Insert Groom Is Finally Here! #WeNeedDiverseRomance
Today is one of those days where the life I’m living feels quite unlikely. A woman like me starts to think and reverts back to the girl I was growing up in Harlem and Washington Heights. Back then I spent almost as much time on the ‘A’ train as I did off of it as I commuted back and forth to school. In those days I always had my nose in a book and if a book wasn’t to be had I would erase my surroundings and retreat to the way back of my imagination and come up with a story of my very own. On the train there were plenty of characters for story fodder.
Well today a story of my very own is out and released into the world in a way that is almost beyond my dreams.
INSERT GROOM HERE is my first single title and the first in my Unconventional Brides Series and here is the kicker, this book being release from Kensington publishing is the first for me that will be out in book stores and retail outlets and holy crackers there are even some libraries that will carry it! The thought of it overwhelms me. The thought that there may be another girl out there growing up somewhere like I did, who at a certain point may desperately need an escape from her everyday life on the commuter train or a home life which is not the fairy-tale her mask pretends it to be. The fact that she may find that escape in one of my books that she happens upon with a heroine that happens to look like her makes me so very happy.
I am grateful to God to have made it to this point in my career and know I have so much further to go, both in my writing and in helping to make more of these types of stories more equally accessible to the public.
Sidebar: #WeNeedDiverseRomance
But for now, today, I know day dreaming is not for nothing. Dreaming combined with work can lead to a moment of fulfillment greater than I ever imagined.
And now for the pluggy part about my book:
INSERT GROOM HERE Book #1 the
Unconventional Brides Series
Eva Ward has won a lavish wedding on the nation’s hottest morning show and can’t wait to kick off her
happily-ever-after in style. Too bad her fiancé backs out on-air—and cameraman Aidan Walker makes sure her private meltdown goes viral, down to the last couch-kicking moment. The only way Eva can save face and keep her perfect nuptial plans on track is to star in a new “find-a-groom” reality segment. But finding Mr. Right in one month means ignoring her handsome new producer—none other than Aidan himself—and getting their instant, exasperating attraction out of her system…Eva soon finds there’s a lot more to Aidan than freewheeling charm. But one glimpse of his caring side can’t make up for off-camera politics, Aidan’s own secrets—or Eva’s fear that they’re too different to ever trust each other. So it’s time for her to flip this script, write twists no one will see coming—and risk her heart to get the real thing…
Be one of the first to be introduced to the
Unconventional Brides and grab your copy today where ever books are sold !Kensington: http://bit.ly/2eh61Vb
Amazon: http://amzn.to/28Mbqk3
iBooks: http://apple.co/28RPaWU
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2gwFuas
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2g8FhtpAnd a bonus: please subscribe to my mailing list on the right and click below to enter this month’s giveaway!
Hint: it’s FIRE! (Kindle Fire)
All the best,
KMJ
Cheering In The Holidays with Holiday Temptation!
Hello Dear Peeps,
So nice to check in with you all and wishing you a wonderful week. So far mine has been quite eventful.
I wanted to announce that this month’s 25.00 Gift card contest winner was Vernetta E. Congrats Vernetta! Subscribe to the KMJ Newsletter in the links on the right to stay in the know with KMJ news and releases and be up on our monthly contests! Don’t miss out.
And now for the big news… on Sunday I had my first ever signing at Barnes and Noble when I signed at Barnes and Noble in Yonkers, NY for their Holiday Book Fair to benefit the Yonkers Public Library. Talk about a dream come true! I was so honored to be invited and to come out for a great cause.
I also could not be more grateful to the friends and family that came out in support of me by picking up copies of HOLIDAY TEMPTATION, the Christmas Anthology that I’m in with Donna Hill and Farrah Rochon. You can see from the below photos that I could not stop smiling. Especially with all my family. You can pick up your copy wherever books are sold. Or just look up and click over to my books page. Thank you so much!
All the best,
KMJ
Tis The Season!
Hello Dear Peeps! How are you all?
