• As Good As The First Time,  book launch,  Books,  K.M. Jackson,  writing life

    Isn’t it sweet? As Good As the First Time is finally here!

    Well, it’s happening or it’s happened! AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME Book #1 in my Sugar Lake series is out and ready for the world! Now if I’m ready for it to be out in the world is another story.

    My dear friends, please join the sweet, pie tasting, honey loving fun and be one of the first to read AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME.

    canva as good as the first time taste

    I think you’ll really enjoy this new family I’ve created in the Goodes and I hope you all for my bee keeping, honey harvesting , fire fighting hero, Clayton Morris as hard as I did.

    I fell so hard for Clayton that I even made a little video for him. Enjoy!

     

     

    Order your copy of AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME today! Please and thank you!! *cut to me blowing all the kisses!*

    Amazon:  amzn.to/2FvOycU

    ibooks: apple.co/2IiFaav

    Nook: bit.ly/2FvR82Q

    Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Fv6Bfl

    Audible: https://amzn.to/2qadj4h

    Canva 11

    True to its name, the small southern town of Sugar Lake is a sweet place to visit—and you might even want to live there . . .

    With her big-city career and relationship in sudden free fall, Olivia Gale isn’t sure where she belongs. So when her help is needed at Goode ʼN Sweet, the family bakery in Sugar Lake, she jumps at the chance to indulge her pie-making hobby while getting her life back on track. Olivia’s not looking for any distractions. Even if the boy who once left her without a word is now a grown man with intriguing secrets—and the same tempting hold on her heart . . .

    A firefighter and single dad, Clayton Morris is trying hard to fix his past mistakes. He thought he was doing the right thing by leaving Olivia—and now he’s sure he has nothing to offer the accomplished woman she’s become. But ignoring the sparks between them is impossible. And as unexpected surprises and hard choices endanger their fragile reunion, they’ll have to decide which direction to take if they want to find the road back to love . .

    Oh and more super news! I have a giveaways going on too to celebrate the release of AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME! Please enter here my friend! Enjoy!
    A Sweet Reader Giveaway from K.M. Jackson

    Best,

    KMJ

  • As Good As The First Time,  book launch,  Books,  K.M. Jackson

    The Sweet Life is Coming from K.M. Jackson

    Hello Friends!

    Well, Fall is officially upon us and despite the chill in the air I’m feeling the heat, getting geared up for the upcoming release of AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME, book #1 in my new Sugar Lake Series!

    Thank you so much to those who have already pre-ordered their copies and spread the word about AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME.

    As many of you know pre-orders and first week sales are so important to an author and can make or break a book. That said, if you have not yet pre-ordered AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME please do so now. You won’t be disappointed and I’ll be so grateful.

    The praise has been outstanding for AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME.

    Canva 11

    Praise for AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME

    “A must read for fans of second-chance love stores and sweet small town romances.”—Booklist

     “A wonderful, heartwarming romance.”

    —Rochelle Alers, author of The Innkeepers Series

    “A damn-near perfect story of family, starting over, and second chances.”

    —Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author

    “K.M. Jackson gets right to the heart of family, to the heart of relationships, to the heart of love. She’ll get right to your heart, too!”

    —Donna Kauffman, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author

    “A perfect blend of great storytelling, unforgettable characters, and a delicious setting. Aunt Joyce and her pie shop in Sugar Lake reminded me why I love books with cooks so much.”
    —Falguni Kothari, author of My Last Love Story
     
    “This is a story as sweet as pie, warm as a soft Georgia evening, and K.M. Jackson knows exactly how to feed her readers a book to be savored again and again.”
    —Barbara O’Neal, author of The Art of Inheriting Secrets

     
    “With her rich writing and relatable characters, K.M. Jackson perfectly captures the charm and enchantment of a small southern town.”
    —Farrah Rochon, USA Today bestselling author

    Pre-order your copy of AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME today!

    Amazon amzn.to/2FvOycU 

    iBooks apple.co/2IiFaav 

    Nook bit.ly/2FvR82Q 

    Kobo http://bit.ly/2Fv6Bfl 

    diverse collage 1

    Also I wanted to give those that didn’t know an opportunity to be aware of my #WeNeedDiverseRomance campaign. The need for more diversity and equality in publishing is dire and I along with many other have been striving for this. To that, wear your heart on your chest with a #WeNeedDiverseRomance Tee, tank or hoodie or take a sip with one of our mugs and let the world know what you think.

