An Interview and a Book Drawing

I'll bet some of you are familiar with Jennifer Shirk, Samhain author and fellow blogger. Recently I won her book The Role of a Lifetime. I have to give it away because it was SO good! Seriously, I was laughing while I read it at the gym. People probably thought I was weird. The story hooked me in and I read it in like three days, which is good with my as-of-late crazy schedule.

Jennifer has a really strong, perky voice. I loved the humor and the characters. Go Jennifer!

So, she was kind enough to answer a few questions for me. Below is the short interview. If you want to be entered in the drawing to win her book, leave a comment. :-)

1. How long did you write and submit before you got your contract with Samhain? Well, I started writing when my daughter was about two--at nap time--then three years and two bad manuscripts later...voila! I finally sold. :)

2. What's your favorite thing about being published? I love having a little part of me to physically pass down to my daughter, so that when she's older she can say, "Wow, so this is what goes on in Mom's mind!" LOL!
Least favorite thing? The business side of writing. Promo and marketing can be draining when all you really want to do is write.

3. I've heard that having characters who are famous (such as an actor) is a no-no for newer authors. Yet your story is so cute and entertaining. The characters totally work. Did anyone suggest you change the hero's occupation? Why didn't you? It's a no-no? Oops. Why didn't anyone tell me??!

4. What do you think is the best advice for writers pursuing publication? Honestly? To always write. The more you write, the better you become. I've seen such growth in my critique partners as well as myself from where we all started. There's so much more to learn, too.

5. When does your next book come out and can we have a sneak peak? What next book? Oh, uh, I mean, of course, the next book. Well, I'm in the process of submitting it, but I hope to hear some good news soon. :)

Remember, Leave a comment to be entered for this cute story. Thanks Jennifer, for taking the time to answer my questions. :-)