Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Final FANTABULOUS Interview with Capt. Jack Sparrow Featuring Nan Reinhardt



Jack: Hello there, darlings. You didn't think you could end this drunken voyage without another visit from old Jack, now did you? Silly pirates.

Bosun: Jack, we had a deal. I agreed to let you have your moment, but you cannot make this about you. Focus on our guest.

Jack: Don't get your whistle in a twist, dearie. I've got your annoying blue cards right here. *shakes stack of large blue index cards in Bosun's face* Now where is this Ms. Reinhardt? This says she writes sexy romance novels. I must meet her immediately.

Bosun: *smack her forehead while pointing to the stage* She's over there. Just stick with the damn cards for once.

Jack: *flitting toward the guest* Whatever you say, Bossy. *takes the guest's hand dropping a kiss on her knuckles* Welcome to The Revenge. Let's talk sexy.

Nan: Oh, my, Captain Jack... you do make a girl’s heart flutter!

Bosun: JACK!!

Jack: Yes, yes. The cards. So, Nan Reinhardt, since this is your first visit aboard the ship, tell us a bit about yourself and these sexy stories of yours.

Nan: Well, Jack, I’m a romance author and yes, my stories are sexy, but more important, they’re about women in their prime. Mature women who are still living life to the fullest or at least trying to. My series is about several women who live in Willow Bay, Michigan, thus The Women of Willow Bay. Carrie in ONCE MORE FROM THE TOP is a photographer and a single mom raising her teenaged son and doing pretty well when the man she’s always been in love with reappears in her life. In SEX AND THE WIDOW MILES, Julie, who is Carrie’s best friend, has been widowed a year and is trying to work through her grief. She goes to Chicago for the winter to get away from all the memories and discovers a new life and maybe even a new love. My heroines are all over 40 because as we all know women only get sexier and more interesting as they get older.

Jack: More mature heroines sounds right up my alley. The young ones take too much effort anymore. It's nice to find a woman who knows what she's doing.

Bosun: Is there a question in there, Jack?

Jack: Ignore the control freak behind the curtain. Goodness knows everyone else does. Now where were we. So two books at once. What made you take that route?

Nan: Actually, my editor, the fabulous Lani Diane Rich of StoryWonk, suggested releasing both books at the same time. At first I was a little skeptical, but the old publishing model doesn’t work so well with e-books. We wanted both books to be available so that if you buy one and want to read the next one, you won’t have to wait several months for it to release. They’re both right there, right now.

Jack: Solid reasoning there. You follow your own path. I like that about you. *flips to next card* Tell us a bit more about this Willow Bay. Maybe we could settle the ship there after our final day in port here.

Nan: Willow Bay is a fictitious little village on the west coast of Michigan, but it’s based on one of my favorite places in the whole world, Frankfort, Michigan, which is about 40 minutes south of Traverse City. I’ve always loved that area, so I chose that setting. You ship would be welcome, I’m sure—there are plenty of deep water harbors in the area and plenty of great places to eat. But mind you, it’s north, so winters are damn chilly—lots of ice and snow…

Jack: Cold then. Maybe we'll stick to warmer climes. I want to know more about the women of this bay though. Exactly where does the sexy bit come in?

Nan: The sexy bit comes in when Carrie in ONCE MORE FROM THE TOP discovers that she’s still in love with Maestro Liam Reilly and that the chemistry between them is just as strong as it was sixteen years before—maybe stronger. As for Julie, in SEX AND THE WIDOW MILES… well, she meets Will Brody, the handsome young guy in the apartment across the hall and they heat up a Chicago winter when Will finds out that an older woman can be very hot.

Jack: I like you even more now. A younger man, though? Wouldn't this Jules like a weathered pirate? One who knows his way around and under—

Bosun: *smacks Jack in the back of the head* If you don't stop right there I'm ordering the crew to leave you on a deserted island. Again.

