If you have been a reader of the blog for a while, you no doubt are aware I am something of a fan of Jessica Bird, a.k.a. J.R. Ward. I happen to think the author is beyond cool. I was blown away by Dark Lover and still to this day am in love with that book as well as Lover Awakened. Hey… everyone has a favorite brother.
When it came time to for Lover Enshrined I thought it would be tres nifty to have her CP, the ever nifty Jessica Andersen do the interview… we got lucky (or they gave in so I would shut up), at the end of the interview you can read how YOU can get lucky *G*
Dr. Jessica Andersen, author of the newly released paranormal Nightkeepers, interviews J.R. Ward, otherwise known as the WARDen, author of the also newly released Lover Enshrined. Read on…
Hey Duckies, author Jessica Andersen here! I don’t know where you all are at, but here in the Northeastern USA it’s hot as blazes. Hello, early heat wave! In an effort to cool things down, I thought I’d keep it light today. I’m joined by my good buddy and critique partner, J.R. Ward, and we’re going to do a little quacking about her awesome new release, Lover Enshrined, the sixth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
Jessica Andersen: Hey JR, dude. Thanks for agreeing to do this mini-interview!
J.R. Ward: Actually, thank you for doing it!
JA: Staying on that ‘keep it light and cool’ theory, I thought we could do a ‘these are a few of my favorite things’ list… so here goes. As always in the BDB books, Lover 
Enshrined has got a ton of great zingers and one-liners among the characters. What’s your favorite line in the book, and why?
JRW: Man, there are a number of them! I think my fav is when Wrath is explaining to John Matthew that the last time Lassiter, the fallen angel, was on the planet there was a plague in central Europe. Lassiter’s response: “Okay, that was SO not my fault.”
JA: Building on that idea, what’s your favorite scene in Lover Enshrined?
JRW: Lemme think… the one with John Matthew on page 497 (I’m quoting the page to avoid a spoiler) just tore at my heart, in a good way and a bad way. I also like the one with Phury on page 492… that was just a great scene (it’s the one where he emerges from the Scribe Virgin’s private quarters.) That one also leads up to my favorite line in the book: “He finally felt like the hero he had always wanted to be.” But my absolute favorite scene… was the one at the end when Z comes to Phury, with the Brotherhood. Got me all teary when I wrote it to be honest. It was so great to see the twins reunited and the Brothers all together… and yeah, that’s my fav.
JA: Thinking of the series as a whole, which of the book covers is your favorite, and why?
JRW: You know, I like them all but I think Dark Lover is my favorite. I love the red and the black, plus it was the first one and set the standard for them all. So, yeah, have to go with the king on that one!
JA: Okay, shifting the topic slightly, what’s the funniest thing a fan ever asked you, either online or during a public appearance?
JRW: Actually, I’d have to say it wasn’t a question, but how a question was raised. This lovely woman who always attends the Cincinnati signings, lifted her hand up to her face, putting it on her forehead (to indicate she had something to ask). The thing was, she had her fingers orientated so that it put a loser sign on her forehead as she looked up at me. I busted out laughing and was like, are you losering me at my own signing?! Of course everyone cracked up- she 
handled it very well, though. And she’s still coming to the signings!
JA: What was your favorite song (or songs) to listen to while you were writing Phury? Did you mainline the opera, or was the soundtrack straight up ZeroSum fare, or…?
JRW: Huh… well, I listened to opera a lot, yes. But as always there was rap and hip hop in my ears while I ran during the writing of the book. And when I run I plan a lot so even Phury was touched by the likes of Fifty and Pac and Kanye and Lil Jon and Jay-Z…
JA: When you’re treating yourself, what’s the treat? Chocolate? Massage? White water rafting?
JRW: Right now? Breyers vanilla and coffee ice cream!
JA: And now for the lightning round… please answer the following with a word or phrase only, no explanations:
Favorite DVD? “The Office”, any season
Favorite guilty pleasure on TV? “Flavor of Love”, any season
Favorite guilty pleasure in the fridge? Ice cream, see above
Favorite word for the Chicago Manual of Style? Okay that’s a trick question! LOLOLOL geeee I’d have to go with c***sucker.
JA: And finally, what is your favorite recent release about the Mayan 2012 doomsday and the men and women who are bound to protect us from the apocalypse?
JRW: OMG, it’s totally Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen! Have you ever heard of her? Fabulous writer, wicked sense of humor… and excels at fondue. You.are.welcome.
JA: And there you have it, Duckies! Straight from the WARDen herself, a little light fun on a hot day.
Hahaha! I believe you Jessicas will now be my new favorite PICs (Partners In Crime)!
I love the characters in the series and I have a couple question. Q1. Will Layla get her HEA? Q2. Will there be anymore Brotherhood babies?
I just wanted to give a huge shout out and thanks to Sybil for having me and thank you soooooo much to all of you who stopped by. I’ve had a total blast! I apologize for the questions that I missed as I’m sure there were quite a few. 🙁 You guys ROCK and I was thrilled to be here!
MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAH! J.R.
Great interview! Love you both. Please keep writing. Sometimes books are my only escape from my nutty kids! LOL
Hi WARDen!!! Once again, another great interview… You two are very entertaining LOL. I had a q about the opera references but you answered it already so just gotta say that LEn was great and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the BDB world!!! Thanks again WARDen!!!
JR, I just wanted to say “Thanks” I absoutely love the BDB series!
Just have to tell you once again how much I loved LEn! Thank you so much for everything you give us!!
Muah!!
Hi WARDen! 🙂 I love Phury’s book. I can’t pick just one fave moment, sorry. The whole book is wonderful. Thanks for the great series!! ~ Sarah
Thanks JR for answering our questions even if you did miss some we know you can’t answer all of them. Can’t wait to find out who wins the *COMPLETE SIGNED SET* !!!!!!!!!!
I just wanted to say that I am so happy that I found the WARDen’s books. It started with V and Iback-tracked from there. There has not been another series that I can think of that has my attention as much as these books. no matter the style of the book or the direction of the characters, i will be a fan till the end(which I hope will be a very long time)..lol
Thank you so much for your books. They have given me so many laughs and sighs. You are amazing at creating those oh so not real men and I greatly admire them one and all. Take care of yourself.
Great interview.
Thanks to both the Warden and Doc Jess.
I am going to be a good cellie and not ask any questions. Even though I am dying for a new slice of life. PLEASE!
Love to the Warden and Doc Jess
Very cute interview – thank you both, Warden and Doc Jess. I’m finishing up LEn tonight. Yeah, I know it’s been over a week since it came out but I’m taking my sweet time with Phury. BTW, you’re up next, Doc. Strike’s doing push-ups in the wings…
Is it wrong to be in love with twins? Z has always been my favorite, but Phury tugs at my heart strings too. There isn’t a book in this series that I haven’t enjoyed.
J.R.
I LOVED THE BOOK. LE WAS GREAT. IVE LOVED AL YOUR BOOKS. DL BEING MY FAV, YOU JUST CAN’T GO WRONG WITH A KING. YOU ARE AN AMAZING WRITER AND I PERSONALLY HOPE YOU NEVER STOP.
JR: I have A LOT of brothers (six in fact), so I relly feel in home when I read about the BDB Brothers. I laugh with them, I fight with them and I cry with them. But from DL, I fell in love whith Phury. Maybe because I have a little heroine complex myself. And was very touching to see how the most important, and rewarding challenge for Phury, was to excelled himself.
Thanks you so much for give us the Brothers.
I just love the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Keep up the Black Dagger Brotherhood series PLEASE…..
Great interview. I always like learning what the authors favorite parts of their own books are. Fun. Your books keep getting better and better. Thanks for that! I hope they never end.
JR,
I love your writing. Wrath and Z were my all time favorites with Rhage and Butch next. I have to know are you going to continue writing these books as romance? Pleeeeeeeese I am begging, you write the hottest love scenes throw in the UF and you have a winner.
Thanks Lisa
Thank You Both! Love the series…can’t wait for more! Got the DH reading them also; says he loves the action. I’m not sure his idea of “action” and mine are the same thing…LOL…so there’s something for both of us!
Thanks again!
(Waves) G’night, guys! Thanks for the warm welcome, glad you enjoyed the interview, and hope to see you around 🙂
Wooohooo! Love Phury’s story, beautiful! The story line was awesome…. *sigh* I’m with u G, Dark Lover and Lover Enshrined are (were) my faves. Lassiter, what a guy! Can’t wait till Xhex and JM get it on, that’ll be smokin’, I’m sure. So, TY very much, JR. No questions here, just eagerly awaiting more.
JR Just love your books! My fav character has to be John Matthew, I look forward to reading more about him and the gang 🙂
I sooo had to stop by and post because the new Ward was an adventure to pickup for us and to have a chance to have all the titles SIGNED… Yeah I needed to post.
My daughter dreamed about visiting Japan since she was in 9th grade. She applied for a special Exchange program last year (her sophomore year at College) but was not selected. She applied again this year (her last year of eligibility) and was finally selected. She was traveling on… yup, the 3rd. She became a HUGE Ward fan when I lent her Dark Lover as reading material for her trip back to school last August. When she found out that Enshrined was coming out the day she was leaving for Japan for 2 months she almost had a seizure. We visited 3 book stores the day before and PLEADED for a sale but no go. When things were looking bleak we walked into Walmart and it dawned on us… 24 hours!! Dre got on her plane with her copy of Lover Enshrined. That is commitment!
LOVER ENSHRINED and NIGHTKEEPERS are wonderful books and I’m so glad they are series so that I can continue to enjoy the great characters and story. I fully intend to buy any books from these authors who have wicked imagination and know how to weave a story.
