The Book…

Tall, Dark, and Divine
Bagging a Greek God – Book One

- by Jenna Bennett

Eros, the Greek god of love, swore off the useless emotion after his ex ran off with some Viking godling. He’s lost all interest in his matchmaking business, Made in Heaven, until he spots the sweet baker who works across the street. Before she stirs his sullen heart, he’ll match her and get back to his ambrosia-laced wine in no time.
Lonely baker Annie Landon has given up on finding Mr. Right. What she needs is Mr. Right Here, Right Now, and this so-called “Greek God” she’s heard is on the rebound sounds exactly like the perfect kind of distraction. But picking up the bitter, workaholic is easier said than done…especially when he seems unreasonably determined to match her with someone else.
Can a woman looking for love—and the matchmaking god who wants her to find it with someone else—have a shot at a happy ending? May the best god—or mortal—win.

Title: Tall, Dark, and Divine
Author: Jenna Bennett
Genre: Category – Paranormal
Length: 291 pages
ISBN: 978-1-62266-953-0
Release Date: July 2012
Imprint: Covet

 Buy it! Amazon / B&N

The Interview…

TC- Who is your favorite character (that you’ve written)?

JB:  It changes with each book I write, of course, but at the moment, I’d have to say it’s probably one of the secondary characters from Tall, Dark and Divine: Dionysus, Greek god of wine and debauchery. Can’t wait to give him his own book!

TC- Is there anything you’re working on now?

JB:  LOL! I’m always working on something. At the moment, I’m doing edits on a science fiction romance that’ll be released in November (Fortune’s Hero) and on a contemporary category romance that comes in October (Friends with Benefits), and I’m halfway through writing the sequel to the FH (Fortune’s Honor), and thinking about sequels to FWB and to Tall, Dark and Divine, for later. And then there’s the mystery series and the historical romance series I want to write, along with the couple of other, unfinished manuscripts floating around in my documents file. No rest for the weary.

TC- Where did the idea for your book come from?

JB:  Originally, it came from a life-long love of mythology in all forms and from reading the Lords of the Underworld books by Gena Showalter. I love the Lords of the Underworld, but there’s no denying they’re a bit… dark. I don’t really do dark, not for long, so I had the idea for a light and funny paranormal series about Eros and his matchmaking agency in Astoria, Queens, New York, where I lived in my twenties. And then it went from there, with Eros doing his best to match Annie while all the while fighting his own attraction for her.

TC- Are any of the characters inspired by someone in real life?

JB:  It isn’t real life, of course, or only peripherally, but the hero of Tall, Dark and Divine is Eros, Greek god of love. If you asked the ancient Greeks, he was real. Does that count?

TC- Do you follow a writing schedule, or just write whenever you get the chance?

JB:  I write all day every day, from the kids go to school in the morning until it’s time to pick them up in the afternoon. Then I write until it’s time to make dinner. After they’re in bed, I write some more. I don’t have a schedule, though. I write when I can, which seems to be almost all the time.

TC- Do you listen to music while you write, or do you prefer quiet?

JB:  Quiet. Please. No music. My husband’s desk is six feet away from mine, and he’s a talker. If he’s not talking to me or on the phone, he’s talking to himself, and there are times when I’d be willing to do anything to shut him up. I can handle classical music, but anything with lyrics derails my own thoughts, since I stop to listen to them. I love music, and I love song lyrics, and I enjoy listening to them, but I have to actually stop what I’m doing to listen; it’s not something I can multitask with.

TC- If you could jump in to any book and live there, which book would you choose?

JB:  Harry Potter. Who wouldn’t?

TC- Does writing come naturally to you, or did you have to work harder in order to get that story in your head down on paper?

JB:  Writing comes very naturally to me; so much so that I think it’s probably what I’m supposed to do. It’s easier than anything else I’ve ever done to make a living, and when the words flow, it feels a bit like dancing, which was my first love.

(Of course, sometimes it’s like pulling teeth too, and feels nothing at all like dancing; but when it does, it’s glorious!)

TC- How long did it take you to write your book?

JB:  Seventeen days. And then another week or so editing. This was a quick one; it basically wrote itself.

TC- Did you use an outline or make some sort of “book plan” before you started writing?

JB:  Strangely, I did. I don’t usually outline, but this was sold on proposal, so I had a 2 – 2.5 page synopsis. Usually I’m a total pantser, just winging my way to THE END, but in this case having an outline worked.

Fun Stuff:

• Coffee or tea? Neither.
• Paper book or ebook? Both.
• Summer or winter? Depends on where I live.
• Werewolves or vampires? Neither. Gods.
• Morning person or night owl? Neither. Sleeper.
• Pantser or plotter? Mostly pantser.
• Pepsi or Coke? Coke. All the way.
• Dogs or cats? Dogs. Allergic to cats.

Favorites:

• Drink – Coke; the real thing
• Food – Italian; tomato sauce, not cream
• Movie – The Mummy
• TV show – The Young Riders (1989-92). Currently, the only show I’m watching is Criminal Minds.
• Book – couldn’t possibly pick just one.
• Late night snack – Cashews
• Writing tools – PC/BIG keyboard
• Sport – to watch, handball (the team kind) or baseball (the pants are hot). To play, probably volleyball.
• Vacation destination – St. Augustine, FL
• Music – almost anything except rap or metal. I like folk music, especially Irish. And I live in Nashville, so the country is hard to avoid.
• Place to read – anywhere. Just give me a good book and I don’t care about the rest.
• Place to write – at home on my desktop. Big screen, big keyboard.
• Way to relax – reading. Boring, I know.

The Author…

Jennie Bentley is the author of the New York Times bestselling Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime, while Jenna Bennett writes the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. Jenna is also the author of the upcoming Soldiers of Fortune series of futuristic romances from Entangled Publishing. The first book in the series, Fortune’s Hero, will debut in November 2012. In addition to futuristic romance, Jenna also has the first books in a contemporary romantic suspense series and a paranormal series coming from Entangled Publishing in fall 2012.

A former Realtor® and renovator and current full-time author, jenna/Jennie lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with a husband, two kids, two frogs, two goldfish, a killer parakeet, and a hyper-active dog. Originally from Norway, she has spent more than twenty years in the US and still hasn’t been able to kick her native accent.

She’s a member of Sisters in Crime (SinC), Romance Writers of America (RWA), the Music City Romance Writers (MCRW), the International Thriller Writers (ITW), Women’s National Book Association (WNBA), the Author’s Guild, and two different PTOs.