Hi, Janice! So great to have you here and to be a part of your ongoing tour - you have a very generous prize giveaway ready and waiting for several lucky winners! Looking forward to catching up with you and your writing. Let's get started with my questions...
1. What do you wish men understood about women?
I’m very
fortunate in that I’m married to a wonderful man and have been for very a long
time and so I think he understands me better than I understand myself. We have
three grown up sons and they are all handsome, intelligent men who have great
relationships with women, so if anything I would wish that all men were as
understanding as mine and all women could be as blessed!
2. Do you only work on one book at a time?
I work on
writing one book at a time but I will also be thinking about and planning the
next one. I’ll jot down some ideas, write a brief outline/synopsis, think about
the two main characters, and come up with a working title. That way, I’m ready
to start working on the next book as soon as I’ve finished the work in
progress.
3.
Do you have a
favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?
I
often need to remind myself of the quote ‘A ship in port is safe, but that’s
not what ships were built for…’ when any of our sons go off to have adventures.
It’s become a bit of a mantra.
4.
Do you set daily
writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write
every day?
When I am in the
Caribbean, which is where I’m based just now, it’s really hard to stay
disciplined and to stay home to write when the sun is shining and the beach and
sea is calling my name! But I do try to write everyday and I use a timetable on
an Excel spreadsheet to help keep to deadlines. I set weekly word targets for
the first draft of my work in progress rather than daily ones – so I can be
flexible if something comes along - and then I get a chance to catch up. I also
have to schedule in writing my monthly feature ‘The Bookshelf’ for Loveahappyending
Lifestyle Magazine and my quarterly ‘Snap Gap’ travel features too. I can tell
you feel really sorry for me, right?
5.
What do you like better, Twitter or Facebook? Why?
I love the immediacy and
real time aspect of both Twitter and Facebook – but I’d say that Facebook is my
favourite of the two. I use it to keep in touch with all my friends and family.
I love to post photos and status updates. I’m very nosey and I love seeing what
everyone else is up to each day. I really care about all my Facebook friends
and what is happening in their lives.
6. What are you working on now?
Other than my tan, I’m working on my next monthly ‘The Bookshelf’
feature for Loveahappyending Lifestyle Magazine and also a new ‘Snap Gap’
travel feature on the Dominican Republic. I’ve also just started working on the
first draft of a new novel but it’s a bit early for me to say much about it
yet. J
Tell us about your latest release and where we
can find it
Castaway in the
Caribbean is out now and available
exclusively from Amazon as an ebook for Kindle - it’s a romantic adventure story
set in the Caribbean - about a mismatched couple who end up being castaway
together on a tropical island. I was incredibly fortunate to spend all of last summer in the
Caribbean, writing and researching this novel and, for the purposes of proper
research, I travelled to and explored many Caribbean islands and spent a lot of
time in boats. I even got to sail around Tortola, the larger of the British
Virgin Islands, in a restored schooner that had been used in the filming of the
original Pirates of the Caribbean
movie.
The Virgin Islands inspired me
with the modern day setting for my story because, of this chain of around 90
small islands, islets, cays and rocks in the Caribbean Sea, many are uninhabited.
But I eventually settled down to write the first draft on the Caribbean island
of Utila, the smaller of the Bay Islands, just off the coast of Honduras.
Likened to the Key West of long ago, Utila is a quaint, unspoilt and laid-back
little island. Sitting on the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere,
it is also a paradise for scuba diving, which is exactly was what my husband
was doing every day while I was busy writing this story. I do hope all the fun
and adventure I had on the islands has found its way into the pages of Castaway in the Caribbean.
Janice Horton writes contemporary romantic fiction with a dash of humour and a
sense of adventure. Look out for Janice’s new release for 2015 ‘Castaway in the
Caribbean’ and her Amazon Kindle bestselling books 'Bagpipes and Bullshot' and
'Reaching for the Stars' and her fun ‘Voodoo Romance’ series of novellas. Her
nonfiction guide to online promotion 'How To Party Online' is recommended
reading for all authors
and writers by publishers. Janice is a regular
blogger from her website at janicehorton.co.uk and you'll also find her on
Facebook and Twitter.
Janice Horton - writer of
romantic adventure novels
Follow me on Twitter: @JaniceHorton
Friend me on Facebook Page
Link to my Amazon Author Page
Check out my page
on Goodreads
Castaway in
the Caribbean
More
fun than you’ll find in any travel brochure…
Vacationing
on the beautiful Caribbean island of Antigua, Janey Sinclair is persuaded by her
magazine editor boss to do a quick island hop in order to supervise an
impromptu photo-shoot for the front cover. With no flights immediately
available, Janey is directed to the harbour.
Captain Travis Mathews hates tourists,
although he’s not above making a bit of money off a prissy and sharp tongued
young British girl when she’s desperate to get to the neighbouring island of
Tortola.
After striking a deal, they set off
together in Travis’s weather-beaten old boat. When the vessel comes to a sudden
full stop in the sea, the mismatched pair end up as castaways on an uninhabited
island.
In this fast moving romantic adventure
about a vacation that turns into a tropical nightmare there’s more fun than
you’ll find in any travel brochure.…
Message from the Author
I was incredibly fortunate to spend the summer of 2014
in the Caribbean, writing and researching this novel. I found it challenging only
in the respect of being continually distracted from the manuscript by the
tropical sunshine, the white sand beaches, the warm aquamarine sea, rum
cocktails, and the fabulous social scene on offer. Many of these distractions
are well documented on my website, blog and Facebook page, if you are
interested in reading the details and seeing the photos!
For the purposes of proper research for Castaway in the Caribbean, I travelled
to and explored many Caribbean islands and, despite my tendency for sea
sickness, I also spent a lot of time in boats. I even got to sail around
Tortola, the larger of the British Virgin Islands, in a restored schooner that
had been used in the filming of the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
The Virgin Islands inspired me with the modern day setting
for Castaway in the Caribbean
because, of this chain of around 90 small islands, islets, cays and rocks in
the Caribbean Sea, many are uninhabited.
I eventually settled down to write this romantic
adventure story on the Caribbean island of Utila, the smaller of the Bay
Islands, just off the coast of Honduras. Likened to the Key West of long ago,
Utila is a quaint, unspoilt and laid-back little island. Sitting on the largest
barrier reef in the western hemisphere, it is also a paradise for scuba diving,
which is exactly was what my husband was doing every day while I was busy
writing this story.
Research is a valuable tool for a writer, so I do hope
all the fun and adventure I had in the Caribbean has found its way into the
pages of Castaway in the Caribbean.
Janice
xx
COMPETITION
Prizes:
1st Prize Mermaid Necklace (UK only)
2nd Prize – ecopy of the book (international)
2nd Prize Shell box (UK only)
3rd Prize Caribbean spices Necklace (UK only)
4th Prize Purse & pen (UK only)
Comments?? Questions??
Hi Rachel! Thanks so much for having me on your fabulous blog and for asking such interesting questions. I hope your followers enjoy my answers and will enter the tropical prize giveaway of things I collected on my travels around the Caribbean while was writing 'Castaway in the Caribbean'. The first prize of a mermaid necklace is there because in the novel my hero's boat is called 'The Mermaid'. Love, Janice xx
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