JAY CROWNOVER

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

PLEASE WELCOME THE BRILLAINT AUTHOR BEHIND THE SENSATIONAL
MARKED MEN SERIE'S , JAY CROWNOVER

Hello Jay,Tell us a little about yourself? 

Just a gal that likes a good story. I’m a native Coloradan which is pretty

 awesome and I really have the best job in the entire world.

 How would you discribe your books?

Fun, edgy, sexy, a little bit twisted.

They are also full of heart and life lessons.

I write things that feel real and honest to me.

I ultimately write books that I want to read.

What genre is your work mainly?

Do you tend to stay in the same vein or are you hoping

 ( if not already ) to explore new ventures?

I write New Adult but what I write in NA varies.

I cover everything from contemporary to suspense to mystery.

I like the age group and the way NA is still not entirely evolved

so I tend to find my comfort zone there,

but I also think my books are strong contemporary romances as well.

 Share with us a quote from one of your

favourite characters in your books?

“That’s the finish line!”…I love Bax and his dirty mind

and his dirty mouth from Better When He’s Bad.

Is it hard to come up with new idea's and / or plot's?

Naw. I have a pretty active imagination and all my books are ties together

so it’s all like one big story intertwined within each other.

What inspired you to write your book?

I wanted to write something I could relate to. I wanted my kinds of guys,

my kinds of ladies and my music and interests in a book.

I wanted to see tattoos and tattoo culture done a little bit more service

 and I had always wanted to write a book.

The timing and ideas just sort of fell into place at the right time for it all to happen.

Who is the easiest character to write for and Why?

Hardest and why?

So far Salem in Rowdy’s book was the easiest. I think because I related most

to her and I really liked her independence. The hardest has been Asa,

mostly because it’s hard to write a character that you love and hate with

 such equal passion. He gave me writer’s whiplash more than once.

Without giving anything away, what is / are your favourite scenes in your book(s) ? 

I always like the first sex scene. It’s fun to see the circumstances that led up to that intimacy and it’s always fun to see what happens after. I also really like the epilogues. I like setting up the next story and giving just a hint of everything that might be coming next.

Do you have any hobbies?

I read. I like to shop. I like to travel and I’m an alright cook.

Nothing to exciting I’m afraid.

Do you have a specific writing style?

Yeah if Jay style is a style. I just write true to my voice, true to my tastes,

true to my likes and preferences and really that’s all I do. I don’t write

 to popular trends or what is common in my genre.

I’m always trying to do something new and fun.

 How did you come up with the title?

I don’t! I just used the guys first names and then Bax told me what his

title was going to be when Dovie whispered it in his ear!

I’m struggling right now to come up with titles for the

 Saints of Denver series and it isn’t going so great.

How much of the book is realistic? Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

None of it. I mean it’s all part of me but none of the books word for

 word or scene for scene take anything out of my real like.

What books have most influenced your life most?

I love the Catcher in the Rye. I feel like I was Holden at one point or another in my life.

I love 1984 as well. I loved the way George Orwell used words to paint a picture of this oppressive and bleak future….seems like he wasn’t that far if you watch the news anymore.

14. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Hmmm…Well I really look up to who Jen Armentrout is as a person and as a writer.

I think Sophie Jordan is amazing and has had an remarkable

 career spanning so many different genres.

I love every single book Kristen Ashley has ever written so I def.

would consider her an inspiration.

What book are you reading now?

My own! Better When He’s Bold…I’m working on the final edits for

 Race’s story…but I’m dropping everything when Rival by

Penelope Douglas hits my Kindle. Love her stuff!

What are your current projects? If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your books?

I’m getting ready to start Better When He’s Brave which is Titus’s book in the Point series.

I have zero regrets about any of the creative choices I have made with any of my books. I love them all and wouldn’t change a single thing about any of them. To do so would mean I wasn’t being true to myself or my original vision and I would never do that.

 Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

From being an avid reader. I’ve always loved everything about books.

 Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I also knew without question that I could stare into Rowdy St. James’s

cerulean eyes for an eternity and never see anything prettier— even when he

was looking at me like I was something toxic and dangerous.

 Is there anything you find particularly challenging

 in your writing?

I have a hard time when people try and tell me what I did wrong. There is no right or wrong to story-telling. There is just the way you do it…and that way is unique to you and only you so it can’t be right or wrong.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Anne Stuart. She went dark before anyone else did. She wrote bad boys that were really bad. She boundaries and stretched limits and I love ever single word she has ever written.

Who designed the covers?

Covers are tricky. I pick the guy, then things happen and stuff gets tweaked and

marketing gets involved…I love my covers but picking a perfect cover that everyone

 will dig is flat out impossible I’ve learned.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Making sure I say thank you to everyone I love and couldn’t do this without in the acknowledgements!

Did you learn anything from writing your book

and what was it?

Sure. Every new book poses its own set of new lessons and new experiences. I think you have to learn as you go along or each and every book would be a regurgitation of the one before it.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Just do you! The only person you can be responsible for making happy

at the end of the day is yourself. I would also say just write.

Even when it’s hard. Even when it’s boring.

Even when you don’t want to you just have to keep on writing.

Getting it done is the first step and it can often be the hardest.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say

 to your readers?

I try to talk to my readers all the time to tell them thank you and let them

 know I appreciate them and value them above all else.

I tell them we need each other and I firmly believe that to be true!

What is your favourite genre to write?

New Adult

What is your favourite genre to read? 

Romantic Suspense and New Adult

 How long have you been writing for?

Almost 2 years professionally

What is your favourite  movie?

Fight Club and Die hard

How  difficult is it to come up with one

of your amazing plots?

Not very. I see it all pretty clearly and then I just let the characters

 tell their own stories.

How about characters?  Are they easily

born and developed?

I think they are all pretty easy to feel and touch.

They all just float around in my head and then when they hit the page

they kind of take over. Sometimes they do stuff that surprises me.

How long does it take you to complete a novel from concept to completion?

Right around 3 months

What was your first published piece? And how was it to publish your first book?

Rule. It was like taking a giant dare the universe decided to throw at me.

I was scared but determined to hit publish all at the same time.

It was the best decision I ever made for myself.

Have  you ever trashed a novel or story before or after finishing it, feeling it wasn't turning out as you planned?

Not yet.

Out of all your brilliant  characters  

Which ones were you favourite?

Bax will probably always be my favorite. He shook me out of a funk

and I’ve never had so much fun writing a book before.

I just love him and I love how his story let me challenge myself.

Do you have a special time or place to write?

Nope. I can write anytime or anyplace. I wrote parts of Rule at the hospital

when my best friend was in labor. I write parts of Jet while I was bartending

 at a local college bar. I wrote a huge chuck of Rome sitting by the pool

 on vaction in Mexico and I hammered out several of Asa’s key chapters

while I was just in Dublin for a signing.

Any funny experiences or quirks you'd like to

share with your readers?

I’m a spaz so there are too many to count or recount.

Which one of your awesome  books would you like to see be made in to a movie?

I think the entire Point series would make for some sexy,

action packed cinema.

What was the worse job you ever done?

I washed dishes at a dude ranch and I cold called telemarketer in high school. I was also a fry cook at a bowling alley which wasn’t awful but I hate bowling and had no idea how serious people on bowling leagues take things. It didn’t end well.

Do you ever get any ideas at random moments,
and if so how do you hand on to them?

Not really. I'm not a jotter or voice reminder kind of gal.

If it's a good idea i'll remember it and get to it when I can.

Can you write on demand and under pressure, or do you need time and space before the creativity starts to flow and how do you over come writers block?

I get really really mad about writer’s block. Like furious.

So I usually put whatever I’m stuck on away and start something new…or

I just push through and then attack it all in editing.

But no my creative juices just seem to flow whenever and wherever!

I’m pretty lucky that way. :-)