Jamie Leigh Hansen-Interview and Giveaway with the Author

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Jamie Leigh Hansen-Interview with the Author

The Reading Cafe would like to introduce paranormal romance author Jamie Leigh Hansen.

“I love dramatic, heart-felt stories. I love mixing the magic and wonder of an anything-can-happen kind of world with the daily lives we all struggle with. It adds a sense of hope and adventure to whatever we’re dealing with, be it health, financial or personal problems. Taking a break from the everyday grind to think positively and see a possibility that something will good happen to you soon is what keeps people going even in times of great struggle.”

Website LinkJamie Leigh Hansen

 

TRC:  Hi Jamie.  Welcome to The Reading Café.We would like to thank you for responding to our request for an interview.  We are always happy to know about the authors we have read and what they
are doing.

Jamie:  Thank you for finding me on the web, Sandy. The Reading Cafe looks wonderful and there is so much to read and see here!  You’ve set up an incredible site.

TRC:  Thank you.  We would like to start with some biographical background.  Would you tell us something about yourself?

Jamie:  I am very fortunate in that I married my high school sweetheart and we will soon celebrate 18 years together. I believe in love, the good, the bad and the ugly and I hope to keep my novels realistic while showing the HEA can really happen.

TRC:  When did you start writing?  Have you always been interested in writing?

Jamie:  I’ve always had a fascination with reading and with books, but my love of writing didn’t develop until later in my teen years. Looking back at some of the assignments I wrote for class, and some of the stories I wrote on my own, I see I’ve always loved heart-touching, dramatic stories. One of the most memorable would be of a girl whose brother was in a coma as she comes face-to-face with the kid who put him there. Then there’s the photo journalist who disappears into a rainforest and is captured by cannibals. My imagination took me into some crazy places. LOL

TRC:  How involved in the writing process is your family?

Jamie: My husband and daughters read what I have written and support me through each step of the story.  My youngest daughter, however, will sit and analyze each detail of the story and characters. She definitely has a writer’s mind and a passion for my stories that keeps me encouraged even when I am convinced the entire story is falling apart.

TRC:  You are interested in the fund raising and research in  Ataxia.
Would you explain about Ataxia and how you became involved
with their cause?

Jamie: I have Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA), which is a hereditary recessive neurological disease. Recessive means it stays hidden in the genes as long as there is a more dominant trait to take the forefront. But, as this one is passed down from both the mother and father, if a child gets a recessive Freidreich’s gene from each of them, then they have it. No one in my family had it or showed signs of it. But when my clumsiness became a bit excessive in my teen years, several trips to the doctor and lots of tests discovered I had this disease no one in my family had ever heard of.

What FA does is tangle up the DNA in my nerve cells, so they can’t produce Frataxin, a protein that breaks up iron in the mitochondria of nerve cells. The less Frataxin my body makes, the more the iron builds up and the less my nerves work. This results in a lack of coordination, fatigue, potentially fatal heart problems and a progressively downward spiral of abilities.

 

There is currently no cure and and no treatment for the Frataxin deficiency, although there is always vitamins, antioxidants and physical therapy to treat the symptoms.

 

There are, however, about 7 different drugs in Phase II and III clinical trials around the world. Several of these show quite a bit of promise in combating FA.

 

While reading on one of my ataxia email lists, I learned of a project BabelFAmily was doing to help raise funds for research into these and more drugs. The International Literary Project to Fight Against Friedreich’s Ataxia :

 

is a project with writers, translators and artists from around the world working on one novel that will be sold in multiple languages and formats. Our fiction novel is titled The Legacy and combines mystery, murder and love with the last 160 years of discoveries about Friedreich’s Ataxia.

 

We are all very excited and in love with this project. There is so much in it to feel passionate about. We are close to finishing the first draft of writing and translations into the main writer languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. As soon as edits are finished, we have translators lined up to add German, French, and many more languages.

 

We ask that anyone with an interest in supporting this project and cause LIKE the project’s page on Facebook. We have a logo made and will be passing it around to anyone who would like to make it a banner on their website. All free of charge, we just want to gather awareness of this cause. 🙂

 

Thank you, so much, Sandy for giving me a chance to speak about The International Literary Project to Fight Against Friedreich’s Ataxia.

 

TRC:  You are welcome.  Betrayed and Cursed are the first two book in your Nephilim series.  Would you please tell us something about the premise of this series?

