Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Q&A with Jo Kessel, author of A Call to Heaven



Now available from J.K.Publishing is the paranormal romance A Call to Heaven by author Jo Kessel.






The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule for a Q&A about her newest novel. 


When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve loved writing since I was a little girl. I didn’t just enjoy writing stories at school – I was always writing them at home too, letting my imagination run riot. When I became a journalist for my ‘day job’ it was like I wasn’t working at all because I enjoyed it so much. And then a friend of mine in the UK (also a journalist) got a two-book deal with a major publisher from out of nowhere and that made me think: “I wonder if I could do that too?” And so I started to write my first novel…

What was your first book/story published?

Lover in Law was my first published novel and actually, at the moment in both the US and the UK it’s still my bestselling book! I’m hoping that my current release A Call to Heaven will do better still, because this one is definitely the one that’s most special to me.

What inspired you to write A Call to Heaven?

My mother (who sadly died way too young) came to me in a dream a couple of years ago. In that dream she gave me the premise for A Call to Heaven as well as its title. It was the most brilliant and inspiring way to come up with an idea and I really hope I’ve done my Mom proud.

What character in A Call to Heaven is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I identify with the lead female character Amy in this book, but she really isn’t anything like me. How we’re similar is in our love for our lost mothers and how we’d do anything to be able to speak to them again. Amy’s also a great mom and I like to think that I am too. After that, Amy’s nothing like me. She married a man so odious that I don’t think I could have stayed with him. She’s also a great cook whilst I, by contrast, am woefully incompetent in the kitchen!

What is your favorite part in A Call to Heaven?

The lead male character is a hot doctor called Daniel and I fell a little in love with him as I wrote the book - shush, please don’t tell my husband! I don’t want to give any spoilers, but suffice to say that Amy has a phone which allows her to call heaven and when Daniel finds out about it he’s a total skeptic…so my favorite moment is when he acknowledges that Amy isn’t a nutcase who should be locked up in a mental asylum. I also love it when he admits to himself (and her) that his feelings towards her are far from platonic.

What was the hardest part to write?

The end was the hardest part to write, because I didn’t want to let go and loved being with my characters. Emotionally, however, there were conversations between Amy and her deceased Mom which reminded me of me and my deceased Mom and my eyes were very moist as I wrote.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

I’m extremely blessed because my ideal career would be as a journalist and I’m already doing that as well as writing novels. I work in both newspapers as well as TV and if I had to pick a favorite medium, I’d choose TV.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Sure I read reviews of my books and luckily the majority is flattering. One reviewer loved my writing style and suggested that I write a different kind of novel – perhaps a deeper, more literary book which was less throwaway. I took that on board with A Call to Heaven. Yes, it’s still an easy beach read. Yes, it’s got a juicy romance. Yes, the love story is pivotal. But as a whole the storyline is more complex, intriguing and layered and will really get the reader thinking: ‘what if’? And I thank that reviewer for encouraging me to do that.

What well-known writers do you admire most?

Jane Austen, Isabelle Allende, Rose Tremain (I buy all of her books as soon as they come out) and Penelope Ward. I’ve even been known to re-read some of Penelope’s books straight away.

Do you have any other books/stories in the works?

A Call to Heaven is a standalone novel and whilst it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, there is unfinished business at the end which I’m thinking about exploring. I’ve already started plotting in my mind…



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About the Author: Jo lives in London with her husband, three children and Jerald the cat. In addition to being a novelist she works as a TV and print journalist (Sunday Times, The Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Express.) If she could change one thing about her life it would be to introduce the thirty hour day, because twenty-four hours just isn’t long enough to squeeze it all in! Many a late night has been spent with a glass of red wine (preferably French) at her desk trying to keep her eyes open long enough to write these stories which keep demanding to be written. If only her cat didn’t constantly jump onto the keyboard as she writes, this book might have been finished months earlier. She loves yoga, skiing, travelling and English custard - though not necessarily in that order.

To find out more about Jo, visit her website at: www.jokessel.com

You can follow Jo on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and Goodreads.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for featuring my new novel A Call to Heaven on your blog today. Re-reading that Q&A I'm reminded how very much I fell in love with the hot doctor Daniel as I was writing it! I hope your readers fall as equally in love with him as I did.

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