Today & for most of tomorrow I'm turning my blog over to Victoria James, who I interviewed about her debut novel "The Billionaire's Christmas Baby!!"My Q&A with Victoria James :
Jess : What books did you enjoy reading while growing up?
Victoria : My favorites were-Little House on the Prairie, then Nancy Drew, and then as a teenager I fell in love with historical romance; Judith McNaught being my all-time favorite author.
Jess : What do you do when you are not writing?
Victoria : Mostly family stuff. We have small children and it seems like there’s always something going on! But when I’m not doing ‘kid-stuff’ I’m putting my interior design background to use-I’m always rearranging furniture and pictures in our house. I still do freelance work as well. I love seasonal decorating. Basically, I drive my husband nuts, because he hates change...and thing are always changing!
Jess : Which of your characters would you most & least like to invite to dinner, from which book and why?
Victoria : Well, since it’s Christmas, I wouldn’t mind heading up to that remote cabin in “TBCB” and having Christmas with Jackson, Hannah, baby Emily and the Sampson’s! I’m sure our kids would get along fine, while we grownups shared a glass or two of Jackson’s favorite scotch... :)Jess : Please describe "The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby" in 75 words or less.
Victoria : Jackson Pierce had a perfect childhood-until a death changed everything. The tragedy shattered his family. He grew to hate the holidays, and everything that reminded him of the people he had lost. Hannah Woods grew up with nothing. Yet, it’s Hannah who teaches him the importance of family ties, the power of forgiveness. Somehow, they must overcome their pasts and find a way to be the family that both of them secretly desire...
Jess : Which usually comes first for you, the character(s) story or the idea for the novel?
Victoria : A little bit of both. Sometimes it’s a place, a person, or a scene. The book I’m writing now was inspired by a picture of a French castle I came across in a magazine. I started wondering about what kind of person would own a place like that-and what kind of person would absolutely not own a place a like that. So now I’m writing about two very different people, stranded together in the French Alps, in a breathtaking castle!
Jess : What sparked the idea for "The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby?"Victoria : A few years ago, surrounded by my extended family, I started wondering about how much of whom I was today, was shaped by the people around me. I had always known the love of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins. But what if I hadn’t? How would that have changed me? And that thought triggered the characters in "THE BILLIONAIRE’S CHRISTMAS BABY." How would different people react to the holidays if they didn’t have a family? If they had no one? Would they build walls around themselves? Or would they be in a perpetual search for a soul-mate, for love? The hero and heroine that took shape in my mind became larger than life. Their pain, their need for acceptance and unconditional love tugged at my heartstrings until I was forced to find a way to create a happily-ever-after for the three of them! And of course, it would have to take place during the holidays!
Jess : What is the most romantic thing one of your characters, from "The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby," said or did?Victoria : I think when Jackson secretly plans the romantic wedding for Hannah at the chapel.
It was completely unexpected and showed how much Hannah came to mean to him. The dress, the flowers, the connection to his past. He’s a keeper!!
Jess : What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
Victoria : I loved writing the opening, when Hannah first intrudes on Jackson and then he feels forced to go outside in the storm and convince her to stay at the cabin. It was fun to put them in a situation where they were completely at odds with each other, and neither of them had any idea where this meeting would take them.
Jess : In regards to "The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby," if you could write it all over again, would you change anything about it?Victoria : I think I would have loved to make it longer. I loved Hannah and Jackson and would have liked more time with them. It would have been nice to have spent longer with them after they were married, and with Emily.
Jess : If "The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby" were to be made into a film, who do you see playing the main characters and why?
Victoria : Christian Bale would play Jackson Pierce. I think because he has the brooding looks and the killer smile that I identify with Jackson. Anne Hathaway would be Hannah because she has vulnerability yet a very strong aura to her as well.
Jess : How many books have you written? Which is your favorite and why?
Victoria : Well, I’ve sold three books, but I’d say I’ve written five complete manuscripts I think....favorite-that’s hard! I think whichever one I’m working on becomes my favorite :)
Jess : Do you have any other projects in the works? If so, can you share a little of your current work with us?
Victoria : Sure! Right now I’m revising my next book-it’s the first book in a trilogy of brothers. It’s set in a small town and follows each of the brothers as they fall in love, find themselves, and reveal some of the deep/dark family secrets that have impacted their lives.
Jess : Do you have a favorite aspect of winter or tradition in your family during Christmas that you can tell us about?
