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All About Jeannie
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Jeannie's Fun Facts
Ruby Nickname:Ruby Dragon Hometown: St. Louis Age: 33 GH Year(s) 2009 Completed Manuscript(s) 3 Genre(s): Historical romance, Women’s fiction Started Writing: 2005 Day Job: Healthcare IT executive For Fun: Cooking, Snowboarding |
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The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood
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Blog Posts from Jeannie
Guest Author: Kristina McMorris – Bringing Research To LifePosted by Jeannie Lin Mar 12 2012, 6:01 am Today we once again welcome historical women’s fiction author, Kristina McMorris. Her debut novel, LETTERS FROM HOME, was a beautiful story connecting the lives of men and women on the war front and on the home front during WWII. Her second novel, BRIDGE OF SCARLET LEAVES, promises to be even more moving. Today Kristina discusses a topic near and dear to my heart – creative research methods. I was excited to learn where her quest for historical accuracy led her and it’s easy to see how her stories come to life so vividly on the page with an eye for authenticity and cinematic detail. Kristina McMorris is a graduate of Pepperdine University and the recipient of nearly twenty national literary awards. A host of weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, she penned her debut novel, Letters from Home (Kensington Books, Avon/HarperCollins UK), based on inspiration from her grandparents’ wartime courtship. This critically praised book was declared a must-read by Woman’s Day magazine and achieved additional acclaim as a Reader’s Digest Select Editions feature, a Doubleday/Literary Guild selection, and a 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Historical Fiction. Her second novel, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves (March 2012), has already received glowing reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, among many others. Named one of Portland’s “40 Under 40″ by The Business Journal, Kristina lives with her husband and two sons in the Pacific Northwest, where she refuses to own an umbrella. For more, visit www.KristinaMcMorris.com ***
What was the weather like in January 1945 on the Philippine Islands? When was a “slurve” pitch first used in baseball? During World War II, when did America start to ration coffee?
This is just a small sample of the endless questions that arose as I wrote my latest novel, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves. If not for my deep passion for the era and the true historical accounts that continue to compel me, I would be awfully tempted to switch to a career in writing greeting cards. (Not to say inventing fresh ways to say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Bar Mitzvah” is the easiest of tasks—but you get the picture.) When I sat down to pen my debut novel, Letters from Home, a WWII love story inspired by my grandparents’ courtship, I have to admit I had no intention of doing any in-depth research. So long as I was close enough to historical facts, that was going to be just fine. I was, after all, writing “fiction.” As in, not real. As in, I made all of this up. In my brain. For fun. Of course, not all readers feel the same. Nor do the multitude of historians and WWII enthusiasts and people who actually lived through the era—and are still alive today to say so. Fear of a potential backlash soon propelled me into serious research mode. Somewhere along the way, however, my motivation changed. The more I learned about the quiet heroes of what is so aptly dubbed “the Greatest Generation,” the more responsibility I felt to do their amazing accomplishments justice by getting the facts right. Dutifully, I watched documentaries and films and read memoirs and official documents. I also befriended generous docents and archivists who were willing to answer questions as well as flag my manuscript for errors. But then… Since I selfishly prefer to make my work more interesting than highlighting passages from long, dry textbooks (which feels way too similar to preparing for a 500-page term paper), I opted for more exciting tactics.
Indeed, my determination bordered on obsessive at times. (My husband isn’t allowed to chime in!) But it brought the settings and characters and history to life for me, and I hope, in turn, readers will feel the same. For writers, do you have a strategy that helps keep your research process interesting? For readers, whenever you come across a factual error in a novel, no matter how minor, does it taint the book for you—or can you still enjoy it as a work of fiction? ***
Kristina McMorris A young woman secretly elopes with her Japanese American boyfriend the night before Pearl Harbor is bombed, forever changing two families torn between sides. Los Angeles, 1941. In spite of her Julliard ambitions and family’s wishes, violinist Maddie Kern secretly elopes with her Japanese American boyfriend—the night before Pearl Harbor is bombed. When her beloved Lane is interned at a relocation camp, she dares to remain at his side. Behind barbed wire, tension simmers and the line between patriot and traitor blurs. As Maddie strives for the hard-won acceptance of her new family, Lane risks everything to prove his allegiance to America, at tremendous cost. Skillfully capturing one of the most controversial episodes in recent American history, Kristina McMorris delivers an authentic, moving testament to love, forgiveness, and the enduring music of the human spirit. Watch the behind the book video Buy at: Amazon | B & N | Powell’s | Indiebound | Books-a-Million Find Kristina McMorris online: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
How Much Do You Want This?Posted by Jeannie Lin Jan 16 2012, 12:01 am in motivation I was walking downstairs to do the laundry and I saw this still stuck on the wall where my desk used to be: I’m such a goof, I write little inspirational messages to myself and tape them up over my writing desk. This particular question was up when I sold my first manuscript and it [...] Release Day: The Lady’s Scandalous NightPosted by Jeannie Lin Sep 1 2011, 12:10 am in Ruby Release Ideas never come easily for me and I always find it interesting and actually helpful to reflect on what’s driving the idea behind a story. For my latest Harlequin Historical Undone release, THE LADY’S SCANDALOUS NIGHT, I channeled some very specific memories from my childhood. We would spend the summers at Grandma’s house, often sleeping [...] Introducing the Honorary RubyPosted by Jeannie Lin Jun 22 2011, 12:01 am Please extend a warm welcome to our honorary Ruby Slipper: The lovely Gabriela Lessa! (Who I believe will answer to Gabi). Thank you so much for your generous donation to Brenda Novak’s Auction for Diabetes Research and we’re absolutely thrilled to have you in the Sisterhood. Learning about Romance from non-Romance novelsPosted by Jeannie Lin May 12 2011, 12:01 am Whenever I finish up a manuscript, I always reward myself by picking a few books up off of my TBR pile. This last time around, I read some great stories that were not romances. There was thriller/suspense, dystopian YA, and literary fiction in the mix. Each of these books had touches of romance, for what [...]
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books from Jeannie
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JEANNIE LIN grew up fascinated with stories of Western epic fantasy as well as Eastern martial arts adventures. She started working on her first romance novel while she was teaching high school science. After four years of trying to break into the romance market with an Asian set historical, her 2009 Golden Heart® winning manuscript, Butterfly Swords, sold to Harlequin Mills & Boon. In her writing fantasies, Jeannie inhabits the rivers and lakes of Tang Dynasty China. In the real world, she lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her wonderfully supportive husband.