I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve checked in and I apologize. November has been an incredibly busy and stressful month, but I’m happy to be back home and get started on the crazy of the holiday season with all of you.
And speaking of the holidays it’s time for me to get going with making those holiday donuts (see how I was dying to work that pun and these pics into this post) because my first single title release will be out at the end of this month and it will be busy, busy, busy in the best of ways!
On 12/27 INSERT GROOM HERE will be HERE!! Yay! Have you pre-ordered your copy yet? Well please do and be one of the first in the know (all the cool kids are doing it- if hat kind of peer pressure works on you).
You can Pre-order INSERT GROOM HERE at any of these retailers.
Kensington: http://bit.ly/2eh61Vb
Amazon: http://amzn.to/28Mbqk3
iBooks: http://apple.co/28RPaWU
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2gwFuas
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2g8Fhtp
Also congrats go out to Michael S. for being last month’s 25.00 Newsletter contest winner. Please fill out the links to the right and sign up for my newsletter if you have not already so that you can be sure to get links to the next contest. I hope you all are well and let’s rock this busy holiday month out together!
Best,
Kwana
Happy 10th Birthday Jack and a contest winner revealed!
Happy 10th Birthday to my Dear Jack!
You always keep me on my toes as there is never a dull moment in a day with you. Thank you for filling our home with joy and laughter and for sending me just the right amount of shade looks to keep me on my writing deadlines!
And not only is today Jack’s birthday but I’m also revealing the winner in this past months 25.00 Gift card give away! And our winner is…..
…….. Michael Smidutz.
Congrats Michael! I will email you to get in touch about your prize.
Folks, no worries if you did not win this time. There will be a now contest next month for Newsletter Subscribers. So please sign up here to subscribe and stay in the know about all of my latest happenings and releases. Thanks!
All the best,
KMJ
Rom Com? Don’t mind if I do!
I adore a good romantic comedy and to that my upcoming Unconventional Brides Series, starting with INSERT GROOM HERE is my take at ROM COM wedding fun!
So today I was completely over the moon to see that my novella ROMANCING THE FASHIONISTA was included in Book Riot’s list of top 100 Must Read Romantic Comedies. What? Huh? I mean come on people Helen Fielding is on the list. To be anywhere near her air, to know me, is to know that’s a dream come true.
So please check out the list and add some new Rom Coms to your TBR piles. Trust me you can’t go wrong. There are so many of my faves here. Ahem, Farrah Rochon, Jamie Wesley, Megan Frampton, Phyllis Bourne, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Victoria Dahl… I could go on. Just get you some books people and enjoy the love with a side of laughter.
All the best,
KMJ
Time For A Change- Author Interview with Sonali Dev
Today on ye old blog I’m proud to welcome bestselling author of THE BOLLYWOOD BRIDE and THE BOLLYWOOD AFFAIR, Sonali Dev. Today Sonali is here to talk about her latest release, A CHANGE OF HEART.
Hi Sonali, thanks so much for being here on ye old blog today. It’s a real honor and a treat.
Thanks so much for having me!
First off can you tell us a bit about A CHANGE OF HEART?
It’s the story of Dr. Nikhil Joshi who lost his wife two years ago in a horribly tragic crime, and Jess, the woman who claims to have his wife’s heart in a transplant. It’s basically a journey into healing from loss and trauma and coming out into the light.
Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:
Dr. Nikhil ‘Nic’ Joshi had it all—marriage, career, purpose. Until, while working for Doctors Without Borders in a Mumbai slum, his wife, Jen, discovered a black market organ transplant ring. Before she could expose the truth, Jen was killed.
Two years after the tragedy, Nic is a cruise ship doctor who spends his days treating seasickness and sunburn and his nights in a boozy haze. On one of those blurry evenings on deck, Nic meets a woman who makes a startling claim: she received Jen’s heart in a transplant and has a message for him. Nic wants to discount Jess Koirala’s story as absurd, but there’s something about her reckless desperation that resonates despite his doubts.