Jamie: For those who’ve read this series already, thank you! It is not dead and I do plan more. 🙂

For those who haven’t, The Nephilim series begins with Betrayed. This is the story of Kalyss, a woman who has lived 9 lives, attempting to rescue her husband who is trapped as a statue. She has failed all 9 times, but this 10th life is different. She is different. Stronger, more capable, with a steel will that will not bend.She won’t fail this time, even if she doesn’t quite know what to do with her husband once she has him.

 

This story has all the drama, love and angst I could have ever wished to write when I was a teenager. I love this series.

 

The second novel is Cursed, the story of Elizabeth, the dream-weaver. She was raised in a family plagued by troubles, both ones they’ve created and those life has handed them. After a decade away, Elizabeth is drawn home to care for her dying mother and ten abandoned nieces and nephews in the crumbling home her family has kept, barely, for three generations. Elizabeth needs hope and the ability to believe in hope and love when it’s freely given to her in the form of a high school crush she’s never forgotten.

 

Elizabeth’s story is very special to me. I loved healing this home and this family. I loved meeting a woman who was strong enough to make it happen even when she didn’t believe herself to be.

 

And through both books, there is the story of two unlikely allies determined to help the special people who consider themselves just human and determined to beat the ultimate in evil.

 

TRC:  Are you going to continue to write any more storylines for the Nephilim
series?

 

Jamie:  I have several more books and short stories planned for this series. I will put them out as soon as I know certain things. 🙂
TRC:  The Murder King’s Woman was a short story first published in the anthology Vampire Romance 2. Would you tell us about The Murder King’s Woman? (see our review below)

 

Jamie:   The Murder King’s Woman is about a human named Mary on a mission to save the vampire who saved her as a child. It is a short story, but when I was done, Mary let me know there were more adventures that needed to be told.

 

TRC:  You are going to continue the Murder Tales series with a new release .  Would you tell us about the next book in the Murder Tales series?
Do you have a release date?

 

Jamie:  The Murder King’s Summons is the second in the Murder Tales Series, featuring Mary on another mission – to prove herself to the vampires and werewolves who raised her. But when she faces a spectre from her past, she’ll need all of her mental agility to escape the trap set for her.

 

TRC:  What are you working on today?

 

Jamie:  Today, I am working on a short story for The Mammoth Book of  Futuristic Romance – release date TBA.

TRC:  Would you like to add anything that you would like us to know?

 

Jamie:  Drop by and say Hi!!!!!

 

LIGHTNING ROUND

 

FAVORITE DESSERT: NY Style Cheesecake

FAVORITE FOOD: Steak fajitas with lots of guacamole.

LAST BOOK YOU READ: I have never made it to Acheron before I got busy, so I am now re-reading all of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series. So far, I am on Seize the Night with Valerius. I truly love this series.

TRC:  *hands Jamie a box of tissues and the 1-800 hotline number for support*–you will need it for Acheron

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It has to mean something when you can watch the entire series more than a dozen times and still find something new to enjoy

FAVORITE MOVIE: The Cutting Edge with D.B. Sweeney and Moira Kelly. It’s a long-time favorite.

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW: Bridesmaids. It was a nice surprise to see there was more to the story than the trailer showed, but all the humor was in the trailer.

RED OR PINK ROSES: Red, Orange, Black, Purple, Peach, Yellow and every other shade. I love roses.

DARK OR MILK CHOCOLATE: Definitely milk chocolate.

 

 TRC:  Jamie, we would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our
questions.  Stay in touch and let us know about all of your upcoming
releases.

 

Jamie:  Thank you, as well, Sandy. I will definitely keep your wonderful site at the top of my list. 🙂
****GIVEAWAY****


Jamie Leigh Hansen has graciously offered an e-copy of THE MURDER KING’S WOMAN & THE MURDER KING’S SUMMONS to 2 of our eligible members

1. You must be a registered member at The Reading Cafe.  If you are not a member, please register using the log-in tab at the top or one of our social log-ins.

2.  The giveaway is open internationally.

3.  Please drop by and say hello to Jamie.


Amazon Kindle Link:The Murder King’s Woman
KOBO Link: The Murder King’s Woman
B&N Nook Link:The Murder King’s Woman

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22 thoughts on “Jamie Leigh Hansen-Interview and Giveaway with the Author”

  1. What a fantastic interview, Sandy. Awesome job.
    Jamie it is such a pleasure to meet you. Your books sound great, another one to add to my tbr…..sigh

    I have never heard of Friedreich’s Ataxia, and thank you for telling us about this. My heart goes out to you with this, and will pray that one day they find a cure. You are an amazing person to push yourself beyond this, and to write a book as well. I will check out the site for more information.

