WE WELCOME JAMIE BECK AUTHOR OF: "WORTH THE WAIT & WORTH THE TROUBLE" NOW HER INTERVIEW

Welcome

Jamie Beck

 

Jamie Beck is a former attorney with a passion for inventing realistic and heartwarming stories about love and redemption, including her popular St. James and Sterling Canyon series. In addition to writing novels, she also enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking, and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family. Fans can learn more about her on the web (www.jamiebeck.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/JamieBeckBooks).

Author of:

Worth the Wait (St. James 1)

Thirteen years ago, Vivi LeBrun was sketching a rooster and eating Oreos when she first met—and fell for—her friend’s brother, David St. James. Since then, her love for David has only intensified thanks to years of friendship with his family, who rescued her from a lonely, tumultuous childhood. As she travels to Block Island to vacation with the St. James siblings, Vivi daydreams about reuniting with David, hoping he’ll finally see her as his soul mate.
After his mother’s death, David distanced himself from his siblings, determined to hide a devastating family secret. Now, he’s brought a new girlfriend along to his homecoming—one who’s pushing for a serious commitment. The last thing he needs on his growing list of problems is his budding attraction to Vivi.
With tensions running high, David’s behavior triggers a series of events that might cost him the love he’s always taken for granted and Vivi the only real family she’s ever known.

Rad-Reader:  Did you write these stories or were the characters busting out to write them for you?

Jamie:  I wish I could claim that the characters burst forth, but no, I wrote them. I usually start with an idea or theme for a story and then build everything around that concept. For Worth the Wait, the theme was forgiveness, and I wanted to use the unrequited love trope (probably because I suffered it so as a young woman).

Rad-Reader:  Vivi’s Story has been played out by so many women around the world but I loved how you gave this that personal touch where Vivi and David became true friends.  Friends that met outside her friendship with Cat.  What made you do that?

Jamie:  In order to make Vivi's long-held feelings realistic and believable, she and David had to be closer than the average "BFF's older sibling" kind of acquaintance friendship. While her initial infatuation was clearly based on him being older and attractive and gentle, it deepened over time because he championed her, shared her interests, and given her confidence when she had none of her own. Without that true friendship, her "crush" would've been wispy and insubstantial, and she could not have been the one person capable of pulling David out of his emotional implosion.

Rad-Reader:  David himself seemed even very confused by their relationship to the point where he kind of kept friendzoning her.  What was up with that or was I misreading that?

Jamie:  Remember that David had only ever consciously thought of her as a friend--someone he sought to protect because of her difficult childhood--for almost 12 years. Then tragedy struck and he left everyone for 18 months. Only upon coming home in a still-agitated, unbalanced state did he first see her as something other than his dear little friend. It took her pulling away for him to realize his feelings might run deeper than he'd realized, but even then, he didn't trust his feelings because he knew he wasn't yet emotionally well (because of the secret, etc.). He kept her at a distance to protect her, because he knew his family was her family, and that if anything would ever fall apart between them, everyone, most especially Vivi, would lose.

Rad-Reader:  At some point I felt that Vivi was a crutch for David more than a friend.  She was the girl who he knew put him on a pedestal long ago and he used that.  Is that a fair statement?

Jamie:  No. David had a full life. He was intelligent, respected, ambitious, loving, and adjusted (before his mom's death). He didn't befriend Vivi because he needed an ego boost. He initially did it because she needed someone to make her realize her own value. She'd lost her mother and brother and was being raised by a neglectful alcoholic. She was bullied for being different. David stepped in to show her that she was special and worthy of friendship and love. However, the friendship took on a life of its own once it started.

Rad-Reader:  David’s mom had a huge impact on Vivi and she felt a real connection.  Do you think that was a double edge sword when it came to David?

Jamie:  Not really. Mrs. St. James was like an adopted mom, but Vivi never hid her feelings about David from anyone. And she never felt particularly uncomfortable with that, either. At least, not until she met Laney.

Rad-Reader:  I sometimes got the feeling that as much as he teased David about Vivi dogging him that Jackson envied him.  At times that he was jealous.  Was he?

Jamie:  No. Jackson truly loves Vivi like another sister, nothing more. And, like his brother, Jackson's life prior to their mother's death was filled with plenty of accomplishment and admirers. He had no cause to be jealous, he simply found it humorous.

Rad-Reader:  Jackson they kept saying broke up with his girlfriend but not to ask.  So will we find out what the problem is for their break up in the next book?

Jamie:  You find out the backstory between Jackson and Alison toward the end of Cat's book.

Rad-Reader:  Poor Hank I really liked him yet he ended up with no one.  What is going on with him?

Jamie:  I really like him, too. He's such a good, steady man. Anyone who wants to know more about him can easily do so by reading Worth the Trouble! 

Rad-Reader:  Will the other two ever find out the secret David holds?

Jamie:  The only answer I can give here is to say that you will have to read all three books to find out. Jackson's book (Worth the Risk) will tie up all the over-arching story threads one way or another.

Worth the Trouble (St. James 2)

Cover girl Cat St. James’s picture-perfect life is anything but flawless. Luckily, she’s a master of hiding the truth from the camera. Relying on that skill, she conceals her latest secret from her family while attending her brother’s wedding. Her only trouble now is Hank Mitchell—the soft-spoken carpenter she’d once brushed aside. Seeing him at the reception underscores her private heartache and ignites unwelcome longing, which she promptly drowns in champagne.
Hank is no stranger to sacrifice, having set aside his own ambitions to take care of his family. One thing he won’t forsake is his pride, which Cat already wounded once. But when the maddening beauty’s reckless behavior forces him to rush to her rescue, he sets in motion a series of events that leads Cat to make a business proposal granting him his dream job.
When Cat and Hank mix business with pleasure, promises and secrets unravel, and each must decide if and what they’ll surrender for love.

Rad-Reader:  Book 2 Cat and Hank get together start circling each other.  It starts off just so emotional overall and yet with a happy note too.  Where did all of the turbulence come from between Cat and Hank?

Jamie:  In many ways, Cat and Hank are opposites, which causes conflict.  Unfortunately, she'd also hurt him in the past, which meant she'd have to overcome that hurdle before he would be willing to trust her again. However, despite those issues, at their core, each fulfilled a need in the other. Cat provided pampering to a man who cared for others, and encouraged him to take risks instead of accepting less than what he wanted from life. Hank showed Cat she could be admired for more than her appearance, which was a first for her. 

Rad-Reader:  Cat has to deal with issues with her body more and more women are having to deal with but at such a young age and without her mother.  Why is she choosing to go it alone?  And how did you come up with her keeping a diary as a way to connect with her mom that passed away from cancer?

Brilliant!

Jamie:  Cat and David are both more like their father: reserved, proud, introspective. Her career only made her more self-conscious and aware of protecting that "image" of confidence and power. Being vulnerable terrifies her because deep down she feels unworthy and doesn't want to be rejected. The diary gave me a vehicle to show glimpses of her thoughts, her need for her mom, and her loneliness. 

Rad-Reader:  Hank was trying to be everything to everyone but especially to his mom.  Was that for those glimmers of when she would know it was him and not his father who he looked like?  Was it really enough?

Jamie:  It wasn't about the glimmers. It was about him loving her for all that she was and did, and wanting to honor that love by giving back when she needed it. He respected how hard her life had been: raising five kids, losing a husband young, etc. He felt an obligation (but not in a bad way) to repay her love and strength with the same.

Rad-Reader:  My heart was breaking for Jackson and Cat when Cat told him what her medical condition was.  Why could he not share then what his secret was?  Pride or Pain?

Jamie:  Well, Jackson is a guy. They don't share easily, do they? Plus, he didn't want to take her pain and make it about him and his pain. It wouldn't have been the loving thing to do to say "You think that's bad, how about what happened to me?" Jackson is very tenderhearted despite the troubles he's having. He's the most like their mother in terms of warmth and emotion. It is only because of David's abandonment and Alison's actions that he's lost faith in people and retreated behind a wall. Now the question is whether he can recover and return to being the open person he'd always been.

Rad-Reader:  Vivi had been trained by the best Mrs. St. James how to show love and a firm hand without the threat to your pride or heart.  Breaking down Jackson’s walls and defenses.  Where did you see that scene going and did it go that way?  Or was it as much of a surprise as it was to us?