Jess has spent years working her way out of a nightmarish life in Calcutta and into a respectable Bollywood dance troupe. Now she faces losing the one thing that matters—her young son, Joy. She needs to uncover the secrets Jen risked everything for; but the unforeseen bond that results between her and Nic is both a lifeline and a perilous complication.
Delving beyond the surface of modern Indian-American life, acclaimed author Sonali Dev’s page-turning novel is both riveting and emotionally rewarding—an extraordinary story of human connection, bravery, and hope.
What inspired you to write this story?
Nikhil and his wife Jen were major secondary characters in my previous book, The Bollywood Bride, which was a book that lived inside my head for many years before it was published, and Nikhil and Jen’s story was always one I knew I was going to write. But Nic and Jen both worked in some of the most disturbed and dangerous parts of the world, they constantly put themselves at risk for their cause. When I started writing their story, the risks just caught up with them. It happened without me meaning for it to. Then I got obsessed with the idea of healing from unspeakable loss and with the privilege of being able to say things like “I could never live without x, y, or z,” and what happens when we lose a belief so basic. That’s where A Change Of Heart came from.
Without giving too much away can you tell us how A CHANGE OF HEART ties in with your other books?
A CHANGE OF HEART (and all my books, really) stand alone. However, we do meet Nikhil and Jen in THE BOLLYWOOD BRIDE first and in that they two books are related. They basically follow the same family and there’s a strong family saga element to all my books.
You go a bit dark in A CHANGE OF HEART, really getting deep into emotions. What made this an important story for you to write right now?
I think we all cherish our families and loved ones and live with a deep-seeded fear of losing all that. One part of telling stories is exploring situations that disturb us so we can keep the faith that everything is surmountable and to keep our lives hopeful even when we see horrific things going on in the world. That’s at the heart of it, I think. I wrote this dedication to my children for A CHANGE OF HEART and I think it says it all:
For Mihir and Annika, because I want you
to believe that every darkness can be overcome.
And because you are the brightness that lights up my world.
Ok now I’m in tears. Thank you for sharing that.
This next question is a favorite of mine. Care to share the story of your “overnight” success with my readers?
I’m one of those writers who didn’t discover her love for writing suddenly or serendipitously. I’ve written and loved to write for as long as I can remember. But making a life as a writer was one of those dreams that somehow always seemed like a pie in the sky. So while I went to architectural school so I could have a ‘real’ career, I continued to pursue my ‘hobby’. But the need to write was so strong I found myself quitting my job at my architectural firm to work for an architectural magazine within months of graduating.
So, really, for me the true journey was going from business writing and journalism to fiction, and that flip happened when I was talking to my best friend who is a movie producer. She was complaining about the scripts she’d been reading and we both said, ‘Well, how hard can it be to write a good movie?’ Famous last words, right?
I wrote my first script for her within a month and then wrote several after that. None of these ever got made into movies (answering our ridiculously arrogant question with all the delicacy of a tight slap).
But once I’d caught the fiction bug I couldn’t shake it off. The high of creating characters and putting them through the ringer and watching them triumph was a drug like no other.
My kids were babies then and I wrote everywhere. When they napped, at playgroup, at the park. As they grew, I wrote at soccer fields, on swimming pool bleachers, in math class waiting rooms, and in parking lots large and small. I still get a lot of my writing done in parking lots outside my kids’ various activities.
But my quest to get published didn’t start in earnest until I completed my first manuscript, The Bollywood Bride, in 2010 and joined the Romance Writers of America (RWA). After that it was all crazed obsession. I spun in the edit/query/get rejected loop incessantly for three years before I sold The Bollywood Bride following an impromptu pitch to my editor in the middle of a Kensington spotlight at The Chicago Spring Fling conference.
Lastly, what can readers expect next from you?
My next book is a Rapunzel story about a girl who’s been locked up in a sterile room for 12 years waiting to find a cure for her illness and a boy who’s been a servant in her home and her only friend and her eyes to the world, and how they navigate the real world when she’s finally free.
