Welcome, Rachel!
Q. Tell us about your new release—the inspiration,
genre, characters or anything you want us to know.
"Cold Ambition" is the first book in the Jordan James, PI series, which is the story of a young woman from New Orleans living in Boston and trying to make it as a private investigator against some pretty serious odds. Her first case is a twenty-something-year old unsolved murder that not even Boston's finest could crack. Little did she know that with her very first case, Jordan would find herself unwittingly involved in an international conspiracy that puts her very life in jeopardy...
The inspiration for Jordan James came from the fact that as a child, I loved watching re-runs of "Magnum, PI" so much that I literally wanted to become a PI myself. The lifestyle presented in that show was possibly the most thrilling life I could have imagined - living in Hawaii on an ocean front estate free of charge and getting to drive a Ferrari you don't own while solving sensational cases with your friends? Who wouldn't want a life like that? When I truly began to put pen to paper, however, I couldn't imagine a more exciting city to begin a career as a PI than in Boston which, along with New Orleans, is one of my all-time favorite cities.
Now that you put it that way, I think I'd like to be a PI as well! That was a good show. I agree Boston and New Orleans are both great cities and wonderful fodder for novels.
Q. How long have you been writing and what is your typical writing day like?
I've been writing stories ever since I could write.
Reading and writing have always been passions of mine, which is most likely why
I became an English major in college. A typical writing day for me is atypical
at best. At this point in my career, I still have a "day job," so I write
whenever I can. Oftentimes, I get the most writing done on the go via my cell
phone's writing app. If I'm writing a novel, my goal is to complete the first
draft within a season. Editing takes more time, but as long as I get that first
draft down, I'm good.
I've heard you talk about that phone app before. What is it called? Though, I can't imagine penning a novel (even part of one) on my phone. I love that idea to finish a draft in a season. Hmm. Maybe I'll try that.
Q. How many books have you written or is this your
debut?
This is my debut novel, but there are currently four
books in the Jordan James, PI series. Soul Mate Publishing contracted book two,
"Lost Distinction," and I am editing book three, working title "Retribution." I
am also writing book four. I hope for this to be a continuous series like "Jack
Reacher."
You are making me feel like a real slacker especially since I can no longer say my day job is anything but writing. But I did work outside the home for over 25 years. Congrats on selling book #2 and working on #'s 3 and 4. I'm impressed.
Q. Any suggestions on balancing writing and social
media?
It's all about consistency. You have to remain active to
keep your name and your work out there, but you don't want to over-saturate your
market to the point you lose readers' interest. I try to keep semi-active on
Facebook and Twitter as well as my blog, but I do not post daily. Marketing is
easily a full-time job that could take away from your writing time if you let
it. That's why it's important to be consistent, but keep things in
balance.
Marketing can definitely be a full-time job. Achieving balance is key, I agree, but it's often hard to follow that advice.
Q. Tell us something quirky about you that we may not
know.
It's not exactly quirky, but I love music and I play the
guitar. I was in a band in high school called Outta the Blue. If I couldn't
write novels, I would probably focus more time on my music.
You're cool! Love the name of the band and the fact that you can play a guitar!
Q. What is your favorite marketing tip/promotional
advice?
When I first began my journey to publication, I was
talking to a friend and fellow author and he said, "You're going to write? Then
you need to Tweet." After a minimal argument, I agreed that whenever that
wonderful day happened, the day when a publisher finally said, "Yes, we want to
publish you," on that day I would give in and get Twitter. And I did. And my
friend was right. Twitter allows you to reach, in my opinion, a wider audience
than Facebook. Both are amazing marketing tools that anyone needing to promote
themselves or their product/service should utilize, but so far, I've found it
easier to engage readers on Twitter.
Interesting. I've found more fans and networking opportunities on Facebook! But I'm also on Twitter.
Q. What’s your next project?
"Lost Distinction," book two in the Jordan James, PI
series. In it, Jordan is called upon to find the missing son of a US Ambassador.
With time running out and lives at stake, she must race to uncover the culprit
of an elaborate plot while also uncovering a far more personal truth too
intimate to ignore...
Sounds intriguing and complex.
Q. I love first lines. Post your first sentence. Hook
us!
Perilously perched on the edge of a high-rise that offered a spectacular view of Faneuil Hall is most certainly not how I pictured my untimely demise...
Good one!!! I just love compelling first sentences. They're so important. Now, I wish I had asked you why you decided to write using first person. Maybe you can tell us in the comments.
Everyone, please read Rachel's excerpt below, then leave a comment and follow her on Facebook and Twitter. And, of course, check out her novel, COLD AMBITION. Thanks for stopping by, Rachel.
