Please help us welcome Kris Jayne to the blog today. Kris is here to share her Contemporary Romance, Charming You with us. We also have a great interview with Kris to share with you all. Welcome, Kris! We are all excited to hear more about Charming you!
Charming You
Thirsty Hearts Book 1
by Kris Jayne
An Interview with Kris:
Can you tell us about your Thirsty Hearts series?
I started the first book, Charming You, thinking I would submit it to Harlequin and then realized I wanted to write it my own way. I had a strong idea about my heroine and how I wanted her to be in the world. Micky is smart, professional, and gun-shy in relationships. She meets Nick when she has car trouble and sparks fly. The problem is that Nick may or may not have a fiancee, and he definitely has a dual agenda. He wants Micky, but he has a couple of secrets that muck things up for them.
I decided Micky’s best friend would be the heroine of my second book, Choosing You, even though she was already engaged. That meant I had to introduce big trouble for her and her hero, Jeff, and his daughter, Olivia. Micky and Jeff have their lives planned. They’re planning their wedding. Taryn is going to adopt his daughter. Then Shannon, Jeff’s first wife, shows up. She’s walking trouble.
I got obsessed with how Shannon was going to pull it together, so I made her the heroine of Cherishing You. She meets Jonah Moran—who showed up at the end of Charming You. They come from completely different backgrounds. Jonah comes from loads of family money, and Shannon grew up in foster care—with no real family. They have an intense physical attraction that turns into something deeper, but if you read the first book and you see how the Morans operate, you know they aren’t going to love Shannon.
Then, I circled back to Alexa who is Taryn’s cousin, who makes an appearance in the first book. She has a fling with a guy in my novella, Her London Fling, and then she meets Jonah’s best friend, Graham. In Chasing You, Alexa has to decide between the two men. She’s not really into relationships, but Graham changes her mind. I’ve had readers tell me he’s their favorite hero.
Why did you call it Thirsty Hearts?
Beyond the fact that they all long for love, each heroine in the first few books has a favorite drink. Micky loves martinis. Taryn loves champagne. Alexa is a fitness queen and drinks vodka sodas. Shannon doesn’t drink, which is probably a good idea.
Are all your books set in Texas?
This series takes place mainly in Texas, but I love to travel, so my characters do too. Charming You takes Micky and Nick to Paris.Her London Fling is (surprise) set in London.
When you set a romance novel in Texas, everyone assumes it’s going to be about cowboys and small towns. People forget that three of America’s largest cities are in Texas. The first books in the series are all about Dallas. Chasing You takes place in Austin.
Which book has been your favorite to write?
Cherishing You was probably favorite to write because Shannon wasn’t a planned heroine. I originally planned to do Alexa’s book right after Taryn’s. Shannon proved to be the most interesting project. In Choosing You, I couldn’t decide at first how bad I was going to make Shannon or how I might redeem her and make her sympathetic. I’m proudest of Shannon because she faced the biggest obstacles and came out happy on the other side.
What inspires you to write?
My stories typically start with one kernel of an idea — a scene I want, a type of character that interests me, or a dilemma that gets me excited. Those ideas can come from anywhere. The Valentine’s Day scene in Choosing You started with one line that a friend of mine once said to a guy. I ended up changing the line because it didn’t exactly fit the characters, but what Taryn says to Jeff at the end of that scene is based on something said in real life that’s become a running joke among my friends.
Do you have a favorite spot to write?
My couch. It’s not very ergonomic, but my desk in my office is stuck in a corner. The room isn’t big enough for me to rearrange the desk, my bookcases, and my printer. So I write on the couch. I meet another writer friend for “writer’s camp” occasionally. We park ourselves somewhere, have lunch, and write for three or four hours in the afternoon. I finished my first draft of book three on an airplane. I was flying back to Dallas from New York, and someone on the plane had a seizure. They guy ended up being okay, I think, but we got diverted to Washington D.C. Nothing forces you to write like being trapped in a steel tube.
Do you work with an outline, or just write?
After book one, I learned that I need to start with an outline. It’s not terribly detailed, but I flesh out the arc of the plot and the conflicts in advance. Without it, I found I can just wander around in the universe of the book, and it makes it hard to finish. I didn’t start with an outline with the first book, and it took me over two years to finish it.
What are you working on next?
I have another Thirsty Hearts novella coming out in a couple of months that’s a friends-to-lovers story. I’m also working on a new series that’s got psychics, ghosts, and billionaires. That novel will be out before the end of the year.
About Charming You:
Can she trust the charm of an ambitious man?Micky Llewellyn trusted men before—with disastrous results. Nick Halden’s life is unfolding to plan—a career at a top law firm and engagement to the perfect socialite. Fate unites them, and as they balance love and ambition, they must decide what they want before they lose the one thing that matters.
Meet the Heroine:
Micky Llewellyn
Occupation: High-tech marketing
Drink of choice: Slightly dirty vodka martinis
Favorite thing: The smell of a man in bed
Pet peeve: Liars and cheaters
Biggest weakness: Tall, dark, and handsome men with green eyes and a secret
Meet the Hero:
Nick Halden
Occupation: Corporate lawyer
Drink of choice: Scotch whisky
Favorite thing: A woman in knee-high boots — and nothing else
Pet peeve: Manipulative in-laws
Biggest weakness: Sexy brunettes who don’t let him get away with anything
Buy Links:
About Kris:
Kris Jayne is a devoted writer, reader, and traveler. She spends her days blissfully sweating out the writing process in the Dallas area with her dogs, Otis the Shih Tzu, Rocco the Terrier, and Red the Foxy Mutt.