Jennifer Lane Books Blog

Happy June to all writers! Thanks to Alex Cavanaug h for starting this support group. Ack, I'm a little late getting my post up. My work has slowed down for the summer, and apparently my memory has slowed as well. Thanks to this month's co-hosts: Diane Burton Kim Lajevardi Sylvia Ney Sarah Foster Jennifer Hawes Madeline Mora-Summonte IWSG Day Question: Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why? I write sports romance and romantic suspense--the same genres I tend to read. A newer genre to me is psychological thrillers. For book club this month, I chose The Silent Patient , a 5-star read for me that featured some great insight into therapy.  A friend loaned me The Breakdown , another psychological thriller I enjoyed (here's my review .) I rarely figure out mysteries when I read. Do you? I wanted to read that same author's debut, Behind Closed Doors , so I was lucky to find an e-audiobook at the library righ...

Welcome to our writerly support group. We share hopes and fears the first Wednesday of every month. Bunny hop over to Alex Cavanaugh's blog to sign up. Thanks to our co-hosts for April: Co-Hosts: J.H. Moncrieff, Natalie Aguirre, Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken! As one of ten authors with short stories in the Masquerade: Oddly Suited IWSG anthology, I'm psyched about the release date in less than one month. April 30, baby! Add the anthology to your  Goodreads   shelf. And you can pre-order on  Amazon  and other sites. Author Elizabeth Mueller has created gorgeous masked and unmasked images of our characters that we will reveal as the release date approaches. We also wrote 600-word teasers with our short-story characters. My baseball catcher, Colt, picks up softball pitcher, Andie, for a high-school party in my teaser, Get Your Own Girlfriend. Carrie-Anne Brownian's blog will feature my masked image and teaser on 4.25.19. Happy writing...

Happy New Year to all writers! I'm vacationing in Florida this week so I've abdicated all responsibility, including a timely post. Today we went to Universal and I walked 23,000 steps! But I'm especially excited to share that my short story was selected for the next IWSG anthology, Masquerade: Oddly Suited .  When I first learned of the anthology's young adult romance / masquerade theme, a vision of smoldering blue eyes behind a catcher's mask came to me. I built on that image to write a YA sports romance involving a baseball catcher and a softball pitcher. Congratulations to all authors who submitted. Here's the list of titles for the anthology:   Oddly Suited by LG Keltner Sea of Sorrows by AV Brown Behind the Catcher’s Mask by Jennifer Lane A Diver’s Ball by Angela Brown Fearless Heart by Deborah Solice The Dark Charade by CD Gallant-King The Cog Prince by Elizabeth Mueller Flower of Ronda by Myles Christensen Rem...

Happy Holidays, writers! Time for the Insecure Writers Support Group, hosted by Alex Cavanaugh . Thank you to this month's co-hosts: J.H. Moncrieff, Tonja Drecker , Patsy Collins, and Chrys Fey Fall is my busiest time at work so I've focused more on my day job than on writing lately. But, I did submit a short story for consideration in an anthology, and I applied for a writing festival. I'd like to share my review for fellow IWSG author's latest release, Bodies in the Boatyard . Congratulations to Ellen Jacobson for her engaging cozy mystery series! Bodies in the Boatyard by Ellen Jacobson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Panda Bear on the Case I continue to enjoy the integration of murder mystery, sailing science, chocolate cravings, and frisky felines in the Mollie McGhie series, which takes place in a small Florida boating community. In book two, Mollie's husband, Scooter, has moved on from calling her Sweet Potato to Panda Bear, and Molli...

Happy October, writers! Time to support each other on this writing journey...join us here . Thank you to this month's co-hosts: Dolorah @ Book Lover, Christopher D. Votey, Tanya Miranda, and Chemist Ken! IWSG Day Question: How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something? This is a timely question for me as I've been pondering why I haven't felt as motivated to write lately. (Though I do plan to finish a short story soon.) I've realized that I don't feel the burning need to write right now because things in my career are pretty good. I went through some difficult times at work in 2007, and I unknowingly turned to writing to cope with feelings of insecurity and betrayal. The words poured out of me then. I made my ex-boss the villain of my first book, a murder mystery. (He he.) Thank you, writing! You have helped me heal. I also feel grateful for second chances. After a six-year hiatus worki...

