This week our Feature is on author Jane Godman. She has a new book out this month, Colton's Secret Bodyguard (The Colton's of Roaring Spring).
His mission: keep her safe, no matter what…
A Coltons of Roaring Springs thriller.
JANE GODMAN is a 2019 Romantic Novelists’ Award winner and 2018 Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. She writes thrillers for Harlequin Romantic Suspense/Mills and Boon Heroes and paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne/Mills and Boon Supernatural and St. Martin’s Press Romance. She also self publishes her historical and gothic stories.
Jane was born in Scotland and has lived in Germany, Wales, Malta, South Africa, and England. She still gets the urge to travel, although these days she tends to head for a Spanish beach, or a European city that is steeped in history.
When she isn’t reading or writing romance, Jane enjoys cooking, spending time with her family, and enjoying the antics of her dogs, Gravy and Vera.
Connect with Jane Godman on the web:
Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?
My first response to this question was that it would come across to the reader if an author was completely lacking in empathy. Or would it?
We create worlds and characters that are unlike our own lives and the tool we use for that is imagination. In the same way that we describe our settings, heroes and, heroines, we should also be able to engage our readers in the emotion of a story. Whether or not we feel that strongly ourselves shouldn’t matter.
Having said that, I think it helps if an author can bring a range of experiences to their writing. For me, that includes a range and depth of emotion. Of course, the skill is always in the writing. We can feel rage, joy, grief, and love but, unless we can describe those to our readers then we may as well lack empathy.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I have a number of author friends, mostly on-line, all of whom have helped me in so many ways. There is a tendency to see writing as a solitary occupation but it’s so important to develop and the best way to do that is by learning from others.
The main thing I take away from the awesome group of authors I’m proud to call my friends is the determination with which they fight for our genre and the joy and pride they take in it. The romance community is such a source of incredible talent. I love being part of it.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
My Harlequin Romantic Suspense stories are all part of a series, although they can be read as stand-alone stories.
Colton’s Secret Bodyguard is Book Four in the Harlequin / Mills and Boon Coltons of Roaring Springs series.
The Coltons stories have been a hugely successful continuity for many years. Running over a twelve-month period, they are serialized with a different author picking up the story each month. Think of a soap opera, with all the associated family drama, then add in murder, intrigue, and a steamy romance (of course)!
Tell us a bit about your book...
Colton’s Secret Bodyguard is Book Four in the Coltons of Roaring Springs continuity.
His mission: keep her safe, no matter what…
Just as Bree Colton is about to take the local art world by storm, someone is determined to sabotage her success…unless Rylan Bennet can keep her safe. Bree doesn’t want anyone to protect her—not even gorgeous Rylan, whose secrets threaten them both. But can the former soldier win the battle for Bree’s heart and the war against a sinister foe?
Colton’s Secret Bodyguard (The Coltons of Roaring Spring)
His mission: keep her safe, no matter what…
A Coltons of Roaring Springs thriller.
Just as Bree Colton is about to take the local art world by storm, someone is determined to sabotage her success…unless Rylan Bennet can keep her safe. Bree doesn’t want anyone to protect her—not even gorgeous Rylan, whose secrets threaten them both. But can the former soldier win the battle for Bree’s heart and the war against a sinister foe?
Buy on:
Welcome to Romance Book Haven!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Jane.
ReplyDeleteWriters are this reader's heroes.
I wonder. Could someone who lacks empathy fake it in writing? Would they even want to?
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I agree about empathy and skills in writing. The book sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the interview.
ReplyDeleteHi, It's great to be here at Romance Book Haven! It's an interesting question about empathy and writing, isn't it? I can't help wondering if a person who lacked warmth would somehow give themselves away? Especially to romance readers who are very skilled at reading the whole range of human emotions. It's opened up a whole debate!
ReplyDeleteAs for the book... I loved writing it so much. It has everything I look for. Romance, suspense, and a ranch full of misfit animals. What more could a writer want? :)
Sounds like a terrific book! Here's wishing you much success with it.
ReplyDeleteThe question about the correlation between empathy and writing... especially writing romance... is an interesting one. It might be difficult to express deep emotions in words if one is incapable of actually feeling them, but it'd be easier to get away with it on the written page than it'd be to fake it in real life.
Ooh, this sounds like a wonderful read.
ReplyDeleteSounds good. I do like when they're standalone but have some bits of connection to others, too :)
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of this book! Congratulations on the new book, Jane!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these answers. I loved reading about you. Congratulations on the new book!
ReplyDeleteThis story does stand alone, but there is a LOT going on in the background. Life is never dull for the Coltons and Roaring Springs is a Colorado spa town that's seeing more than its fair share of trouble. I thoroughly recommend the other stories in the series, all written by some amazing Harlequin Romantic Suspense authors!
ReplyDeleteI imagine having a great imagination is a must for a writer.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's very important for a writer to understand the emotions a character might be feeling in any given situation. Congrats on the new book!
ReplyDeleteYes, even if you can't share the emotion, you do have to have a good imagination. And I think a basic understanding of the range of emotions a character would go through in any given situation has to be part of a writer's toolkit. I'm not sure if I could fake it. This has been such an interesting question!
ReplyDeleteThe online writing community is so great and supportive of all the writers and I adore that so much :) I also really like what you said and how you worded it about emotions and writing. You mentioned how emotion is definitely at play, but books do need to be emotional!
ReplyDeleteI've been recently watching a writer on YouTube and when you said that writing doesn't have to be solitary it made me think of her. I would think it would be one but really you always need someone there motivating you or inspiring you to do something. Good luck with your new book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for your next
ReplyDeletepost thank you once again.