Let It Snow Books: Interview with Jennifer St. George + Giveaway

Welcome to Day 1 of Let it Snow Books 2012, where for the next three weeks you have the chance to read some really fun holiday posts from some of your favorite authors, both here and at Ex Libris.

Today, we welcome author Jennifer St. George here at Books to Brighten your Mood with a festive post and you will have the chance to win a copy of The Convenient Bride, one of the sweetest romances I read this year with the most incredible setting. Honestly, reading this story you'll feel like you've visited Italy yourself!
Read my review for more info on The Convenient Bride:

When I started reading The Convenient Bride, I really didn't know what I should be expecting from this novel, seeing there where no reviews for the book at the time. So I just relied on the premise of this story and on my gut feeling and I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed by this story... Read the rest of my review here.

- You’re holiday shopping, name a few things you’ll buy this year.
Jennifer: With such a large family, I do a lot of shopping. I really love trying to find unique gifts for all the nieces and nephews. It’s fun trying to find something for the horse-mad eleven year old (horsey shoulder bag), the insect obsessed nine-year old (insect encyclopaedia) and the literature loving seven-year old (he’s already quoting ancient Greek texts so shopping for him is pretty tricky!!). My husband is surf mad, so any surf related gift usually make him pretty happy. My Dad loves chocolates so I just bought him a huge 1.1kg box (absolutely no self-interest in that purchase).

-Do you have any favorite holiday themed stories (movies or books)?
Jennifer: The first time I saw the movie Love Actually, I hated it, I don’t know why. Now it is one of my favourite films, I watch it at least once a year. I love the scene where the curtain opens on the Christmas play with the Prime Minister kissing his new love and he says, Smile…Bow…

- Could you share with us your favorite holiday meal/dessert/candy?
Jennifer: I’m a pretty hopeless cook but there’s something special about serving up a roast turkey even when it’s thirty-five degrees outside. Also, you can’t put on weight on Christmas Day (I know you do not believe me but its completely true!) I usually help myself to all the chocolates lying about the place (see Dad’s Xmas present above!)

- We all love Christmas holidays, but I was wondering if there’s anything about them that you find annoying?
Jennifer: Although I love having all of the members of the family to stay, if does mean a lot more preparation and catering, two activities I don’t enjoy.

-Let’s say you have the chance to spend the holidays with a fictional character, who would that be and what would you be doing?
Jennifer: That would have to be hanging out with Santa of course. Who wouldn’t want to fly around the world in an open-topped sleigh for the night?

-What would you ask Santa to bring you this year?
Jennifer: A new Kindle. Mine just broke!

-What would be your (bookish or not) New Year’s resolutions?
Jennifer: Well always at the top of the list is to lose five kilos. Why does that one just keep coming up? My writing goal is to produce three new romances for Destiny Romance in 2013. I would also love to get through more of my enormous To-Be-Read pile. So many of my writing friends have been published lately and I’m dying to read their wonderful stories.
 

-Since this whole event is about the Best Books we read in 2012, could you share with us some of your favorite titles you read this year?
Jennifer: I’ve read so many good books this year. I have to start with my fellow Destiny Romance authors. I loved Kelly Hunter’s novella Wish. Her Italian Aristocrat by Louise Reynolds is a great romance set in Italy and if you want to be terrified, just pick up a copy of Elise K Ackers’ Small Town Storm. I can’t wait to read Double Exposure, Princess Avenger and all the other Destiny Romance titles.

Other great romances I’ve read this year are Fiona Lowe’s Boomerang Bride, Ali Ahearn’s Sister Pact and Nikki Logan’s Their Miracle Twins. Goodness, I could go on and on…

Non-romance favourites this year include George RR Martin’s King of Thrones series and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

-What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?
Jennifer: Most of my extended family live at least two hours drive from us with some living hundreds of kilometers away. The whole family descends on Byron Bay (as we live in the most beautiful part of Australia!!) and we have a couple of crazy weeks together on the beach. It’s totally exhausting (there are lots of kids under ten!!) but great fun.

-What’s one of the best gifts you ever received/gave for Christmas?
Jennifer: Hmmm. That’s a really good question. My sister wrote a wonderful story during her Creative Writing Masters degree. Her husband hand-bound just three copies of the book in dark-green leather. I think that was one of the best presents I’ve ever received. 

Thank you Jennifer for being here today and Happy Holidays!

About the author

Jennifer St George is a romance author whose sexy stories feature courageous, career-minded heroines and strong heroes in glamourous international settings. Her debut novel, The Convenient Bride, published by Penguin's new digital-first imprint www.destinyromance.com, has just hit e-book shelves. The book won the prestigious NZ Romance Writers 2012 Clendon Award.

After spending the first 20 years of her career in corporate marketing and management consulting roles, Jennifer had the privilege of travelling extensively for her work. Some career highlights include launching Guinness beer in Russia; reaching 40 million people through a publicity campaign that ‘gave away’ a pub in Ireland, testing new cars on a speedway in Japan and launching the Ford Ka brand in Australia. She uses her travels as the basis for many of her stories' exotic settings. For example, The Convenient Bride which takes place mostly in Venice, was conceived during a trip to Italy.

Jennifer has a graduate business degree and completed an MBA where she was presented with the Rupert Murdoch Fellowship. She lives in the sub-tropical paradise of Byron Bay, Australia and is the immediate past Vice-President of Romance Writers of Australia.

Visit Jennifer

Website ~ Twitter  ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

About the Book:
Title: The Convenient Bride
Author: Jennifer St. George
Publisher: Destiny Romance
Release Date: September 2012
Purchase Info: Amazon, Publisher, Goodreads

Sienna De Luca will do anything to save her family's hotel, and ruthless Italian businessman Antonio Moretti knows it. With problems of his own, he proposes a marriage of convenience and plans to use Sienna to secure his next business deal. But things don't go quite according to plan.

In keeping with her part of the bargain, Sienna travels to Venice to be with Antonio, who introduces her to a life of great luxury and opulence. As befits the fiancée of the famous Antonio Moretti, Sienna is given a new wardrobe of designer gowns and outfits and instructed exactly how to behave when out in public. But after thinking he can manipulate her at his will, Antonio begins to realise he has seriously underestimated Sienna, her intelligence, her skills, her courage – and her beauty. Unexpectedly, Sienna gets too close and when she discovers his dark secret, Antonio's perfectly planned life begins to unravel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jennifer has generously offered an e-book of The Convenient Bride to one lucky commenter. (Open Internationally.) All giveaways end on January 5th.

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