Please help me in welcoming USA Today bestselling author JILL SHALVIS to The Dungeon!  I’m delighted I could talk her into visiting today because I’ve always been a big fan of her books.  (And I’m selfish that way, I guess. :gotcha )

JILL SHALVIS is the award winning author of over four dozen romance novels, including her upcoming sexy contemporary novel The Sweetest Thing, Book 2 in the “Lucky Harbor” series. The four-time Rita nominee and three-time National Readers Choice winner makes her home near Lake Tahoe. Visit her website at www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and daily blog.

So let’s put her on The Rack & get started…

What is your favorite color? Red. No, blue. No, wait!  Green. All of them …

Favorite song? “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars.  No, wait—make that “Firework” by Katy Perry.  NO WAIT—“Just A Dream” by Nelly.  I could go on like this for some time…

Favorite movie? Any Harry Potter.  All Lord of the Rings.  Are you seeing a pattern here? I can’t pick.

And of course, favorite book? Oh, good Lord, woman. You are hurting my brain.  :ouch  All of Nora’s. Every “Stephanie Plum” novel. Every Susan Elizabeth Philips and Rachel Gibson. Don’t make me pick just one!

What was the first book in your chosen genre that you remember reading, or that made you want to write the same? I read really bad porny historical novels while in high school, while supposedly in science class. I can’t remember specifics on which books but they were all delicious. And that’s when I knew. I wanted to be an author and live the glamorous life. :beerlaugh

What do you think of Heidi? She’s great, right? FANTASTIC!!!!

How did you get started writing? I was actually a journalism major in college, thinking nonfiction was the way to go. Oh, how wrong I was.

Tell us a little bit about your first (or most memorable, if you prefer) sale. First sale. I had three kids under the age of five. Which, by the way, I don’t recommend. An editor from Bantam called me to offer me my first sale, and my youngest was yelling “WIPE ME” from the bathroom. Good times.

Fill in the blank—If you like [blank], you’ll love Jill Shalvis! Oh, my God, woman! Don’t put me on the spot or anything. Okay, I’ll give this a whirl. If you like…sexy, warm-hearted, fun contemporary romances, then hopefully you’ll love Jill Shalvis. (See how I did that? I know you wanted me to name drop but I don’t have the balls to compare myself to the authors I aspire to be as good as!)  (Note from Heidi: Au contraire. You should have seen the answer Heidi gave during her visit.  (Yes, she was actually the guest author one month at her own blog. :tpspspspt )  I believe she mentioned puppies, chocolate, ice cream, sex…)

Which of your books would you like to pimp today? Tell us about it, and why we’ll love every word.

ANIMAL MAGNETISM… Brady Miller doesn’t smile much because he hasn’t had anything to smile about in a very long time. He’s an ex-Army ranger, now a pilot for hire for organizations like Doctors Without Borders, back in the states at the request of his foster brothers. They run a large animal center in the middle of Nowhere, Idaho, and need his help.

He agrees to stick around for unusually complicated reasons, even though he’s lived his life as purposely uncomplicated as possible. Fact is, he’s not much of a family guy. He’s always been a wanderer, no roots, no home base.

Maybe even a guy who can’t be saved.

It takes a village to show him the truth, including one silly little puppy and one sharp-tongued, sharp-witted heroine willing to knock him flat on his ass to make sure he gets it—that he was never lost at all, and as the saying goes, home is where the heart is…

(Further intrusive note from Heidi:  This is possibly the most adorable cover I’ve ever seen!  Is there anything sexier than a hot guy holding a small animal?  And the look on that puppy’s face…awwwwwww!)

If your plane crashed in the Andes, would you convince the other survivors to eat Heidi first or last? Second to last. Right before me. :chocolate

If you could write anything—whether in the same genre/sub-genre as you’re writing now or another—what would it be? I’m right where I want to be…

What are you currently working on? The sequel to ANIMAL MAGNETISM! I’m finishing it up this weekend, actually. If the heathens that are my children behave…

LIGHTNING-FAST LASHES:

Leather or Lace? Lace

Devil or Angel? Devil

Angel Food or Devil’s Food? Both, please.

Hemlock or Arsenic? Hemlock

Blood, Sweat, or Tears? Sweat. But I prefer “perspire”…

Cowgirl or Missionary? (Hey, get your mind out of the gutter. I was simply asking what you wanted to be while you were growing up. :winkwink ) I always did want to be a cowgirl…

Fabulous, Jill—thank you so much!  I just knew you’d be an entertaining guest! :happyjoy

Jill has also very generously offered to reward one dedicated WIPs and Chains blogger with a free book from her backlist. (This is quite the prize, believe me; her backlist is fantastic!)

To be entered in the drawing, simply ask a question or leave a comment for Jill during her visit today.  (U.S. residents only, please.)  A winner will be chosen & announced on February 13th during our regular Happy Sunday post…just in time for Valentine’s Day! :biggestgrin …so be sure to stop back to see if you’ve won!  (Otherwise, I’m keeping the prize to myself, I swear. )

Good luck & happy chatting!

Comments

24 Comments  •  Comments Feed

1. 

   mary k says:

   That was such a fun blog post! I enjoyed reading that and seeing all your answers. I have Animal Magnetism in my wish list right now. I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about it.

   I like book covers, all types of books covers and the one for Animal Magentism is so cute and hot at the same time. How much input did you have to what the cover would look like?

   On February 8, 2011 at 6:19 am

2. 

   Laura J. says:

   I love the cover!!!! I need to find this book. Sounds like a winner to me. Thanks for hanging out in the dungeon with us today!!

   On February 8, 2011 at 9:18 am

3. 

   Jill Shalvis says:

   Did you like all my typos? Especially ball instead of balls. Or maybe if I was a guy, I’d only have one ball … I do like to be different.

