Jean, welcome to Jenue’s Journal.  Ace of Hearts is defined as a romantic thriller, how is the book divided between the two?

One of the hardest things for me is to try to put a genre label on Ace of Hearts. The consensus is from erotic thriller (that’s a hint as to how steamy ;o) to romantic suspense. The sensual romance between my heroine, Detective Shevaughn Robinson, the first Black female detective in fictitious Portsborough, NY (it’s set in 1981) and Tony O’Brien, a White reporter, who is a thorn in the police department’s side, is a relationship I hope all will enjoy.

Now, the thrill comes from following the serial murderer and being involved in his descent into madness.  I try to let the reader in on his thought process and the emotions behind his hideous crimes.

How steamy is the romance in Ace of Hearts?

Pretty steamy, but tastefully (no pun intended) done, I hope. Let’s say I have two sons who bought Ace, but confessed they can’t read it! You know how sons are when it comes to Mom. LOL! I’ve found I have a vivid imagination and being married to the same man for 36 years has its perks!!

But it isn’t all about the heat, it’s about the turmoil people go through when they realize their love will put them through trials that most haven’t dealt with. I hope the reader falls in love along with Shevaughn and understands her reasons and her doubts. I try to share their intimate knowledge that when a relationship is right, it’s worth the cost.

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I’m not a big fan of acronyms but they’re a big part of the way we speak and write.  Listed below are some common acronyms that everyone should know.

24/7 –  24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week

AA –  Alcoholics Anonymous

AC –  Air Conditioning

AD –  In the Year of Our Lord

AKA –  Also Known As

ASAP –  As Soon As Possible

ATM –  Automated Teller Machine

B&B –  Bed and Breakfast

BC –  Before Christ

BCE –  Before the Common Era

BLT –  Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato

CC –  Credit Card

CST –  Central Standard Time

CSV –  Comma Separated Value

DIY –  Do it Yourself

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Filip, welcome to Jenue’s Journal.  Tell us a little about your background.

When I was 17 years old, I had to decide what university courses to take. My parents wanted me to study law, which horrified me. Although they insisted that it was a good career choice, I never studied it.  In retrospect, that was really strange because law is now one of my passions.  I wanted to study philosophy, and so I did. Early in my academic career, I was attracted to political and legal philosophy; probably because my best teachers taught these subjects.

I finished with a master thesis on totalitarian government (Arendt and such). My special interest in human rights and democracy only matured after the end of my master studies. I then decided to take my doctorate degree on these subjects and had the luck of having my thesis published.

What inspired you to write a book on human rights?

It’s books in plural by now. When thinking and reading about politics, it seemed that I always ended up with human rights and democracy. Much of our lives revolve around these concepts, even if we don’t make it explicit to ourselves. The idea of human rights is very beautiful. It shows the best, and the worst, of humanity. There’s also the idea of progress; moral progress, which appeals to me a lot.

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