8/23/2011

Jeanne Adams

In addition to writing spine-tingling suspense , multi-award winning author Jeanne Adams enjoys teaching, attending conferences and book signings. What's more she's always ready for a good laugh. So much so she invites you to join her at the very popular Romance Bandits blog.

But today, she's all ours--all ours--at Get Lost in a Story, and she's here to promote her September 11th release, DEADLY LITTLE LIES.

Billionaire industrialist Dav Gianikopolis believes in working hard and enjoying the fruits of your labors. He believes in legacies, but given the dark and dangerous legacy his own father passed on, he’s not sure he really wants to take the chance on love and marriage. Nearly getting killed – and having his best friend nearly die in his arms – changes his mind, and Dav decides its time to settle down. He decides he’s going to marry Carrie McCray, the woman he’s been drawn to for years, but never been able to reach. When she finally agrees to a date, everything goes horribly wrong and Dav and Carrie are kidnapped, whisked away to an unknown location, with the threat of death hanging over every move, every word. Locked away underground in an impenetrable cell, how can Dav and Carrie survive, much less, escape? When their captors are murdered before their eyes, with no warning, they must work together to escape, or perish. Having finally found a woman he can trust, and maybe even love, Dav isn’t giving up, and neither are his friends and colleagues Gates Bromley and Ana Burton-Bromley. In another fast-paced, brilliantly written suspense, author Jeanne Adams has given readers a roller-coaster ride of thrills, chills, suspense and hot, passionate romance.


Praise for Deadly Little Lies:
“Jeanne Adams delivers taut suspense with a blend of gripping action and rich characters for an edge-of-your-seat read.” – NYT bestseller Dianna Love


“Deadly Little Lies is a jewel of a story. From the beginning to the very end, you’re caught up in a story of passion and intrigue. With sizzle on every page, you won’t be disappointed.”
-NYT Bestselling Suspense Author, Sharon Sala, author of Blood Stains

~~~



Here's what the critics said last year. . .



Deadly Little Secrets
a RED HOT READ - Cosmopolitan Magazine!!
Deadly Little Secrets
- nominated for BEST SUSPENSE of 2010!! - RT Magazine




IT'S MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME JEANNE ADAMS!

~~~



DONNELL:
If you could live anywhere on earth where would it be?



JEANNE:
Hmmmm, that is one of those “it depends” questions. As far as the weather is concerned, I hate being hot, so I’d probably choose to spend my summers in Maine or British Columbia or Alaska. My winters would be somewhere cold, but not impassibly snowy, like my home state of North Carolina. Ha! I’d love to live in Scotland for a while too. But home is where the heart is, so I’ll actually be wherever my DH and my boyz are.



DONNELL:
What’s the favorite room of your house?



JEANNE:
The kitchen. We remodeled it several years ago and it’s warm and cozy and functions so well for the simplest meals to the biggest parties. I love that room!



DONNELL:
If you could ask any of your characters to dinner, who would it be?



JEANNE:
Oooh, great question! Hmmmm. Probably the four characters from Deadly Little Secrets (Sept. 2010) and Deadly Little Lies (Sept. 2011) – Ana, Gates, Davros and Carrie. Each of them have a fascinating past, a riveting present and a hopeful future and the conversation around the table would be unforgettable.



DONNELL:
Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?



JEANNE:
I do read reviews sometimes but, as I used to do with contest entries, I read them for common threads rather than specific pet peeves. If you read a LOT of reviews of a book (whether that’s a Great Book or the newest debut author), sometimes you can get a sense of what that author does well or what might have made the book better. For instance, if there are 10 reviews and every one says the pacing was terrific, or it kept them riveted, you know you’ve gotten that bit right. If most of the reviewers say they didn’t see the ending coming and they loved it, you know you sprang the surprise juuuuuust right.



That’s the kind of thing I like to read reviews for.