    All love is real love!

    Order your Tees, tanks, and mugs in BLACK here!

    and in WHITE here! 

    diverse romance mug tote a (2)

    Best,

    KMJ

  • #WeNeedDiverseRomance,  authors,  book launch,  Books,  diverse romance,  diversity,  guest posts,  interviews

    Have you Met Nicole—I mean Nora? Interview with Nicole Blades

    Happy Halloween and Welcome Peeps!

    Today on ye old blog I’m thrilled to have my friend and fellow Kensington publishing sister, Nicole Blades here to answer a couple of question on her latest release:

    HAVE YOU MET NORA? (OUT TODAY!).

    Have you met Nora COMP resized

    She’s blossomed from a wealthy surgeon’s beautiful daughter to elegant socialite to being the top fashion stylist in the country. And Nora Mackenzie is only days away from marrying into one of New York’s richest, most powerful families. But her fairy tale rise is rooted in an incredible deception—one scandal away from turning her perfect world to ashes . . .


    What no one knows is that Nora is the biracial daughter of a Caribbean woman and a long-gone white father. Adopted—and abused—by her mother’s employer, then sent to an exclusive boarding school to buy her silence, Nora found that “passing” as a white woman could give her everything she never had.

    Now, an ex-classmate who Nora betrayed many years ago has returned to her life to even the score. Her machinations are turning Nora’s privilege into one gilded trap after another. Running out of choices, Nora must decide how far she will go to protect a lie or give up and finally face the truth.

     

    Thank you so much for being here Nicole and for answering my questions:

    NB_pic2017

    KMJ: First off What inspired you to write this story?

    N.B.: I’ve always been deeply interested in identity, more specifically, how someone organizes their entire spirit around being something and claiming it out loud. I’m also curious about the weird line between how we see ourselves and how we wish the world views us. For some people, the two versions are similar and live close to that line. And of course, for others, the two “selves” can be worlds apart.

    For this story, I wanted to go even deeper with this concept and examine how someone could construct an identity rooted in a lie, taking “fake it ‘til you make it” to a totally different level. And then, how far would they go to protect that identity that they’ve created out of nothing but dust and dreams? I had to find out!

    K.M.J: What advice would you give other aspiring writers?

    N.B.: I’ve been asked to offer advice to writers a few times, and I tend to say basic things. I must preface this by saying that advice can be tricky. What works for one person might lead to total disaster for another—and getting too many opinions can often leave you feeling more bewildered than when you started. You have to have a certain presence of mind and awareness to recognize what “wise words” to keep and what you can just let fall away. All that said (heh.), here’s my advice to writers: First, read. I know, with the way the world is spinning and all that’s going on, It can certainly feel like there’s not enough time to read everything. So many links, so many books, so many articles and posts! But the fact is, you have to make the time to read books, because writers read. And it’s important to read wide–read genres that are not necessarily up your alley, read authors you wouldn’t normally lean toward, read great work and less-great work too. Keep it varied; expose yourself to all the flavors, and add breadth to your POV.

    The second key piece of advice I would suggest is also simple (in theory, anyway): You must write. It’s one thing to say that you want to write X or Y, but it’s whole other thing to actual sit your bum in the chair and do it. We are busy, all of us. We are juggling plenty, but you must make the time to write if you want to be a writer. Find a schedule that works with your life—getting up before the sun or blocking off two hours at night after everyone’s gone to bed—and write, and try to do it every day. Even if it starts with 20 minutes a day and you build from there, just do it. Storytelling is a craft and you have to continue to work on it.

    Lastly, find your voice and use it. Don’t bother emulating your favorite writer. That’s their voice. Use yours to tell the stories that you want to read, the stories that you’re not seeing out there. Trying to decipher the code about what sells and what people want to read is wasted energy. You should have one goal: tell a great story. Focus on that goal. All the other stuff—the genre that works for you, loyal readers, bigger-better opportunities, even book sales—they are byproducts that often show up when you’re fixed on telling a good story in your voice.

     

    K.M.J:Lastly, please share with us what’s next for you?