And now here’s a short excerpt from A CHANGE OF HEART:
Nikhil’s head felt like someone had squeezed it through a liquidizer. Whiskey burn stung his brain as if he had snorted the stuff instead of pouring it down his gullet. He leaned into the polished brass railing, letting the wind pummel his face. The ship, all twenty-four floors of behemoth decadence, was like the damn Burj Al Arab speeding across the Caribbean. And yet the only way to know they were moving was to watch the waves. His fingers released the glass sitting on the railing and it flew into the night, disappearing long before it hit the inky water.
He imagined hopping on the railing, imagined being that glass. Boom! And it would be over. Finally, there’d be peace.
The sky was starting to ignite at the edges, as though the glass of Jack he’d just tossed into the night had splattered amber flecks across the horizon. It would go up in flames soon. All of it orange and gold when the sun broke through the rim of the ocean. It was time for him to leave. The last thing he needed was the mockery of another breaking dawn.
“Sir, why don’t you stay and watch today?” A man leaned on his mop, staring at Nikhil from under his windblown hair, that tentative, guilty look firmly in place. The look people couldn’t seem to keep off their faces when they talked to Nikhil—the one that announced, rather loudly, that they were terrified of intruding. Because The Pathetic Dr. Joshi with the giant hole in his heart might break down right before their eyes.
“Very beautiful it is, no?” The man pointed his chin at the burgeoning sunrise that had just pumped Nikhil’s lungs full of pain and waited for a response. But while the blazing pain in Nikhil’s heart was functioning at full capacity, the booze incapacitated his tongue. He wanted to react, wanted to have a conversation with the man who was obviously starved for it. He searched for words to say, but he came up empty.
Now there was a word: empty.
Still empty after two years.
Thanks so much for being here today. It’s been a real pleasure.
Thanks, Kwana!
Sonali can be found at these places on the web. Please check her out:
Twitter— @Sonali_Dev
Newsletter—http://eepurl.com/O4xA5
Goodreads.com/sonalidev
And don’t forget to pick up your copy of A CHANGE OF HEART!
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2cbMK70
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781496705747
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-change-of-heart-28
BAM: http://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=9781496705747&where=All
IndieBounnd: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496705747
Target: http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=A+Change+of+Heart
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/A-Change-of-Heart/52609083
Hudson Booksellers: http://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9781496705747
All the best,
KMJ
Dreams realized- Holiday Temptation in the wild!
Ok so this happened. HOLIDAY TEMPTATION came out and no fooling, the publishers weren’t kidding with me, but it is out and in bookstores just like they said.
At this point in my career seeing my name on a book on a shelf was still something I dreamed of but it had become a dream in the far back corner or my mind, about two feet to the left and behind the box that says ‘GET BACK TO COLLEGE GRADUATION WEIGHT’. But today I went into my local Barnes and Noble, the one I’d been in countless times before with my dear twins since they were tiny tots, and there it was. Right up high on the romance shelves, face out no less with the other new releases.
Holy crap HOLIDAY TEMPTATION was there! And it was next to Hannah Howell and one book over from Madeline Hunter. The way I nearly swooned one would think I’d taken to day drinking. But this feeling was better than any drink. This was the feeling of a dream not deferred, but one come true after years of hard work, more rejections than I could count or take so I just stopped counting them, and a determined spirit and faith that boarded on nonsensical so only those with faith or little sense would dare understand.
Thank you all for sticking with me and understanding.
Now what to do with that blasted GRADUATION WEIGHT box?
All the best,
KMJ
Holiday Temptation Release Day is here!!!
It’s release day! It’s release day!
We’re gonna party like it’s release day!!
Yippee today is the day that HOLIDAY TEMPTATION comes out with the super fab Donna Hill, Farrah Rochon and Meeee!!!! I promise you I’m not twelve years old but this book coming out has me that excited. It’s my first mass market in store release so besides being excited you’ll find me going through all he emotions…
Excitement over the release…
Fear- (will they like me?)…
Overwhelming joy because hey, I’m in a book with two amazing authors and I’m in stores. I need to rock this moment!
