Interview with romantic suspense author Dixie Jackson

Romantic suspense author Dixie Jackson joins me today to chat about Parallax, S3 Book 1.

During her virtual book tour, Dixie will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
Born and raised in the heart of the Ozarks, Dixie Jackson learned a love of the written word at a young age. She remembers spinning tales before she could even write them down, but it was the encouragement of her sixth-grade creative writing teacher which would plant the idea that just never seemed to go away. She wanted to someday see her works in print.

Dixie makes her home in the Great Smoky Mountains with her retired Marine husband, two rescue dogs, and her beloved chickens. When she’s not writing, you can find her digging in the dirt and nurturing her plants while plotting the next step in one story line or another. She also loves experimenting in her kitchen, embroidering, quilting, crocheting, tracing her family’s twisted tree, and of course reading.

Please share a little bit about your current release.
I would love to! First, though, thank you so much for hosting me today. It’s a joy to be here.

Parallax is the first in my new series, S3. I’ve had the idea and outline floating around my desk for several years actually. It’s a romantic suspense, action-adventure romance novel featuring an epic second-chance and a kick-butt heroine who can hold her own.

What inspired you to write this book?
Parallax, the entire S3 series actually, is founded in a few characters who’d made cameo appearances in a couple of other books I had published some years ago through a small press in Indiana. Over the years, these secondary characters kept talking and eventually their stories fleshed themselves out. There are two books available as a boxed set, Flashpoint, which gives quite a bit of backstory and insight into where the S3 characters came from. It’s perpetually $0.99 at Amazon. The S3 stories, however, are totally stand-alone of Flashpoint and can be read without the prelude of reading it.

Excerpt from Parallax:
Here’s a bit of what to expect from Parallax…

“How is it we’re in the middle of the biggest crisis of our lives and I’m so damn mad at you I want to hate you, but can’t?” Trent said, inching closer to her lips. “How is it, I want you so much I’d sell a piece of my soul to the devil to have you?”

“I’ve sold plenty of pieces of mine,” Leila whispered, straining against his hold, trying to bridge the gap between them. “It only hurts for a minute.”

His lips barely brushed hers before a tortured groan rolled out of him and tightened his grip. “Damn it,” he hissed over his teeth.

He turned loose of her so quickly Leila took a bounced step back before finding purchase of her balance again as he threw his hands up and turned his back to her. Running his hands over his head, his breaths were labored and his shoulders shook with what Leila suspected to be the same raw emotions running through her own system.

Leila stayed the desire to take the few steps between them and drop kick him to the floor where he’d be at her mercy for a tortured few moments. Instead, she jerked her robe over her shoulders, tugged it around her middle, and in one swift motion tied the belt.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m working on Residue, which is the third book in the S3 series. It follows Dillon and Ana’s story. I’m also dabbling in the fourth book, Alex’s story. I never have just one thing in queue it seems. Dillon and Ana have been flirting with the idea of a relationship for some time, but now Dillon is doubling down in his efforts to woo her.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think I’ve fancied myself a writer from the time I could spin a story and that was before I could even spell. It’s always been something deep-seated in me that I can’t stop.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I don’t have what I think conventional thinking considers a paying gig outside the home. I don’t write “full-time”, either. I do write or work on something writing related every single day, however, I belong to a service-oriented organization and do a lot of volunteer work, much of which has to do with our veteran’s, so that keeps me pretty busy, as well. Right now, we’re working on Christmas gifts, all of which are handmade, to be delivered to two veteran’s clinics we work with. While I might not be actively working on a story several hours a day, my creative mind works full-time and I have a notepad handy for jotting notes whenever the need arises.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know that I have a quirk, honestly. I asked my hubby if he notices me doing anything quirky while writing and he hasn’t. I will say this. I do catch myself making faces to match the emotions I’m inflicting on my characters. Is that quirky? Maybe.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I went through phases. Being a writer was always on the radar. But, I also wanted to be a teacher, a wife and mother, a journalist, a nurse. The great thing about writing is that I can be all those things and more on any given day.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’d just like to shout-out a huge thank you to them. Each and every one of you are appreciated.

Links:
Blog | Facebook Group | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook | Amazon | BookBub

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!
Thank you again for having me. It’s been a pleasure!

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