An Interview with Jamie Quaid

Word Wenches breaking news: The identity of the Jamie Quaid you’ve been seeing in your Wenchly newsletter (and if you don’t receive our newsletter, go click that button over there and subscribe!) is none other than...drum roll please... Patricia Rice, restless roving author always in search of something new and fun to try. She’s gone over to the dark side (just for a bit) -- and is pleased to announce not only a new book, but a new writing persona. Jamie Quaid's debut release is BOYFRIEND FROM HELL,
the first book in her new urban fantasy series, Saturn’s Daughters.

Justine (Tina) Clancy is an ordinary law student with a faulty arrest record, a part-time job in Baltimore's environmentally hazardous Zone, and a family secret so bizarre even she doesn't believe it. That is, until in a fit of fury she damns her boyfriend to hell—and that's exactly where he ends up. Much to her surprise, Tina is one of Saturn's daughters, with the power to wield vigilante justice. But between finding a way to free Max from hell, saving her own neck, and solving a mystery that threatens the Zone and her newfound friends -- how is she ever going to study for finals?

Publishers’ Weekly loves Boyfriend from Hell: “Without a vampire, werewolf, or fallen angel to be seen, this strong debut is a pleasantly fresh take on a well-worn genre.”

Recently Wench Susan spoke with Wench Pat/Jamie about Boyfriend from Hell:

Q. Jamie Quaid's Boyfriend from Hell is a fun, fantastic book that lets you offer a great new author persona and a chance to try something new. How did this story and its characters come about?

Pat/Jamie: My fellow wenches have as good an idea of how this book happened as I do, since it traveled a strange and winding road. The original foundation of the book came from a cornfield... Driving hundreds of miles with nothing more than corn as far as the eye could see, with the radio booming bad music, I must have hit some trance state where the bug hitting the windshield translated into a character damning her cheating boyfriend to hell and watching him go splat against a wall. Try turning that scenario into a book sometime! The idea reeled through my head for months but as hard as I might try, I couldn’t turn a hero dying in the first chapter into a romance. So I threw it out for my fellow brainstormers to play with and lo and behold...an urban fantasy took shape. Not your normal fangs and fur type of thing, but a browbeaten heroine coping with a world that grows madly awry one fine day. One trauma too many really turns Tina into a kickass heroine I’m proud to claim.

Q. As one of the brainstorming authors who watched the book take shape, I can verify just how much fun that was! The book just took off from your very first idea, growing into a story with unique characters, a terrific plot, really a great series concept. And having read an advance copy, I can also attest to how much fun the BFH is - wry, funny, one of those books that just captivates.

Tell us more about the story -- what was the most fun for you in writing Boyfriend from Hell?

I loved just about every page of writing BFH. It was remarkably freeing to let the story flow and watch all the wonderful characters come to life! It took me a couple of tries to realize that I simply couldn’t give Tina superpowers and let her run the world her way, no matter how tempting that might be. So every time she does something outrageously improbable, there has to be a consequence. And then explaining that consequence to the world around her... makes any heroine think twice about what she’s doing. Just trying cutting a rapist in half and see how that plays out when the cops show up. The fun really begins as I fling weirdnesses into the plot and look for a way to make sense of them. An invisible thief? Who needs the usual petty crook? Why not an unhappy gay teenager terrified of bullies who suddenly learns to vanish? The chemically-polluted Zone I’ve created has a lot to answer for! And trying to place it within the reality of Baltimore adds more spice, so to speak. (For those of you who don’t know Baltimore—that’s where McCormicks processes their spices)

Q. How does writing urban fantasy differ from writing romance?

No sex and no hero are the biggest differences. Since I’m writing a light story, each book will have its own happy ending, so that part stays the same. I can have an ugly heroine and she can say nasty things, if it’s in character. She can flirt with three different hunks and reject them all. Instead of concentrating on a developing relationship, I concentrate on developing my heroine so she can achieve her goals. I love watching Tina develop from disenchanted student to confident lawyer—although she’s not quite there at the end of the first book. And if her ultimate goal is justice for all, she may never achieve all she wants!

Q. Boyfriend from Hell has a great sequel lined up. Can you tell us something about it?

Yes! Damn You to Hell:  in the sequel, The Zone is blasted with gaseous fumes and pink flakes, old people are beating each other up, the locals are falling comatose, and Tina’s hunky neighbor gets arrested for murdering her boyfriend’s mother. Can she save her new home, her best client, and not send anyone else to hell?

Boyfriend from Hell will be out from Pocket on 9/25, and the publisher is running a fun “date from hell” contest -- click here to check it out! 

Check out Jamie's gorgeous website (still in the primping stages) here. 
Order it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble -- and read an excerpt of BFH here!

Questions and comments for Pat, er, Jamie? She's reserved an ARC of Boyfriend from Hell for one lucky commenter, so comment as fast and often as you can!

 

Comments

[NancyB]

Boyfriend From Hell sounds like a blast--I'm looking forwards to it!

[Anne Gracie]

Exciting news, Jamie/Pat — I'm really looking forward to reading Boyfriend From Hell.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Wonderful interview Pate and Susan! Next time a bug splats on my windshield I hope it inspires half so fun a story idea,

Love the concept of a heroine who has to figure out the balance of power and the consequences of using it—can't wait to read it!
I think it's exciting and a real kickstart to the imagination for an author to step outside the usual box and try something really different. Sounds like readers are going to have a blast!

[Susan]

I had the delightful privilege of sitting in on the brainstorming of this book (we laughed so much during the session -- and I think we all knew what a great idea Pat had caught by the tail) -- and I've had the pleasure of reading the ARC. BFH is a clever, fun, very insightful story. And what great characters!

[Patricia Rice]

Thank you all! I'm hoping readers will have as much fun with this story as I did because I'm really enjoying writing the next books. It's been a while since I've had this much fun!

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1544509004]

Looks very interesting!

Robin C. Greene

[Barbara Elness]

I love your historical romances Pat, I always enjoy the humor in your stories. I love urban fantasy too, so I know I'm going to love this new series, I can't wait to read Boyfriend From Hell. :D

[Sherrie Holmes]

Sherrie here.
Pat, I've been slavering after this book ever since I first heard about it. Knowing your quirky mind, this story will be a hoot. (Bug splat, indeed!) I've never been tempted to read urban fantasy . . . until now. Can't wait to read the story. I know it'll be a hit!

[Patricia Rice]

Bwa-ha-ha, I'm luring Sherrie to the dark side!

Thank you for the kind words, everyone. I do realize we all have our comfort reads, but I hope some of you are willing to step outside of yours. I'd love it if everyone would let me know how they like the book if they have an opportunity to read it.

[Meoskop]

I'm in. I haven't been into urban fantasy in a while, but I've been dabbling here and there. I like the concept of always a HEA, not always a hero.

[Patricia Rice]

Thank you, Meoskop. Some urban fantasy is dark and angsty and a reader has to be prepared for cliffhangers. But I always need to be assured of my happy endings, even if they are slightly more realistic than a romance HEA!

[Isobel Carr]

I'm a huge UF reader and can't WAIT to check this out!!!

[Mary Jo Putney]

I got an early read of this book, and it's a delight--fresh, smart fun, yes! I'm so looking forward to the next book in the series!

[Patricia Rice]

I didn't realize you read UF, Isobel, but I should have!

[Isobel Carr]

I actually grew up reading SF/F, not romance (and I can't read historicals when I'm writing), so UF is totally in my wheelhouse, LOL!