Author Interview and Giveaway: Jen Turano

I am so STINKIN' excited & honored to have Jen Turano on my blog today!
Jen is an award winning author of the most hilarious books you'll lay your eyeballs on! Book 3 in her 'Apart for the Crowd' series just released earlier this month.

Please join me in welcoming one of my favorite humans on this planet!
Mrs. Jen Turano!!!

(ALSO! Stick around. You have a chance to win "Caught By Surprise".)


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. 
Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal.
She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO.



CONNECT WITH JEN: Website | Facebook | Twitter




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INTERVIEW WITH JEN

Let's just kick it off with a question everyone has been dying to know...

If you could have lunch with one of your wallflowers who would you choose?

Jen: "Oh, fine, get me into trouble. But, okay, it would be Miss Gertrude Cadwalader. She’s just such a no-nonsense type, and she doesn’t mind that Harrison is a walking fashion disaster."

I would love to sit down with her too. I saw so much of myself in her, and so much I'd love to become. Definitely a lady I'd want to be my BFF!

You base your books (currently) in high New York society, any particular reason?

J: I was intrigued with the New York Four-Hundred from the time I read a book about Alva Vanderbilt. The Gilded Age is a fascinating time in history, sadly neglected in my opinion until a few years ago, and there are so many bizarre stories that happened during that time that I have enough fodder for storylines to last me for years!

And boy do I look forward to all the bizarre stories you're going to tell! 

If you woke up tomorrow and you were in the Gilded Age, what’s the first thing you would do?

J: I’d go the Ladies’ Mile where all the famous department stores were located. It would be fabulous to roam around in them, checking out what was in style and how much things costs. Then I’d go to Delmonico’s to eat, but not terrapin – eating turtle would freak me out.

You're taking me with you right?! Girl's shopping spree!! Yeah it might be wise to skip on the turtle, I say we go with the good ole chicken! 

Tea or coffee? Iced or hot?

J: I like coffee, hot, but only one cup in the morning. In all honesty, I really just like creamer with a little coffee mixed in.

I'm an iced girl through an through. Though I do enjoy coffee with my creamer. 😉

If you could write in another genre, which would it be?

J: I love writing contemporary – rom com’s or mystery.

YES! Though I ADORE what you're doing now, I'd freak out to see your name on a romcom!! 

What are your favorite scenes to write?

J: I like the outlandish. Those scenes are just a riot to write and they almost write themselves.

Oh how you execute them flawlessly!! It's why you're a favorite. 💗

I heard Temperance didn’t start out like she is in the book. What was she like?

J: She was really timid, demure, nervous – totally unlike any heroine I’d written before. However, she didn’t want to stay that way, so in book two, “Out of the Ordinary,” she started coming out of her shell - whether I wanted her to or not.

Gotta love the characters with minds of their own! Unpredictable is exciting...at least where fiction is concerned. 

Can you tell us anything about what’s coming down the pipeline from Jen Turano?

J: A new series, “The American Heiresses,” will begin releasing in January 2019 with “Flights of Fancy.” I’ve just recently turned in book two of that series, currently untitled. Then, I’ll be in a novella collection about the Harvey Girls. Haven’t written that one just yet, but I’m hoping to get to that next week.

I can't even explain to you how READY I am for this series. I talk about it non stop. My mom is so ready for it come out just so I'll stop. But little does she know...I'm just getting started! 😏

Which one of your characters is MOST like you?  Least like you?

J: I think most of my characters have a little bit of me in them. Most like me would be - Permilia Griswold from “A Change of Fortune.” Least like me – Miss Lucetta Plum from “Playing the Part.”

OOOO! Now I want an explanation on why Permilia is most like you. She was a fun one!! 

Which hero is MOST like your husband?

J: Harrison Sinclair is most like Al. A bit clueless about women, charming, and always the gentleman.

The greatest! Loved his character so much! 

Could you see your books turning into movies? If so which would you want produced first?

J: While it would be super cool to see my books turned into movies, because they’re historical, that’ll probably never happen because of how expensive it would be to produce. But, I’d like to see “After a Fashion” on the big screen.

Ahh but a girl can dream! I would LOVE to see "After a Fashion"...all the hats and HER EYES! Yep that would be the motion picture of the year.

Now inquiring minds would like to know...where do you stand on Hallmark Christmas movies?

J: I’m torn – I mean, some of them are really cheesy, and I know I roll my eyes when I’m watching them, but…I watch at least five of them every year, so I guess that means I’m all for them??? Maybe???

I feel like it's mandatory to watch, and roll your eyes at, at least one Hallmark movie a year. I adore all the cheese, I still give my fair share of rolling my eyes and shaking my head. BUT I LOVE IT!

Jen thank you SO much for being with me today and answering my questions! It's been an absolute treat! 

J: Thank you so much for having me, Alysha! How fun!

All the best,

~ Jen ~

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GIVEAWAY

Miss Temperance Flowerdew is on her way to work when a stranger suddenly grabs her off the street and sends her on a Chicago-bound train before she can figure out what happened.

When Mr. Gilbert Cavendish is called upon to rescue a missing woman, he follows the trail to Chicago only to discover that the woman is his good friend Temperance. Before they can discover who was behind the abduction, they're seen alone together by a New York society matron, putting their reputations at risk.

Gilbert is willing to propose marriage--except Temperance will have none of it. She's finally stepped out of the shadow of her relations and won't give up her independence. But when it becomes clear the misunderstanding in Chicago has escalated into a threat on her life and followed her to New York, accepting Gilbert's help in solving the mystery may lead to more than she ever could have dreamed.

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Want a chance to win this book? 

Leave a comment with your email and an answer to this question:

Would you rather be able to paint or play an instrument?

*Giveaway will go from today until Monday, August 20th.*

Winner will be announced HERE on my blog (and notified through email) Tuesday, August 21st WITH my review of this glorious story. So don't forget to come back to see if you won. 

*This giveaway is US ONLY!*