Interview with Varina Denman

by Andrea Grigg

Hi everyone. Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to Varina Denman, author of Jaded

and Justified, the first two books in the Mended Hearts series. You can read my reviews hereand  here. I adore Varina's work, and am thrilled to be hosting her on ACW today.

Welcome, Varina, and here come the questions!

Where were you born and raised? Where do you live now? 

I was born in Post, a small town in West Texas, but I don’t remember living there. The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is where I spent my young years, and I lived in a small town during high school. Now, my husband and I live in a suburb of Fort Worth, so I’m Texas bred through and through.

I'm kinda partial to Texas. I spent some time in Tyler way back in 1980. It's probably changed a bit since then ;)

Tell us a little about your family. 

We’ve been married for twenty-eight years and have five children (three daughters and two sons). The oldest two are married, and the third is in the Marine reserves. The baby girls are still at home, and we have loads of fun together. They’re in high school now, and since I home school them, we see a LOT of each other.

Wow! Five kids! And having been a teacher myself, I admire anyone who home-schools. It amazes me how you find time to write! Which brings me to my next question ...

How do you find time to write? 

I strategically carve out time in my schedule and guard it like a mother bear protecting her cubs: ferociously.

I'm not surprised! 

How did you and your husband meet? 

We met on a blind date (sort of). Actually, I had seen him from a distance, and he had seen me from the back, but we agreed to go out. Our sisters set us up, but when they first wanted to introduce us, I was a junior in high school, and he was a junior in college … so they had to wait until I grew up!

That's funny. I get teased about that too except I'm the cradle snatcher :)

Five interesting facts about yourself -

I eat very little sugar because it makes me intolerably cranky. (My family could tell you stories). I attended three colleges over five years studying four majors and earning zero degrees. I once performed in the halftime show at a Dallas Cowboy football game. I played with baby dolls until junior high school, and even then, I only put them away because I was embarrassed. I didn’t start writing until I was forty-two-years-old. (I was real busy before that.)

Now those are interesting facts! Can't imagine what was stopping you from writing ...

Name three fabulous books you’ve read this year: 

I haven’t had much time to read this year (and I’m feeling QUITE deprived because of it), but here are my faves so far: The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins; The Storyteller, by Jodi Picoult; and … (don’t laugh!) … The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex, by Sheila Wray Gregoire.

Not laughing. They're now ALL on my TBR pile.

Three favourite authors: 

Eww, that’s a hard one, but I’ll go with Jane Austen, Sophie Kinsella, and Nicholas Sparks.

Great choices. (I have all the Nicholas Sparks books)

What would be your dream vacation? 

Water, sunshine, and a lounge chair. And my husband. And a glass of caffeine-free diet Dr. Pepper. And a good book.

Well, just come on over to the Gold Coast with your husband. You might have to bring your own Dr Pepper but we have everything else!

Choose any three people (past or present) you would like to have dinner with. What

would you talk about? 

Robin Williams, Tim Conway, and Bob Newhart. I would let them talk about whatever they wanted, and I would laugh until I got that painful stitch in my side.

Could I please join you? Lol. Literally.

What are you working on at the moment? 

Right now, I’m finishing up final edits on Jilted, the final book in the mended hearts series. Here’s the back cover blurb: 

Lynda Turner has struggled with depression for years, ever since her husband abandoned her and their young daughter. Now, the town’s ex-convict begins to show her interest, but Lynda hesitates to consider him a viable option, knowing the townspeople will have a heyday with their gossip. When long-hidden mysteries begin to unravel, Lynda must fight, not only for her emotional stability, but also for the promise of happiness she has sought all along.

I can't wait to read Jilted. I was hoping I'd get to find out about Lynda's story. All the best for the edits and thank you so much for joining us. 

Andrea, thank you for inviting me to the ACW blog. I've enjoyed being here!

Andrea is an author and avid reader of contemporary romance. She has written two novels: A Simple Mistake and Too Pretty.

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