yourname at gmail dot com.
• Fill out the rafflecopter form below. You must answer Jenn's question. All other entries are optional. I recommend on following Jenn via Twitter. She tweets some sexy shots during studio time.

Easy peasy right? Don't forget to enter for the awesome super secret prize here.

A huge thank you to Jenn for participating in the Joyathon, giving away a copy of A WALLFLOWER CHRISTMAS and for the official Joyathon banner/header for the blog and for supplying my need for man candy.

***ALL IMAGES ©Jenn LeBlanc unless otherwise noted
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED NO COPYING, DOWNLOADING, or REPRODUCTION without the express permission of the owner or the hounds of hell will be upon you***