An Interview with Jennifer Lynne-Author of Platinum Passion

TRC: Hi Jennifer. Thank you for joining us at The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information.

NAME: Jennifer Lynne
MARITAL STATUS: Engaged (about to be married this year)
RESIDENCE: Melbourne Australia
NUMBER OF CHILDREN: 2 of mine and 2 of his 
NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 2
FORMAL EDUCATION: Degree in Literature and Media Studies

TRC:  Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Jennifer:  I recently bought a house with my partner and our teenage/young adult children, so we are all adapting to our new life at present. I’ve worked in many fields in the marketing area and even did a stint as an optical dispenser, but these days work in medical admin. I spend most of my spare time running the kids around to all of their various school/sporting/social activities. Writing is what keeps me sane (or maybe it is what sends me crazy – and we all need a little crazy escapism in our life, right?). So I try to make time for writing every day. When I do write, I feel complete. Corny, but true! Outside family, work and writing, I love reading, movies, TV, walking, driving up into the hills to have coffee or lunch at a winery, exploring art and craft galleries, and visiting the beach.

TRC:  You have a degree in Literature and Media Studies. Have you always been interested in writing?

Jennifer:  Yes, I’ve always loved writing – and reading. I didn’t become interested in romance writing, though, until I was at university and someone dared me to write a “Mills & Boon”. I took the dare and sent off my first manuscript, and though it was rejected (of course!) I did get some great feedback on my unique voice. This eventually led to me joining the then fledgling Romance Writers of Australia. I dabbled in writing as a hobby for many years, but after my divorce I decided life was too short not to go for your dreams, so I rewrote an erotic romance I’d penned earlier and submitted it to Red Sage. They bought SEDUCING SERENA for their Secrets anthology (Volume 28) and thus my first published work came into being.

TRC: Were your parents and family supportive of the choices in your life?

Jennifer:  My father passed away when I was a child, but I am sure he would have been supportive if he’d had the chance. My mother, sisters and my current partner are very supportive indeed. I am lucky to have such a wonderful family.

TRC:  Many artists and authors, have someone in their life that they bounce ideas and information between. Whom do you bounce ideas with?

Jennifer:  My partner likes to think he is the inspiration behind all of the heroes in my stories. Who am I to dissuade him of that idea? I’m also lucky to have sisters and a cousin who love reading, so I often talk to them about ideas I might have for a story, or get them to read something in advance and give me feedback. My very own beta readers! 

TRC: SEDUCING SERENA was your first erotic romance novella published. Will you tell us somethingabout the premise of this book?

Jennifer:  Nick is a fun-loving bachelor with an aversion to commitment, and Serena a buttoned-up tax accountant whose emotional pain runs so deep she decides to take emotion out of the equation and interview for a potential partner:

Thirty-two year old tax accountant Serena Hewitt gets more than she bargained for when the charismatic Nicholas Wade responds to her lonely hearts advertisement. With her life and heart already in tatters, Serena’s experience has taught her there is no such thing as ‘Mister Right’. On the surface Nick appears to be a fun-loving bachelor with bad-boy good looks and an aversion to commitment, and the serious Serena is a challenge he finds impossible to resist. He wants to prove her wrong. But his secret might just do the opposite.

TRC:  The first novella in your Gods of Love trilogy is PLATINUM PASSION. Will you tell us about the premise of this book? (See Sandy’s review below)

Jennifer:  PLATINUM PASSION is the first in my series of stand-alone novellas with the erotes as a common theme. So who are the erotes? Pothos – the god of sexual yearning, Himeros – the god of sexual desire, and Anteros – the god of unrequited/requited love. In this version of the Greek myth, all are the children of Aphrodite and aspects of the primal god of desire, Eros:

Three people. One erotic fantasy. And a twentieth wedding anniversary like no other. Jeannie yearns for the return of passion in her marriage. Jake craves new excitement in the form of another man. Pothos is one of the erotes, an aspect of Eros, the ancient Greek god of love, and this couple’s distinctive yearning has called to him. By the power of the erotes he intends to rekindle the flame of Jake and Jeannie’s passion in a night of desire that will be the ultimate platinum anniversary gift. And when the gods of love decide your marriage needs a boost, they never do it by halves.

TRC:  Your premise includes the Greek gods of love – Pothos, Himeros and Anteros. Will each ‘god’ have a storyline in the trilogy?

Jennifer:  Yes, I’m intending to have a series of erotic romance stories, each featuring one of the Greek gods of love, so that any of the stories can be read either as a stand-alone or in sequence. Book 1 was the story of Pothos, god of sexual yearning, and his interaction with long-time married couple, Jake and Jeannie. Book 2 will be about Himeros, god of sexual desire and his developing relationship with career woman, Gina. Book 3 will be the story of Anteros, god of requited/unrequited love, and a couple’s adventure in his sex club. Potentially the series could be bigger than a trilogy, with Eros or even Aphrodite having their own story, though at this stage I have only envisioned the three.

TRC:  Your next instalment in the trilogy is APHRODITE CALLING. Will you tell us something about this storyline?

