Welcome Guest Jennifer Wilck!

Today I'm honored to welcome fellow author, blogger, and friend, Jennifer Wilck, to Book Beat Babes. Jennifer is here to tell us about her latest release, Miriam's Surrender.

Jennifer, it's so nice to have you here. Congratulations on your new release!

Tell us about yourself.
I’m married and the mom of two teenaged girls. Prior to writing contemporary romance, I was a magazine writer and editor and I also wrote freelance articles, mostly for technology magazines. I live in New Jersey, but went to college in St. Louis. I’m currently published by Rebel Ink Press. Miriam’s Surrender is my fourth book.

Tell us about Miriam's Surrender.
It’s a contemporary romance with Jewish themes. This story centers around Passover and is the story of two people who need to discover the freedom of letting go in order to let love into their lives. Josh is an architect hired to redesign the alumni club of a posh, private school in New York. Miriam is the Assistant Director of Outreach, working with the alumni, and is Josh’s day-to-day contact for the redesign. They first met in The Seduction of Esther. Josh had thought he was in love with Miriam’s sister, and Miriam detests him because he hurt her sister. Now they have to work together. As they get to know each other, the animosity disappears, but Josh is hiding something from Miriam and when she discovers what it is, it has the possibility of destroying their relationship. Only when they are both able to let the other in and release some of the control they exert over everything, will they be able to see if their love can survive.

Is it related to any of your other books or does it stand alone?
It’s the second book in my Women of Valor series, but can easily be read on its own. Josh is the villain from the first book and Miriam is the heroine’s sister, also from the first book. But you don’t need to know any of the backstory ahead of time, as it’s explained fairly early on.

Your faith is very important to you, and it also finds its way into your stories. Can you tell us more about that?
Sure! I’ve always loved reading romance, but I’ve noticed that most romances are, by default, related to Christianity in some way (this is NOT a complaint)—even if there’s no mention of religion in the story, the characters get married in a church, grace is said prior to a Thanksgiving dinner, etc. I love reading the books, but I started to wonder if it could be possible to switch it up and make the characters Jewish. So I decided to try to write a series that involved Jewish holidays. The characters are generic enough that anyone can relate to them, but the Jewish holidays provide great themes to deal with—such as hiding one’s identity (the theme of Purim, which was covered in the first book, The Seduction of Esther) and freedom (the theme of Passover, which is covered in Passover in Miriam’s Surrender).

If you could only use one sentence to describe your writing, what would it be?
I write about sassy heroines and strong heroes, with just a touch of vulnerability.

What got you interested in writing?
I’ve always loved to write. As a child, I’d make up stories in my head before falling asleep. I used to try to write them down, but could never get it to come out right. Finally, as I got older, it clicked.

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing seriously four about eight years now. I started off writing when my kids were sleeping. Now I write during the day when they’re in school, or in the early evenings after dinner.

What inspired you to write your first book?
I was watching a TV show and someone entered the scene. He lasted about thirty seconds, but something about him drew me in. I went off and started writing about him. A year later, I’d written A Heart of Little Faith, the first book I ever published.

What comes first, plot or characters?
Usually the characters. I hear them talking in my head and I write them down.

Any advice for new writers?
Write what you love—it will come out in your writing and will make readers love it too.

What is one question you wish an interviewer would ask you?
Where can we find you and your books?
She can be reached at www.jenniferwilck.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Wilck/201342863240160. She tweets at @JWilck. Her blog (Fried Oreos) is www.jenniferwilck.blogspot.com and she contributes to Heroine With Hearts blog on Tuesdays http://www.heroineswithhearts.blogspot.com and Front Porch Saturdays at Sandra Sookoo’s Believing is Seeing blog http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com.

My books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and AllRomance.

Jennifer, thanks so much for being here with us today!