After landing her dream job as head volleyball coach at Ohio State University, Lauren Chase’s career has become a nightmare. Her only hope of saving her job is to recruit a star player to her team. Too bad the player’s twin has signed a football scholarship for OSU’s chief rival, Michigan. And too bad Michigan coach, Jeremy Trent, sends sparks through Lauren every time they cross paths. But no way will she pursue an attraction to a man who represents the university she hates.
Jeremy detests his boss, and he hopes that signing the nation’s #1 recruit is the ticket he needs to become a head coach himself one day. Lauren Chase is already a head coach, and Jeremy has to admit that she intrigues the hell out of him. He wants to know why her performance has tanked after winning a national championship. He wants to see beneath Lauren’s fast pace and dirty mouth. But he can’t get with a Buckeye, right?
Maybe rivals don’t have to remain enemies. Maybe they can learn to appreciate their opponent’s strengths. And, if they’re lucky—if they excel at the game—maybe rivals can bring out the very best in each other.
Psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane invites you to her world of sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist!
Jen fell in love with sports at a young age and competed in swimming and volleyball in college. She went on to become the Honda Award Winner for Division III Athlete of the Year. She still gets high from the smell of chlorine and the satisfaction of smashing a beautiful volleyball set.
Jen’s latest novel is Rivals, a romance between coaches from rival universities. Her Blocked trilogy also explores the transformation from hate to love. Particularly in this time of division, Jen’s favorite theme is finding common ground.
A romantic suspense trilogy (The Conduct Series) and a psychological thriller (Twin Sacrifice) complete Jen’s collection of stories. She calls Ohio home and shares writing space with her two trusted feline collaborators: Tuxedo and Tessa.
Whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time, she likes to exercise and visit her amazing sisters in Chicago and Hilton Head.
After landing her dream job as head volleyball coach at Ohio State University, Lauren Chase’s career has become a nightmare. Her only hope of saving her job is to recruit a star player to her team. Too bad the player’s twin has signed a football scholarship for OSU’s chief rival, Michigan. And too bad Michigan coach, Jeremy Trent, sends sparks through Lauren every time they cross paths. But no way will she pursue an attraction to a man who represents the university she hates.
Jeremy detests his boss, and he hopes that signing the nation’s #1 recruit is the ticket he needs to become a head coach himself one day. Lauren Chase is already a head coach, and Jeremy has to admit that she intrigues the hell out of him. He wants to know why her performance has tanked after winning a national championship. He wants to see beneath Lauren’s fast pace and dirty mouth. But he can’t get with a Buckeye, right?
Maybe rivals don’t have to remain enemies. Maybe they can learn to appreciate their opponent’s strengths. And, if they’re lucky—if they excel at the game—maybe rivals can bring out the very best in each other.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, Narrated by Andrew Eiden, Maxwell Caulfield
What do smart guys do when their love lives are on the rocks? They turn to romance novels for advice. When second baseman Gavin Scott of the Nashville Legends discovers his wife has been faking it in the bedroom, he is hurt and angry, his pride destroyed. He behaves badly. When his wife Thea asks for a divorce, he realizes he must do something, anything to get her back.
He is desperate and willing to listen to anyone who has a plan. When his friends show up and take him to a meeting of book club, he is skeptical but with nothing left to lose agrees to read the book to get ideas on how to reach his wife. At first Gavin’s goal is to just stop his wife from divorcing him but it soon becomes more. He realizes he needs to get to know his wife.
This was a fresh idea on relationships and romance. I love how the guys were all willing to help their friend get his wife back, but their plan is forever not just a temporary fix. The friendships of these Alpha males is a wonderful part of the story. They explain the use of the romance novels is to help them better understand their own failings and what their wives and girlfriends need from them. One of my favorite parts of the story is when Gavin starts thinking and arguing as a Regency Count.
Lyssa Kay Adams did an excellent job portraying these characters and using humor to deal with real issues. They were fun but deep. When Thea explains that faking it in the bedroom wasn’t the only place she was faking it, the couple begins to find their way back to each other. Like all happy endings, it didn’t come easy but when they finally reach that moment it’s so satisfying.
