Saturday Spotlight: Author Interview with Jennifer Chastain

Happy Saturday, Readers! I’m excited to feature author, Jennifer Chastain, on the blog today! I know you’ll enjoy getting to know Jennifer, and bonus: there’s a fantastic giveaway listed at the end of the post, so keep reading to find out all the details. Please help me welcome Jennifer to the blog!

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Jennifer Chastain is a member of ACFW, ACFW-NC, and My Book Therapy/Novel
Academy. Several of her other stories were finalists in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Foundations contest and she was also a finalist in the Touched by Love contest, sponsored
by the Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers. Her contemporary romance stories
contain the themes of redemption, grace, and forgiveness.   
 
A hopeful romantic, Jennifer loves dark chocolate, Diet Coke, the Dallas Cowboys, a good
book and romantic movies. On a side note, she will watch the occasional action movie with
her husband!

Growing up in the snowy North, Christmas has always been her favorite holiday, with the
scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and pine scenting the air. A city girl at heart, Jennifer has
always dreamed of epic adventures sprinkled with romance.
 
She and her husband have been married for over 25 years and they are permitted to co-exist
with their black rescue cat.

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Welcome to the blog, Jennifer! I’m so glad to get to talk with you. Do you have a day job other than being a writer? If you do, does that job help or hinder your creativity?

I do have a day job and sometimes it can be a hinderance, because by the time I get home in the evenings, I’m exhausted. But writing also provides not only an emotional outlet but also a creative outlet. I meet a lot of interesting folks and sometimes their character quirks end up in my books. It’s a great place to study people and personalities.

That’s a great way to look at it- kind of like having a coffee shop experience with a lot more paperwork! Describe a typical day-in-the-life for you, from sunrise to sunset. How do you squeeze in writing time with all your other life demands?

My typical day is not typical at all!  I work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I’m an administrative assistant and provide support for one of the research centers on campus, The Center for Precision Metrology. It’s a fast-paced, full-time job so any writing I do has be at night, on the weekends or I’ll take a vacation day if I’m behind on a deadline. I get up, feed our cat, get ready for work and then drive over to campus. Once there, I hit the ground running as there are always messages and tasks waiting for me to complete. I might book travel for graduate students or professors, balance budgets, answer emails, set up student employment contracts or even plan a workshop or a mini-conference. And that’s not even half of what I do in the office. I try to get up from my desk periodically and walk around the building several times a day. Once I get home, I feed and give the cat some attention, make dinner and then decompress for about an hour. Around 8 pm, I’ll catch up with my social media feeds, write a scene or work on my website. Whew. I’m exhausted!!

Sounds like your plate is very full, but you make it work! I’ve found that writers are experts at making a way when there’s a will 🙂 What hobbies do you have? Do you ever write about them in your books?

I love to read. But I also like to experiment with new recipes, whether it’s for an entrée or baking. I dabble a little bit in interior design. I’ll watch design shows or search articles online for decorating tips. I also love to make door wreaths and other crafts, but I especially love to decorate for the holidays. Yes, my hobbies have ended up in my stories. I have one character who is an interior designer, another is an artist and a third is a home makeover show host.

We have a lot of similar interests! I love cooking and baking and am just starting to dip my toe into learning interior design. Now that we’ve talked about you, what about your writing? If you could choose, which book of yours would you want adapted for the silver screen? Who would play the main characters?

I would love to have my first book, The Mistletoe Contract, adapted for the small screen. It would fit really well with Hallmark’s Christmas movie line-up. As to the actors to play the characters, I really don’t know.

I haven’t read that one yet but have it on my TBR list. It sounds delightful-a perfectly cozy Christmas read! If you could compare your latest novel to a tv show, what would it be? 

My newest WIP (which I just sent off for consideration to a publisher) is a fusion between Hawaii Five-0 and The Fugitive. It’s a fast-paced romantic suspense novel that I’m hoping and praying a publisher will pick up.

I hope so, too! It sounds intriguing. Which character in your books is most like you?

All of them!  Actually, my heroines are all a small part of my personality. The majority of my heroines struggle with their weight and self-image, or they’re nerdy introverts, but they also have a feisty side. They’ve had to learn to face their fears and speak for themselves. It’s extremely difficult to stand up for what you believe when others are of a different opinion.

