Visit J.L. Wilson's web site
Read an excerpt from Lilacs, Litigation and Lethal Love Affairs
About J.L. Wilson I was born in a small town in Iowa, and have traveled extensively, living in several different regions of the U.S. and briefly overseas. I’ve been writing most of my life and seriously writing, trying to be published, since 2004. Now I have 19 books out and will have 2 more out this year, with contracts for more mysteries in 2012. Stay tuned for more from me!
Also by J.L. Wilson
Romantic Suspense/Mystery
Your Saving Grace, Cerridwen Press
If Not For You, Cerridwen Press
Nowhere to Run, Resplendence Publishing
Brilliant Disguise, Resplendence Publishing
Shadow of Doubt, Resplendence Publishing
Lie to Me, Resplendence Publishing
Brownies, Bodies, and Breaking the Code, The Wild Rose Press
Candy, Corpses and Classified Ads, The Wild Rose Press
Autographs, Abductions, and A-List Authors, The Wild Rose Press
Sun, Surf, and Sandy Strangulation, The Wild Rose Press
Mayhem, Marriage, and Murderous Mystery Manuscripts, The Wild Rose Press
Homicide, Hostages, and Hot Rod Restorations, The Wild Rose Press
PhDs, Pornography, and Premeditated Murder, The Wild Rose Press
Ex-Wives, Extortion, and Erotic First Editions, The Wild Rose Press
Paranormal/Time Travel
Penance
Vengeance
Paranormal: The New Human Intecession
Human Touch
Living Proof
Leap of Faith
An Interview with J.L. Wilson
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: J.L., thank you so much for talking with us. Your featured book is Lilacs, Litigation and Lethal Love Affairs and it's the first book in your new series, Deadly Landscaping Romances. What can you tell us about this series? JL: I got the idea for this mystery when I was working on a Horticultural degree. I was working in the greenhouse, and there were so many dangerous chemicals around. As part of my degree, I had to be certified in pesticide use, and it's very rigorous exam, given by a state board of examiners. It just kicked off a lot of ideas about what could happen if the wrong chemical got into the wrong hands.
When I started writing mysteries, I remembered that experience. I combined my horticultural experience, my writing experience, and a recent experience a friend had when she discovered her ex-husband was still in love with her, and before you know it, I had a series.
HH: How does Lilacs, Litigation and Lethal Love Affairs kick off the series? JL: "Lilacs" introduces us to all the major characters and sets up what will happen in the remainder of the books. Let me hasten to say, though, that you can read the books out of sequence and you'll be fine. I just think you'll have a better experience if you read them in order.
"Lilacs" shows how Cassie Whittington, the heroine, is reshaping her life after being laid off. She decides to return to school for a horticulture degree and that's when she gets embroiled in a murder investigation. Her new boss, Sam Barlow, is briefly a suspect and since Cassie is a witness, it creates some tension for them -- tension that soon changes to tension of a different kind when they are attracted to each other.
At the same time she discovers that her ex-husband, Charlie, is still in love with her. She and Charlie have remained friends and it's a real dilemma for her, because she's not sure if she still loves him or not. She and Charlie have a lot of shared history together: Cassie was raised with Charlie's family when Cassie's father murdered Charlie's mother when they were both still children. So they have a lot of shared past together, as well as a failed love relationship.
To further complicate things, Cassie inherits a boatload of money from Charlie's grandmother, and that inheritance is contested by some family members, who resent Cassie. It makes an already complex time in her life even more goofy!
HH: Can you tell us about the books to come? JL: The next book is Foxgloves, Fancy Fungus, and Fatal Family Feuds. It's the story of Charlie's sister, Livvie, who is engaged to marry a chef at a haute cuisine restaurant (hence the "Fancy Fungus"). Cassie gets involved when Livvie's love is accused of murder. It's in "Foxgloves" that Cassie and Sam try to work out what kind of a relationship they want to have. It's also where Charlie and Cassie try to come to grips with their past.
The final book, "Daisies, Deadly Force, and Disastrous Divorce Disputes," involves Cassie in a murder much closer to home -- one of Charlie's siblings is killed and Charlie is a suspect. While trying to help her ex-husband, Cassie and Sam face a crisis in their relationship. It isn't until the end that fate brings together all the pieces of Cassie's past where she and Charlie can finally move forward.
HH: What do you like best about Cassie and why will readers identify with her? JL: Cassie has a very pragmatic and realistic approach to life. She was raised with a wealthy family but she always had to work to support herself and she was never envious of the people around her. She's struggled to put her past into perspective and not carry guilt for what her father did, but it's been a struggle. It isn't until she meets Sam that she starts to realize how much her past is coloring what she does today.
HH: What can you tell us about Sam and why will readers be drawn to him? JL: Sam is a man who was wounded badly in love and is not anxious to take a chance again, but when he meets Cassie, he's ready to give it a try--but he's skittish. He doesn't understand how Cassie and Charlie can be such friends, and he's jealous of their relationship. But throughout the course of the three books, he starts to see that love and friendship can intermingle and strengthen each other.
HH: What else do you have in the works? JL: I've published a couple of my back-listed books on the Kindle and Smashwords (Penance and Vengeance) which are History Patrol novels involving time travel and reincarnation. I hope to publish another one soon, then finish writing the fourth book in the series this year.
I have three more books to edit (mysteries) and I hope to publish those as well, and I have one I'm working on that is a lot of fun: a man in disguise as a woman at a romance convention. Should be ... interesting!
HH: With the rising popularity of ebook readers and devices like the iPad, what changes do you see coming in the romance genre? JL: I think 'romance' will become more and more mixed with other genres and become less a genre in itself. There will always be a place for relationship-focused books, but I think we'll see more romance combined with fantasy, mystery, and thrillers than there were in the past. Authors are starting to write 'outside the lines' -- like my books, which are a cozy mystery on the one hand, a romance on the other. It used to be that cozy mysteries had no romance at all, but it's starting to show up more and more. I think readers like a well-rounded story, and often that includes a romance mixed with their mystery, for example.
HH: As a romance reader, what sort of stories do you personally prefer? JL: I like a series where I can see a character grow and change from book to book. However, I don't like a series that goes on and on. I don't think many writers can sustain a character for book after book after book--it starts to feel stale after a while. Five or six books is about right, I think.
HH: Tell us about the best fan mail (email) you've ever gotten. JL: I recently received an email from a reader who said, "where have you been? I've been looking for books like yours for years, and have just found you." That was kind of fun!
HH: What are your favorite hobbies/activities these days? JL: I wouldn't call it 'favorite', but I'm swamped right now with the details of moving. We've bought a new house 300 miles away, sold our house, and are busy packing and getting ready to move. Combine that with a full-time job, a few conferences coming up, writing, promoting books, and I'm one busy author -- but as I've always said, I'll keep doing it as long as it's fun, and it still is, so I'm still writing! I just may be under the radar for a while until I get a chance to come up for air.
Thanks, Holly, and all the TRS folks -- as always, your questions made me stop and think about my books in ways I never considered. How do you do it?
HH: Thank you! We love good books, we love your books, and that makes our job easy. <g>
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