Interview with Jennifer Moore

About the Author

Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world that includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that is anything but romantic. Jennifer has a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family, but most of the time wishes she was aboard a British frigate during the age of sail.

Connect with Jennier on:
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The Interview

1. How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?
I like to tell stories to my kids, and to make up new things every night, but the thing that really made me want to write was school. I loved my writing classes. I remember a few teachers specifically, my 9th and 12th grade English teachers, and one really great Creative Writing professor in college. I liked to write in my journal, and so a few creative things here and there. Then remember when personal blogs were so popular? I loved writing on that blog, and I spent all sorts of time thinking about what I'd write next, and it turned into something I really looked forward to. I guess writing a book was just the next step.

2. How many books have you written and in what genres?
I've written 4 contemporary novels and I'm right now working on my 6th historical. And there are a few short stories in there too. (obviously some of these may never be published)

3. What writing projects are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?
So, right now, I have a few balls in the air. I'm working on edits for "Change of Heart" A contemporary romance in the Lobster Cove line at The Wild Rose Press. That has been a lot of fun. We all created this town--Lobster Cove and then we've used each other's settings and characters. There is a wide range of sub-genres. Like a historical where the woman lives in this mansion, and then in another author's contemporary, the mansion is a historic bed and breakfast. One of my characters works for the owner of an art gallery who has her own story by another author--see what I mean? I might be over explaining this. But anyway, I think mine is, so far, the only sweet romance in the line. And I'm also writing the sixth book in my Covenant series--they're sort of "Destination Regencies." All of the stories take place during the same time in a different location within the British Empire, and there are characters from the other stories who make an appearance. So, this one takes place in Greece in 1816. I just got back from Greece. My brother is a history professor and he teaches at the University in Athens during the summer. We found our way to this remote area called the Mani, where the Greek war of Independence began. I loved it and I can't wait to get this story written. And I'm working on a Regency Novella for Heather Moore's All-Regency Anthology that comes out this next spring. I'm super excited about "Simply Anna" which will be released on September 1. 

4. What does your writing process look like?
Let's see...I do a ton of research. I read a lot and mark up books, make notes and file it all away in my project notebook. I like to find pictures of characters and clothing and scenery--anything to help me feel the story better. I have a page for each chapter and write the POV character, scene goal and a brief sketch of what needs to happen in that chapter. Then when I think of something else, I put a sticky note on it, so that way I can move an event to a different chapter if I need to...It sounds more complicated than it is.

5. Where is your favorite place to write?
At my desk. But I find myself writing in the car during soccer practice, or at the park while my kids play, or in the back yard, sitting in bed...But I think I'm most efficient in my office. I have all the books and pictures and everything there, and I only use if for writing, so I'm sort of in the "zone" when I'm there. I have an extra monitor that I hook up if I'm doing edits or revisions, so I can see more than one page, and also, I have all my pictures and my little Lego Shakespeare, Wonder Woman, my little model cannon and a Klepht soldier. They cheer me on. 

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6. How important are the names in your novels? How do you choose names for your characters?  Do you have any name resources you would suggest?
Names are super important. I love choosing names, and I read about the meanings behind them, trying to find the perfect name for a character. Sometimes I use names of people I meet, like Jim Stackhouse is a person I met on vacation and I thought he was such a cool guy and loved the sound of his name. Perfect for my character. I met a man named Themis in Greece and I had to have a Themis in this book. But he's not at all like the real guy. I just really liked the name. I've used random name generator, baby name websites, ethnic name websites,...and I'm always writing down names I come across in a little notebook, so I don't forget them.

7. What authors/novels that you enjoy would you recommend?
I love Carla Kelly. She uses dialog like a whiz, her romance is believable and delicious, and her history is always spot on. I also love Bernard Cornwell. His Sharpe series is one of my favorites. And if you have the stomach for it, Stephen King. His characterization methods are creative and I love his characters' dialog.

8. Where is your favorite place to read and why?
Um...In bed, the bath, the car, the floor of my husband's study, picnic table, the couch...I read everywhere.

9. What period of history interests you the most?
I LOVE studying about the Reconquista of Spain. Some day, I'm going to set a book then. Also, the Napoleonic wars, or anytime during the Age of Sail.  

10. If you could choose someone famous to star in one of your books made to a movie, who would you choose and for which character?
One of my favorit characters is Sidney Fletcher. He's in Becoming Lady Lockwood and Lady Emma's Campaign. I always imagine him looking and acting like Armie Hammer. Like he jokes around a lot, but when it's time to get serious, he's strong and brave. 

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11. What inspired the idea for The Sheik’s Ruby? Becoming Lady Lockwood?  Lady Emma’s Campaign?  Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince? Simply Anna?

My dad met the prince of Monaco, and chatted with him for quite a while before he realized who he was. Prince Albert told him that he'd enjoyed talking to someone who wasn't careful the whole time about saying something because of who he is. That stuck in my mind for a long time, and eventually was the main idea for The Sheik's Ruby.

As for the others, I love ships, and I imagined a scene where the captain and all the officers are locked up and a woman saves them. I didn't know whether she was on their side, or if she knew them, or why she was on the ship, or why they were locked up. So, that scene made me start asking questions and putting together the story for Becoming Lady Lockwood.

Lady Emma's Campaign--I wanted a book set in Spain, because I love Spain. And I wanted it to be Sidney's story, so I had to figure out why he would be there, and I decided he was a prisoner. And let's see, Miss Burton...I liked the idea of an American coming to England for a London Season and wondering what in the world was going on...It was fun to write from the POV of an outsider looking at the London Society with fresh eyes. 

Simply Anna—I wanted to return to Jamaica and set a story there, since I'd researched it a little for Becoming Lady Lockwood. So, I started reading about the plantations the sugar industry, and of course, the African slave trade. The more I read, the harder it became to figure out how to set a story in a place that was so divided by race. I didn't know how to make a slave owner "likeable," and for a romance, that's sort of a requirement. 

So, anyway, I luckily found some great journal entries, really great stories of slaves that loved the family they worked for, and defended them during uprisings. And stories of masters who were kind, but they were few and far between.

The one saving grace was Emancipation happened much earlier for the British Colonies than in the United States. The British people were more removed from the actual plantations, and were disgusted by the whole practice. So, bringing in two characters, and having them new on the island made it easier for them to be horrified by how the African slaves were treated. 

12. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
I read a lot. And I take my kids to soccer games and practice--all the time. I like taking walks, and going to lunch with friends, hanging out with my sisters, things like that. I'm sort of boring. I spend a lot of my time writing, and that's pretty much my hobby.

Check out my reviews for:
THE SHIEK'S RUBY--coming soon
BECOMING LADY LOCKWOOD--coming soon
LADY EMMA'S CAMPAIGN--coming soon
SIMPLY ANNA