   P.S. THANKS for having me, Heidi. I hope you don’t mind that I’d shove you ahead of me in our plane crash fiasco scenario. :angel

   On February 8, 2011 at 11:01 am

   • 

     Heidi says:

     Oh! I can fix typos! Changed “ball” to “balls” (which I kind of thought was intentional…sorry)…if there are any others, lmk. I’ve got the power, I can change anything! :genie

     And I’m rather survival-oriented myself, so I won’t take the Andes thing personally. I’m watching Zombieland right now & can’t help thinking they’re being awfully wasteful with the ammo *&* aren’t as cautious in certain situations as I’d be. :stalker So yeah…I’d probably eat you next to last, too. Just before I started gnawing on myself. :happyjoy

     On February 8, 2011 at 11:33 am

4. 

   Dee says:

   I agree with Laura, I love that cover as well!! That looks like a book I can really get into. 🙂

   On February 8, 2011 at 11:21 am

5. 

   Heidi says:

   Good morning, everyone! Thanks so much for joining us today, Jill…I’ve been looking forward to your visit for a long time. :biggrin

   On February 8, 2011 at 11:29 am

6. 

   CrystalGB says:

   Great interview. Animal Magnetism sounds good. I love the cover.

   On February 8, 2011 at 11:37 am

7. 

   Anne says:

   Congratulations on the new release, Jill. I’ve enjoyed all of your books and this one sounds like it’s a winner too. Thanks for the smiles and laughs to start my day. (I prefer the word “dew” which I probably read in some romance.)

   I have to say, Heidi, that some of the questions you asked were a first for me on a blog. “If your plane crashed…” :whhhat

   On February 8, 2011 at 11:41 am

8. 

   Katherine Garbera says:

   What a fun interview! I loved getting a peek inside Jill’s mind. I had no idea she was that indecisive about colors! I can’t wait to read Animal Magnetism.

   Kathy 🙂

   On February 8, 2011 at 2:39 pm

9. 

   Fedora says:

   ROFL! Two of my favorite authors, together!! Hi, Heidi! Thanks for having Jill in the Dungeon today! Jill, I just finished your & Sexy series, which was very fun to read! I’m diving into the Wilders now, and lucked upon one of your Temptations, Her Perfect Stranger and am about a third of the way in…

   Terrific interview–I have to agree with many of your favorite authors 😉

   I definitely need to pick up Animal Magnetism and am glad to hear you’re working on the sequel 🙂 Do you have more planned for that “world” or is it just the duo?

   Also, do you celebrate your releases in any special way? Framed coverflats? Dinner out? New bling? New bodyart?

   On February 8, 2011 at 2:43 pm

10. 

    Jill Shalvis says:

    Fedora, mostly I have a nap planned…

    On February 8, 2011 at 2:59 pm

11. 

    Carole Fiore-Abshire says:

    I really liked your blog with Heidi. If I’m picked I’d like to read Simply Irresistible…I love both your books, went looking for a few books this past weekend and only found books that I’ve already read, I was disappointed so I got another author’s book. I do hope I win! Have a good day!

    On February 8, 2011 at 3:37 pm

12. 

    Hollie says:

    Hi Jill! I have been a lurker on your blog for quite awhile!! I still havent seen where you told the story of where you stumbled into the porno movie at RWA! I love seeing the pictures of Jake..aka Fratboy!! LOL!
    So Great to see you here at the Dungeon!!!

    On February 8, 2011 at 3:50 pm

13. 

    Fedora says:

    LOL–sounds like an excellent plan. You could follow that up with a snack (oh wait, maybe that’s just MY plan…)

    On February 8, 2011 at 4:04 pm

14. 

    Leni says:

    I enjoyed this interview and wondered if you and Heidi plan on working on any future projects together.

    On February 8, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    • 

      Heidi says:

      Oooh, now there’s a fun idea! :biggestgrin Maybe we should put our heads together & see what we can come up with…if either of us ever gets enough of a break from our current contracts. LOL

      On February 8, 2011 at 6:02 pm

15. 

    Jane says:

    Congrats to Jill on the new release. I love visiting her blog. Her posts always makes me laugh. :happyjoy :cupid

    On February 8, 2011 at 6:09 pm

16. 

    kris says:

    I love Jill’s book and her blog is hilarious! I’m a bit disappointed there was no mention of cookies in this interview. 😉

    On February 8, 2011 at 10:50 pm

    • 

      kris says:

      ok, it should be plural on the “book”. i’ve read them all!! :coffee

      On February 8, 2011 at 11:06 pm

17. 

    Jill Shalvis says:

    Cookies.

    :Pretty

    On February 8, 2011 at 11:53 pm

18. 

    Jennifer Cryblskey says:

    Hi gals. So fun to read all the answers to the questions. I really like when female writers write from the male perspective. I think they show emotion and deep thinking that men sometimes try to hide because it’s more manly.

    My question for either of you is: From my understanding,what gets published are books that are okayed by publishers. That maybe authors have to kind of “play to the crowd” as my college government teacher put it. I would like to know if there is a plot that you dream of writing that if it were up to no one else but yourself you would write? And what would it be? I mean if Steven Speilberg can do “Cowboys and Aliens” ( which I really want to see). What would you write?

    On February 9, 2011 at 12:51 am

19. 

    SiNn says:

    awesome post sorry im late i must say ur books ron my wish list i havent had a chance tor ead any yet but i promise i will eventually get to it lol

    On February 9, 2011 at 10:41 pm

20. 

    donnas says:

    Congrats on the new release! Really looking forward to picking it up. While I have had your books on my wishlist I havent had the chance to read one yet. And I think this will be a great one to start with. Cant wait.

    On February 9, 2011 at 10:53 pm