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Sunday, June 25, 2017

Welcome, Author Jillian Chantal!

This week it is such a pleasure to welcome author Jillian Chantal to "Gina's World of Good". An accomplished attorney as well as a prolific writer of a broad range of genres of engaging romantic fiction, Jillian truly has a gift for both creative and analytical thinking - great right-brain, left-brain balance! Jillian will be giving away a copy of any of her backlist books (US only for paperback, anywhere for ebook) to a lucky reader, so leave a comment for your chance to win. Welcome, Jillian!



Welcome to my blog, Jillian. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in mostly Virginia and Florida. My dad was in the Navy for a while when I was very young and we moved several times. When I was six, he left the service and we moved to Virginia as he took a civil service job in Washington, D. C.  When I was in the 6th grade, his entire unit was moved to NAS Pensacola and so that became home. I left for college and law school and then moved back to what I consider home. Pensacola.

What is your newest book about?
It’s called Lightning Strikes Twice and is a Regency romance/adventure. It’s part of a group of stories where 9 authors have teamed together to imagine what certain superheroes would be like in Regency England. It’s part of a series to be released this summer called The Heart of a Hero Series. All the books are up for preorder now. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Strikes-Twice-Heart-Hero-ebook/dp/B071JRZTS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497972433&sr=8-1&keywords=jillian+chantal




Where did you get your inspiration for this novel/book/work?
I chose to base my story on what would happen if the Invisible Woman met Mr. Fantastic in Regency England. Obviously, it was just the inspiration and there’s no real supernatural abilities nor is it based on the actual characters – it’s merely a jumping off point.

What kind of research did you do for this book?
I have other Regencies I’ve written so the basics of that era are known to me but I did research electromagnetic fields and when they were first discovered. I also researched the time it takes a horse to go certain distances as well as a place to set one of the vital scenes that takes place in the story. I needed it to be on the water and not more than a day or two’s ride from London.  I also researched Vauxhall Gardens and when certain features were in vogue there.

Did you put real experiences from your research in this story?
I did, but I fudged the year of the discovery. Hans Christian Orsted discovered the relationship between electricity and magnetism in 1820. I had the hero discover it in 1812.

What intrigues you most about writing these stories?
I love history and putting characters in situations where they need to find solutions to problems without the modern conveniences we have appeals to me.

Tell us a bit about your other books.
I have so many, it’s hard to say much without going on for ages. I’m very eclectic in my tastes and so I have stories that run the gamut from historical to contemporary to magical. I write what I feel at the moment which isn’t great for creating a brand other than a brand of mish-mash, but it makes me happy.

Which of all your characters is your favorite?
Yikes!  That’s a loaded question. I think I have a different favorite depending on the day of the week or what I’m writing at the moment. I tend to fall in love with my heroes so I’d have to say, pick a man, any man, and he’s my favorite.

How did you get started in this genre?
I have a friend who told me she thought I’d rock the Regency era so I took that as a dare and here we are!  

When you have time to read, who are some of your favorite authors?
Harlan Coben, Martha Grimes, Christopher Fowler.

Let’s get personal for a moment: Please share with us the most daring thing you’ve ever done.
I went skydiving. It was divine! I loved it.

Favorite meal?  
Pretty much anything Italian- especially Spaghetti Carbonara. As to my favorite meal ever, when I was 19, I was in Europe with my parents. We were in Verona this particular day and we ate at a very nice restaurant. My dad and I had champagne chicken. It was beaten thin, breaded and cooked in a champagne white sauce with mushrooms. Man, oh, man, it was so good. I’ve never been able to recreate it but I still remember it vividly.

City you would love to visit and why?
I love to travel and one place I haven’t been is South America. I’d love to go to Machu Picchu.



To learn more about Jillian, visit her website at https://jillianchantal.com/


And here's a link that takes  readers to the Amazon site for all 9 books that come out https://www.amazon.com/The-Heart-of-a-Hero-Series/e/B0714MXFB6/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_2

And here are Jillian's links:




Fascinating, Jillian! Thank you so much for visiting “Gina’s World of Good”! I wish you many sales!! Please visit again soon.

Readers, be sure to visit with our next guest, the wonderful Gail Pallotta, July 10-17!!!



28 comments:

  1. Thanks for the interesting interview. This sounds like a fun, imaginative book. I think you're lucky to be in the Panhandle. I enjoy the area so much and am looking forward to another visit there.

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Gail!

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    2. Thanks for the nice comment, Gail. I love living on the gulf coast. A small slice of paradise. I hope you get down to visit again soon!