COLD AMBITION Excerpt
My name is Jordan James, and I am a twenty-four- year-old woman. I
just wanted to get that straight from the beginning. I am well aware that Jordan
is commonly a boy’s name, but for some reason my parents decided that a normal
name like Melissa or Amanda would not suit me. Regardless, my name has not
caused me any trouble since an unfortunate teasing incident in the third grade.
In fact, it has been quite useful in my line of work. But again, I
digress.
I’m
originally from a suburb of New Orleans but moved to the Northeast to attend
Brown University. I spent four fabulous years in Providence and graduated magna
cum laude with a B.S. in psychology. Like most bright- eyed, eager graduates, I
assumed jobs would be thrown at me as soon as I was handed my diploma. I assumed
that I could take my pick. The world was my oyster. To make a long story short,
my ideas and reality did not match. After several frustrating months of
searching, I decided to move to Boston. I thought this city would provide me
with all of the wonderful opportunities I had been unable to find in Providence.
When it didn’t, I settled and took a job as a waitress at a small Italian
restaurant along the Freedom Trail near the Old North Church to make ends meet.
It wasn’t a bad job; the tips were good, and the owners were wonderful. In fact,
they became quasi-parents to me when I didn’t know anyone else in Boston, but I
wasn’t satisfied. This job wasn’t what I had spent four grueling years studying
for.
After
work each evening, I went home to my one- bedroom apartment on Sewall Avenue,
counted my tips, and then spent many hours searching online for different career
opportunities that might be available to someone with my credentials.
Unfortunately, I had already looked into most of them and during an economic
crisis, good jobs can be hard to attain. I started saving religiously and
continued the search for my dream job.
After
I saved up a decent amount of money and recruited the reluctant help of my
parents, I decided to go into business for myself. What career did I decide on?
What job could possibly stimulate me intellectually and help me provide for
myself in a manner that I could finally be on my own, both physically and
fiscally? Private investigation. Yes, I decided to set up shop as a P.I. Now,
one might wonder, what could have possibly led me to believe that I could make
it as a P.I.? Another valid question is: why did I want to become one in the
first place? The answer to both questions can be summed up in one word: Magnum.
I grew up watching re-runs of the classic 1980’s show and was enthralled by both
his career and his lifestyle. It was exciting and thrilling. He lived in Hawaii,
drove a Ferrari that he didn’t own, and lived on an expansive oceanfront estate
free of charge. Who wouldn’t want a life like that? With the black belt in Tae
Kwon Do that I had earned in college, I felt more than prepared to take on a
potentially dangerous job. However, even with my black belt and my education, my
choice of career received less than enthusiastic responses.
“No
one is going to hire a woman to investigate anything,” my father stated when I
called him with the news.
“Oh,
that is such a dangerous job. You could be killed! What’s wrong with the
restaurant? In fact, what’s wrong with moving back home?” my mother inquired. I
must admit I shuddered at the thought.
“A
private eye? Good luck with that one,” scoffed my older sister, Alicia, the
pediatric neurosurgeon. She had graduated from an in-state university and set up
her practice within thirty miles of my parents’ residence. She was always the
good one.
Despite
the negative feedback, I decided to forge my new life in the home of our
country’s forefathers, where liberty was conceived and it was decided that
freedom was considered worth dying for. Unfortunately, the cost of living had
gone up substantially since Paul Revere had galloped into history with his
famous midnight ride. Finding a reasonable apartment in an area that didn’t have
the police on speed dial was difficult. Finding an office that didn’t put my
unborn children into debt would be a miracle.
I
learned, however, that perseverance pays off. My landlord owned an office
building near Fenway Park with a tiny, unrentable office. It was smaller than
all of the other offices in the building and, therefore, considered undesirable.
I investigated this situation and found out that my landlord had been unable to
rent it for over a year and a half. This was the perfect opportunity for me to
put that minor in communications to work. Although it took nearly a month, I was
able to logically convince Mr. Chambers that if he were to rent the office to me
at five-eighths the normal price for six months, it would be beneficial to us
both. Eventually, he saw it my way. He says it was actually because I nearly
drove him to jump into the Charles River because of my incessant nagging. I like
to believe it was due to my keen negotiating skills.
So, on November 3,
nearly a year and a half after graduating, I unlocked the door to my office,
turned on the light, and smiled at the black letters freshly inked to the opaque
glass in my door—Jordan James, P.I. Now all that I needed were clients. As fate
would have it, someone was looking for a P.I., someone whose case would affect
not only my career but my very existence.
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