    N.B.: Next for me is the H.Y.M.N. (small) book tour. First stop is the nation’s capital. I’ll be at Sankofa Bookstore in Washington D.C. on November 6th at 6:30 p.m. Then back to New England for a local-ish book event at R.J. Julia Bookstore at Wesleyan on November 14th at 7 p.m. before heading to Canada for fun events in my hometown Montreal followed by Toronto. (All my upcoming events are listed on my web site: NicoleBlades.com.)

    I’m also working on a new novel. I don’t like to talking too much about whatever I’m cooking up. I’m a little weird and low-key superstitious about it, but I’ll just say break out of my usual rule and say this: It’s about a scientist, struggling to move through her broken life, who stumbles into investigating a mysterious illness that’s killing off the nation’s youth. I’m really hoping to be finished by the end of the year. Wish me luck, and good writing vibes!

    And now here is an excerpt from HAVE YOUR MET NORA?:

     

    Chapter 1

    Nora opened her eyes and stared through the darkness at the ceiling. Three twenty-eight, she thought, before rolling up off her back a little and craning her neck to look just past Fisher’s shoulders at the blue numbers on the clock by his nightstand. He was dead asleep, the rhythmic flow of his deep breathing like white noise. The numbers gleamed: 3:41 am. Close enough, she thought, and returned to the ceiling. Although Nora had long been an early riser—she couldn’t remember a time when she had slept later than the sun—this was different.

                She eased the covers off and slid out from under Fisher’s muscled arm, moving slow and steady toward the edge of the bed. She hopped down, landing with a soft thud, and then froze, shifting her eyes back to Fisher. No change. Not even a break in the beat. Nora grabbed her iPhone and padded along the hall. The moon, pushing through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, provided more than enough light for Nora to find the handle to the mini champagne fridge that Fisher bought for her last year. Nora gave the half-drunk bottle of Armand de Brignac—a gift from a client—her deepest bow with prayer hands before grabbing it and shutting the fridge door with her foot. She pulled the orange stopper from the bottle, letting it drop to the floor, and started typing into her phone on her way to the bathroom at the far end of the penthouse. Nora waited until she was inside the empty, freestanding tub before taking her first, long swig from the bottle. She rested her phone on the ledge of the tub and pressed a button on a remote that sent the massive blinds skyward. Nora stayed there in the empty basin, soaking in the city’s glow, and waited.

                Her phone buzzed and vibrated against the acrylic. She took another sip before answering it.

                “What the hell is wrong with you?” a croaky voice said.

                Nora shook her head. “I’m just—”

                “Nervous? You’re just nervous, hon. It’s pre-wedding jitters. You’re fixin’ to get married to that gorgeous, big-*icked, super-hot bastard in twenty-two—no, twenty-one days and you’re feeling anxious. That’s all. No Biggie Smalls.”

                “Jenna, I’m sitting in an empty tub, pounding old champagne straight from the bottle, and staring out the *ucking window. Do you really think it’s necessary to remind me that there are twenty-two days—”

                “Technically it’s twenty-one—”

                “Jesus, fine, twenty-one days. It’s twenty-one days before the wedding. I’m aware. My whole entire body is aware. We’re all very aware.”           

    “Deep breaths, sweetheart. You’re freaking out. This is what freaking out looks like on all normal women,” Jenna said. Her Southern twang, though soft, still tickled Nora. “You’re just different. It’s foreign territory for you.”

    Nora stopped mid-swig, her arm wobbling and then dropping with the weight of the bottle into her lap. “What does that mean?” she said, squinting her eyes and bracing her body.

    “Nothing, just, I don’t know. . . . I mean, you’re always even and calm; it’s preternatural,” Jenna said. “No matter what’s going on, you’re on like perma-chill. It’s automatic for you. No headless chicken stuff.” A chuckle. “It’s why we kept calling you I.Q. when we first met you. Ice Queen.”

    Jenna’s full creaky cackle made Nora move the phone away from her ear and level it on the ledge of the tub. She could still hear Jenna from that distance, but pushed Speaker anyway and went back to drinking her champagne. Nora reclined, cradling the bottle into her chest. “Ice Queen? Seriously? And here I was thinking you were dazzled by my smarts.”