Happy September, writers! Join our support group to vent and celebrate this wild writing journey at our founder's blog, Alex Cavanaugh .  Thank you to this month's courageous co-hosts: Toi Thomas, T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler! IWSG Day Question: What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why? I never anticipated becoming a writer, much less an author, but now eight published novels sit on my shelf. After writing a few stories, I wanted to publish my debut novel,  With Good Behavior,  in 2009. I bought a print book about publishing (remember print books?) and took a stab at writing synopses and queries for agents and publishers. Rejections rolled in--disappointing then but not surprising now after I have learned more about the finicky publishing business.  Luckily, I discovered a new small publisher that specialized in romance novels like mine, and I was THRILLED when they accepted my novel! Omnifi...

Whoops I hope I'm not too late (only one day?) to post for the Insecure Writers Support Group, July version. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for starting the group--join us here ! I'm in Hilton Head with my seven-month old niece, whose cuteness supersedes any blog schedule in my mind. Hop on over to this month's awesome co-hosts! Co-Hosts Nicki Elson Juneta Key Tamara Narayan Patricia Lynne Now onto this month's question: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time? Writing started as a need to express myself, and I got lost in the characters and stories I created. Over time, more goals emerged, including the desire to inspire hope for healing and demystifying psychotherapy as one path for that healing. Another big goal has been connecting with authors and readers. As a psychologist, I often encourage clients to focus on the process instead of the outcome. But since I'm a competitive person, I get drawn int...

I love summer! I was so absorbed in summer goodness that I forgot to post for June's Insecure Writers Support Group yesterday, whoops. Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh for his clever creation. Join us  here . I haven't written for six months and I'm wondering if my writing mojo will return. But I do still enjoy supporting fellow authors like Ellen Jacobson from The Cynical Sailor! Her cozy mystery, Murder at the Marina , is a cute hoot, and I'll post my review on 6/22/18. IWSG June Question: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names? I gotta go with titles. I agonized over the title of my last novel though in the end it probably didn't matter much. For the most part I have a blast drumming up character names. I don't have children so the characters are my babies I get to name and hold and pet. Make sure to visit these stellar co-hosts! Beverly Stowe McClure, Tyrean Martinson, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

Happy March, Writers! Thank you to Alex J Cavanaugh for starting the Insecure Writers Support Group, where we air our hopes and fears. Make sure to visit this month's cohosts: Mary Aalgaard, Bish Denham, Jennifer Hawes, Diane Burton, and Gwen Gardner! IWSG Day Question: How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal / finish a story? I haven't paid enough attention to celebrating in the past, maybe due to my worried brain and achiever personality. Instead of basking in the glory, I often jump to the next goal. But my psychologist friend, Karen, insists on taking me out to dinner when I finish a novel, and it is important to revel in satisfaction after a completed goal. Upon finishing a novel, I typically have a sequel or new story hopping in my brain. Since I finished Twin Sacrifice , though, it's been pretty quiet up in hearrre.  I pushed hard at marketing my latest release and have felt bummed by sales, although the reviews have been very ki...

Welcome to 2018's first Insecure Writer's Support Group! We're a "safe space" to share our hopes and fears, created by our intrepid leader, Alex Cavanaugh . I'm excited to be your co-host today, along with these witty writers: Tyrean Martinson http://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/ The Cynical Sailor http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/ Megan Morgan https://meganmorganauthor.com/blog/ Rachna Chhabria http://rachnachhabria.blogspot.com/ *This month's question: What steps have you taken or plan to take to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing? At first, writing consumed me so much that I wrote every day. Now, I only write on weekends (unless I'm traveling). I'm okay with that schedule because I'm too wiped out from the day job to write on weeknights, and no way in hell am I waking up early to write! I also aim for publishing one new release a year. On February 28, 2018, I'm launching ...

Happy December to all Writers! Join us for the Insecure Writers Support Group, developed by Alex Cavanaugh and maintained by lovely writers everywhere. Visit today's co-hosts: Co-Hosts:  Julie Flanders, Shannon Lawrence,   Fundy Blue,   Heather Gardner! IWSG Question:  As you look back on 2017, with all its successes and failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently? After just getting weighed at the doctor's *gulps*, I would have set up the standing desk I bought. Amazon delivered it months ago and it sits still neatly packed in its box while I sit my life away as a therapist and author. One hour of exercise doesn't counteract fifteen of sitting. Sitting is the new smoking, they say, *coughs* How's your writing? I'm in the exciting phase of writing: preparing for publication! My editor is polishing and my book designer is creating a cover for the launch of  TWIN SACRIFICE . Inspired by a dream, I started this novel in 200...

