At the RWA National Conference this summer, I got to meet (and even room with) the phenomenon that is Jackie Ivie. I was like her short, quiet, troll-ish shadow. This is Jackie dressed for dinner, in a lime green dress and four inch heels—and she's already six feet tall in her stockings! So naturally I had to steal one of her advance copies of The Knight Before Christmas. Oh, the things I do for this job… If you've never read Jackie Ivie, consider yourself warned: you will need tissues. Lots of tissues. From her first book, Lady of the Knight, to her latest, The Knight Before Christmas, Jackie has delivered some of the most emotional books I've ever read. And now she's stopped by to chat about that new book, and is even sharing an exclusive excerpt, only available here! So brace yourself, and here we go.
Caroline: Your previous books were told entirely from the heroine's point of view, but in The Knight Before Christmas you go deeply into the hero, Myles's, POV. What was that like? And why did you decide to do it (how did it change how you approached and told the story)?
Jackie: I wanted to write a FULL love story—from both perspectives. And I felt challenged to do so from one of my reviewers on Lady of the Knight, my first book. I wanted to see if I could do it. And it was a TON of fun. (I did have to do research with the hubby, however…
Caroline: Uh, Jackie…
Jackie: Especially when it came to how it feels to getting kicked in the groin.
Caroline: Please tell me you didn't…or just don't tell me anymore…
Jackie: How long does it take to recuperate—that kind of thing. At first, he was hesitant…
Caroline: Gee, I wonder why…
Jackie: …and asked why I wanted to know such things.
Caroline: I hope you had some better researching to do later, to make it up to him. Time to move along, I think. Now, as in your previous books, the hero has a major misconception about the heroine. Although this time, the mistake is that he thinks she's his betrothed bride and he's quite happy about it. I loved that Myles was in love before Kendran was, and that he admitted it and was blinded by it. Is Myles really a soft-hearted romantic inside?
Jackie: Absolutely. He's been hiding it behind this 'best warrior in the land' personae for his entire life. It took the woman destine for him to get to the heart of the man. All my heroes have great big hearts—sometimes hearts so full and easily hurt that they have to hide it. For instance, Colin, in Tender is the Knight. He was wounded to the heart of him (and not simply because he was cuckolded by his new love, but that she didn't tell him, and he'd given his entire heart and soul into her keeping. Then, he had to hide the hurt and pain behind his manly exterior, so no one would know.
Caroline: So he wouldn't have a woman around asking him things like, 'what's it like to be kicked in the groin?' You're sure tough on your men, Jackie!
You also write very interesting women. Kendran has a sister named Sybil who goes around driving people nuts with her cryptic talk, giving out advice to Kendran and Myles about love and how to fix their relationship. I know lots of people will want to know: does Sybil get what she deserves at some point? Are you writing a story about her?
Jackie: You better believe it! I've already got a good start to Sybil's story. I titled it Once Upon A Knight. It's in a proposal stage on my editor's desk. I only hope she wants it as much as I want to write it! And here's a sneak preview…for your site only:
The man was coming. The man so unsuitable as to be payment for any teasing and tormenting she did. She knew that's what was wished for. An unsuitable man. A man lacking a handsome face, or a brawny frame, or even strength of character that Sybil valued the highest. The man from her dream fit the description perfectly.
Even if she'd never seen him.
The shadow from her dreams was just that: dark and wispy and stunted to the stature of a dwarf. That's the man that was coming for her, and the one she'd do her best to avoid. It certainly wasn't the immense, muscled, blond, fair-faced Adonis-of-a-fellow that had dropped out of a tree today. Sybil paused at the door, the handle turned down preparatory to opening it, and the large metal key in her other hand from securing her cabinet. She nearly shook her head over constant thoughts of him. It wasn't difficult to ascertain the reason. The blond fellow had much to engage a woman's interest. And it was obvious he deserved and expected it.
Sybil was still shaking her head as she shut her door, leaving her pet wolf to guard the interior. There was the distinctive click of the door latching, and then there was the likewise distinctive sound of a throat clearing. Sybil pulled in the gasp and turned slightly, and actually kept the reason from showing anywhere on her body.
"Well?"
The fellow from the marsh was moving from an indolent position leaning against a bit of rock wall to ask it. He was more massive than she remembered. With arms upon his hips and his legs apart, he was effectively spanning the width of her tower hall. He'd also found a way to a bath and laundry, if what she smelled and observed was accurate, since he was splendidly attired in little more than a kilt of blue and black, while the open sides of his doublet were leaving none of his brawn disguised. He probably should have donned a shirt as well, she decided, eyeing him with what she hoped was disinterest.
"Well…what?" she replied, since he did nothing more than block her hall while he waited.
"I've bathed," he replied. And then he grinned.
Sybil had to look down as the strangest shiver ran her frame the moment she glimpsed teeth and what promised to be actual dimples as well. Her own body's response was unfamiliar, unwarranted, and not going unnoticed. At least by her. She could only hope her voice had the same uninterested, modulated tone as always when she replied.
She looked back up. One of his eyebrows was cocked up now and his head was slanted slightly. There was a visual array of rope-like tendons pounding from the belly he was displaying as well. It was very practiced, very posed, and very unnecessary. It was also stupid.
"Congratulations," she finally replied.
Caroline: Whoa! Sybil sees a dwarf in her future and not the Adonis? That girl needs to get her inner eye checked. Mmm. You like to write big men (and I know this is because you're an Amazon yourself). So tell the truth:Myles is described as huge. How big is he?
Jackie: What a great question!
Caroline: No, wait! I mean how TALL is he?
Jackie: The same as all my heroes, I'm afraid. I'm such a sucker for a massive guy. 6 foot 6 inches tall, and 265-270 lbs. of solid brawn and heated strength (and yeah, large everywhere, Caroline!).
Caroline: Jackie, behave yourself!
Jackie: Myles is actually a combo of a couple of celluloid men that I mutated into one in my imagination: the Rock from The Scorpion King, and Arnold Swarzenegger from Conan the Barbarian. Oh my. I found some stills of them, and oh my. It's Myles Magnus Donal all right!
Caroline: Your books are filled with strong emotion, from beginning to end. How do you write such intense feeling?
Jackie: Another awesome question! Wow. Strong emotion is what happens when I write. I'm living these stories as I write them. Every bit of it—especially the torment/worship scene. Oh my. I go through boxes of tissues when I'm writing. I'm so glad it shows.
Caroline: Oh yeah, it shows. I should send you a bill for the tissues I've used on your books. Well, go ahead, hit me with your inspirational photos.
Jackie: My pleasure! As I already mentioned, Myles is a cross between Duane Johnson's character in The Scorpion King and Arnold Swarzenegger as Conan the Barbarian. Totally. This is the image I had going through my mind through the entire story! What can I say? Look for yourself. Is this Myles Magnus Donal or not?
Caroline: They're certainly big. Tall! I meant tall. Um… What are you working on next?
Jackie: Two things, actually. I'm vacillating at the keyboard between Sybil's story, Once Upon A Knight, and a really fun one I started titled The Knight and White Satin.
Caroline: (whispering loudly) Go with Sybil! Please!
Thank you, Jackie, for a very interesting chat! The Knight Before Christmas is on sale in October, and you can get Jackie's previous books, Tender is the Knight and Lady of the Knight right now.
Return to the Contest page and enter to win something from Jackie!