    “Oh, we were. Totally. By your smarts, for sure, and also your long legs, your frat-boy mouth, your perky *its, them Kelly Ripa arms, and your entire wardrobe, espesh the shoes. Plus, you speak fluent French—I mean, *ucking French—and you’re the first white girl I’ve ever met who can actually dance. Like, legit, Beyoncé backup dancer dance. Need I go on?”

    “Yes, you need. Come on, I’m practically perfect,” Nora said, the beginnings of a laugh tickling her throat.

    “Practically?” Jenna said, yawning. “Okay, so we’ve thoroughly covered your Boss Bitch status. It’s why Fish is locking you down so fast, while those eggs are still viable.” Nora’s expanding grin disappeared, replaced by a clenched jaw and gnashed teeth. “What I need clarity on is: Why are dry-tub drinking again?”

    “How did you know I’m in the tub?”

    “Echoes, booby. Also, you said so earlier. Either way, I’ve got you pretty much figured out. You’re not the QB on this play. What’s the wedding planner’s name again, Gloria? Glenda? Whatever. She’s the quarterback. She’s the one calling all the plays, and you’re watching from the sidelines and it’s driving you bananz.”  

    “First, are you talking sports at me?”

    “A little,” Jenna said through her teeth.

    “You’re still hooking up with that sports writer guy?”

    “A little.”

    “Wait, isn’t he the one who sent you the dick pic when you asked to see his new coffee table?”

    “Well, it was pretty impressive . . . the coffee table.”

    “Jesus, Jenna. What needs to happen to get you out of these dating app traps? Nothing but Dumpster fires on there.”

    “Hold up, I met Sports Guy the old-school way, my dear: at a bar, not on a dating app,” Jenna said. “You kidding me? My filters are tight. He would’ve never made the cut.” 

    “What about the one who called you from rehab on what was supposed to be your third date?”

    “Oh, that whole thing was about me trying to be charitable. I’m from Texas. It’s how we do.”

    “Father-God, you need prayer,” Nora said, closing her eyes and leaning her head back in the tub.

    “You sound like my sister’s nanny, Bernadette. She says that all the time about those twins: Fahdah-Gowd,” Jenna said, mangling it. “She’s from Trinidad, I think. No, St. Kitts. One of those islands. But you got that accent down solid. So many tricks in your little black hat, woman.”

     

    Have you met Nora COMP resized

    You can pick up your copy of HAVE YOU MET NORA?

    Here: Amazon

    And Follow Nicole on line at NicoleBlades.com to stay up on her latest happenings!

    Thanks so much for being with us Nicole!

     

    Best,

    KMJ

  • #WeNeedDiverseRomance,  book launch,  Books,  K.M. Jackson,  The Betting Vow

    Time to Place Your Bets: The Betting Vow Is Here from K.M. Jackson

    The big day has finally arrived and Book #3 in my Unconventional Brides Series:

    THE BETTING VOW is here!

    Canva In Love You Always Play to Win!The Betting VowOut NowfmK.M. Jackson (1)

    I’m so excited to share finally share the opposites attract, Married At First Night styled, love story of wildly sexy super model, Leila Darling and straight-laced television network executive Carter Bain with you all.

    Leila Darling is past done with the supermodel thing, especially the mega-parties and high-profile flings that have done nothing but leave her alone and jaded. She’s got the talent to be a serious actress, but the industry sees her as a high-maintenance, impulsive party girl with a reputation for leaving men in the dust—especially TV producer Carter Bain. 

    Carter’s had his eye on Leila for years, so when a bet gives him a chance to get close to her, he accepts. With the goal of getting Leila the image makeover she needs and Carter the star he desires, the game is on. Get married and stay married for six months. If Leila lasts, she gets her pick of his A-list roles. If Carter wins, she’ll take the hot sidekick part he’s offered.

    But as their “I do” turns up all kinds of heat, Leila and Carter find they have more in common than they ever imagined. Are these two prepared to put business aside and surrender the ultimate prize, their hearts?

     

    Order your copy of THE BETTING VOW at your favorite retailer:

    Amazon: http://amzn.to/2izySdL

    Nook: http://bit.ly/2ghcTaM

    iBooks: http://apple.co/2rOqKqp

    Kobo:  http://bit.ly/2qN8NKs

     

    Betting Vow Cover finalAnd now here is a sneak peek from Chapter One of THE BETTING VOW:

    Balancing on the hood of a sports car while slickly oiled up was a lot harder than most people imagined. Add to that doing it one-handed, because you’re holding on to a fully loaded burger. Plus, you are in a bikini and are wearing six-inch stilettos. Well, then, you’ve got yourself a straight-up high-wire act.

