Author Spotlight: J.L. Drake

The amazing J.L. Drake agreed to do an interview for me. YAY!!!

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J. L. Drake was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, later moving to Southern California where she now lives with her husband and two children.

When she is not writing she loves to spend time with her family, travelling or just enjoying a night at home. One thing you might notice in her books is her love of the four seasons.  Growing up on the east coast of Canada the change in the seasons is in her blood and is often mentioned in her writing.

An avid reader of James Patterson, J.L. Drake has often found herself inspired by his many stories of mystery and intrigue.  She hopes you will enjoy her books as much as she has enjoyed writing them.

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Random Questions:

• If you could tell your 18-year-old self one thing, what would it be? That life will take an unexpected turn at 27, so hold on.
• What is your favorite restaurant? Anywhere that sells really good Sushi
• What is your favorite movie? Old School
• What is your favorite food? Sushi
• Are you a very organized person? No and I hate it.
• What is your favorite TV show? The Office (US version)
• Where were you born? Halifax, Canada
• If you could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be? My father
• What is your biggest fear? Not being able to write …..and snakes *quiver*

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This or That:

• Toilet paper: Over or Under? OVER…what this under crap you speak of?!
• Baseball or Football? ….can I choose hockey?
• Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi
• Pancake or Waffle? Pancake
• Piercings or tattoos? Ears pierced
• Pasta or pizza? I hate pizza
• Online shopping or in-person shopping? Umm, online
• Cookie or Cake? Cake
• Beach or Mountains? Mountains

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Specific Questions: **SPOLIERS BELOW**

• The first book I ever read of yours was Broken and I just kind of stumbled upon it one day looking for a new book. I never knew that Broken would start something and now 2 years later I have read all of your books. Where did you get the idea for the Broken Trilogy?

I was dreaming the idea of the safe house and Savi being held hostage and I suddenly woke, sat straight up and rushed to my computer. Seven months later the trilogy was done, a rough draft but non-the less it was written. When a dream carries over, I know I need to write it.

• Cole Logan, love that man. Why did you think it was important to make him such an alpha male? Strong and tough but loving and caring.

I find that a sexy quality in a man, who doesn’t love someone that tries to protect you at all costs, fights for your love but yet is willing to warship the ground you walk on. I like a balance of both love and authority.

• What was the hardest part of The Broken Trilogy to write?

There were two spots that I struggled on, the ending of Broken as I was going through something personal and that’s why it ended the way it did and the ending of the trilogy itself. I cried so hard, I didn’t want it to end. So, how I fixed it was by carrying them over to other books. I get way to attached because they still “talk” and I still “see” their lives moving forward.

• Honor and Escape, what made you write these spin-offs from the Broken Trilogy?

Couldn’t let go and they wanted to tell their story and get their HEAs.

• Are there more books like these coming?

Yes, I have about 3 more books I could do for Blackstone. First starting with Mike, but I have no plans to write it this year as I have “others” that are speaking louder.

• Next we have the Darkness Series. This is one of my all time favorite series!!

Happy to hear that! Poor Seth and Emily get skipped a lot.

• Can you say HOLY PLOT TWIST!! How in the world did you come up with the plot twist in this series?

Honestly, that story just poured out of me, I felt like I had little control on the direction. Things just appear in my head and one moment someone is good and then the next they’re the ones pulling the “trigger.”

• Jimmy Lasko made a great stocker. Did you do any research to help you develop his character?

A little, I spoke to some doctors and ran by his mental state to make sure I followed the illness correctly. Really, I was just looking to write a epic mind fuckery book to entertain myself.

• Will Garrett every get a book??

Yes, actually Garrett’s book is roughly half way done. I started it and moved back to Honor. Sometimes I don’t get to chose who I’m writing…I get that sounds crazy but …well…it’s the truth. I need to feel the character and Garrett needed to be put on hold but his story will get done in time.

• Now to Trigger and the upcoming Demons. Trigger is your first MC book. What was the most difficult part of writing an MC book?

That’s an interesting question to ask, oddly enough writing on the “side of the law” is fun because you can make the cop or military man bend the rules and it’s badass. However, when you’re dealing with a badass “up against the law” you have to dig deep and make your character loveable but yet reckless. It’s a tricky balance. Plus, you have to pull out some crazy violent thoughts where even sometimes I say to myself, “yikes, where the hell did that come from?” lol

• A lot of heroines, especially in MC books, are weak and fragile. Why did you write Tess as a strong heroine?

Truth time here, I only read one MC book and watched one series. I purposely like to write blind, I don’t want to know what the “norm” is for that genre.  I want to write my way and hope it works. I love a strong female up against an alpha male it gives the characters depth and challenges and it keeps me on my toes as a writer.

• What can you tell your readers about Demons without giving to much of it away?

That everyone has some kind of a past, good or bad, it shapes us. Sometimes even the most hateful person can still have a sliver of good deep down inside. This is a dark book, with dark subject matter, it contains triggers, but it’s one hell of a ride. Don’t kill me for the ending, but I will always provide you with a HEA at their story. As Mike once said, “the author is known for her dick cliffhangers.”

• A lot of your books are Trilogy’s. Why do you think that is? Why not only two books? Or one large book?

I love trilogies, mainly because I can’t let go. Each book starts and ends with suspense and I crave that rush.I tried to write a stand-alone and it was hard. I can do spin-offs but that’s because the character is already developed. I hope to challenge myself later on this year and provide you all with some fresh new characters, that will be my first stand-alone.

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Random Ending Questions:

• Is it hard to write duel POV? No, I’m not sure how not to.
• Who are your one-click authors? Sylvia Day, Jodi Ellen Malpas to name a few
• Do you write full-time or part-time? Full time.
• Do you feel authors should put trigger warnings in their books? I write very dark stuff sometimes I would be upset as a reader if I didn’t get a little warning something dark was coming.
• If you had to write yourself as a villain I one of your books, what type of villain would you be? Trigger, he’s the villain you can’t help but love and hate at the same time.

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Final Question:

Anything you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you for giving my books a try. I hope they keep you entertained and take you on many journeys. -Jx

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J.L. Drake’s Books:

Trigger is on sale right now (3-18-18) for $.99….Don’t miss out on it!!!  Buy Trigger Now!