    It is was so nice to hear about your wonderful family that helps listen to your ideas and books. thank you for being with us today, and come back.

  2. This was a great interview, I have never heard of Jamie’s work, so I am delighted to add them to my list!! I always read the lightning round first, and I am in awe!! Great taste or should I say, we could be friends!!! lol Cheesecake, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Buffy!!! I will definitely support you in raising awareness for your health condition. You have truly educated me this morning! Best wishes on a long and successful career!!!

  3. Dropping by to say HELLO and nice meeting you Ms Jamie. I’ll take a time to check out your books soon for they do sound interesting, especially Cursed.
    And I must agree with Jules about the lightning round. lol. I love cheese cakes and Buffy! Ha! common likes. =)
    I wish you the best on your organization and hoping they’ll find a cure in the near future.

    Sandy, this is beyond great interview. I love how you prepared the tissue and the hotline number for Jamie’s next read. lol *two thumps up* if I had extra they’ll definitely be up too. 😉

  4. Just the nicest gal in the world!!! What an interview. So much love for life — it was infectious. 😉

    This is the first time, since my favorite Succubus series by Richelle Mead, that I’ve read about another Nephilim. So happy to hear she’s taken on such an interesting type of character.

    I’ve just added Cursed and Betrayed to my Wish Lists!!!

  5. Sandy, good job as always. Jamie, thanks for dropping by. Never heard of Ataxia but will definetly research it. My son is Autistic so anything about neurological disorders interest me. Definetly want to read The Murder King’s woman. I’ll have to check to see if I have that huge Romance 2 book. I think I have the Paranormal one.

  6. Great interview. The Murder King’s Woman was is a short story , do you plan on continuing the series. If so do you think it will come out this year. Short stories sometimes are easier to finish up, since my life is so hectic. Once again thanks for the great interview. I,m really interested in the short story. Have to put it on my list, to must read.

  7. Thank you for this super interview Jamie. You moved my heart with your story, and I loved the sound of your book. I will have to buy it.

  8. Hi Barb,
    Thank you so much. 🙂 I really appreciated Sandy for giving me the chance to talk about FA. All of the writers in the project have it and are working with the same limitations I do, so it’s wonderful to watch our efforts come to life.

  9. Hi Jules,
    Thank you! Cheesecake, Buffy and Sherrilyn Kenyon, I love making new friends. 🙂 Thank you for your support of FA Awareness. They have a Facebook Like page and that is where they will definitely announce progress on the book. 🙂

  10. HI Jamie….glad you stopped by. It was our pleasure to feature your book and interview at The Reading Cafe.

    We wish you the best of luck with all your future books and series. As well, with getting the message out about FA.

  11. Hi Sheri,
    You are so right! Thank you, Sandy, for the tissue. I loved Acheron’s story and seeing who was his heroine was a very nice surprise. I loved Tory in the previous book, Dream Chaser. I was so happy that he found a heroine I really liked. 🙂

  12. Hi Carmen 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words. I love Richelle Mead, though I’ve only read her Vampire Academy books. She is a wonderful author. 🙂

  13. Lavonda44, my sympathies to your son! What a tough battle. He’s very lucky to have a loving mom to help him. Neurological diseases affect absolutely everything. It’s great that when they develop a drug for one, it generally benefits several others. 🙂 Good luck!

  14. Mercy,
    Thank you for asking. 🙂 I am definitely continuing Mary’s story. Actually, yesterday I put The Murder King’s Summons up for sale. I am really excited about this one. It is 3 times longer than the first, though still a short story. I can sympathize with really wanting to read but not having the time to get caught up in a huge story. Acheron was definitely not possible to read in one sitting and so many things didn’t get done. Not that I am complaining. That book was just too good to regret! LOL

  16. Sounds like something quick and interesting… really good interview… as usual, you guys spoil us… heading off to look into it a little further. Sometimes it is a good thing to have something in your TBR pile that isn’t 400 pages long. This sounds like it would fit the bill.

  17. Girls I was thrilled to win Jamie’s Murder books, this evening I have read the first one, and although it was short, I am hooked and want to know what happens next to Mary and Sebastian, settling down with the next in just a min.
    Thanks again

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