D.V. Stone is my guest today. Her new book, JAZZ HOUSE, book 2 in the Impact series, releases August 31, 2022. She sat down for an interview and told me about her writing and her life. Thanks for visiting, D.V.!
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Jana, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today. I’m excited to share about my new release. My Impact Series is near and dear to my heart.
Where did you get the idea for JAZZ HOUSE?
Jazz House is the second book of my Impact Series based on First Responders. The first book, Rock House Grill, is mostly about EMTs. In Jazz House, the main male character is Michael Machau. Michael is a police officer who was introduced as a secondary character in the first book. He is not only one of my favorite characters but seems to be a fan favorite.
Why did you choose this genre?
Several years ago, I did the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo challenge. That’s where you commit to writing 50,000 words in thirty days. Now, those are a lot of words for a short period of time. Since I have experience as an EMT and in restaurant work, I wrote what I knew. The Wild Rose Press liked it and offered me a contract.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read JAZZ HOUSE?
Jazz House has a lot packed into it. An abusive relationship, a secret identity, making a way to overcome these things. I think the thing that I’d like to show most is that with supportive friends and family (whether they are blood relations on not), we can forge a new life and overcome the obstacles.
Do you work on more than one book at a time?
The short answer is yes. While I was writing Jazz House, I worked on two other stories. One has been submitted to my editor. (Shout out to ELF, who I adore. I call her my breathing coach as she gets me through the writing process). I have a project with several other authors that is an early work in progress. And working on a long-term project in my fantasy line, Shield-Mates of Dar.
How many books do you have under the proverbial bed? Will they ever see the light of day?
It’s crowded under there, LOL. I have the first book I ever started that needs tender loving care. The first book is done in draft but needs crazy editing. The manuscript is huge. There are two other books in various stages in that series. Also under that bed is the third book in my mid-grade paranormal series Agent Sam Carter Mysteries. There are a few other things too. A partial short story along the lines of Rainbow Sprinkles. Whew!
Do you write in the same place every day, or do you like to change it up?
D. V. is a rolling stone. I spend a great deal of time in my library/office, but I take it to my deck on nice days. I’m writing this interview in my camper. Occasionally I’ll head to the library when I need a further change of pace.
Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing?
Since marrying my husband Pete twenty-eight years ago, I’ve lived in Northwest New Jersey. Before that, I lived in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where both Rock House Grill and Jazz House take place. Since retiring from full-time employment last year, we also spent the winter in a Florida campground where I worked on books, and Pete worked for the campground.
How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing?
Someone asked me if I see myself in any of my characters. My answer is an emphatic yes. All of them. I believe most authors dip into their good, bad, and ugly to develop their characters. I’ve been everything from a farmer, waitress, maid, EMT in an ambulance, emergency room, and woman’s state prison. Over the years, I have been a veterinary hospital manager, radiology office secretary, and owned both a coffee house and a small restaurant. Whether I’m working on a fantasy novel or a contemporary, bits of my life and experience touch it all.
Do you have any pets? Are you cat person or a dog person? Or are you into totally different pets, like goldfish? What do you like best about your pet?
I’m an animal lover and advocate. I’ve adopted all my pets and fostered many over the years, from Bassett Hounds to bottle baby kittens. Though I don’t have horses any longer, I’ll take any opportunity to be around them. Right now, Hali is my latest rescue dog, and Baby is our cat. By the way, Baby is seventeen years old and went to Florida with us this past winter. She was a champ and took to it like she’d been doing it since she was a kitten.
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| Hali |
What are your hobbies away from the computer?
I live to glamp! We bought a 5th Wheel camper a few years ago, and I can’t get enough of travel. We especially like history and antiquing, so if a place has those, we’re on our way. In conjunction with that, cooking over an open fire is nearly an obsession. When we were in Florida, I often fed the campground. Give me fire, grate, or a tripod and Dutch Oven and ring that dinner bell.
What do you like best about your hero JAZZ HOUSE?
Oh, Michael! He’s a sweetheart who rescues people and animals. He’s loyal, thoughtful, and a bit of a romantic. I can’t wait for you to read about his German Shepherds Forest and Jenny.
