Welcome my good online friend, Jannine Gallant!!

I am so excited to have you visit with me today, Jannine! Having met through the Wild Rose Press yahoo loop a few years ago, Jannine and I have been regularly chatting ever since. Before we start the interview, I have to say how much I LOVE your cover and look forward to hearing more about your latest release.

Over to you...

1) What is your writing routine?

During the week, I get up at 6AM and work on getting everyone out of the house. By 8AM, both girls are at school and my husband is at work, and I’m blissfully alone with only the dog’s sad eyes to distract me. I write all morning (with breaks to check email, FB, blogs, throw in a load of laundry, clean a bathroom… good heavens, no wonder I don’t get as much written as I’d like!), eat lunch, take the dog for a hike, then scramble to get a little more writing in before the afternoon round of picking up girls and taking them to various sports commences. Once everyone is home for the evening, all focus on writing is a lost cause. My family is not a quiet one. LOL

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?

In my formative teen years, I read romances (from Harlequins to historicals—whatever I could get my hands on) and decided then and there I could write them, too. Little did I know, writing is hard work. Before the internet, motivation was tough. Now I am constantly inspired by my online writing friends. (Waving madly to Rachel!) We motivate each other, help promote each other, and provide inspiration with our successes. Knowing there are other women out there just like me, determined to keep their fingers glued to the keyboard through all the ups and downs of writing, gives me the push I need to keep at it.

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?

My first love was historicals, both for reading and writing. At some point I shifted to the romantic suspense genre, where I fell in love with the faster pace. But lately I’ve had a craving for historicals again. Now, I read and write both, mixing up the genres to keep from getting stale.

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?

I take rejection with a shrug and move on. Not everyone is going to like your style. I know and accept that fact. I’m also confident that if one editor rejects my work, another one will like it. If you put in the effort to create a quality product, someone out there will reward you for your hard work!

5) What do you expect from an editor?

Having worked with some wonderful editors, I naively assumed all editors are created equal. Boy was I wrong, and my appreciation for the good ones went up exponentially! I expect an editor to point out my flaws. We all have bad habits. As soon as I take note and fix one quirk, another pops up to take its place. An observant editor will see that you used the same phrase over and over and tell you to change it up. A wise editor will notice that you started 10 sentences in a row with “She” and ask, “What you were thinking?” I expect an editor to give me a kick in the butt and make me a better writer.

6) Tell me about your latest release.

Bittersweet released on February 1^st. (Me doing a happy dance!) I wrote this book 15 years ago, and it has been through the wars. Rewrite after rewrite, rejection after rejection. This isn’t your typical historical romance. My heroine, Tess, was married to the hero’s brother at the beginning of the book. My hero, Daniel, is torn apart by conflicting emotions. There’s another man involved who really is a terrific guy, not the villain you’d expect. But I believed in these characters and this story, and I wouldn’t let it go. I’m happy to say it finally found a home at Whiskey Creek Press.

7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt.

Eight months after her husband is killed in a train robbery, Tess Moran knows she must pick up the pieces of her shattered life and build a future for herself and her infant daughter. Daniel Moran’s love for Tess is bittersweet. Acting on his feelings for his sister-in-law will betray his dead brother’s memory. Watching her search for love elsewhere may very well destroy him.

In 1880, life in rural Colorado is filled with hard work and simple pleasures, but trouble looms on the horizon. Together Tess and Daniel battle drought and the outlaw who killed the man they both loved, but the greatest challenge of all is finding solace for their battered hearts.

Daniel followed her across the kitchen. He stood beside her in the doorway, looking out at the star filled sky. “It’s late. I’ll walk you home.”

“You don’t have to. Shadow is with me.”

“I’ll walk you home,” he repeated.

Only the scuff of his boots on the road and the sound of crickets broke the silence. Tess sighed.

“Tired?”

“Yes.”

He cleared his throat. “Why did Nathan come to see you?”

“He asked me to the dance at the Leightons’ barn raising.”

Daniel kicked a rock in the path and swore softly.

She stood still. “You’re the one who said there can’t be anything between us.”

“I know, but I’m only human. Did he stay long?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“I haven’t the right, I know. The way you looked with that wet chemise clinging to you—” His voice trailed off.

Tess blushed and was glad of the darkness. She hurried toward home, unable to outdistance her thoughts. “A gentleman wouldn’t mention it.”

“You were hysterical over Emily, and all I could think about was how beautiful you looked. I hated Nathan for seeing you that way.”

She stopped a few yards from her back door. The light shining from the kitchen window illuminated his face. His misery was clear.

“All it would take is one word from you, Daniel, just one word. Say it,” she pleaded.

“I can’t.”

She swallowed hard. “Then let me be happy with Nathan.”

He turned away. “I’m sorry, Tess. I’ll leave you alone.”

“Fine. Goodnight, Daniel.” Turning, she ran into the house before he could see the tears on her cheeks.

8) Which is your favorite character in the book? Why?

I’d have to say Daniel is my favorite character. Though Tess is devastated by the loss of her husband, her daughter gives her the strength to go on with her life. By contrast, Daniel is eaten up with guilt. He loved his brother’s wife, and he failed to save him. For Daniel, dealing with his grief is more complex. I hope his internal struggle will be something readers remember after they finish the book.

9) What are you working on right now?

I’ve been a busy girl with edits the last few months. I have a novella called Nothing But Trouble with the Honky Tonk Hearts series through The Wild Rose Press coming out in April. I’m expecting the final galley for a full length romantic suspense back any day now. A Deadly Love will be published by TWRP sometime this summer. Currently, I’m completely rewriting a historical romance I wrote 20 years ago set during the Salem witchcraft trials in 1692. I haven’t quite found the right name for that one yet.

10) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?

Don’t give up. Write your book, then edit it, and edit it again. When you think it’s perfect, go back and edit it some more! You will find a publisher who is interested if you keep at it long enough.

11) Where can readers find you?

Website: http://www.janninegallant.com/

Personal Blog: http://janninegallant.blogspot.com/

Group Blog: http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/JannineGallant.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JannineGallant

Publisher Buy Link: http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=964

Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Bittersweet-ebook/dp/B0074EJABA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328291957&sr=1-1

Thank you so much for having me today, Rachel. It’s always a pleasure visiting your blog!

You're welcome, lovely to have you here - Now, I don't want Jannine getting lonely so make sure you leave her lots of lovely comments and questions!