TWILIGHT THURSDAY

The Moonlighters Welcome JM Madden

Please welcome JM Madden into the Moonlight. JM is the author of Second Time Around, which is going to be released by Decadent Publishing sometime in December.

Now, it's time to create a little mayhem and get to the good stuff by revealing all of JM's deepest darkest secrets in the moonlight. LOL Yeah, you wish! ;-D Grab your favorite wicked drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know JM.


MLM: The holidays are fast approaching and things always seem to get busier during this time of year. Do you have a relaxing technique that helps you de-stress? If so, please share, because this is advice we all need!

JM: I try not to get stressed at all, but if I do, a rum and diet-Coke can go a long way to loosening me up. If I’m not in the mood for liquor, a nice mocha works just as well.



MLM: Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but most of us still have traditions we participate in, such as attending holiday parties, decorating your house, baking cookies, etc. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

JM: Hmmm, I would have to say letting my kids decorate the tree. I have a 9 year old boy and a six year old girl, and from the time they could reach I let them do what they wanted to the tree. Inevitably, things were usually a little bottom heavy, but they let Mom balance it out. This year, they even built the tree. Then decorated it.

And, with a large family, Christmas always seems to revolve around travelling. We make the trip to Ohio, and do this huge loop going to all our families. It usually takes several days, but it’s wonderful to see people I haven’t seen in a long time. In some instances, it’s good to leave too. ;-))


MLM: In the south, holidays are centered around food, with huge meals and lots of baked sweets. Do you have a favorite holiday recipe you'd like to share with us? If not, how about an all-year-round favorite recipe?

JM: Mmmm, food. Yes, we do the same thing in Ohio, and my family prides themselves on being wonderful cooks. Recently I made a favorite of mine called Pumpkin Crumble. Good for any winter get-together. Mix together a 16 oz. can of pumpkin, 12 oz. can evaporated milk, 3 eggs, 1 ¼ cup sugar, 4 t. pumpkin pie spice. Blend all those together and pour into a greased 9 x 13. Next, sprinkle 1 dry yellow cake mix over top of the pumpkin mixture. Melt 1 stick of butter and pour it over top of the cake mix. Bake at 350◦ for 55-60 minutes. It is wonderful!!! Quick and easy. Great for potlucks. You can add nuts if you like, as well.


MLM: Have you ever made your own holiday presents and/or decorations? If so, what were they? Were they successes or failures? Did you have fun while making them?

JM: I have actually. I do cross-stitch in my spare time (which is almost never right now) and I like doing up dish towels or ornaments for the women in my family. I’ve done some large items too, but they take a lot longer of course. January/February time I’ll find time to drape the cloth over my lap and start something new. Actually, maybe I should work on my ‘in progress’ pile this year. ;)))


MLM: If "Santa Claus" could bring you any gift you wanted, what would be your ultimate gift? (Please refrain from saying "money" because who doesn't want more of that!)

JM: Well, it’s kind of along the same lines, but success in my writing. For my first book, I’ll just be happy to get it out there and be able to say I’m a published author. But future books I would love to have do well. I have many, many stories to tell, so a receptive audience would be wonderful.


MLM: Odd question, but my 9 year old thinks Rudolph and the reindeers "guiding Santa's sleigh" have GPS navigation. So, if you could give Santa and his sleigh any one modern technology, what would it be and why?

JM: Well, as my husband will tell you, he wishes he had JPS, or Jen Positioning System. (Keep your minds out of the gutter girls.) We’ve never had a GPS that works correctly in our area. He hates to admit it, but many times I have been right and the computer wrong. I think it goes back to being a cop and always having to know where you are, and what road you are on in case you are dispatched to an emergency.

So, hypothetically, I would give Santa a JPS. Realistically, an awesome little app for the i-phone called Holiday Shopping List. I love it. Keeps track of the people you are buying for, ideas, what you have already bought, budget, all that good stuff.



MLM: Now, let’s get to your writing, JM...what genre do you write and what is the draw for you?

JM: I write contemporary romance with erotic elements. It appeals to me because it is real-time. I’ve dabbled in urban contemporary/fantasy/ paranormal romance and find it much harder, simply because of the world building aspect. (Although I do have an urban piece coming out in an anthology next spring from Bonaparte Press.)


MLM: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

JM: Love, and the idea that there is one person for everybody. I honestly believe my husband and I are soulmates, and I would love for other people to feel that. If I can write it, I will.


