This quick interview includes info about the author, and
introduces the story.
About the Author
Sensual fantasies were locked in my mind for years until a
friend said, “Why don’t you write them down?” Why not, indeed? One
spiral notebook, a pen and the unleashing of my imagination later, and here I
am with more than a dozen books published. The craft of writing erotic romance
has become my passion and my niche in life. I love every part of the creative
process—developing characters, designing the plot, even drawing the layout of
physical spaces from my stories. My careers have been varied—third grade school
teacher, bookkeeper, secretary—none of which gave me a bit of inspiration. But
now I’m lucky enough to write romance full time—the best job in the universe!
And I’m fortunate enough to have found my own happily ever after husband.
Interview with Jane Leopold Quinn
Why did you write
this book?
I’d always been fascinated by the
ancient world – Rome, Greece, Egypt. When I finally took my first trip to
England, the British Museum in London was a treasure trove, and the Rosetta
Stone was one of the many highlights.
But what turned out to be the best
for me was the Roman Museum at Bath, touring the baths, and seeing the
surviving artifacts. I was totally in love with everything there and had no
idea the real impact Bath would have on my life.
I took photos of everything I
could see – statues, pediments, mosaics, and a row of tombstones. Roman
soldiers’ tombstones. I took a photo then moved on. The actual bath itself was
much smaller than I’d thought but more impressive and beautiful than I could
have ever imagined.
When I got home, I had my photos
developed – yes, this was years before digital cameras. All the pictures turned
out very well except for the one of the tombstone. The edges of the stone were
sharp, but the center where it was carved was hazy. Darn! I told my friends
that the Roman soldier’s spirit was coming out to meet me. Haha.
About a month after that trip, I
met the man who became my husband. After we’d been married a couple of years,
we went back to England (he’d never been) and our tour visited some of the
places I’d already seen. Bath and the Roman Museum was a repeat. I wanted to
retake the tombstone photo and hoped it would come out clear this time. I
wouldn’t know until we got home, because I still didn’t have a digital camera.
The photo was clear! This time I
claimed the carving was clear because the soldier approved of my new husband.
After another many years, I began
writing romance. One of my first inspirations was to write a story about a
third-grade Iowan school teacher (I’d been a third-grade teacher in Dubuque,
Iowa) who visits England and goes back in time to the Second Century Roman
Britain. Oh, yeah, and she meets a Roman soldier. Ancient Ties was born!
What is your favorite
genre to read?
Big surprise — my favorite genre
is romance. In the past I’ve read almost every kind of book there is —
literary fiction, mysteries, biographies, non-fiction, Mad Magazine, and for a
while I binged on Pulitzer Prize winning novels. Also for a period of time I
read romances. Then I didn’t for years. When I first started writing, I
realized it was romance. I believe in Happily Ever Afters. I can’t abide crying
as a book ends unless I’m crying happy tears. Since I’ve written in many kinds
of genres, I also read all kinds — westerns, contemporaries, Regencies,
vampire. Reading has always entertained me and helped me through rough times. I
can’t imagine living a non-reading life.
Who is your favorite
character from fiction (not including your own)?
If I say Mr. Darcy, is that too
cliché? To me he’s the quintessential romance hero. Tall, handsome, hunky sure,
but he’s got his wounds. They weren’t written by Jane Austen as we write
wounded heroes nowadays, but he’d been burned by events in his life and by
people like Wickham. He responded by closing down his emotions so another
person couldn’t touch him and hurt him. Once he looked outside his own pain and
focused on Elizabeth’s, then he came alive and accepted love. I’ve tried to
write my heroes that way, warriors afraid that love will weaken them, fighting
their need for a particular woman, not ever sure they will have their own
happily ever after, not knowing that’s the future they actually want.
What are you working
on at the moment, and will see from you in coming months?
I’ve spent the last few months
working on self publishing books I got back from publishers. AND, I’ve been
creating my own covers. I don’t have Photoshop, but using what’s already loaded
on my computer and Paint and PowerPoint, I can make fairly simple covers. My
latest, Ancient Ties, was created by my using romancenovelcovers.com for the
top picture. The two lower photos of Stonehenge and the Roman Bath in Bath,
England were taken by me on my trips to England. I also created a cover for two
short stories I’ll be releasing soon in one volume, Scorching Mini Tales, with
a photo of the Eifel Tower that I took myself in Paris last summer. I’ve also
created several other covers. It’s been fun to use another creative part of my
brain.
As far as writing, probably the
next thing I’ll work on is a western serial of short stories taking place in
one small town with all the characters connected. Working title is Scorching
Mini Tales of the Olde West.
Please tell us about
your latest book.
Nursing a broken heart, Janney Forrester flies to England for a much
needed vacation. She gets one—and much more. A drive through the countryside
and the sight of a mysterious heavy gold bracelet found nestled against ruined
walls draw her across the crumbling stone threshold of an ancient villa where
she beholds a Roman room in perfect historical detail. To add to the unreality,
there’s the most gorgeous, masculine man she’s ever seen, her every sensual
fantasy personified. Confusion by what’s happening to her vies with attraction
when Janney is thrust two thousand years into the past.
Roman soldier Marek Benin Verus considers the woman suddenly appearing
before him as a gift from the gods. Zeus knows he needs one! Battle fatigued
and emotionally scarred after fifteen years in the army, he’s on a leave of
absence and has all the time in the world to devote to seducing this beautiful
woman into his bed. He doesn’t plan on the powerful and dangerous emotions she
inspires in him.
Marek’s hard, muscular body is too luscious to resist. Janney decides to
risk the comfort of her safe life and carpe diem—seize the day. Marek
seizes her body and takes her to the edge—and over—to an ecstasy she never knew
existed. Can a new world for her, timeless desire, and a loving exploration of
each other’s bodies forge a passion that survives centuries of separation?
About the Book
Title – Ancient Ties
Genre – Time Travel Romance
Author – Jane Leopold Quinn
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
Buy This Book
Amazon – http://amzn.com/B00WFTJYPG
Author Social Media
Website and Blog – http://janeleopoldquinn.blogspot.com
This quick interview includes info about the author, and
