Hello Jena’ and welcome to Love Romances and More.  Have a seat and make yourself comfortable.  We are looking forward to getting to know you. 

It's nice to be here.  I've been looking forward to this. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself. 

I'm the mother of three and grandmother of one. I've lived in Southern California all but six weeks of my life. I'm married to Steve, a wonderful man who I created in 1979, met in 1989 and married in 1990. He's my best friend and facets of him appear in each of my leading men. We live on two and a half acres of dirt, have eight cats, a new litter in the shed that I have yet to see, one dog and a fish. 

I write sweet romance and romantic suspense, poetry, flash fiction and a few other things. 

What has been your journey to becoming an author?  

I write a lot when I'm upset or angry. It's a great release. But I never had the confidence to try to have anything published. I wrote and burned manuscripts for years.  

In 2002, I fell in my garden, and could not work for about a month. I had a story running around in my head for some time about a bass player and his search for true love. Since I couldn't work, I wrote out my story. When I went back to work, two of the ladies I work with wanted to know what I did while I was gone.  I let them read Three Times a Hero, my story.  They were thrilled and wanted to know what happened next with Ty and Alexis. 

So I created the rest of the band and ShadowsForge was off and running. I think eleven people were following the story as I wrote it, like a soap opera. They convinced me that I had to get it published. 

I write reviews for Novelspot.net and liked the quality of the books that Whiskey Creek Press published. So I polished up Three Times a Hero, and submitted it.  I heard back about two months later. They wanted to publish it.  

Can you describe how you felt when you received the call from the publisher accepting your first submission?  What did you do? 

I received an email to say they wanted to publish Three Times a Hero.  Since I work at night, it was the middle of the night when I read the email.  Since the family was sleeping, I couldn't get too loud about it, so Puppy Dog and I had a cookie party.  She has celebrated all of my new contracts with me.  

What is your favorite thing about being an author?  Least favorite thing? 

Having the freedom to create characters, get them into impossible situations, and then get them out again.  I can go anywhere, and do pretty much anything with my characters. My least favorite thing is waiting to hear after submitting a manuscript. I'm not a patient person. 

What is the most valuable piece of advice for an aspiring writer? 

First – listen, learn, and keep an open mind. You never know it all when it comes to writing.  Learn from those who have gone before you.  Watching a good writer will show you what to do and how to do it.  Watching a bad writer will show you what not to do.   

Second – don't give up on your dream. Don’t allow someone to talk you out of your dream. If I'd listened to my heart, I may have had my first book released thirty years ago instead of last year. Maybe you'll find out it's not for you, but at least you tried and found out for your self. 

Your ShadowsForge series follows the lives of the members of the fictional band of the same name.  These 5 bad boys of British rock are portrayed with their wild antics, debauchery, kindnesses and vulnerabilities.  What type of research did you do for your books and to bring these characters so very much to life? 

(Laughing) Did you want to hear that I'm an ex-groupie, and that I lived the life in my younger days? *wink* I’m not that lucky! I've watched the music industry since I was a teen. Not just what they are on stage, but who the members of several bands are off stage and back stage.  Documentaries, books, and movies covering Queen, Journey, Def Leppard, Skid Row, just to name a few. 

I know that there is a lot of hype in some of that, but if you take the time to dissect the information, you can see what is real and what isn't.  A lot of cross-referencing of information was done, too.  Watching a concert with the sound off can tell you a lot about what the band members are experiencing. Example: Rick Savage, bassist for Def Leppard, had Bell's Palsy in the 90s.  If you watch his face now, one side of which was paralyzed for many years, you can see when he's getting run down.  The right side of his face will sag a little. Yes, Def Leppard are still out there on tour. They'll be in Irvine in September.  Yeah!  

Of course, my hubby being an ex-roadie, a sound man and electrician has given me a lot of information -- like the proper way to electrocute Jon Wiles, guitarist, with his own microphone in ShadowsForge 2: Trials on Tour. LOL 

I met a wonderful man, Dudley Fetzer, who began his long career as a musician back in the 70s.  I bought his book about his experiences some years ago. It had so much background info in it.  I emailed him, we became friends, and he is the man who wrote and performs "Broken Dreams", the song on my video trailer for ShadowsForge 1: Three Times a Hero. He's been a wealth of information. And he reads my books, too.  

Was any member of the group easier to write or more vivid to you as you were putting pen to paper? 

Ty Synclair started this series.  He was the one I had the original idea about.  It took me about thirty days to write the first draft of SF1: Three Times a Hero. I had him all in my mind of how he would be, how he would react, and what he was looking for in a woman.   

The more I write, though, the more I know about each of them.  Geoff was the focus in SF2: Trials on Tour, so I got to know him a lot better. He's cocky and self centered which is why I wrote SF3: Retaking America. I meant to make everyone hate him because of his attitude toward women in SF1: Three Times a Hero.  Unfortunately, it didn't end up that way. 

