Hump Day Hot Seat: Wendy Lou Jones

Today I have Wendy Lou Jones in the hot seat! 

Wendy and I are newly acquainted writers, thanks to the lovely Harper Impulse publishing our debut novels. Also, Wendy helped me with the blog post title, hence it's called Hump Day Hot Seat.

I gave Wendy the same set of questions I gave Annalisa, so you can compare answers later.
So here goes... 

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
No. Definitely a late developer there.


Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?
Tucked away. I’m reworking my second one at the moment and that has been a real eye opener as to how far I've come! Yikes.

What’s so special about your hero that makes your heroine fall in love with him?
Andy is honest, brave, tender, thoughtful, devoted to her and fit. :) What’s not to love?

Why do you like writing romance?
Falling in love, it’s just the best thing. The more longing and yearning, the better.

What do you read while you write, or don’t you?
I read less while I’m actually creatively writing, but it’s romance, of course.

Do you have a favourite author?
No. I try new people all the time. I find I get bored listening to the same style too much.

What advice would you give to new writers?
Read books on how to write, assess what you are reading and then go with your gut.

What things inspire you to write? Location, music, film or even in a book?
Situations give me the ideas. The Songbird and the Soldier happened because I wrote to a soldier in the Kuwait conflict; the book I’ve just submitted came from a dressing down I got from a consultant surgeon when I was a junior doctor and the one I’m working on at the moment came from noticing an unusually dressed guy at a ploughing match one day. But it is the music that puts me in the mood. I listened to James Blunt on repeat for a solid year whilst writing Songbird.

What is next on your agenda after publishing your (first) book?  The next book.


Chocolate or ice cream? CHOCOLATE!


Dogs or cats? Guinea-pigs.


Ha ha! Yes, my answer to that last question would currently be gerbils. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Good luck with your debut book, The Songbird and The Soldier. 

About Wendy Lou Jones:

Wendy lives in Herefordshire with her husband and two grubby boys. She used to be a doctor (in a former life), but now spends her days dreaming up romantic heroes to fall in love with.

About The Songbird and the Soldier: 

Sometimes it’s when you least expect it, that something wonderful happens, but for Andy Garrington the timing couldn’t have been worse. Being sent halfway round the world to Afghanistan, Andy is prepared for a fight, but what he doesn’t expect is the most important battle of his life to carry on at home.

For Samantha Litton, running into her childhood crush at the pub one evening seems like good fortune. But when he is called away to war and she is left behind, things don’t seem quite so clear and Sam has to determine who is telling her the truth and who is playing her for a fool, when all seems fair in love and war. 

You can find Wendy Lou Jones on Twitter / Facebook