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Jill Jones

Goodreads Author

Born

in Tulsa, Oklahoma, The United States

December 11

Website

http://www.jilljonesbooks.com

Genre

Romance, Suspense, Historical Fiction

Member Since

February 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomjilljonesbooks

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I'm a curious soul with a vagabond spirit, raised by a loving family with a dad heading a geological oil exploration crew in the mid-twentieth century. We roamed like gypsies throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana in search of cracks in the earth's surface that promised black gold. That upbringing instilled in me a love of travel, adventure, and a curiosity about the history and culture of the people of the places where we lived.

After graduating the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Journalism, with a specialty in fiction writing, I spent two years in Europe, an experience that broadened my horizons and opened my young eyes to a wider world than I had ever imagined.

Since those early days, I have lived in many houses, including a 45- I'm a curious soul with a vagabond spirit, raised by a loving family with a dad heading a geological oil exploration crew in the mid-twentieth century. We roamed like gypsies throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana in search of cracks in the earth's surface that promised black gold. That upbringing instilled in me a love of travel, adventure, and a curiosity about the history and culture of the people of the places where we lived.

After graduating the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Journalism, with a specialty in fiction writing, I spent two years in Europe, an experience that broadened my horizons and opened my young eyes to a wider world than I had ever imagined.

Since those early days, I have lived in many houses, including a 45-foot sailboat; I have traveled to many places, made many friends in faraway countries as well as my own, and written books set in places I found fascinating and intriguing. As you read my books, please know that the research for each was in-depth, and the locale is authentic.

For nearly 25 years, I lived in western North Carolina, in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. I served for 10 years as the director of a local history museum and 12 years as the Director of Marketing & Communications for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. In my work, I traveled and met fascinating people in this region and learned about the unique history and culture of western North Carolina. This experience spurred me to write a different kind of story: Freedom's Edge, an American Trilogy. It is historical fiction about the early immigrants to the South who arrived in America before there was a country called America. Western North Carolina and the Appalachian mountains were among the earliest of the country's frontiers, and my story is an imagining of what the lives early settlers were like, set in the context of the French and Indian War, Cherokee Wars, and the War for American Independence. Because of its length, I have divided the story into three parts: Escaping Yesterday, Surviving the Now, and Fighting for Tomorrow.

I am married with three adult children, seven grandchildren and a cat, and now reside in Little Rock, Arkansas. ...more

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Which of your books, if any, would you consider to be in the Gothic Romance genre?

Jill Jones It depends on what you consider Gothic Romance. In my world, it's works like Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, a lot of the work of Mary Stewart,…moreIt depends on what you consider Gothic Romance. In my world, it's works like Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, a lot of the work of Mary Stewart, i.e. set in 19th century England with dark alpha male threatening but also alluring to the innocent heroine. With these parameters, none of my books really fit, although the last two, written under the pseudonym Emily LaForge, were sort of "new American Gothic," at the request of my publisher. In Beneath the Raven's Moon, I pulled out all the classic devices from traditional Gothics, including Poe's ravens, DuMaurier's bones under the boat house, Charlotte Bronte's mad person in the attic, (could be a spoiler), evil house servants, etc.. I set it in a looming post-WWII castle built by the heroine's wealthy and eccentric uncle in upstate NY, with all the requisite creepy atmosphere. But into this, I threw cell phones, helicopters, holograms, and other modern paraphernalia. I didn't know how it would turn out, but actually, I think it's quite fun. I especially liked the way the Audible reader interpreted it. The book that followed, Shadow Haven, has its Gothic elements as well, set in the haunting bayous of south Louisiana. (less)

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Jill Jones First I apologize for not answering this and these others a year ago. I have recently retired from full time work and now have time to pay attention t…moreFirst I apologize for not answering this and these others a year ago. I have recently retired from full time work and now have time to pay attention to my real work! So far, writers' block hasn't been a big problem for me. I have to sort of zone out and think about my characters and what they would do, and somehow they sort it out for me. I guess my advice would be to not try too hard and let your creative juices just flow. Even if you write bad stuff, you can always delete it, but sometimes that opens the doors to the good stuff.(less)

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Jill Jones’s books

Average rating: 3.93 · 817 ratings · 78 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Scottish Rose 4.10 avg rating — 315 ratings — published 1997 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beneath the Raven's Moon by Jill Jones (Goodreads Author), Emily LaForge 3.87 avg rating — 142 ratings — published 2003 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bloodline 3.77 avg rating — 77 ratings — published 2000 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Emily's Secret by Jill Jones (Goodreads Author), Jill LaForge Jones 3.67 avg rating — 66 ratings — published 1995 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Circle of the Lily 3.92 avg rating — 61 ratings — published 1998 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Every Move You Make 3.71 avg rating — 58 ratings — published 2002 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Island 3.91 avg rating — 54 ratings — published 1999 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	My Lady Caroline 4.13 avg rating — 39 ratings — published 1996 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Scent of Magic 3.84 avg rating — 38 ratings — published 1998 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Remember Your Lies 3.79 avg rating — 38 ratings — published 2001 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Jill Jones's Blog

Who were these people?

For me, it is difficult to imagine life on the southern frontier between 1750-1780. Who were these immigrants who came into places like Charleston and Wilmington rather than the more typical points of entry such as Philadelphia and New York? Why did they come? What were they running to? Or from? Did they come of their own accord, or were they indentured or enslaved? How bad was life where they cam