Fallen Women Week: Jo Goodman (& Giveaway)

Co-hosted by Kati and Jamie (from Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance) & Myself

This event showcases some of the amazing authors and books that feature “fallen women” as the heroine.  Make sure to stop back each day as we will have guest posts, interviews and lots of giveaways!

Today for FWW I have Jo Goodman and the lovely ladies at RRFTLOR have Mary Balogh!

Jo Goodman is a licensed professional counselor working with children and families in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. Always a fan of the happily ever after, Jo turned to writing romances early in her career as a child care worker when she realized the only life script she could control was the one she wrote herself. She is inspired by the resiliency and courage of the children she meets and feels privileged to be trusted with their stories, the one that they alone have the right to tell.

Once upon a time, Jo believed she was going to be a marine biologist. She knows she is lucky that seasickness made her change course. She lives with her family in Colliers, West Virginia. Please visit her website at www.jogoodman.com or hang out with her at www.facebook.com/jogoodmanromance.

Hi Jo, thank you for agreeing to take part in our Fallen Women Week Event!

1. What is your all time favorite “fallen woman” and why?

Hmm. My favorite fallen woman? She’s got to be Jezebel. Oh, wait. You meant a fallen woman that I’ve written about. That’s tougher. I’d have to say Elizabeth Penrose in Let Me Be the One, the first book in the Compass Club series. She made a conscious choice to take a lover and it turned out to have some unexpected consequences. I like her because it toughened her up around the edges and forced her to rethink some of her decisions. It also opened a door for her to experience the love she’d hoped to find the first time around.

2. What inspired you to write about a “fallen woman”?

In this day and age, it’s hard to wrap my head around the idea of a fallen woman, but for a historical romance, it presents some obstacles for the heroine to overcome. I like the challenge inherent in that. It also means that the hero is going to have to think a little differently than was the norm for the times if he’s going to get this girl. He has to figure out that ‘fallen’ doesn’t mean ‘ruined.’

3. What are the characteristics of a hero would you want for your “fallen woman”?

This hero has to be able to see past certain conventions of the time and recognize and value attributes in the heroine that have nothing to do with virginity. He has to have a deeper understanding of the limited opportunities she would have had, the societal pressures that influenced her choices, and that however far or hard she has fallen, she is a person deserving respect.

4. If you were stranded on an island, what 5 books would you take with you?

I’d always have Atlas Shrugged because I might actually get rescued before I finish it. I’d also want the complete works of Shakespeare because I’ll never read all of his plays otherwise. For practical purposes, I’d want “How Stuff Works” (or some similarly titled helpful survival book). For fun I think I’d like The Count of Monte Cristo. And for the child in me, I’d take along Peter Pan.

5. Describe your book in 140 characters (a tweet).

The Last Renegade attempts to save a town with the help of a beautiful widow, two rascally boys, and the hero of a dime novel.

Quick either/or:

1. Alpha or Beta? Beta

2. Wallflower or Belle of the Ball? Wallflower

3. Debutante or Spinster? Spinster

4. Virgin widow or Secret baby? Virgin widow

5. Titled peer or Working man? Titled peer

6. Love at first sight or Second chances? Love at first sight

7. Naval officer or Swashbuckling pirate? Pirate, whether his buckle swashes or not

8. Vampires or Shifters? Please don’t make me choose; they weird me out equally.

9. Past, Present or Future? (sneaky) Past perfect

10. Writing or Reading? Writing

11. Paperbacks or e-books? Hardcover, then ebooks

12. Plotter or Pantser? Plotter, but only because I don’t know what a Pantser is.

13. Author’s choice: You get to ask a question for the readers to answer.
Handcuffs or Ropes? Feel free to answer that, but my real question is: With all the fuss and interest in erotica, specifically bondage, is there a place for that in traditional historical romance?

SHE HIRED HIM TO PROTECT HER TOWN

As the owner of the Pennyroyal Saloon and Hotel, Lorraine Berry is privy to almost everything that goes on in Bitter Springs, Wyoming—including the bloodshed plaguing its citizens. With all of the good men dying at the hands of a local rancher and his three sons, Raine hires a shootist to be the town’s protector. But her handsome new employee is more than a hired hand; he’s a man who keeps his guns close and his secrets closer.

BUT NOTHING COULD PROTECT HER HEART

After a chance encounter on a train, Kellen Coltrane travels to the Pennyroyal to carry out a dying man’s last wish. But once he meets the hotel’s fiery-haired proprietor, Coltrane finds himself assuming the role of the shootist’s accomplice and agrees to protect Bitter Springs. And as he learns more about Raine’s own tragedy, Coltrane can’t deny his growing desire for the courageous widow, or the urge to protect her from the threat that draws near…

GIVEAWAY!

One lucky commenter will win a $25 gift card (Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes) from Jo Goodman!

Open to residents of the US Only

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment for Jo – answering her question!

We love to hear from our readers – so make sure to stop by and chat with Jo!

Giveaway will be open until October 15th, midnight EST.

Make sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win!

emailaddress (at) gmail (dot) com