Twilight Thursday

Welcome Author

Julie Kimbrell !!!

Julie comes to us from Wild Horse Press. The book she's here to promote today, Mr. Irresistible - her most recent release, adds just enough realism to help the reader relate to the character but balances it out with enough lightness and humor to offer a brief escape from everyday life problems. From the very beginning, even though we don't get a clear picture of what Kate looks like, we get in her mind through her thoughts and actions regarding her sister, Karly, and her friend, Jess. This realism is what caught my attention and held it.

There are all sorts of interesting holidays throughout the year, and June is no exception. Let's see how Julie answered our questions Juniper June questions:

ME: When you stop to consider trends and traditions, June marks a time of beginnings (marriages, commencements). What about you, any weddings, anniversaries or graduations to attend this month?

JULIE: No, just summertime!

ME: While April 22nd marks Earth Day, June 5th is World Environment Day. What will you do to celebrate our environment?

JULIE: I recycle daily.

ME: Speaking of the environment, do you strive to be more energy efficient or more environmentally conscious? How do you accomplish this goal?

JULIE: I try to use suggestions made in articles about being eco friendly such as light bulbs, paper/plastic, recycling, etc.

ME: What traits make the men in your life good father figures? Will you do anything special to celebrate these men? If so, what will it be?

JULIE: Both my father and husband are very loyal. Family is extremely important to them and I cherish that trait in them. I will be cooking a special meal for my father and husband on Father’s Day.

ME: While the summer solstice occurs on June 21st, warmer weather usually arrives earlier than that, encouraging people to get out and enjoy the weather. What activities do you usually start in June?

JULIE: Since I work full-time, our babysitter takes the children to the neighborhood pool, city parks, the zoo and we love to go camping on the weekends.

ME: While people generally clean in spring, they need to do something with all the stuff they find they do not need. If it isn’t given away or donated, many people have rummage or estate sales. What about you, do you like to hit the rummage sales on a nice warm morning? Do you go alone or with someone else? Is it a family tradition?

JULIE: I love yard sales. I usually host one each year as well as visit them. My kids love to go with me as well as my BFF.

ME: In many areas, private community schools tend to schedule festivals and bazaars as fundraisers throughout the summer. What about your area? What kind of festivals and bazaars can be found and when will they occur? Do you make appearances at them, or do you avoid them? If so, why?

JULIE: We have a festival called Toad Suck Daze, in May. It has wonderful food and a great family atmosphere. Toad Suck Daze is a festival that Conway, Arkansas hosts.

ME: Do they really suck on toads?

JULIE: No, I don't think anyone sucks on toads. Barf! But, they do have toad races. The kids in town catch toads and race them. There is a Toad Suck Daze Pageant, lots of craft booths and gourmet foods such as Chicken on a stick, Sausage on a stick, and the usual carnival foods. There are tons of rides for the kids and usually a couple concerts.

ME: The weather in June seems to be a great mix in almost every state, and most people tend to plan vacations in June. What about you, are you a June traveler? If so, where will you be going? If not, when do you prefer to travel and why? Where have you gone or will you be going this year?

JULIE: Actually, I’m not going on vacation until July and we are camping all week in our new camper.

ME: We’ve had our fun now, so let’s put the focus on your writing. While there are many genres to choose from, what specifically brought you to romance? Why this genre over the others?

JULIE: I love a happy ending. Romance is a beautiful thing. This genre, for me, is light-hearted, not too serious and just fun.

ME: Even though the popularity of the romance genre continues to grow, it’s still not always a highly respected genre. What, in your opinion, is the reason for the continued interest in the genre and for the lack of respect it receives?

JULIE: I believe its popularity generates from the get-away we experience while reading them. The lack of respect I’d say probably comes from the massive amount of Romance Novels available. They are one of the oldest if not the oldest genre around.

ME: Earlier, we asked about what traits make the men in your life good father figures. Now, we want to know, have any of these men, or their traits, been inspiration for characters in your stories? If so, which men, what characters and/or traits and why?

JULIE: My husband is a very humble person. I like using that in my characters. My father is very out spoken, therefore I like to use that as well. They both say the most hilarious things, which I must use and laugh about every single time I read them.

