Jill Sorenson - Day 1

Please welcome fantastic author, Jill Sorenson, to the island!

Jill Sorenson was born in a small town in Kansas, but she moved to San Diego with her family when she was twelve. After twenty years, she hasn’t lost her appreciation for sunny weather, her love for the Pacific Ocean, or her fascination with Southern California culture. She still lives in the most beautiful place on earth, San Diego, and currently holds the best job in the world, writing romance novels. When she isn’t daydreaming about characters or chasing after her adorable daughters, Jill enjoys going to the beach and taking long walks with her husband.

(Katie Reus) Please tell us a little about the genre you write and why you love it.

(Jill Sorenson) I love all kinds of romance and read across the genre, but I write romantic suspense because I think it fits my voice. I like a certain amount of realism, and I’m attracted to the thrill ride aspect of two people falling in love amidst danger. Maybe I’m a bit of a sadist, because I always torture my characters. They have to go through a hellish ordeal to get an HEA.

(KR) Your first single title was featured in Cosmo. That’s got to be huge for any author! How tumultuous was your writing journey? Did you get a lot of rejections before receiving ‘the call’?

(JS) Thanks for mentioning that! Yes, the Cosmo feature was a very lucky break. Second only to being offered a contract with Bantam Dell in the first place! I think most authors would say the journey is tumultuous. Getting published is difficult. We have demanding day jobs, growing families. I collected dozens of rejections, and wrote five complete manuscripts before I got my first offer.

(KR) What would you say has been your most significant accomplishment as a writer?

(JS) Good question! I’m not a fast writer, so finishing a novel always feels like an accomplishment. Finishing Set the Dark on Fire was probably the most significant. I started it in 2007, just after my second daughter was born. She was a difficult baby (constant ear infections), and it was a tough year for our family.

Of course, I’m also proud of my other books. Readers have responded really well to Crash Into Me, so that’s very satisfying. It makes my day when I get an email from a fan. A few months ago, Maya Banks contacted me to say that she loved Dangerous to Touch, my debut for Silhouette Romantic Suspense. It blew me away!

(KR) What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?

(JS) Getting rejected. Still happens, still hurts.
Amen to that!

(KR) What are you currently working on?

(JS) I’m working on my next single title for Bantam Dell.

(KR) Tell us something about yourself that we might not know.

(JS) I’m a high school drop out and a valedictorian.

(KR) If you were stuck on a desert island what 3 things would you bring with you?

(JS) Food, water, and a tent. (Or am I supposed to say pen, paper, and my favorite book?)
You can bring anything you want, but don't worry about the tent. I'll share my cabana ;)

(KR) What drink would you bring with you to the island?

(JS) My favorite drink is a cantaloupe licuado. So refreshing and delicious!

(KR) Anything you’d like to add for your readers and/or aspiring writers?

(JS) For my readers: THANK YOU. For aspiring authors: stay on a schedule, accept criticism, and don’t be afraid to submit.

(KR) Briefly tell us about your latest release.

(JS) Set the Dark on Fire features a sexy wildlife biologist and a straitlaced city-boy sheriff who team up to investigate a suspicious mountain lion mauling in Tenaja Falls, California. Sparks fly. Tensions smolder. Passionate fires rage out of control! (Excerpts and blurb will follow Wednesday)

Blurb from Dangerous to Touch, today's book giveaway
All her life Sidney Morrow had tried to repress her disturbing psychic visions. Until a vision of murder shattered her fragile serenity. She had to go to the authorities—make them listen. But Lt. Marc Cruz didn’t trust her one bit. In fact, the sensual homicide cop treated her like a suspect. And sent her senses haywire….

The dark-haired beauty knew something about the serial killer Marc was after. But he was certain “visions” had nothing to do with it. Determined to be her constant shadow, Marc wasn’t prepared when desire blindsided him—and put them both in the path of a relentless killer.

That's it for today! Don't forget, one lucky commenter will win a copy of Dangerous to Touch! Click here to read an excerpt!! Come back tomorrow and hear Jill talk about cliches in romance novels and for another book giveaway!