That said, I don’t let them influence my writing. I can’t, because everyone has likes and dislikes and sometimes people delight in being mean. Focusing on someone’s jealous or mean rant – and letting myself question my skill based on an anonymous review - doesn’t help me write a better book, and it can be very DIS-motivating. Writing’s hard enough, so I work diligently to keep it positive.

As I said, everyone’s taste is different. One of my best friends can’t believe I didn’t care for a certain NYT Bestseller. “How can you NOT LOVE that book?!?!” she constantly asks. I just don’t, although obviously millions DO. Both of us are right in our opinions. Of course, I don’t feel the need to write a review of it, either. Ha! Some people feel they MUST write one if they don’t like it. I’d rather read what people DID like about a book – anyone’s book, not just mine.



DONNELL:
What’s in your refrigerator right now?



JEANNE:
Snork! Funny question. Eggs – in the carton, hard-boiled and egg salad. Left-over chicken and mashed potatoes. Leftover pizza, and spaghetti. Steaks for tomorrow night, yogurt, two or three gallons of milk, some OJ, six or seven kinds of cheese, and a heck of a lot of condiments. We go through milk, cheese, eggs and OJ in this house like we owned a dairy farm and an orange orchard. Grins.



DONNELL:
What does it mean to love someone?



JEANNE:
Now THERE’s a loaded question. Grins. I believe it means that you accept them for who they are, in this moment, without ever expecting them to be different, and you love them to pieces for just that, right there. Love is respect, and laughter and that powerful connection that makes you agree to hang tough if the going gets tough, and rejoice when you’re in the smoother water. So I guess it means that you do that when you love someone – respect them, laugh with them (and sometimes AT them and at yourself), and you have that feeling of connection that makes you willing to be there in good times and bad. I’m really blessed, because I have this in my life when I never expected to. I’m very rich in that respect. :>



DONNELL:
You’re painting a picture, who or what would you paint?



JEANNE
: Hmmmm….so many choices…. If it were a thing, it would be trees on a rock-strewn, but green mountainside. I love the play of light and shadow in the green, and the rocks thrusting through the ground cover and the blue sky… yeah. Gorgeous. If it were a person or persons, it would probably be my children. If it were an animal, it would probably be my favorite Dalmatian. I’d have to do that one from memory because she’s crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but I could do it, right this minute. :>



DONNELL:
What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?



JEANNE:
Oh, goodness, so many! Meeting Nora Roberts, signing at her bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland . (And let me insert a fan-girl-squeeee here because I get to do that again on Sept. 17th with Deadly Little Lies!!). Meeting Charlaine Harris and Sharon Sala. Meeting Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love; taking classes from amazing authors like Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Donna MacMeans, and so many others. Sitting at the RWA Literacy Signing and having people actually buy my books and come to see me and say they LIKED my books. Ha! Blogging with astounding authors like Laura Ann Gilman, Hank Phillipi Ryan, and so many more.



And I have to say that one dream I always had was being part of a group of writers who worked together, had fun together, talked writing, books, etc. – endless fun in my opinion. I got to realize that dream in 2007 when I became part of the blog group, The Romance Bandits. That’s one fine group of fabulous writers and that’s really a realized dream, to be a part of that group.



DONNELL:
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?



JEANNE:
Another fun question! I seem to always pick one word to overuse in each book/manuscript, and it’s different for every story. In Dark and Dangerous, everyone stepped. They stepped up, stepped back, went up the steps, stepped aside, stepped over, around…you name it, there was stepping involved. Grins.

In Dark and Deadly, the word was against – people were against the heroine doing her work. Things leaned against the wall, the doors, or the car. The hero was constantly leaning against tables, or doorjambs.



In Deadly Little Secrets it was other. Every other kind of thing was other – in other words, the other woman, the other day…if a phrase COULD have “other” in it, I put it in.



In Deadly Little Lies it was drip. The water dripped. The blood dripped, the walls dripped with peeling wallpaper. Drip, drip, drip. Ugh.

Thankfully, I know this quirk now and catch on pretty quickly as to what word’s going to be my “beast” for a given book. Then at the end, I do a Find and replace 9/10ths of whatever word it is. Grins.



