Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Author Spotlight: AJ Harmon!

1.Tell us about your book/books? I wrote New York and then Portland immediately followed, and Justice followed and suddenly the First Class Novels series was born. It tells the story of the Lathem family of New York City; 7 boys, although one is already in a committed relationship, so we have six very sexy eligible bachelors to work with. There’s a total of 9 books in the series and I miss them already and the last book only came out in November. They should be read in order but they can hold their own as individual books. Most of the family show up in every book, so it’s nice to know who everyone is from the beginning. J Each brother has their own story of how their heart was captured by the women they never knew they desired. And there are a couple of books about the entire Lathem clan that was an absolute blast to write. They have become my family and I adore every one of them. The new series, Sky Romance Novels, will all be stand-alone books and are characters that begin their literary journey on a flight on Sky Airlines. The first book, due out in just a few weeks, San Diego, tells three stories connected together because the book begins as they all board a flight to San Diego, for one reason or another, complete strangers whose lives intersect because of their destination.  I have one novella available on Amazon, Beginning Again, and I’ve started working on my next book (not a part of the Sky Romance series) which I am SUPER excited about, which will be available this summer. I’m staying busy! J
2. How did you get started as a writer? I was dared to write a better novel than a popular trilogy series I said I wasn’t overly impressed with. The rest, as they say, is history. I’ve been a full time writer for 18 months and I can’t imagine doing anything else! I am amazed that I had the guts to take the challenge and the commitment to actually finish First Class to New York. When I was done, I was hooked and I knew I had made a life-changing decision to become an author. I feel truly blessed.
3. What’s a typical day like for you? I’m addicted to Facebook, so the first hour (or two) is spent browsing, answering messages, sharing and posting, and then I move on to emails. Finally, around the middle of the morning, I open up my current WIP and attempt to get the juices flowing. Sometimes I can just delve right in where I left off, but a lot of the time I have to re-read, do some editing and then its lunch time! J I really work my best in the afternoons. I can crank out a few thousand words once my fingers hit the keyboard. At some point during the day I do try to say Hi to my husband (he works from home, too, although on the other end of the house) and my dog, Max, quite often interrupts me and demands attention. And of course, I’m ALWAYS on Facebook!! My husband and I always have dinner together and spend an hour or two watching a TV show, or movie, or playing a game, and then I’m back on the computer – back to Facebook and sometimes back to writing. Then it starts all over again the next day.
4. Describe your workspace. I have a home office where I work. It’s bright and has big windows where I can sit and look out over the Columbia River Gorge and I find it inspiring to have such a beautiful view. There are pictures of my kids and my husband and my dog all over and I always have music playing on Xbox Music or Pandora. It helps me think. Oh, there’s also a treadmill in here – it’s covered in boxes…and dust! LOL
5. Favorite books? All of Jane Austen’s books, although Persuasion is my favorite. I love Men in Kilts by Katie MacAllister and I read everything by Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh. I love contemporary romance but love Historical too and these women are the bomb!
6. Tell us 3 interesting things about you. Ummm, well, I’m from Australia and consider myself a true blue Aussie. I would love to be on the Food Network show Chopped, although I’m sure I’d get chopped in the first round. And I have to be near water – it is pretty much a necessity for me to exist.
7. Favorite quote: Practically anything ever said by Oliver Wendell Holmes. But my favorite is probably, “What lies before us and what lies beyond us is tiny compared to what lies within us.”
8. Best and worst part of being a writer? The freedom and flexibility to write when the urge arises is a great blessing. However I often lack the self-discipline to make myself write.

9. Advice to writers? Just sit down and write! Lots of people ask me how I made the time to write three novels while I was working full-time. I just did! I didn’t watch TV, I barely ate. Every spare minute was spent giving these characters in my head a life and story they demanded. Just do it!!


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