I am excited
to welcome Jennifer Lane to Creekside Cafe. I met Jennifer through Nancee Cain’s
Cain Raisers Facebook Page. You all might remember Nancee from a previous interview.
Thank you, Jennifer, for stopping by the cafe. Can I get you something from the
barista?
Jennifer:
Thank you for this opportunity. I’ll take an iced hazelnut coffee.
Sherri: Make
that two, it sounds great.
Iced coffee with milk in vintage jar
Jennifer:
How cool that you’re parlaying your journalism background into your author
blog.
Sherri: I
can hardly call writing for the small local paper a journalism background but I
enjoy chatting with fellow writers and readers. My time with the newspaper did
teach me to writing short pieces quickly, and on a schedule, as well get
comfortable asking questions. Sometimes, the hardest thing is knowing which
questions you should ask.
Have you been
in North Carolina before?
Jennifer: I
swam at a meet at UNC’s pool in college, and I’ve vacationed at the Outer
Banks. I love the beach!
Jennifer at 8, the year she started competitive swimming.
Sherri: I enjoy
the beach too. I’m only a passable swimmer, but I’m not one to just lay about
in the sand, I love to swim or walk on the beach picking up seashells.
Where are
you from? Where do you call home?
Jennifer: I’m
from Cincinnati, Ohio and live two hours north in Columbus. I’ve also lived in
Indiana and Washington State for graduate school. My sisters live in Illinois
and South Carolina, where I visit often.
Jennifer with best friend Gwynn visiting her sister in Chicago.
Sherri: One
of my sons and his family lives in Ohio but I’ve not had the chance to visit.
Jennifer:
Ooh, where in Ohio?
Sherri: Bucyrus,
I believe that is in the southeastern part of the state.
What type of
work do you do? Has it influenced you writing?
Jennifer: I’m
a psychologist, meaning I love to explore character motivation and growth.
People fascinate me. We all have good reasons for what we do, though sometimes
it’s a challenge to uncover those reasons.
Sherri: With
your education and observations, you probably have more insight, I often feel
like Dear Abby at the ABC store. Working with the public in a small town,
people often tell me things they might not tell a family member or close
friend. I guess it is like the bartender or hair dresser. People need someone
to talk to, not necessarily solve their problems but just someone to listen. I
don’t mind being that person and it gives me insight into people.
Jennifer:
Listening nonjudgmentally is SO important, but we often have trouble with
letting negative emotion just sit there without trying to fix it.
Sherri: Yeah,
I’ve learned I can’t fix everyone’s problems, but I can listen and care. Do you
craft your stories with characters first or do you have a plot and build
characters to fit the story?
Jennifer: What
an interesting question—I’ve never been asked that before. Characters first,
for sure. I was more of a plotter when I first started writing, but now I let
the characters take me on their journey.
Sherri: Do
you write full time now, or hold down another job as well as write?
Jennifer: Writing
is a hobby of mine. No way can I pay the bills with my measly writing income!
Sherri:
Don’t I know it. I have dreams of being able to make a living with my writing.
I have a great following locally but have yet to do more than build up my hopes.
How long
have you been writing?
Jennifer: Although
I enjoyed creative writing as a child, I never envisioned becoming a writer.
Then, in my thirties, I became obsessed with the TV show, Prison Break.
I found fan fiction on an internet forum, and at first, I thought, “What losers
write stories about TV characters?” Fast forward a few months and of course I became
one of those losers. The words flowed out of me—my first story was over 200,000
words! I kept writing and learning more about the craft, and I found a small
publisher who released my debut novel, With Good Behavior in 2010. Since
then, I’ve published eight novels and two novellas.
Sherri: I
never knew about fan fiction until recently. I think I would have loved trying
my hand at it. I used to come up with scenes for shows I liked.
What genre
books do you write?
Jennifer: I
write sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. What do
you write?