    Leila Darling tried her best to suck in her stomach, push out her behind, while simultaneously “making love” to the camera by puffing out her lips into a sultry, come-hither purse. She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, as if extending a welcome invitation to wanton sex, while still appearing approachable with her version of the ever popular smize. Why it took this much sex to sell a hamburger still baffled her, but hers was not to reason why, since she was getting paid a small ransom to sit on the shiny car, be extra shiny herself, and make the Barn Burger the most lusted-after burger in fast-food history.

    “Give me more. Give me more!” yelled Matteo, the famed photographer, fighting to be heard over the blaring bass of the heart-thumping rock music in the studio. If you could call the rented garage space in a rather sketchy part of East LA a studio. The tips of Matteo’s dark hair, what little he had left, were bleached and spiked so that they stood up at odd angles, and he wore an excessive amount of kohl around his eyes, making his deep bags, which revealed age, all the more pronounced.

    “That’s right, Leila. Just like that. Oh, darling, you are selling it. Those eyes, those breasts . . . I’m getting hungry just watching you. You’re a sexual beast, darling!”

    Leila pushed back a sneer at the way the word darling rolled off his tongue. Though it was her last name, in her case the word could be used as a proper noun, an adjective, or sadly, as of late, a verb. “Pulling a darling” was used for all sorts of things, and none of them good. Such as wild clubbing until the wee hours of the morning. Though, for the life of her, Leila didn’t understand what was wrong with blowing off a bit of steam, throwing fits on sets, since in Leila’s eyes, demanding respect was essential in her business. But worst, in her eyes, was that now— thanks to her ex, well, her third ex-fiancé, Miles G, and that crappy song of his, his hit “Darling Leila”—“pulling a darling” was synonymous with being a man-eater who used men, made them fall in love you, but never committed to them. Of course, it didn’t matter that in all her terminal relationships, it was the guys who’d failed her, making promises they ultimately had no intentions of keeping. Giving her perfectly valid reasons to bail on the so-called relationships.

    So today, with Leila’s nerves already frayed, Matteo’s use of the word darling slid over Leila in a way that was too slimy and too personal and had her questioning his usage altogether. In the end, the sneer won out, and Leila went with it, her top lip curling as she looked at the photographer. Besides, the “sexual beast” comment had got to her, too. Especially now, when Leila considered herself in a career transition. She couldn’t just let a comment like that go unchecked.

    Sure, she knew she should be happy and feel accomplished as one of the few African American top models in the business, though her current case of burger hood dwelling would bring a question to that. Still, most would think Leila had it all and was living on top, but in reality, she felt something was sorely lacking. Respect. Leila wanted so very much to be seen as something more than a sexy body that could sell anything, be it fast food or French couture.

    Leila inwardly sighed as she recalled, while balancing herself precariously, one leg cocked up, the other pushing hard into the hood of the sports car, that a little over a month ago she’d been in Cannes, being celebrated as a breakout star in a less than breakout movie. Sure, she might have had only a few actual lines in the movie, and yes, she’d been brought on for her looks. However, she’d taken that part and run, showing she had chops, and for that she’d been rewarded for something besides the way she filled out a bikini top. Leila wanted more of that.

    But here she was, back home and back to the same grind. Stand. Sit. Turn this way. Tilt that way. Was it any wonder she was on edge? Add to it the fact that taking an early flight back from Cannes had resulted in the demise of yet another high-profile relationship. Leila was officially done with her life as usual.

    “Now take a bite. We want to see you eat it,” Matteo said, his voice piercing Leila’s musings and pinging her nerve endings with its raw excitement, so much so that Leila didn’t quite know if he was talking about the burger or something else that she didn’t want to touch.

    Leila let out a low breath and went in for the burger, but then, as if on cue, the music in the studio changed and on came the familiar first thumps to the song Leila was fast growing to hate. “Darling Leila.” Would she ever escape Miles or that damned song?

    “Oh yeah!” Matteo yelled, now smiling wide and circling her with his camera as he clicked, clicked around her. Each click of the shutter felt like a tiny prick to her skin.

