Interview: M.J. Kane; romance recs of Adrienne Thompson, Lori Wilde

Join me every week as I share a few shout-outs on romance author goings-on, related events and recommended reads.

Summertime by Adrienne Thompson

Summertime by Adrienne Thompson is a vividly written romantic novella with a touch of fantasy … or reality, as the case may be, for good measure. With the playlist of jazz songs from an earlier era, the perfect soundtrack is a great companion to a story that splits time between the present and the '30s. Quite easily I fell in love with the mood, flow and romantic-suspenseful edge.

Despite the length of the novella, the story content is rich, compelling and complete. There is a certain literary reverence for these characters and their journeys, along with their places in Louisiana history that flows through the wonderful narrative and realistic beats of the dialogue. Summertime takes off with a bang and doesn't lose any of its steam, and the story closed with my upbeat, happy sigh.

About the book (courtesy of Pink Cashmere Publishing):

J'Nay Walker is a talented singer, driven toward success by a promise she made to her late mother. One gloomy day, on the tail of some disappointing news, tragedy strikes, threatening not only to derail her plans, but to end her life. As a result, she soon finds herself on an unlikely journey, but is she ready for an unlikely love?

Rules of the Game by Lori Wilde

Sweet, fun, and heartwarming …

Crash a wedding, bump into a gunslinger — someone needs to use those lyrics, because Rules of the Game, in Lori Wilde's Stardust, Texas series, is a country song waiting to happen.

Ingredients: sexy gorgeous baseball player, a beautiful B&B owner, heavy emotional baggage with equal doses for both characters, an inviting small-town setting, and a wonderful cast of supportive friends and family. Then liberally add humorous spices and heartwarming romantic gestures for the romantic at heart.

Combine Lori's solid writing, her popular Stardust, Texas series and a willing appetite for a fun romantic read, and the result is definitely more than a hefty bunch of happy, satisfied readers.

About the book (courtesy of Avon):

Just uttering the word "wedding" makes Jodi Carlyle break out into a cold sweat. So a year after she'd been dumped at the altar, and two days after turning the big 3-0, she decides to break some rules—by dressing to the nines, hiring a limo, and crashing a swanky wedding ...

... Where she catches the eye of the Dallas Gunslingers' new star hitter Jake Coronnado. He's hot. He's sexy. He sticks by her side all evening. He's the perfect fling. After a wild weekend, where they do everything and then some, Jodi thinks she'll never have to see him again ... hey, she's even told him her name is Gwendolyn! But she thinks wrong.

Because guess who's the best man at Jodi's sister's wedding? And guess who's still as seductive as ever? And guess who's determined to turn their one-night fling into happily-ever-after?

LET'S MEET AUTHOR M.J. KANE

Michelle: For your current work, how did the idea develop into a body of work?

M.J.: My current body of work is a series called The Butterfly Memoirs. The first three books — A Heart Not Easily Broken, Jaded and Lonely Heart — follow the lives of three women and their journeys to finding love in places they least expected. Each woman's story begins with her being determined to reach a goal, be it establishing a new career, rediscovering herself after a bad relationship or learning that love and family can be found outside of what is the "norm." Each character's story is unique to her, yet mirrors the lives many of us live. My goal is that readers not only be entertained with my stories, I want them to be able to empathize and hopefully walk away having learned something new about themselves and the world around them.

Michelle: What significant events developed your confidence as a writer or helped you make the decision to be a writer?

M.J.: I am an only child, most of my time was spent getting lost in books. The stories fueled my imagination and kept me from boredom. As an adult, watching a movie then going to the library to find the novel it was based on became a hobby. Learning what motivates the decisions characters make fascinates me.

Then I discovered the TV show Lost. I loved how the writers were able to tell the backstories and current stories of characters, weaving a tale that kept me hooked. I came across a writing challenge that had viewers write a fanfic. What should have been a few paragraphs turned into 30 pages. My family read it, then it was put away. Several years later, my husband suggested I pull it out and give it another try. When I did, I realized the story I was telling had a little of my imagination and more of the show it was based on.

