Monday, August 10, 2015

Interview: Hurricane of the Heart by Jewel Amethyst



Welcome, Jewel. Please share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use.

I’m Jewel Amethyst author of several multicultural romances. My debut novel, A Marriage of Convenience, was released in 2009 to rave reviews and received 4 star rating from Romantic Times. Since then, I’ve published two novellas that included a Holiday romance From SKB with Love in the Holiday Brides anthology and a YA suspense, Indiscretion, based on Pretty Little Liars series.

Last year (2014), using the name Jewel Daniel, I collaborated with Lynelle Martin, my then 11 year old daughter to write the first in the Small Worlds  Series of middle grade science adventure novels, Zapped! Danger in the Cell.

This year I’ve returned to my romantic roots publishing my second full length romance as Jewel Amethyst, Hurricane of the Heart.

Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.

My newest multicultural romance novel Hurricane of the Heart was released on July 25th 2015. It’s about a hard-partying American, Kyle, who attends his cousin’s destination wedding in the Caribbean island of Dominica, but finds himself trapped in a hurricane with a very beautiful, but very ambitious indigenous Caribbean native, Alia. The two are polar opposites yet they can’t seem to fight their attraction to each other. When they finally admit their feelings for each other, and they have to leave Alia’s beautiful but devastated island, the uncertainties they face seem more insurmountable than the ravages of the hurricane. 

Are you a mom?

Yes, three times over. I have a 12 year old daughter, who is also my writing partner for my middle grade novels, a 7 year old daughter, and a 5 year old son. They inspire a lot of my writing.

Do you find it hard to juggle writing and parenting?

It’s difficult but not impossible. I schedule my writing around whatever I have to do. There are times when I am at my kids’ soccer practice and I have my laptop typing away. When I’m waiting on my older kid at the bus stop, I let the younger ones play at the park while I’m writing. It helps when you can concentrate in loud environments. I guess growing up with seven siblings prepared me for this.

Have you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own life?

Yes I have. My first book, A Marriage of Convenience was loosely based on a friend of mine who got married for a green card but eventually fell in love. The characters in Zapped! Danger in the cell are based on my three children, their namesakes.  Sean in from SKB with Love is modeled off a family friend who lost his girlfriend to breast cancer over twenty years ago and up to a decade ago had not found another. Hurricane of the Heart was not intentionally based on any character or event in my life, however, when a relative read the manuscript she claimed Alia’s life paralleled her own.

Is there a theme or message in your work that you would like readers to connect to?

I don’t set out to have a theme. But all my books give a kind of hope that no matter who you are, how you look, or where you’re from you can find love and happiness.

What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

That for a romance writer I’m a pretty conservative person when it comes to love, sex, marriage, and relationships.

When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

That’s a very interesting question. Writing was my hobby and my guilty pleasure before it became my profession. It still is. I also like to sew, but don’t get a lot of it done. I also love baking and I make a mean pineapple upside down cake. But that is costing me my waistline.

Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

So far I’ve tackled romance and children’s science adventure.  I’ve even dabbled a little in suspense and I do a bit of poetry and culturally specific short stories. What I’d like to tackle is mystery, the kind that requires in depth research like Dan Brown writes.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

Hurricane of the Heart was intended to be a standalone novel. However I like the characters so much that I began writing another one starring Delia, Kyle’s sister in this book and have a vague outline for another character, Emily Robinson, Kyle’s mother.

What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?

I have quite a few works in progress, but no scheduled releases as of now.

Hurricane of the Heart
Jewel Amethyst

Genre: Romance

Publisher: CaribbeanReads Publishing

Date of Publication: July 25, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-9964358-2-6

Number of pages: 292
Word Count: 85,900

Book Description:

The Player

When Kyle agrees to be the best man at his best friend’s destination wedding in Dominica, he has one thing on his mind: partying. But all that changes when a powerful hurri¬cane strikes the island and he finds himself trapped in a vil¬lage and falling hard and fast for the indigenous beauty queen, Alia Graneau.

The Planner

Alia Graneau has goals that do not include men, least of all an immature, irresponsible American party-animal like Kyle. But the hurricane devastates more than her beautiful island; it wreaks havoc on her heart when she falls under Kyle’s spell and is forced to choose between her ambition, her love for her country and her love for Kyle Robinson.

Can their love, born in a hurricane, survive the ravages of real life?


Excerpt

People were everywhere, sitting on bags, on the floor, leaning against the walls. The few airport employees looked harassed. The PA system was not operational, so an employee had to walk around using a megaphone to make announcements.
The terminal itself had suffered severe damage. Green tarp held down by concrete bricks lay over much of the building. A cargo plane, almost too large for the small airstrip, was parked on the tarmac while customs agents and volunteers unloaded much-needed supplies. Airport security was non-existent.
Holding hands, Kyle and Alia walked into the loud, bois-terous chaos and returned the keys of the Jeep to the car rental company. Just then a small aircraft that had been circling the hills for some time swooped in for landing.
“That’s my flight,” Kyle said. He joined the throng of people crowded around the counters waiting to check in.
Half an hour later, the woman with the megaphone an-nounced that the flight was ready for boarding.
Kyle drew Alia into his arms. “I guess this is it.”
Alia nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She buried her face in his chest. The ache she felt in her heart was physical, almost stifling. She wished he would stay. She wished she had packed a bag and brought her passport.
He lifted her face with his index finger and gazed directly into her eyes. He saw the raw emotion as she struggled to fight back tears. Slowly he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Alia,” he whispered emotionally, “I know you think that I’m all about the siwo and that I would say anything to get a woman into bed. But I’m gonna tell you something I’ve never said to any woman before. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Alia whispered. The floodgates opened, and the tears she had fought so desperately to control flowed down her cheeks.
He found her lips and their kiss was long, deep, and pas-sionate. They did not want to let go of each other. They kissed again and again, unconcerned about the throngs of people that surrounded them. They only broke apart when the woman with the bullhorn shouted right into their ears that it was time to board the flight.
Kyle reluctantly released Alia and walked through the doors into what was left of the departure lounge. Alia waved at him until he was through the doors.
Quickly, she exited the terminal and crossed the narrow road to the river. Leaning on the river wall, Alia allowed the lazy flow of the crystal clear water over smooth round stones to calm her nerves. She followed the water with her eyes all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, just a few yards away. The light breeze combing through her hair gave her a sense of calm serenity despite her emotional turmoil as she second-guessed her decision not to go with Kyle.
She heard the engine of the plane start up and walked around the terminal toward the tarmac. There were no security guards to stop her. Standing under the tarpaulin-covered awn-ing near the tarmac, Alia could see the small craft with its pro-pellers secured by a rope. Passengers were already boarding. Most of them were white tourists who had been stranded on the island, or Ross University students. She strained forward hoping to get one last glimpse of Kyle as he boarded the air-craft. She was already missing him.

With all the passengers on board, the stewardess closed the door and the plane got ready for takeoff. Alia never saw Kyle board. She was too late.

About the Author

Jewel Amethyst is the author of two mass market romance novels, Marriage of Convenience and From SKB with Love one of three stories in the Holiday Brides’ romance anthology. Hurricane of the Heart is her second full-length romance novel. Jewel was born and raised on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and currently resides in Maryland with her family.



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