    Leila shot Matteo a death stare but then forced her features to soften as she glanced over to the side of the room and saw the group of execs from Burger Barn huddled in the corner, looking at her expectantly. Bills needed to be paid, and for that to happen, the customer was always right. Leila reminded herself of this tried-and-true mantra as she let out a sigh and softened her features again, going on automatic pilot as she mentally blocked out the song that mocked her and Miles’s now failed relationship and, worse, all her relationships before that. She took a hungry bite of the burger, imagining for a moment that it was the head of the photographer.

    Method acting. Zone it out, woman. Use that anger.

    Just then her agent and longtime friend, Jasper Weston, stepped into her side view as he went over to glad-hand the Burger Barn folks. Leila took another bite of the burger. This time it was Jasper’s head she was biting off, as she remembered it was he who had told her that taking this job would be a good idea.

    “That’s it, Leila,” Matteo finally said. “Though, maybe next time you could go at it with just a little less enthusiasm?” He lowered his camera and turned toward his group of assistants. Leila noted that they were all young and all blond, whether male or female. It would seem Matteo had a type and stuck to it through and through.

    “We’re going to need another burger on set,” he said to no one in particular before turning back to Leila. She hoped that the actual food handlers picked up on his query and that it wouldn’t be one of the Stepford blonds who handed her the next burger. “How about we get ready for the next set and wardrobe change, but before that we’ll do the rain sequence?”

    Rain sequence? Since when was a rain sequence on the shoot list? Leila thought as she looked around for a rain machine. She saw none. It was then that another on set blond assistant came over and took the burger missing two bites from Leila’s hands and scurried off into the background. Then another young woman came toward her with a large hose and a dubious look in her eyes. Instantly, Leila stiffened.

    “No way, honey,” Leila said with a sharp look at the young woman. “You come at me with that hose, you’d better be prepared to eat it.” It was as if the whole garage had got put on mute, as all heads swiveled Leila’s way. She saw Jasper smile uncomfortably at the Burger Barn people and take a step forward.

    “Aw, come on now, Leila, darling,” Matteo began. “We need a shot with you wet on top bookmark-2inx8in-h-frontof the car. You moving around for me. Doing a little dance. Selling those burgers as only you can.” And with that, the damned near geriatric photographer standing in front of her, holding his camera at his side, mimed his version of sexy dance moves, rubbing his hands over his body, bringing them up and, to Leila’s revulsion, licking his fingers.

    Leila looked at him in horror and then blinked her way out of the shock of it all and leveled him with a hard glare. “Like I said, little Miss Assistant of the Corn here is not coming near me with some dirty-assed water hose. Now, if you want to try, you can, but I warn you, you won’t like where the hose ends up in the end.”

    And with that, Leila slid her oiled body off the car as gracefully as she could and walked off set toward her makeshift dressing room, Jasper following quickly behind.

     

     

     

    I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek: Get your copy of THE BETTING VOW today!

    Amazon: http://amzn.to/2izySdL

    Nook: http://bit.ly/2ghcTaM

    iBooks: http://apple.co/2rOqKqp

    Kobo:  http://bit.ly/2qN8NKs

    Thank you for your support

    and I’m wishing you Joyful Reading!

    Betting d

    (Me with my lovely author copies and trying to wrangle Jack in for a pic- He’s not happy or impressed.)

    KMJ

    #WeNeedDiverseRomance

  • #WeNeedDiverseRomance,  book launch,  Books,  K.M. Jackson,  To Me I Wed,  Unconventional Brides

    The Wedding Day Is Here! It’s To Me I Wed’s Release Day

    Who says dreams don’t come true?

    I’m happy to say that today another one of just mine did. To Me I Wed, Book 2 in my Unconventional Brides Romance series is out now from Kensington Books. I’m so proud to bring the unconventional love story of Lily, the accomplished event planner, and Vin, the bad boy chef, to people.  I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This story was a true labor of love and with it I left a lot of my heart on the page.

