Jameson, Marianna

PERSONAL:

Married.

ADDRESSES:

Home—TX. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Technical writer, technical editor, and novelist. Has worked variously as a nanny, caretaker, retail clothing buyer, office worker, legal research fellow, freelance journalist, bartender, corporate event planner, ghost writer, and university instructor.

WRITINGS:

My Hero, Signet Eclipse (New York, NY), 2005.

Big Trouble, Signet Eclipse (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Bill Evans) Category 7, Forge (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Marianna Jameson is a technical writer, editor, and novelist with a diverse resume of jobs outside the writing field. "I have a propensity to get bored easily and, when bored, to ask a lot of questions," Jameson stated in an autobiography on her home page. "It's a combination that has enabled (or, arguably, forced) me to collect careers and experiences the way some people collect stamps." The many demands of the technical field, however, have allowed her to occupy a writing niche with enough diversity to keep her interested. In an interview with Kathy Sowa on the Romance Reader Web site, Jameson admitted that "on a daily basis, my job is somewhere between boring and cool, but I love it."

An early interest in category romance novels, and a desire to break away from the rigorous but stifling world of academic writing, led to her debut romance, My Hero. Protagonist Miranda Lane is a romance novelist who has just been delivered a curveball by her editor: Miranda's latest book will require some significant changes, particularly in geographical setting and the nature of the book's hero. Instead of the sensitive and thoughtful male heroes she usually writes about, Miranda's editor wants to add a brooding alpha-male cop as the hero, a type of character that Miranda hates. Overwhelmed but still a professional, Miranda goes looking for inspiration and finds it in a local detective, Chas Casey, whom she meets during a paintball game. Miranda thoroughly dominates Casey and his friends during the game, and afterward the two become friends. Chas seems just the sort of inspiration she needs for her book's new hero, even if he isn't her type. Despite their initial resistance to each other, the sparks of romance eventually ignite, and both Chas and Miranda struggle with complex emotional backgrounds as they travel a rocky path toward love. "The characters are not only strong and carry the novel but her secondary ones add just enough spark to keep the reader amused," observed Louise Riveiro-Mitchell on the Road to Romance Web site.

Her second romance novel, Big Trouble, adds a technical twist to the story of developing love. Naomi Connor is a computer security expert who specializes in helping companies make their computer networks safe from hackers and intruders. Her latest client, Brennan Shipping, deals with numerous government contracts and requires tight computer security. Company heir, lawyer, and chief technology officer Joe Casey secretly hires Naomi's consulting firm to test Brennan's technological defenses. Only once in the past was a hacker able to penetrate the company's systems; the damage cost millions of dollars and nearly destroyed Brennan Shipping, and Casey is determined to prevent a similar event from happening again. He has developed an intense hatred of computer hackers, and in his legal career acts to prosecute them fully. To Naomi's dismay, she realizes that she was the one responsible for the company's past near-disaster, when she broke into the system as a twelve-year-old hacker who inadvertently allowed other, more malignant forces to attack Brennan. Now grown up into a sleek beauty, Naomi decides to keep her past transgressions a secret until she has proven her professional integrity and successfully tested the company's network security. A successful test will lead to a significant job promotion; failure might well destroy her career. As they work together, Joe and Naomi feel a mutual attraction growing stronger. Any possibility of romance, however, is overshadowed by Naomi's secret past, and her dread of what will happen when Joe Casey finds out what she once did to his business. "Jameson's excellent romantic suspense has it all: intelligent characters, tension, wit, sensuality, and a shocking conclusion," commented Booklist reviewer Maria Hatton. "Naomi and Joe are both highly intelligent, and the author lets them act like smart people (albeit smart people with their own quirks and insecurities) from beginning to end—no convenient stupid protagonist tricks to move the plot along," commented Judi McKee on the Romance Reader Web site. "Brava, Ms. Jameson."

Jameson is the author, with well-known New York meteorologist and broadcaster Bill Evans, of the novel Category 7. In the book, the most powerful storm in history is bearing down on New York City and the East Coast. Hurricane Simone is rated as a category seven storm; when it hits the city, devastation will result as buildings fall, subway tunnels and low-lying areas flood, and thousands die in the carnage. In contrast, Hurricane Katrina, the storm that nearly destroyed New Orleans, was rated as a category four.

It soon becomes apparent, however, that Hurricane Simone is not a natural phenomenon; the storm was created and enhanced to apocalyptic levels by technology owned by bitter and vengeful billionaire Carter Thompson, former employee of a secret government program that discovered a way to form and intensify hurricanes. His ability to control the weather in this way has been a boon to his infrastructure repair and recovery firm. When the deranged Thompson is angered by U.S. President Benson's disinterest in his ideas on nuclear energy, he hatches a scheme to bash the East Coast with the most powerful hurricane ever seen, extracting his revenge, humbling Benson, and perhaps destroying the aging Indian Point nuclear power plant. Standing between Thompson and his mad plan are meteorologist Kate Sherman, a former employee of Thompson's, and CIA weather expert Jake Baxter. Their arsenal contains a secret, Navy-built device that might counter Thompson's technology and defuse the meteorological time bomb, but the biggest drawback is that it must be activated within the violent heart of the storm itself.

An Internet Writing Journal Web site reviewer commented: "Weather science combined with political intrigue make this is an entertaining read for thriller fans, whether or not they are weather buffs." The book is a "satisfying, albeit run-of-the-mill thriller about fooling with Mother Nature," noted a Kirkus Reviews writer. Booklist critic David Pitt named it a "fast-paced action-adventure yarn that promises a rousing finale and delivers it." A Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded that readers who are "weather nerds should have a good time from beginning to end."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 2006, Maria Hatton, review of Big Trouble, p. 27; June 1, 2007, David Pitt, review of Category 7, p. 43.

Library Journal, July 1, 2007, Robert Conroy, review of Category 7, p. 75.

Publishers Weekly, May 21, 2007, review of Category 7, p. 34.

ONLINE

Best Reviews,http://thebestreviews.com/ (February 19, 2008), Rashmi Srinivas, review of My Hero; Harriet Klausner, review of Big Trouble.

BookReview.com,http://www.bookreview.com/ (February 19, 2008), Harriet Klausner, review of Category 7.

Fresh Fiction,http://freshfiction.com/ (April 16, 2006), Sabrina Marino, review of Big Trouble; (February 19, 2008), biography of Marianna Jameson, and review of My Hero.

Internet Writing Journal,http://www.internetwritingjournal.com/ (February 19, 2008), review of Category 7.

Love Romances & More,http://www.loveromancesandmore.com/ (February 19, 2008), review of Category 7.

Marianna Jameson Home Page,http://www.mariannajameson.com (February 19, 2008).

MyShelf.com,http://www.myshelf.com/ (February 19, 2008), review of Big Trouble.

Road to Romance,http://www.roadtoromance.ca/ (February 19, 2008), Louise Riveiro-Mitchell, review of My Hero.

Romance Reader,http://www.theromancereader.com/ (February 19, 2008), Cathy Sova, interview with Marianna Jameson; (February 19, 2008), Judi McKee, review of My Hero; (February 19, 2008), Judi McKee, review of Big Trouble.

Romance Review,http://www.aromancereview.com/ (February 19, 2008), review of My Hero; review of Big Trouble.

Romantic Times Online,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (February 19, 2008), Susan Mobley, review of My Hero; (February 19, 2008), Susan Mobley, review of Big Trouble.