SF4: The Long Way Home is all about Brian Cummings.  He's actually a lot like me.  I'm not quite that violent and I don't soak up gin any more, but he has a lot of my traits. I spent two years writing this one. 

Is there a heroine from your series with which you most closely identify?  How? 

I would say Alexis Rivers-Synclair. She has been through a lot of hard times that I've been through. I know exactly how she feels no matter what situation she is in throughout the series. We share a background of a violent ex, the mental and physical abuse. But we are both tough enough to move on and move up in life. 

Except for ShadowsForge 1: Three Times a Hero, the books so far seem to focus on the intertwined lives of the guys and the women they come to love.  Did you plot your stories this way, or have you let your characters lead you where they would?   

After I wrote SF1: Three Times a Hero, my readers wanted to know more about the rest of the band, so I had to create them all.  I added Jordan Cantrell and Jon Wiles at the end of SF1.  I noticed later that I neglected to mention Brian Cummings in that one.  Sorry, Brian! lol 

I write backward. I know where I want to end up so that's where I start. I wrote SF3: Retaking America, then had to write SF2: Trials on Tour to introduce new characters and possible situations to make SF3 more of a natural progression.  

I needed ShadowsForge in a tour bus in SF3, so SF2 had the threat of a possible bomb, to keep them out of the Ethereal jet and on the ground.  Why would someone threaten them?  Most likely, the jealous boyfriend of an overzealous fan who happened to spend the night with one of them makes the threat.  I let the characters get themselves into trouble, which Geoff excels at.  

SF2: Trials on Tour is much shorter than the rest of the books. It was really a bridge from SF1 to SF3. I had to bring in Diane Starling, her brother Pete, and Valerie Leonard, as well as the rest of the band. I needed to develop possible interest between Geoff and Diane and between Geoff and Valerie to facilitate the situation in SF3. I didn't want something happening out of the blue.  So, I tell the band where we need to end up and they tell me how we got there. 

Have the characters particularly in ShadowsForge 2:  Trials on Tour and ShadowsForge 3:  Retaking America surprised you with any of their situations? 

Geoff's tenderness toward Diane in SF3 on the dance floor was a bit of a surprise. He grows on you in a little boy sort of way. Brian's ability to fight came as a total shock. I didn't know until Geoff found out the hard way that Brian could be so…  Well, I don't want to give it all away. =) 

If Ty, Geoff, Jordan, Jon, and Brian wanted to celebrate a milestone, how would they go about it and what would the menu be like? 

Wow. Tough question.  Geoff, Jon, and Brian would gather together some beauties, Jordan would find himself a shy, quiet lady, and of course Ty would have Alexis. They would begin with a classy sit down dinner with steaks, candles and fine wine. But I'm sure that somewhere along the way, it would get out of hand. Ty and Alexis would take the wine bottle and sneak off for their own private celebration, Jordan would whisk his lady away to a quiet place, and the rest would end up pretty much in a free-for-all. After all, Geoff did discover how versatile mashed potatoes could be, and Brian fulfills his desire for banana pudding in Retaking America. Unfortunately, ShadowsForge are not very sober about celebrations. They are all about having a good time, trouble on ten legs. 

How many books do you plan for the series?

That would really depend on the success of the series already available. 

ShadowsForge 1: Three Times a Hero

ShadowsForge 2: Trials on Tour

ShadowsForge 3: Retaking America

ShadowsForge 4: The Long Way Home

ShadowsForge 5: Jon's Way

ShadowsForge 6: Sharon's Song 

And if Ty and Mac, Brian's drum tech, will leave me alone, that should be it. If they don't (and they haven't been) there will be one more between Jon's Way and Sharon's Song. 

The song lyrics for the band that you incorporate into your books seem quite credible.  Do you write them? 

I write my own "lyrics". My musician friend, Mr. Fetzer said that it would be difficult to sing the lyrics I've written, but they suit my needs and the needs of the band.  I had to laugh when my editor for SF1 wrote to me to ask if I had permission from the songwriter to use them. It made me feel very good. I like to write poetry, too, and that's where I get my lyrics. 

Is music something you use to get into the mood for writing in general or for writing certain scenes?  What songs or albums do you find particularly inspiring? 

I don't think I could write without music.  Even one line can be quite inspiring and bring to mind an entire scene or situation that I can see my characters playing out.  I listen to a lot of different music but mostly the 80s hair bands, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Skid Row. I also enjoy Heart, Carly Simon, Chicago, and Boston. I've burned five CDs that are a compilation of my "writing" music.  

What are you currently working on and can you tell us a bit about it at this time? 

