The time it was about After Sundown

Posted March 30, 2020 by Stacee in Interviews | 0 Comments

I’ve been diving back into thrillers and I absolutely love romantic suspense, so when I got the finished copy of After Sundown by Linda Howard and Linda Jones, I was excited to get to it. And when William Morrow offered the opportunity to interview the women, I jumped at the chance.

Before we get to their answers, let’s check out the book.

Title: After Sundown
Authors: Linda Howard & Linda Jones
Pages: 384
Pub Date: March 31, 2020
Publisher: William Morrow
Find it: Harper | Indiebound | B&N | Amazon | Goodreads

From New York Times bestselling authors Linda Howard and Linda Jones, danger unites two guarded hearts as they struggle for survival…

Sela Gordon, shy owner of a Tennessee general store, prefers solitude. If anyone can chip away at her protective shell it’s the handsome, mysterious, ex-military man who’s been hiding for two years in the wilds of Cove Mountain. But when he warns her that a catastrophic solar storm with the capability of taking down the power grids is approaching, Sela must come out of her shell and be the leader Wears Valley needs.

Living in self-imposed exile, Ben Jernigan has learned the hard way to look out only for number one. With a top-notch security system, he’s serious about keeping people at a distance. Yet he has to caution the undeniably sexy Sela about the impending threat—and now she’s making it too easy for him to lower his guard.

As panic spreads, Sela and Ben discover that in the dark, cut off from the outside world, there’s no more playing it safe—in life or in love.

Sounds good, right?

1. Please give the elevator pitch for After Sundown.

Linda Jones: A Coronal Mass Ejection knocks out the power grid worldwide. How do you survive? Where do you want to be, who do you want to be with, and what will you do for the people you love?

Linda Howard: The Waltons meets The Walking Dead.

2. Which came first: the plot line or the characters?

Linda Jones: The story came together over such a long period of time, through so many conversations, I can’t be sure. Probably the plot, but it was a gradual process with plot and characters interwoven as we planned.

Linda Howard: It was the plot. I know because I recall the conversation where we were trying to settle on their names, and we already knew the general plot around them. Most of the plot details in those early conversations changed, of course; everything we write morphs as we go along.

3. Why do you love Sela and Ben and why should readers root for them?

Linda Jones: They’re real people, pulled out of their solitary lives and pushed to their limits for the good of others.

Linda Howard: They aren’t perfect; they have strengths and weaknesses. They’re human.

4. What was the weirdest thing you googled while researching?

Linda Jones: What’s the difference between an EMP and a CME?

Linda Howard: How many gallons of gasoline would a smallish service station sell each week?

5. Without spoilers, which scene was your favorite to write?

Linda Jones: Ben walks down into the valley to give Sela a gift. It was a small scene, but I loved the connection between them in that moment.

Linda Howard: The gift of bacon :-)

Speed {ish} round:

1. You find out that you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

Linda Jones: I scribbled the details of the offer on a McDonald’s napkin then called my husband and my mother. It was an unreal moment!

Linda Howard: I was so calm, at first; the call came at night, the editor had been trying all day to reach me but I was at work. She had to work late, and tried one more time. After we ended the call, I told my husband. It didn’t really hit me until the next day, when I got the shakes in the middle of the grocery store. It was surreal.

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

Linda Jones: My kindle, fully loaded; instant coffee; my cellphone — for the downloaded music. I’d be set!

Linda Howard: Food, water, and a weapon. Yes, I’m pragmatic.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

Linda Jones: No! One book? One? If I have to pick one I guess it would be The Stand, by Stephen King. I do love that book, but it’s also very long so it would keep me busy for a while.

Linda Howard: I can’t think of just one. There isn’t one book that I love above all others. If I could twist the reply a bit, I’d ask for an endless supply of pen and paper so I could write my own.

4. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

Linda Jones: Nothing. If I’d gone into this business knowing too much it might’ve changed my path. Ignorance really is bliss! :-)

Linda Howard: Agreed. Nothing. Like life, publishing constantly changes. Anything anyone had told me would shortly be useless. I’m still feeling my way through the process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award. Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren. website

Linda Jones is one of the pseudonyms of Linda Winstead Jones. She has written more than fifty romance books in several subgenres, including historical and fairy tale romance as well as romantic suspense. In the paranormal genre she’s written both contemporary and historical stories of ghosts and ghost-hunters, time-travel, psychic phenomena, and fantasy set in alternate historical worlds. She’s an award winning author and three-time RITA finalist. Writing as Linda Fallon, she won the 2004 RITA for paranormal romance. She has published as Linda Jones, Linda Winstead, Linda Winstead Jones, Linda Fallon and Linda Devlin. website