Meet and Greet-JA Hornbuckle

Welcome to my Meet and Greet week where I’m celebrating authors who’ve given me hours of reading pleasure 🙂 Today, I have JA Hornbuckle who graciously let me interview her AND she’s sharing an excerpt of her brand new release The Possibility of Trey (Hellion MC Novel). Also, remember this week is an awesome contest week. All you have to do is comment to be entered for a free ebook from one of the authors featured this week. (1) comment per day equals (1)entry.

Interview

1. I’ve always had stories floating around in my head so I have to ask. Did you always know you wanted to write?

• Not so much write as much as I wanted to read!  I remember being so upset at how little I knew at the end of 1st grade, that unless something included the words ‘Dick’, ‘Jane’, ‘Spot’, ‘Run’, etc. the word/sentence was still a mystery.  But once my skill set got better I became a voracious reader.  A reader who at the end of a book would ask, ‘what would’ve happened if she’d done this or he’d said that?’ I also was a great pen-pal!  I loved to write newsy, interesting letters or emails to keep people updated with what was going on in my life. Maybe it was a combination of the two that helped me understand how to put words into a sentence, a paragraph, a page so others could ‘see’ what I was describing and understand what I was saying.  And it gave me the confidence to play the ‘what if’ game with Caitlin from Pole Dance.  ‘What if a girl lost her parents over the summer between high school and college…What kind of job(s) would she need to keep herself in school?’

2. What made you take the leap of faith to submit your stories for publication?

• Erm.  I wouldn’t call it a ‘leap of faith’ so much as an attitude of ‘what’ve you got to lose’.  (laughs) Actually what happened is I read three bad books in a row.  Bad as in really bad.  So bad that this girl thought, ‘I can do better than that!’.  Ha.  My first draft was horrible.  So I started reading books on how to write, taking notes, looking up the parts that were way over my head until I understood what instruction they were giving. And, then, I tried again.  I’m still studying and can see how much my writing has improved with each book.  Which gives me a lot of hope for the future!

3. Your books have a realistic edge to it which draws readers in. How do you come up with such great plots and what do you do for research?

• Realistic?  Hmm.  For the…ah, scenes of affection between my male and female leads, yeah.  I can see that.  The other stuff I’m not so sure is realistic. My plots start and finish with the characters, the couple that falls in love.  I spend a lot of time with them in my head–before, during and even (dang it!) afterwards.  Once I have their voice and an idea of where they want the story to go, then I can sally forth and put fingers to keyboard. A lot of times, though, my characters surprise me with the twists and turns they want the story to take versus where I want it to go. As for research, I’ll get to a place in the story and realize I have no knowledge of whatever it is I want to include.  The internet is a great place to start especially when you need info at a ground zero level. The next is by talking to people!  I have absolutely no problem walking up to strangers and beginning a conversation.  My local mini-mart between the hours of 11.00 pm and 5.00 am is great for chatting with cops and those in the medical profession.  And, if I do it while at the counter, I can usually get the clerk or another customer in on the subject as well!  All sorts of people hold a wealth of knowledge/opinions they’re more than willing to share.  All you gotta do is ask.

Continue reading the interview and an excerpt from The Possibility of Trey…

4. We’re only two months into the New Year, but I’ve got to know JA, What books do you have planned for 2014?

• I need to finish up the Grantham Series with Last Dance (Paul Adler’s story), Human Hieroglyphix III (Benny’s story) and Bewitchments 2 (Niko’s story). But, after the success of Hiding in Plain Sight and my readers clamoring for books on the Hellion Motorcycle Club, I find myself knee-deep in biker books. (laughs)  The Possibility of Trey is book 1 in the HMC and I have plans for three more:  Reinventing Mel, Taking the Dare and Checkmate with Bishop. I’d like, at some point, to try my hand at writing a sci-fi romance or even a paranormal.  But in actually I am kind of my muse’s be-yatch so when she starts speaking about ‘this’ guy getting with ‘that’ girl then all bets are off!

5. Tell us how you balance family with time to write. It’s a constant struggle for me.

• Can we change one word in your request?  Convert ‘family’ to ‘real life’ and I can better answer.  Because that’s my biggest struggle–to balance my writing with my real life responsibilities. My kids are all grown with families of their own, so I don’t have anyone at home that demands my attention.  Which is both a good and bad thing. Good because I can write anytime I want without interruption. Bad because I do write anytime and get no interruptions–that means marathon writing sessions when the words are flowing and the characters are behaving.  I’ve been known to get so involved in a story that I won’t realize I’m out of food or clean laundry until it’s to the point of dire. Sticking to one of my resolutions for 2014, I’m making my bed every day and ensuring I shower, brush my teeth, wash my face and comb my hair as a start to the new morning.  (You wouldn’t have wanted to see me in 2013.  It wasn’t pretty.  No, really.  It wasn’t.  Like, at all.) But staying in my jammies until 2.00 pm is still optional and done on an ‘as needed basis’.

6. What’s one thing readers don’t know about you?

• How much I love hearing from them!  Over the course of the last year, I have met so many wonderful people and have made more than a couple of really good friends all because they shot me an email after reading one of my books. I try to answer each and every one that comes on the same day I receive it knowing there’s nothing worse than no reply when you’ve finally screwed up the courage to send an email to a stranger.  But I write just like a talk, which means I’m never a stranger for long:  jahornbuckle(at)hotmail(dot)com.

If they’re not comfortable with an email, readers are always welcome to sign up for my newsletter:  www(dot)jahornbuckle(dot)com, like me on Facebook:  J-A-Hornbuckle, or they can follow me on Twitter:  (at)JAHornbuckle. I think the best part besides writing is getting to know my readers!

Thank you JA, for stopping by and giving us a peek into your head 🙂

Trey Jackson is a big, bad-ass who makes no apologies for his biker life.

Having grown up in the Hellion Motorcycle Club and then taking the gavel as president, Trey was more than capable of handling his responsibilities.  Just as he was his day-job as president overseeing and leading Hellion Construction and any of his needs of the personal, physical variety.

Dallas Sheridan has no time or use for bikers. 

Even though she suspects she’s surrounded by them in her work as the only female plumber for HC.  But she’s of a mind that if she doesn’t bother them, they won’t bother her.  Besides, she’s busy enough with long workdays, keeping her younger brother out of juvie and ensuring her disabled parents are healthy and secure, in order to avoid them.

A chance meeting puts them on each other’s radar.

When Dallas meets with her boss’s, boss’s, boss she can’t get over her discrimination against men who ride.  Trey had thought he’d be meeting with another man, not a beautiful girl.  But as fate continually throws them together, the two find it thrilling that something wonderful is building between them.  One that transcends their roles and responsibilities, their choices and prejudices, even their busy everyday lives.

Leaving Dallas and Trey with the possibility of a ‘them’.

**Intended for mature audiences due to very extreme language and explicit sex.**