Thank you J.R. Ward and Jessica Andersen
I loved Loved LOVED this book. I think Phury is my new favorite brother (replaces Rhage). Excellent job with this book. It was so moving. Keep ’em coming. PLEASE!
I absolutely LOVE the books, all of them. I really can’t wait to see what happens next. Keep em coming!
Thanks
Thank You J.R. Ward for introducing the world to the Black Dagger Brotherhood!!!!
Love the books! Just the right amount of action, humor, and of course plenty of steamy action! Thanks for keeping us entertained.
Hi JR and Doc Jess,
I spent the day at the hospital with my dad (boo-hiss). I also spent the day with Phury and Strike in rereads. (Yay!) Thanks for writing great stories that keep my attention no matter what else is going on in my life.
MUAH!
Love the Brothers. I’ve shared the books with family. My aunts and cousins have also fallen in love. We all have our favorites. Causing much argument and debate. But my 83 year old grandma still believes Wrath wins hands down. You’ve created a world shared by 3 generations of women in my family! ;0)
JR, Thank you so much for Phury! I just finished reading it this afternoon and that last scene you mentioned with Z and the other Brothers reuniting had me bawling like a baby AND I was on shift at the time too. So many twists and turns. Lots of revelations I certainly wasn’t expecting. So many questions I need to ask but I know I cannot ask them here because they’re spoilers. Again, thank you for yet another awesome read. I cannot wait for Rhev. See you in September.
p.s. hope im not too late to be entered into the contest. i can’t get on during the day and miss these things often.
all I have to say is that the WARDen is an amazing woman, and an amazing author, I no longer have ANY interest in reading a book where a vampire is the bad “guy”!!
LOVE THE BROTHERS!
~Warryn
Hi J.R
Love all the BDB books! Do you think you will ever come to the UK for a signing?
Thanks, Robyn
Hey WARDen and Doc Jess,
Just popped into to say great book, I had a worry or two when a change of style was mentioned, but this book is stunning and the writing is fabulous. I love love love the book. Can’t wait to have my mind absorb it all so I can start my re-read.
Cynclair.
Thanks for doing this interview! I think my favorite book is Lover Awakened, but we will have to see since I haven’t had time to read Lover Enshrined yet. I love the books, and I hope there’s tons more on the way 🙂
I really enjoyed Lover Enshrined but my favourite is still LA. I was reading another book and stopped to jump right in when I received my copy. I can’t put the BDB down once I get them in my hands.
Now I have to wait until May for Rehv – It seems so far away.
Thanks for writing such a great series.
Hi JR,
I love the entire series. I haven’t read Lover Enshrined yet and after reading all the mixed reviews – I don’t care. I’m still going to read it! My favorite character would be Vishous. But I am looking forward to reading more about John Matthews because I’m deaf and am fluent in sign language so it was great finding a character who can sign. Keep up all the great work and don’t ever let the series end.
Hey JR! I love LEn. It was amazing and I can’t wait to get my greedy little hands on Rehv.
I find myself through the day wondering what the Brothers are doing. I am in way too deep into your books. I LOVE IT!
Thanks so much JR For LEn! I’m so hooked on the Brothers.
I so enjoyed reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood that I got through the whole series, except for Lover Enshrined, in a matter of days. One right after the other is the only way to read them again and again and again. My hat’s off to the WARDen. Now I am off to read Lover Enshrined since it is next in line on my TBR pile.
I totally love these books. I’m still 100pgs from the end of Phury mainly because I had to wait for Amazon to deliver it. I’ve gotten 3 of my girlfriends addicted also & I’m working on more. It is like this really awesome cult or this new drug & I’m all about the recruitment!! I can’t wait for the next book!!!
Gosh I’m so bummed that I missed this yesterday but I was sleeping after getting off a night shift.
I absolutely love BDB!! It is one of the best series I have ever read. JR you are an amazing author.
JR thanks for recommending Jessica Andersen’s Nightkeepers to read. I will be checking that out for sure Doc Jess!
I was just on eHarlequin looking at the book reviews and there are great comments for your book!!
Heh, I just know I’m gonna love Lassiter! 🙂
I Love this series!!
Thank you so much J.R!!
Thank you so much for all the books and the time that you spend with your fans.
JR I HOPE THIS QUESTION IS NOT A PROBLEM BUT HERE IT GOES!
IS JM DARIUS’ SON OR IS HE A REINCARNATION OF DARIUS?
I’M SORRY I HAD TO ASK. MUAH LOVE YOU YER THE BEST!
Hey JR!
Will Cormia and JM realize the “clues” they have been given in Rehv’s book?
I love this series! I am well and truly addicted!!
Keep up the great work!
Deandra1964
(A Southern Girl hoping for a little Southern Vampire Action!)
Wow, what to say other then the Warden is amazing!!! Keep up the great work, and we’ll “Keep Reading”! Good luck on all that you do. Thanks for the great books on the brothers!
muuah
Donna