MLM: With the current movement to encourage people to give books as gifts, what, in your opinion, makes your story unique? What makes it stand out among all of the other books out there?

JM: Well, it’s contemporary, which a lot of industry people say is a struggling category. (I don’t see it that way; it seems like there are just as many as there always were) But it’s based in Kentucky and the subject matter is a little different. I live in the heart of the Bluegrass, so it was natural for me to write about it. And the heroine is a cop, which is also a little different.


MLM: Do you prefer throwing snowballs or serving hot cocoa? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

JM: Mmm, serving cocoa, definitely. I’m the mothering type. Love to cook, and nurture. Although I do kick butt with snowballs. And I think it absolutely shows through in my writing. My heroine in Second Time Around loves her son. Everything she does is motivated by protecting her son. But she longs for a home with the man she loves.


MLM: If you could give any of your characters a holiday gift, which character would it be and what would you give them? Why do they deserve this gift?

JM: I would give little Jackson time with his dad, because he’s missed out on knowing him for three years.


MLM: Who decides what your characters do, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one stuffing the stocking?

JM: I know I was definitely not the driver on this crazy ride, although I would like to think otherwise. I’m a bit of a control freak, so being a pantser in my writing is a little difficult.


MLM: What character did you have the most fun creating and why?

JM: I loved Snort. The story was originally titled “Snickers’N’Snorts”. I got a lot of laughs, but didn’t think it would convey romance very well. The horse is typical Thoroughbred, hot-blooded and ornery. But he’s had a difficult history to work through, just like everybody else does.


MLM: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?

JM: I would like to meet Quinn, my hero, and see if he’s as hunky as he is in my head.


MLM: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

JM: Samuel Scott, definitely, who is my villain. I’ve dealt with a lot of nasty people as a deputy, and it’s not nice to subject yourself to that any more than you have to.


MLM: If you were interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please give us the answer to that question? Was it difficult writing your heroine as a cop?

JM: Not at all. In my previous life, before Kentucky, I was a deputy sheriff at a large department in central Ohio. I was there for nine years, and did just about every job there, from supervisor to detective to road deputy. I have a lot of experience to pull from. So, writing Shane was easy.

MLM: Thanks so much for joining us, JM! It's been a treat getting to know you better! Thanks so much for letting me join you as well. I’ll tell you a secret: this was my first interview. It wasn’t nearly as painful as what I envisioned. You asked some great questions!!!

Website: http://www.jmmadden.com/
Buy Link: Coming as soon as I know my release date. My original date was November 29th, but I’ve been bumped back because of the Christmas Anthology.
Facebook: J.m. Madden. (Don’t ask me why, but for some reason they can’t capitalize both the letters in JM.)
Twitter:@lilbighorse

BLURB:

Officer Shane Caldwell responds to a routine end of shift call with some annoyance, but when she tackles and handcuffs her ex-lover and the father of her son, things turn hot in a flash. Four years before, Quinn Scott disappeared to make his fortune, and she hasn’t heard a word from him. As his touch ignites old passions, Shane is torn between telling him about the son he’s never known, and protecting young Jackson’s heart from the man who walked away without a backward glance.


When Shane storms back into his life, Quinn isn’t surprised by the incredible attraction which sparks between them. He wants to take up where they left off, but years of lies and unexpected betrayals from family and friends endanger his Thoroughbred breeding operation and his dreams of a future with the woman he never really left behind.


Will old prejudices separate them again or can love grow stronger the Second Time Around?


EXCERPT:

Diffused light from the barn shone on the short waves in his dark brown hair as he shook his head. His eyes crinkled when his smile broadened. “Why are you in such a rush? We haven’t seen each other in a long time. You’re off duty, right?”

“Yes,” she muttered carefully. Anticipation rolled through her even as her brain tried to tamp it down. Past experience had proven that when she got her hopes up, she was hurt.

Quinn pointed a thumb toward the barn, and then shoved his hands in his pockets. “Can I offer you a cup of coffee? It’s fresh.”

Curiosity waged against self-preservation as Shane debated his offer. She did want to know what he had been doing for the past few years. Total silence had echoed for too long. Of course, if she left, she would always wonder where he had been and what he had done. Who he had been with.

Morbid, hurtful curiosity.

What about his plans for the future? Maybe she could answer some of the nagging questions in her mind. She didn’t need to get home right away. Just guard your heart. Don’t let him in again.

“I promise I’ll behave myself, at least until you tell me to do otherwise.” Grinning, his strong face became even dearer to her, and she was helpless to deny him.