J. J. Cook Interview

This is a flashback to July 2013, my first year of the blog.

I picked sharing this because I never want anyone to forget author Joyce & Jim Lavene.

They were wonderful authors and amazing people. Not a day goes by that I don't miss them. 

I'm not adding anything fancy to this. You're seeing it just as it was.  

 

J. J. Cook Interview

Jim & Joyce Lavene

 

 

LKBR:  How did you come up with the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade series?

 

J&J:  We wanted to write something a little more serious with a compelling, determined heroine - and a ghost! Because of our shared family backgrounds with relatives in the fire department, we choose that as a beginning. We were in Tennessee on vacation when we saw a small volunteer fire station and it hit us what we needed. Enter Fire chief Stella Griffin and former chief, the ghost of Eric Gamlyn. Berkley loved the idea and we sold it right away.

 

 

LKBR:  You have a ghost in your story. Do you believe in ghosts or had any experiences?

 

J&J:  We have both had experiences with ghosts and know several people who are amateur ghost hunters. We also love any books or movies with ghosts. Eric Gamlyn is a fun ghost - he cooks and helps Stella as well as spending time with Hero, the fire brigade's adopted Dalmatian.



 

 

LKBR:  Do you follow the same writing process for all of your books or does each book come into being in different ways?

 

J&J:  The actual writing process - when we sit down at the computers - is always the same. We tell the story to each other, out loud, writing down the words as we go. The lead up, inspiration for each story, is different. The characters usually appear first, even if they aren't completely formed. It usually takes us about a year to get everything ready, but only a couple of months to get the words down.

 

 

LKBR:  Where do you find inspiration for the settings of your stories?

 

J&J:  Setting is so important, isn't it? The characters and plot need exactly the right place. In the fire brigade's case, we knew it had to be in the Smoky Mountains where we came up with the idea. We actually use the cabin we stayed at as Stella's in the books. We like to take pictures we can use as we work.

 

 

LKBR:  Who are some of your favorite authors?
 
J&J:  Barbara Hambly. Anne McGaffrey. Tanith Lee. Sabrina Luna. Lynn Willis. Jim Butcher. Charlaine Harris. We read cross genre, but truly prefer paranormal.

 



LKBR:  What are 3 things you would like your fans to know about you?

J&J:  Hmm. We prefer e-books to print now. After downsizing, we don't have room for all the books we read and it's sad to give them up. With e-books, we don't have to. We both play musical instruments. Our best ideas come from driving around on old back roads.

 

#2 in Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade series (can't wait!)

 

LKBR:  Is there anything else you'd like to add?

J&J:  We write under more than one name. We know it's confusing, but it's necessary if you write a lot. We write Peggy Lee Garden Mysteries, Missing Pieces Mysteries, Renaissance Faire Mysteries and Sheriff Sharyn Howard Mysteries under Joyce and Jim Lavene. We are writing Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries and Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mysteries under J.J. Cook. Under  Ellie Grant, we are writing Pie in the Sky Mysteries. 

New books from September to December this year include Plum Deadly (pie shop, September), A Finder's Fee (Missing Pieces, October), Murderous Matrimony (Ren Faire, November) and an e-book novella, Hero's Journey (Sweet Pepper, December)

                                               

                              

 

Want to keep up with Joyce & Jim? Check out these great links!

 

 

www.joyceandjimlavene.com 

www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene

https://www.facebook.com/authorsj.j.cook?ref=hl

Twitter: @authorjlavene

www.romanceofmystery.blogspot.com 

 

 

I want to thank Joyce & Jim Lavene for an awesome interview.