1.)
What genre do you typically read? Why?
I typically read women’s fiction, romance—contemporary and historical
are my favorites, and mysteries. I read romance when I want to feel good. With
the craziness of the world, sometimes I just want to curl up and escape for a
while. When I want something deeper, or when I want to find women like me—complicated
and a little crazy sometimes—I reach for women’s fiction. The mysteries I read
are typically ones my husband and I both enjoy and it’s nice to read them
together.
2.)
Share a favourite childhood memory.
One of my favorite childhood memories is my dad reading me books at
night before bed. We’d read big books, like the entire series of The Wizard of
Oz, or the Narnia Books. It was our time to spend together.
3.)
Do you have any shameless addictions? ie. Tea, Books,
Shoes, Clothes?
Wait, you mean I have to confess them? Yes, I have them, although I try
not to give in to them too much. My addictions are books, obviously—I think all
authors are addicted to them—as well as shoes and purses. When I was younger, I
wanted shoes and purses for every outfit. Didn’t mean I had them, just that I
wanted them. I still do like purses, and now I have them by the season, as well
as a few for certain occasions. As for shoes, well, when I was working in an
office, I had excuses to have multiples. Now that I work from home, I have fewer
excuses, but I do like having a variety to choose from. My most recent shoe purchase
was a really cute pair of blue and white gingham TOMs. And my most recent purse
purchase was a deep raspberry Kate Spade one.
4.)
What do you think is the biggest challenge of writing
a new book?
Currently, my biggest challenge is my attention span. I’m contracted to write four books for Harlequin—three as part of my own series and one that’s part of a multi-author one. They all have deadlines, which means I have to make sure I write daily, regardless of what’s going on or how I’m feeling. As much as I love the stories and am thankful for the contracts, I’m a little uninspired at the moment, so I’m having a tough time making progress.
As for my usual challenges when writing a new book, I think it’s
understanding my characters at a deep enough level so that I can get through
that dreaded “sagging middle” part. Starting is easy and finishing is, too. But
the middle, where you have to drive the plot along and keep readers interested
is always a challenge.
5.)
Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages a day?
Yes, I have to have a goal each day. The goal forces me to sit and take
my writing seriously and ensures I meet my deadlines. I’d love to only write
when I’m inspired, but if I want this as a career, I have to be disciplined
about it. And breaking down a 75,000-word story into a daily word count makes
it seem less daunting.
6.)
What are your thoughts on writing a book series?
I have mixed feelings about writing a series. Readers love them, so publishers want them. But sometimes, the book I’m writing or have written was not intended to be a series. So if I’ve put my heart and soul into a book and the publisher then turns around and says, “I want it as a two (or three)-book series,” I find I have to scramble not only to figure out how to make it into a series, but also how to get excited enough about it to make the other books as genuine as the first one. Luckily, Home for the Challah Days, the first book in my Holidays, Heart & Chutzpah series, provided me ample fodder for more books. While Challah Days was just released, I’ve already written and submitted book two, and I’m almost finished with book three.
Blurb:
Turning the bitterness of the past...
Into a sweet future!
When big-city advocate Sarah Abrams returns home for the High
Holy Days, she's got a lot on her mind--especially whether to marry her
perfect-on-paper boyfriend. The last person she wants to encounter is Aaron
Isaacson, her first love and the one who broke her heart. But after Aaron and
Sarah join forces to fight an act of hate, it's clear that their deep
connection never abated. If only they could forgive one another for the
past...in time for a sweet new start!
From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in
love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.
Holidays, Heart and Chutzpah
Book 1: Home for the Challah Days
Buy Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bONd9K
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Challah-Holidays-Heart-Chutzpah-ebook/dp/B0BN6DFGB5
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/home-for-the-challah-days-jennifer-wilck/1142737912?ean=9781335594228
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/home-for-the-challah-days/id6444678845
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/unlock-my-heart
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jennifer_Wilck_Home_for_the_Challah_Days?id=N6WdEAAAQBAJ
NetGalley: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/286824
Excerpt:
Aaron wiped the counter with a
rag, scrubbing so hard he wouldn’t be surprised if he wore a hole in the old
Formica. Easing the rag away from the superclean area, he placed a piece of wax
paper on the counter and grabbed two slices of rye bread. The din of the packed
deli faded into the background.
Sarah Abrams.
His stomach clenched. Of all the
people to walk into his deli, he’d never expected her. He’d hoped at one time
that she’d change her mind and decide this is where she belonged. Dreamed about
her for longer than he’d like to admit—how her long, dark hair brushed his
chest when she leaned over and kissed him, how her soft lips teased his, how
her olive skin slid smoothly beneath his hands. He’d even broken an engagement
with another woman because he couldn’t get Sarah out of his head. But expected?
It had been ten years.
“I asked for pumpernickel,” the
wizened old man complained across the counter.
Aaron looked at the sandwich,
swore under his breath and threw the rye slathered in mustard in the trash.
“Gloria!” He shouted down the
line toward an older woman with a brown apron covering her T-shirt and jeans.
