SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH JUNO RUSHDAN
Juno Rushdan is a hot, up and coming author who has already garnered praise from several New York Times best-selling authors! Danger, action and steamy romance are the hallmarks of her sinfully good novels. Although she recently started being writing for Sourcebooks in 2019, she has already started another new pulse-pounding series this year.
What is the secret to her fabulously sexy writing? Where does she come up with her ideas?!
I was honored to get a glimpse into this amazing author’s works and find out how she’s become such a successful author.
1) I feel incredibly lucky to have you here on our site! I am amazed by how quickly you have made a name for yourself in the romance genre. Can you tell us how you got started writing romance?
Juno Rushdan: My grandmother encouraged me to start writing the stories in my head at an early age, maybe six or seven. I think my family was a little worried about me at first because my stories were always pretty dark with tragic endings. It wasn’t until I started reading romance that I adopted the idea of giving my characters a happily-ever-after.
2) I’m so happy you have! What drove you to write romantic suspense specifically?
Juno Rushdan: I was interested in paranormal romance initially, during the boom of the Twilight series, but my first book went nowhere. My literary agent at the time told me that I had a gift for writing suspense and intrigue and loved my action scenes. She was the one who told me I’d excel at romantic suspense and she was right.
3) Who are some of the authors who have inspired you and why?
Juno Rushdan: I grew up sneaking my grandmother’s books. Two novels that had a lasting impression were The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum and Thurston House by Danielle Steel. As I started discovering authors on my own, my greatest inspirations have been Anne Rice, JD Robb/Nora Roberts, and JR Ward.
4) Great authors! I have to say, your books seem so real! How do you make the action and danger so authentic? Were you a spy in a prior life?!
Juno Rushdan: Hahaha! I wish. I’m a veteran intelligence officer and I’ve worked at four different combatant commands. Supporting special forces, air crews, and working with the Joint Task Force responsible for providing command and control of department of defense forces managing CBRNE incidents (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive, definitely shaped the foundation for the Final Hour series and continues to heavily influence my other books.
5) No wonder why your books are so realistic. Your latest book, Hostile Pursuit, for Harlequin Intrigue just came out this March. How different was it writing for Harlequin versus Sourcebooks? What did you like about writing for each publisher?
Juno Rushdan: Writing for Harlequin Intrigue was a big change, but I’ve really enjoyed it. I tend to write long, so it was a challenge at first. Both publishers have different things to offer, but I love getting that sense of accomplishment sooner with my Harlequin Intrigue books.
6) Your third book in the Final Hour series, Until the End, comes out this May. Will this be the last book in the series?! Or will there be more books coming soon?
Juno Rushdan: I have more ideas, but I’m not sure what direction I want to go regarding how to publish those stories. I’m a bit of a control freak and I’d love to become a hybrid author.
7) I really hope there will be more. What makes your hero, Castle Kinkade, so exciting?
Juno Rushdan: Castle has been a bit of a mystery for the first two books. He’s hardworking, loyal, no-nonsense, and sometimes comes across as a bit cold because he’s always able to put the mission first. Until he meets Kit Westcott and the lines blur for him. Then he becomes an unstoppable force.
8) Is it more difficult to write a heroine who is an operative versus a ‘normal’ civilian? Where do you get your research or background for them to make them seem so alive?
Juno Rushdan: Actually, I find it easier to write a kick-butt heroine who is an operative. When I was in the military, I was in a male-dominated field with few women as mentors and colleagues. Writing those types of characters gives me a chance to share some of my own experiences, from a mental and emotional perspective. No, I have never chased down bad guys, but I often faced situations where I didn’t want to be treated differently because I was a woman. I understand the challenges those heroines face and I think it makes it easier to write them realistically.
9) You are certainly an inspiring example to women of all ages, including myself. I love it when women are just as smart and dangerous as the heroes! Do you intend to write more books with a female agent like in Every Last Breath?