That is certainly true and something authors have to face daily when confronted with the blank page and the ability to share our world view (and all my characters tend to be nerdy introverts, too!). All right, last question. How do you think your writing style has changed over the years?

I like to think my writing style has changed! As I look back over the first things I wrote and compare my style to what I’m writing now, I believe my writing voice has become more conversational. When you first start writing, I think you’re trying to tick off all these boxes: did I include the five senses? What about the emotions? Is it too much? Not enough? What about description? As I’ve learned to dig deeper into my characters and what their past experiences are, I think the writing has become more organic. Because you are actually thinking as your characters think and feel in whatever situation you have placed them. And the dialogue and their reactions just flow a little better.

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Jennifer, thanks so much for sharing about your life and your writing with us. It’s been so much fun to get to know you better! Can you tell us a little about the book you are giving away today?

He needs a wife. She needs money. Is their modern-day marriage an answer to their
prayers or a disaster waiting to happen?  

Confirmed bachelor, Nathan Rutledge shut his heart to romance when he was forced to break the
heart of the only woman he ever truly loved. Now, with his father’s retirement from the family
conglomerate, the torch has been passed to him. But there are two problems—first, he needs a
wife in order to take over the family business. Second, someone has been embezzling company
funds. With the pressure mounting, and time expiring to find both a wife he can trust
and the thief, Nate needs a Christmas miracle. 
 
Forensic Accountant, Meredith Mitchell’s life is in a shambles. Her mother needs a lifesaving
transplant, Mom’s medical bills have bankrupted Meredith’s meager savings, and she’s sold
everything of value, but it’s still not enough. To make matters worse, she’s now tasked
with discovering accounting errors for a new client—none other than Nathan Rutledge—the
same man who gave her a broken heart for Christmas eight years ago.  
 
Meredith wants to run. Nate wants the chance to right his wrongs. So, naturally,
when he proposes a modern-day marriage of convenience, she balks at the idea. But
he desperately needs a wife, and she really needs the money he offers. Is this the answer to her
prayers? Or will this mutually beneficial arrangement re-open old wounds that can’t be healed?

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Readers, leave a comment below if you would like to be entered into the giveaway for The Mistletoe Contract! If you win, you’ll receive your choice of a signed paperback or e-book. And Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing. If readers want to find you online or discover more about your writing, where should they look?

Website: www.jenniferchastain.com
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/JenniferChastain
Facebook: https://facebook.com/JenniferChastain.writer
Instagram: https://instagram.com/JenniferChastain.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferCwrites
Newsletter link: Jennifer Chastain (mailchi.mp)
Or Linktree: https://linktr.ee/CarolinaGirl94

Everyone that signs up for my monthly newsletter will receive the free short story, Always and Forever. 

Running away ended her marriage but returning home just might destroy the individual lives they worked so hard to rebuild.

He’s struggling to keep his family ranch out of foreclosure.

Six years ago, Luke Collier’s wife disappeared without telling him goodbye. He’s worked hard to keep the family farm out of debt and from falling into the hands of the big conglomerate. The conglomerate that’s owned by his ex-wife’s in-laws. The loneliness and hurt at her betrayal have made him a bitter man. Until one day, his ex-wife shows up with a small child in tow. He knows he needs to forgive her but he doesn’t trust her motives. After all, he’s been burned once before.

Returning home shouldn’t be this difficult.

Madison Miller Collier left her husband six years ago, but it wasn’t her choice. Now, with her parents’ mega-ranch failing and an ill five-year-old child, her only hope is to return home and beg for Luke’s forgiveness. She foolishly allowed others to lure her away from Luke. Now, she only prays Luke will forgive her. Because their son needs to know his daddy.

But when secrets are revealed, can they learn to forgive each other and start over? Or will they both walk away from the life they both long for?

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Thanks so much for joining us today, Jennifer! And Readers, don’t forget to leave Jennifer a comment below for a chance to win a copy of The Mistletoe Contract! One winner will be announced on October 24.

Keep reading!

Shaen