Tuesday, October 8, 2019

The Tuesday 10 With Jen Turano & Giveaway


I'm so excited to start a new weekly (hopefully) feature on my blog! It's going to be called The Tuesday 10. To say I'm over the moon having author, Jen Turano, as my first author is putting it mildly. Absolutely, hands down, she is one of my favorite Christian authors! Her stories are such a fun ride from beginning to end. I can guarantee that you will love each and every one of her books.

About Jen Turano:

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. Readers may find her at www.jenturano.com or https://www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor/ or on Twitter at JenTurano@JenTurano.

Ok, ok, enough of me gushing! Let's get to my 10 questions!

Q: Do you ever find yourself laughing out loud at the lines that you write for your
characters?

Jen: Interesting tidbit about my early drafts – they’re not amusing. It’s not until I get to the
third edit that things begin to change, and then, yes, I do occasionally laugh out loud
when something absurd strikes and I add it to the manuscript. I then, of course, have to
share that absurdity with Al (husband person,) who normally just shakes his head and
wonders about the state of my mind.

Mimi: I'm shocked that it's in later drafts the humor is added! I'm fascinated by this glimpse into your process!

Q: Before you start writing a series do you already know how many books there will be?

Jen: I do, but that’s probably because I decided after my first series, which was four books,
that I would only write three books in a series from that point forward. Four is tricky
because you have to remember so much about the characters, and I have the attention
span of a gnat. Even with three, I spend a lot of time pouring over my notes to make
certain I’m not mentioning that a character has blue eyes in the third book when in the
first, they were green. One time, I wrote that one of my heroes had never seen the
heroine cry, and didn’t realize until the very last moment, as in right before it was about
to go to print, that he had seen her cry, in the very first book. I had to apologize rather
profusely to one of my editors for making that change so late in the process. Thankfully,
I have really cool editors, so…whew.

Mimi: I have a hard time calling my kids by their correct names. Having to keep track of so many things throughout 3 books sounds tricky!

Q: I know this is like picking your favorite child, which of your characters is the most like
you?

Jen: There’s a little of me in most of my characters, but I relate best to Gertrude Cadwallader
in “Out of the Ordinary,” and Poppy Garrison in “Diamond in the Rough.”

Mimi: I don't think I relate to her, but Gertrude is one of my favorite characters!

Q: If you could travel to any period of time, whether in the past or the future, where would
you travel to?

Jen: That’s easy, the Gilded Age since I spend so much time there, at least in my
imagination.

Mimi: I think I'd have to agree on the Gilded Age!

Q: What book(s) are on your TBR pile for the fall?

Jen: My TBR pile is somewhat overwhelming at the moment because I don’t read historical
romance while writing a first draft, and lately, I always seem to be writing a first draft.
However, on the top of that pile is Elizabeth Camden, “The Spice King,” Joanna
Politano, “Finding Lady Enderly,” and Jody Hedlund, “Evermore.”

Mimi: I just finished "The Spice King" and really enjoyed it! It was my first Elizabeth Camden novel. I haven't read either of the other books, but they're on my list.

Q: If you can have a library in your home that's a replica of any other library in the world
which one would it be?

Jen: Hmm…difficult question, but I’m going to go with the small library from my childhood
hometown, the St. Clairsville Library. It just always seemed like the coolest place in the
world to me, especially the basement where they had this great collection of Nancy
Drew books that had bright pink bindings. Frankly, it was a somewhat spooky part of the
library, which made visiting it all the more exciting.

Mimi: If there's one out there that looks like it was in a really old castle, with several floors, that's what I'd want mine to look like!

Q: You're going on vacation to your dream location. What are 3 items you bring with you?

Jen: Al (husband person,) flipflops, and a bathing suit.

Mimi: HA! I'm glad you'd bring your husband along.

Q: You hear back from your editor that the publishers want an exotic animal in your next
novel. Which animal do you choose?

Jen: I don’t know how exotic this is, but an elephant, because that would open up all sorts of
possibilities, or…a giraffe, now that’s not an animal one sees often in a book. Hmm…something to think about there.

Mimi: Oh my goodness, maybe a baby elephant! My friends wouldn't be surprised at my answer, which would be an alpaca. Although, I don't know that it's exotic either.

Q: Since we're early on autumn what is one thing that you like about each of the four
seasons (and I'm not talking about the musical group)?

Jen: Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the colors and the way the sky out
here in Denver turns this really brilliant shade of blue – apparently that has something to
do with how high up we are out here. Next comes Winter because I love snow and the
cold. Third would be Spring because of all the fabulous smells when the trees begin to
flower, and last would be Summer. I’m not really a girl who enjoys the hot, although I do
enjoy all the activities the hot brings, such as kayaking, swimming, and lounging in the
shade, reading a book.

Mimi: I'm a spring kind of gal. When everything starts turning green and I can see my plants popping out of the dirt... it makes my heart sing! I do love the warmth of summer and getting out of the house more. Autumn, it's passable. HA! Everything in the garden starts dying, BUT I get to spend more time reading in my hammock so there's that. Winter, I had plenty of that white nonsense when I lived in Minne-snow-ta! I've become soft since moving to Maryland.

Q: We're hanging out over lunch. Are we having coffee or tea and what sandwich & dessert
are we having? And yes you could pick some weight watchers!

Jen: Not coffee because I only have one cup a day and that’s at five in the morning. I’m not a
tea drinker either, so I’m going to go with water. Sandwich would be ham, no cheese,
and since I have been dieting lately, although I hit my goal a few weeks back so I’m not
as intense about it as I was over the past several months, I’d probably choose some
type of yogurt with fruit for dessert. In all honesty, I’ve never been much for desserts,
but give me a bag of chips and I’m a happy girl.