Oh, another quirk I have is that the more people I kill off in the book, the more gleeful I am about how the day’s writing went. (This kinda freaks my husband out….don’t know why….)



DONNELL:
What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing/researching a book?



JEANNE:
That you cannot blow up a car by shooting the gas tank, a la Hollywood.
You have to hit the battery, which is in a different place in virtually every car made. To blow up the car, you have to know where the battery is on that make and model and shoot THAT. Hit it? BLAMMO! Miss? Ping….chink…nuthin.



DONNELL:
If you’re not writing, where will we find you?



JEANNE:
Walking the dogs, curled up reading either by myself or with my youngest boy, or watching my eldest play baseball (at which he excels) or yakkin’ on the Romance Bandit blog.

~~~



JEANNE ADAMS:
Okay, readers, turn-about is fair play. I LOVE the questions posed here, so now I have one for you! In Deadly Little Lies, the hero, Davros, and his lady, Carrie, are kidnapped and dumped in a cell in Central America. While the situation is terribly dangerous, they do make the most of it….



If you could pick anyone – real or imaginary – with whom to be stranded, who would it be? (Now, pick someone OTHER than your spouse or boyfriend, ladies (or gents), because that’s more fun!)



If you had to be stranded with that hottie, hero or historic figure, WHERE would you choose to be stranded?



READY TO HAVE SOME FUN?
Answer Jeanne's question and be entered for a chance to win Deadly Little Lies.



Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless otherwise indicated by guest author. If an electronic Copy is available, the author may utilize that option. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. It is the responsibility of the winning commenter to contact GLIAS with their email address or those participating may leave their email addresses in their public post.



DON’T FORGET
to FOLLOW us on Twitter (#GetLostStories) or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join us later in the week when Shea Berkley, Brenda Novak, and Deborah Cooke join GLIAS. Remember to check back daily to GET LOST in your favorite stories!

51 comments:

  1. Jeanne, thanks so much for being with us today! Gosh, what a hard question. *I'm a Married Woman. Gasp!" But.... :) for the sake of getting into the role, I've always had a huge crush on Benjamin Pratt and Bill Pullman.... Okay, they don't look a single thing alike -- I'm in love with Sandra Bullock's co-stars, or maybe men whose names start with a B. Where would I be stranded. How about a mountain cabin in Colorado :)

    Great answers to our questions. I can't WAIT to read Deadly Lies!

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  2. Good Morning, Donnell!! Testing, testing....

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  3. I was having trouble with Blogger letting me post - sorry about that!

    That said, thanks for having me on the blog today! I'm so excited to be here and see what answers I get to that question. Grins.

    And speaking of that, I LIKE your taste! Sandra B's had some wonderful co-stars, hasn't she? (*pauses* considers Practical Magic, Speed, Blind Side...) Lucky Sandra. So I get those choices, quite easily.

    And a cabin in CO ain't bad either! Sounds like fun. Grins.

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  4. Boy, after watching Sunday's episode of True Blood, I'd love to be stranded with Alcide Herveaux. *whistles* And I don't care where, as long as we're not rescued for a few months!

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  5. Good morning Jeanne, and welcome to GLIAS.
    I love your answer to writing quirks. It's so familiar.

    Stranded? Anywhere? At first this seems like a very simple question (and if my hubby's checking in, I was instructed NOT to pick you)... I think the man would have to be fictional because I don't believe any one person would be able to fulfill all the requirements for surviving. LOL But the location would be a beach somewhere...a beach with a reef for safe swimming...a beach with lots of coconuts & fruit close by...a beach with a chair, umbrella, and a palm fan for the man (with lots of muscles that he never has to work at to keep) to pull and keep me cool.

    Fantasy... I'll definitily go with Fantasy.

    ~Angi

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  6. *If you could pick anyone – real or imaginary – with whom to be stranded, who would it be?*
    A certain Navy SEAL. :-)
    *If you had to be stranded with that hottie, hero or historic figure, WHERE would you choose to be stranded?*
    That’s easy the Four Seasons, Bali.

