Q&A Jodi Thomas, Lone Heart Pass

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What barbecue meal would you pair with Lone Heart Pass?  

Ribs, of course, with potato salad made with mustard, and cowboy beans warmed with chili and peppers. 

If you didn’t write romance series, what type of genre would you enjoy writing next?  

I think it would be fun to write children’s books.  I have a great time telling  my grandchildren stories.  One they love is Pete the Pirate.  I made him up.  He was hit in the head once and talks backwards.  They always giggle and guess what he’s trying to say.

Which book cover out of the Ransom Canyon series would you say is your favorite?  

When I first saw the first book RANSOM CANYON I loved it more than I’ve ever love a cover and then the next one, RUSTLER’S MOON came, then LONE HEART PASS.  Every time I think it’s better.  But, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the next one SUNRISE CROSSING.  

What are three things from your bucket list you still would like to cross off?  

Last month I took a boat through the Everglades in Florida and saw the lights come on at dust at the Eifel Tower, so my list was shortened in March.  I’d like to go to Israel.  I’d love to see the Northern Lights.  And, I’d love to see one of my books become a movie.

Out of all your books, which one would you love to see become a book to movie adaptation?  

I think LONE HEART PASS would make a great movie.  It’s got a handsome hero, a crazy heroine, and a great love story.

For someone who has never been to Texas, what are some of the must-sees of the lone star state?  

We’ve got everything in Texas, it’s just a few hundred miles apart.  My favorites are:
Big Ben National Park in the south,
the San Antonio Riverwalk when it lights up at Christmas,
the Hill Country down by Fredericksburg where bluebonnets take your breath away this time of year.
Palo Duro Canyon in the winter when snow dusts the red rocks across the formations called the Spanish Skirts

Do you travel for ideas when writing a book?

If so, where do you tend to go?  I see stories everywhere I go.  Most of all, they come to me when I ‘walk the land’.  Sometimes ideas come to me when I hear a phrase or listen to a song or see how people interact.  Last month I went out on a ranch that helps horses and ‘walked with the herd’.  There was a peace to it that I hadn’t expected.

What is the most important thing that people don’t know about your writing that they need to know?  

They may not know that my characters come alive to me.  By the time I’m five chapters into a book I stop calling them characters and call them people or by name.  Sometimes it like I’m walking beside them through the plot.

I always laugh and say my sons are worried that I might just forget and accidentally name one in the will.

How do you feel about eBooks vs. print books?  

I read them both.  I love the feel of a book in my hands but I love packing a dozen eBooks in my suitcase when I leave on a trip.  Both have their place and I find myself reading more books than ever.

What are you working on next?  

I’m just starting what will be book five of RANSOM CANYON.  It starts out making me smile because I’ve grown to love the little town of Crossroads and the people