Fun Fast Five with Janna MacGregor

I’m so happy  to introduce you to the wonderful historical romance author, Janna MacGregor! She born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri and credits her mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and one smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pug. She loves to hear from readers.

Website: https://www.jannamacgregor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JannaMacGregor/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JannaMacGregor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jannamacgregor/
Newsletter: https://www.jannamacgregor.com/newsletter/

1. You are the mother of triplets. Triplets!! The mind boggles when imagining triplet toddlers. Please tell us that when they were babies you got them confused and to this day, you’re not sure who is who. But if that’s not true, then tell us the hardest thing about being a mother to triplets. 

Julia, thank you for having me and celebrating A Duke in Time’s release! First, let me say…you ask the best questions.

Even though my triplets (two boys and a girl) are thirty this year, I never got them confused. They’re all fraternal so they look like siblings. The hardest thing about raising multiples is the first year. Neither my husband nor I remember much as we were constantly trying to care for them while suffering from sleep deprivation. Plus, my husband was just graduating law school when they were born, so he was pulling double shifts-taking care of newborns and studying for finals. The second hardest part was teaching them to drive. Everything took a lot longer because you have three who need time behind the wheel. Needless to say, every time one of them made a mistake, the other two were offering advice in truly a “back seat driver” manner.
(Julia’s note to self: never teach three teenagers to drive at the same time).

2. Writing is your second successful career, after being a family law attorney (it’s my second career, too!). What is your favorite thing to ever have happened in your writing career that we all know a stupid law degree could never compete with? 

A law degree can’t compete with me holding my first published romance, The Bad Luck Bride, in my hands. I’d imagined that day for years, and it was a dream come true. It’s still one of my favorite covers too.

(Julia side note: I LOVED that cover. Suffered serious cover envy).

3. I follow you on Instagram (@jannamacgregor) and cannot figure out your geography. You post GORGEOUS pictures of farmer’s market flowers from Minneapolis (or, as I call it, MinneAP), and then from Missouri, from I think is the very confusingly named Kansas City, MO. Where are you really, and more importantly, what is you pug’s name, and does it get to go to the farmer’s markets with you? Where is the most inappropriate place you have ever taken your dog? 

I love flowers and never miss a chance to go to the farmer’s markets in Kansas City, Missouri and Minneapolis. Fun fact, Kansas City, Missouri, which was first called City of Kansas, was renamed Kansas City in 1889. Kansas City, Kansas was named in 1872, so they are the original Kansas City. Both are divided not only by state lines, but by the Kaw River, hence the name of Kansa or Kansas from the Kaw tribe of that region. I split my time between these two beautiful cities. I was married in Minneapolis and raised my children in Kansas City. Two of my three still live there, so it’s our home base. But my husband is a huge hiker and paddleboarder, so Minneapolis is perfect for him. I love them both, and lucky for me, I can write anywhere.  

My pug’s name is Mad Max. He’s a rescue, and we’ve had him for about four years. He’s going with me to the Minneapolis Barnes and Noble at Uptown when A Duke in Time releases for some “in the wild” photos. When in Kansas City, he loves to go to a store called the Cellar Rat, a lovely liquor store known for their wine selections. They know him by name and have treats on hand ready for his arrival.
(Julia snickers: Janna likes to pretend they have treats ready for her dog, but I think we all know who’s really getting the treats).

4. You write some fun and lusty regency era historical romances. What attracts you to that era, and when you were a little girl, did you have a prairie dress that you wore to pretend to be a princess? I did. 

Honestly, you and I are so alike. The clothes first attracted me to that era. The first romance novel that I read was a Regency. I couldn’t stop looking at the clothing the models were wearing. That started me down a rabbit hole of research. Plus, when I read Pride and Prejudice along with Emma, I was hooked. Yes, I did have a prairie princess dress made of pink tulle when I was a little girl with matching shoes. I blame that dress and shoes for my love of footwear to this day! 
(Julia’s side note: Mine did not have tulle! I am calling my mother right now)

5. Writers are readers first and foremost. What’s a book you read during the pandemic that took you completely out of the real world?

I know this sounds crazy, but I had a hard time reading during most of the pandemic. I was glued to watching the news. Somehow, I found a Lorraine Heath series that I’d completely missed. It was The Hellions of Havisham. Thankfully, that got me out of reading slump and took those dark days of winter and turned them into something spectacular.