An Interview with Morgan and Jennifer Locklear,
Authors of Exposure
and an E-book Giveaway
I am thrilled to share this fantastic interview on my blog today. It is always interesting to get to know the people behind the writing. I know I am looking forward to reading more of their writing in the future.
Enjoy!
Susi: How does it feel to finally be called Published Authors?
Jennifer: I’m smiling a bit over the word ‘finally’. To me, this has been a fast paced journey. Four years ago, the possibility of publishing a book wasn’t on my radar. Morgan had experimented with fiction writing a bit more than I had, but I never imagined doing anything more than offering him support as he gave writing a go. Exposure is only the second story I’ve written through to completion, so I feel very blessed to have the story published by Omnific.
Morgan: I’ve produced albums and directed plays and assumed that it would feel the same, but doing something like this with my wife and best friend has astounded me with its challenges and rewards.
Susi: Has Exposure changed your life? Made it more hectic? or ???
Morgan & Jennifer: Our day to day lives haven’t changed all that much, but Exposure has certainly changed our perspective on life. Working together as writers has added new positivity and excitement to our relationship, but we’re also focused on maintaining certain aspects of our lives. Our children still need our time and attention and we’re both highly committed to our respective day jobs. These remain our top priorities. The writing is a fun bonus at this point.
Susi: Do you read all of your reviews? Do you respond to them?
Morgan & Jennifer: We do read reviews, although we’re sure we may have missed some here and there. We respond to them when we can, but we always appreciate hearing what people have to say about the story, and are thankful that the majority of readers have good things to say about Exposure. It’s always good to receive feedback on the writing. Honest reviews help us to figure out if we’re connecting with readers in the ways we hope to.
Susi: If you could cast your book into a movie, who would you choose to play your characters?
Morgan & Jennifer: That’s a tough question. We both see Leslie Mann as the perfect Michelle, and Jennifer is saving the role of Sly for Daniel Craig. People have mentioned that Kyle Petersen reminds them of Tom Cruise, but we think Matthew McConaughey could do the part real justice. Channing Tatum would make a good fit for Thomas Harper, while someone like Robert Pattinson would be good for the role of Nathan McPherson. But as far as Shaunna and David go, we really don’t have any two actors in mind so they would likely be portrayed by a couple of unknowns.
Susi: Are you currently working on a new book/project? Alone or together?
Morgan: I’m fine tuning a ghost story I wrote in November of last year as a participant in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and Jennifer is right in the middle of writing an office romance with a twist. We edit and help with each other’s solo projects all the time but each book has already demonstrated a distinct narrative which we celebrate.
Jennifer: Soon however, we’re putting together a book we’ve been discussing on nearly every long car trip this year. It’s going to be a chase-caper romance novel that will take place in the early sixties. It will chronicle the affairs of a bold but burdened con woman who attempts to stay one step ahead of a private eye sent to discover her secrets. It’s going to be called Mouth of the Mediterranean and we suspect that it may be a series.
Susi: What writing advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Jennifer: Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. You can’t publish a book until you complete a book so that means you just have to keep at it until it’s right and ready. This can take years, and usually does but it will show in your work.
Susi: What is the least favorite part of the publishing process?
Morgan: The waiting. My GOD the waiting! As a contrast to the encouragement in the previous answer to take the time necessary to complete a book, it is torture waiting for it to finally be released and read. Stage actors get applause, musicians get cash, (or at least free beer), but authors have to wait for reviews to see how well their “performance” was received. (At least we’re not artists, who usually just get kicked out of the park).
Susi: What are your favorite scenes to write? Love scenes, action scenes, etc?
Morgan and Jennifer: We really like writing the scenes that explain a lot of important things without looking like they’re explaining a lot of important things. We like the challenge of writing people who should seem un-relatable and making them seem genuine and likable. We had a lot of fun writing our villain, who has gotten a lot of attention in reviews, and taking a peek inside a movie set was a particular joy to describe.
Susi: Is there a particular subject that has inspired you to write?
Morgan: We like to have our cake and eat it too. Take Exposure, for instance. We got away with a steamy little Hollywood insider novel that had as many funny and light moments as it did dramatic onscreen and off interactions.
Jennifer: We have always been attracted to big books that encompass a large universe but kept this one short and fast paced. We both love historical novels and epic adventures and happen to be reading the Outlander series together at the moment.
