Welcome, Pauline B. Jones

Good morning, Pauline. Welcome to From the Pages. It’s great that you came to visit today! We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so why don’t we get started? If you don’t mind, I’ll begin asking the questions I know readers want answered.

First off, did you always know you wanted to be an author?

I don't remember "always knowing," but I did become enamored of the idea around the time I fell in love with reading. I wrote some really crappy stuff in high school and then let it slide to the back of my mind when I went to college. I picked (and discarded) several majors, but it was always there, growing stronger after I married (though I'm not sure why that made a difference!). My parents offered to pay for me to become a dental hygienist. My hubby pointed out that I wanted to write books, not clean teeth. I told them no and started reading writing books and took some classes. From that point, I was a writer in my head, but it took me a long time to admit it to anyone but my husband.

Does your family support your writing career? How?

I get a lot of support from my family. My husband has been my "patron of the arts" from the beginning and my sister and her husband have contributed to my success in more ways than I can count. My mom wishes I wouldn't kill people (fictionally), but she's still supportive—which I think is very cool of her. One of my daughter's helped me with edits on my first book and the other daughter and her husband have designed some of my cover art. And my son is my space battle consultant. It's very much a family affair for me.

That’s so great! I love it that so many family members are involved in your writing life. And your mom sounds like a great lady, with a wonderful sense of humor. How amusing that she wishes you wouldn’t kill people—even fictionally! So funny!

How long does it typically take you to finish a writing project?

Typically, it takes me about two years from germ of an idea to finished book. The actual writing can be very fast or painfully slow. It depends on how bitter my muse is at any given moment—and how crazy my real life gets.

The question most readers want to know but never get the chance to ask, do you ever write in your pajamas?

Absolutely! Why be a writer if you can't go to work in your pajamas occasionally. Or a lot.

I completely agree! So, what’s your idea of the “perfect” night out?

LOL! To stay in! I'm such a hermit, it's embarrassing. When I get out, I usually have fun, but it’s hard to make myself leave the house. I love being at home, curled up under a blanket with a comfort movie on the TV and a good book to read. And chocolate.
That sounds wonderfully relaxing—especially the good book and chocolate part. I’m with you on that!

Do you listen to music while you write?

Yes! I create a play list for a project and it helps me get back into the story faster. Sometimes the music will filter into the story and I have to go back and edit it back in lines with copyright. But music is a huge help. Right now I'm listening to Kid Rock sing "New Orleans." I love that song.

Do you have a recipe you would care to share with us today?

This is a family recipe and one of my favorites. It's lovely on a hot summer day. I posted several family recipes on my website when I was promoting OUT OF TIME.

Grandma Gwynn's Frozen Dessert

3 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 can of condensed milk
3 tbsp of lemon juice
salt
3 egg whites
Vanilla Wafers

Directions:

Make a custard of egg yolks, sugar,

salt (to taste) and lemon juice

by cooking over medium heat

until mixture thickens and boils.

Cool and add: beaten egg whites.

Freeze condensed milk to mush.

Whip (like whipping cream) and

fold into custard mixture.

Crush Vanilla Wafers to crumbs

and press into a square cake pan.

(Can add melted butter for better

sticking factor.

I'm a huge fan of butter.).

Pour mixture over crumbs

and sprinkle some on the top for decoration.

Freeze solid before cutting

and keep remaining

(if there is any) frozen.

Grandma Gwynn’s recipe sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Tell us a little bit about The Key, please.

Everyone asks me how I could go from writing a time-travel-to-World-War-II novel to writing science fiction. The short answer is, I have no clue. I just go where the ideas take me and this time the idea took me into space. I didn't think about writing science fiction (because I'm not that good at science) and just told the story I needed to tell. I "met" Sara first and she wanted to be a space pilot. She needed lots of room to move and an alien to love. She was probably one of the most fun characters I've written. She's brave and bold and she keeps losing her temper right when she shouldn't. She also has some secrets. Secrets are good when you're trying to tell a story.

It's high energy, high adventure, but also some romance (because if my characters don't get to fall in love, then its just not fun!). And there's the space battle that my son helped me write. It's pretty cool.

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?

I've written eight novels, three non-fiction books (one co-written with Jamie Engle), and contributed short stories to two anthologies. I love all my books, but my favorite is probably The Key. It was just a lot of fun to write and with it I found my sense of humor again after a challenging time in my life. When I finished it I knew *I* was back.

Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on now?

I'm working on a follow-up to The Key. It's set in the same time frame, same universe and includes some of the characters from The Key, but features a new heroine. It's called Girl Gone Nova and should release late in 2009. Like Sara, Doc—Dacey Oliver Cay—can kick some serious butt but life is about to start kicking her back. Big time.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

I hope your readers will stop by my website and check out my contest page. I usually have contest going on, particularly close to the release of a new book.

Pauline, I’ve enjoyed meeting you today. Thanks so much for being here! I can’t wait to try your wonderful recipe.

Many thanks for allowing me to come visit!

Pauline Baird Jones
www.paulinebjones.com
Pauline@paulinebjones.com



Blurb for The Key:

When Sara Donovan joins Project Enterprise she finds out that what doesn’t kill her makes her stronger…

An Air Force pilot – the best of the best to be assigned to this mission – Sara isn’t afraid to travel far beyond the Milky Way on an assignment that takes her into a galaxy torn apart by a long and bitter warfare between the Dusan and the Gadi.

After she’s shot down and manages to land safely on an inhospitable planet, Sara encounters Kiernan Fyn – a seriously hot alien with a few secrets of his own – he’s a member of a resistance group called the Ojemba, lead by the mysterious and ruthless Kalian. Together they must avoid capture, but can they avoid their growing attraction to each other?

A mysterious, hidden city on the planet brings Sara closer to the answers she seeks – about her baffling abilities and her mother’s past. She has no idea she’s being pulled into the same danger her mother fled – the key to a secret left behind by a lost civilization, the Garradians.

The Dusan and the Gadi want the key. So do the Ojemba. They think Sara has it. They are willing to do anything to get it.

Sara will have to do anything to stop them…

What reviewers are saying about The Key:

"This thrilling adventure and love story is the stuff of dreams for a perfect romantic space adventure. Stories like this are why I love to read, and I definitely understand why this novel has been nominated for awards. Forget sleeping, plan on take out, and invest your time relishing this magnificent tale." - Five Stars, Featured review from Manic Readers

"Great plot! Superb workmanship on the characters! So sit back and take the ride of your life. This was by far the best Sci Fi novel in a long time. Pauline Baird Jones, a marvelous creator of some remarkable characters, put a new twist on a great Sci Fi story, The Key." - Simegen Reviews

"Love Linnea Sinclair? Get a kick out of Susan Grant? Then you'll want to glom up on releases by Pauline Baird Jones. The Key isn't so much a sci-fi release as it is a dang good read, and this reviewer is anxious to read more of Baird Jones. Fun and fantastic at the same time, The Key is an intergalactic space adventure that will thrill readers to the very tips of their toes." - Heartstrings Reviews

"Clearly this author knows how to tell a story no matter what the genre. Her character development, pacing and humor satisfy across genre boundaries." - Mostly Fiction Reviews.

Buy link:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-9418719-1592451?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Pauline+Baird+Jones