Today we have the lovely and very talented J.K. Hogan, author of the Vigilati Series with us!  She is celebrating the release of the second installment of the Vigilati Series: Blood in the Valley:

 The daughter of a Las Vegas hustler, Raven Sabatier grew up trusting nothing and no one—she doesn’t even trust herself to stay in one place for longer than a minute. When her quest to find out the secrets of her past leads her to the mountains of North Carolina, she’s set on a collision course with the one man she thought she’d never see again.

In Appalachia consulting on an archeological dig, Anthropologist Dr. Drew Deveraux comes face to face with the indomitable beauty who broke into his apartment a year ago, tilting his carefully cultivated world on its axis.

Engaged in a fight with their demons, both imagined and real, the last thing either of them expected to find was love. Together, they must unravel the mystery of Raven’s past and her connection with an ancient race of witches, in order to save their future—and all of the souls hanging in the balance.

 

I was fortunate enough to be able to interview J.K. and am sharing with you!!!

1. What song makes you happy every time you hear it?

Wow, that’s so hard because I am such a music collector. The first one that comes to mind right now is Gold on the Ceiling by The Black Keys (and I also have a cover by Tab Benoit). Ask me again tomorrow and I may have a different answer.

2. What movie can you see over and over again without getting sick of it?

Another tough one, because I’m not one to watch movies over and over again. I’d probably have to stick with a classic and say The Princess Bride. Or anything with Robert Downey Jr. in it.

3. What is the worst fashion trend you ever bought into?

Poofy bangs. Platform shoes. Satin. Patent leather. You name the badness, I tried it.

4. Did you dream of writing when you were a little or did you dream of other thing like being a ballerina (or Wonder Woman, like me)?

When I was a kid, I don’t think I thought too much about the future. I spent most of my time in my imaginary worlds, so I guess it wasn’t too much of a stretch that I became a novelist. The only other thing I can think of was that I wanted to be a cowgirl. I did that for a while before I got married.

5. Do you have any comfort reads?

I’m such a speed reader, I don’t know if I could put it down to particular books. Anything romance, really. Reading in general comforts me. I remember reading Wake Me Up Inside, an m/m paranormal by Cardeno C. while I had really bad morning sickness. That was kind of comforting. J

6. What is your writing process?

It starts with an idea, or a character, and then I just sit down and write chronologically. I stop when the story goes cold so it doesn’t feel forced, and once it picks up again in my head, I get back to writing. I write straight through usually, and then I go back to fine tune.

7. Revisions: love them or hate them?

Hate, hate, hate. I understand the need for them, and that they make the book better, but they’re so hard. It’s like someone criticizing your children (either yourself or someone else). It can be hard to take.

8. Who/what inspires you?

Anyone who’s been able to make a career and support themselves by writing. Oh, an anyone who’s successfully raised a child. Now that I’m a mom, I’m realizing what a difficult and important task that is.

9. How much of your day-to-day life goes into your writing?

Not nearly as much as I’d like. That number is ever-changing with the whims of my infant son. I get “mommy time” at night between the time I go to bed and when I actually fall asleep, so that gives me an hour or two.

10. Kids in books: yes or no?

Hmm. Good question. Yes, as long as they work in the story and aren’t too much of a distraction from the plot. However, I’m definitely not into the whole heroine gets pregnant angle. It only really works for me in historicals, and I don’t read those much anymore.

11. Pets in books: cheesy or sweet?

Pets make everything better! I think they make the characters more real. But again, it has to work with the story rather than distract from it.

12. What’s your favorite thing to eat? (recipes welcome!)

Sushi. I love sushi.

13. What is the scariest thing about being an author?

The first thing that comes to mind is the inevitable bad review. It has or will happen to everyone. So I guess, critique in general…worrying that your book will flop. I think any creative avenue comes with the same fear.

14. What is the most exciting thing about being an author?

Creating something from nothing and having it entertain people. It’s amazing—there’s nothing like it.

15. Do you have anything to share with us?

I absolutely love chatting with people about books (mine, or anyone else’s), hot guys, movies, music, whatever. So find me on twitter, FB, tumblr…pretty much all social media. I’m pretty active in social media, so I’ll most likely respond.

