Shannon here: Sara Davison compares her real-life romance to her characters’ fictional romance in this interview. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for a print copy of her latest Romantic Suspense, Forged (US or Canada only). Deadline: Sept 17th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Sara:
The following is an interview about Jax and Mikayla from Forged, but I also answer the questions for
my husband and me, the hero and heroine in our own love story 😊
- What’s the most romantic thing your hero ever did for your heroine?
My husband is not given to big romantic gestures, but he is deeply committed to me and to our family, which is reflected in everything he says and does. What could be more romantic than that? Jax, on the other hand, is Latino, which seems to make almost everything he says or does seem romantic. In this scene, he recreates Mikayla’s prom night, which had been a disaster: Jax reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out an iPod, which he carried over and set on the table. The soft strains of “Wonderful Tonight” filled the air.
Jax held out his hand. “Would you care to dance?”
Her throat too tight to speak, Mikayla slid her fingers into his and he led her to the middle of the bandstand stage. “See?” He pointed at the sky. “Under the Stars, no?”
- What simple gesture does your hero do that melts your heroine every time?
My husband is a morning person, and I decidedly am not, so the sweetest thing he does is have coffee ready for me when I get up. It’s no accident, then, that Jax does the same for Mikayla, who is often up late painting. When she emerges from her room, eyes sleepy and hair disheveled, he laughs, holds out a cup, and announces, “Está despierta,” which means, she is awake.
- What simple gesture does your heroine do that melts your hero every time? I make coffee for my husband too, although I prepare it the night before, so he only has to flip the switch in the morning. What melts Jax’s heart is Mikayla trying to speak Spanish:
“Estoy, uh, por ti alegre. Verdaderamente.”
Her speaking Spanish—even with the words out of order and the pronunciation butchered a little—caused him to lose his train of thought. Likely her intention. “I know what you are doing.”
Her smile deepened. “¿Qué?”
She knew exactly what he meant. Jax pressed a hand to the brick wall on either side of her head. “Grant.” He attempted to inject a warning tone into his voice, but the heightened amusement in her eyes suggested he hadn’t been successful.
“No estoy—”
It had been a long, tumultuous day, and he only had so much willpower. Jax lowered his hands to slide his fingers into her hair and capture her mouth with his.
- Who said, “I love you” first, your hero or your heroine?
I can’t remember who said it first with my husband and me, but I know the other one immediately said it back. The same is not true of Jax and Mikayla: “After what happened with my parents, it would nearly kill me, losing another person that I …”
He ran a thumb over her cheek. “Another person you what?” Mikayla was much more reserved than he was when it came to expressing her feelings. Jax had told her weeks ago that he loved her, but she hadn’t said the words to him yet, one of the main reasons he hadn’t asked her to marry him. He wasn’t worried about it. Not much, anyway. Whether she intended to or not, she said a lot more with her eyes than she did with her words, so he knew how she felt about him. Still …
“That I love.” Mikayla squeezed his arms. “Te amo, Jax.”
- If your hero and heroine end up married, where will they go on their honeymoon?
My husband and I went to Disneyworld, and we had an absolute blast! Jax would take Mikayla to either Caracas, Venezuela or Puerto Rico. In Forged, he travels to both places while searching for his long-lost brother: Jax swallowed the bite. Either he was hungrier than he’d thought, or it really was one of the best things he’d ever tasted. Mikayla would love it. Maybe someday he would bring her here. Jax had only arrived a few hours earlier and already Venezuela had captured his heart. The thought of sharing it with Mikayla warmed him even as it sent pangs through his chest. He missed her already. What a sap he had turned into. Jax smiled and took another bite of the cachapa.
While I try to create a unique hero and heroine in each book, clearly a lot of the relationships in my stories contain elements of my life with my husband. As he has been my best friend, love of my life, and soulmate for twenty-six years, that makes perfect sense.
Question for Readers: Forged is set in Canada, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. Do you enjoy reading books set in other countries and, if so, what book like that have you read and enjoyed and why?
About Sara: Sara Davison is the author of four romantic suspense series—The Seven Trilogy, The Night Guardians, The Rose Tattoo Trilogy, and two sparrows for a penny, as well as the standalone, The Watcher. A finalist for more than a dozen national writing awards, she is a Word, Cascade, and Carol Award winner. She currently resides in Ontario with her husband, Michael, and their three mostly grown kids. Like every good Canadian, she loves coffee, hockey, poutine, and apologizing for no particular reason. Learn more & connect:
Sara’s Website Sara’s Twitter Sara’s Facebook
About the book – Forged:
The one missing person he can’t find is the one who matters the most.
Private Investigator Jax Rodriguez has been searching for his brother, Diego, for twenty years. When he stumbles upon another lead, he makes an agonizing decision—he will follow this last trail until it grows cold, and then he will marry the woman he loves and abandon his quest once and for all.
Artist Mikayla Grant is terrified of losing another person close to her, but she has to let Jax go after his brother. Given the secrecy surrounding Diego’s disappearance, clearly Jax is heading into danger. When all contact with him is abruptly cut off, can Mikayla trust that God’s promise to never leave nor forsake Jax will be enough to bring him safely home? Or does she need to take matters into her own hands?
As Jax attempts to survive the dangerous streets of Caracas, Venezuela, and then face the myriad of unknown threats in the El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico, he is not the only one hunting down his brother.
A ruthless drug lord bent on revenge is using all his resources to discover the truth about what happened to Diego. If Jax can’t stay one step ahead of his pursuer, then he, like his brother, could disappear and never be heard from again.
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I enjoy books set in different countries. only read two that was set in Italy and Canada but can’t remember the name of them since it has been a while.
I love reading books set in other countries since it allows you to get to know them better. I have read books set in Canada, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Japan, Guam. India and China. I have traveled to Canada and Puerto Rico and so I love revisiting them in writing. I also enjoy visiting in writing the other places I listed since I have never been there in person.
I have a winner! Shelia Hall won the drawing. I appreciate Sara for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.