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  7. McGyver. I'd be stranded with McGyver because: One, he's hot and not young enough to mother. Two, he can make a mansion out of spit, paperclips, and duct tape. Love me a handy man.

    Where is a bit tougher, but I'm liking Rita's idea (she's so smart, our Rita!), so as long as McGyver has a bottomless credit card, I'll be hijacking her destination!

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  8. Jeanne and Donnell, what a fun interview!

    I prefer vicarious danger to real, so if I had to be stranded somewhere I'd pick someplace fairly safe, like a mountainside cave in a thunderstorm. I'd like to be with someone who could make that comfy, so with Aragorn from LOTR--a Ranger of the North should be good with making a fire and so on--or Jack O'Neill from Stargate SG-1, for similar reasons. Plus I think they'd both have great stories to tell.

    And there's the whole eye candy thing . . .

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  9. Hi Jeanne!

    The blurb on your new release, DEADLY LITTLE LIES sounds suspenseful!

    Getting stranded with Dexter Filkins would be pretty interesting. Former New Yorker Times war corespondent, now with the New Yorker. He's totally hot, and a great writer/warrior. Plus he's got a goofy name. I love heroes with old fashioned or eccentric names! AND, he's really smart, an essential quality in someone you're stranded with.

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  10. What a delightful interview by two of my favorite people. Hi, Jeanne and Donnell! Gee, Donnell, where do you come up with such interesting questions. And Jeanne, your answers are, as always, fun and quirky.

    I'm so looking forward to this book. First, I love the name Dav. Where did you get it? Second, I love the stuck-together-alone scenario. Rife with soooo many possibilities, romantic and otherwise, giggle!

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  11. Oops, missed the question. I always do that! Duh!

    Hmmm, it'd definitely be one of my daughters (and I have to be careful here), probably my oldest because she's enough like me to be perfectly comfortable with, but different enough to balance out my personality. Plus, she's the most interesting conversationalist. We never run out of things to talk about.

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  12. Patricia. The Ritz Carlton on Bali is also an option. Heavy Sigh! So tough to be stranded.

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  13. Oooh, Abigail! Yeahhhhh, that would be a good one to be stranded with...

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  14. Hi Jeanne! **Maureen waves wildly**

    Stranded somewhere... Hmmm... I'll take a log cabin by a beautiful lake with that dude who plays Alcide in True Blood.

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  15. Hi Angi! I must say, I LIKE your fantasy! The beach...palm fan...yeah...verrrrra nice! Grins.

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  16. Rita, the Four Season in Bali? Ohhhhh, yeah. Stranded, with a Navy Seal, with ROOM Service! Yessirreee. I LIKE that one!

    Thanks for that lovely thought...

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  17. Patricia, I'm liking YOUR idea too. McGyver at the Four Seasons Bali, and if you want to get away from the hotel for a bit....yeah, he's got'cha on whatever you need.

    Had to LOL about him not being young enough to need mothering. Snork! That's VERY important!

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  18. Nancy, Nancy, Nancy! Is eye-candy all you'd want? That and a fire, of course. Grins. They need to go catch dinner, and serve it up with wild grapes, a side of field greens and a nice chardonnay too.

    SNORK!

    Then again, the two you've picked are pretty good choices for eye candy, so why not. Heehee.

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  19. Hey there, GJillian! I love your moniker, which tells not only the name but how to pronounce it all in one go. Grins.

    Maybe I should change mine so people pronounce my name right. Hmmmm... then I would be NoIJeannie. Haha! I don't think so, that sounds...eye-less. SNORK!

    I hope you'll find Deadly Little Lies to BE suspenseful. I sure had fun writing it, and it's been fun to hear reviewers reactions so far...

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  20. Does anyone else think the words the post captcha thingie comes up with are weird? Some unique and interesting word combos - tedzwa - and cornfu and scromite.

    Weird...

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  21. Morning Jeanne and Donnell,
    What a FUN interview!

