Welcome
all!
Today
I’m very lucky to be interviewing Jennifer Vaughn, a well known USA TV News anchor and author.
Jennifer
has agreed to answer a few questions about herself and her writing, and I think
you'll enjoy our chat. As it's a longer post as usual, bring your coffee or tea cup, sit comfortably and read it.
Afterward,
grab your copy of her latest book
Let's get started ...
Blurb
The killer lives a normal life during the day, while hunting the Throw
Away Girls at night, punishing them for their dark urges. He leaves
messages behind in his victims' blood, his explanation for enacting such
brutal, twisted justice upon the unworthy. He watches the media
coverage. He knows the wily reporter is chasing him. As Jaycee follows
her gut, and the evidence, she forces him to act. But when a killer is
clever and cunning, he can infiltrate anywhere. Jaycee must utilize all
her skills to expose him before he gets to her first.
Buy links: Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
My Review
Jennifer Vaughn is a gifted writer. She weaves an
intense tale of mystery and suspense, with intriguing twists and turns that
easily captivates the reader's attention from the taut beginning to the story's dramatic
conclusion. The author really has a way with words…and nerve-wracking scenes!
Compelling
and frightening, Throw Away Girls immediately pulls you in, and really never
let's go of you. The book just flows from one exciting scene to another, as we
watch the suspense and events unfold.
Jennifer
Vaughn’s novel is startling and
disturbing in nature, a thrilling ride to very dark places - "L.A.’s underground sex playgrounds...”
where "Strangers lived out fantasies
with nameless partners who didn’t give a shit about overdue mortgage
payments...” A world where "Real
life stuff never mattered...” , where
"It was all about the
anonymity, the pleasure, and yes, the pain.”
From
the very beginning, the very first page, the author ropes you in with a
gruesome murder. The murders the bad guy commits, while gruesome and
horrible, are ideal for those who like crime in books. I kept turning pages,
scared of what I'd find but compelled to look. Trust me, it'll keep you reading all the way
up to its shattering end.
Throw
Away Girls is the story of a twisted
mind and his terrifying obsession with "cleansing.” He "visualized
himself a biblical figure on a mission of purity, enacting his own justice on
those who represented worthlessness and debauchery.”
The lead character in Throw Away
Girls -Jaycee or Jay Jay as friends call
her - will make it appeal to a broader audience. She’s a strong character with
a distinctive voice. A pretty young TV reporter, smart, determined and with a
keen eye for details is caught in the web of a serial killer’s sick fantasies
and murder planning. You just can’t
help cheering for Jaycee’s courage and stubbornness in unraveling the murderer,
not to mention the situations she gets into because of this!
Jaycee plays a dangerous hunt game
trying to help savvy Barton detective, but her opponent is as smart and
cunning as she is. She wants to show people that Zoe Statler, much like the
other two sex club victims, Sarah and Mackenzie, "wasn’t just some slutty
skank.” The suspense builds in a
crescendo tempo, and the clever plot just kept me sitting on the edge of
my seat.
The identity of the bad guy will come as
no surprise to most crime novel fans, but it's a fun ride getting there. "He had an objective and a duty to
clean up the garbage, he began his duty to extinguish lives that were not
worthy.... It was always an exciting time, to anticipate what came next, the
new faces he would see, the experiences he would have. It was thrilling to know
his messages would be analyzed and his story written. Long after he was gone,
he hoped others would be inspired by his good work here in Los Angeles and
elsewhere.”................
Buy links: Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Jennifer's Interview
1
. What 3 words best describe you?
Loyal,
thoughtful, insightful.
2.
I’m sure we all have writing rituals, even if we’re not conscious of them! Do
you have one, I mean do you need music playing in the background, have a
certain snack at arm's length, write
with a certain type of pen/keyboard, drink coffee/tea/milk/juice while writing?
It’s
not surprise, given I work in an often chaotic, loud, intense television
newsroom, that my writing is done in the heart of my home: the kitchen. I need
my TV on, the phone ringing, and my notes spread out on the counter to get
anything done. It feels wrong if there’s too much order in my process.
3.
Give us an insight into your main character, Jaycee Wilder. What does she do
that is so special?