Jack: *rubbing the back of his skull* You're a violent wench. No wonder the hotties are all afraid of you. Excuse me, Nan. I was going to say under the stars. Yes, that sounds plausible. Now, will there be more adventures on Willow Bay in the future?

Nan: You betcha. Coming up, we have Sophie Russo, who was a summer resident for years, but has just recently moved to Willow Bay permanently after a nasty divorce, and Sarah Everett, the manager of the consignment shop from Julie’s book, is coming for a visit and may just decide to stay and become a citizen of Willow Bay. After that… who knows?

Jack: Lovely! Now tell us where we can find you to keep up with your sexy exploits, and is there anything you'd like to ask the crew to get things going today?

Nan: Right now, both books are KDP Select titles and are available exclusively at Amazon.com. You can click on the book covers to go directly to Amazon. You can also go to my website, read blurbs from the books or my Facebook page, and you can Tweet me @NanReinhardt. 

I’d love to hear from the crew! My question for the crew today would have to be, how do you feel about romance novel heroines who are more mature—40, 50, or even 60 years old? Is a story still sexy and romantic if the heroine isn’t twenty-something?

13 comments:

Liz Flaherty said...

Speaking from the vantage point of a certain age, I think I speak for an entire generation when I say we need more seasoned protagonists in romance novels. Life still IS romantic at this time of our lives, so why shouldn't we read (and write) about it.

Great interview!

Kristina Knight said...

LOL - great interview, Nan... Can't wait to read about Willow Bay!

Nan said...

@Liz--Yes, life IS still romantic at any age! Thanks for stopping by, my friend!

@Kristina--Thanks! Hope you enjoy the books!

Cheryl Brooks said...

Great interview, Nan! Congrats and Happy Birthday!!!!

Hellie Sinclair said...

Both these books sound exactly like something I'd love to read!! Can't wait to get my hands on them!

Great interview--oh, how I had missed the Jack interviews. I'm glad you sent Jack out with a bang, Nan! :)

Nan said...

@ Cheryl--Thanks, Partner!!

@MsHellion--Thank you!! It was fun to spend time with Jack--he's a wicked cutie, isn't he?

Terri Osburn said...

I can't believe I forgot to include that it's Nan's birthday. Gah! Happiest of days, lady. May your presents be soaring sales and climbing rankings. LOL! And thanks for being with us. We could not have ended our run without another visit from Jack.

Janga said...

I'm so glad Jack did a final interview. :)

I just bought Once More from the Top. I'm totally in favor of more seasoned heroines since I am well seasoned. One of my all-time favorite contemporaries is Pam Morsi's Red's Hot Honky-Tonk Bar with a grandmother and a younger man as H/H.

Maureen said...

Sex for the seasoned! Whoop! All for it, I make a point of writing heroines with experience. And heroes. Which reminds me, where did I leave Hector?

Welcome to the ship, Nan and I wish you great success with your books. There is a group on Goodreads for Babyboomer fiction and you ought to check them out!

Also on Facebook there is a great page, Naked at Our Age by Joan Price...

Wonderful book and a great source for research!

In The Kraken's Mirror, I gots a heroine who is 53 and a dashing pirate who is in her 70s...and their courtship is magical! ;-)

Marnee Bailey said...

Welcome to the ship, Nan! And way to manage Jack. He can be a bit unruly. :)

These books sound great. I'll check them out. :)

Nan said...

@ Terri--thanks, baby! Not like you don't have some other stuff going on right now! ;-)

@ Janga--Thank you!! Yup, I like my heroines well seasoned too!

@ Maureen--Thank you for the leads on Goodreads and FB--super! Will check out your page and the Karken's MIrror.

Nan said...

@ Marnee--thanks for the warm welcome! Jack was fun!! So enjoyed the interview!

Unknown said...

Amusing interview. Thanks for the fun. And yes sexy can be at any age, for it is in the mind as well as the body and the heart. 90 yr old Granny is still sexy to Grandpa!