I thought I'd try my hand at paranormal.  I've created a character, working name of Cole. His father is a vampire and his mother was an angel.  He has a lot of inner struggles while trying to keep from making the fatal mistake of falling in love with Erin, the human woman who has come to his underground domain to rescue her friend that was kidnapped by Cole's evil father, Raven. Raven is a self-centered creature that cannot allow anyone to love Cole more than himself. He cursed Cole's tresses, the source of their strength, to react to anyone showing Cole affection. Did any of that make sense? Lol 

My second WIP is a contemporary, working title, Day Labor.  I'm not sure what genre it will actually fall into.  Mark Langston wants a child and his wife Beth will do anything to give him what he wants.  Troy, a semi disabled carpenter, is trying to earn the money to care for his wife, Danielle who is six months into a high-risk pregnancy. He'd do just about anything to provide for his wife and unborn child.  There are a few twists in this one. I love twists! 

Is there a genre or subgenre that you would like to try your hand at? 

I want to move into inspirational and children's books, perhaps Young Adult.  I think it is of the utmost importance that the younger generation develops a love of reading and they need to have quality reading material to spark that interest.  I want to have a part in that. 

Authors are readers, too.  What would we find on your keeper shelf?   

You would find quite a mix. First would be my King James Bible.  After would be Victoria Holt. She has been on my shelf since I was fifteen. You would find Mark Twain.  Many classics: The Count of Monte Cristo, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet, and Jane Austin's works. The Time Machine (H. G. Wells).  Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christy, and Meg Cabot. I love a good mystery and if it has a touch of romance that's better.  At the moment I'm trying to connect with my daughter by reading all of her Animorph books. They have some great one-liners in them. Interesting series, that. 

What are the things you love to do with your free time? 

Free time? Um… what's that?  Lol When I do have a moment, I'm either reading or writing. I edit for Novelspot.net and recently took a job proofreading from Chippewa Publishing LLC. I have a full time night job, husband, child, dog, cats and I'm trying to get my garden together for the summer. I suppose that my garden would be what I love to do with free time although it is usually in the dark hours of the night. I love an organic vegetable garden and have not been able to plant one in about four years. I decided I want one this year. 

Please describe a normal day in your life. 

I suppose you could say that my day begins at 3pm. I roll out of bed to pick up my daughter from school. We go shopping if we need anything. Sometimes we grab some fast food, (I know, bad mommy!). We get home; I check my emails and make some notes if I have any ideas running around in my head. Between 5 and 6pm, I get dinner together. We eat when Dad gets home. I try to take a nap for about an hour and have to be at work at 9pm. That is Monday. Now it gets tricky the rest of the week. Tuesday – church class at 6:30, Wednesday – every other week, 4pm doctor appointment for my ADHD daughter, weekly Church service at 7pm, Thursday – daughter and I met my sister and mother for a late lunch and shopping, Friday – I take a nap and have to be at my night job by 7pm. In July, that will change. I will have to be to my night job at 6pm every day.  Anyway, I get home at 6am, get hubby and child off to work and school by 7:30, read for about an hour, and fall over until 3pm. 

Okay, now that you are sorry you asked, you are wondering when I write.  At that night job, where I do mind numbing redundant work, I put on my headphones, crank up the music, and spend eight hours writing stories in my head. I have a notebook open on my desk and make notes when I come up with something I want to keep.  I've written all of the ShadowsForge novels this way except the first one. On Saturday and Sunday night, after Steve and Jen go to bed, I type out what I've written in my head all week from the notes I've made.  

What is something that readers would be surprised to know about you? 

I've had Multiple Sclerosis for about twenty-five years.  I don't always speak correctly and can trip over the sharp edge of a shadow, but God has kept me on my feet, seeing, and mostly functioning for these many years and I thank Him for it. I have some bad "dizzy" days now and then but I was told, "When you stop moving, you stop moving."  So I just keep moving! 

Is there any further information that you would like readers to have?  Final thoughts, motto, favorite recipe? 

Excerpts and the trailers are available at my site:

http://jenagalifany.bravehost.com 

Join me on MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/jenagalifany

MySpace Blog URL
http://blog.myspace.com/jenagalifany 

One of my flash fiction pieces received "Honorable Mention" in a competition for Flash Me Magazine. Someone Special has been included in an anthology released March 15th in a limited edition PDF that includes the three top winning stories, and the three honorable mentions, of which I was the third. The anthology will only be available until June 15^th. For more information, or to purchase your copy: http://www.wingedhalo.com/ffbc.html 

Most of this interview focused on the ShadowsForge series but I do have another novel out. Her Perfect Man is a romantic suspense from Chippewa Publishing LLC. Anna Scott can see wisps of the future and is looking for her perfect man.  Colin Marsec wants to be her perfect man, and Chase Trent is anything but perfect. Then there is Justin Waring. This novel was eighteen years in the making and I hope that many people will check it out. 

I want all readers to know that I esteem them greatly. As an author, I would be nothing and have no purpose without the readers and I thank them for their interest and support.   

Remember to Believe in Dreams! 

Thank you, Jena’, for spending some time with us and giving us an insider view of yourself and your books. 

Thank you for having me.