Librarian Archives - Tena Stetler

Nov 30th Interviews – Jennifer Wilck Author of Learning To Love

Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to Jennifer Wilck, author of Learning to Love. Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Jennifer, I see you brought friends.

Yes, Tena, I sure did. Meet Adam and Dina from Learning to Love.

Thanks for joining us! Let just hop right in and put Adam on the hot seat first. <Snicker>

Tell us about the real you—I’m a lawyer with my father’s law firm in NJ. I’m trying to make junior partner, which is a crap shoot right now because my dad is a hard ass and I have a bad reputation (some of which is deserved, but most isn’t). I’ve always thought surface reputation is important, but lately, I’m having a change of heart.

What makes you laugh out loud? My best friend, Jake, has always been able to make me laugh. But recently, since meeting Dina, it’s listening to the random pieces of trivia she says in the oddest of situations. You should have been there when we went to my father’s house for dinner. That man is cold and formal, but when Dina started talking about lining whiskey bottles from here to Edinburgh, I thought he was going to fall over.

What makes you angry? Injustice, whether it’s against me, my clients or the people I love—especially when it’s against the people I love.

What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you? No one told me these questions were going to get so personal. [stares into space for a few minutes] My mom leaving when I was a kid. I don’t understand why she did that, and my father was never the same.

What do you most value? Trustworthiness. I don’t find it a lot, but when I do, man, there’s nothing like it. It’s actually pretty scary at first, especially when I realized that Dina could see through all my bullshit. But then I realized that it just made us closer and that she wasn’t planning on using anything to hurt me. I’d do anything for her.

What do you sleep in at night? Ha! Well, when Dina spent the night (on the sofa—I tried giving her the bed and she refused), I wore flannel pajama bottoms—at least when I came out and made her coffee. But I’m most comfortable sleeping in the nude.

What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with? That’s easy. Dina Jacobs. If she’d let me. Right now, I’m not so sure. She’s relegated me to the friend zone because she says she’s not my type. But I can’t imagine living without her. She’s warm and funny and brilliant and her hair, god, I love her hair. She makes me feel good about myself and when I’m with her, all I want to do is make her happy.

What do you consider most important in life? Before I met Dina, I would have said a successful career. And I still think that’s important. I mean, if I can’t contribute financially to a relationship, then what am I doing there? But now that I’ve met Dina, I’d have to add someone to share my life with. I’m hoping she’ll agree to share mine.

What is your biggest secret? My dad fired me from the family law firm. A case I was working on got messed up, actually, a few of them, but it wasn’t my fault. Unfortunately, I have a reputation that says otherwise and now I’m paying for it. I haven’t told anyone, including Dina. Right now, I’m trying to find another job. Once I do, then I can tell her everything because she’ll see I’ve overcome adversity and didn’t let it stop me. And then we can be together.

On that note, it’s Dina’s turn.

Who are you really? I’m a librarian and a genius. I’ve never fit in with people my own age. I love to spend the weekend reading and spending time with my few close friends from work or temple.

What makes you laugh out loud? Well, as I said, I’m a librarian, and we’re known for enforcing the quiet, but when I’m not in the library, a really funny book with snappy dialogue and smart wit will make me laugh out loud. By the way, did you know we laugh up to 30 times more when we are in the company of others than when we are by ourselves?

What makes you angry? Mean people. Most recently, Adam’s dad. He has these unreasonable expectations and he insults his son in front of others, including me.

What do you sleep in at night? Well that’s a really personal question! Can we just leave it at pajamas, which, by the way, is a word derived from two Hindi words.

Who were the biggest role models in your life? My parents play a huge role in my life. They’ve always supported me in whatever I’ve wanted to do, even if I haven’t been driven toward high-pressure jobs like my siblings.

What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with? [blushes] Well, I used to think someone exactly like me. And I was recently set up on a date with this guy named Zach who on paper should have been perfect for me—intelligent, kind, considerate. But as nice as he was, he was boring. I’m starting to think Adam is someone I’d want to be with, even though we’re totally wrong for each other.

What kind of man would you never choose? I shouldn’t choose someone like Adam. He’s concerned with surface appearances and goes for those gorgeous, slinky models. [points to her curves and frizzy hair] As you can see, that’s totally not me. But perhaps I’ve been too hasty, because beneath the outer layer that he shows to the world is a deeper man with soul. So I really don’t know how to answer that question.

What is most important to you in life? The most important thing would be books. The most important people are my family, my friends Tracy and Rebecca, and, I’m starting to think, Adam.

What is your biggest fear? Currently, it’s going to my high school reunion. I really don’t want to see the people who looked at me only as someone who could help them cheat on tests. But Adam is telling me I have to go and he’s volunteered to take me. Tracy thinks it’s a great idea, so I guess I’m going to have to face my fear and go.

Thank you for your time Dina. Now let’s see what Jennifer has to say.

Tell us a little about writing this story. Was it fun or difficult? Do your characters always act as you expect? Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants?

This story was so much fun to write! I knew I needed to write a story for Adam, who has appeared in the previous two books and I wanted a chance for him to redeem himself. And then Dina popped into my head as the perfect love interest for him—quirky and totally different from what Adam thinks he wants. Researching trivia for Dina to spout was a blast. My characters tend to take on a life of their own and these two really did that. I was just along to record their journey.

Oh, I know how that goes! My characters do that all the time. LOL Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to talk with me. Tell us a little more about Learning To Love.

Dina Jacobs is a single librarian who has never fit in due to her off-the-charts intelligence, frizzy hair and rounder-than-socially-acceptable figure. She left her past behind until she receives an invitation to her ten-year high school reunion, and all her insecurities return.

Adam Mandel is a single corporate attorney who just missed his third deadline at his father’s law firm, the law firm where he is up for junior partner. With his reputation on the line, Adam needs all the help he can get to convince his father that he deserves the promotion.

When Dina and Adam run into each other on a deserted road, Dina thinks Mr. Flashypants can’t possibly be interested in someone like her. Adam thinks Dina is just the person to help him improve his reputation. Lies and insecurities force them to take a look at themselves. Can they trust each other to look beyond the surface?

How about a sneak peek between the pages of Learning To Love!

What the hell just happened?She wanted to be friends.The only kind of “friend” he wanted to be with her

had “boy” attached to it. No, that wasn’t true. He enjoyed her friendship because he loved talking to her, hearing her opinions, sharing himself with her.

But he was becoming more attracted to her. So far, they’d only kissed, but that one kiss, that unbelievable kiss, haunted him. His lips still burned where they’d touched hers, his insides still turned to jelly when he thought about it. In fact, he’d been hoping there would have been more kissing in her apartment once he’d apologized for his gaffe.

But she’d focused on their arrangement and her overreaction, and here he was pulling away from the curb into rush hour traffic.

She thought he was dating her only to impress his father. If he were one hundred percent honest with himself, he’d acknowledge the partial truth in that statement. But the more time he spent time with her, when he wasn’t royally screwing things up with her, the more he wanted to move beyond their arrangement.

His head was another matter. It was still focused on not making a fool of himself, on maintaining the right reputation, on spinning the right message.

But listening to his head was probably what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. As unbelievable as it might sound, it was time to follow his heart.

Available from : Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble

More about the Author:

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.

In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. When she’s not writing, she loves to laugh with her family and friends, is a pro at finding whatever her kids lost in plain sight, and spends way too much time closing doors that should never have been left open in the first place. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.

She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters. She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/

It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Learning To Love!