Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Blog Tour: Interview w/ Julie Rowe

                                                                                           

Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the North West Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical experiences because, “No one would believe them!”
A double Golden Heart finalist 2006, Julie has two books out with Carina Press: ICEBOUND and NORTH OF HEARTBREAK. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as Today’s Parent, Reader’s Digest (Canada), and Canadian Living. She currently facilitates communication workshops for her local city college. You can reach her at www.julieroweauthor.com or on Twitter @julieroweauthor
 
Where to Find Julie:


TBQ: Hi Julie! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Julie: I'm married with two teenage daughters, which means I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off most of the time. My kids are wonderful and say funniest things. A week or two ago my youngest (she turns 16 on the 24th!) said this about her science teacher: "Mom, it's really hard to focus on what he's saying when he has such long nose hair."




TBQ: What made you decide to start writing? Why romance?
Julie: I've been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, but when my girls were babies I started writing short stories to give my brain some exercise. I read a romance I thought was badly written and said to a friend, “I could write something better than this.” She dared me to actually do it and I've been writing ever since.

TBQ: Your newest release, NORTH OF HEARTBREAK, came out earlier this month—Congrats! Can you tell us a little bit about this book, and why readers are going to love it?

Julie: My first full time job out of technical school was in the North (I'm a medical lab technologist) where I worked in a tiny town with a small hospital that saw damn near every injury you can imagine. It was an exciting place to work and the environment was beautiful in a way that made you respect nature and the people living there. I wanted to give readers who've never been to Alaska a taste of that experience. [And you did a wonderful job--although I hate the cold, I'd still love to see Alaska!]




TBQ: Willa has been through a lot, and Liam hasn't had an easy time with relationships either. How did you come up with these two, and was it a struggle to get them together?
Julie: People who come North to work sometimes do so because they're running away from something. The isolation gives you time to process traumatic events. Sometimes they're able to work through it and heal. Sometimes they fail. I wanted to write about two people, both emotionally wounded, who come to the North looking for solace and discover they need each other in order to heal.
It was no struggle to get them together, the struggle was getting them to open up to each other, especially Willa. She's so hurt at the beginning she's terrified to let anyone in, but she's also stubborn and determined not to let her past control her future.

TBQ: The chemistry and tension is there, and brilliantly done, but before they can fall in love, they have to learn to trust one another. Did you enjoy writing about a couple who didn't just fall into bed—and into love with one another? (I know I liked reading their story because of this!)
Julie: Yes, I did enjoy writing about a couple who don't just fall into bed. I think real love takes work, effort and sometimes even a little sacrifice. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes we even have to walk away in order to see what's really there. Willa and Liam earn their happily ever after.

TBQ: Are there other genres you would like to write about?
Julie: I wrote for 12 years before I sold my first manuscript, and have 15 or so (some aren't completed) manuscripts sitting on my bookshelf. I wrote romantic suspense, inspirational and even an urban fantasy.

TBQ: I know we all hate this question, author and reader alike. :) But I have to ask: What are a few of your favorite books and/or authors?
Julie: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh, Bone Crossed by Patrica Briggs, Dragon Bound by Thea Harrsion and The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. I'm going to stop there because I could go on for several pages. I LOVE to read. [All great choices! :)]


TBQ: Have you ever fallen for a hero, either from one of your books or from another author? If so, who is he and what drew you to him?
Julie: I really like heroes who have a strong protective streak. So, Nalini Singh's psy/changling heroes get me every time. I love a man whose willing to risk it all to protect those he loves.


TBQ: What's next-- Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming releases or WIP?
Julie: I've just signed a contract for my third book with Carina Press. This one is set during the first world war and features a British nurse and wounded British soldier who are caught behind enemy lines and must escape before they're hunted down and killed. This book should be out in October and is loosely based on real life nurse Edith Cavell who was executed for helping allied soldiers escape during WW1.



SPEED ROUND:



A day on a secluded island OR a day at the spa? Island.

Reading a spicy romance novel OR a sweet “my-heart-skips-a-beat” one? Spicy.

Which would you rather have an affair with: a sexy highlander OR a devilishly handsome English lord? Highlander.

Hot summer days OR cold winter nights? Cold winter nights.

Where would your dream house be: in the city, where all the action is OR nestled in the mountain where you can enjoy the quiet and the wilderness? The mountain wilderness.

If you could live in any time period, past or future, which one would it be? I'm quite happy when I am.

Cover Lover OR Blurb Fan? Cover lover.

Steamy Novella OR Sweet Novel? (aka, Quickie or Slow Build Up?Quickie.

And finally, tell us 3 unique/wacky/fun things about yourself:

I used to belly dance.

Rather than music for inspiration, I prefer to have MASH reruns as my background noise when I'm writing. [That's just awesome! :)]

My sister says I could make polite conversation with a two headed alien.



TBQ: Thanks so much for stopping by, Julie, and please know that you are welcome back anytime! Do you have any questions for our readers—something to spark a good discussion? :)

Julie:
Where is the most interesting/isolated/exotic destination you've ever been to? What drew you to go to this place?

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North of Heartbreak by Julie Rowe
Publisher: Carina Press (April 16, 2012)
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Since her divorce, Willa Hayes has thrown herself into her work as a nurse practitioner in the remote town of Stony Creek, Alaska. She's regained her self-confidence and her heart is almost healed. Then her newfound peace is shaken by the arrival of sexy flyboy Liam Reynolds. Willa can't deny she's instantly, intensely attracted to him—even if she's convinced he's yet another Mr. Wrong.

Liam has his own reasons for fleeing to the isolation of the north, and a relationship is the last thing he wants. He wasn't counting on being drawn to the pretty nurse who accompanies patients on his flights to southern hospitals.

Fortunately, the temptation—and the desire to avoid anything serious—is mutual. So the pair comes up with an arrangement: sensual, steamy, no-strings fun. But when things heat up on a cold Alaskan night, the rules of the game may change forever...
 

Where to Buy*:
More Info:

Read my review for North of Heartbreak --this was a great contemporary romance! :)

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Don't forget to follow the rest of the tour for more
great posts, reviews, and interviews! :)


Thank you Julie for stopping by today--I enjoyed reading your answers! :)

Thanks to Bewitching Book Tours as well for hosting this blog tour + allowing me to participate and review the book.


I'll kick off the discussion topic:

I wish I had some great place to share with you guys, but sadly my life is fairly boring, and I can't think of anywhere truly spectacular or unique that I've been to. Sad, isn't it? Lol. However, I'm dying to hear where everyone else has been--has anyone, other than Julie, been to Alaska? What were your thoughts on it?

Enjoy!




Until Next Time,
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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

3 comments :

Mackenzie Crowne said...

Snickering over the two headed alien. Sounds like something one of my sisters would say. Congrats on North of Heartbreak. TBR for sure. As for your question, I'm a beach girl, but the southwest feeds my soul. DH and I recently bought our dream destination. 40 acres on the side of Mt Graham outside of Tucson. God's glory as far as the eye can see.

The_Book_Queen said...

:) Sounds like a dream come true! :) *SIGH* Okay, I am a bit jealous of your home. Lol.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing!

Enjoy!
TBQ

Julie Rowe said...

MacKenzie, your new place sounds wonderful. I've been in that area and it's truely beautiful.

Cheers, Julie