Jessica Coulter Smith Interview Published on: 16, Mar 2021

I was born in the Memphis, TN area, but between the ages of 10 and my adult years, my family moved a lot. I’ve lived in Louisiana, Georgia, California, and Texas. Out of those, Georgia felt the most like home and I still miss it. But as is true with any area, things change over the years. The Atlanta I remember from the 90s isn’t the same as the one today. While I’ve enjoyed going to visit, I’m not sure if I’d still like living there. I’ve found I prefer a quieter country setting these days.

When I decided to write full-time, I had to learn how to market my books. I’d never taken a marketing class before and had no idea what I was doing. I observed other authors in my genre (what they posted on social media, where I saw their books advertised – that sort of thing), read as many articles and books as I could on the subject, and figured things out on a trial and error basis. What worked for one book didn’t necessarily work for the next one. Since I write across multiple genres, I also noticed platforms that did well with contemporary romances didn’t work quite as well for paranormal books, or young adult books.

Making sure everyone has a happily-ever-after! In a romance, anything is possible, and everyone finds their perfect match. Doesn’t matter if the love of their life turns furry under a full moon, is from another planet, or has more human differences. And best of all, love conquers all. I also like making sure the bad guy gets what he deserves.

I tended to keep my nose in a book back in the 80’s. Even now, I’d rather be reading than watching TV. I know I loved Scooby Doo, Fraggle Rock, and The Jetsons. I was in elementary school in the 80’s, so I watched a lot of cartoons. And yes, I still watch Scooby and Fraggle Rock (even have t-shirts for both). However, I love a ton of movies from the 80s, especially horror movies.

When I first started writing, using a pen name never crossed my mind. So I used my real name. I only wrote paranormal romances back then, and it was a common practice at the time to write other genres under a different name, especially if one of those other genres was geared toward those under the age of eighteen. My writing style also tends to be a little different depending on the genre I’m writing. So while a reader may love something I write under my real name, they may hate another genre. For instance, I write LGBT books as Dulce Dennison. There are readers who read across multiple romance genres, but quite a few stick with one or two sub-genres. When I submitted the idea for the Bad Boy Romance series to my publisher, even though it would be M/F pairing, my publisher felt the stories had a different voice and didn’t fit any of the names I’d written under to that point. So the pen name Harley Wylde was created. Harley only write bad boy, mafia, and biker contemporary books. I’ve also found a lot of the MC and Mafia romance readers don’t like shifter or alien romances. Keeping the two separate, makes it easier for readers to tell what sort of book they’ll be getting from me.

Absolutely amazing! Having a book become a bestseller in your home country is wonderful beyond words, but when you realize you’ve reached audiences across the globe? There are just no words for how that feels.

Scratch played a part in the very first Dixie Reapers MC book, and readers loved him. I would receive tons of emails asking if he’d ever get a book. The more the Boneyard characters appeared in other books, the more requests I received. Once I felt the Dixie Reapers were well-established, I decided to give the Devil’s Boneyard crew their own series. Since Jackal had played a part in one of the Dixie Reapers books, and he’d walked out with a Reaper’s sister, I decided to start there. I love having series crossover. It lets me visit with characters even when their series is at an end.

I honestly sat down and thought I’d write a 3000 word short story about a teenage girl and a vampire. I’ve loved vampire romances since I was in middle school. While other girls were focused on boys and shopping, I was devouring Anne Rice books, and any romances I could get my hands on. Except, when I write Eternal Bite, I fell in love with the characters and the story changed as the words hit the paper. It was first published as a short story, under 6,000 words long, in 2010. Later, I revised it and not only lengthened it a bit more, but I changed the romance dynamic and gave it a different ending.

No, I really didn’t. I’d had a few books nominated to the Darrell Awards in the past, and never made it to the final round. Finding out Brielle and the Alien Geek had won was a completely shock. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to attend the award ceremony. My grandmother had planned to attend with me, but she passed away very suddenly a few weeks before the event. I couldn’t bring myself to attend without her, but I’m so grateful I got to share the news of the award with her. She also loved to write and we would discuss books and writing every week.

Breena isn’t really based off just one person, but a mix of people. There’s a little of me in there, my mother’s snarkiness, and a few bits of one of my friends. And some of her character is just... her. Sometimes, I’ll get an idea for a character, but as I start writing, parts of the characters backstory or personality change. I’m a pantser and not a plotter, so even I don’t know how the story ends, until it’s written.

I actually haven’t had a chance to go to a book signing yet. I signed up for two, but then COVID-19 happened. All of my book signings have been moved to 2022 as of right now, but I’m looking forward to going. I have sent signed books to readers in the mail in the last year or two. What I write in them depends on the reader and how well I know them. Some interact with me quite a bit, and others I only see a random comment here and there. Honestly, thinking of something to inscribe is way harder than writing the book!

No, I just use my name. Before the pandemic, I would often write at my local Starbucks. I was there so frequently, they knew me pretty well. When I walked in the door, they’d start making my drink. It was a great space to work when I just needed a break from the house, even though I have a home office.

I tend to take things one day, or week, at a time. I get easily overwhelmed, so I’ve learned to take things in bite-sized pieces. As for new books, I keep a file of around 100 partially written books. I’m always working on something (or several books). I use a spreadsheet to keep track of which books I’ve worked on each month, how much I added to each one, and I change the titles to red font when I’ve completed a book. Right now, I’m working on the next Shifters in Plaid story, which is due to my editor far too soon.

I actually run a book blog. I’ve had it for over a decade and I sometimes post reviews there, at Goodreads, or over at BookBub. I used to review for a few different sites (including We Write Romance, which sadly no longer exists). As a writer, I like to see what readers thought about each release. I like seeing reviews that let me know what readers liked and didn’t like about the book, especially if it’s constructive criticism.

I honestly don’t remember when, but I saw an author posting about their book being up for Cover of the Month on their Facebook page. I clicked the link to vote, and had to create an account first. I didn’t start actively using the site as an author until around 6-8 months ago. I enjoy the features offered, and the tweets are much appreciated. The Cover of the Month contest is always fun, even if my books aren’t listed that month.