Please join me in giving a warm BLI welcome to National Bestselling Author Julie James today. In 2008 Julie published her first contemporary romance Just The Sexiest Man Alive which met with rave reviews and it as well as her 2009 book, Practice Makes Perfect, are now available in numerous countries around the world. Last year she delighted readers with Something About You, which along with her first two novels became a National Bestseller. On March 1st, Julie’s latest, highly anticipated contemporary romance A Lot Like Love hits the stands and from this reader’s perspective Jordan Rhodes and Nick McCall’s story does not disappoint.

BLI: Julie! Welcome to BLI, it’s such a thrill to be able to chat with you today! 🙂

Julie: Thanks for having me—I’m thrilled to be here!

BLI: Julie, can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Julie: Hmm. . . let’s see. I’m a lawyer; I practiced law for six years at a large firm before leaving to write full-time. I started my writing career with screenplays, and when the option on my first script expired without the film being made, my film agent suggested that I turn the script into a book. That script then became my first novel, Just the Sexiest Man Alive.

On the personal side, I live in Chicago with my husband and two children—in fact, I just had a daughter three months ago. She’s sitting on the floor next to me as I type, babbling up a storm. Maybe she’ll be a storyteller someday, too. : )

BLI: Can you please describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Julie: I try to spend a good chunk of the morning with my kids, so I generally don’t begin writing until 11am or so. I then typically write until about 4 pm. I used to write at home, but with two kids under the age of four in the house, I’ve found that it’s better to get out and write at a nearby coffee shop. Less noise. : )

In terms of my writing style, I’m definitely a plotter. I draft about a fifteen page outline before starting a book—I do that so I know I have enough of a story for 300 pages. The idea of getting 150 pages into a book and not knowing where I’m going terrifies me. : )

The funny thing is, however, once I’ve begun writing I rarely look at the outline. At that point, the story is solidified enough in my head, and I like the freedom to divert from the outline if that’s what feels best.

BLI: What do you think is the difference between a reader and a real Book Lover?

Julie: Good question! I’d say that if you like to discuss or talk about the books you’ve read, you’re probably a book lover. If you can’t wait until the moment in the day when you get a few minutes—or hours—to read, you’re probably a book lover. Oh—and if you read book blogs, or write one, you’re most definitely a book lover. : )

BLI: What can we expect of A Lot Like Love?

Julie: Lots of back-and-forth banter. An opposites attract dynamic between a wealthy businesswoman/heiress and a rough-around-the-edges FBI agent from Brooklyn. It’s a fun contemporary romance—I hope!—with a suspense subplot.

BLI: OMG, back and forth banter there is Julie! I always know I’m going to be in for some laugh out loud fun when I pick up a Julie James book! It is truly awesome.

While A Lot Like Love isn’t a sequel to Something About You per se, the books are related, could you speak to that and tell us about hero Nick McCall?

Julie: A Lot Like Love is a stand-alone book; you could definitely read it without having read Something About You. But once I knew the hero in ALLL was going to be an FBI agent, I figured I might as well use the same Chicago FBI world that I’d created in SAY. So fans of SAY will be happy to know that Cameron and Jack are back in A Lot Like Love, in supporting roles.

As for Nick, he’s an undercover FBI agent and the most “guy’s guy” hero I’ve written. He has lots of ideas about what men should and shouldn’t do, yet these rules get a little muddled once he meets Jordan. Someone who read an ARC of the book said that she loved how tough Nick was on the outside, but that he was really a big marshmallow underneath. My first thought was that Nick would hate it if people knew that. LOL.

BLI: Jordan Rhodes, the heroine of A Lot Like Love, is the first of the leading ladies you’ve written whose background isn’t in law. She is very intelligent, well educated, competitive, a wine connoisseur-which is her career, and she possesses that sharp sarcastic ‘Julie James’ wit that I so love. Can you please tell us about Jordan and how you conceived her character?

Julie: The first thing I knew when beginning to plot A Lot Like Love was that the heroine was not going to be a lawyer. Having written three lawyer heroines in a row, I wanted to prove to myself that I could write something else. However, Jordan is similar to the heroines in my other books in that she is focused on her career, but still looking for love.

I also thought it would be just plain fun to write a heroine who’s a billionaire heiress. I mean, we have all these billionaire heroes running around, why not a woman? But despite her wealth, she’s very relatable—she has a job she works hard at, she’s protective of her family, and she’s ready to find “the one.”

BLI: Well, IMHO you were successful in that regard because Jordan is very relatable, whether it’s with her store customers or at a fancy society fundraiser, she is able to blend in. And, what I also loved about her is that she not only looks like but emulates Grace Kelly’s style and persona.

One of the many things I enjoyed about A Lot Like Love, and actually found quite fascinating, was the background information surrounding wine, the multimillion dollar business involved in it’s production, distribution and sales, but moreover there is a technique involved in tasting that is for lack of a better word, quite sensual. (Or at least the way Jordan explains and demonstrates wine tasting to Nick it is. lol) In addition, you take readers into the heart of the Napa Valley which sounds like an extraordinary and beautiful place. Are you a connoisseur of wine yourself or did the book involve extensive research on your part?

Julie: Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the wine backdrop of the book. The second thing I knew when plotting A Lot Like Love (after deciding that the heroine would not be lawyer) was that the book would involve the wine industry. I knew a little about wine, but I realized that I needed to learn a lot more if I was going to write a heroine who owned a wine store. So I shadowed the owner of my local wine store for a day, and I took a wine appreciation class. During the first day of class the instructor showed us the proper techniques for tasting wine and I realized that the tasting ritual had certain, shall we say, sexual undertones—and I knew I had to write that into the book. : ) In general, I think wine is a very sensual thing, and that pairs very well with romance!