Jamie:  I'll admit, I didn't go into the first draft of that scene knowing exactly how someone would get through to him. As I blocked it out and the dialogue started to flow, the answer popped into my head. Looking back, I don't think there is any better way I could've written it. It is organic to the facts of the story, and perfectly in character with Vivi, so it worked beautifully.

Rad-Reader:  When is the next in the series coming out?  Jackson’s story?  Can’t wait!!!

Jamie:  Worth the Risk will release on November 1st. I love Jackson's story! I hope readers will be satisfied with the ending of this series.

Rad-Reader:  If you book was made into a movie who would play…

Vivi:  AnnaSophia Robb

http://www.hdwallpapersnew.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/annasophia-robb-celebrity-hd-wallpaper.jpg

David:  Aaron Diaz

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/56/0a/2a/560a2a7d0b2196bba77c76e13ac9a23d.jpg

Jackson:  William Levy

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/a4/cb/1e/a4cb1e1c2f3dcb0cf17acd3c5242cc34.jpg

Cat:  Morena Baccarin
http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/morena-baccarin.jpg

Hank:  Noah Mills

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/87/48/41/874841f9bbfc24abce22371103a08d0c.jpg

Jamie:  I have pinterest boards for all of my books, so you can see everything I visualize on them (https://www.pinterest.com/writerjamiebeck/worth-the-wait-a-st-james-romance-novel/ andhttps://www.pinterest.com/writerjamiebeck/worth-the-troublest-james-book-two-coming-february/)

Vivi:  Jessica Hart

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/76/f1/54/76f154dc5ee99338e3f0152f2ae5d21d.jpg

David:  Bernardo Velasco 

http://data.whicdn.com/images/9915731/bernardo-velasco-rickday2_large.jpg?1305811784

Jackson:  Eduardo Verastegui 
https://i.ytimg.com/i/4pkaK0pLbe5QAHmQKy6zxw/mq1.jpg?v=ad5891

Cat:  Penelope Cruz 
http://hdwallpaperspicturesphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/penelope-cruz.jpg

Hank:  Jessie Pavelka 
http://www.themoviefiftyshadesofgrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Jessie-Pavelka.jpg

Rad-Reader:  What song best describes your book:

Worth the Wait:  Vivi & David

 "My Best Friend": Tim McGraw

Worth the Trouble: Cat & Hank

"Crazy Girl" Eli Young Band

                                              

Jamie:  I make playlists for each book, which you can find on the extras page of my website.

Worth the Wait:  "I'm Yours" - The Script

Worth the Trouble:  "Longing to Belong: - Eddie Vedder

Rad-Reader:  When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Jamie:  When I was a teen, I wanted to write for television. I love TV dramas and soap operas, so it seemed like a dream career. However, my parents encouraged a different path, so I got my law degree and MBA and spent ten years as a corporate lawyer, then became a stay-at-home mom. Once my kids were in school for the better part of the day, I decided to try to write a love story. That one hides under my bed, but it got me started. I'm very grateful to have found this second career!

Rad-Reader:  When do you do your best writing?

Jamie:  There is no particular rhyme or reason. I write every day, throughout the day, and sometimes at night. My best writing is really during the revision phase. By that point, I know the story and the characters and can really dig in and weed out the weak stuff and emphasize the stronger elements.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers find your books?

Jamie:  On Amazon, B&N online, and they can be ordered through any local bookstore, too.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers find you on the Web?

Jamie:  My website is www.jamiebeck.com, and my blog is accessible through that. I'm also active on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamiebeckbooks/

Jamie,

We can't thank you enough for your being here with us.  Your books gave me such enjoyment.  I was having a bad week and they gave me a great escape.  They were filled with great humor yet great pain also.  Yet, there was so many memories from teen years that just were too funny to remember.  But so glad to be over with.  I hope that those that were here with us today take the time to find the same fun that I had the pleasure of sharing with my hubby as I laughed out loud and and then wiped my tears as I told the story too him.  Thanks again for this interview and for quick response time in answering our request and for answering all our questions and getting all the things I needed to get it on the blog.  Now you too are stuck with us.  You are now a 1 Rad-Reader Reviews Misfit.  Stop by anytime and say Hi!

Char:)