LET'S WELCOME JACIE FLOYD AUTHOR OF: ALWAYS ALLIE

LET’S WELCOME JACIE FLOYD

AUTHOR OF:

Rad-Reader:  Was it always your idea to have Buck and Allie past, go back to childhood?

Jacie: Yes. ALWAYS ALLIE is the first book in the Billionaire Brides series—which is a spin-off of the Billionaire Brotherhood series. Allie is Wyatt’s sister from WINNING WYATT, the first book from that series. So, some of Allie’s story was set up as a secondary character in WINNING WYATT. There was a dinner party scene in WINNING WYATT where Buck is introduced as Allie’s childhood sweetheart. A lot of their story got cut in the final edits for that first book, and I always wanted to bring them back together. When I decided to give Allie her own story, I knew that I wanted to explore her past relationship with Buck instead of giving her a new love interest.

Rad-Reader:  Did you always have Rosalie as a strong character when you began writing or did she change over time?

Jacie: She was a holdover from Wyatt’s book, too, and she was always a Steel Magnolia, intent on controlling her children, her business, and getting her way.

Rad-Reader:  What was your reason for having Allie and Xander living under the same roof as Rosalie?

Jacie: It magnifies the dynamic of Allie trying to appease her mother while also trying to be independent. In WINNING WYATT, Allie and Xander had their own home, but it seemed logical that when Xander’s addictions became an issue, she wanted him to be someplace where there were always people around who cared about him. Plus, Xander is one of Rosalie’s weaknesses and I liked being able to show her softer side with him despite the barriers she puts up with other people.

Rad-Reader:  Was there a reason you had Buck be able to gain entrance into her building and room by by-passing the alarm?

Jacie: Subliminally, to show that he could get past her defenses when she didn’t believe anyone could. And from Buck’s side, to show Allie that nothing could keep him from getting her back. And that he has skills and a past she knew nothing about.

Rad-Reader:  Did you, as the writer have to do any research on drones and their different capabilities?

Jacie: Yes! I’m technically incompetent, so any storyline that involves modern technology upsets my equilibrium. But I don’t imagine that most people are reading my books for cutting edge technology references, so I try to just research as much as I can to understand the topic and make it as reader-friendly as possible. I spent a couple of days researching drone-technology and talking to a few people who have worked in that field. 

Rad-Reader:  Did you have any idea of Buck being a father when you started the book?

Jacie: No, actually. I was surprised by that myself. Since Buck was known as being a serial dater and ladies’ man, I wanted some element of his life to show a different, more dependable side of him. One that Allie could admire on the one hand but would be put off by on the other. And I’m personally always a sucker for a hunky guy with a baby. 

Rad-Reader:  When you writing do you find that you add a character if so do you have to go back and make any changes?

Jacie: Usually, I know who the main characters and the secondary characters are going to be, but when I decided Buck should have a little girl, that made me have to introduce the nanny, too. Since she wasn’t the main character, that didn’t require much rewriting. What bothers me more is when characters I had planned on begin interacting in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I always intended for Oscar and Marceline to be in the book, but I had only planned on them being peripheral characters to Buck and Allie. I hadn’t planned for them to have a relationship with one another.

Rad-Reader:  You had the first scene with Xander and Paige.  Were you always planning on the second scene with them to go where it did or was that unplanned?

Jacie: Originally, I intended for Xander to rescue Paige again in the second scene and take her back to rehab. I thought that he’d have to struggle with the idea of remaining her friend or having to cut her loose for his own mental and physical health. Ultimately, that route seemed too vague and was taking up a lot of page space. So, I decided to go with something more final and force Xander and Allie to have to deal with a more dramatic aspect instead. IMO, that result ended up with some of Allie and Xander’s best scenes together.

Rad-Reader:  Was any, one character from this story that was easier to write than the others?

Jacie: Buck was definitely the easiest character to write. He knew what he wanted the whole time. It’s the characters who are uncertain and tormented that are more difficult. I knew Allie needed to be strong and independent in her business life, but in her personal life, she had issues and baggage with her mother and her son. She required more of a balancing act.

Rad-Reader:  Do you use an outline before writing or do you just start writing a draft?

Jacie: I use what I call a ‘rough’ draft, setting up the goals, motivations, and conflicts for the two main characters along with their primary characteristics and backgrounds. I outline the chapters with three scenes for each one, leaving lots of room for expansion. Then I set that aside and begin writing. Sometimes the story follows the outline exactly, sometimes the final product bears no resemblance to the original plan. It’s always fun to see how that goes. ALWAYS ALLIE stayed pretty true to course, except for the addition of the child and the relationship between Oscar and Marceline.

Rad-Reader:  Any reason why you picked Georgia as the place for everything to happen?

Jacie: It’s where Allie’s family business was located, where she grew up, and a big influence on her self-identity. While Buck’s story could have been set, any number of places, I wanted him to have to face his past, so Georgia worked for both of them.

Rad-Reader:  Did you start this book as a romance then add the teen addiction or was the addiction part something that was added as you went along?