Crap, where did June and July go? It's time for the August edition of Insecure Writers Support Group where we share our fears and successes. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts! Co-Hosts: Christine Rains Dolarah @ Book Lover Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor Yvonne Ventresca LG Keltner IWSG Question: What are your pet peeves when reading / writing / editing? After working with professional editors for seven novels, I've become a stickler for grammar and spelling. One word I see consistently misspelled (even in traditionally published novels) is BLOND. My editor taught me that the only time to use the spelling BLONDE is describing a female as a noun.  The sassy blonde approached me. When using blond as an adjective (or as a noun for a blond man), THERE IS NO E!!! The sassy, blond woman approached me. I fell for the blond dude in a heartbeat. Holy Leo DeCaprio, he's hot! I fell for that blond in a heartbeat. ...

Happy June to all writers! Join us for our monthly support group at Alex J Cavanaugh's BLOG . I'm about halfway through my romantic suspense WIP, Twin Sacrifice . It's a crime drama involving twin brothers. My sister says she doesn't like the title. What's your honest reaction to "Twin Sacrifice"? This past weekend was so fun. Attending a U2 concert has been on my bucket list since The Joshua Tree released when I was a teenager, and I finally got to go!!! I saw U2 at Soldier Field with my editor Jessica, and wrote with my critique partner Bev the next day, all in the great city of Chicago. Check out my Facebook video of the spellbinding introduction to Where the Streets Have No Name HERE . Question of the month: Did you ever say “I quit”? If so, what happened to make you come back to writing? I started this writing thing in 2007, and I haven't stopped yet. Writing has been the outlet I never knew I needed, and I've met such lovely (a...

Happy April to all writers! Head on over to Alex Cavanaugh's  blog  to join us for the Insecure Writers Support Group. After the publication of my 7th novel in October of 2016, I took a writing break to focus on my day job and other fun activities. But in March I jumped back into writing a romantic suspense I started in 2009: Twin Sacrifice . Has a dream ever inspired your writing? As I mourned the end of my favorite TV show, Prison Break , in 2009, I had a dream about an alternate ending to the show. That dream inspired the plot of Twin Sacrifice . Now I'm no longer in mourning, since  Prison Break returns for a 5th season on April 4, yahooooo! Wentworth Miller *swoons* April IWSG Day Question: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results? I did A to Z once (maybe 2012?) and it was fun but exhausting. Blogging was a more active world back then, and I post ...

Happy March Insecure Writers Support Group! Hop over to Alex Cavanaugh's blog to join us. Co-Hosts: Tamara Narayan Patsy Collins M.J. Fifield Nicohle Christopherson I'm late to post this month because work has been so busy and my friends are going through some big changes. One friend's husband just died, and another good friend (my swimming buddy) is moving to Nashville. *sad face* But it's good to hang with my writer pals in the support group! March IWSG Day Question:  Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out? Well, I'm actually doing that right now so the outcome is yet to be seen. I started a romantic suspense novel titled Twin Sacrifice back in 2009, and I'm dusting it off to rework it. I haven't had much time to write lately but I hope to get cranking soon. Write on, friends!

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group, hosted by Alex Cavanaugh! Join us HERE . November's Question: What's your favorite aspect of being a writer? For me, it's the warm, supportive author community. I'm blessed writing has brought me closer to quality people like my critique partner, Nicki Elson. Which leads me to... Today I celebrate fellow IWSG author Nicki Elson's new release: WHEN IT HOLDS YOU! Amazon US * Amazon UK * Amazon Canada * Amazon Australia ~.~.~ WHEN IT HOLDS YOU has been selected as a TOP PICK at The Romance Reviews! “Nicki Elson has become my MUST read new contemporary romance author! The sex is hot, but the emphasis is on emotions in this book. They really are made for each other.” ~The Romance Reviews ~.~.~ WHEN IT HOLDS YOU Virtual. That’s where she was supposed to stay—only in my online gaming life. I never intended to meet up with her in person. And I certainly hadn’t counted on her being who she i...