Sara Jarrod is a very familiar name to those who love ghostly romances and are lucky enough to be familiar with the Haunting Hearts series published by Jove.

The writer behind the name Sara Jarrod is not as familiar, or at least not yet.  It is a pleasure to welcome Ann Josephson to the Magical Romance Website.
 

LB    First of all could you tell us a little about yourself as an introduction to the visitors to the Magical Romance website?

AJ    I'm Ann Josephson, and I'm writing contemporary romances for Kensington as myself. At the moment, I'm busily putting together another ghost contemporary romance I'm hoping Leisure will want-- the market for ghost romances seems to have shrunk, but I know there are readers out there who love the light paranormals that I like to write.
 

LB    Together with Sara Brockunier the two of you produce the novels under the name Sara Jarrod.  How exactly do you organise writing together?

AJ    We don't, any longer. When we did collaborate, I did all the writing while Sara was supposed to take care of the details of promotion and publicity, and be a dedicated critique partner. As with many partnerships, ours ended when the division of effort became skewed enough to make further collaboration not viable. While I was able to devote more and more time to writing romance as time passed, Sara was distracted more and more by concerns outside of writing and promoting "Sara Jarrod."
 

LB    Do you ever disagree on a choice to be made concerning a novel and if so how do you go about resolving it - for example how would you resolve a dispute over the direction of a plot?

AJ    We never had a dispute over anything as major as the direction of a plot, because I did all the writing. If there had been a major dispute, we would have discussed it and come to a decision we both could live with. We did compromise on minor details. For example, she found a reference one ghost heroine made about a walk-on character's sexual preference offensive, so I deleted it-- even though I obviously didn't find it objectionable, or I wouldn't have written it in the first place.
 

LB    So far you have written three novels for Jove's Haunting Hearts series.  It is widely rumoured that this line is being discontinued.

AJ    This isn't a rumor. It is fact.

LB    I for one am certainly sorry to hear this.  I had hoped that the decision had not been made final yet.

How do you feel about this and what are your plans in light of this decision by the publishers?

AJ    I haven't sold again to Berkley as a solo author, although I have submitted proposals which have been rejected, both for a fourth ghost romance and a quilt romance I subsequently sold and wrote for another publisher. This book, COMING HOME, will be a February 2000 release from Kensington's Zebra Bouquet line. I am currently in the process of proposing a ghost contemporary romance to Alicia Condon, executive editor at Leisure (Dorchester Publishing). Leisure is still buying paranormals, as are several other publishers on a book-by-book basis rather than a "line" basis such as Haunting Hearts is/was.  While I love writing contemporary romance with ghostly enablers, I also love straight contemporary romance, both category and single title. I am concentrating on putting out proposals in all three areas, in the hope of building sales and readership in what seems to be an ever-tightening marketplace.
 

LB    Do you intend to move away from the ghostly romance novels completely or is there hope that this decision can be reversed?

AJ    See above. I haven't given up the ghost, so to speak, but I am hedging bets.
 

LB    What type of novels do you like to read for inspiration and who are your favourite authors?

AJ    I read across time periods and subgenres, concentrating on the types of books I'm writing and proposing. My favorite romances, whether straight or ghostly, contemporary or historical, suspense or "relationship" stories, are those in which the hero and/or heroine face serious issues which impact the romance. My favorite authors are too numerous to list, although Paula Detmer Riggs, Justine Davis, Sandra Brown, and Linda Howard come immediately to mind.
 

LB    Do you have any tips for all the hopeful romance writers out there?

AJ    Learn your craft, then write from the heart. Be prepared for the disappointments and rejections that pave the road to success.
 

LB    What do you believe has been the highlight of your writing career so far and which aspect gives you the most enjoyment?

AJ    So far, the movie option for HEAVEN ABOVE has been the biggest surprise and the biggest thrill of my career as an author. I get the most enjoyment from hearing that the stories I've written touch
readers' hearts.
 

LB    What would be your ideal career if you were not writing romance novels?

AJ    Being a wife and mom-- my "other" career that I've paired with the health care financial management I used to do as well as with my writing.
 

LB    Could you tell us what you are working on at the present time, and what can we expect to see on the shelves in the coming months?

AJ    I'm working now on a proposal for A GENEROUS SPIRIT, a ghost contemporary romance in which the ghost of the hero's dead wife decides to help him find her replacement, with results that range from hilarious to poignant. Fingers are crossed that this story will find a home at Leisure.

My next release will be COMING HOME, a Zebra Bouquet Romance about a mountain quiltmaker and a CEO who has come back to the North Georgia mountains seeking something that has eluded him-- something he quickly decides this gentle woman can provide. COMING HOME is due out in February 2000, in time for
Valentine's Day.
 

LB    Do you have a message for your readers out there?

AJ    Thank you for reading my books, for sending your wonderful letters of encouragement, and for supporting romance in general and paranormals in particular. You're the greatest!
 

I would like to thank Ann for taking the time to do this interview and for letting us know about herself and her work.

I for one will be keeping my eyes and ears open for any news on the movie of Heaven Above - a wonderful piece of news and I hope that Ann will come back to us and let us know of any developments.

Thank you again Ann and the best of luck with your career.
 

Links to  Online Stores

Visit Ann's Website

Books by Sara Jarrod: Heaven Above, Heavenly Bliss and Arranged in Heaven.