By now, you’ve heard me rave about Golden Heart winner and historical romance author Jeannie Lin. But I’ve come to suspect that she’s not really one of us. To get to the truth of the matter, I’ve decided to subject her to a harsh cross-examination:

Q. What does your family think about you writing romance novels?

Well..my aunt called my sister a couple of weeks ago asking about the rumor circulating at the last gathering (which I missed) that I have a book on the NY Times Bestseller List. *head smack* I told her to please tell them that’s not true. Needless to say, they’re quite excited. My sister is gleefully warning everyone about adult content, which has everyone thinking the book is hotter than it is. My Mom took a day off work to read it and has been pimping the book to local newspapers and bookstores. My various cousins want free copies, then grumbled when Sis told them they’d have to get off their butts and buy it. So, pretty much it’s a circus, like every big event in my family.

Q. What do you have in common with your heroine, Princess Ai Li?

She makes decisions very quickly and goes forward with them, head first. Sometimes this is good, and other times disastrous. I think I’m like that. I consider things very carefully, but once I decide, I sort of put my head down and go for it. I’m very risk tolerant – maybe too much so! Like Ai Li, I’m very connected to my family. Even though I’m probably known amongst them as the more independent one, the ties are always present. She and I are also perpetually optimistic about people. Other than that, she’s actually much more noble, dedicated, and better coordinated than I am.

Q. Are there any scenes in Butterfly Swords that were inspired by your own real life romance?

My husband would like to think that! The truth is, my real life romance is a lot closer to the one in The Dragon and the Pearl. Ryam is too nice and funny of a guy to hook up with a gal like me. The one part of the story that dug deep,  is the influence of Ai Li’s grandmother (Mei Lin) on her own love story. My grandmothers, both maternal and paternal, were amazing women. My paternal grandmother raised me. She was a tigress: aggressive, cunning, and crafty. My maternal grandmother was the more timid of the two. She was quiet, kind, and obedient; yet in her youth she took a huge risk to escape an arranged marriage. That one blind leap has rippled down for generations, affecting my mother’s life and mine and our freedom to choose.

Ai Li’s grandmother is the melding of my two grandmas. That tiny little part of the story is what made it possible for me to believe Ai Li and Ryam’s romance could be accepted.

Q. What’s the most controversial thing you’ve written or would consider writing for publication?

I’m not an extremely controversial person. At least it doesn’t seem so from my viewpoint. I think controversial writers must know they’re pushing the boundaries, right? I wish I had a juicier answer for this, but my head just hasn’t gone there.

Q. Since I know that you’re smart, adorable, a talented writer, a gifted speaker, and a baker of darling little cookies, prove that you’re not some kind of supernatural creature by telling us something you’re bad at.

Ha! Thanks so much for saying that. The truth is everything comes with a lot of effort in the background, and I leave a wave of destruction in my wake of which my husband tries to suppress. My writing takes a gazillion drafts and no matter how much I learn, it still takes a gazillion drafts. (Which literally surround me in stacks in my fire hazard of an office.) My husband was a professional baker and has to help me out with the cookies or they’ll all burn because my mind has wandered off in the ten minutes they’re supposed to be in the oven.

I am in serious need of handlers and am only safe from myself when sitting in front of a computer and writing.

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Jeannie Lin writes historical romantic adventures set in Tang Dynasty China. Her Golden Heart award-winning novel, Butterfly Swords, will be released October 1 from Harlequin Historical and received 4-stars from Romantic Times Reviews—“The action never stops, the love story is strong and the historical backdrop is fascinating.”

Join the launch celebration at http://www.butterfly-swords.com for giveaways and special features. Visit Jeannie online at: http://www.jeannielin.com

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