Welcome my good online friend, Jannine Gallant!

Today I have my good friend and fellow Class of '85 buddy, Jannine Gallant visiting with me. I met Jannine through The Wild Rose Press online groups and she is one of my most loyal followers as I travel around cyber-space. I can't wait to hear what this amazing prolific writer and wonderful lady has been up too...

Let's get started!

1) Who is your favorite author and why? That’s a tough one because it depends on my mood. For romantic suspense, I snap up Nora Roberts or Carla Neggers every time they write something new. If I’m feeling a little more reflective, I love Barbara Delinsky. Then there are my old favorites, Barbara Michaels and LaVyrle Spencer. I’ve read some of their books over and over again!

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer? I started writing my first book about the time I graduated from high school. I didn’t sell one until a couple of years ago, but for over a quarter of a century I kept plugging away, telling stories. If I hadn’t known in my heart I was a writer, I wouldn’t have stuck with it all those years.

3) Describe your writing space? Desk with a computer in an alcove at the top of the stairs. View of trees and snow outside my window. (Yes, snow – this is the winter that wouldn’t quit. I may never see the ground again!)

4) What are you reading now? I wish I had a lot more time to read. I’ve been keeping up with all the other Class of ’85 books (Yours was great, Rachel!), and I squeak in a book for my book club each month. The current selection is Honolulu by Alan Brennert. Right now I’m also reading Try Just Once More by Kat Henry Doran.

5) How many books have your written? Which is your favorite? Let’s see, I’ve completed nine (We won’t count the partials.) Four are published, one is contracted, one is under consideration, and three are languishing on floppy disks. If you’re old enough to know what a floppy disk is, you can feel my pain at the thought of ever resurrecting them! I love each one for different reasons, but Victim Of Desire was the first published, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

6) What comes first, plot or characters? For my full length novels, plot, definitely. After I know where the story is going, I create characters to take it there. For my novellas, the exact opposite is true. I come up with quirky characters in a specific scene, write it, and pray more will follow.

7) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? I suffer more from writer interruption than block. Usually it’s my real world with daughters and a husband who think they should be fed on a regular basis distracting me. Sometimes it’s another story demanding to be told. I’ve been working on a suspense novel for two years now, but I keep putting it aside to answer submission calls that I can’t seem to resist. That’s how my Class of ’85 stories came to be. Self-discipline is a whole other issue, but let’s not go there!

8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing? I love taking my dog for hikes in the woods around our house. There’s nothing like communing with nature and a little exercise to clear my head. I also enjoy watching my daughters’ various sporting events.

9) Tell us about your latest book?

Maybe This Time is my third book for the Class of ’85 series with The Wild Rose Press. It released yesterday! This one was a blast to write. I patched together a little reality TV, cross country running, and a mysterious stalker and came up with a humorous tale of finding love where only friendship existed. Here’s the blurb:

Adam York attends his 25 year reunion hoping to see his old running pal, Chloe, and her absence hits him like a punch to the gut even though there’s no reason why it should. After all, they’d never been more than friends in high school. Still, he’d hoped maybe this time…

Chloe Lane walks off the set of Get Lei’d with her dignity in shreds but the armor around her heart firmly in place. After a series of disastrous dates spawned by her brush with reality TV, she swears off men altogether. Until she runs into her old buddy, Adam, on the course of the Lake Tahoe Marathon.

Attraction sizzles between them, unexpected and disconcerting, threatening their friendship with the promise of something more. While Chloe battles her fear of commitment, a man from her past lurks in the shadows. Will she risk her heart before it’s too late?

10) What’s next for you? I just finished writing a story for the new Honky Tonk Hearts series with The Wild Rose Press and am waiting to hear back on it. In Nothing But Trouble, I took humor in my writing to a new level with a commitment-phobe cowboy, a skittish heroine, and a bull named muffin. I’ve also signed a contract with Whiskey Creek Press for a historical I wrote long ago. Bittersweet has undergone more revisions and rewrites in its colorful history of submission and rejection than I have time to tell. I’m just thankful it finally found a home, and I will keep you updated when I know more about a release date. Currently I’m working on the suspense story that has been simmering on the back burner for far too long. I’m hoping to finish it by the time the last of my snow melts!

You can find out more about me and my books on my website at http://www.janninegallant.com/. All my books can be purchased through The Wild Rose Press website or at Amazon.com.

Thank you so much, Rachel, for having me on your blog today. It’s been terrific fun!

Love hearing from you, Jannine! I can't believe how your successes are running away with you now, you must be struggling to take a breath! I am so happy for you and long may it continue. You are one of the friendliest, most supportive writers I know and I'm glad to be watching you go from strength to strength. Happy days!

Jannine is waiting to answer your questions, people...