Interview and Giveaway with Jolene Gutierrez

When Ana takes off flying across the high school stage, her life is forever changed. Searching for answers, Ana meets Gabrielle, her mentor. Gabrielle teaches Ana that she’s an angel and is here on Earth to help prepare for a war between good and evil. The only problem? Ana can’t always tell who’s good and who’s evil. While she’s learning, Ana meets the man of her dreams, Dylan. He’s gorgeous, sexy, and really seems to care about Ana. Even though he’s a demon, Ana’s heart tells her to trust him. Then Ana’s world is shattered and she finds herself alone and afraid. As the boundaries between good and evil blur, Ana realizes she no longer knows who she can trust and who might be out to kill her.

Goodreads Summary


What do you think are the five top qualities your book contains?

 1. Hot guys, literally!, 2. Chocolate, 3. Mind-talking dogs, 4. Amazing uses for underwire bras, and 5. Plundered squirrel treasure.  Or, if you want a more serious answer: 1. Fun, 2. Flirtation, 3. A little mystery, 4. A little action, and 5. A protest against stereotyping and judging others.

Who was your favorite character and why?
Dylan is my favorite because he’s based on my husband. Even though the way my husband and I met was totally different, I was able to relive our instant connection when I wrote about Ana and Dylan. ;)

What was your favorite scene to write and why?
The bakery scene was my favorite to write because it has two of my favorite things: 1. Baked goods and 2. Flirtation. Yum.

How did you decide to write about angels rather than, say, the common vampire?

I love all paranormal characters, including vampires. The first paranormal story I was ever exposed to was the movie of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (I was sneaky and watched some of it on TV—unbeknownst to my parents--when I was in Kindergarten and then had nightmares for months). There are so many amazing vampire books, though, that I felt like I needed to tell a different story. Religion has always been of interest to me. I grew up in a Catholic community but was one of the only non-Catholic kids. My parents didn’t go to church at all, so when I was young, I struggled with what that meant to me and with my own religious identity. With that kind of background, writing about angels and demons just felt right to me.

Did you have any inspiration for the book?
Not for the actual story, but I did have some major inspiration to write. I dedicated the book to my friend Rae. She lost her fight to breast cancer nearly five years ago, and while she was still here, we talked about writing (and horses) a lot. Her passing reminded me that any day could be my last, and it was almost like I could hear her saying, “Well, what are you waiting for?” So the main reasons I write are to honor Rae and other loved ones who have passed, to honor myself by doing something I love, and to honor my students and my own children by teaching them to do what they love.
Was there any character who was hard to develop or write about?  Shawn was a little difficult for me because the reader doesn’t get a full picture of who he really was and is. We got a small glimpse at the end, though. He truly used to love Ana, so even though his time on Earth corrupted him, there was still something decent and good left inside.

Ana was such a great character to read about, does she contain qualities from you or people you know? Do any of the other characters?
Ana is definitely most like me, although her character would surprise me sometimes. As I mentioned before, Dylan is based on my husband, and Cheyenne is named after my daughter, Shaian (pronounced the same way but spelled differently). In the book, Cheyenne’s little brother, Dakota, is named after my son Dakota. Gabrielle is modeled a bit after one of my favorite high school teachers, Mrs. Zink. I was scared of Mrs. Zink when I first met her, but I had regular classes with her and then was volleyball manager for her team and met with her independently to work on some acting monologues, so I really got to know her. She was strict and serious at first glance, but she had this wry sense of humor and was someone who really cared about her students. I’m still in contact with her; she’s one of the many unforgettable teachers in my life!

Quick Questions:

Chocolate or Vanilla ( *warning* there is a right answer to this >.>)?  Hmm. . .I hope I answer correctly. ;) Chocolate is definitely my favorite!

Seaside or Mountains? Mountains, and luckily I live near some. I can’t get my hair untangled when I go in the sea and I’m kind of afraid of water, so the sea would be wasted on me.

Ebooks or print copies? Print. I love the way print books smell and feel.

Favorite color? Green. Like a Kelly Green or an Emerald Green.

Favorite time to write?  Mornings. I’m not really a morning person, but I love how productive I feel if I get in some good writing time in the morning.

Favorite music (if any) to write too? I love music (pretty much all kinds), but I can’t write to it because I end up singing along and get distracted from my writing.

Giveaway!  This is for one print book of Devil. May. Care.  (I reviewed this book and loved it!) for USA/CAN please :) Leave a comment with your email below to enter.  For one extra entry, become or state your GFC follower name.  Thank you for stopping by, this giveaway will end October 20th.

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