So don’t mind me if a blabber on this week. First don’t happen everyday. Now please excuse me while I head to some bookstores to scope out HOLIDAY TEMPTATION ON THE SHELVES….
gifs thanks to giphy.com & realitytvgifs.tumblr.com
Feel free to join me or check out HOLIDAY TEMPTATION wherever books are sold.
Tis the season to satisfy your holiday desires with this festive trio of sexy stories…
A GIFT OF LOVE Donna Hill
Drama professor Traci Long spends her free time at the CoffeeMate café, pursuing her true passion—writing her own plays. Meanwhile, sexy barista Noah Jefferson is doing his best to distract her. But once they get involved, past betrayals make Traci wary. She’s right that Noah is keeping something from her—but it might be something that will make this Christmas as sweet as a rave review—and steamier than her favorite chai latté…
HOLIDAY SPICE Farrah Rochon
A Christmas-time tragedy took photographer Miranda Lawson’s holiday spirit with it. Since then, she’s traveled the world, determined to outrun her demons. This year she’s off to Istanbul. But the scenery isn’t the only gorgeous site she spots through her camera lens….Kyle Daniels loves Christmas, but he’s looking for escape too—and soon he and Miranda find it in each other’s arms. Yet their connection doesn’t end there. Maybe staying put isn’t such a bad idea after all—especially when there’s someone to celebrate with…
FROM HERE TO SERENITY K.M. Jackson
Unstoppable real-estate developer Ross Montgomery is under orders to get some holiday R&R. A cruise to Miami on his yacht, “The Serenity,” is the perfect place to start—especially when he meets his new personal chef, Essie Bradford. Between her calming presence, her amazing food, and her delectable beauty, Ross just might develop a taste for the good life. And when the two discover they have a lot in common—including an irresistible attraction—the next course may be a spicy New Year…
Click below to check out HOLIDAY TEMPTATION at your favorite e-tailer
Amazon http://amzn.to/2drIf9a
iTunes http://apple.co/28Otxsv
Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/2d9lSWA
Indie Bound http://bit.ly/2d9mLP1
Walmart http://bit.ly/2dbI6sY
Kensington http://bit.ly/2d6S4dn
All the best,
KMJ
Tell No Lies… Guest Post from LaQuette!
Today on ye old blog I’m thrilled to have my friend, chaptermate, and she just happens to be RWA/NYC’s Golden Apple Award Winning Author Of The Year 2016, LaQuette guest posting to tell us about her latest release LIES YOU TELL. Congrats and thank so much for being with us LaQuette!
Lies You TellbyLaQuetteBlurb:
A mob boss finding his dead lover alive six years after her
death, shocking. Learning they’ve got a
five-year-old son…deadly.
Six years ago Sanai Ward fled her life in Florida when her
lover’s infidelity nearly brings her life to a fiery end. Scared and devastated, Sanai starts over from
nothing, determined to create a safe and happy life for the child she discovers
she’s carrying.Single parenthood isn’t easy. But the joy of watching her
beloved Nazario thrive is more than enough motivation to ignore the ache in her
heart for the man that shattered her soul.Dante De Luca is a passionate man who’s had his life stolen
from him. Six years ago he was in love
and happy, until his woman was killed in a fire. Sanai was gone. There was nothing left in the ashes but the
locket he’d placed around her neck. Too
angry to deal with his loss, Dante seeks to make the rest of the world pay for
his broken heart by forming an unholy covenant with an unspeakable ally. He knows he’ll live to regret it, but signing
away your humanity to the devil seems meaningless when your soul is already
gone.When an accident involving a family member draws Dante to
New York, and forces an unexpected meeting between he and Sanai, Dante has to
decide what’s more important. His rage
and revenge, or the safety of the woman he once loved and the health of their
son?Just when Sanai’s deception is beginning to sting less,
Dante is faced with the fallout of his own lies. Will she forgive him? Will they survive them, or will their lives
become tragic casualties of the dangerous lies he told?Excerpt:
He’d been overwhelmed with love. She hadn’t said it to him,
still hadn’t, but he saw it in every other way possible. The fact that she’d carved
out a space for him in her home—several spaces to be exact—marked his
permanence, his residence in her life.He sat next to her on the bed, hating the fact he couldn’t
remain there pressed against her. He leaned down and placed a loving kiss on
tender lips. “Take care of yourself. Take care of my boy.”“As long as you agree to get back here as soon as possible,”
she answered through their kisses.He kissed her again, deeply this time, savoring her taste. He
intended to be home late tonight or early tomorrow morning, but even that short
expanse of time was too much to be away from her.“Mi mancherà mentre
non ci sono…mi piace quando torno,” he whispered to her before stealing one
last kiss.“What does that mean?” she asked. “You say it every time you
leave.”He only spoke bits and pieces of Italian around her. He knew
Nazario understood quite a bit from spending so much time in Mrs. Rossi’s care.
