MuseTracks Guest – Ju Ephraime – HUGE Giveaway!

Pleas join MuseTracks in welcoming Ju Ephraime. Ju has graciously offered to give away 5 copies of her ebooks AND a gift card to Kobo or B&N. Just comment for your chance to win!

Meet Ju Ephraime

If you could work with any author, who would it be. I’d have to say, Lisa Kleypas

Who is your favorite author and is your writing style similar to theirs? Again, Lisa Kleypas, and to a certain extent, heat wise, yes.

What is your favorite part of a book? I like the middle, but I also love the epilogue. By the middle of the book I pretty much if I like the book or not. I don’t judge a book by the first few chapters. I love the epilogue because it ties everything together for me

When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning? No. But I imagine my characters responding to their names in my mind eye. I refer to him/her only by that name.

What is your inspiration or who is? I’m a very new writer, so I have a lot of life experiences to drawn upon. I’m really never at a loss for material, yet.

Do you use real-life facts based on true stories? I use real life and use my over-active imagination and create thing.

Do you use your OWN experiences? Not really, but if I describe a romantic scene, you bet I’ve done it. I won’t write it otherwise.

Did you ever think you would ever become an author? Yes, I knew I would be an author from age eight. It took a long time getting there because of life responsibilities—work, school, family, etc.

How do you conceive your plot ideas? I get a title, then the cover and the rest is history. I visualize the entire thing in my mind-eye before I sit down to write.

Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to publish? No. Fortunately, I have yet to experience this.

How long did it take you to publish your first book, after you started trying? Not long. After my first email rejection, I went to my job and they offered to publish my book under their imprint, and the rest is history. I’ve not submitted a manuscript to another publishing house.

Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)? When I was about eight, I ready a mystery novel about a blind man solving crimes by scent; I love it then, and now.

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)? I read only steamy romance novels, not erotica, but steamy; so I write what I enjoy reading.

What kind of research did you do for this book? I did period research for location and realism of the facts.

What is a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal? No. I write as the mood takes me. If I’m in the grips of a hot scene, I’ll take my laptop with me, even to the hair salon.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? There is no part of writing I don’t enjoy. I even enjoy, to a certain extent, the edits. I like it and yet I hate it, so for me it’s a double edged sword.

What is the best thing about being an author? The best thing for me about being an author is being able to do what I love to do most.

What are you working on now? I’m working on a contemporary romance set in the Caribbean, A Wonderful Piece of Dark Mahogany, which is due out next month, just in time for the summer. This will be immediately followed by a short novella I’m working on as we speak.

What advice would you give aspiring writers? More haste less speed. Take time to hone your craft. To be a successful writer, you must love it because it takes its toll on you. And edit, edit, edit!

Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books? Yes. I love Lisa Kleypas, Christine Feehan, Stephanie Laurens, Karen Hawkins, Gaelen Foley, Elizabeth Lowell, Virginia Henley, to name a few.

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question? What do you believe would make you a successful writer? My answer:  To see one of my novels made into a successful movie.

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be? Against All Odds

About the Author:

I can’t recall a time in my life when I wasn’t writing. I know I started a long, long, time ago. I began writing short stories for the local radio station in my home  town, which were read on the air at story time. After I had my children, I went back to school to further my education. I have since earned several degrees, including two Masters and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University in Boston. During the course of my schooling, I wrote and published a working curriculum for a career school, as well as, other literary works. A couple years ago, I revisited my first love, writing for fun and enjoyment.

I live in a small town in Connecticut, where the closest thing to a mall is a shopping strip, so nothing exciting happens there. I’m a mother of three. My dog Gus is my favorite companion when I take up pen and paper to write.

Many of my stories are set in the places I’ve visited. The children I encounter during my travels determine the theme of the book.  I love to write stories about talented, inquisitive, and curious children who are thirsty for knowledge.

