Jennifer Lyon is here to answer some question and to talk about her new release, Savaged Dreams.
Book Blurb
Going away to college gives LIZA GLASNER a chance to escape her painful and dangerous past…or so she thinks. At fourteen years old, she survived an attack by a famous musician. After that, the media, groupies and crazies hounded her with a merciless cruelty that ruined her life. But now she’s thriving—until an internship brings her face to face with the sizzling hot lead singer of a rock band, and she finds herself drawn to the very thing that once destroyed her. Justice is a temptation she can’t resist…and one that could get her killed.
Sexy rock star JUSTICE CADE is determined to take his band, Savaged Illusions, to the top by winning the Court of Rock T.V. show. Tortured by guilt for failing his family, he believes fame is his only path to redemption. But when the fiery college-intern hiding her beauty beneath baggy sweaters and a snarky attitude bursts into his life, Justice is forced to choose between the woman he loves and the stardom he craves. The wrong choice will cost him more than he can bear.
**This is book one in a trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger. However the next two books are being released in July and September so readers won’t be stranded on the cliff for long!
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Excerpt:
“If you need someone to hold on to, I’m right here.” He tugged her to his front, tucking her between his arms.
“Justice…”
“This isn’t me flirting with you. Getting the drink for you, yeah that was.”
“Then what’s this?” She really didn’t understand. And why had she felt trapped when he had held out that drink, but now his solid warmth soothed the fear? As if he protected her from all the harsh stares and judgments that had been her world for years?
He settled his chin on her head. “Being a friend.”
Interview with Jennifer Lyon:
LM: Where did you get the idea for the Savaged Illusions trilogy?
My idea started with: Can a rock star have it all—love and fame? My hero, Justice has been lurking in the back of my mind for a while, and once I had that concept, I knew Justice was my rock star. He’s perfect for it, driven to sing and he has the voice of a god. When he gets on the stage, he feels the strong connection to his fans and their adoration fills a void in him. He believes fame is all he needs, until he meets the heroine Liza, and falls hard for her. She’s everything to him, but he soon he’s caught between the woman he loves and the stardom he craves.
Then I met my heroine, Liza and wow, her story is powerful. She’s a survivor with a dark and dangerous past involving another rock icon. And now she’s falling in love with a rock star, thrusting her into the very world she’d tried to escape. Is Justice worth the risk? The stakes are higher than Liza or Justice ever imagined.
Which brings us back to the original story question, Can a rock star have it all? I’ll give you a hint—when a man loves a woman as much as Justice loves Liza, he doesn’t give up. And that’s what creates a truly epic love story.
LM: What aspects of the world of rock and roll drew you?
That’s easy—what girl hasn’t wondered what it would be like to have a rock star fall in love with her?
LM: LOL, I remember doing that as a young girl.
Rock music has been a powerful force in our culture, and for so many of us who grew up listening to it, there’s a deep emotional connection. Music is there through the triumphs and tragedies of our school years, with us when we fall in love, and when we break up. Years later, we hear a song, and it has the ability to transport us back to those pivotal moments in our past to relive them. In other words—music has a magic all its own. I hoped to capture some of that magic while showing the work, sacrifice and struggles required to make it, along with the tragedies and dark side that come with achieving fame in the rock world.
LM: Are you a plotter or do you write by the seat of your pants?
Both. The more books I write, the more I try to plot and plan ahead in my desperate attempt to write faster. But in the end, it comes down to my character and their story. Sometimes it all goes as planned, but that’s actually rare for me. More often than not, my characters will grow and change as I write the story, and the plot will develop in ways I never envisioned. For example, Savaged Dreams was supposed to be one book, but as I was writing it, I realized the story was too big and needed to be a trilogy (Savaged Dreams, Savaged Vows and Savaged Devotion). That decision was a major struggle and I had to go back to replot and rewrite. So I do outline, but I leave myself the creative freedom to develop the story to its fullest potential. I’ll be straight up honest here, doing it this way slows down me down as a writer. It takes me longer to write a book than if I just followed my original outline.
LM: What are you working on now?
I’m working on Savaged Devotion, book 3 in this series. I love Justice and Liza, and this is the book where they’ll get the happily ever after they truly deserve.
LM: What do you read? Do you read different genres when you’re writing versus not writing?
When I’m deep in a writing a book, I don’t have as much time to read. I fall back on audio books then, listening to them while I work out or clean. There was a time when I didn’t read the genre I was writing in, fearing it would influence me too much or something like that. I’m over that now. I’ve learned to trust my voice.
My favorite genres are contemporary, paranormal, and women’s fiction but I’ll read anything that catches my attention. Right now I’m listening to the audiobook The Most Beautiful: My Life With Prince by Mayte Garcia (first wife of Prince).
LM: Who is your favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show. And why?
Hmm, probably from other books, I’d say the “number one fan” Annie (played by Kathy Bates in the movie) from Stephan King’s Misery. That book scared me so badly, I actually tried to hide the book from myself J I thought maybe if I stuck it away in a drawer, then I would find something else. But nope…I read the whole thing. I can’t make myself watch the movie.
From my own books, right now it’s Gene Hayes. He’s the villain in my rock star series, and he represents the dark side of fame.
About the Author
Jennifer Lyon is the pseudonym for USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer Apodaca. Jen lives in Southern California where she continually plots ways to convince her husband that they should get a dog. After all, they met at the dog pound, fell in love, married and had three wonderful sons. So far, however, she has failed in her doggy endeavor. She consoles herself by pouring her passion into writing books. To date, Jen has published more than fifteen books and novellas, including a fun and sexy mystery series and a variety of contemporary romances under the name Jennifer Apodaca. As Jennifer Lyon she created a dark, sizzling paranormal series, and The Plus One Chronicles, an emotionally sensual adult contemporary series. Jen’s won numerous awards and had her books translated into multiple languages, but she still hasn’t come up with a way to persuade her husband that they need a dog.
LM: Jennifer, thanks so much for being my guest today and for your thoughtful and interesting answers to the interview questions. And I hope you get your dog someday!
Find Jennifer Online!
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Giveaway
Jennifer is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card to celebrate the release of Savaged Dreams. Enter below!
Be sure to follow the tour, too! Find interviews, reviews and spotlights HERE!
Thank you so much for hosting the tour, and the interview!
Always happy to have you, Jennifer.