Jacie: Since Allie was so strong in the business world, I wanted to show a place in her life where she was the most vulnerable. For most mothers, their vulnerabilities are always going to be with their children. At the time I was plotting Allie’s story, I became acutely aware of the toll opioid addiction was having on so many levels of society. They’re a severe problem in high school and college campuses everywhere. I wanted her to face a problem beyond her normal scope of influence and have to come up with a plan to deal with it, both personally and on a larger scale. 

Rad-Reader:  Did you ever think to really have Allie add the “Winnie the Pooh” tattoo?

Jacie: No, I didn’t! I should have though. Clearly an oversight on my part.

Rad-Reader:  So, is it sacrilegious for a true Southern Lady to not eat dessert?  Ha-ha!

Jacie: I think so! The South does have some of the world’s best desserts and cooks, don’t they? If I could eat peach cobbler or coconut pie every day, life would be so much more satisfying!

Rad-Reader:  Do you have a favorite area you like to write?

Jacie: Area, as in, geographic setting, or location to do the actual writing? I grew up and lived most of my life in the Midwest, so that is the most natural place for me to set my stories. The Good Riders series is set in Cincinnati, where I lived for many years. The Sunnyside Series is set in Illinois, between St. Louis, Missouri and Indianapolis, Indiana, two cities I have lived in. But I love to travel and set stories in whatever locale I think will best fit the characters.

As far as where I do my writing, I like to write on my screened lanai by my pool. I tried to write at the beach for a while, but there’s too much distraction there, and sand gets on my computer!

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

Allie:  Amanda Seyfried

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/694469205022985892/

Buck:  Daniel Cudmore

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/374924737704523357/

Rosalie:  Holly Hunter

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/759138080923256096/

Xander:  Toby Nichols

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/553098397968657440/

Jacie: 

Allie: Clare Danes. Cool, confident, and always in control

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/383650462010918941/

Buck: Jason Morgan, Armani Model

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/674554850410792790/

Rosalie:  Merryl Streep from her The Devil Wears Prada role. Strong but vulnerable in her personal relationships.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/383650462010919049/

Xander: Shawn Mendes

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/383650462010919015/

Rad-Reader:  What song or songs best describes your book or characters?

“Daughtry – It’s Not Over”

https://youtu.be/XgqrqY3LUcQ

“Reunited – Peaches & Herbs”

https://youtu.be/Bu3OQFCsKXQ

“At Last – Etta James”

When they get married.

https://youtu.be/S-cbOl96RFM

Jacie:  

Ed Sheeran “Perfect”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDDMYw_IZnE

For the Wedding: Allie’s Choice:

John Legend “All of Me”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=450p7goxZqg

Buck’s choice: Acoustic version of:

“Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIbYDzgnb1M

Rad-Reader:  What author influenced you growing up?

Jacie: As a child, I read all over the place. Reading was definitely an escape and a place for adventure. In high school, I read early historicals and gothic by Victoria Holt and Georgette Heyer. The first romance novel I read that spoke to me was LaVyrle Spencer’s HUMMINGBIRD. It was a historical novel, but when the author started writing contemporary stories a few years later, I knew they were the kind of story I wanted to write. People with relatable problems, honest emotions, with a hint of humor. I began attempting to write contemporary romance right then and have never veered off that path.

Rad-Reader:  Your favorite type of dessert?

Jacie: Pies are always the way to go with me, but I’ve never met a dessert I didn’t like.

Rad-Reader:  What is your next project and when will it be coming out?

Jacie: My next project is untitled. I almost always have a title before I start a book. They kind of come to me generically, but so far, that hasn’t happened with this one. It’s the third book in my Sunnyside small-town series, and I’m really excited about it. The heroine, Rachel, is a high school guidance counselor who chose to return to her hometown after finishing college, much to the dismay of her high school boyfriend. Brady is an architect who lives in St. Louis and resents that she didn’t choose him all those years ago, but Sunnyside and Rachel keep drawing him back. They’ve had an off-again, on-again romance ever since, but now they’re at the tipping point. They have to break it off for good and go their separate ways or figure out a way to make it work. The As Yet Untitled Book should be out by July 2020.

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

Jacie: All of my books, print, eBooks, are located under Jacie Floyd at Amazon.com, but the Good Riders eBooks are also available on B&N, Kobo, and iTunes. The Amazon addresses for my featured books are as follows:

ALWAYS ALLIE

WINNING WYATT

EVERYBODY KNOWS

SPECIAL BUY LINK:

https://www.amazon.com/Always-Allie-Billionaire-Brides-Book-

ebook/dp/B07YLW6NWL

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

Jacie: I’m just about everywhere, and I love to hear from readers, writers, old friends and new at the following locations:

Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Author Central, Bookbub, Newsletter signup

Jacie,
Once again you're right there when we need you.  We went black there for a few months due to illness and the holidays but were ready to start again and there was Jacie.  She is one of our angels who has been with us before and she keeps on putting out those books my hubby or I just love to read. Thanks for being with us again. 
Pat & Char