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  2. This was fun getting to know another author who writes clean romances. Yea! By the way, I have longed to see Machu Picchu for years. Now since I'm older, I doubt I could walk up that mountain to see it. Haha. I would love to enter the contest for one of her books. I would also love to interview her on my blog. Give Jillian my email and tell her to drop me a line if she would like to be interviewed on my blog. Thanks.

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    1. Great to hear from you, Linda, thank you for stopping by. I will definitely pass along your info to Jillian :-)
      PS I bet you'd scale that mountain!!

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    2. thanks Linda! I'd love to pop in at your blog as well. I am with you on the age thing and so I propose we have ourselves airlifted up there. LOL! I am actually better at going up than down. I have no depth perception, so I would probably tumble down! I do write clean romances but some (if the story calls for it) have more than a kiss. Nothing erotic at all, ever, though.

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  3. Hi Jillian and welcome! Thank you very much for visiting, we are going to have a wonderful time. Looking forward to hearing more about you and your writings.

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    1. thanks for inviting me in to your welcoming, cozy blog. I'm excited to be here and meet your friends and followers.

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  4. Here I have know Jillian for years and I learned more about her today! Nice interview.
    I hope one day, Jillian, you can find a recipe that is as close to the dish in Verona, but let me tell you from first-hand [family] experience, you'd never get the cook's secret from him! My family took their recipe and food techniques to their graves.
    I wish you great success with the new book!

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    1. Nice to meet you, Tonette! Thanks for stopping in and commenting on Jillian's awesome work.

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  5. thanks Tonette. I like interviews where new info comes out due to great questions.

    Some people are not generous with recipes. I always share as I think there's no greater compliment that someone loves a dish so much they want to recreate it.

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    1. Oh, I agree. The family members I spoke of loved the adoration their food garnered and the bit of temporary fame among the partakers, but now, they are gone, the foods are gone and few of us remember them.If they had left their recipes, their creations and fame would live on.

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  6. I love Regencies. I definitely want to read yours. We just visited Destin, Florida. While attending Ohio State, my roommates and I went to Pensacola for spring break one time. We didn't want to go to the usual places and loved the beach. We camped out and the funny thing is there were boys at the park from Ohio State. Fun interview, Jillian and Regina!

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  7. Thanks Diane. If you read it, I hope you like it. And I love that you spent time in my great city in college. The beaches are still as awesome. Destin is also a great place. Different atmosphere with all the activity and traffic - I know you had a blast on your recent trip.

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    1. Thanks, Diane! Great to hear from you as always. What a fun coincidence about your spring break trip to FL!!

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  8. Hi Gina..Jillian is a very good writer...nice to have her.. On the blog!!!

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  9. Hi Gina..nice to have Jillian aboard the blog train!!!!!

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  10. I think your cover it so striking and really captures your eye. Did you design it? I enjoy the type of books you write Jillian. I wish you the very best on your latest book! Ann

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    1. Thanks so much, Ann. I love the cover, too. While I didn't design it in its final form, I did choose the photos and the elements. I had a cover artist put it all together as she has that talent and I sure don't. I scrapbook and do photography as hobbies so I think I have an eye for color and things like that but not the computer skills for making beautiful covers. Thanks for the good wishes and for commenting.

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    2. Thanks for visiting, Ann. Interesting question about Jillian's cover - I love it, too. It was good to hear how it came about.

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  11. Hi Jillian: I like Regency novels and am impressed with your extensive range of story lines. Your research shows you are dedicated to being accurate. Your writing and educational background is inspiring. Thank you Regina for having Jillian to your blog. I apologize for showing up so late and Jillian I wish you continued writing and success.

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    1. Aww. Thanks, Larry. I appreciate the compliments. I do enjoy research and as a lawyer, have to do a lot that's not as much fun as that I do for fiction. History is near and dear to my heart. Thanks for commenting.

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    2. Larry, it's always great to hear from you! So glad you could visit and thank you for your nice comment :-)

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  12. Well, our time together is unfortunately drawing to a close. Thank you, Jillian Chantal for a fantastic Regency romance week!

    It has been so interesting learning more about you and your writing. Best of luck to you in the future. Please visit again soon.

    Readers, you have all been wonderful! Thank you for your comments and interest in Jillian's books. She held a random drawing and Ann Mock was selected as the winner of one of her books. Congratulations, Ann!

    Again, Jillian, thank you so much for spending your time with us here on "Gina's World of Good".

    Be sure and visit us next week when author Gail Pallotta appears, July 10-16th. Gail will be awarding a copy of her ebook, Barely Above Water, to one lucky commenter. Looking forward to hearing from you next week as we continue the Summer of '17 Blog Tour.

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