I'm interviewing Rachel Jones, author of contemporary romance "To Dance One More Day".
Please tell us about yourself.
I’m a registered nurse and for the past twenty-five years have worked on antepartum and labor/delivery units. Before that time, I taught music in the public and private school setting. I am looking forward to retirement in a few years. In 2012, I was thinking about my retirement years and how I would spend them. It was at this point I decided I wanted to attempt to write a novel. In June of 2014, my debut novel, To Dance One More Day was released.
I live in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve been married to my wonderful husband for thirty-six years. We have three adult children and a black lab that has us wrapped around her paws.
Tell us about your book.
From her early teens, ballet has been an integral part of Jillian Russell’s life. One by one, she loses her parents, grandparent, husband and child. If being alone in the world wasn’t bad enough, a medical diagnosis takes away her chance to become a prima ballerina.
Knowing a part of her will die if she walks away from ballet, she changes her focus and builds a ballet company and opens a dance school. This endeavor takes all her resources and leaves no time to build new relationships outside her world of dance. Jillian rationalizes if she doesn’t build relationships, she can’t be deserted. And she’s not sure she would survive another loss.
Handsome trauma surgeon, Alan Armstrong has relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina for a fresh start. Until a few years ago, he had always envisioned his future to include a wife and children. But after his father died in a plane crash from lack of medical attention, his focus for the future has shifted to equip himself professionally to set up a rural clinic. A supporter of the arts, Alan finds himself on the board of the North Carolina Ballet Company. He has always had a penchant for fixing things. Realizing Jillian’s professional life could use some help, it is not long before he realizes he is drawn to her romantically as well.
They fall in love, but when Alan discovers Jillian has been misdiagnosed, he tells her she must decide between their love or a performance career in ballet.
What inspired you to write To Dance One More Day?
I am a lover of ballet, so I wanted my heroine to be a ballerina. I have been an RN for twenty-five years and I just couldn’t keep that part of me out of the story. So…my manuscript about a broken ballerina repaired by the love of a trauma surgeon was born.
How much time per week do you spend writing/editing your work?
As a registered nurse, my schedule changes weekly. When I have a few days off, I spend five or six hours each of those days writing. One of my goals for 2015 is to write every day. When I work two or three nights in a row, I sometimes write less than an hour on those days. The important thing is to write.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a manuscript about a concert pianist. She has some medical issues that have interrupted her touring schedule. After being away for a decade, she returns home to San Francisco and tries to reconnect with her family. The unresolved grief over her parents’ death two years before keeps her anchored in the past. She falls in love with her uncle’s younger colleague. He is attracted to her but his past prevents him from building a relationship with her.
Please tell us about yourself.
I’m a registered nurse and for the past twenty-five years have worked on antepartum and labor/delivery units. Before that time, I taught music in the public and private school setting. I am looking forward to retirement in a few years. In 2012, I was thinking about my retirement years and how I would spend them. It was at this point I decided I wanted to attempt to write a novel. In June of 2014, my debut novel, To Dance One More Day was released.
I live in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve been married to my wonderful husband for thirty-six years. We have three adult children and a black lab that has us wrapped around her paws.
Tell us about your book.
From her early teens, ballet has been an integral part of Jillian Russell’s life. One by one, she loses her parents, grandparent, husband and child. If being alone in the world wasn’t bad enough, a medical diagnosis takes away her chance to become a prima ballerina.
Knowing a part of her will die if she walks away from ballet, she changes her focus and builds a ballet company and opens a dance school. This endeavor takes all her resources and leaves no time to build new relationships outside her world of dance. Jillian rationalizes if she doesn’t build relationships, she can’t be deserted. And she’s not sure she would survive another loss.
Handsome trauma surgeon, Alan Armstrong has relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina for a fresh start. Until a few years ago, he had always envisioned his future to include a wife and children. But after his father died in a plane crash from lack of medical attention, his focus for the future has shifted to equip himself professionally to set up a rural clinic. A supporter of the arts, Alan finds himself on the board of the North Carolina Ballet Company. He has always had a penchant for fixing things. Realizing Jillian’s professional life could use some help, it is not long before he realizes he is drawn to her romantically as well.
They fall in love, but when Alan discovers Jillian has been misdiagnosed, he tells her she must decide between their love or a performance career in ballet.
What inspired you to write To Dance One More Day?
I am a lover of ballet, so I wanted my heroine to be a ballerina. I have been an RN for twenty-five years and I just couldn’t keep that part of me out of the story. So…my manuscript about a broken ballerina repaired by the love of a trauma surgeon was born.
How much time per week do you spend writing/editing your work?
