*~*Houston Author Event – Author Spotlight Day 4: Jillian Dodd & TWO Giveaways*~*

I was super excited to be asked by Emily of Lalone Marketing to take part in an ‘Author Speed Dating’ event right before the signing. Basically, each blogger that participated would get 5 minutes to talk to all 10 authors – hello! Yes, please! I was so excited because I’ve done interviews before but never in person – this was both amazing and scary at the same time, but it was an absolutely wonderful experience.

So, each day for the next two weeks, I’ll be spotlighting one of the authors that I got to sit down and chat with last Saturday – in case you missed it, Day 1 was S.C. Stephens, Day 2 was J. Sterling, yesterday it was Amanda Bennett and it’s Jillian Dodd’s turn today.

 

We asked last week on our Facebook page for some questions for the authors – so I tried to incorporate as many of them as I could into the interview…I added the name of whoever ‘asked’ the question! Now…let’s get to the interview… 🙂

 

Lisa:      We asked our followers to give us some questions – so I’ll start with those, what are some of your favorite books? (question from Kristen Kocher)

Jillian:  Umm..Hate Me is probably my favorite, Hate Me and Love Me because I think you saw a little more from Keatyn- but That Boy was my first so.

Lisa:      Is there anything in any of your books that you would change if you were given the chance? (question from Kristen Kocher)

Jillian:  I don’t think so.

Lisa:   If you weren’t a writer what other profession would you be working in? (question from Deborah Favorito)

Jillian:  My major was fashion design, so that’s what I like – interior design, fashion design and that’s what I did before I started writing.

Lisa:    How long from concept to completion of your first book? (question from Tanya Gaunt)

Jillian:  7 years.

Lisa:    What is your go-to snack food when writing? (question from Nicole Montgomery)

Jillian:  Buffalo Wing Popcorn

Lisa:    I’ve never heard of that!

Jillian:  It’s so good!

Lisa:    Who makes that?

Jillian:  We have a place in Texas called Lonestar Popcorn Factory and they have they have a Ranch one that you can mix with it.

Lisa:    Which of your characters will you always hold a certain soft spot for?  (question from Andie Lea)

Jillian: Probably Jayden…yeah, and Danny and Phillip too – I love them!

Lisa:    Which character can you relate to the most?    (question from Andie Lea)

Jillian:   Probably Maggie in the Keatyn Chronicles – she’s probably the most like me.  She’s very straight forward, just tells it like it is – I’d say her.

Lisa:    What do you think is the most difficult…beginning or ending a storyline?  (question from Andie Lea)

Jillian:  Beginning – I always write the end first.

Lisa:    Really?

Jillian:  Yeah – I always go to the end and then I’m like how the heck do I get there!

Lisa:    How often are you thinking and jotting notes down about the characters and storyline that come into your head?  (question from Andie Lea)

Jillian:   I don’t think I ever stop.  I mean it’s like – you should see my phone

She actually pulled out her phone and showed me – scrolled FOREVER – it was awesome and intimidating!

Jillian:   And like each one – I’ll wake up in the morning and just sit and write.  And then I email it to myself.

Lisa:    If you could sit down face to face with one of your characters, who would you choose and why?(question from Andie Lea)

Jillian:  Oooh that’s a hard one – Danny.  I’m sorry, I gotta go with the hot one! Danny – in real life, yes!  I don’t know if we’d be sitting down!

Lisa:    Who decides who and what goes on your covers?  (question from Lorie Glowania)

Jillian:   I have a cover designer – and then I was looking for some stock photos to try and find the right girl for Keatyn – That Boy and That Wedding are my own artwork.

Lisa:    What genres do you enjoy reading?  (question from Cynthia Mae)

Jillian:  I read thrillers and spy stuff for fun.  I mean…I write romance and I read that but now that I write it, I don’t read it as much – I used to consume a lot of it but thrillers – I wanted be a spy when I grew up!

Lisa:    Where is your favorite place to write?  (question from Cynthia Mae)

Jillian:   Outside.

Lisa:    Texas is a good place to do that

Jillian:   Yeah I sit out on a, we have like a covered porch and I can sit outside forever and write.

Lisa:    What was your original inspiration to start writing?  (question from Rachel Talavera)

Jillian:  I had three dreams about the characters in That Boy and I had to know what else happened.  Like so I wrote down those three scenes that I had dreamt and then I wanted to know what else happened so I started writing – I never intended really to publish but then I worked on it and it went from there.

Do you know about Jillian’s Books?

 

The Keatyn Chronicles

Add Stalk Me to your GoodReads  ♦  Add Kiss Me to your GoodReads  ♦  Add Date Me to your GoodReads  ♦  Add Love Me to your GoodReads  ♦  Add Adore Me to your GoodReads  ♦  Add Hate Me to your GoodReads  ♦  Add Come and Get Me to your GoodReads

That Boy Series

 

Add That Boy to your GoodReads  ♦  Add That Wedding to your GoodReads

 

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Jillian is the author of the That Boy series and The Keatyn Chronicles. She grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She lives in Texas with her family.