Renae: Hi, Jess. Thanks for joining me on my blog today. It’s great to have you come and visit. I’m going to ask you some really hard questions, and some really easy ones! **grin**
Jess: Hey Renae, thanks for having me. **mentally prepares herself** All right, let’s do this. **grin**
Renae: You’re just about to re-release a book, Always Been You, which will be available on the 7th of February.
Blurb: After recovering from a shooting that took the lives of his best friends, Seth Hall returns to his hometown for the first time in eleven years with his two children in tow. Intent on setting up a happy, stable life for them, he vows not to allow his past to intervene with their future. That is until Jared, the boy who had broken his heart all those years ago, returns to his life a full grown man who knows exactly what he wants...Seth.
Jared Stewart thought he had lost his only chance to be with Seth after a series of misunderstandings and mistakes. When Seth finally comes home and back into Jared’s life, Jared vows to do anything it takes to keep him there. However, while Jared and Seth grow closer, they discover that not everyone is so happy for them.
Will they be finally able to make a life for themselves together? Or will they be torn apart again, by people they thought they could trust?
Renae: I notice that this story was originally published with Silver. But I understand the story has been updated?
Jess: Yes, it really has. I’ve added approx. an extra 30k to the original story, giving the secondary characters a little more meat but also letting people really get to know Seth and Jared better this time.
Jess: Always Been You was the first book I had ever completed, first I had ever submitted, and two years later I felt I had a lot more to give it. I’ve learned more and while preparing to write the sequel, I think I came to know my characters better as well. I had originally planned to only add a few thousand words, but I found as I went on, I had more to write.
Renae: I notice this has been listed as “Second Chances #1” on Goodreads. Are you planning on making it into a series?
Jess: I have 3 books in total planned for this series. I had always planned on writing a follow up, wanting to focus on one of the secondary characters that myself, and others, seemed to have accidently fallen for a little. While doing that I introduced more characters and before I knew it I had another planned after book 2. I’m not sure if it will go past 3 books, but I never say no.
Renae: I understand that this is your first self-published book. Congrats! Was it scary to take that step? Do you think you will do it again in the future?
Jess: Very scary, I still have no idea how this is going to go, but I like the idea of having a little extra control. If all goes well then I will definitely be self-publishing more. **grin**
Renae: In Always Been You, your characters meet up again after being apart for eleven years. That’s a lot of personal growth that will have occurred during that time. Do you think in real life that the spark would still be there? (I’m thinking about my high school crush – LOL).
Jess: Yeah, I really do. I’ve known it to happen. Always Been You is loosely based on two of my friends who hadn’t seen each other since they had been 15/16 and even though things were bumpy at first, they are now happily together.
Renae: Is there something in this story for those who have read it before? Do you encourage people to buy again to get more of the story?
Renae: Okay, now I need to ask something that has been bugging me for AGES! How do you pronounce your last name??? I met for coffee with Toni Griffin and we couldn’t agree.
Jess: LOL I get that a lot. Buffett is my maiden name so I grew up with people getting it wrong. It’s just like Jimmy Buffett, or Warren Buffett. Pronounced Buff – ETT, not BUFF-AY. LOL.
Renae: <looks embarrassed> Damn...
On to the next question: You write both MM and MF novels. Do you have a favourite? Do you prefer one over the other?
Jess: MM definitely. I honestly can’t pinpoint what it is that I prefer to read or write about the genre. I have even begun a story multiple times with a male/female pairing and had it end up male/male. I learned a while ago to just go with the flow. LOL.
Renae: As an author of MM, I’m interested to know if your readers follow you across the genre lines? Do you have readers that read both your MM and MF stuff? Are there those who won’t?
Jess: I do have readers that cross those lines, I do the same even though I lean more towards MM romance. That said I certainly have readers who won’t cross, on both sides. People who won’t read my MM because it doesn’t interest them, and those who read my MM but prefer not to pick up a book with a female as the lead.
Renae: Where can people find you?
Jess: (list website, email, etc)
WEBSITE: www.jessbuffett.com
EMAIL: [email protected]
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/JessBuffettAuthor
or www.facebook.com/jessbuffett05
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/JessBuffett
Renae: Thanks for joining me today! I’ve had great fun.
Jess: Thank you so much for inviting me along, I’ve had a blast! **grin**