Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Interview with Alina Jacobs, THE SUCCESSOR


Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
The Successor is the start of a series about the Holbrook family. (The books can be read in sequence or as standalone novels.) The Successor follows Grant Holbrook as he transforms from marine to the heir to a multi-billion dollar fortune and one of the leaders of a major corporation. Grant was given up for adoption as an infant. Part of the inherent drama in the story is the tension in the new relationship between Grant and his birth family. He was only brought back into the Holbrook family after a major family tragedy that has shaken the Holbrook clan. Now Grant has been thrown into a nest of family resentments and secrets, and is forced to navigate it without a map.
 
To help him through this entanglement is Kate Thurlow, the executive assistant to Grant's birth father. Kate and Grant fall for each other almost immediately, but Kate is held back by her professional obligations in addition to her own dark secrets. She doesn't necessarily want a forbidden relationship with Grant to become another secret she has to keep, but she can't help herself!

The Successor follows Grant's and Kate's relationship and includes a heaping side of upper class family drama in one fantastic full length novel! 

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?
All the time! In The Successor, Nancy was originally a side character and just a family friend. She evolved into a full-fledge Holbrook (by marriage) and is now an integral part of the story and a mother figure to several characters as well as an actual mother to two of the cousins.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?
My day job is an architect and so I am beholden to the whims of the client, who is more often than not a large corporation. I had no desire to also deal with that in the context of writing and publishing. I like being an Indi author because I have a more immediate connection to the readers.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
I like to listen to music, but I find that my writing quality and speed suffers when I do. I really need all of my brain for writing, and especially for editing.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
No plan is better than a bad plan, but all of my plans end up thrown by the wayside as characters tend to get angry if you push them to do things they don't want to do.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
Yes! I use Red Adept Editing and they do such a great job. They catch every little mistake and provide excellent commentary. I couldn't do this without them!

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?
Patience. Also to be more assertive. I think as women we are taught not to tout our accomplishments because it sounds bossy. But in Indi publishing you sort of have to self-promote if you want any measure of success. The skills and mindset I've had to learn has been helpful not just in self-publishing but in the rest of my life as well.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Absolutely. Creating a plan and a schedule ahead of time helps because I don't have to worry in the moment about whether or not I am forgetting to do anything. I consult the schedule and do what it tells me to do.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
I love architecture and design. My favorite thing to do is to travel to a new city and walk around, look at cool buildings, and eat great food.

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?
Dogs! I like to give them small roles in my novels. Chocolate because duh. Tea, especially green tea. Text because I have horrible phone reception. Day becase I'm definitely a morning person. 


The Successor
Alina Jacobs
(Holbrook Cousin’s Saga, #1)
Publication date: July 5th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

He’s gone from the battlefield to the boardroom; now this billionaire has to win his girl.
Hot tempered Grant Holbrook has just returned to the states and he’s already in trouble.
In jail and estranged from his adoptive parents, Grant thinks his luck is turning around when Kate, his birth father’s gorgeous assistant walks into the police station to bail him out.
As the newly discovered heir to a multi-billion dollar fortune, Grant is the talk of New Cardiff, his father’s exclusive New England hometown, and not everyone is happy that he’s there.
Deemed the most eligible bachelor in America, Grant has to run an international corporation and fend off the woman that want him.
But there is one woman who won’t throw herself at him—Kate.
How can he convince her that he needs her in his life not just for a night but for the rest of his life?
Sleeping with the boss’s heir is not in her job description.
Kate has sworn off men. After a string of bad relationships culminating in the absolute worst night of her life, Kate promised herself she was going to concentrate on her career and bury all of her bad decisions.
But when her billionaire boss asks her to find his long lost heir after a Holbrook family tragedy, Kate finds herself falling for the volatile Grant—but she cannot give in. She would lose her job and ruin her reputation if she were caught sleeping with her boss’s son.
Kate is the executive assistant of billionaire Walter Holbrook, and she prides herself in achieving the impossible. But when Grant starts pursuing her, he may be the one problem Kate won’t be able to solve.
As secrets from her past start to resurface, will it drive her into his arms or will she ultimately resist Grant Holbrook?
The Successor is book 1 in the Holbrook Cousins Saga, but can be read as a standalone novel. This 80,000 word steamy romance novel has no cliffhangers but a very happily ever after.

Author Bio:
Alina is an architect by day, writer by night. Her favorite thing to do is curl up with a hot drink and a good book. She lives in a large Southern city in an old house with an old dog.
Alina Jacobs is a pen name.




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