What do you like best about your heroine in JAZZ HOUSE?
Jordon is complex. She’s made some bad decisions, and boy does she pay for them. However, she is not a coward and grabs her chance to escape and try to build a new life.
How do you choose the names and physical characteristics of your characters? Do you base them on real people?
I usually go to social security for contemporary works and look at popular names for the birth year. But let me tell you, as you write and the character develops, their name can change. In Rainbow Sprinkles, my main character is Gloriana Jones. The name just popped into my head one day with no story planned for her until TWRP called for submission for their One Scoop Or Two series. Gloriana was perfect for the part.
How can readers reach you or find you online?
I’m nearly everywhere! The best place to start is at my website https://www.dvstoneauthor.com/ and my monthly email list https://mailchi.mp/18125bb60cc5/dv-stones-news-bulletin
Tell us a little about your current work in progress.
One of the things I’m working on is a cooperative effort with six other authors. I’m dipping my toe into historical paranormal romance with this one. Post WW2 action-adventure. Sort of like an underwater Indiana Jones. I’m excited to be part of this amazing group. Also, Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar Book One, was pulled and re-edited. She is being released with a new cover, and the second book, Kisa, will follow shortly.
If I was a first-time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?
You could read Jazz House without reading Rock House Grill, but I think the reader would get a fuller, richer story to begin with RHG
Is there anything we haven’t covered here that you’d like to tell readers?
Be kind to each other. We have no idea what others are going through. Hold your friends and family close. Make an Impact in the world whenever you can. Oh, and Hali says, “Woof!”
(Translated to visit the shelters and adopt the pets.)
Blurb:
One woman’s choices. One man’s impact.
Jordan Vasilakis is on the run, living under an assumed name. After a disastrous marriage to a notorious Greek business tycoon, she flees to the States and starts rebuilding her life. But her ruthless husband is determined to destroy her…once he finds her.
Michael Machau is drawn to the new singer at Jazz House restaurant, but the guarded woman is harboring dangerous secrets. The dedicated police officer may have to risk more than just his heart to forge a connection with the woman he knows as Madeline Cielo, especially when he discovers she’s living a lie.
Worlds collide. Lies entangle. Survival, much less love, is in question. They must quickly distinguish friends from enemies or risk losing everything—including a future together.
Excerpt:
Jordan scrambled to the other side of the limo.
“You sing good tonight.” He scrolled through his phone.
“Yes, Kyrios.”
Outside the window, massive cruise ships docked in the port. Happy older people made their way up the gangplanks toting bags filled with souvenirs, while the younger ones debarked dressed for the nightlife. Sparkly sequins flashed like diamonds as one young woman twirled on the pier.
God, how had she come to this life? She willed her hovering tears not to fall. Kyrios wouldn’t approve.
When she was offered a place in the touring group ten years ago, she thought it was the beginning of great things. Standing in the cabaret with the lights shining down was her dream come true. When she was the woman in the sparkly dress.
Until he showed up.
Each night, Kyrios Vasilakis, Greek business tycoon, sat at the front table watching her. Yes, he was older but so very handsome. Dark hair with silver at the temples, he cut a dashing figure in his black suits.
Jordan began to sing to him. It was the beginning of the end. After a whirlwind romance, she found herself a prisoner in marriage to a brute.
Buy Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-House-Impact-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0B1Z2KKN8
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jazz-house-d-v-stone/1141502643
https://books.apple.com/us/book/jazz-house/id6442847677
Universal Link
https://books2read.com/u/mZQq0e
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Blog: D.V. Stone - Around The Fire Book and Author Blog (dvstoneauthor.com)
Other Books by
D. V. Stone
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Rainbow Sprinkles by The Wild Rose Press
After the storm come the rainbows.
Rock House Grill by The Wild Rose Press
One man’s choices. One woman’s Impact
Amazon Barnes & Noble iBook’s Google Books
Contributing Author
Australia Burns by The Wild Rose Press
Independently Published
Mid Grade
Agent Sam Carter
The Mystery at Branch Lake https://a.co/bb0HlkS
The Mystery at High Pointe Tower https://a.co/bb0HlkS
