Your questions . . . ANSWERED! A.L. Jackson lifts the veil . . .

Remember those brilliant questions you sent to A.L. Jackson? And how we were all like, ‘GAHHHHH so many good ones!!’

Well, we couldn’t send them all but the ones we picked pretty much covered all the bases, so most of you will see the answers you’ve been waiting for.

And we’re so not surprised, but A.L. Jackson has given some very kind, very insightful and deliciously teasing answers! We simply cannot WAIT now for Come to Me Softly!!

Thank you, thank you A.L. Jackson!

• Where did the idea for the Closer to You series come from? – LAURA

Thanks so much for the question, Laura! The roots of Come to Me Quietly goes back a long way, back before I ever wrote Take This Regret. I was writing a paranormal romance, and the hero was none other than our Jared Holt. But as I got deeper into the story and Jared’s character grew, I knew he belonged in a different story. I so clearly saw this beautifully broken boy, and his story began to weave itself in my mind. So I shelved the paranormal and went with the story that spoke to me, which was Come to Me Quietly. 

• Did you always want to be a writer? – KATE

Hi Kate! That’s kind of a difficult question for me because I think I was always a writer, although I never imagined I would it become my career. When I first started back when I was in college and a young mother, I just loved the feel of words and used them as an emotional outlet. I loved weaving them together, and it was pretty much poetry that came out in a free flowing stream of thoughts. It wasn’t until about 10 years later that I sat down and tried my hand at writing an actual novel, and that was when I really fell in love!

• Can you give us any hints about what’s coming next in the series? – CHARLENE

Oh Charlene . . . just you wait! Book three is Christopher’s story, Aly’s brother from Come to Me Quietly and Come to Me Softly, and I’m absolutely in love with his story. It’s intense and sexy, and of course a little bit sad, but if you all loved Jared, I think you’ll love Christopher too! 

• Who do you think would play Jared in a film? – BECCA

Becca, I’d say it’d have to be Charlie Hunnam. He’s just rough all around and has that edge to him that Jared possesses. 

We had to . . . we simply . . . HAD TO . . .

• What was the hardest scene to write? – JOLENE

Hi Jolene! Without giving too much away, in both Come to Me Quietly and Come to Me Softly it was the two scenes toward the very end when Jared comes head-on with his past. Both catapult him to different places of healing and I don’t think one is more important than the other, but his path to finding joy and happiness and peace. Both scenes had me weeping when I wrote them.

• Do you ever get embarrassed when writing the sex scenes? 😉 – RACH

LOL Rach . . . yes!! I have to admit one scene in Come to Me Quietly, I was so into it I had to jump up and run out of my office to get some fresh air. I was a little overheated 😉 

• Was Christopher’s story mapped out from the beginning of Jared and Aly’s story or did his story unfold for you as you were writing theirs? – WENDY

Great question, Wendy! And no, definitely not. Christopher really grew right along with Jared and Aly, and as I he was in different scenes in the first two books, his story was taking shape in my mind. By the time I finished Come to Me Softly, I couldn’t wait to begin the third book. And one of my favorite things about it is it’s a companion novel, so while you don’t have to have read books 1 and 2 to read book 3, Jared and Aly still play a huge role in Christopher’s life. I love being able to continue to grow all these characters as they support and care for each other. 

Come to Me Softly is out on June 24th, 2014! Start Jared and Aly’s story with Come to Me Quietly, out now!