Catching Up With Julie Garwood
The Reading Cafe is thrilled to have Julie Garwood with us today. Julie is here today to discuss her newest release ..Sweet Talk, as well as to tell us anything else that might be upcoming on her busy schedule.
Without further ado, let’s catch up with Julie.
TRC: Hi Julie. Thank you for taking the time to visit us at The Reading Cafe, to discuss your new release “Sweet Talk”, as well as to give us an update as to what you have in store for us for the remainder of the year and in 2013.
TRC: Sweet Talk was released on August 7th. Would you please tell us the premise of this romance suspense story? Also, how did you come up with this idea?
Julie: The story in Sweet Talk centers around Olivia MacKenzie and her quest to stop her father from hurting innocent victims with his investments schemes. She’s convinced he’s running a scam, but she hasn’t found proof. She’s even taken a job with the IRS to learn more about investigative methods. At the beginning of the book, she’s interviewing for a new job because of cutbacks at the IRS and accidentally gets mixed up in an FBI sting operation. It’s a disastrous situation, except for one thing—she meets Agent Grayson Kincaid. As her life gets more complicated and dangerous, and things begin to heat up, so does her relationship with Grayson.
I was inspired to write this story after reading about the greed and corruption of men like Bernie Madoff and Ken Lay. I created a heroine who is the daughter of one of these con artists. She sets out to stop her father from destroying the lives of people who trust him. Her crusade gets her into all sorts of trouble, but in the process, she meets Grayson. She’s hesitant to let herself fall in love, but he’s not only irresistible, he also shows her what a good man truly is.
TRC: What were your challenges in writing Sweet Talk, especially since your heroine was an IRS Agent, and the hero was an FBI Agent? Do you use the same writing process for each book, as you did for Sweet Talk?
Julie: My writing process was the same for this book as it has been with most of my others. I start out with a question of “What if…?” and go from there. The challenge is always getting the first chapter just right. Those first few sentences set the tone for the rest of the story.
Links to purchase Sweet Talk:
Amazon:
Barnes and Noble:
IBooks:
RainyDayBooks:
TRC: Your first book published was a YA book titled, A Girl Named Summer. You re-released this book in e-format in June of this year. Why did you decide to re-release your first book?
Julie: My publisher came to me and asked if I’d be interested in releasing it as an e-book, and I was thrilled. Even though it was written many years ago, we decided not to change it or update it for 2012. We thought it would give a nostalgic look back at a more innocent time, and hopefully mothers would share it with their daughters. So far, the response has been great. I’ve heard from readers young and old who tell me they identify with the characters, and that’s so gratifying.
TRC: You write both historical and contemporary romance novels. Do you have a preference, if so why? Would you consider writing another genre like YA again?
Julie: I love writing both. The historicals will always be near and dear to my heart, but I also love the freedom of incorporating current topics and language into my contemporary novels. In my dream world, I’d be writing both at the same time, but unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to do that yet. The publisher has asked for several more contemporary romantic suspense stories, so that’s what I’ll be working on for a while, but I’d love to visit medieval Scotland again. I’m always a little homesick for the Highlands, so I’ll keep them in mind as I’m working on new ideas.
As for the YA’s—there again, in my perfect world, I’d have time to write more of them. I’ve actually got a plot outline for a book that I’ve been wanting to develop for years.
I know I’ll write it eventually, but I just can’t predict how soon.
TRC: Would you like to share with us what you may have upcoming in 2012 or 2013?
Julie: I’m working on a book for 2013 that’s the first in a trilogy. It’s about three sisters who unexpectedly inherit a small resort on the Gulf. Each of their stories shows how their lives change when they set off in a new direction.
TRC: This trilogy sounds wonderful. I can’t wait for the first book.
TRC: Thank you, Julie for giving us an update on what we can look forward to for the rest of this year and next. Good luck on Sweet Talk.
If you want to learn more about Julie, you can visit her at the following links:
Website: http://www.juliegarwood.com/
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads:
Biography
It’s no surprise that Julie Garwood became a writer. Growing up in a large family of Irish heritage, she took to storytelling naturally. “The Irish relish getting all the details of every situation,” she explains. “Add in the fact that I was the sixth of seven children. Early in life I learned that self-expression had to be forceful, imaginative, and quick.”
Creating stories was always a passion for Julie, but she didn’t focus on making it a career until the youngest of her three children entered school. After the publications of two young adult books, she turned her interests to historical fiction. Her first novel, GENTLE WARRIOR, was published in 1985, and there has been a steady parade of bestsellers ever since. Today more than 36 million copies of her books are in print, and they are translated in dozens of languages around the world. One of her most popular novels, FOR THE ROSES, was adapted for a HALLMARK HALL OF FAME production on CBS.
Whether the setting be medieval Scotland, Regency England, frontier Montana, or modern-day Louisiana, her themes are consistent: family, loyalty, and honor. Readers claim that it’s the humor as well as poignancy of her novels that keep them coming back for more. Julie described her goals this way: “I want my readers to laugh and cry and fall in love. Basically, I want them to escape into another world for a little while and afterwards to feel as though they’ve been on a great adventure.”
Julie lives in Leawood, Kansas, and is currently working on her next novel.
Bibliography
Novels:
Gentle Warrior
A Girl Named Summer
Rebellious Desire
Honor’s Splendour
The Prize
Saving Grace
Prince Charming
Sweet Talk
Crown’s Spies Series:
The Lion’s Lady
Guardian Angel
The Gift
Castles
Lairds’ Brides Series:
The Bride
The Wedding
Highlands’ Lairds Series:
The Secret
Ransom
Shadow Music
Clayborne of Rosehill Series:
For The Roses
One Pink Rose (and in “The Clayborne Brides”)
One White Rose (and in “The Clayborne Brides”)
One Red Rose (and in “The Clayborne Brides”)
Come The Spring
Buchanan-Renard-McKenna Series:
Heartbreaker
Mercy
Killjoy
Murder List
Slow Burn
Shadow Dance
Fire and Ice
Sizzle
Julie has graciously agreed to offer one lucky winner of The Reading Café a free copy of her wonderful new novel “Sweet Talk”.
1. You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.
2. If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.
3. Please post a comment and tell us your favorite novel by Julie.
4. Giveaway open to U.S. or Canada only
5. Contests runs from August 24st – 27th.
