Jaci Burton Interview - The Accidental Newlywed Game ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from Jaci Burton

Jaci Burton is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance novelist. In addition to writing the Play-by-Play, Hope, and Wild Riders series, she has also coauthored a number of anthologies with fellow romance writer Lora Leigh. Burton lives in Oklahoma with her husband and dogs.

When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?
When my cousin and I started writing our own version of scripts for our favorite TV show back when I was around 14 years old. This was well before fanfiction was ever invented. The creativity was a blast back then and I couldn’t wait to see what she had written, and to receive feedback from her on my script. One of my fondest memories and the beginnings of my writing journey.

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
Building a new house—and moving. It was so incredibly time consuming and stressful. Do not recommend!(though I love the new house now that we’re settled.)

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?
We’re all storytellers, we just do it in different ways. When you talk about the funny thing that happened to you at the grocery store, you’re telling a story. I know many people who can talk about their childhood or early years, keeping me enthralled the whole time, and who have never written a book or have a desire to do so. It’s how you see the story in your mind, whether that story is true or fantasy, that makes someone a storyteller.

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your characters?
As a writer, you have to breathe life into your characters. If they’re not three dimensional beings, if they don’t walk off the page and become real to me, how will they capture a reader’s attention? How will the reader become invested in their journey? They have to become fully-fleshed beings to me. I have to deeply care about them in order for my readers to fall in love with them, too.

TEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THE ACCIDENTAL NEWLYWED GAME

1. This series is primarily about family and friendship. Especially the relationship between sisters.
2. I love to write the male characters pov. Men can be so chill, and at the same time you know there are a million things going on their heads—including angst about their women.
3. Parents are an integral part of this series, and their pov is equally as important. Parents are the glue that holds this family together.
4. There are dogs in all the books, because dogs are awesome, obviously.
5. Because this series is set at a winery that also does weddings, I did some heavy research at various wedding wineries. Such a hardship! ;)
6. My husband and I got married in Vegas. Not accidentally!
7. Many, many tequila shots might make you do things you regret. Or don’t regret. Not saying I speak from experience or anything. Okay, maybe I do, but that was a long time ago. I plead the fifth.
8. I revisited Owen and Erin’s breakup in this book because I didn’t feel like there was the right amount of closure between them in The Best Man Plan. Hopefully I did them both justice.
9. I fell madly in love with Mae while writing this book. Even though she’s not a Bellini sister, she needs her own book, don’t you think? (Yes, she’s next.)
10. My best friend, awesome author Shannon Stacey(you should read her books!), has helped me title all the books in this series.

What is the first job you have had?
I worked phone customer service for Sears appliance repair. Many people yelled at me. It was good practice for facing the real world head on.

Which would you choose, true love with a guarantee of a heart break or have never loved before?
Always choose true love. It’s worth the heartbreak and you learn a lot about yourself when you open yourself up to love.

When you looked in the mirror first thing this morning, what was the first thing you thought?
What the hell is going on with my hair?

What do you usually think about right before falling asleep?
Ha! My brain does not shut down easily so there’s about ten thousand things rolling through my head before I fall asleep.

Most horrifying dream you have ever had?
When I was younger I had this recurring dream that I would be murdered at our local park. Same guy on a horse with a sword. Weird and creepy.

First Heartbreak?
My first real love. But it wasn’t meant to be so in the end it worked out like it was supposed to. Still hurt, though.

What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas, when one night out turns into a wedding that neither newlywed can remember, from New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton.

Wedding planner Honor Bellini is in Las Vegas for a work convention when she runs into her sister's ex-fiance, Owen Stone, who's also in town for his craft brewery business. They're both glad to see a familiar face from home...until a night of drinking leads to waking up in bed together--and a marriage certificate from a wedding that neither of them can recall.

Horrified, Owen suggests an immediate annulment. Honor agrees, but when they spend the day together, their chemistry is overwhelming. Plus, Honor has a flash of memory of their steamy wedding night, and she definitely likes what she remembers. They decide to wait before cancelling the whole marriage thing, though they both head back to Oklahoma determined not to tell anyone at home what happened in Vegas.

The problem is, Honor and Owen can't seem to stay away from each other--or keep their hands off one another. The longer they keep their secret, the harder it gets to deny how they really feel. Even worse, this huge secret has the potential to hurt someone they both care about. They need to get an annulment before this accidental marriage turns into love

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