He never wanted Sanai to feel as if he was excluding her, so he only ever spoke
English in her presence.“Miss me while I’m gone…love me when I return.”She pulled herself up, leaning against the headboard for
support. He could see there was so much emotion building up behind her open
stare. He didn’t press. The truth was he didn’t need the words. These moments
they shared together told him more than any words in any language could ever
convey. He was stamped across her heart, and no one and nothing would ever
change that.Author Bio:LaQuette is an erotic, multicultural romance author of M/F and
M/M love stories. Her writing style brings intellect to the drama.
She often crafts emotionally epic, fantastical tales that are deeply pigmented
by reality’s paintbrush. Her novels are filled with a unique
mixture of savvy, sarcastic, brazen, and unapologetically sexy characters
who are confident in their right to appear on the page.This bestselling Erotic Romance Author is the 2016 Author of the
Year Golden Apple Award Winner, 2015 Swirl Awards Bronze Winner in
Romantic Suspense, and 2015 Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award Finalist in
Erotic Romance. LaQuette—a native of Brooklyn, New York—spends her time catering
to her three distinct personalities: Wife, Mother, and Educator.Writing—her escape from everyday madness—has always been a
friend and source of comfort. At the age of sixteen she read her first
romance novel and realized the genre was missing something: people that looked
and lived like her. As a result, her characters and settings are always
designed to provide positive representations of people of color and various
marginalized communities.She
loves hearing from readers and discussing the crazy characters that are running
around in her head causing so much trouble. Contact her on Facebook,
Twitter, her website, NovelsbyLaQuette.com, Amazon, her
Facebook group, LaQuette’s Lounge, and via email at LaQuette@NovelsbyLaQuette.com.Lies You TellBook TrailerbyLaQuetteThanks once again LaQuette and readers don’t forget to check out LaQuette’s latest and her incredible back-list!
All the best,
KMJ
Turning Pages
Where, oh where, did the summer go?
Listen, don’t look to me because I have no answers over here. I’ve pretty much spent most of my summer in my little cave pecking away at my laptop in prep for next year’s books. It’s ok though, all my vacations have been in my head and I’m sure a physical one will come soon (sure? Hope?).
Meanwhile, The Jackster has been by my side as I put the finishing touches on my upcoming Unconventionl Brides Series, only giving me grief when he wants a treat or when he finds me totally slacking. You all know that nobody does judgy like Jack.
Well now that you made it to my new place on the web grab and a cup of what ever strikes your fancy, a seat and stay a spell. Check out some of my other blog posts, my book page and please don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter (sidebar: you get to find out about my new contests that way) to stay up-to-date on my upcoming projects (there are many!). The most immediate being HOLIDAY TEMPTATION which will be out in now less than a month with me, Donna Hill and Farrah Rochon (I’m so the under card in that fight and proud to be it).
So that’s that. Happy early-fall peeps! If you know me you know I’m already on the hunt for the perfect black turtleneck and scheduling my Fall TV viewing and tweeting in my planner.
Thanks and I’ll see you around!
All the best,
KMJ