Guest Post & Giveaway with Author Jessica Scott

Today, I have author Jessica Scott here with us talking about writing Until There Was You.

Welcome to The Book Vixen Jessica Scott!

Author Guest Post

Thanks so much to Brianna for having me here today. I’m so over the moon about Until There Was You. It was such a tough, tough book for me to write and I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

You know, before I published I used to look in amazement when authors said they had that hellish book, the one that just would not get right no matter what and I couldn’t really understand what they meant. Wow, do I get it now but I really think the end result is worth it.

Until There Was You was a really tough book for me for a couple of reasons but the number one reason was that I went through the situation that Evan and Claire find themselves in. Now I never was told you have 90 days to get your unit prepared and get on a plan but when I was getting ready to deploy in 08, I was really stressed about the level of preparedness we’d gone through. I argued with my boss about training for days (okay months but hey, we’re fictionalizing, not conducting a therapy session about Jess’ issues). And I could really relate to Claire’s wanting to take the change of plan to the brigade commander because I totally did that.

Happily I can report that my trip to see the colonel went a little better than Claire’s trip turned out. But having gone through a training exercise convinced that we hadn’t done everything we’d needed to, I had some tough lessons to learn and I had to work extra hard on Evan & Claire’s story in order to make sure those lessons were being explained correctly and that I wasn’t losing readers.

The thing that I hope readers will take away from Until There Was You and the other Coming Home books is that the war impacted people who served, people who waited on loved ones, people who lost loved ones in ways that will never be fully healed. The toughest thing for Claire to do is be willing to try to love someone, knowing full well that both of them will be heading to combat again. That’s a pretty big risk, both in real life and on the page. And Evan has to accept that Claire is prickly and tough for a reason and find a way to love her anyway.

I hope readers will go with them on their wild ride through training for deployment at Fort Carson and take, just a tiny look, at military life through the eyes of soldiers who have been there.

I’m giving away a copy of Until There Was You today to one commenter! Thanks so much for having me here today at The Book Vixen!

Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats, three dogs and two escape-artists hamsters, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She has commanded two companies, served in Germany, Korea, Fort Hood and Iraq, and been lucky not to get fired. She is a terrible cook and an even worse housekeeper, but she’s a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

Find the author online: website | blog | twitter | facebook

Until There Was You (Coming Home, #2)

Jessica Scott returns with an all-new contemporary eBook original romance, following last fall’s release of her sizzling debut novel Because of You.
He plays by the rules, she’s not afraid to break them. Now these two strong-willed army captains will prove that opposites attract . . .

A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Captain Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. From that moment on, though, Evan has been at odds with her, through two deployments to Iraq and back again. But when he is asked to train a team prepping for combat alongside Claire, battle-worn Evan is in for the fight of his life.

Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked hard to earn the rank on her chest. In Evan, Claire sees a rigid officer who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. When the mission forces them together, Claire soon discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye.

He’s more than the rank on his chest; he’s a man with dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.

Also Buy at: BN | iBooks

Giveaway

Thanks to Jessica Scott, one lucky winner will receive a SIGNED copy of Until There Was You. Good luck to all who enter!

No purchase necessary.
Must be 18 years old or older to enter.
Giveaway open to US residents. Void where prohibited.
Comments are appreciated, however, you must fill out the Rafflecopter form in order to enter this giveaway.
Please read TBV's Giveaway Policy before entering.
Giveaway ends 9:01 pm (Pacific Time) on 10/23/2012.