THIS OR THAT

1. Peanut butter or jelly?

Peanut butter

1. Chips or cookies?

Cookies. Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?

1. Best talent: dancing or singing?

Singing. I definitely can’t dance.

1. Print or eBook?

I’m an ebook convert. I thought I’d never switch, but the fact that I can carry SO many books with me and never worry about finishing a book and not having another with me…that totally convinced me.

1. Pen or pencil?

In general, pen. For writing, laptop.

1. Best friends: as many as possible or only need one?

That’s tough for me. I have rather antisocial tendencies, and I don’t really have a best friend…But I think you can never have too many friends as long as you can count on them.

1. Notebook or computer?

Computer or iphone.

1. Print or cursive?

Cursive. Not that you’d be able to read it, of course.

1. Zombies or vampires?

Hmm… For sexy? Vampires. For action, zombies. Love The Walking Dead.

1. Angel or Spike?

Well, I was never into Buffy, but I was into Bones, so I have to go with Angel because of David Boreanaz hotness.

**Note from MamaJo – Isn’t she AMAZING? Not only has she given me a new book boyfriend, but she is a woman after my own heart!  Do you want to learn even more about her, do you want to know why I have a new book boyfriend? KEEP READING :

J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them.

J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives on a farm with her husband and their three horses, one miniature donkey, one cat, and two champion agility dogs.

In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! For more information, please visit www.jkhogan.com.

Where to find J.K Hogan on the web:

Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook / Amazon / Pinterest / Tumblr / Linkedin / Google Plus

Where to buy the books you want  need to read now:

Fire on the Island (Book 1) :

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Island-J-K-Hogan/dp/1938404173

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RO8BZM

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fire-on-the-island-jk-hogan/1112102519

MamaJo’s Review: http://mamakittyreviews.com/?p=518

Blood in the Valley (Book 2):

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Valley-J-K-Hogan/dp/1938404475/

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Valley-Vigilati-Series-ebook/dp/B00CLENQO0/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-in-the-valley-jk-hogan/1115206625?ean=9781938404474

My Review of Blood in the Valley:

What I liked loved:

The expansion of the wonderful world J.K Hogan has created, the characters,  the action, and the romance .

I have adopted Drew as one of my book boyfriends, he is caring, sweet, vulnerable, damaged, HOT, and most of all: he  handled the changes to the world around him (and happening in his life) the way my dream man would.

I have also decided that in my next life, I want to be Raven, she has her own moral code – that you after her upbringing only adds to her charm, she kicks major butt, and she has an amazing capacity for love (even if she won’t admit it to herself!).

We also get to peek in on Isla and Jere, Jere’s mysterious brother, and even his mom (who helped to raise Drew)!  (I also really liked Ray)

The romance was wonderful, showing that two flawed, yet strong characters can overcome their fears and strengthen their weaknesses  together.

This series features truly strong women who don’t sit back and wait for their men to fix things for them – for me, this is imperative in a Paranormal Romance  series that has a female protagonist .  You won’t find whiny chits who either want someone to fight their battles or who want to know “why me” with the Vigilati Series.  These heroines roll with the punches, get back up, acknowledge their weaknesses, kick some major butt , and love their men.

It is no secret that I love PNR, that being said – I have standards and I tend to set the bar rather high.  Blood in the Valley not only reached the bar, but bounded right over it!  Nothing is better as a reader of PNR than when the author expands the boundaries and rules of that world and makes it believable.  And I have to say that by bringing us into her world as the characters learn the rules, Ms Hogan has made every single broken rule and shattered boundary flow naturally with the story.

*FTC Disclosure – I received an ARC of this book for review.

A Full 5 Meows

MamaJo

MamaJo is a working wife and mother of two that is rarely seen without a book in her hand. She started reading horror novels in elementary school and from there has read some of everything. Her favorite genres are horror, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, suspense, and romantic suspense. You will also catch her with a contemporary or historical romance at least once a month to "cleanse her reading palate".

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