A Chat with Jennifer Faye: Author of Safe in the Tycoon's Arm

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Review of Safe In The Tycoon's Arm by Jennifer Faye

Hi Jennifer, Welcome to The Book Club. It is lovely having you here.

Hi. Thanks so much for having me today.

I’m thrilled to be here and have a chance to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart—writing.

• What inspired you to write your first book?

I’ve been writing stories as far back as I can remember. I guess my very first inspiration to write came from Dr. Seuss. I loved what he could do with words. The rythym. The sound. The fun. It captivated me. And as a child my love for writing grew from writing poetry to short stories.
As I teen I started reading Harlequin Mills & Boon. I was in love. I was determined to be an HMB author someday. I started writing my first romance. It was not good at all. But the most important part is that I didn’t give up. I kept going and now I’m living my dream.

• Tell us about your current novel?

SAFE IN THE TYCOON’S ARMS is a romantic, emotional and inspiring story…

Sometimes life can be a crazy, mixed bag of surprises. And when you least expect it, your life’s journey can suddenly veer off into uncharted territory.

This is what happens when elusive bachelor of the year Lucas Carrington cuts a less-than-stellar business trip short and returns home early. On a dark, stormy night he stumbles across an intruder. To say he’s caught off guard by the beautiful woman’s presence is putting it mildly, but he’s bound and determined to get her out the door…one way or the other.

But Kate Whitley isn’t so easily deterred, not when she thinks she’s in the right. But Mr. Oh So Sexy is a problem she just doesn’t need at this juncture in her life. Especially when he is as hot as he is mysterious.

• Do you have a specific writing style?

I pen contemporary romance that are known to be fun, emotional and heartwarming. When the reader reaches the last page, I want the story to have touched their hearts and left smiling.

• What books have most influenced your life most?

Kathleen Woodiwiss’s books captured my attention when I was a teenager. As did Johanna Lindsey’s novels. I lost lots of sleep back in those days.

More recently I really enjoy Robyn Carr’s books. I’ve totally fallen in love with her settings and the intriguing characters.

• If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I don’t have any one mentor. I have a number of published friends who’ve given me valuable advice and cheered me along my journey. If you ever want to find a generous group of people, it’s romance writers. They are amazing.

• Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Oh, yes. I know so many people who have just been published and I think they are wonderful. I would definitely check out the new authors writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon Cherish lines. ;-)

• What are your current projects?

Right now, I’m wrapping up my second Christmas book. It’s a warm story wrapped around the holidays with a sexy prince on the run from the paparazzi to protect his family and an innkeeper who is fighting off the ghosts of Christmas past.

When I complete it, I will begin writing a duet, which are two stories that are intertwined. They will most likely be released in two consecutive months. But that won’t be until 2015.

• Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Harlequin SubCare – on Harlequin’s website, they have various forums from reading groups broken down by line to forums for writers. I’ve been hanging out on the Submission Care Forum for more years than I care to admit. It’s a great place to be as there are people in all stages of writing from the beginner (first submission) to the published authors who still stop in to offer advice or cheer people on. It’s really a very encouraging place to be.

• If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Not that I know of.

The one thing I learned to do from the start is not read my books once they are published. It’s too late to change anything at that point, no matter how much you might want to. So once I do my final read and the book heads into production, I let go of it and keep moving forward with new, exciting characters.

• Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Sure. This is an excerpt from the beginning where Kate is alone in a house that was loaned to her by a friend:

Kate had just turned off the faucet when she heard faint but distinct footsteps. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Either this place had some mighty big rats…or she wasn’t alone.

“Stop right there!” boomed a male voice.

So much for the rat theory. 

Her heart lodged in her throat, blocking a terrified scream. Who was this man? And what did he want with her? Her lungs started to burn. Was he a thief, a desperate junkie…or worse?

She struggled to suck air past the enormous lump in her throat. A nervous tremor in her hand caused droplets of water to spill over the rim of the glass. Why had she put herself in such peril by making the rash decision to stay in this deserted house alone? After all, what did she know about her newfound friend? Not much. They’d only met a week ago. The older woman had seemed so nice—so understanding in Kate’s time of need.

She wondered if a scream would carry to any of the neighboring houses on the block. Probably not. This house came from an era when structures were built with thick, sturdy walls. She was on her own.

“You shouldn’t be here.” She fought to keep her voice steady. “This place has a burglar alarm. It won’t be long until the police show up. I haven’t seen your face. You can escape out the back and I won’t tell anyone.”

“I don’t think so. Turn around.”

• Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I am a visual writer, which means that the story/scenes play out in my mind like a movie you would watch on television. There are colors, scents and details. My challenge is to convey that on the page while still keeping up the pace so that the reader can paint their own images.

What happens a lot is that the details are in my mind, so that when I read over my story, I automatically fill in the blanks. But when my editor reads it, she asks what about this? This? And this? That’s my light bulb moment. I start taking those details from my mind and translating them to the page.


Thanks for the great questions. I really enjoyed myself. I hope we’ll have a chance to chat again. -Jennifer Faye

The pleasure was all mine. Looking forward for some great reads from you. We need this kind of clean Romances that touches our soul.