Bio:
Jill Shure, a New York native, majored in Language and Fine Arts at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. After graduating, Shure moved to Washington, D.C., and worked on Capitol Hill. After three years, Shure headed for Southern California where she attended graduate school in San Diego for teaching. She then pursued writing and worked with screenwriter Howard Browne and later on with novelist Joan Oppenhiemer.
Shure has written several novels from Young Adult to a Psychological Suspense Thriller. Her first script, The Levy's Tomb, was optioned by a 20th Century Fox executive. Shure became a finalist in both the Austin Heart of Film Screen Writing Competition and twice in The Academy of Motion Pictures' Nicholl Fellowship. Shure also studied screen writing at UCLA, and with such notable gurus as Syd Field and Linda Seger.
Her fiction harvested awards at the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference and twice at the San Diego State Writers Conferences from editors at Berkeley Putnam and Harper Collins. Jill's writings appear in The Love of Friends (Berkeley Putnam 1997). In 2002, she won the prestigious Ben Franklin Award for Popular Fiction for her novel, Night Jazz.
Jill’s website:
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In Night Glitter, Jill Shure’s long-awaited sequel to her Ben Franklin Award-winning novel, Night Jazz, the story of Jeri Devlin continues. It’s 1932. The Great Depression has left Jeri and Lex bankrupt and Lex fighting for his life against a deadly illness. While Lex convalesces, Jeri becomes embroiled in a murderous game of cat-and-mouse with two mobsters hell-bent on revenge. Alone and desperate, Jeri is forced to flee New York and travel west to the dazzling world of Hollywood. Jeri soon discovers that Hollywood’s glamour cloaks a soul-stealing darkness hidden just below its glossy surface. There, Jeri comes face to face with her ancestors, finds sanctuary in a brothel, and is forced into servitude with a movie star diva intent on hiding ruinous secrets of her own. Alone and conflicted, Jeri must find a way back into the arms of the man she loves.
Q&A with Jill Shure
Jill, I would like to congratulate you on your March release Night Glitter. Is there a back story to Night Glitter?
Jill: With NIGHT JAZZ, I discussed it with a friend of mine, a former editor at Bantam Books in New York. And we both came up with the title, mostly because the novel was based on The Jazz Age. NIGHT GLITTER just kind of fell in with the story moving out to 1930's Hollywood, during the movie industry’s golden age. My companion book, NIGHT CAPS, just sounded so great because it’s full of drink recipes with names which relate to the characters in my “Night” novels.
Do you plot your stories or let your characters lead you.
Jill: I do both. I usually have a really good opening, and from there, I bound along for a short while. Then I break it all down into outlines and try to create a working plot. A lot of that plot is tossed aside as my brain works things out. So I guess I do it both ways.
How long have you been writing and what was your call story?
Jill: I’ve been writing for years. I started working with a young adult author years ago so I tried my hand at that and got my first agent. I loved that novel, but it was never sold. It was called The Downfall of Catherine DaVinci. In fact, I may try to resurrect that book, if I ever find the time.
What are you currently working on?
Jill: Mostly promoting the “Night” books. But I also have a new mystery series coming out. The first in that series is called A Clause for Murder. It’s a rude, hilarious mystery with a big romance blended in. I’m also doing a cookbook and another book for the “Night” series, which will be the last in the trilogy.
Of all of your characters, do you have a favorite you identify with and why?
Jill: That’s a killer question. I’m all of them. But I guess I’m Jeri Devlin and Betsy Ross, my latest heroines. Unfortunately, admitting this means more funny looks after people read my books and discover the sexy passages.
What is the best thing about your job as an author? What is the hardest thing?
Jill: The best thing is when the work just takes off, and I’ve solved a major plot problem or written something I know is exceptionally good. That’s the absolute best. And the hardest parts are I don’t like what I’ve written that day or when I can’t make a decision. Because that’s what writing is: making a million decisions. Say it this way or say it that way. Decisions, decisions, decisions!
Describe a day in the life of Jill Shure.
Jill: I’m a coffee fanatic and have at least one cup to start. I work out every other day. I make calls, send emails, write blogs, then head out for a public place where I can write. For those few hours, I’m unavailable and get to focus on my work.
What is something you definitely want readers to know about you?
Jill: Writing is wonderful. So is reading. I’ve been happily married for 25 years. And I’m crazy about animals.
When the time comes for you to retire from writing, what would you like your readers to remember the most about you and your writing?
Jill: I’d like them to recall a favorite passage. Or how I made them laugh. And I hope that one of my books will always be a favorite.
What are you currently reading?
Jill: A Michael Connelly mystery. My husband has been reading him for years but I just discovered him. And Lisa Kleypas is next on my shelf.
Before I let you go is there anything I forgot to ask that you want the readers and fans to know?
Jill: That my books will pull them in and move like lightning. I really think your readers will enjoy them. Also, that I am so happy to have been welcomed into the romance blogosphere, and I’m thankful for the friendships I have made here. Your support means so much to me, and I am forever grateful.
Jill, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me!
Jill: Thank you! It was a pleasure.
For a chance to win a copy of Night Glitter, Night Jazz, and Night Caps, leave a comment on this post, and/or become a fan of Night Glitter on facebook and leave a comment here saying you did so (if you do both, you have double chances). Don’t forget to leave your email address in case you’re a winner. (US only, please.) Don't Forget to leave your email address and please check back at the end of the month to see if you've won!
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