Interview with @JenniferHarlowBooks author of What's a Witch to Do?

Today, I'm pleased to share an interview with Jennifer Harlow - author of What's a Witch to Do?  Enjoy!! 

1. Let’s start out easy. Tell us a little bit about your book.

It’s entitled, What’s A Witch To Do? and it’s the first in the Midnight Magic series.  It’s an off-shoot of my other series, the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad, in that it takes place in the same world just with different characters. It follows witch Mona McGregor during the busiest week of her life. Not only is she in charge of the biggest coven in America she also has her sister’s wedding, a supernatural summit to plan and lead, witchcraft classes to teach, her two young nieces to raise, then to top it all off, a bleeding werewolf arrives on her porch telling her someone wants her dead. Demons are slain, investigations begun, and romance blooms in an unlikely place. Mona has a hell of a week.

Sounds tempting!  I do so love Witches!! 

2. What inspired you to write this story?

I wanted to try my hand at romance. I’ve always been more of a fighter than a lover, but I wanted to stretch my wings a little. I didn’t want it to be the conventional romance, following the usual formula, so I made my main character as anti-romance as I am. I hope I succeeded.

Awesome!  So we have something to look forward to!  A romance that is atypical :)

3. What is the main lesson that your book is trying to teach?

That a relationship should be a partnership. You should save him as often as he does you. Real love, true love doesn’t have to be shown through grand romantic gestures all the time. It’s doing the dishes after your partner made dinner. It’s making the other person better and encouraging them when they need it. It’s mutual respect and trust, and waiting for that person as long as needs be is okay. He doesn’t need to complete you, just compliment you.

 awww... hand me the tissues, will ya?  So true!  It's very rare that those of us in real life get those grand romantic gestures, it doesn't mean our relationship isn't as spectacular as the fairy tale dreams.

4. Moving on to your writing career, how long have you been writing? Did you always dream to become an author?

I’ve always been a storyteller in some shape or form. I used to fake being sick to stay home from school and play with my dolls. When I got too old for that around age thirteen I moved onto putting pen to paper. I started with really terrible novellas, then since I was living in Southern California, I thought I’d try my hand at screenplays. Most of them were pretty crap too, think Lifetime movie bad. With that more or less mastered I woke up one day and was like, “Huh. Maybe I’ll try writing a book.” And I did. Eight of them. But I did fight the writing bug. It’s hard. Damn hard. If I could do something else, I would, but no matter how I fought, I just couldn’t help myself. Still can’t.

I admit, I'm still giggle over the Lifetime movie bad :)  Writing sunk it's teeth into you and it sounds like it isn't letting go anytime soon!

5. I’m always curious whether or not authors read the same types of books that they write.  So tell us, what book genres do you love to read? To write?

I go though phases. One year I devour cozies, then the next year I can’t stand them and I move onto horror. I stopped reading paranormal/urban fantasy when I started writing them because I was afraid I’d OD on vampires and werewolves. I do love humorous memoirs like those of Jen Lancaster and Laurie Notaro, and biographies on great women like Charlotte Bronte and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Really, no matter the genre, if it catches my fancy I’ll give it a whirl.

6. What are you reading right now?

All zombies all the time. I read both compendiums of The Walking Dead and the Woodbury books. I’m also obsessed with books about superheroes, real books like Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman and Batman: No Man’s Land by Greg Rucka. The older I get the more I turn into a teenage boy. Oy.

 Having a teenage boy myself, they are pretty good people- as long as you don't start smelling like a teenage boy ! lol!  I , myself, have the sense of humor of a teenage boy, I doubt I'll ever outgrow it. lol 
 
7. Have any particular authors  inspired you to write? If so, can you name one and what you like about their style?

Without question Janet Evanovitch, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Jennifer Crusie. From Evanovitch I learned how to incorporate humor, mystery, and sexual tension while keeping a quick pace in the story. Hamilton showed the perfect was to combine two genres effectively, thriller and paranormal, and that a heroine doesn’t have to always be a sweet, perfect woman. She can have a hard edge and still be likable. From Jennifer Crusie, I learned the art of a romance novel without a clear formula. Her characters aren’t perfect, they meet in strange ways, and struggle with real compatibility issues. I can only pray I do my idols justice with my own work.

 I love Janet Evanovitch & Jennifer Cruise!  Love them!  I haven't read Laurell Hamilton but I'll definitely check her out ! 
 
8. Do you have any upcoming projects?

This year is very, very busy for me. Besides What’s A Witch To Do? I have a short story, the third F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad book Death Takes A Holiday out in August, and may self publish something else. I’m exhausted just thinking about it all.

Well that was fun!!  Read below for more on What's a Witch to Do?  and Jennifer , herself !

What’s A Witch To Do?

A Midnight Magic Mystery #1
Jennifer Harlow

Genre: Paranormal Mystery/Romance

Publisher: Midnight Ink

Date of Publication: March 2013

ISBN: 9780738735146

Number of pages: 336

Barnes and  Noble    Amazon

Indiebound   Amazon Canada    Amazon.UK  

Book Description:

Mona McGregor’s To Do List:

• Make 20 13 potions/spells/charms

• Put girls to bed

• Help with Debbie’s wedding

• Lose 30 pounds before bachelorette auction

• Deal with the bleeding werewolf on doorstep

• Find out who wants me dead

• Prepare for supernatural summit

• Have a nervous breakdown

• Slay a damn demon

• Fall in love

With her to-do lists growing longer each day, the last thing Mona McGregor—High Priestess and owner of the Midnight Magic shop in Goodnight, Virginia—needs is a bleeding werewolf at her front door. Between raising her two nieces and leading a large coven of witches, Mona barely has time for anything else. Not even Guy, the handsome doctor who’s taken an interest in her.

But now there’s Adam Blue, the sexy beta werewolf of the Eastern Pack who’s been badly hurt, warning Mona that someone wants her dead. Hell’s bells! A demon is stalking her, and Mona starts to suspect her coven members and even her own family could be responsible for it. With two attractive men and a determined demon after her, Mona teams up with Adam to find out who really wants her dead.

.. . and who really wants her.

About the Author:

Jennifer Harlow spent her restless childhood fighting with her three brothers and scaring the heck out of herself with horror movies and books. She grew up to earn a degree at the University of Virginia which she put to use as a radio DJ, crisis hotline volunteer, bookseller, lab assistant, wedding coordinator, and government investigator. Currently she calls Northern Virginia home but that restless itch is ever present. In her free time, she continues to scare the beejepers out of herself watching scary movies and opening her credit card bills.

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                   xoxo,