ME: For a writer, inspiration can be found everywhere and in almost anyone, but sometimes specific people, places and events can inspire certain characters, personality traits, events or situations that happen in our stories. In your current story that we’re promoting here today, Mr. Irresistible, did any one particular person, place or event inspire you? If so who/what was it (were they), how did it/they inspire you and how is this inspiration reflected in your story?

JULIE: Actually, I love the opening scene of this novel. Everyone can identify with a trip to Walmart. After going one morning for my usual Saturday grocery trip, I heard someone paged overhead and thought how funny it would be to start a book that way.

ME: Without giving away anything pertinent to the story, tell us about the hero and heroine (s) of your story. What do they look like? How do they meet (or “did” if this is not the first book with these same characters)? What are their personalities – Are they comical cut-ups, are they serious or are they a mix of the two? Please give us a little bit of dialogue from the story that can illustrate this. (Not much, but just a few lines and from a different section than the main excerpt – Thanks!)

JULIE: Well, the heroine is Kate Simon. She's a dental hygienist and pretty boring. The hero, Gage Morgan, is managing a bar for a friend in hopes of owning it one day. Their paths cross one evening while Kate's chatting with a friend at the bar. Gage finds himself intrigued by her, instantly. Kate tries to ignore her feelings. She ends up working for Gage as a waitress part-time.

ME: The main characters are usually great, but sometimes, secondary and tertiary characters are known to steal the scenes, even if the author did not intend this to happen. Who are the secondary/tertiary characters in your story and what do they look like? What’s unique about them? What is their relationship to the hero/heroine? Have any of these characters gone on to become scene-stealers? If so, who and how did they do it? Is there the possibility for them to get their own story? (Again, please give us a small bit of dialogue to illustrate this – thanks!)

JULIE: I didn't put a whole lot of emphasis on the secondary characters in this book. Kate's sister is pregnant and very important to her. She and Gage spend a lot of time with them, which I think has a positive influence. Kate's family encourages her to follow her heart.

BLURB: Kate Simon's life it going just fine. She works. She checks on her pregnant sister. She goes to bed. After being persuaded by a friend to go out for a drink, Kate meet's the manager of Loco's, a bar she once worked at on weekends. His name is Gage and he's very easy on the eyes. Kate ignores her hormones, but she and Gage end up with a business relationship. Will the two mix business with pleasure?

EXCERPT: “I’m sorry I kissed you Kate,” he finally blurted out. “It was wrong.”

That’s not what she wanted to hear. She’d more hoped for, “Kate, I want to ravish your body!”

He was sorry about the kiss? Those words really hurt. Kate didn’t know what to say and decided honesty her best route.

“Why are you sorry? Am I a bad kisser?” She asked, trying to understand and not sound upset.

He looked surprised. “Of course not. You’re an amazing kisser. It’s just that you work for me, not to mention the fact that we just met.”

Relieved, she said, “I understand. I’m just joking.” Kate forced a laugh. “I agree with you. Let’s just forget about it and move on.” Maybe he’d believe she really thought that. Her acting skills were hideous so that definitely was a pipe dream. She sensed something weighed heavily on his mind.

“I don’t know if I can do that.” He was being honest too, which made her feel a little better.

“Okay, then what do you recommend, boss?” Kate added playfully.

“I was thinking if I fired you, I wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You’d fire me?”

“What I want to do and what I’m gonna do are two different things.”

“You want to fire me?”

“I didn’t say that,” he said.

“Well what are you saying Gage. I mean, we’re adults. We can keep our lips to ourselves. I didn’t know kissing me was such a bad thing. The way you’re acting, it’s death penalty worthy.”

He gave her that breathtaking smile then cracked up. “Stop it. Kissing you wasn’t a bad thing. It just wasn’t a good thing either. I can’t let it happen again.”

“Why don’t you not fire me, and we could kiss, just one more time, to get it out of our systems.” Kate needed to make that clear. “Afterwards, we can just forget it ever happened.”

“Okay. I’ll go for that.”

Kate felt sure he liked that idea because he instantly pulled her across the couch.

To learn more about Julie and her books, visit her website:
www.juliekimbrell.com