Sherri: I
write contemporary suspense with romantic elements but hope to write some
historicals also. Do you plan to write any other genre in the future?
Jennifer: I
branched out into psychological thrillers with my latest novel, Twin
Sacrifice. I included a little bit of romance because I can’t seem to stray
from that genre. I might write another thriller or venture into an entirely new
genre in the future.
Sherri: What
is your latest project?
Jennifer: My
work-in-progress is an adult sports romance featuring coaches from rival
universities. I am fortunate to have a wonderful critique partner, Nicki Elson.
Sherri: Is
Nicki also a published author? How did the two of you meet?
Jennifer:
Yes, Nicki writes contemporary romance—I love her “It Series” starting with When
It Hits You. Nicki and I met through Omnific Publishing (where I also met the
lovely Nancee Cain!)
Sherri: I
believe Beta readers and critique partners are vital to us being accomplished
writers. Learning to take criticism and address plot holes or other issues
makes us better writers.
What do you
enjoy about writing?
Jennifer: I
love immersing myself in narratives, losing myself in the plot and characters.
It’s a path of self-discovery. I also enjoy refining the craft of writing.
Sherri: I
think you hit it on the head when you said, self-discovery. We learn more about
ourselves as we study others. I hate to use the over-used term of ‘finding
ourselves,’ but I think that is a very real part of what we do. When we
empathize with others, we discovery our own capacity for love and acceptance,
and learn to accept ourselves.
Do you have
any other hobbies or interests, besides writing? Do these show up in your
writing?
Jennifer: I
was a college swimmer and volleyball player, and I have a blast swimming laps
and playing rec volleyball in addition to all kinds of exercise (walking while
listening to audiobooks or podcasts, cardio machines, weight-lifting). My
sports romances lean heavily on my Sporty Spice interests. I also enjoy
traveling and spending time with family, and it’s intriguing to explore family
dynamics in my stories.
Sherri: My
hobbies tend to be more sedate. While I love swimming and walking, I don’t do
nearly enough of it. I enjoy dancing and singing too but other than reading and
writing, I consider cooking my favorite hobby. I love to discover new recipes.
I’m an avid Food Network fan. Do you have a favorite food/recipe?
Jennifer: I
love Asian cuisine, including Japanese, Thai, and Chinese food. I’ve become
obsessed with my Instapot, and here is one summer recipe for Hawaiian Chicken
Tacos that turned out pretty well: https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-hawaiian-chicken-tacos
Sherri: I
will have to check out the Hawaiian chicken tacos, unfortunately half my family
can’t eat pineapple, but I love Asian cuisine. One of my daughters-in-law is
Cambodian. She cooks Thai and Chinese. She has even introduced me to Indian
food. My daughters-in-law have spoiled me, both my oldest and youngest cook for
me and I love learning new recipes and sampling new foods. My oldest son has
even taught me to eat Sushi, something I never expected to like.
What are
your writing strengths and weaknesses? What seems to come easy for you and what
do you have to work harder to get right?
Jennifer:
I’ve been told that I write good dialogue, though I have to be careful to
balance dialogue with exposition so as not to write an entire novel full of
character conversations only. I find life so interesting and complex that
sometimes I bring too many issues into my stories. I want to learn to write
more concise plots while keeping layered characters.
Sherri: Who
are your favorite authors or genres?
Jennifer: Pamela
Clare is my favorite romantic suspense author. Her I-Team series wows me with its
careful research and swoon-worthy heroes. Elle Kennedy writes hilarious sports
romance, and Colleen Hoover’s contemporary romances really shine. I also enjoy thrillers
from Nelson DeMille.
Sherri: I’ll
have to check out these authors. Wow, I think we’re about out of time. It was
so good to have you stop by. I do hope to chat with you again.
If you
enjoyed my chat with Jennifer Lane, follow her on social media and you can find
her books at through the links listed at the end of this interview.
I hope you
all will stop by again, you never know who will be stopping by Creekside Café.
Jennifer Lane, Author
Psyched Publishing Sports Romance and Romantic Suspense With a Psychological Twist
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