What’s your one line pitch or teaser for the book?
As irritating as a flight delay can be in the frigid Michigan winter, Anna and Rex make the best of the situation bringing the local temperature from negative six to scorching.
Tell readers a little about your main character or characters?
Anna Montgomery is dedicated career-minded woman, trying to work her way up the corporate ladder. Her push to success is fueled by the financial struggles she witnessed her parents go through as public school teachers. Being financially stable and never having to second guess whether she can afford the vacation or the new furniture or her mortgage payment is her main goal. However, to her, that means ascending the ladder, which is still predominantly climbed by men. All this drive leaves very little time for dating, let alone an actual romance. She can’t have both, right? She doesn’t want anyone or anything to come between her and the promotion to Assistant Vice-President.
Rex Bancroft took his beer making hobby in college to soaring heights with his two best friends—now business partners. He’d been ready to settle in with a woman, but catching her cheating left a bitter taste in his mouth for relationships. His role as head of distribution and marketing for Dog Tired Breweryputs him on the road quite a bit, which means he meets new women all the time with the understanding that its just one night. He keeps it simple. But simple has been getting lonely. When he sees Anna—something about her sparks his interest—more than just a one night stand.
Where do you like to write? Do you have an office or writing nook?
The best part about a laptop is you can literally write anywhere, which is extremely helpful when you have three teenagers in competitive sports. I’ve written in my car waiting for one of the kids to leave practice or in the hallway between games at a volleyball tournament. Since I don’t write full time at this point and have another full time job, I write where and when I can. But I do prefer to write in my office. It is set up with my vision board, great motivational quotes, paintings my kids did when they were younger and family pictures. My office has my resource and reference books—my favorite being The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. And the big window near my desk allows in the Florida sunshine.
What is one of your best marketing tips for other authors?
I wish I was better at marketing. It is my least favorite aspect of being an author but in some ways, the most important. There are a lot of people trying to make it in the author world, particularly the romance genre. You have to distinguish yourself from others. My best advice is get involved—start a social media page—do something engaging on your website—join a writer’s group that puts on webinars on how to market yourself. Learn the business. Quite honestly, I’m still perfecting that piece.
What websites or tools have you found that offer the best results?
I mentioned above The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. It’s my bible for adding depth to my characters and scenes. It assists with “showing not telling.”
I’d also like to give a shout out to From The Heart Romance Writers. I’ve been a member with them for many years and their Critique Group is top notch. Finding a group of authors who can critique your story with good intentions is imperative to getting the best results.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Write.
I’m a wife, mother to three teenagers, a best friend, a daughter, a sister and work a full time job outside of writing. Finding time to write is not easy. In fact, some weeks or months it is damn near impossible. (My kids’ sports’ seasons end after April and I did not spend one single weekend home in the month of April as we traveled to their tournaments and regattas out of state.) But at the beginning of 2022, my author friend—DC Stone—and I decided we were going to stop making excuses. We started doing writing sprints for an hour 2-5 days per week. We write for twenty minutes, chat for a few and write for another session. In the past year, we’ve collectively completed three manuscripts with two more in the works. And on top of everything else, we’ve become even better friends. 😊
Carve out time. Write.
Dog Tired Brewery
Book One
Jessica Jayne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: May 17, 2023
ASIN: B0C456TQSK
Number of pages: 118
Word Count: 32,000
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Book Description:
As head of distribution for his multi-million-dollar Orlando-based brewery, Rex Bancroft travels all the time. With his schedule, this leaves no time for a relationship, not that he wants one. He plays the field and plays it often. At least that was what he planned, but there’s someone that catches his attention and won’t let up—a certain brunette at the Grand Rapids airport ticket counter.
Anna Montgomery was hoping this business trip to Michigan would assist her with the next rung of the corporate ladder. Meeting a dreamy and interesting man wasn’t in her plans, it isn’t something she’s entirely happy with at first.
Key words: at first…
A snowstorm delays their flights, leaving them stranded in wintry Michigan. Will their time together ignite some heat to keep them both warm? Or will it result in broken hearts?
Excerpt
The
airline agent smiled tightly at Anna. A few minutes later, she pushed the
printed boarding pass and Anna’s ID across the counter. “Safe travels.”
Anna
bit her lip. Safe travels. Ha! How about just “travels”?
She
needed to be more optimistic. The flight wasn’t cancelled…yet.
Boarding
ticket in hand, she’d head to the security line and then her gate, where she’d
wait and flip through her Instagram feed until her plane arrived. Turning on
her heels, she bumped face first into a wall of solid muscle. A clean,
outdoorsy scent swathed her and immediately made her lightheaded. She stared
for a moment at a tan quilted vest jacket lying unzipped over a hard chest,
exposing planes of chiseled muscle under the navy-blue long sleeve t-shirt that
read Dog Tired Brewery in white script. The picture of a dog lying on its side
asleep with its tongue hanging out completed the logo—one she recognized as they
made her favorite seasonal stout.
She
clutched his t-shirt, trying to keep her balance. His hard abs flexed under her
hands. Heat radiated from him and warmed her frozen fingers, which had been numb
for the last several hours.
Lifting
her head, her breath caught when her gaze fell on an angular jaw, full lips and
beautiful green eyes. He gripped her arms firmly above the elbows to keep her
from falling backward. His warmth seeped through the arms of her peacoat.
“Shit!
Are you alright?” His deep, rich voice washed over her.
Heat
rushed her cheeks and her body churned with a warmth she’d been missing ever
since stepping off the plane in Michigan.
“Uh.
Yeah! I…I’m fine.” Yikes. Her hands were plastered against his ripped abdomen.
She let them slide down. It wasn’t just the impact of running into him that
knocked her off balance. He was the most beautiful creature she’d laid eyes on.
“Are
you sure?” The intensity of his stare almost melted her into a puddle at his
feet. His eyes, irises flecked with gold, narrowed. “You hit me pretty hard.”
“Yes.
I’m so sorry. Sorry for running into you.” She gained control over her wavering
voice and unsteady legs.
He
released her arms and stepped back.
“I
should have been watching where I was going.”
His
powerful gaze trailed down her without shame and a warmth followed as if he
caressed her bare skin. Her cheeks had never been so on fire.
“No
need to apologize.” He grinned. “I’d say it’s my lucky day.” His eyes twinkled.
This
stranger was flirting with her.
She
cleared her throat. It’s not that men didn’t flirt with her. They did. It was a
hazard in her line of business. Insurance was a man’s world, for the most part.
She shrugged off the flirtatious advances from the men she worked with. Mixing
business with pleasure was a no-no. But this guy… she’d mix just about anything
with him. If she were that kind of girl.
Contemporary Romance Author – Sexy Stories with Heart
Jessica is a born and raised small-town Ohio girl, who moved to the Sunshine State after graduating from college with an English degree. She attended law school and passed her bar exam on the very first attempt. She met the love of her life in a romance novel sort of way. They married and have three beautiful (and sometimes crazy) kids.
Jessica loves to travel and travel often! She’s jumped out of several perfectly good airplanes. When not watching her son rule the soccer field or her daughters dominate the volleyball court, she watches Buckeye football and the Tampa Bay Lightning. She’s a wine-making (and wine-tasting with her girlfriends) aficionado. She loves all music. Would follow the Avett Brothers to the ends of the Earth. Thinks Eric Church is a rock star. Worships Jason Momoa. Believes Game of Thrones was the best show on television but lives by many Seinfeld-isms.
Life is always an adventure!
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This sounds really fun. I can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a book I'd enjoy reading.
ReplyDelete