Author Interview with Jennifer Chance

 

Jennifer Chance, author of RULE BREAKER series:

 

QUESTIONS:

 

1.  You write about spies and alpha males really well.  Are there some TV shows or books that were an influence for this series?

 

Thank you! I’ve been a huge fan of romance and romantic suspense since my teens, but the Rule Breakers books all had different inspirations: ROCK IT was totally born of my fangirl phase, when I followed around a rock group and thought “if only!”. FAKE IT was inspired by an actual wedding that I attended with a “fake” boyfriend, though my stand-in boyfriend, it should be noted, was NOT a biker.  WANT IT was inspired by everything Suzanne Brockmann ever wrote, lol. She is an amazing author, and I did my best to capture her heroes’ spirit! And RISK IT, which is slightly more edgier, was inspired by another author I love: Tracy Wolff.

 

2.  Your alpha heroes in the Rule Breaker series were epic.  The humor and banter was too.  Any of this from any real life experiences?

 

Thank you again! Sadly, I do not have a rocker, biker, Army sergeant or playboy among my friends, but I really should, don’t you think?? That said, I modeled Zander’s conversational style in WANT IT off a male friend of mine, and I re-imagined Justin Timberlake as an edgier (and Italian!) rocker to create Dante in ROCK IT. Rand in RISK IT is a variation on a secondary character I adored in a Harlan Coben series.

 

I love that my humor and banter worked well for you, that’s probably one of the highest compliments you could pay me!

 

3.  Readers always want to know... does where you live influence your books?  Weather, Clothing, Music, etc....?  What is the local culture like?

 

Great question – the Rule Breakers series is set in Boston, but I actually live in the Midwest. And when I say Midwest, I mean a very much not sexy, “great place to raise a family” area of the Midwest. So for me, where I live does influence my books… it influences me to get outta town!

 

The next two series I’m kicking around are set in very different locations—one in South Beach, one in a Mediterranean paradise—so I’m all about putting my characters in places that are as wish-come-true as their romances.

 

4.  Your books make us all feel like catching that elusive man is possible.  Do you have a favorite author or a "book boyfriend" that you fangirl over too?

 

I tend to read a lot of suspense, but when it comes to romance (albeit Urban Fantasy) I have to go with Darynda Jones’ Reyes Farrow as a book boyfriend. He could be my real life boyfriend too, honestly, never mind that whole “son of Satan” thing he has going on. 

 

5.  What kind of things interest you?  Is there a secret you are willing to share about your life that no one knows about you yet - that you are willing to share with your readers?

 

I love to write all different types of books, and researching those books is becoming more and more fascinating for me. I’d say I read about 50-50 fiction vs. non-fiction because of that. I buy books the way some people buy coffee, so my TBR stack is overflowing, but that’s not unique among authors or readers! I also play tennis and love to take long walks… at least until I tore a tendon this Spring (don’t do that!!) and I currently serve as steward to a rescued cat who’s pretty sure she is the reincarnation of Cleopatra. That last part isn’t interesting, per se, but she insisted I include it.

 

But as to a secret… how’s this: I want the exact opposite of the American Dream of the little house with the white picket fence! Maybe it’s because I’m a double Aquarius, but my dream is to sell my three-bedroom home and most of my belongings, then live around the country (and even the world) for 3-6 months at a time, renting various places and soaking in the local culture. I have a mobile job between fiction and freelance writing, so I’m hoping to make this dream come true in the next few years!