BooksChatter: ℚ Oh, Baby!: Prescription: Romance! [2]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Jill Blake to talk about Oh, Baby! (22 February 2019, Jill Blake, 248 pages), a Contemporary Romance, book two in the Prescription: Romance! series.

“…another winner for Ms. Blake. The characters are well-defined, the plot is engaging, and the sex scenes … are extremely hot.” – LJT, Amazon reader

“Jill Blake consistently writes wonderful, multi-faceted protagonists. They are always decent, honorable people with strong growth arcs based on fascinating moral dilemmas. These two protagonists are especially memorable.” – Kate McMurry, author

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

A very warm welcome to Jill Blake; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for Oh, Baby!?

"Physicians—especially female physicians—face a serious occupational hazard. Namely, we put our personal lives on hold while we work our butts off in med school, residency training, and fellowship. The schedule is brutal: 80-120 hours a week, with long stretches of going without sleep and food and other things essential to self-care. As a result, we find ourselves single and childless long after most of our non-medical peers have paired up and started popping out babies.

The heroine of Oh, Baby! finds herself in exactly this situation. She sacrificed her personal life in order to build a successful career as a surgeon, and at thirty-nine she realizes that unless she does something drastic to change her life, she faces a very lonely future. But at this point, her dating pool is quite limited, and she doesn’t have time to waste floundering around in it anyway.

What she really wants is a child. So she puts together a plan using her usual organized, logical approach. You know what happens with the best-laid plans, right? Uh-huh. Exactly. But don’t worry: she gets her happily-ever-after…eventually. Read Oh, Baby! to find out how."

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

"The backdrop of this book is my world: I'm a doctor, like Lena and Adam, though these days I work mostly in the outpatient setting.

As far as personality, Lena is a younger, pricklier, and smarter version of me. :-)"

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

"I write character-driven romance, so I wanted the cover of Oh, Baby! to embody the personalities of my characters.

Meet Lena and Adam.

She’s a surgeon, and when we first meet her, she’s worried about time passing too quickly. We can practically hear her biological clock ticking in the background. Yep, there she is: in scrubs and white coat, arms folded across her chest, wearing a big-ass watch on her wrist.

Behind her we see Adam, the younger colleague she’s supposed to mentor. Look at him! That square jaw and cocky attitude, all wrapped up in a suit and tie and doctor’s coat! When he lays on the charm, no woman can resist. Though Lena tries hard, turning her back on temptation time and again…but even she is not immune.

So there you have it, a snapshot of the characters and their relationship, captured on the front cover of Oh, Baby!"

Why should we read Oh, Baby! and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"I write about people with real-life problems, who have jobs and responsibilities, plenty of baggage, and who need to rely on their own ingenuity and resources to get ahead. The issues they face are issues we all face at some point: work-life balance, burnout, taking care of aging parents or young children, juggling responsibilities to make time for friends and loved ones.

The settings are also real. Readers who’ve been to southern California may even recognize some of the places I describe (though the names and identifying details have been changed to protect the innocent).

The medical backdrop against which the stories unfold is likewise true-to-life. This is how doctors live and how hospitals work, without the gross exaggeration that we sometimes see in mainstream media, where every scene is milked for extra drama and nothing is too ridiculous or taboo to exploit for the sake of humor.

Hopefully readers will come away feeling good—buoyed by the characters’ growth and ultimate HEA—but also having learned something about medicine and how physicians navigate the world."

Can you tell us something quirky about Oh, Baby!, its story and characters?

"Oh, Baby! takes place in Los Angeles—specifically, the enclaves of Santa Monica, Venice, and West Hollywood.

I tried to capture the unique flavor of each area: the diversity of cultures and socio-economic levels, the traffic that fuels more conversations than the weather, the unrelenting pace of urban life, and, of course, the gorgeous views."

Who would you recommend Oh, Baby! to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Oh, Baby! is for you if:

you enjoy reading about complex people and relationships

you like your heroines strong

you like your heroes sexy, confident, and willing to work hard for the heroine’s heart

you love a happy ending

Don’t read Oh, Baby! if:

you’re squeamish about steamy sex scenes

you’re looking for a cliffhanger (hint: there is none)"

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I write contemporary romance. Because who doesn’t love a happy ending?

As for reading, my tastes are more eclectic. I love romance (contemporary, historical, suspense), but I also enjoy mystery, thrillers, history, true crime, psychology, humor, biography…"

What is your writing process?

"I make lists and plan things out to the very last detail. Each character gets a backstory, family tree, and unique voice. I plot out the story using a timeline for key events, with an actual calendar to keep track of my characters’ activities in the ongoing present.

Once I have the basics down, I start to write. Each book takes me three to four months to plan, then another three to four months to write. Editing, beta-reading, cover design, formatting, and marketing all come after that, often overlapping with the planning stages for my next book.

Sometimes I look around at fellow writers who are incredibly fast and prolific, and wonder how they do it. Some are pantsers. Some are able to multi-task, or write despite distractions.

Alas, that is not me. I need complete quiet and freedom from interruptions in order to write. That’s hard to come by in a house with a husband and three children. Not to mention the time constraints imposed by my day job. So, I plod along, slow and steady, toward the distant finish line, with frequent rest stops and the occasional detour along the way."

What is in store next?

"I have at least one more book to go in the Prescription: Romance! series (which includes my new release, Oh, Baby!, as well as The Burnout Cure.)

Though some of the characters overlap, and the stories take place at the same small community hospital in Santa Monica, CA, each book can be read as a stand-alone."

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?

"Her name is Flopsy, and DH got her for me when I was pregnant with our first child (who is now thirteen!).

Flopsy was adopted by each of our children in turn as a favorite stuffed animal. She currently lives in my six-year-old daughter’s room.

The stethoscope she’s posing with is a spare I keep at home—along with an otoscope, ear lavage kit, and assorted splints and bandages…because, well, three active kids. Otherwise we’d be spending all our spare time at the local urgent care or ER."