Victoria : Growing up in a North-American-Italian family, the holidays were always filled with an abundance of family, food, and drama. Cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, would gather. The crowd was loud and the toasts with homemade wine were plenty.
This year, I’m hosting Christmas Eve dinner for approximately fifteen of our nearest and dearest. I have hosted Christmas Eve before, but I haven’t done the full-blown deal. This year, I’m going to cook up a big old, traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner. All seven fish dishes. I can do it...I hope! The day after I told my husband my plan? He bought a fire extinguisher.
Jess : Did you get all of your Christmas shopping done early this year or are you a last minute shopper?
Victoria : I usually try and have all my shopping done early. This year was the exception. I ended up so busy with this book release, plus the editing for my next book. I’ve fallen behind, so I think I’m going to get the rest of the shopping done online!
Jess : If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
Victoria : "Victoria James: A Work in Progress"
Jess : List 3 books you just recently read and would recommend?
Victoria : "Kidnapped by the Greek Billionaire" by Rachel Lyndhurst
"My Kind of Christmas" by Robyn Carr
"Miracles" by Judith McNaught (OK, so I read this before, but I’m a Christmas junkie!)
About the Author :
Victoria James is a romance writer living near Toronto, Canada. Victoria is a mother to two young children, and one very disorderly feline. Victoria attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and graduated with a degree in English Literature, where she met and then later married, her own hero. After Queen's, Victoria earned a degree in Interior Design. After the birth of her first child she began pursuing her life-long passion of writing. Her dream of being a published romance author was realized last February, 2012, when Entangled Publishing bought her manuscript. Victoria is living her dream-staying home with her children and conjuring up happy endings for her characters.- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Kindle Edition - File Size: 339 KB | Expected Release Date: November 19, 2012 | Publisher: Entangled Publishing : Indulgence | Obtained: Entangled Publishing"The Billionaire's Christmas Baby" by Victoria James
My Book Summary : Hannah is a social worker on a mission. Her mission being, getting Emily (a baby girl who was abandoned to the foster care system after her mother committed suicide) into a safe and loving home, even if that means tracking down Emily's uncle, Jackson, a man who changed his name as a way to disassociate himself to his family, is all she has left. Therefore, she tracks him down in his remote cabin in hopes to win him over and have him adopt Emily.
However, during the process of getting to the cabin a snowstorm hits leaving Hannah and Emily left to stay with Jackson. They find that they have more in common than either of them expects. Will she be able to get Jackson to agree to adopt Emily before the storm passes or will Hannah's hopes for Emily all turn up empty?
My Book Review : 4 out of 5 stars. Two people find the one person who might understand them while in the middle of a blizzard and under extreme circumstances.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Hannah and Jackson. Their back-stories, their connection, and their personalities were fun, sweet, and entertaining to read about. In addition, I loved how protective Jackson was of Hannah and Emily once he got to know them, as well as, how Hannah decided to make sure that Emily was provided for no matter the cost to her career--it was all very sweet.
I recommend this novel to anyone who likes contemporary romances!!
Author's Novel Extras : I’m an author for Entangled! | I have Release Dates! | The “Next Big Thing” Blog Stop... | The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby!!!!!!! It’s here, it’s here, it’s here!!!!!! | USA TODAY HEA BOOK BLOG! | 24 Days and In Love with Romance! | The Billionaire’s Christmas Cookies
Book Teaser(s) :
“Did you hear a word of what I said?” she asked in a voice that made him think she could have been an excellent schoolteacher.For more information on this book and/or any other books by Victoria, then please check out her website.
“I heard everything,” he said lying.
“Then what did I just say?” He made the mistake of glancing down at her breasts, which were straining against her shirt. He couldn’t help but think how nicely they’d fill his hands and then some...
“Jackson Pierce.” He couldn’t help it. He ducked his head and laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Hannah,” he said into her sparkling eyes, unable to stop the grin that seemed to appear on his face whenever he was around her. “I’m sorry, but you’ve got to cut me some slack. You are a beautiful woman.”
She took a step closer and poked him in the chest and he resisted the urge to laugh. Something else hit him while he stared at her fiery eyes. When he first met her there was no way she would have poked him, but she trusted him now. She acted like her true, spunky, assertive self, and that made him feel damn good.
“Please save your lines for someone who’ll actually fall for them,” she said dryly.
He nodded. “Fine. Why don’t you ask me what you’re really dying to know?”
“And what would that be?” ~ within Chapter 6
Find Victoria James :
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