Posted in promo

Jennifer Lane’s Rivals-Cover Reveal

Title: Rivals

Author: Jennifer Lane

Release: March 19, 2021

Genre: Sports Romance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55099095-rivals

Cover Design: Dan Irons, Designs by Irons

Blurb:

“I embrace my rival. But only to strangle him.”

~Jean Racine

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.

PreOrder Links (Kindle Unlimited):

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3cOoZDu

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/36Omdu0

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3rsHG3K

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2LtL2UT

Author Bio:

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.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://jenniferlanebooks.com

Twitter: JenLaneBooks

Facebook: Jennifer Lane, Author Jennifer Lane

Goodreads: Jennifer Lane

Pinterest: JenLaneBooks

Instagram: JenLaneBooks

🔥 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐋 ➜ Rivals by @JenLanebooks is releasing 3.19 #PreOrder today #KindleUnlimited

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3cOoZDu

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/36Omdu0

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3rsHG3K

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2LtL2UT

Add to Goodreads ➜ http://bit.ly/2LwWQ8S

Cover Design ➜ Dan Irons, Designs by Irons

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊

“I embrace my rival. But only to strangle him.”

~Jean Racine

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.

#rivalscoverreveal #jenniferlanecoverreveal #jenniferlaneauthor #sportsromance #comingsoon #marchrelease #rivalsjenniferlane #coverreveal #kuromance #mustread #enticingjourney

Hosted by Enticing Journey Book Promotions

Posted in audio books, Book Review

How-To Manuals for Romance?

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.  

Posted in Creekside Cafe, interview

Creekside Chat with Jennifer Lane

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

Twin Sacrifice Psychological Thriller
Blocked New Adult Volleyball Romance
Aced (Blocked #2) New Adult Sports Romance
Spiked (Blocked #3) New Adult Sports Romance
Streamline New Adult Swimming Romance
Swim Recruit New Adult Novella (free!)
With Good Behavior (The Conduct Series #1)
Bad Behavior (The Conduct Series #2)
On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3)
 
Website: http://jenniferlanebooks.com
Twitter: JenLaneBooks
Facebook: Jennifer LaneAuthor Jennifer Lane
Goodreads: Jennifer Lane
Pinterest: JenLaneBooks
Instagram: JenLaneBooks