BooksChatter: ℚ Taming the Texas Beauty: Texas [2]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Jody Vitek to talk about Taming the Texas Beauty (22 November 2016, Satin Romance Imprint of Melange Books, LLC, 163 pages), a Contemporary Romance, book two in the Texas series.

“Vitek’s TAMING THE TEXAS BEAUTY keeps her readers on edge and holding their breath as the heart-wrenching ending unfolds.” ~ John Kurtze, Goodreads/Amazon Review

Florida Heat: “This tautly woven story builds to a fever pitch as Vitek sorts out the good guys from the bad. Readers are pulled into the drama as Maggie deals with an uphill emotional battle to rebuild her self-worth and find her happily-ever-after.” ~ Donna M. Brown, 4 Stars RT Book Reviews

"Texas Two Step is a swirl of wounded relationships, tempestuous love, and spinning plot lines." ~ Sofia St. Angeles, 4 Stars InD'tale Magazine

|| Synopsis || Trailer || Teaser: KCR Preview || The Series || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to Jody Vitek; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for Taming the Texas Beauty?

"The inspiration for Taming the Texas Beauty was due to my readers wanting to know what happened between Ryan Rogers and Stephanie Lockhart from their introduction in Texas Two Step."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"There’s very little of me in Taming the Texas Beauty. Stephanie is very organized, much like myself. I drew more from my husband being that he works in law enforcement like Ryan."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Taming the Texas Beauty - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"Caroline Andrus created the cover for Taming the Texas Beauty. When Caroline sent the artwork, I asked for red lips for “Stephanie” because red is her signature color and “Ryan” got his blue eyes brightened. We knew going into the creation process that we wanted to keep it similar to my other book, Texas Two Step because my publisher and I decided we would be turning this into a trilogy. Florida Heat is the first book and will receive a new cover to tie into the Texas books. I love what Caroline puts together and how willing she is to work with me, and other authors as well."

Why should we read Taming the Texas Beauty and what sets it apart from the rest?

"Is it wrong of me to say that I don’t want to be set apart from the others? I would love to be compared to another author. To me, that’s the greatest compliment an author can receive. I’d like to think they are unique because, although the two are set in Texas, these stories have nothing to do with cowboys and ranching."

Can you tell us something quirky about Taming the Texas Beauty, its story and characters?

"I touch on this further down in my writing process, but while writing Taming the Texas Beauty, Stephanie decided she should become pregnant. I didn’t want to write another surprise pregnancy and had no plans of doing it in this book. It works for the story and characters, so she got her way and ended up pregnant. In the end, I was happy for the surprise."

Who would you recommend Taming the Texas Beauty to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Anyone who likes romance would enjoy the story. There’s a bit a mystery and a touch of suspense, but not enough to push it into that genre. I only write HEA’s, so no worries about being left hanging at the end."

If you could / wished to turn Taming the Texas Beauty and the Texas series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Ryan Rogers would be played by a dark blond Ryan Reynolds. His facial features are perfect for the role. Stephanie Lockhart could be a little trickier. I like Sandra Bullock for her facial structure, but Angelina Jolie would match Stephanie’s height. As far as location, that’s easy because the story takes place in Dallas, Texas and I based my fictional places on actual locations. As for a director, I don’t pay enough attention to who directs what. I know Jody Foster and Ben Affleck direct and love them as actors, so could make for an interesting time."

What has been your greatest challenge as a writer?

"Getting through writer's block when on deadline. Once, my characters up and walked away. A fellow writer friend was going through the same thing, struggling to put words on the page. We joked that our characters were hanging out at the bar together having a good laugh at our expense. We both made it through and met our deadlines. "

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

"Reviews are the toughest criticism an author has to learn to handle. I’d like to think I do okay. I recently received a low star review for one of my books. I shared a link to the review because I truly appreciated the honest review given. Where I have a problem is when a reviewer gives a low star review with no constructive feedback, as it leads me to think they either never read or didn’t finish reading the book.

The best compliment came from a reviewer who said, “The story made me cry.” I love that I was able to move someone to experience such an emotion. The second best compliment was when readers asked when I was writing the Chad and Chloe’s story from my first release Florida Heat. Knowing I left them wanting more, was satisfying as an author."

What is your writing process?

"I brainstorm with a group of writers to get the basic story idea and then I do light plotting. I’m a pantser by nature, so I like to get started on a story to see where the characters take me and what they reveal about themselves. As I get deeper into the story, about halfway through, I sit down and do more plotting. I have a critique group who reads my chapters as I’m working on the story. They help me make sure I’m headed in the right direction with the story, as well as, make it the best book possible. Once the book is finished, I do a complete read-through and edit before sending it to my publisher. From there, I go through two rounds of edits before we see the work in publication. I have worked on multiple stories at one time but generally, stick to one book at a time."

What is in store next?

"I’m excited to start working on a new series set in north central Minnesota. There will be four books, one for each of the siblings in the family, in the Seasons of Change series. The family’s cabin is where each story will end up leading the characters and to resolve their issues. The first book in the series is Autumn’s story. Her sister Spring is going through a divorce and Autumn’s marriage is struggling. She doesn’t want to be another statistic and follow down the same path as her sister."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"We have a family cat, but she loves my daughter and me the most. Her name is Holly. We rescued her from the local animal shelter. She looks like a Russian Blue but isn’t a pure bread. We adopted her before Thanksgiving and near the Christmas season, and that’s how she got her name, Holly."

Hello Holly! What a beautiful girl! You remind me of my little girl Pernod (R.I.P.), except she had been dipped in white ;-)
Jody, thank you very much for sharing Holly with us :-)