About author, Jane Green: Jane Green is the author of fourteen New York Times bestselling novels. She has been featured in People, Newsweek, USA Today, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Connecticut with her family.
INTERVIEW
Describe your writing style in five words: Warm, real, honest, descriptive, clear.
Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what changed? As a child I always thought I would be an artist, even though the only place I could ever be found was buried in a book. I went to University for Fine Art, then fell into journalism, and found I loved writing.
You’ve now written 15 books, what’s the difference between your 1st, “Straight Talking,” and your 15th, “Tempting Fate”? Everything! Straight Talking, as with most first novels, was very raw. I did have a voice then, but my voice has changed – mellowed and softened with age and experience. I rarely write in the first person now, and have learned enormous amounts about the craft of writing.
Describe your writing/editing/publishing process: Writing is quick – I am enormously disciplined and write between three and five thousand words a day now at home, then take myself off to a writing retreat a couple of times a year where I write 10,000 words a day. When home, I leave the house and go to a writer’s room – the routine is integral to my life, and trying to write at home has been disastrous. The editing now takes months. I go through at least three drafts, the first of which is generally a huge rewrite.
Which do you prefer, the term “women’s fiction” or “chick lit,” and which category do you think you fit in? Enormously proud to have been one of the founders of chick lit, however I was twenty seven at the time, and writing about being single. Now, at forty five, I have graduated into women’s fiction, and truly defy anyone to refer to me as a ‘chick’ these days.
What was it like to cover Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding? Fascinating – the research threw up so many historical facts about the royal weddings and romances that I didn’t know, and I adored being on the ABC News radio team on the actual day. Years ago I had my own radio show, and it is still my favorite thing to do.
If you could meet any other author, who would it be? Armistead Maupin. Huge fan. I suspect words would fail me.
Where do you get your ideas from? Life, friends, stories I hear, stories I read about.
What is your favorite word? Ghastly. It makes me feel very english. In Tempting Fate I devoted a few paragraphs to the word – one of the things taken directly from my life.
Social media, a help or a bother? Both. I love the fact that I can easily interact with my readers – it has been truly wonderful, but… it does require a tremendous amount of time, and between writing two books a year, going on tour, being a mother, wife, friend, running a house, and living enough of a life in order to have something to write about, it’s very hard. I’m not a huge fan of twitter but do like Facebook, and am attempting to train myself to use Instagram (@janegreenauthor)!
What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you? I have a very tiny tattoo of a dolphin. I am deeply regretful, but too lazy to get it removed.
What are you working on right now? I am just finishing the final edits on Saving Grace which will be out in December. It’s the tale of a couple who take on the perfect assistant, who very slowly but deliberately starts to ruin their lives.
About “Tempting Fate”: From the New York Times bestselling author of such beloved novels as Jemima J, The Beach House, and Another Piece of My Heart comes an enthralling and emotional story about how much we really understand the temptations that can threaten even the most idyllic of relationships….
Gabby and Elliott have been happily married for eighteen years. They have two teenaged daughters. They have built a life together. Forty-three year old Gabby is the last person to have an affair. She can’t relate to the way her friends desperately try to cling to the beauty and allure of their younger years…And yet, she too knows her youth is quickly slipping away. She could never imagine how good it would feel to have a handsome younger man show interest in her-until the night it happens. Matt makes Gabby feel sparkling, fascinating, alive-something she hasn’t felt in years. What begins as a long-distance friendship soon develops into an emotional affair as Gabby discovers her limits and boundaries are not where she expects them to be. Intoxicated, Gabby has no choice but to step ever deeper into the allure of attraction and attention, never foreseeing the life-changing consequences that lie ahead. If she makes one wrong move she could lose everything-and find out what really matters most.
A heartfelt and complex story, Tempting Fate will have readers gripped until they reach the very last page, and thinking about the characters long after they put the book down.
My Review: “Tempting Fate” was my first book by Jane Green, and I loved it. I’ve read books about infidelity, but never one as powerful as this was. The Elliot/Gabby/Matt triangle was an interesting one. There were times I found myself pulling for Gabby and her husband to stick together, but I was highly charmed by Matt’s seductive suaveness, so I was torn most of the time.
There was a consequence when Gabby acted out, but I only think that it enriched the story, giving the readers something that they could maybe identify with. I liked it though, and even how it turned out to be a blessing.
I started this book late on a Saturday night, and ended it the next night. Jane’s writing was witty and emotional. Now only were the characters actions were very well written, so were the descriptions, and I’d love for it to be turned into a movie! While I don’t relate to Gabby’s character, I sympathized with her, and understood her need for wanting to tempt fate. The only thing I would change was to add a little more detail about how she and the man she ended up with make it work, (sorry, no spoilers).
“Tempting Fate” was an unforgettable book–one I won’t forget! Like I mentioned, this was my first book by Jane Green, and it won’t be my last.
I give “Tempting Fate” five stars!
**GIVEAWAY**
Post a comment telling us when you’ve wanted to tempt fate. To be eligible to win a hardcopy of “Tempting Fate,” please leave your email address (this is so I can contact you that you’ve won).
A winner will be selected on Friday, March 28th!