    Thank you for saying such wonderful things about the Banditas, Le Duchesse. I feel exactly the same way! Dunno where I'd be without my Banditas. And I can't WAIT to get my copy of Deadly Little Lies!

    As for your question, did you say historical figure? Then I have to pick William Shakespeare. Talk about some interesting conversations! On a lovely tropical beach somewhere complete with air conditioned hut with a well-stocked fridge. I'd love to introduce Willie-boy to the wonders of frozen mai tais. ;-)

    AC

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  22. GJillian, I went and looked Dexter Filkins up on CSpan as I'd forgotten what he looked like. *wiggles eyebrows* Well now. Grins

    He's got that rumpled professorial thing going, kinda Indiana Jones-ish...

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  23. Hey Jo! Another Bandita swings by! Grins.

    Weren't those questions fun, Jo? and *blush* on the funny/quirky comment. Thanks. :>

    Dav's name is actually Davros, which was the name of the brother of a friend of mine in grade school. Obviously, they were Greek, as is Dav. Grins.

    Naming characters is really challenging, don't you think? Too eccentric means villain material. Too common...well, it's too common. Grins.

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  24. Now Jo, THAT is a very good answer! And I suspect that any child of yours is an excellent conversationalist. Grins.

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  25. Rita, you obviously have a thing for Bali. Went and looked up both the Four Seasons and the Ritz....ohhhhhh yeah.

    Scrumptious.

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  26. Hi Maureen! *waves madly back!*

    Alcide's gettin' some votes today.

    BTW, if you Google or Goodsearch Alcide True Blood you get some FABULOUS pictures.

    Just sayin'

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  27. Hey AC! Ol Willie boy? SNORK!!! Okay, I nearly spewed Diet Coke over that one. Hahahah!

    I'm bettin' The Bard would have enjoyed a good Mai Tai, a great beach and a fabulous adventure with the best crop-weilding Bandita around. Grins.

    Oh, to have a camera on THAT scene! Shakespeare Ensnared! Film at eleven!

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  28. Well, Holy Cow, we just had an earthquake in DC. I guess everyone's excited about Deadly Little Lies, right? Right?

    Snork.

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  29. A tropical beach with Mark Harmon....sigh.

    We can make the earth move all by ourselves. lol

    Earthquakes in real life suck though. My heart is still pounding away and needs to slow down a bit!

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  30. Hey Debra! Oooh, Mark Harmon. *pauses to visualize...........* Oh, sorry. And Snork on the "makin' the earth move"

    Feel bad for those in the Pentagon who were having 9/11 flashbacks. That must have been awful.

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  31. Hi Jeanne! Reading the blurb for Deadly Little Lies, I can say Dav and Carrie have quite an adventure ahead of them. That is some date!

    If I had to be stranded with Jericho Barrons (Fever series by Karen Marie Moning), I want to be in an isolated Scottish castle. The scenery would be breathtaking and I would be awe exploring the castle.

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  32. Ooooh, Na! Jericho....yummy. And woohoo on the Scottish Castle. :>

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  33. Welcome, Jeanne! Well, this is a fun game. I'm going to be stranded with Leonardo DiCaprio, in Paris. (Don't ask me how you can be stranded in Paris. You just can, OK?)

    Best success with the release!

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  34. Hi ya, Jeanne & gang, I'm back, and all I can say is what's with the formatting. I make it real pretty post it... and then it all scrunches. together. I know. must be the earthquakes in D.C. & you know what else is crazy. We had an earthquake in Colorado today. Wow.

    I'm loving everyone's fantasies, and it's great to see some of the Banditas chiming in. :)))))

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  35. Great Interview Jeanne!
    I would love to be stranded with Ryan Reynolds. No explanation needed!

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  36. Hi Jeanne! Hi Donnell! Jeanne, what a fascinating interview. Donnell, you ask SUCH interesting questions. Jeanne, I had to snicker at the fridge contents. I've been in your house - yup, that's pretty much it. Apart from the white wine. There's always plenty of white wine when I'm staying. And I so hear you on that one word that seems to infiltrate each manuscript. It's always a different word and there never seems any particular reason for it. With CAPTIVE OF SIN, for example, everything was 'ineffable'. Not quite sure why. And it's hardly a word that pops up often in everyday conversation! Congratulations on all the wonderful buzz for DEADLY LITTLE LIES. I loved DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS!

