Book Review and Interview

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 

                           

           Throw Away Girls

       

 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.”................

Read the whole review here Amazon.com

          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?

 Website

 Facebook

 Twitter

 Linkedin

  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