Author Interview & Book Spotlights: Juli Page Morgan

Juli Page Morgan
Author of Romances that Rock

More Romance Please would like to extend a warm welcome to Juli Page Morgan, author of Crimson and Clover, Athena's Daughter, and Songs Without Words.  

Juli, first please tell us where you are from and who or what most influenced you to become a writer? 

I've always made up stories in my head, and even tried to write a book when I was in 7th grade. (I'm sure it was horrible, but I wish I still had it!) But it was while reading a story some online friends were posting in increments in a forum that I seriously considered writing the story in my head of a flower child with heart of June Cleaver who falls in love with a British rock god in Swinging London. That story turned out to be my first book, Crimson and Clover!

If you were to be left alone on an island, what three books would you take with you? 

Gah! You know, I ask authors who visit my website this same question, and they always cuss me out. Now I know why! LOL Do series count as one book? I'm saying series count. So I'd take Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Elizabeth Corva's Angel Interceptor series, and Old Dogs by Debi Matlack.

What are your most and least favorite movie genres? 

I'm pretty open when it comes to movies, and like everything from Gone with the Wind to Pulp Fiction. I do tend to avoid the "grown men acting like adolescent boys" type movies, though.

If you could choose any man for your next book cover, who would he be? 

Easy - Brazilian model Douglas Hickmann. (Google him. You won't be sorry!) In fact, I'm in negotiations with a photographer to use a photo of him on my next book cover! *squee*

When you are on a deadline, what aspect of your ‘regular’ life suffers most?

Food. I'm never going to be someone who forgets to eat, but when I'm buried in a book I tend to grab things like those packets of crackers with cheese instead of a meal. The wrapper says they're made with "REAL CHEESE!" so I can fool myself into thinking it's somewhat nutritious. Plus, my husband and I are both now on a first name basis with all the delivery drivers at our local Papa John's.

What advice would you give aspiring authors? 

Never give up. Just sit down and write the thing. You can always go back and clean it up later.

What advice would you give seasoned writers? 

Never give up. Just sit down and write the thing. You can always go back and clean it up later. :)

When reading for pleasure, do you prefer a physical or electronic book? 

As much as I love the convenience of my e-reader, I have a deep abiding love for a physical book. I love the way it smells, I love the way it feels in my hands, I love the heft of it. (And, yes, I write romances that get quite steamy. LOL)

From the first stroke of a pen (or laptop), how long did it take you get published? 

Several years. Maybe four? When I started my first book, publication wasn't even a blip on my radar and I had no freakin' clue what I was doing. Reading a book and writing one are two different beasts, and I found that out after I ended up with over 200,000 words, 100,000 of which were crapola. Thank goodness I took the time to educate myself and take a year to clean it up before I submitted that monster!

Did you ever feel like calling it quits? 

Oh, yes. Especially after reading the 100,000 crapola words. I'm so glad I got over myself and didn't give up!

What did you do when you got your first contract? 

I scared the dog. It may have been the scream when I read the email from the publisher, or it might have been the ugly dancing which followed. Then I sent a mass text message to everyone on my contact list. Then I just sat in a bliss-induced stupor the rest of the day.  

Thanks so much for having me on More Romance Please. I really enjoyed being here! It's been so much fun!

You're welcome, and thank you so much for joining us today, Juli. We really enjoyed the insights. Good luck with all your wonderful books. 

Crimson and Clover

by Juli Page Morgan

About the Book:

Under Katie Scott’s flower child exterior beats the heart of June Cleaver.  Though she digs her bellbottoms and love beads, she longs for the idyllic family life she was denied as a child.

Laughed out of San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury after the Summer of Love for believing rock ‘n roll and white picket fences can coexist she decides to try her luck in the bohemian neighborhood of Ladbroke Grove in London.

When she discovers her new friend Adam is starting a band with Jay Carey, she’s ecstatic.  She’d admired the British guitar god from afar for years, and when she and Jay finally meet the attraction between them is instantaneous.

But life with a rock ‘n roll star doesn’t lend itself well to white picket fences.  And when Katie tells Jay the secret she’s carried for two years it may end the dream before it begins.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: “This is a must-read for anyone who loves classic rock and roll. Better yet, this is a must read for someone who’s looking for something real.” – Terri Herman-Ponce, author of In This Life and Covet

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Athena's Daughter

by Juli Page Morgan

About the Book:

Seven years ago Athena Hill made a hasty decision that hurt the two people she loves most, only they don't know it. Yet.

When Athena fell in love with up-and-coming rock guitarist Derek Marshall on her vacation to England, she thought the rest of her life was mapped out - marriage to Derek, a home in London, and a happily ever after. But an expired visa sends her back home to Memphis where she discovers she's pregnant. Believing Derek betrayed her after she left, she takes her sister's advice to keep the baby a secret from him.

Now Derek's band is at the top of the music charts, and he thinks he has it all. Until he walks into a record store in Memphis, Tennessee and sees the woman who shattered his heart. Shock turns to white hot anger when he learns about the child he never knew he had.

Now Athena’s daughter has the father she always wanted and needed, and Derek is overjoyed to have his child in his life.  But as for Athena? Derek still treats her like someone he used to know. Can he forgive her for what she did, or has the past destroyed any chance of happiness with the man she still loves?

A 2014 RONE Award Nominee!

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: "A wonderfully emotional story where the characters leap off the page right into your heart!” – InD’Tale Magazine

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Song Without Words

by Juli Page Morgan

About the Book:

Top jock Spencer Moretti owns the New Orleans Rock radio airwaves. A veteran of countless band interviews at the age of 22, she’s ready for her own world-wide syndicated program. All she needs is one big break, and she finds it during a chance meeting with Geoff Lane, former guitarist for the legendary UK band Axis.

When Spencer discovers that Geoff has a secret music project in the works, one that’s sure to reignite his career, she ropes him into an exclusive interview, determined to snag the juicy details. Intrigued by the lovely disc jockey’s feisty nature and her spitfire temper, Geoff is determined to snag something too - Spencer!

Spencer and Geoff make sweet music together until death strikes their circle of friends. As the body count mounts, it’s clear that someone will go to any lengths to stop them cold. Can they keep a killer from destroying all they have, or will their love song become a murder ballad?

A 2014 RONE Award Nominee!

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:  "Part love story, part murder mystery, and wholly a tribute to the fading glory days of FM Rock radio. Intrigue, tension, smokin’ hot love scenes and fascinating characters!" – Elizabeth Corva, author of the Angel Interceptors series

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About the Author:

Juli Page Morgan is a former rock ‘n roll radio announcer who had the great luck to meet and interview lots of bands over the years. During those interviews she heard some interesting stories, but it was when the microphone was turned off and they were just hanging out that she heard - and saw - the really juicy stuff! Incorporating these revelations in her books (with names and locations changed to protect the innocent, and often the not-so-innocent!) lets her take her readers on a hard rocking journey full of love, music and happy endings while giving a “backstage peek” at some of the things that really happened.  Her Romances that Rock™ include Crimson and Clover, and RONE Award nominees Athena’s Daughter and Song Without Words. Look for Sister Golden Hair in the summer of 2014.

Juli lives in Arkansas with her husband. When she’s not writing, she’s recording voiceovers for television commercials, remodeling her old house,  and trying to convince her husband the world won’t come to an end if the television is turned off.  She also listens to a lot of music at maximum volume and has never met a speed limit she didn't exceed.  Juli’s an unapologetic lover of rock ‘n roll, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, and French onion dip, not necessarily in that order.

Author contacts:

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