SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author Jana Richards!

Visiting me this week in The Loft is Canadian author Jana Richards! Jana is the author of more than 20 books in a broad range of romance genres, including contemporary, comedy, paranormal, World War II, and suspense. By day, she's an accountant/administrative assistant, a wife and mother to two grown daughters, and the caregiver of a spoiled Terrier/Pug named Lou and several unnamed goldfish. Jana lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Author Jana Richards

S: Jana, thanks so much for joining me today!

I am impressed with your list of published books! Complete this sentence: “Writing is….”

J:  Hard but so fulfilling. To make something out of nothing is like a little piece of magic. If someone enjoys one of my stories, all the hard work has been worthwhile.

S: Do you consider your books your greatest achievement?

J: (Shakes head.) Without question my greatest achievement is my children. I have two grown daughters who are beautiful, amazing, accomplished human beings, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.

S: (Nods.) I hope we all feel that way about our children!

Where do you do your best thinking?

J:  Often while doing some mundane task like washing dishes or vacuuming, the answer to a question I’ve been pondering will come to me. Same thing happens when I’m driving or in the shower. I guess my brain is working on solutions to my questions even when I’m not aware of it. But I’ve also done some of my best writing/thinking sitting at my kitchen island with my laptop.

S:  A paranormal invites you to host a dinner with five guests, all prominent figures in history who are now deceased. Who would you invite and why?

J:  I would assemble a group of inspiring women for dinner. I’d invite women writers like Maya Angelou and Jane Austen to learn what writing was like for them and how they got their ideas. I’d love to meet women of great courage like the suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst, and journalist Nelly Bly, who wrote an exposé about the mental institutions of her time by pretending to be insane. They could teach me to fight for what I believe in. And I’d love to meet Anne Frank, to let her know she’s been remembered and loved, and her suffering was not in vain.

S: Wow, that's a pretty incredible list! I imagine that would be a very enlightening evening.

A genie grants you one wish. What is it?

J:  Twenty more wishes? (Laughs.) I’m guessing he wouldn’t go for that. As much as I’d love to wish for my books to all be best sellers and earn me millions, I hope I wouldn’t be quite so selfish. I think I’d have to wish for my family to be healthy in body and mind, and happy in their careers and relationships.

S: (Smiles.) I imagine happiness is an oft-requested wish. Just not sure a genie's definition of happiness is the same as ours. Heck, he just wants to be let out of his bottle!

You are offered one of the following gifts: A day back in time, a glimpse into heaven, or perfect health. Which would you take and why?

J:  That’s a tough question because each choice is so meaningful and interesting. But I think I’d have to go with perfect health. I can’t live in the past or in the future. I have to live in here and now. So I’d like my present to be as good as it can be. Especially if by perfect health you mean “perfect weight!"

S: (Laughs.) That would be ideal, wouldn't it?

Tell me about your book, "Burning Love."

J: Sure. Here's the blurb--

After causing three cooking fires in her apartment, Iris Jensen finds herself evicted and homeless. She lands on Riley Benson's doorstep, looking to rent a room in the beautiful old home he's restoring. It's only for six weeks until Iris leaves Portland, Oregon for her new job on a cruise ship. Firefighter Riley knows firsthand what a bad tenant she can be. But he needs money to finish the work on the house he loves. And something about Iris pulls at his heart…

Meanwhile, in Heaven, two angels watch over the young lovers. Angelica and Hildegard work in Heaven's Relationship Division, where angels match mortals with their soul mates. The angels believe so strongly in Iris and Riley’s love that they break Heaven's rules to help them. Can the angels convince them their love will last a lifetime?