Interview With Lisa Jackson, Part II

Now, Part Two of our interview with Lisa Jackson! Read Part One, too.

Julie: Tell us a bit about your personal path to publication.

Lisa: It’s entirely my sister’s fault. Author Nancy Bush is my younger sister and 31 years ago she decided we should write romance novels. I was highly skeptical and told her so; we’d never read a romance novel. However, Nancy can be very persistent and she insisted we take a crack at it. I was stuck at home with my two young sons, so I reluctantly agreed. Our first book, written with another friend, died a quick death, but Nancy’s second was purchased. It took me longer, another year or so, to sell a “longer more sensual book” for Silhouette Books (then owned by Simon & Schuster). Over the years I wrote different kinds of books. Both Nancy and I were edited by a young junior editor at Pocket and once he moved to Kensington Publishing, so did we. Eventually, I was allowed to write the kind of books I love-thrillers or romantic suspense. As I said, I’ve been at this a while!

Julie: You began writing with your sister, and then you split off, but just recently came back together to create a best seller. Do you prefer writing alone or as a team?

Lisa: Oh, that’s tough. Nancy and I have always worked together though often on separate projects. I love working with her and we’ve had so much fun with our “Wicked” series. I’m so into all that paranormal stuff, but I like writing alone, too. I figure the way it is now, I’ve got the best of both worlds.

Julie: Can you tell us what a typical day in the life of Lisa Jackson is like?

Lisa: Under deadline, I’m boring as hell. I barely get out of my jammies and write around the clock, pausing only to sleep and fire up with coffee and Hot Tamales (the candy), or chocolate. I will walk the dog and do the laundry, but I really fall into the book. When I’m not on a tight deadline, I do the regular stuff: work out, play with the dog, spend time with the people close to me, hang out at the beach, try new recipes, take vacations, experiment in the garden and read, maybe do some harder crosswords. I’m a much more social and enjoyable person when I’m not so hell-bent-for-leather focused. Everyone avoids me when I’m on deadline. Guess I’m kind of a Mr. Hyde then.

Julie: There is an entire page on your website dedicated to charities and causes. Can you tell us about a few of your favorites and why they are so close to your heart?

Lisa: I’m very close to the Molly Bear organization (http://mollybears.com/) which is dedicated to helping grieving families who have suffered infant loss. They work totally by donation and try to fill a family’s empty arms with a stuffed bear made to the specifications of the family and the exact weight of the lost child. My family experienced such a tragic loss as my granddaughter, Hannah, was still born at full term. Losing her was devastating to everyone in the family, especially my son and his wife. I was made aware of Molly Bears on the anniversary of Hannah’s birth and I’d been thinking of her all day, which felt serendipitous.

I also believe in all kinds of rescue organizations. My son rescued a pit bull mix puppy and never was there a more wonderful dog. I have even put Bonzi into one of my books, BORN TO DIE (his picture is on the website). Bonzi changed my mind about pit bulls and I’m forever grateful to the people who work to save abandoned and abused animals. To that end, I support several animal rescue groups including Equine Outreach (http://www.equineoutreach.com/Equine_Outreach_Horse_Rescue/Home.html), an organization in Central Oregon that rescues horses.

I support other causes as well, only a few are listed on the website, and I tip my hat to the volunteers who make these organizations available.

Julie: Our readers will want to know what you’re working on now. What can they look forward to from you?

Lisa: Right now, I’m working on my next hardback novel, Tell Me, a story set in Savannah, Georgia which brings back the characters of Nikki Gillette and Pierce Reed, who were introduced in The Night Before and The Morning After. Since Savannah is one of my favorite places on the planet, I’m thinking a research trip is in order. Next up is Ready To Die, the sequel to Afraid To Die and the fifth book in the Grizzly Falls, Montana series featuring Detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli, two of my most popular characters.

Ms. Jackson’s upcoming release, You Don’t Want to Know, is now available at OmniLit for Preorder and will be available for immediate download on August 7th!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson comes a gripping novel of suspense where a mother’s worst fear is only the beginning of a terrifying nightmare. . .

In Ava’s dreams, her son, Noah, looks just the way she remembers him: a sweet two-year-old in rolled-up jeans and a red sweatshirt. When Ava wakes, the agonizing truth hits her all over again. Noah went missing two years ago, and has never been found. Almost everyone, including Ava’s semi-estranged husband, assumes the boy drowned after falling off the dock near their Church Island home.

Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah’s disappearance. Now she’s back at Neptune’s Gate, the family estate, her strength slowly returning. But as Ava’s mind comes back into focus, she can’t shake the feeling that her family, and her psychologist, know more than they’re saying. Are they worried for her well-being–or anxious about what she might discover?

Ava secretly visits a hypnotist, hoping to restore her memories. But the strange visions and night terrors keep getting worse. She is sure she’s heard Noah crying in the nursery, and glimpsed him walking near the dock. Is she losing her mind, or is Noah still alive? Ava won’t stop until she gets answers, but the truth is more dangerous than she can imagine. And the price may be more than she ever thought to pay. . .