Today, we’re sitting, standing, and even taking a pleasant stroll with the lovely PJ Adams. Lately, I’ve been meeting so many great people from the UK. Polly is no different š Sit down, take off your slippers (it’s summer time), and enjoy getting to know this talented writer.
Youāre the author of many different romance novels. Share a line/passage with us that the world needs to read.
āI stepped back, found the door, turned, and then I was running back along that corridor, tottering in my Jimmy Choos and intensely aware that I was in this strangerās vast home, running from him, in very high shoes and no panties.ā (from The Object of His Desire)
Youāve been presented with the opportunity to be a best-selling author but can never write again or write forever but never have a bestseller. Which scenario sounds more tempting?
Iād write forever, and hope for at least a steady audience if I canāt manage bestsellerdom. Itās hard to imagine stopping writing: Iāve been published by big multinational companies, sold stories to the movies, but also been dumped from publishing lists and been badly treated by publishers and agents. Writing is an incredibly up and down business for most of us! One key thing Iāve learned is that I always keep on writing, regardless of whether Iām on an up or heading back down.
Ā Great advice š
If you could live on a college campus and never leave or in a small town but be able to travel, which one would you choose?
Small town, definitely. Iām more of a small town kinda girl, anyway. I love visiting the big cities, and I love the time Iāve spent at campuses, but I prefer the sense of scale of the small town. And Iād hate not being able to travel.
Okay, how about Scotland or Iceland?
Iāve never been to Iceland, but would love to visit, but if forced to choose Iād go for Scotland – one of my favorite places in the world. The scenery is stunning, the people lovely, and Iām particularly partial to haggis and Speyside single malts.
Who is your favorite 90ās band (Iām thinking Counting Crows, Blink 182, Hootie & the Blowfish)?
The 90s were great for bands over here in the UK: the running battles between Oasis and Blur for attention, Sleeper, Echobelly, and earlier, the Stone Roses. Forced to choose, Iād probably go for Pulp if only for one standout TV performance where rather than lots of camera angles that the other bands had gone for, for the whole of āCommon Peopleā there was a single camera trained on Jarvis Cocker, zooming in, pulling away, swinging around him; he completely commanded that performance. Brilliant.
And what about your favorite comedy on TV (I love The Office and Seinfeld)?
Cheers is hard to beat, for me, for its performances and for the funny, tight scripts.
Is there anything youāre currently working on?
Iāve just started a new serial called The Winner Takes It All, which opens in a storm when a stranger turns up at a bar in a drenched tuxedo, with a roll of fifty dollar bills in his pocket and thatās all he has in the world.
Most recently finished is The Object of His Desire, my romantic suspense novel which was published on 1st July. Itās the story of a young American woman who gets involved in murder and scandal centered around an aristocratic English family. I think itās one of the best things Iāve written, and I was delighted when it was picked up for the Insatiable Reads summer promotion, along with top romance authors including Sara Fawkes and Julia Kent.
Who is your favorite author and if you could ask him/her one question, what would it be?
I love all kinds of fiction, from crime and horror through romance, chick lit and thriller, but I always come back to Charles Dickens. I love the layers of story in everything he wrote. If I could ask him something Iād probably be starstruck and ask something dumb like āAre you really Charles Dickens?ā and then Iād realize Iād used up my one question…
Lightning round:
Ocean or mountains? Ocean (from the shore – I get seasick).
Peaches or plums? Plums.
Skittles or M & Mās? M&Ms; although here in the UK Iād go for Smarties.
Happy or sad ending to a novel? Happy, but with the possibility of either held open for as long as possible.
Beer or wine? Wine. A nice big glass of Pinot Noir, thank you.
Flying or driving? Flying. And a window seat, please.
Mystery or fantasy novel? Mystery.
You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take two things with you as well as two people. What and who are you bringing?
Assuming Iām not allowed a cruiser as one of my things and two crew-members as my people, Iād go for: a well-stocked Kindle (with an endless power supply!) and a chaise longue so I can sit or lie in comfort; for the people, Iād bring my husband, and as long as neither of them would get jealous, Gerard Butler.
You’re able to sit down with any president in United States history. Who would you choose, what would you talk about, and would you rather have him over to your house or meet at the White House?
Nixon would be fascinating, but Iād have to go for Kennedy in the hope that I could test out his charm and pry out some inside stories from him. My place, I think; get him away from his normal environment and he might just relax and drop his guard a little.
You can wish for one thing and one thing only (not world peace and no more wishes)! Whatās it gonna be?
Avoiding all the world-peace-like alternatives (an end to disease, poverty, etc), and the obvious materialistic ones (a big lottery win), I think Iād go for the option of living my life how Iād want to: writing, traveling, seeing my friends and family. As I said at the start, a writerās life is full of ups and downs, and Iād really like the current up to last!
Thank you Polly for your honest and insightful answers. Connect with Polly below and find out more about her recent release.
Writing under other names, PJ Adams is a successful novelist, with several novels published by major publishing houses and optioned for movies. As PJ Adams, she writes in the genre closest to her heart, erotic romance – love stories with that added heat, including The Object of His Desire and Four Temptations.
The Object of His Desire by PJ Adams
When Trudy goes to her estranged brother’s wedding, the last thing she expects is one of those moments: a handsome stranger, their eyes meeting across a crowded room… a tempting, but dangerous stranger. Determined to find out more, she discovers that dark secrets bind him to her brother; she also learns that he’s the kind of man who gets what he wants, and what he wants right now is Trudy.
Introducing her to the world of the super-wealthy, he showers her with designer clothes, shoes, and diamonds, whisking her off to dinner dates by private jet… what more could a girl want?
But as she finds out more about him, Trudy begins to wonder if she can ever love a man she can never fully trust. A man involved in murder and blackmail, who may just be using her as an alibi. Should she run or let herself fall for him? And will he give her a choice?
A passionate erotic romance, where scandals buried away in the past lead to murderous intrigue in the present, in the intensely steamy world of the super-wealthy and powerful.
Available for Kindle:
The Object of His Desire on Amazon US
The Object of His Desire on Amazon UK
… and other ebook formats.
Also available in paperback:
The Object of His Desire on Amazon US
Jackson Paul Baer 