As a registered nurse, my schedule changes weekly. When I have a few days off, I spend five or six hours each of those days writing. One of my goals for 2015 is to write every day. When I work two or three nights in a row, I sometimes write less than an hour on those days. The important thing is to write.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a manuscript about a concert pianist. She has some medical issues that have interrupted her touring schedule. After being away for a decade, she returns home to San Francisco and tries to reconnect with her family. The unresolved grief over her parents’ death two years before keeps her anchored in the past. She falls in love with her uncle’s younger colleague. He is attracted to her but his past prevents him from building a relationship with her.
About The Book
Title: To Dance One More Day
Author: Rachel Jones
Genre: Contemporary Romance
From her early teens, ballet has been an integral part of Jillian Russell’s life. One by one, she loses her parents, grandparent, husband and child. If being alone in the world wasn’t bad enough, a medical diagnosis takes away her chance to become a prima ballerina.
Knowing a part of her will die if she walks away from ballet, she changes her focus and builds a ballet company and opens a dance school. This endeavor takes all her resources and leaves no time to build new relationships outside her world of dance. Jillian rationalizes if she doesn’t build relationships, she can’t be deserted. And she’s not sure she would survive another loss.
Handsome trauma surgeon, Alan Armstrong has relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina for a fresh start. Until a few years ago, he had always envisioned his future to include a wife and children. But after his father died in a plane crash from lack of medical attention, his focus for the future has shifted to equip himself professionally to set up a rural clinic. A supporter of the arts, Alan finds himself on the board of the North Carolina Ballet Company. He has always had a penchant for fixing things. Realizing Jillian’s professional life could use some help, it is not long before he realizes he is drawn to her romantically as well.
They fall in love, but when Alan discovers Jillian has been misdiagnosed, he tells her she must decide between their love or a performance career in ballet.
Title: To Dance One More Day
Author: Rachel Jones
Genre: Contemporary Romance
From her early teens, ballet has been an integral part of Jillian Russell’s life. One by one, she loses her parents, grandparent, husband and child. If being alone in the world wasn’t bad enough, a medical diagnosis takes away her chance to become a prima ballerina.
Knowing a part of her will die if she walks away from ballet, she changes her focus and builds a ballet company and opens a dance school. This endeavor takes all her resources and leaves no time to build new relationships outside her world of dance. Jillian rationalizes if she doesn’t build relationships, she can’t be deserted. And she’s not sure she would survive another loss.
Handsome trauma surgeon, Alan Armstrong has relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina for a fresh start. Until a few years ago, he had always envisioned his future to include a wife and children. But after his father died in a plane crash from lack of medical attention, his focus for the future has shifted to equip himself professionally to set up a rural clinic. A supporter of the arts, Alan finds himself on the board of the North Carolina Ballet Company. He has always had a penchant for fixing things. Realizing Jillian’s professional life could use some help, it is not long before he realizes he is drawn to her romantically as well.
They fall in love, but when Alan discovers Jillian has been misdiagnosed, he tells her she must decide between their love or a performance career in ballet.
Author Bio
In 1977 Rachel earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and taught music for ten years. After the birth of her second child, she returned to school and in 1991 earned her Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing and passed the state boards for registered nurses. She has been a labor & delivery and antepartum nurse since that time.
Anticipating her retirement from healthcare, Rachel decided to write her first novel at age fifty-seven. For years she had experienced scenes of heroes and heroines rambling about in her thoughts and spilling into her dreams. So it was a no-brainer that she should attempt to capture these thoughts on paper.
Rachel resides in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband of thirty-seven years. She has three adult children, who help spoil their Labrador retriever. She is a member of Georgia Romance Writers, Southeastern Writers Association and is a PRO member of Romance Writers of America.
Links
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter
Pinterest
Buy Links
Amazon: Amazon
B&N: B&N
Smashwords: Smashwords
Kobo Books: Kobo Books
iTunes: iTunes
In 1977 Rachel earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and taught music for ten years. After the birth of her second child, she returned to school and in 1991 earned her Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing and passed the state boards for registered nurses. She has been a labor & delivery and antepartum nurse since that time.
Anticipating her retirement from healthcare, Rachel decided to write her first novel at age fifty-seven. For years she had experienced scenes of heroes and heroines rambling about in her thoughts and spilling into her dreams. So it was a no-brainer that she should attempt to capture these thoughts on paper.
Rachel resides in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband of thirty-seven years. She has three adult children, who help spoil their Labrador retriever. She is a member of Georgia Romance Writers, Southeastern Writers Association and is a PRO member of Romance Writers of America.
Links
Website
Goodreads
Buy Links
Amazon: Amazon
B&N: B&N
Smashwords: Smashwords
Kobo Books: Kobo Books
iTunes: iTunes
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