Jaycee
is aggressive and relentless in her job, yet her heart often leads her deeper
into her stories. She becomes connected to the victims, and determined to do
right by them as she tells their stories. Jaycee is also wise enough to learn
as she goes, never assuming she knows all the right answers.
4.
What draws you to this genre?
Stephen
King, James Patterson, Sidney Sheldon, Dean Koontz, I could go on and on. When
a writer can bring a thriller to readers that is both dark, yet full of
life—that’s where you’ll find me!
5.
I feel the same and they are among my favorite authors, too. What is your favorite positive saying?
Today
was today, now put it away. This works in both directions: when my day was
fantastic and memorable, it reminds me to tuck it away forever, but don’t
expect it’ll always be that good. On the flip side, if I have had a
trouble-filled, grueling day, it reminds me that the sun rises again and things
are a day away from getting better.
6.
Beautiful! I will have to write it down. How do you find or make time to write, given your job and busy family life?
I
make time each day between the gym, prepping dinner for the kids, and then
getting ready for work. However, if I am not prolific from one day to the next,
I never punish myself for a lack of productivity. I figure if I’m forcing it,
it’s best to wait until it comes more naturally.
7.
How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
I
have wonderful connections in the law enforcement world, and I often pick their
brains for the nitty-gritty stuff most of us never think about. How they
process crime scenes, the tiny clues that become big leads, the insight into
criminal intentions and how they dissect all of it to bring justice to the
guilty. We are all better off surrounded by smart, dedicated people who chase
down real life bad guys every single day.
8.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
It
was an adventure linking my two worlds together. I have a pretty exciting job
in television news, and I love telling stories, so it seamlessly fit into a
story line that was both based on the facts of my career, and the fiction of a
tale.
9.
How did you get to be where you are in your life today?
It
may sound simple, but I’ve never taken my foot off the accelerator. Go hard,
attach each day, live with integrity and honestly. It’s never felt much like
work because I love what I do, yet being a mom fulfills my soul. When you’re
truly living with a full heart, nothing can tarnish your happiness. Family
matters most.
10.
I absolutely agree. What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody
has? Write it out here, then answer it.
Question:
Are your characters based on real people?
Answer:
Yes! I weave little bits and pieces of real people into characters all the
time! It may be a personality quirk, or a physical attribute, but many friends,
and family members are well represented in my books.
How
can readers discover more about you and you work?
Amazon
Goodreads
Thank
you very much, Jennifer, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in
this interview!
Author info
Jennifer
Vaughn is a longtime member of the award-winning news team at WMUR-TV, in
Manchester, New Hampshire. As the evening anchor, Jennifer has lead coverage
that has earned Edward R. Murrow, Associated Press, and New Hampshire
Association of Broadcasters Awards.
She
is also the recipient of multiple Emmy nominations, the Red Cross Sword of Hope
Award, and had her debut novel, Last Flight Out, featured in the Swag Bag at
the Daytime Emmy Awards in Beverly Hills, CA, in 2013. Jennifer has had
prominent roles in internationally-televised presidential debates alongside
CNN, ABC News, and FOX News, has anchored election night coverage for both
national and state contests and provided political analysis for national radio
and television news outlets.
She’s
interviewed every sitting president and presidential candidate since 1999,
supporting WMUR’s extensive first-in-the-nation presidential primary coverage.
Jennifer has covered everything from Super Bowls, world championship parades,
ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover, deadly natural disasters, and medical
breakthroughs, though her favorite stories are the personal ones that showcase
triumph over tragedy, and give hope to the human spirit.
Blessed
with two great kids, Brody and Darby, and their cocker spaniel, Fletcher,
Jennifer and her husband, Brad Dupuis, have embraced all that is unique about
life in New Hampshire. When they’re not on a baseball or soccer field, you can
catch them playing tennis, ice skating, snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, or
hitting the lake for a boat ride.
Giving
back is an integral part of Jennifer’s life. An avid contributor to charities
that direct funds and support to cancer patients, Jennifer donated all proceeds
from the sale of Last Flight Out to local organizations. Her family lends
support and time to several important causes