She patted the shoulder of the woman she was speaking to and strode over.
“Yeah?”
His six-foot frame towered over
her, and she craned her neck to meet his gaze.
“Can you take over for me? He
wants…” He turned to the customer. Age and disappointment conspired to make the
old man resemble a shar-pei. Aaron shook his head and ushered Gloria forward. “Sorry,
she’ll make your sandwich. And it’s on the house.”
Wiping his hands on his apron, he
weaved through the staff behind the counter. When he reached his tiny office
tucked in the back, he shut the door and sank into the rickety-wheeled desk
chair. He ground his teeth until his jaw ached. Other parts of his body used to
ache when he was around Sarah in high school and college. They’d been
inseparable. Her smile, with the one tooth a little crooked in the front,
brightened any bad day. Her husky voice soothed him. Now, though?
Disappointment simmered. She’d promised him forever and broken his heart, walking away from this town—from him—without a thought for the people she’d left behind.
“Hungry?” he asked as he pulled
out of the temple parking lot.
“No.”
He smirked. “Right.”
She was not letting him goad her
into anything. All she had to do was get through one quick car ride. “I don’t
care whether or not you believe me.”
“Good, because you’re a terrible
liar,” he said. “At least in my presence.”
What was that supposed to mean? “Take
me home, please.”
How many times had they been in this van together? Memories of kissing across the console, fooling around in the back and staring at the moon and stars while wrapped in each other’s arms filled Sarah’s mind during the silent, ten-minute drive to her house. Out of the corner of her eye, she stared at his hands gripping the steering wheel. Large, square and strong with a light dusting of hair and freckles across the backs. She remembered how she’d counted those freckles with kisses, and her cheeks burned. He’d always been a careful driver, and today was no exception. But despite the calm maneuvering of his van, his fingers were clasped tight around the wheel. She risked a peek at his profile. His jaw was clenched. Did he remember their past as well?
“You looked like you were enjoying
yourself.”
“Were you watching me?” One side
of her mouth quirked in a self-satisfied smile.
His shoulders tightened. “You
were performing for the crowd, not hiding under the table.”
She looked away. His hand itched
to draw her to him, but he made a fist and ignored the pull.
“Why did you come after me?” she
asked.
“Why did you leave?”
“I’m not in the mood to play
games.” She flicked her hair off her shoulder, anger sharpening her movements.
“That’s not what your song choice
said.”
Shit.
Aaron’s vision tunneled as if
observing himself from far away. In the middle of the sidewalk was the last
place to let out his feelings—feelings he’d thought were long ago laid to rest.
Hell, he’d proposed to Melissa. True, he’d been unable to go through with the
wedding, but he’d thought he was long over Sarah.
“It’s karaoke. You’re really
going to read into what I sang?” she asked.
“Considering what you were
singing, I don’t think reading into them is far-fetched.”
“So, I should read into your
songs?” She arched an eyebrow. “Okay. You were trying to send me a message.”
“And if I was? What would you do
then?”
“I’d say you were an idiot.” She
spun around and began walking away again.
“Wait a minute.” He moved in
front of her, grasping her arm. “You don’t get to call me names and walk away.”
“Why not? You get to glare at me,
when you bother to acknowledge my presence, and then escape. At least I’m
talking to you.”
“You call this talking?” He knew
he should let go of her arm, but her warmth penetrated through the fabric of
her light coat and her scent tantalized him. Though he couldn’t stand her, he
also couldn’t let go of her.
Once again, her eyes flashed,
their long lashes fluttering as she widened them. “Words. Coming out of the
mouth. Talking.”
Standing beneath the glow of the
streetlight, he couldn’t stop staring at her lips. They were plump, like he
remembered them. His heart raced faster, and he stepped closer. Her mouth
opened into an oh, and her pulse fluttered in her
neck. For the first time since she’d come to town, he wanted to kiss her.
All the reasons he shouldn’t
flooded his brain.
She’d left.
She’d betrayed him.
He was over her.
But one by one they petered out.
His pulse pounded in his ears. Her scent filled his nostrils.
He slid his hand behind her neck
and crashed his mouth onto hers. Every nerve ending in his body fired. Desire
filled him. And…
“No!” She pushed him away, chest
heaving.
Before he could do anything, she
turned and ran down the street. Away from him, once again.
Bio
Jennifer Wilck is an award-winning contemporary romance author for readers who are passionate about love, laughter, and happily ever after. Known for writing both Jewish and non-Jewish romances, her books feature damaged heroes, sassy and independent heroines, witty banter and hot chemistry. Jennifer’s ability to transport the reader into the scene, create characters the reader will fall in love with, and evoke a roller coaster of emotions, will hook you from the first page. You can find her books at all major online retailers in a variety of formats.
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.
In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/879114386079365
Newsletter: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/contact.html#newsletter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjenniferwilck/
I love the excerpts! Your writing voice is always such a treat.
ReplyDeleteWonderful excerpts, Jennifer! I wish you much good luck with this series.
ReplyDelete