Jourdyn Kelly has created some of my favorite lesfic characters in Eve and Lainey and Rebecca and Cass. She has another book in the Eve Sumptor series coming out soon, Fighting for Eve. Jourdyn has been kind enough to chat with me.
Jourdyn, I’m so glad we are getting more of Eve and Lainey. Tell me about Fighting for Eve and what these characters mean to you?
I didn’t think I’d be writing a new story about Eve and Lainey exclusively, but here we are. Fighting for Eve finds Eve being framed for murder. The book gives Lainey a chance to shine as the “main” character this time. Of course, they’re both very prominent in the book, but I think you’ll see a different side of Lainey as she fights to free the woman she loves. Eve and Lainey are incredibly special to me. I wrote Something About Eve 20 years ago. My first book, my first characters. They’ll always hold a special piece of my heart. And while I’m quite sure this will be the last Eve and Lainey book (they’ve been through quite a lot), they will still be a part of the LA Lovers series and I’ll write short stories about them.
Rebecca Cuinn from The LA Lover’s series and Teach Me is one of my favorite characters. She had awful things happen to her but not only fought through but came out stronger. She could only relinquish control to someone with as beautiful a heart as Cass had. Will she make an appearance in Fighting for Eve and if you were making a film based on her story, which actress would you want to play her?
Ah, Rebecca. She’s quite the character. And she was written as a dare! Sex scenes aren’t my favorite to write, so the dare was to write something that focused on that. That’s where Fifty Shades of Pink came from, and Rebecca and Cass were created. The short story became a novella, the novella became Becoming. One of my most popular books. Rebecca will be in Fighting for Eve — as will the other ladies. As for who I would want to play Rebecca in a movie. . .think Blake Lively in A Simple Favor.
With Teach Me, you collaborated with Melissa Tereze. Do the two of you plan to collaborate again and what does Melissa’s friendship mean to you?
We are planning another collaboration. She’s being very patient with me while I finish Fighting for Eve. When I suggested on Twitter that Eve and Vanessa would be friends, I never imagined it would ignite a collaboration, let alone a friendship. But Melissa has become one of my closest friends and I’m glad I made that comment that day. It was destined to be. 😊
You are able to jump into one of your books and date any of your characters. Which one would you choose and why?
Oooh, that’s an odd question for me to answer because most of my characters have a piece of me in them. And all of them have the confidence I wish I had. Listen, they are all swoon worthy lol. Don’t make me choose! 😉
My partner is from San Antonio and lived in Houston for a while. You have lived there since 2009. What do you love about living in Houston?
Texas isn’t somewhere I ever dreamed of living. And the politics could definitely be better. But I’ve lived quite a few places and I feel like I’ve settled into “home” here. The humidity tho! My naturally curly hair does NOT like the humidity.
How did you become friends with former teen pop star, Debbie Gibson?
I’ve been a fan of Deb’s since she hit the scene in ’88. After I graduated college, I sent out resumes and, on a whim, I sent one to Deb’s fan club and I received a call back from her sister. That was about 25 years ago. I’ve had quite the experience working with her.
What are three places in the world you would love to travel to and why?
New Zealand is first. I just feel it would be a magical, beautiful place. Hawaii because I’ve never been there. And third, probably Alaska to go dog sledding, whale watching, and to see the Northern Lights. Though, I’m not great with extreme cold, but I feel like the Lights would make up for that.
I lost my mom almost 16 years ago. She had this infectious laugh and always sang the wrong song lyrics. What annoyed me then, makes me smile now. It hasn’t been that long since you lost your mom to Alzheimer’s. What memories make you smile the most when you think about her?
I miss EVERYTHING about my momma. I think it’s so raw still that when I think of her, I still cry. But there are things that make me smile. Like how she constantly told me she loved me. Every text ended in “I love you”. We could be having a back-and-forth conversation, text after text, and each one of hers ended in “I love you”. She would also tell me “I read your books, but I don’t tell dad what they’re about.” She had a silly sense of humor and never met a stranger. But if you got on her nerves, she wouldn’t hesitate to let you know. . .or give you a nickname like “my favorite hemorrhoid”. I miss her every single second of every single day. We had a special bond that even Alzheimer’s couldn’t break. One day, I’ll be able to think of her and be happy for everything I shared with her. Right now, I’m just sad I lost her. It’s a different world for me and I have to figure out how to navigate it.
Thanks so much for chatting with me, Jourdyn. I’m a big fan of your writing and it was wonderful learning more about you! I hope we can do it again soon!
Thank you for reading! And for this fun chat! Let’s do it again!
Jourdyn’s website: Jourdyn Kelly Author
Amazon Page: Amazon.com: Jourdyn Kelly: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle