Juanita Kees came knocking on my country manor door!

Juanita Kees. A jewel of a writer with a jillion ideas for stories that will send you on a suspenseful journey. She can sort out the jiggery-pokery in your manuscript too (she’s also an editor, by Jonas).  Enough with the jabber - I've asked her to answer six questions from that list of thirteen.  Let's see how she does.

Notice how the blue on the cover of Juanita's new release Under the Hood matches the blue of my country manor door! (Just thought I'd throw that in ...)  Take it away Juanita:

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Are there cowboys or country manors in any of your stories?

Well, no cowboys yet…but I’m sure I can find one and sadly no country manors unless you count TJ’s Perth Hills property with its towering trees, steep driveway and babbling creek?

 (TJ’s Perth Hills property is country manor enough for me: you passed that test, Juanita. Please continue.)

Will you tell us about yourself and what genre(s) you love writing? 

I was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa and am now proudly Australian. I’m living my dream as an author reading and writing romantic fiction, and chatting to my fellow authors about their publishing journeys.  I work a ‘real’ job three days a week and spend the rest of my time avoiding housework by writing, editing or proofreading at Kees2Create. I’m mother to three boys (hubby included, his toys are just a little more expensive).

(Housework? Are we supposed to do it?)

What writing project did you put aside to answer these questions?

Under Cover of Dark – Detective Mark Johnson’s story.  You met Detective Mark Johnson in Fly Away Peta.
He starts a murder investigation in Under the Hood. 

When will Detective Mark Johnson have his chance at happiness and what’s next for the bad guys? Find out over at Romance Book Haven  

(I've read a little about Detective Mark Johnson - he's  all manly, detective-like muscle and charm. If he took the weekend off from criminal affairs, he could perch on my corral fence any day ...  Sorry, Juanita! Next question ...)

Are you fun to go on holiday with?

Not if you ask my family! I’m a pretty grumpy traveller. Once I’ve reached the destination I’m okay. 

(Yup … me too.)

What kind of research do you do for your stories?

I love small town characters and stories. On Sundays we’re usually out on the motorbike, touring WA towns close by. I’ll see a house or a farm or character that spurs the story on and then I Google or contact their tourist bureau or library for info. There’s always someone willing to talk about the history of their town.

(Note: doesn't do housework; motorbike gal - How do I achieve this?)

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing your current story to life?

I wanted to get the facts straight. The teenagers were easy—I have two—but getting the murder and drug details needed a lot of research. It’s a pretty scary world out there :)

(Smart writers do smart research! )

No jiggery-pokery there. She did it, by Jonas!

Thank you, Juanita Kees, my first intrepid guest. I'm so glad you popped in. Take care on that motorbike and make sure hubby holds on tight behind you!

Here's where you can find Juanita Kees after I wave her off at the blue door:

Author Site:     http://juanitakees.com/
Twitter:           @juanitakees
On the Web:
Fresh Fiction
Goodreads
Kees2Create Writing, Editing and
Proofreading
Library Thing
Romance Book Paradise
Romance Wiki
Shelfari
The Other Side
Amazon

As always, Jennie recommends readers purchase (or pre-order) the titles of
their dreams and support the writers who have taken the time to answer
these questions. Writing is hard work and not for the faint-hearted - but
so joyful for the reader.  What would we do without books (and  writers)?

Feel free to leave a pleasant comment, we’d love to hear from you!

 Jennie & Juanita

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