Jennifer:  After PLATINUM PASSION, I began to wonder what would happen if one of the gods of love grew world-weary. Would he be able to continue helping others in their path to desire, or would he need time out? Would he need someone to help him instead? That is the central premise of APHRODITE CALLING. Himeros is called to arms by modern career woman, Gina, who needs a fiancé in a hurry for a high school reunion, and a lesson in desire. Could their meeting be what Himeros needs to jolt him out of his own world-weary state and into a hotbed of desire with the woman of his dreams? Let’s hope so!

TRC:  Will you reveal any information about your novella (#3) for this series?

Jennifer:  The working title is SEX CLUB SECRETS, and tells the story of Anteros, god of requited/unrequited love, who has settled into modern life as the owner of a sex club. Anteros is a naughty boy at heart, and he has a whole lot of fun with two people who need the blinkers removed in order to see the truth directly in front of them.

TRC:  Your most recent release was EDUCATING ETHAN. Will you tell us something about the premise of this storyline?

Jennifer:  As an older woman myself, I wanted to write an older woman/younger man love story, but I didn’t want to use the classic “cougar” concept of a predatory older woman seducing/educating a young man in the ways of love. So, while I called the story EDUCATING ETHAN, I built in a bit of a twist. As the story progresses it becomes increasingly unclear just who is educating whom. I hope that readers will ultimately see this as a story in which two people fall in love and have to deal with the emotional baggage we all bring to a new relationship, regardless of age. Here’s the blurb:

Ida Deloraine intends to build herself a new life and a catering career, after a painful divorce. When the much younger Ethan Holt moves in across the street, an innocent flirtation quickly becomes serious when the two realise their age difference is no barrier to all-consuming passion. But Ethan is the exact opposite of what Ida is looking for in a sexual partner. In her eyes he is young and vibrant, with his life and his dreams still ahead of him, whereas hers are all in the past. Can Ethan, who is fighting his own demons in the form of a car accident, failed marriage and forced career change, convince Ida to overcome the past and live for the moment? And just who is educating who in this cougar encounter?

TRC:  Many readers like to read series. Many of your novels are stand alone. Which do you consider more difficult to write—stand alone or serial storylines and why?

Jennifer:  I don’t think there is one or the other that I prefer, though I’ve only written the first two in a series thus far, so maybe it becomes more difficult as you progress a series. I can imagine reader expectation based on previous books in a series could weigh quite heavily on the shoulders as a writer. For me, each story is unique in itself, and I don’t have a preference. My stories are (so far!) all set in contemporary Australia, a place I know well, so it is more about getting into the characters’ heads each time, rather than building a world that needs to be sustained, as with a fantasy series, for example.

TRC:  Erotic Romance Fantasy is directed at readers over 18 years of age, but the age of electronic books and internet, allows for the underage reader access to many novels and storylines. What is your opinion with regards to minors reading adult 18+ erotic fiction?

Jennifer:  A definite no in my view. My children are teenagers and they haven’t read any of my work, and they won’t do so until they are 18+. 

TRC:  Some authors cross the line between erotic to pornographic. Where do you believe the line is drawn with regards with erotic fiction and fantasy?

Jennifer:  For me, the key word is romance. In erotic romance, the developing relationship is key, as is the potential for a happy ever after ending. The story is not about sex for the sake of it, but the sex is only one component of a bigger whole that includes an emotional connection potentially leading to love. I write erotic romance, and I love reading hot stories, but my personal preference is for sensuality rather than straight sex.

TRC:  Have you ever consider writing a Young Adult storyline?

Jennifer:  I have considered writing a YA story and have a couple of ideas at the moment that I’m working on, but nothing concrete to present as yet. I love reading YA and would really enjoy tackling this genre.

TRC:  What are you currently working on?

Jennifer:  I’m rewriting a chunk of APHRODITE CALLING that wasn’t working, and I’m also working on SEX CLUB SECRETS. Once those two are finished I have an idea for an erotic fairy tale based on the story of the princess and the pea, and I’m also at the planning stage of a romantic suspense novel. So there is plenty to keep me occupied at the writing desk!

TRC:  Would you like to add anything else?

Jennifer:  I would like to say thank you so much for having me here to visit. It has been fun!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Seafood

Favorite Dessert – Cheese and crackers

Favorite TV Show – Trueblood

Favorite Movie – The Artist

Last Movie you saw – One For the Money

Dark or Milk chocolate – Dark chocolate. Or none! I don’t have a sweet tooth.

Red or White Roses – Red.

TRC:  Thank you Jennifer for taking the time to answer our questions.

Jennifer:  My pleasure, and thank you for having me as a guest. I hope a few of your readers will look me up and friend me on Facebook or Twitter – I need more friends J

You can find Jennifer on the web at:
Jennifer Lynne Website/blog
Jennifer Lynne Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

You can find the books at :

Educating Ethan
Breathless Press http://bit.ly/xslPxy
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007DJ5X9E/

Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1)
Amazon http://amzn.to/tJ5iLg
All Romance http://bit.ly/vP812p

Pandora’s Gift
Amazon http://amzn.to/xhkmBI

Secrets Volume 28
Amazon http://amzn.to/uY5HjQ