Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a new author. I’ve written and published the first three books in my debut Thirsty Hearts series. Readers can also buy a novella prequel to my fourth book, which will be available later in the spring.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The first book in my Thirsty Hearts series is called Charming You. The story began with the idea for the first scene in the opening chapter. I thought of having my hero and heroine meet in a parking garage when the heroine has car trouble, and the story evolved from there. Some of the details of Micky’s life are taken from my own. I worked in technology marketing for a French company and would often travel to Paris for work.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m terrible about writing at a proper desk with good ergonomics. I mostly write on my couch. Twice a week, I meet another writer friend for “writer’s camp.” We park ourselves in the lobby of a hotel, have lunch, and write for three or four hours in the afternoon. I like having lots of things to look at when I look up from my computer. The hotel is nice because there are always business meetings and different kinds of people coming in and out. I get to overhear a lot of conversations. I finished my first draft of book three on an airplane. Another friend and I will do mileage runs (to help qualify for elite status). I usually get tons done while trapped in the steel tube in the sky.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
A couple of my favorite books are The Awakening and The House of Mirth, but I swear none of my modern heroines drown themselves or carelessly drift into a possibly fatal “rest.” My love of romance novels started as a child when I spent a summer reading through a giant trash bag of old Harlequin Presents paperbacks that my mother snagged from the local library. My favorite romance authors include Jennifer Crusie, Rachel Gibson, Elizabeth Hoyt, and Courtney Milan—to name a few.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on book four in my Thirsty Hearts series, Chasing You. It continues the story of Alexa, whom we meet in book one, picking up her life after Her London Fling, my novella.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Besides begging friends and family? I have a couple of landing pages where I give away chapters or a short story in exchange for readers joining my VIP list. I can then communicate directly with them, offer them special downloads, and other bonuses. I promote those on social media or you can join from my website: krisjayne.com.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just to write. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of being an author. National Novel Writing Month was a great exercise to force me into a daily word count and give me momentum to finish a manuscript.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always have a stash of, to be polite, “screw you” money. I had a professor in college give us that advice. He said there will come a time in your life when you’ll want to just walk away from a job or situation, and if you have that stash, you can do it without having to wait for another opportunity.
What are you reading now?
TONS of different romance subgenres to get an idea of what others are writing and publishing. I went through a period where I read historicals. That’s how I got familiar with Elizabeth Hoyt. Now, I’m reading contemporary, first-person narration romances to get a feel for how authors write that way.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have an idea germinating for a fifth book in the Thirsty Hearts series, and then I have an idea for a new series to spin off with a character from one of my existing works.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Isn’t there some book about how to survive dangerous situations? I’d take that one. Plus, the Boy Scout Handbook or something. Then, I’d take volumes of Henry James and Edith Wharton stories.
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