Welcome to our New Faces column, where you can meet debut romance authors now on your local bookshelves. This time we're visiting with Jill Winters, whose first romantic suspense novel, Plum Girl, is now available from Onyx.

Jill welcome to TRR! Tell us about yourself.

Originally, I'm a Jersey girl, but I lived in Boston for several years. Right now I split my time between the two. I come from a very close, supportive family.

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

I graduated from Boston College with a degree in History, and went on to temping, graduate school, and teaching Women's Studies. Right now, I write full time, and I like to spend my sporadic bouts of writer's block hanging out with my sisters, who are my best friends in the world :)

What led you to write romance?

To be honest, I discovered romance novels fairly recently, but I was immediately hooked. Among my first loves were the fun, sexy books of Susan Andersen, Rachel Gibson, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. No matter what, their stories could always restore positive emotions. I didn't seriously consider writing until one fateful Christmas Eve--when I was dumped cold by my boyfriend and threw myself into another novel as a means of escape. It was then that I had the epiphany that I wanted to write--No, that I NEEDED to write! And that's when I met PLUM GIRL :)

Tell us about your road to publication.

I had a very positive experience. After I finished PLUM GIRL, I bought the Getting Your Book Published for Dummies Guide and followed their basic tips for manuscript submission. I sent out query letters to publishers, not expecting to hear for months, but within two weeks, I had three requests for the full manuscript. And within a month, I got The Call from NAL executive editor Audrey LaFehr offering to buy PLUM GIRL. It was a full year before PLUM GIRL came out in stores (I still can't quite believe it when I see it on the shelves!).

What kind of research was involved for your first book?

Absolutely none, which was wonderful for me because after so much undergraduate and graduate work in History, I couldn't bear to consult sources while writing PLUM GIRL :) Lonnie's story came from somewhere deep inside of me and once I got started, in many ways, it wrote itself.

Tell us about your debut book.

PLUM GIRL is the story of overeducated, underappreciated temp, Lonnie Kelley, who discovers her obnoxious boss murdered at the office party. Soon she's dodging weird coworkers, uncovering company secrets, and accidentally falling in love with Dominick, the sexy computer programmer who works downstairs.

Who are your influences as a writer?

My favorite contemporary authors are Jane Heller, Susan Andersen, Linda Howard, Janet Evanovich, and Sparkle Hayter. (To name a few!)

What does your family think of having a romance author in their midst?

Overall I'd say they're very happy. Of course my mother claimed she "blushed" during all the sexual scenes. So I said, "Oh, THAT? Please, Mom, that was NOTHING." Apparently that didn't make her feel better!

Tell us about plans for future books.

I'm so excited for what's coming up! My second novel BLUSHING PINK will be a June 2003 release from NAL. BLUSHING PINK is a humorous, sexy contemporary about grad student Reese Brock, who returns home to NJ for her winter vacation. At the moment, I'm working on my third book which will bring back a certain character from PLUM GIRL... but all I can tell you right now is that it will combine my two favorite things: quirky mystery and sexy, passionate love.

How can readers get in touch with you?

I absolutely love hearing from readers. They can email me at: jill@jillwinters.com . Also, please check in with my website www.jillwinters.com often because I have fun & different contests each month. And finally, you can track me down at the Signet & Onyx Romance Authors' site: http://signetnal.home.att.net. I edit our monthly newsletter along with author Jaclyn Reding, which is free and keeps readers up to date on news & releases--so feel free to stop by!

Jill, thanks for joining us,and best of luck! Readers, we have a review of Plum Girl in our Contemporary section.

October 8, 2002