Mimi: Yea, I have one cup of coffee in the morning. I'd want a tall, cold glass of milk with my sandwich. I love meat sandwiches on croissants. I think I'd bring a fruit salad to our lunch. :)

Jen: Thanks so much for having me, Mimi! It’s been a pleasure.

Thank YOU for being my first guest. While I don't have a gift to send you off with, you DO have one for my readers. I appreciate your generosity! You can also purchase Diamond in the Rough through Baker Publishing Group.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite Jen Turano book is “A Talent for Trouble.” I love her books because they’re funny without being downright silly. Plus she’s very sweet in person!
perrianne (DOT) askew (AT) me (DOT) com
Perrianne Askew

Courtney Martin said...

Oh gosh...my favorite book of Jen Turano's....that's so hard! I love all her books and recently bought 7 of them! If I HAD to pick....I would say In Good Company. Next would be Out of the Ordinary. Her books are awesome, funny, and just down to earth. I will always be excited to read her books (and reread and reread again! ��)

Anonymous said...

My favourite Jen Turano book is In Good Company! I love Millie's obsession with learning new words and the comical scenes it leads to 😂. I absolutely cannot wait to read Diamond in the Rough!

Aimee said...

I only recently discovered Jen Turano's books. I have read A Change of Fortune, and loved it. I am now reading Behind the Scenes.

Paty Hinojosa said...

I totally adore Jen Turano’s books! They are sweet, funny and inspirational!
I still have to read a Diamond in the Rough!
But I will! Flights of Fancy was awesome!
Thanks for sharing Mimi and Jen. Always want to know what’s in an author’s head! :-)

Anonymous said...

I have read Playing the Part" and wold love to read this current book! As I looked over her book covers, I am intrigued that many of the subjects look a bit mischievous!
Janice
pjrcmoore@windstream.net

Elizabeth Litton said...

My favorite of Jen's books is In Good Company with Millie Longfellow and Everett Mulberry. I love how Millie is always trying to use new words, but doesn't get them quite right all the time!

Anne Rightler said...

I've read Flights of Fancy and Finding Margo and enjoyed them both! I love the humor in the stories.
anne at rightler dot com

Darlene said...

I have not read any of the books but I would love to read Diamond in the Ruff

Gaelicark said...

Loved this interview... so fun! Thank you for the chance to snag this beauty- I appreciate your generosity! A Match of Wits is a Fabulous book 😊
Cheers-
Kelly Braun
Gaelicark(at)yahoo(dot)com

MTHarpist1 said...

Jen, you look like an author I would really enjoy reading, as your books appeal to me:) Therefore, I would sure like to win a print copy of Diamond in the Rough (to start with:)! Thanks for the opportunity to enter a giveaway!God bless you! Lual Krautter My email is: krautter12ATbresnanDOTnet

Kathy said...

I like all of Jen's books, but if I had to pick a favorite, I would go with Out of the Ordinary. kwyrzy (at) hotmail (dot) com

Trixi said...

I haven't read anything by Jen yet, so I think I would like any of hers!

I love these author interviews where you get to know them better. Thank you for the fun post & giveaway chance.

Shonda F said...

I’ve read every book by Jen Turano except this new one A Diamond In The Rough. I love her books, I have to read this one too!

Pam said...

I haven't yet read Diamond in the Rough but have read all her other books. They are all so good so I can't pick a favorite.

Meghan said...

I haven't read any of her books but this one sounds great!

MJSH said...

Love Flights of Fancy and Finding Margo.
mindyhoung at msn dot com

Joy B said...

I love getting a glimpse into the world of authors! If I could have a library in my home, it would be like the one at the Biltmore house!

Anonymous said...

I am new to Jen Turano's books. I have read two so far, A Change of Fortune and Behind the Scenes, and have really enjoyed both of them.

Anonymous said...

My favorite Jen Turano book is A Match of Wits. I laughed so much reading this book
marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
Merry

Faith Creech said...

I love Jen’s books! They are so funny, they make me laugh out loud! Thanks for the chance to win this one! I’m sure it’s as good as all her other ones!
faithdcreech at gmail dot com

Christine Marriott said...

My favorite Jen Turano book is probably the first one I read by her, which was A Match of Wits. But honestly, I love all of them because she incorporates humor so effortlessly! Thanks for the giveaway!!

Caryl Kane said...

I've not yet had the pleasure of reading Jen's books. I do have several on my shelves that are calling to me....

psalm103and138atgmaildotcom

Nancy P said...

New author for me. At Your Request sounds great.

Anonymous said...

I have read a couple of her books. The latest, which I recently finished, was Behind the Scenes. Loved it!

Kara said...

WHAT a pretty blog here!! Blessings to you and your family, love your Who Am I page and the photos you shared :) Thanks so much for featuring Jen here and the giveaway, NO ONE makes me laugh like she does in her storytelling!! I'm not a historical fiction reader, but the way she writes her characters always tickles me and makes me want MORE :) I LOVED her first book, A Change of Fortune, and then A Most Peculiar Circumstance had me in disbelief it was such a HOOT! I own almost every one of her books and would love to win this one, Jen herself is definitely a Diamond in the Rough and she makes it look so fun :) Have a blessed October, Mimi!!
hugs, Kara
Wman4JCATaolDOTcom

Unknown said...

I love, love, loved Flights of Fancy! Though all of Jen's books I've read so far are humorous, this one had me laughing harder than ever.

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Woven by Words by Mimi B is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.