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  37. Hi Simone! Hey, this is a fun game, if you want to be stranded in Paris with Leo, you can. Grins. Thanks for the good wishes. :>

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  38. Hey Donnell! I heard about the quake in CO as well as having riding out the one in DC. It's been eventful! Ha! I'm loving everyone's fun ideas too.

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  39. Heehee, Sherie, nope, no explanation needed. Grins.

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  40. Hi Jeanne!! Hi GLIAS ladies!! Jeanne, I've just pre-ordered DLL and can't wait to read it. Love the blurb!

    I would choose to be stranded with Daniel Craig in a small but well-stocked cottage overlooking Loch Ness. Let me explain why. Um...on second thought, do you really need an explanation? :-)

    I'm laughing at the different words you've overused in each book. My last one was 'inexorable.' I mean, how many times can you use that word and not realize you've said it three or four times already? Too silly. And now I'm seeing that Ms. Campbell's word was 'ineffable.' I'm going to use that one in the next book. Look for it. Hehehe!

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  41. Hey! Anna Campbell's in the house!! Grins. There's wine in the fridge right now, although there wasn't the other day when Donnell sent the questions. Ha! Now, there's no steak and no spaghetti, but there's still eggs, milk, cheese and OJ! Hahah! And wine. Almost always wine. Grins.

    I'm snorking about ineffable. You're right, that's not one you'd expect to pop up too often. The weirdest one for me was "arbitrary" which popped up in a mss that's not been yet published. Seriously, how often does arbitrary come up in convo? About as often as ineffable! Ha!

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  42. Hey! Another Bandita in the house! Hey Kate! YOu said: would choose to be stranded with Daniel Craig in a small but well-stocked cottage overlooking Loch Ness. Let me explain why. Um...on second thought, do you really need an explanation? :-)

    Nope, don't need an explanation. Not at all. Nope. Grins.

    Inexorable? Oh, my. So here's the fun pact - Anna, Kate and I need to all use Ineffable, Inexorable and Arbitrary in our next books. YOu'll have to buy it to find out how we did it...same sentence? Scattered through the book...a random sighting? Grins.

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  43. Anna, it's you! Hahah! Have to tell you that my little code word to post was "corked" - kid you not.

    Grins.

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  44. Hello Jeanne,
    (waving madly)Congrats on the upcoming release. I want to be stranded with Eric Bana on a tropical isle where we could sustain on fish, coconuts and other fruits we might find. I'm hoping Eric will go shirtless because of the balmy weather.

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  45. Hey Jane! *waving madly back*

    Ahhhhhh, balmy weather with a shirtless Eric Bana....yeah, that would SO work for me too. Grins.

    Please...I have to have a moment to imagine....

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  46. Jeanne, these code words can be ineffably arbitrary, can't they? I'm about to start polishing my new ms - suspect I'll come up with another over-used word. I never know what it is when I'm in the process of writing the darn first draft. Laughing at the fact that the fridge is now suitably stocked with vino.

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  47. I do share Eric with Aunty Cindy, so I must make sure he's free before I take him with me.

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  48. Somewere in the mountains in a cozy little cabin would be good for me.

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  49. Hey Anna! Yes, they can be inexorably compelling, as well as ineffable and arbitrary. Grins. And we have wine...come on over!

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  50. Jane, you share? Whoa, progressive. Grins. Is that like the Bana Time Share Plan? Heehee. Love it!!

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  51. Hey Virginia! Cozy cabins, I like those too! With whom would you like to share it? Real or imaginary....

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