Juno Rushdan: In Hostile Pursuit, readers meet Charlie Killinger, but in book #2 of my Hard Core Justice series for Harlequin Intrigue, they get to know and understand her. I cried while writing Witness Security Breach because Charlie’s pain is so deep and Aiden’s love for her is boundless. She’s shrewd, lethal, and uses every asset at her disposal to her advantage. I think readers are going to fall in love with Charlie and Aiden.
10) What new books do you have planned for next year? Can you tell us about them?!
Juno Rushdan: I recently signed a new contract that I’m dying to share.
Women's/Romance
Former U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer Juno Rushdan's six untitled books, including a continuation of her Hard Core Justice series, and the launch of a new series about disavowed CIA operatives that follows four members of an Assassination Team code-named TOPAZ, who were framed, and now on the run, must survive long enough to clear their names, to Denise Zaza at Harlequin Intrigue, in a multi-book deal, for publication in September 2021, by Sara Megibow at kt literary.
Thanks for honoring us with this interview! It has been such a pleasure. Without authors like you the world would be a very boring place.
Juno Rushdan: Thank you so much for having me Steph! It was a pleasure to be here. I’d like to offer your readers the prequel to my Final Hour series free. No Way Out: Turn up the pressure in this nonstop thriller where one woman's defiance—and her fierce love for the man she could never forget—may be all that's standing in the way of a new bioterror threat. Download: https://bit.ly/NoWayOutFree
Interviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
For additional information about this extraordinary author you can check Juno Rushdan out at her website:
https://junorushdan.com/
Juno is the award-winning author of the action-packed romantic thriller series the Final Hour from Sourcebooks Casablanca and the new Hard Core Justice series from Harlequin Intrigue. She writes about kick-butt heroes and strong heroines fighting for their lives as well as their happily-ever-after. As a veteran Air Force intelligence officer, she uses her background supporting special forces to craft realistic stories that make you sweat and swoon. Juno currently lives in the DC area with her patient husband, two rambunctious kids, and a spoiled rescue dog. Be the first to know about new releases, exclusive excerpts, and contests by signing up for Juno’s free newsletter at junorushdan.com/mailing-list/. Also be sure to follow Juno on BookBub for the latest on sales at bit.ly/BookBubJuno.
Connect with Juno ↓
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/JunoNewsletter
BookBub: http://bit.ly/BookBubJuno
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junorushdan/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/junorushdan/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JunoRushdan
Upcoming and Recent Books by Juno Rushdan:
Until the End – May 26th, 2020
He’s strong. Fierce. Relentless.
And he may be her only chance of surviving the night.
Gray Box operative Castle Kinkade always gets the job done, no matter how tough the assignment. But when he agrees to protect white-hat hacker Kit Westcott, Castle’s loyalty is tested like never before. Trapped in the closest of quarters, protective instincts flaring, he can feel the ice surrounding his heart melt…and he knows he’d do anything to keep Kit safe.
Even defy the rules that shaped his life.
Castle is the last person Kit should confide in, let alone be attracted to, but he’s the only ally she has left. Under threat of imminent attack―and a chilling conspiracy that hits too close to home―Castle and Kit are forced to put their hearts and lives on the line…and stop at nothing to face the greatest danger the world has ever known.
Hostile Pursuit – March 17th 2020
When ruthless killers target them, even a safe house isn’t safe.
Only twenty-four hours remain until marshal Nick McKenna’s informant, Lori Carpenter, will testify against a powerful drug cartel. Nick has kept her safe for an entire year, but now all hell is breaking loose. With a team of cold-blooded assassins closing in, the by-the-book lawman decides to go rogue. He’ll risk his life for duty…and put it all on the line for his irresistible witness.
A cofounder of KRG, Derek’s promise is to advise small-business owners in trouble. He never guessed that assisting the diffident but sexy Alice would be so captivating and make it so hard to keep his desires in check. But just as intriguing is the alarming puzzle behind the computer glitch that’s unsettled his client. As the investigation unfolds, they must also confront an attraction too palpable to ignore. Every new dark twist they follow is only bringing them closer together—in passion and in danger.