Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Meet Author Jennifer Shirk

Today We're chatting with Jennifer Shirk about her April 6th release with Avalon, Sunny Days for Sam. Join us!



Sunnyva “Sunny” Fletcher is a firm believer in fairy tales. With the recent debt she’s acquired, the hope of something magical happening in her life is the only thing keeping her going. She needs a job fast. So when Sunny learns the sexy new vacationer in town is looking for a nanny, she starts to believe she just may have a fairy godmother after all!

Internet guru Sam Calloway is only in town for the summer and needs a nanny for his two small children. However, the beautiful and inexperienced Sunny is not exactly the kind of caregiver Sam has in mind. It doesn’t take long for Sunny’s tenderhearted and bubble-blowing ways to soon have the children—and Sam—enamored with her. She’s a dream come true. But after what Sam’s been through, he’s stopped believing in fairy tales long ago.



Welcome, Jennifer! A vacation town setting, a handsome stranger, magical fairy-tale-like happenings…your contemporary romance, Sunny Days for Sam, sounds like my kind of story. Tell us a little bit about Sunny. What makes her believe in the fairy tale? 

Sunny is one of those sweet-wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve type of people. She doesn’t have much in the form of money or family, so all she has left really are her dreams and the hope of her life changing for the better.

Sam has clearly been through some tough times. Tell us a little about the obstacles that keep him from opening up to Sunny.

Hmm…poor Sam. He was married to a career-oriented model who didn’t want to have children, but she became pregnant. They eventually divorced and his wife ended up out of the picture, leaving him to raise the kids alone. His relations with his mom aren’t all that great too, so yeah, he is sort of used to being on his own.

Any story with young children and an inexperienced caretaker lends itself to some humorous results. What are some of the early challenges Sunny had to face in her new role that you most enjoyed writing?

Sunny has such an easy-going manner that she picks up her role as nanny pretty smoothly. But I did love the scene where the children wanted to go swimming and Sunny had to fudge her way through that since she doesn’t know how to swim. 

Romance and children—who has the time? If Sam and Sunny could give some tips for keeping the sparks alive, what would they tell us?

Enforce early bedtimes! LOL

Tell us a little more about the setting. Is the town completely fictitious or based on someplace special?

Well, it’s fictitious, but based on where I live. I live in a similar resort beach town and love it, so I enjoy threading those elements into my story settings.

Your educational background is very different from writing romance. What influenced you make the switch?

Basically, a love of reading romance. When I became a stay-at-home mom, I then decided to try my hand at writing my own.

How do you spend your time when you’re not writing?

Social networking, looking up new recipes and trying them out, exercising, and of course, READING.

What can your readers look forward to next? 


Well, I just submitted a new story to my editor based on some characters in my book GEORGIE ON HIS MIND. This new book I hope to hear on soon is Georgie’s brother Brad’s story.

Four seconds getting to know you…

Your idea of the perfect vacation:  No cooking but lots of good food, plenty of sleeping and time for reading. LOL We were just in Puerto Rico and it had all those things and more! It was very relaxing.

Your favorite author:  Susan Elizabeth Phillips without question.

The one thing you couldn’t live without: Moisturizer.

One word your friends would use to describe you: Funny!

Thanks so much, Jennifer! It was great talking with you. Readers, please visit Jennifer on her website or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Goodreads:

http://www.jennifershirk.com/
https://twitter.com/jennifershirk
https://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-Shirk/100000745044647
http://www.goodreads.com/jennifershirk

About the author: Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy—which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations. She resides in a beach resort, so when she’s not working on her tan or writing, she’s taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter, and four hermit crabs. Sunny Days for Same is Jennifer's second book with Avalon. 


2 comments:

Beate Boeker said...

Wonderful interview! The book sounds like fun - and I do envy you living in a beach town! That's one dream I still have to realize . . .

Jennifer Shirk said...

Thanks, Beate!

I have to say, it is pretty nice breathing in all this ocean air. :)