THE MISTLETOE FAVOR - Jill Kemerer - One Free Book

Welcome, Jill. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. Honestly, very little. My characters seem to have a life of their own. Sometimes I wish I had some of their qualities! But my outlook on life and personal experiences flavor every book.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? The quirkiest, huh? Probably singing Frank Sinatra karaoke in the middle of a mall in Guadalajara, Mexico, when I was a teenager.

James and I love Guadalajara. When did you first discover that you were a writer? I’ve always loved to read, and I wrote short books and even a magazine when I was a kid. But I didn’t discover novel writing until I was twenty years old. I’d just finished reading a romance novel, and I threw it across the room, yelling, “I could write better than that!” So I did.

I grabbed a spiral notebook and a pen and started writing a romance the way I thought it should go. By page 22, I had nothing left to write! It occurred to me there wasn’t much to say when your characters had no problems. But the writing bug was in me at that point, and it never left.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. I love reading! I read a ton of romance novels, nonfiction, memoirs, fantasy novels, classics, women’s fiction, some romantic suspense and historical fiction. I like to mix it up.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? I don’t. Ha-ha! No, really, I force myself to keep business hours, or I’d work all the time. Basically, I leave my home office no later than 6pm and take weekends off.

I also start every day with a journal and my Bible. It sets the tone for the day and is such a relief to know God’s right there with me.

Other things that help? I keep my phone on silent all day and only allow notifications on two apps. Plus, I spend very little time on social media anymore. I need to check in more often, but I find the more I’m away, the less I miss it.

How do you choose your characters’ names? I keep a running list of names for men and women. Whenever I hear an unusual name, I add it to the list. Then, when I’m starting a new book, I think about the character and a name usually just jumps out to me as being a good fit.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? On a professional level, I’m most proud of my first contract with Love Inspired. I’d written ten books (some category length, some trade length), and I’d been trying to get published for seven years. I was ready to quit. But God blessed me with that contract, and I’m so thankful for it!

It took me 8 years to get my first book contract. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? A cat, for sure. They love naps, cuddle on their terms, don’t need a ton of attention and they’re curious.

What is your favorite food? Ooh, that’s a hard one. I love pizza and lasagna and caramels. Does coffee count, too? I love coffee!

I heard recently that coffee has things in it that are good for you, so I guess it is a food. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? The mental game was—and is—my greatest roadblock. It’s hard to write day in and day out when you have no guarantees the book will get published (for books that aren’t under contract). It’s easy to doubt my voice and plot direction, too. I have to constantly trust God with my writing.

Tell us about the featured book. Well, it’s a Christmas book! The Mistletoe Favor is part of my Wyoming Ranchers series. It features rancher, Mac Tolbert, and Bridget Renna, the city girl who is new to Sunrise Bend. Here’s the back cover copy:

It will take one special cowboy To make this season bright.

After gaining guardianship of his half sister, wealthy rancher Mac Tolbert hopes a part-time job during the holidays will help the grieving teenager. New coffee shop owner Bridget Renna has been on her own since sixteen and is immediately drawn to the shy orphan—and her handsome brother. But as Bridget grows closer to the siblings, will her troubled past ruin their chance at a Christmas together?

Please give us the first page of the book.

What was the point of being rich if he couldn’t make Kaylee happy?

Mac Tolbert parked his truck on Main Street in Sunrise Bend, Wyoming. As his feet hit the pavement, he inhaled the crisp, autumn air. The downtown looked like it had been invaded by pumpkins and bales of straw. Soon they’d be replaced with Christmas lights and wreaths.

He strode toward the new storefront everyone around town was buzzing about. The window had fancy gold lettering that spelled out Brewed Awakening. After months without a coffee shop, the locals were ready for the grand opening next week. It had been a no-brainer for Mac to lease the building, including the apartment above, to Bridget Renna. Any friend of Sawyer Roth’s was a friend of his, and Bridget had plenty of experience managing a coffee shop in New York City.

Although they’d only met briefly at Sawyer’s wedding this summer, Mac had a favor to ask of Bridget, and he was more than willing to make it worth her while. He just prayed it would get his little sister, Kaylee, out of her funk.

How can readers find you on the Internet? Readers can find me at my website, jillkemerer.com, on Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads.

Thank you, Lena, for having me today!

It’s my pleasure featuring you.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

http://ow.ly/mYH550L76UP

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