Susi: If you weren’t writing books, what do you see yourselves doing?
Morgan: I guess we’d just have to settle for reading them.
Jennifer: I’ve never been one to sit back without something else to do. I’m still active with the things I enjoyed doing before we began writing, so I don’t feel like I’ve given up anything in my life in order to write fiction. Truth be told, I enjoyed creative writing a great deal in my adolescence, so I’m very happy to have fallen in love with it all over again.
Susi: What authors inspire you the most and why?
Morgan: Christopher Moore, Sylvain Reynard, Jeffrey Ford, Wally Lamb, E.L. James, James Axler (Men’s adventure titles), Edward Ruthurford, Ken Follet, Stephen King, Robert McCammon. I like authors who are fearless and unpredictable.
Jennifer: My favorites are Sylvain Reynard, Justin Cronin, Deb Harkness, E.L. James, John Greene, and Stephen King. I love big books with a multitude of well-developed characters and multiple plot lines. The heavier the book, the better.
Susi: When can readers expect more of your words in their Kindles/Nooks or bookshelves?
Morgan and Jennifer: Hopefully soon, although we can’t say for sure. Until then, we’ll be taking Exposure on the road to the Capital City Author Event in Washington D.C. and will continue to post original material on our blog.
Thank you again to Morgan and Jennifer Locklear for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview.
~Susi
If you haven’t read Exposure yet, get to it. You will love this collaborative debut.
SUMMARY
Publicist Shaunna Noble is no stranger to the ego-filled dysfunction of Hollywood’s elite, but is she ready for her two biggest clients to turn into her worst nightmare?Kyle Petersen and Michelle Cooper are Hollywood royalty, everyone’s favorite celebrity couple, but while on location filming their new summer blockbuster, Kyle ambushes his wife with divorce papers and orders Shaunna to destroy Michelle in the media. Unwilling to comply, Shaunna spectacularly and publicly quits her job, humiliating Kyle in the process.
David Quinn, a struggling actor cast alongside the A-listers, is caught in the crossfire. When pictures surface of David and Michelle out on the town, media and fans rush to crown them Hollywood’s new hot couple. Kyle explodes, tensions boil over, and everyone’s lives and careers are thrown into jeopardy.
So what’s a publicist to do? Especially when Shaunna finds herself falling in love with the sexy and talented David. Can she put out fires on the set while keeping the flames burning in the bedroom?
Love, lies and passion. What happens when the naked truth is exposed?
You can read my review of Exposure here.
BUY LINKS
Giveaway
Here is your chance to win an E-book of Exposure by Morgan and Jennifer Locklear.
Giveaway Rules:
Leave a comment on this post and you are entered. That’s it.
This giveaway will run through Monday morning. One winner will be selected via random.org.
Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to confirm.
No purchase necessary to win.
Good Luck and Happy Reading!
MEET THE AUTHORS
Morgan and Jennifer Locklear met in 1989 as teenagers and became high school sweethearts. They have been married since 1995 and live in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States with their two children, a son and daughter.
Although both enjoyed creative writing in their youth, they have only been working as a writing team since 2010. Since then they have created a dozen full-length and short stories together.
Jennifer has been employed in fundraising and development for a non-profit organization since 2000. She also enjoys participating in charitable activities, both locally and online. In her (limited) free time she is an avid reader.
Morgan has been employed in the hospitality industry since 1998. He has been active in the local performing arts community since childhood with many acting and directing credits to his name. He is also a musician and songwriter and has recorded 6 albums.
Reading & Writing Between The Wines Blog 
Great interview. Looking forward to reading their book!
Thanks. Good luck.
Reblogged this on Big Spoon, Little Spoon and commented:
Hello Everyone,
Our apologies for the long delay between posts. Our August turned out to be very busy in that place known as Real Life, and we were forced to take a brief hiatus from online activities. We’re glad to be back to the regular routine now, and this week we sat down with Susi from Reading & Writing Between The Wines to discuss Exposure and our future writing projects. Susi is also hosting a giveaway for an ebook of Exposure, so be sure to add your name to the hat if you want to win!
In the days to come, we’ll have other posts and news to share, so stay tuned…
Take Care,
Morgan & Jennifer
Great interview, guys! About your new book you want to co-write, I first read the heroine as “BALD but burdened” and thought, well that’s a twist ha ha. Best of luck.