Interview: J.R. Ward, 'Possession'

HEA welcomes J.R. Ward (yep, THAT J.R. Ward) to our humble ablog (aka, abode) to chat about her new Fallen Angels novel, Possession (out today!); what's next for Jim and Sissy; who her favorite heroes are; and what's on tap for her upcoming Black Dagger Brotherhood release, The King (March 2014). Yes, we're squeeing as hard as you are right now! It's kind of embarrassing, frankly. But here we go again …

Jessie: Welcome to HEA, J.R.! What can you tell us about your new release, Possession?

J.R.: Hi there! Thank you for having me! Possession continues the Fallen Angels series — and it focuses on yet another soul whose future is in play — and not necessarily in a good way. Naturally, Jim Heron and his wingman, Adrian, get into it with Devina, the demon with OCD. Chaos ensues, but is capped off with a happily ever after for someone.

Jessie: We love our HEAs, so thank you for that. : )

Do you have a favorite Fallen Angel? A favorite Brother? What about a favorite heroine?

J.R.: It's so hard to pick! Usually, it's whoever I'm working on at the moment. Jim and Adrian are neck-and-neck for Angels. And Zsadist is probably my favorite hero of all time. And heroines? Hmm. I like them all!

Jessie: Seriously, who doesn't love Zsadist? A dark, tortured hero with the voice of an angel? Ah, but back to Jim. Do we get to see more of the romance between Jim and Sissy in Possession?

J.R.: You sure will!!

Jessie: Awesome! Readers have had their fingers crossed for more!

What's next for your Fallen Angels after Possession?

J.R.: Well, at the end of this book, it's pretty clear what direction we need to head in — Sissy and Jim have some issues, if you get what I mean!

Jessie: Yes!

So you were a catalyst for changing the paranormal romance/urban fantasy world by featuring Blay and Qhuinn as main characters. Will we see any other m/m pairings in the series?

J.R.: I do what my Rice Krispies tell me! So whoever comes forward is who I'm going to write about — so I rule nothing out and am open to everything. Blay and Qhuinn's story just had to be told. I wrote their book for that simple reason.

Jessie: It may be simple for you, but Blay and Qhuinn's story meant so much to readers.

What do you like to do when you're not writing? What about when you need a break from the intense world of the Fallen Angels or Brothers?

J.R.: I'm not all that interested in breaks, to be honest. I love what I do, and I'm lucky that I'm able to do it for a living. But you do need to clean your pipes, so to speak — and I do that running. It's usually during that time that the pictures in my head are the clearest and I can see where I'm going most vividly.

Jessie: We loved your novella Father Mine, featuring Bella and Zsadist. Might you write more novellas through our favorite characters' eyes?

J.R.: Well, I think what you'll see will be previous couples coming back in a significant way in the full-on books — exactly what's doing with The King (which features Beth and Wrath and their struggles around him being on the throne and her desire for a child). There are still plenty of conflicts to resolve!

Jessie: The world is filled with them, and readers love how they come out in your writing.

Might there ever be a female lead whose soul is in danger or will it always be men? Do you even know? We know how these things tend to develop on their own sometimes.

J.R.: Too right! And, yup, there is a female, as a matter of fact! Keeeeeeep readddddddddding, and you'll see who it is!

Jessie: That's so exciting! I can't wait to find out who!

And the Brothers? What's next for them?

J.R.: I'm drafting The King right now — so I'm all about Wrath and Beth, Assail and Sola, and Trez and Selena! I love the Brothers, and I'm really getting into the thick of this book — it's going to be intense.

Jessie: The BDB series is definitely in my list of top series.

Have you read any good books lately?

J.R.: No, unfortunately. With my publishing schedule what it is, if I'm awake, I'm writing. I haven't had time to read in, OMG, so long. I miss it!

Jessie: Well, we can't really argue with the results.

Thank you so much for hanging out with HEA!

To find out more about J.R. and her books, visit jrward.com.

Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She is a top 1,000 reviewer on Amazon and also does reviews for Bitten By Books and AllRomance.com. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).