Interview Jeannine D. Van Eperen

by

Sherry Derr-Wille

1. I see you are very prolific. How many books do you have in print?

If my counting is correct, You Can Bank On It from Wings ePress is number nineteen. Number twenty is coming out in July from another publisher.

2. What is your favorite genre to write in?

I don’t have a favorite, and sometimes when I begin a book, I’m not sure what genre the story will fall into until I’ve done a couple chapters. I do like romance because they always have happy endings, and I must admit there is often a romance layered in the general fiction I write. I guess I’d have to say that with general fiction an author writes truth as he/she sees it, or I’d like to think I do.

3. When you write do you like complete solitude, or do you prefer music or other noise in the background?

Usually I write in solitude. Sometimes I do listen to music, usually classical except for my story Lila’s Protégé. When I wrote that, I constantly listened to recordings of “Shangri-La” especially Vic Damone’s version. That said, I can and have written while my son’s rock band practiced in my living room. I think I go into a trance and don’t hear anything I don’t want to hear.

4. When reading for pleasure, what is your favorite genre?

I read almost everything. I’m not too fond of sci-fi or fantasy, but I read some on occasion. I enjoy historical novels, romance, general fiction, mystery, some non-fiction. As you can tell I spread myself around, I not only can’t write just one genre, I can’t read just one genre. Variety is the spice of life, or so I’m told, isn’t it?

5. Who are your favorite authors?

This could be a very long answer. There are so many wonderful writers. In fact you’re one of my favorites. The list here are some I’ve loved for years and my collection of their books sit on my bookshelves: Anya Seton, Susan Howatch, Norah Lofts, Colleen McCulloch, Sharon Kay Penman, Kenneth Roberts, Edmund Rutherford, Ayn Rand, Thomas Costain, Nelson DeMille, Sandra Dallas, John Ehle. I think my very favorite book is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, and I was first brought to historical romance by Mary Campbell Barnes years ago. Just a few months ago I was thrilled to meet Robert Crais, who writes a very good suspense story, especially Hostage.

6. I love the fact that you have chosen the 1950’s as the backdrop for this book. Can you tell us why you chose this era?

In the 1950s women were very different yet basically the same as today. At that time women were still thought of as secretarial material, not bank managers. They were, on the whole, brought up to believe that the only right choice for a woman was to be a wife and mother. It never seemed to occur to anyone that a woman doing the same job should be paid the same salary as a man. After all, a woman was just marking time until Mr. Right came along. Women were not only confined by girdles, they were hindered by the mores that were held by “right-thinking” people. Hair-coloring was not generally accepted by the populace, now almost everyone does it, male and female alike. It was a different time. Men didn’t wear earrings. I believe in a lot of states tattooing salons were banned. In the early 1950s, in a town like Albuquerque, one could still see signs saying “No Indians served” in taverns. I’ve found that from what I gather it is the mentality of the time that is different. People are people. They may dress differently and adjust their outward appearance but they all want to be liked if not truly loved. I chose it because it is sometimes good for us to look back and perhaps it helps us to understand our parents and grandparents and maybe ourselves better.

7. If you were trapped on a desert island, which of your heroes would be with you?

Do you mean fictional heroes in my books? If so, it would probably have to be Jeffrey Laurance. He’s in three of my books so I must truly love him. I’d also take along the hero from Love And All That Jazz, a pianist, Tony Fremont. You probably won’t believe this, but I had to go look up his name as this book came out about eight years ago. At any rate, he was rather charming and played a mean piano.

8. Is your family supportive of your work?

Yes, very much so. My husband, son, my sister, nieces, nephews, as well as my parents when they were alive. Whenever I got discouraged from rejections, my sister kept pushing me along, always encouraging me.

9. What is the most important thing about your heroine in this book? What is the most important thing about your hero in this book?

This book doesn’t have just one heroine, and it really doesn’t have a hero. It’s not a romance though at least one character does ride off into the sunset happily married. The most important thing about Julie is that she loves her son more than anything and though she may have been handed some hard times, she hangs in there and is true to herself.

10. What is the one thing about you that most people don’t know?

My life’s an open book, can’t think of anything right off.

11. And now just for fun, what is your idea of the perfect evening out on the town?

Dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and then going to see a ballet, perhaps Spartacus, or if the ballet isn’t in town a good older musical like A Chorus Line or Porgy and Bess. A few years back, it would have been dinner and non-stop dancing. I’m not sure if my husband really enjoys the ballet that much, but he takes me and pretends to enjoy it, and that’s love, isn’t it?