When I’m not writing my children books, I write romance novels under a pen name. Oftentimes, I take the time to visit the places in which my stories are set, which is the icing on the cake. My second love is traveling, and those times when I can combine writing with traveling, I’m usually in writers’ heaven because I’m doing my two most favorite things…

THE ODOR OF VIOLET by Ju Ephraime

Blurb: Step into the sightless world of Damien Falconer, as he struggles to come to grips with the BLISTERING attraction he feels for his new personal assistant, Lisa Andrews.

Back Description:   After losing his sight in a terrible accident, only to learn that the woman he was planning to marry did not love him enough to accept him, Damien Falconer was devastated. Struggling to cope with his disability, he isolated himself from society, allowing no one to get close to him, but his personal assistant, Jake. Upon learning Jake was soon to leave his employ and return to Scotland, Damien was forced to advertise for his replacement.

Among the applicants who answered his ad was Lisa Andrews, a registered nurse from Connecticut. But Damien was adamant that he would not be replacing Jake with a woman. His argument was, he did not feel comfortable with a woman doing the things that Jake did for him, but one whiff of Lisa’s unique scent and Damien found himself fighting a blistering physical attraction the likes of which he’d never known before. Should he hire her or should he ignore what his “other” senses were screaming at him, about this woman. Damien rustled with the question for several days, but in the end, he caved. And so began a hunger for a woman he couldn’t see…could only recognize by her unique scent…yet wanted like he’d never wanted anything before.

EXCERPT:

The Odor of Violet

Ms. Andrews walked into the room, and Damien felt the air leave his lungs. He could not see her, but he felt Jake’s reaction also. He was not certain if he was mirroring Jake’s reaction to the candidate or his own overactive imagination. Whatever the reason, he had a physical reaction to whomever it was that walked into his library. She was polite and calm, and he sensed she had a smile on her face because Jake had an answering smile in his voice when he greeted her. Poor Damien, he couldn’t see a thing, but boy, was he aware of her. He could smell the fragrance she was wearing, and it was doing strange things to his body.

There was a hint of jasmine, mixed with a bit of musk, but the overwhelming scent was of violet. He recognized the scent because of the perfusion of violet plants that grew in the garden surrounding his house.

It was his favorite flower. He was never tired of sitting on the porch just inhaling its heady fragrance.

On Ms. Andrews, the fragrance was positively intoxicating. The mixture of violet with her unique scent was overpowering. Damien was almost in pain from the strength of his physical reaction to her. He was uncomfortable in his seat and kept fidgeting and moving to get a more comfortable position. He did not want either Jake or the young woman to notice his discomfort. He desperately wanted to see the woman who was in his library, but he had to be content with just listening to her responses to Jake’s questions.

She sounded a bit flustered because she would begin each response with a slight nervous laugh, and Jake would respond in kind. This exchange between the two infuriated Damien, who wanted to participate in the conversation. He interrupted one of Jake’s questions to her with one of his own.

“Tell me, Ms. Andrews, how long have you been out of school?”

Buy Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Odor-Violet-Ju-Ephraime/dp/0983602972/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371196523&sr=1-1&keywords=ju+ephraime

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-odor-of-violet-ju-ephraime/1113932871?ean=9780983602972

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Odor-of-Violet/book-GgJMUOZgq0iVuqg1vA8FTQ/page1.html?s=9DRwZQCY90K30dEFw_GzmQ&r=2

http://shop.envisionschoolpublishing.com/The-Odor-of-Violet-R0006.htm

Author’s Links:

http://www.juephraime.blogspot.com

http://www.juliaeantoine.com

Don’t forget to comment for your chance to win! Ju is giving away 5 copies of her ebooks (winners’ choice) and a Kobo or B&N gift card.

Ebook winners can choose from:

The Odor of Violet: http://www.amazon.com/Odor-Violet-Ju-Ephraime/dp/0983602972/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371649126&sr=1-1&keywords=ju+ephraime

White Magic Woman (Paranormal romance): http://www.amazon.com/White-Magic-Woman-Ju-Ephraime/dp/098360293X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371649126&sr=1-3&keywords=ju+ephraime

A Wonderful Piece of Dark Mahogany (Coming soon!)