Seattle author Jo Segura on second romance adventure novel

Local author Jo Segura drops readers into the Amazon with her latest book, “Temple of Swoon,” which follows archaeologist Dr. Miriam Jacobs, who leads an expedition searching the rainforest for the mythical Lost City of the Moon, finding purpose and love on the way.

The USA Today bestselling author debuted with “Raiders of the Lost Heart” in December 2023 — an archaeological adventure that brought to life the Lara Croft-type character Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía. Dr. Miriam Jacobs appears in “Raiders” as Corrie’s mentee.

“You see a little bit of her insecurity and how she clearly looks up to Corrie,” Segura said. “I really wanted to carry on that relationship between Corrie and Miri in ‘Temple of Swoon.’”

The subsequent novel digs into Miri taking on an opportunity to prove her competence in the archaeological world. But sparks fly in the Amazon — think vine swinging, endless banter and confessions in the rain — as Miri meets journalist Rafael Monfils. He joins the team under the guise of helping to chronicle their search for the lost city but is actually trying to stop its desecration and protect his mother’s legacy.

The Seattle Times spoke to Segura about her new book, similarities between the protagonist and herself and why it’s important for her characters to be respectful of different cultures. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What drives you to write female leads who are super passionate about what they do?

I really like writing strong female characters, even though they have their insecurities. I still think that they’re very strong characters. I am very passionate about what I do. I’m very passionate about writing romance. I love writing romance. I really enjoy what I do in my day job. And I think it’s fun to celebrate that. And so I wanted my characters to like who they are. And of course, Miri’s going through her own issues throughout the book, but in the end, she loves who she is. She loves that she’s this weird chatterbox who brings too many snacks. And I think having characters who are proud of who they are is really cool. Because romance is about celebrating love, right? And it’s also about celebrating love of yourself and being proud of who you are. And so, I want my characters to also feel that.

How much of you made it into Miriam’s character?

I’m definitely a Miri where I am a little clumsy like she is. I get injured doing things that you should not get injured doing, which is kind of why I wrote her character. Miri is a badass in her own way, and that’s what I really loved about her character — exploring that you can be a badass, not just by being able to swing on vines and climb mountains.

I also love snacks and Miri’s got a whole bag just full of snacks. And that’s definitely me. I always want to travel with some snacks, just in case. So that’s definitely something that I took from myself. But also, I wanted to write this character who struggles with feeling like they’re not enough … I think readers will really identify with her because I had so many readers reach out to me after “Raiders” came out, saying how much they loved Corrie and they wish they were like Corrie. And that’s exactly what Miri thinks. She wishes she was like Corrie, and we’ve all had that where we wish that we were better at something or smarter or more attractive or more athletic … But that doesn’t make us any less enough.

In both books, we hear different languages and about different cultures. Was it important for you to keep the archaeological finds or the stories from being whitewashed?

With my stories where I write about these archaeological expeditions, I always want at least one of the characters to have some sort of connection to whatever it is that they’re searching for. In “Raiders” they’re searching for Corrie Mejía’s believed ancestor who (was) an Aztec warrior. In (“Temple of Swoon”), they’re searching for the lost city, where Rafa is a descendant … I think it’s really important (to) think about … what has happened in the past where these typically white explorers will go into foreign countries, make these really big discoveries and then take the artifacts with them. And some of those artifacts have religious or cultural significance to the people of those countries and of those lands, and it’s now being taken away from them. I wanted to make sure that the characters in my books really respect what it is that they’re doing and respect the cultures of the people who are from these civilizations … It’s just important to recognize that it’s not just all about finding gold and pretty gems.

What is your favorite thing about writing in the romance genre and what has been most rewarding about publishing these books?

I love that the stories have a happily ever after. I enjoy reading other genres as well but they don’t always leave me with a smile, and romance always leaves me with a smile. They make me happy. I know that the (characters are) going to end up together and it just feels good. 

What I found to be the most rewarding, honestly, hearing from readers. Hearing specifically from readers who connected with my book has been the best part of it, having people say that they saw themselves in Corrie’s character. I’ve had a lot of Latina readers reach out to me and say that they were really excited to see this badass Latina lead. I’ve had Latina archaeologists reach out to me, and that has been the coolest thing — readers who told me that they came out of a reading slump after reading my book.

What can you tell us about your upcoming third book?

The third book is going to be called “The Lust Crusade,” so we’re continuing a theme. But this one’s going to be a little bit different. The first two books were both based in jungles — we had the Mexican jungle in “Raiders of the Lost Heart” and the Amazon for “Temple of Swoon,” but “The Lust Crusade” (takes) place in Greece. I have always been really fascinated by Greek archaeology and Greek mythology. I visited Greece a couple of years ago and I was just enthralled … I knew that I wanted to write a book in Greece. This one is about an archaeologist who goes missing. His best friend’s little sister … finds him there and he’s been captured. The story is the two of them trying to get him out of there, and it’s just really fun.