The Napa Valley scenes are also based on my personal “research.” My husband and I visited Napa two years ago, and I fell in love with wine country and knew it would make a wonderful location for a book.

BLI: I loved the way you developed the suspense subplot in the book involving the FBI and Jordan’s background by the way, but I’ll touch on that more in the review of A Lot Like Love that will be posted tomorrow here at BLI.

Thanks! Since I write romances that are generally lighter in tone, it can sometimes get a little tricky to add in the suspense parts. That’s why I say that the suspense is just a subplot—it’s the driving force that brings the heroine and hero together, but the book overall is a fun contemporary romance.

Would you be willing to share a little excerpt from A Lot Like Love with readers today?

Julie: Sure! Here’s an excerpt: (and there’s an additional excerpt on my website.)

Synopsis:

The FBI wants her cooperation.

As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city’s top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there’s only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother’s release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau.

Agent McCall just wants her.

As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This “date” with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment—one they’re both determined to pull off even if they can’t be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick’s investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they’re a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more. . .
Jordan took a seat at the conference table. She watched the blizzard that raged outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, dreading the snow she’d have to shovel when she got home. Perhaps she should look into getting one of those power snowblowers, she mused. Or a man. Either could be quite handy in inclement weather. Then again, snowblowers took up a lot of garage space, and she generally liked to keep at least a three-foot buffer around the Maserati. Not to mention, most of the men she met presumably had even less interest than she did in shoveling snow—they likely would hire someone else to do that kind of thing. The downside to dating Italian-loafer types, she supposed.

Maybe she needed to find more of a guy’s guy. One of those men who could start a fire with two sticks, change a flat tire with one hand tied behind his back, and wasn’t afraid that a snow shovel would scuff his cashmere-lined leather Burberry gloves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Excerpt~

The door flew open and in walked Nick McCall.

Someone, however, who at least knew what a razor was.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Rhodes,” he said.

As Huxley followed Nick into the conference room, Jordan noticed that both men had shed their coats. She also saw that they were armed, catching glimpses of the shoulder harnesses and guns they wore underneath their suit jackets.

“What happened to your file?” she asked.

“Would you believe it? We couldn’t find the darn thing,” Nick said. “Guess we’ll just have to march on without it.” He gave Huxley a nod.

“Everything we’re about to tell you is extremely confidential, Ms. Rhodes,” Huxley began. “You can tell no one about the purpose of this meeting.”

Easy enough for her to do, since she didn’t understand the purpose of the meeting. “All right.”

“You already know that this pertains to Xander Eckhart. For some time now, we’ve had him under investigation. We believe he’s running drug money through his nightclubs and restaurants for an organized crime syndicate led by Roberto Martino. You may have heard about the recent indictments of Martino and the others in his organization.” Huxley gave Jordan a moment to process all this.

“You seemed surprised,” Nick said.

She shot him a look. “Of course I’m surprised. I had no idea Xander was messed up in anything like this. You’re sure of this?”

Huxley nodded. “Yes. We’ve been watching Eckhart. We’ve seen him on several occasions with a man we know to be one of Martino’s associates. They meet in Eckhart’s office, which is located underneath the main level of his restaurant, Bordeaux.”

“The one down the hall from his wine cellar, you mean,” Jordan said.
Nick sat forward in his chair, interested in this. “You’ve been inside Eckhart’s office?”

“Yes. Last year at his Valentine’s Day party, he gave me a tour of the entire space at Bordeaux.”

“How well do you remember the interior of the office?” Huxley asked. “Would you be able to describe it, tell us the placement of the furniture, that kind of thing?”

“I can certainly try,” Jordan said. “Is that what this is about? You want me to describe Xander’s office to you?” It seemed too insignificant for all the secret-agent rigmarole.

Nick shook his head. “Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. What we want is for you to help us get inside Eckhart’s office. This Saturday night.”

It took her a moment. “You mean during the party?”

Nick folded his arms on the table. “How would you feel about bringing along an undercover agent as your date, Ms. Rhodes?”

Jordan leaned in to meet him halfway. “I think that depends on who the date is, Agent McCall.”

What can readers look forward to next from the desk of Julie James?

Julie: I’m currently writing my fifth book, which is tentatively titled, About That Night. The hero is the brother of the heroine in A Lot Like Love. He’s a billionaire heir/ex-con who is fresh out of prison and trying to figure out what he’s going to do with his life. The heroine is a woman from his past. . . and that’s all I’m going to say for now. : )

Do you have a question for readers today?

Julie: I guess one question I have is what readers look for in a contemporary romance. I’m always interested in getting feedback on that subject. Also, if there are any additional questions people have for me, don’t hesitate to ask—I’ll be stopping by throughout the day.

Thank you again for taking time out of your busy life to chat with us today Julie, it’s been a real pleasure.

Julie: My pleasure—thanks for having me here!

Where To Find Julie:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
And, Julie’s local coffee shop. 😉

~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Julie has generously offered a copy of “Something About You” to one lucky commenter!

All you have to do is answer Julie’s question OR ask her a question.
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email in blogger profile or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).

This giveaway is open worldwide!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, March 5, 2011; and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Lea

Lea is an animal loving, tree hugging vegetarian who lives in Toronto, Canada with her family, which includes three dogs. She is a prolific reader and has been blogging and reviewing since 2008. Lea is a contributor at the USA Today HEA Blog and an active member at Goodreads.

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