Unable to continue to work with someone else's ideas, I dived into discovering who that character was. Before I knew it, I was at the library every week, checking out books on writing, or hanging out at B&N doing research. Next came joining a writer's group, then a critique group. Four years later, the character that was once a part of a fanfic is the main character in the first novel in my series, A Heart Not Easily Broken.

Michelle: Which novelists inspire you to be or continue to be a writer?

M.J.: In truth, every time I pick up a book by another author, I am inspired. Everyone has their own reasons why and how they write. Each novel I read is like a window into the soul of the writer, and I find myself wondering what they were thinking at the time they wrote a scene.

I love Nora Roberts, mostly because of the shear volume of work she's written over the years! To continue to have that active of an imagination and tell that many different stories takes time, dedication and determination!

J.R.R. Tolkien was a master of storytelling. I love the way he not only created a story that was full of fantasy and mythical creatures, he created entire societies and kingdoms, yet his stories had the undertones of what was going on in reality around him.

J.R. Ward has the ability to transform vampires (a subject matter I had no interest in) into butt-kicking, hard, alpha males that you can't help but falling in love with when you learn their heartrending backstories. Her writing helped me understand that it's OK to write a male lead that has been damaged because of his past.

I had the opportunity to meet Suzanne Brockmann at the beginning of my career. The information she shared about how she's managed to write her Troubleshooter Series was invaluable when I realized that my one book had the potential to be so much more. Thus, The Butterfly Memoirs were born. I could go on and on about who inspires me and why, but these have been the most memorable.

Michelle: Any fun, interesting or unique facts that you'd like to share about the subject matter of your stories?

M.J.: One of my favorite things to do with my characters is to give them jobs that are not often thought of. My characters have been veterinarians, provided lawn care services, assistant hotel managers, computer technicians, costume designers and auto mechanics.

This time I wanted to step outside of the box a bit and give my female lead a role that hits close to home: firefighter. My father was a fire chief when I was little, so I spent a lot of time around the firehouse. As a kid, I never imagined fighting fires, but being the dispatcher.

Two years ago when I was on my way to pick my daughter up from school, I saw a woman driving a firetruck. A comment I overheard from two men sitting in their cars at the light about how a woman shouldn't be working at a fire station irritated me. I decided then and there that the next female lead I wrote would do just that. Kai Malone is featured in the fourth novel in my series, Nobody's Business.

Michelle: What is a typical writing day for you?

M.J.: Typical? Oh, man, what's typical? LOL. I work part time as a librarian, so between balancing life as a wife, mother and author, a lot of time spent writing comes either on my day off, or when I have a few moments to spare at work. Lunch breaks are my friend! So are using voice recorder apps on my phone. I always have a notebook around and a pen to capture those thoughts I have during the day. Often times when I'm driving or shelving books, I'm working out a scene in my head so the moment I can find paper or get to my laptop, I'm writing!

Michelle: Are there any current or upcoming works that you'd like to share?

M.J.: The fourth book in The Butterfly Memoirs series, Nobody's Business, will be released on July 2. I am excited to introduce this next book in the series because it gives me a chance to introduce a new set of characters, this time a group of men, and explore their lives and how the choices they've made when younger affect their lives now.

For the past few weeks, I've had fun sharing the main character's backstory on my website, chapter by chapter. I wanted my readers to get to know where he's been before his story comes out and see what challenges he now has to face. The story, Crossroads, is a free read that will be available as a full story, exclusive to my website once Nobody's Business has been released.

Michelle: Thank you, M.J.

To stay updated on M.J. Kane's news and events, visit MJKaneMedia.com.

Michelle Monkou loves writing her sexy, complex heroes. Her website is michellemonkou.com. You can also connect with her on Facebook.