Interview with Jane Sevier,
Author, A Billy Sunday Kind of Love,
A Psychic Socialite Story
Jane is the author of Fortune’s Fool, the first novel in the Psychic Socialite series and a 2010 finalist for the coveted Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Jane loves travel and has lived in Dallas, Paris, Washington, D.C., Austin, and Nashville. An 8th-generation Tennessean, she will always be a true child of the South, no matter where she hangs her hat.
MJT: Jane, congratulations on a great follow-up to Fortune’s Fool. When did you get your vision for A Billy Sunday Kind of Love?
JS: Thank you, Mike! It’s great to be here, and I’m tickled that you enjoyed Billy Sunday. Fortune’s Fool is so much Nell Marchand’s story that I wanted the new book to reveal more about medium Joseph Calendar’s mysterious past. To tell you the truth, I’m as enamored of him as Nell is. If they haven’t already, I hope readers will fall in love with Calendar, too.
MJT: One surprise in A Billy Sunday Kind of Love is your journey into Egyptology. What sort of research did you do for those scenes in your novel?
JS: Egypt has always fascinated me. That obsession may even have begun when I saw Boris Karloff in “The Mummy” on television, and there are nods to that movie in Fortune’s Fool. After Howard Carter and his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, discovered King Tut’s as-yet-undisturbed tomb in 1922, a craze for all things Egyptian swept the world and influenced culture in myriad ways. Nell and just about everybody else would have felt it. That influence will be a continuing element in the Psychic Socialite series. And after all, Memphis, Tennessee, is named for the ancient Egyptian capital and has a pyramid of its own.
MJT: Two new characters that you introduce are Sister Louise Henslowe and Brother Mordecai Jones. Where did you find historical models for these fascinating characters? Are we likely to see them again in a future Psychic Socialite story?
JS: Especially in the early 20th century, evangelists like Billy Sunday and Aimee Semple McPherson wielded enormous influence. Faith healer McPherson in particular understood the potential of the media and used it to her advantage, although it would ultimately contribute to her downfall. In Los Angeles, she built the Angelus Temple, founded her own church, and fed thousands during the Great Depression. She is the inspiration for Sister Louise. As for Brother Mordecai, there is no specific historical model, although he probably thinks of himself as the next Billy Sunday. Characters will reappear in later books, so you may very well see Sister Louise and Brother Mordecai again.
MJT: The book covers for both Fortune’s Fool and A Billy Sunday Kind of Love are gorgeous. Can you give us some of the details behind the work?
JS: The covers are stunning, aren’t they? I’m so proud of them. Graphic designer April Martinez (www.graphicfantasic.com) did both. When the book is ready, I complete a cover questionnaire for April that explores the principal characters, themes, and settings. Based on that, she creates a draft cover. We discuss and tweak it until it’s ready. Because April is so gifted, little tweaking has been required. I think the Billy Sunday cover does an especially marvelous job of incorporating the story elements.
MJT: The release of A Billy Sunday Kind of Love was only a few weeks ago but I have to ask this next question anyway. What’s next for the Psychic Socialite series?
JS: I’m working on the next book now, The Boy from Nowhere, in which Nell encounters an abandoned boy. It will be out later this year.
MJT: Do you find certain themes recurring in your novels?
JS: Absolutely, although I’m not always aware of them until I’ve finished the initial draft. Betrayal, disillusionment, and redemption run through my writing (Sometimes I wonder what that says about me!). I suppose that’s because they can be such profound motivators of human behavior. Isn’t that what good fiction is about—what makes a character tick?
MJT: Where can readers find a copy of your novels?
JS: Fortune’s Fool and A Billy Sunday Kind of Love are each available in print from your local bookstore and online booksellers and as ebooks from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Readers can find links for each on my website, www.janesevier.com.