    To Me I Wed Ack Nana

    You can pick up your copy of To Me I Wed where ever books are sold or as any of these e-tailers:

    Amazon: http://amzn.to/2krfm26
    Barnes and Noble: 
    http://bit.ly/2nr6hFs
    iBooks: 
    http://apple.co/2ojumlK
    Kobo: 
    http://bit.ly/2mVZGa2

    And please head over to Tia Kelly’s, Tia with a Pen’s blog here to get an exclusive To Me I Wed excerpt and please subscribe to my newsletter  – to be in the know about my monthly giveaway-

    and also enter this month’s $25. gift card giveaway!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Thanks to all of you for your continued support. It means the world to me.

     

    All the best,

    KMJ

  • authors,  book launch,  Books,  guest posts,  guests

    The Forever Summer- Guest Post with author Jamie Brenner

    Jamie Brenner photo (1)I’m so thrilled to have my friend and chapter-mate, Jamie Brenner guest posting with us today to talk about her upcoming (we share a 4/25 pub date) release The Forever Summer!

    Thanks for being here and take it away Jamie!

     

     

    The Family We Find

    By Jamie Brenner

     

    The Forever Summer a story about the beauty of family — even when the traditional notion of family is challenged.  And this is something that happened to a friend of mine and inspired this book.Jamie Forever Summer Cover

     

    Last year my lifelong friend confided that something major was going on in her life. She had recently taken one of those at-home DNA tests, and was then contacted by someone also using the same testing company. My friend and this woman shared such a close DNA match, they had to be half sisters! Needless to say, this opened up a lot of questions — how had this happened? While my friend searched for answers, the writer in me created my own. And I had the starting point for The Forever Summer.

     

    There’s probably no greater, more universal question than, who am I? Ten years ago, we could simply look at our parents and grandparents and that was enough of an answer. The idea of delving into family research was usually the domain of adoptees that couldn’t simply look at their immediate family. But now, in the era of ancestry.com and 23 and Me and shows like “Who Do You Think You Are,” ancestry research is the second biggest hobby in the U.S. following only gardening.  And while it’s interesting and fun, there’s a percentage of people who get results they are not expecting, and in some cases, not prepared to deal with and as a result, have to reconsider what it means to be family. The complexity and joy of the discovered family is at the heart of  The Forever Summer.

     

    The Forever Summer begins with a surprise that brings three generations of women together. When two young women living on opposite sides of the country discover they are half sisters, they go on a road trip to meet the grandmother they never knew they had. One sister is thrilled by this development, the other is devastated; her mother has been exposed for keeping a very big secret. As for the grandmother, she is a woman who has suffered a lot of loss, and she had thought her days of having a house filled with family were long behind her. And then two young woman show up on her doorstep.

     

    A big question for me was where this grandmother lived. What place could possibly facilitate the emotional journey these characters must go on? The answer came last spring when the CBS Sunday Morning show aired a piece about Provincetown Massachusetts.

     

    Provincetown is past Cape Cod, the very tip of Massachusetts. It’s 3 miles long and two streets wide and framed by water on two sides.  It’s remote and beautiful and has two big claims to fame: It’s the place where the Pilgrims landed before Plymouth, and it’s also one of America’s oldest arts colonies. Legends have lived and worked there: Jack Keroac, Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams, Jackson Pollock and Milton Avery.

     

    A more recent great artist, author Michael Cunningham, has lived and worked there for thirty years. He was interviewed on the CBS Morning show segment, and he called Provincetown “an eccentric’s sanctuary.” He said it’s one of the very few places he knows of that “prefers peculiarity.” That’s when I started thinking — this might be the place I’ve been looking for. A place where my characters could not only come to terms with their unconventional family, but embrace it.

     

    Another piece of the puzzle fell into place when I visited Provincetown for research: walking around the wharf, I saw giant black and white photos on the sides of buildings. They were of older women, women who looked serious and weathered and from another era. It was an art installation called “They Also Faced the Sea,” about the matriarchs of the Portuguese fishing families who were, for many generations, the backbone of Provincetown. So of course the grandmother in The Forever Summer had to be Portuguese, and she passes this rich Portuguese to her two granddaughters.

     

    Still, I needed something that would bring the two sisters in my story together. It’s one thing to be related to someone. It’s another to relate to them. Provincetown again provided the answer: art.  Art was everywhere I looked; even the signs outside of restaurants and shops are mosaics made from bright tiles and colorful stones and sea glass. I decided that mosaics would play a part in helping the new sisters bond. With a mosaic, , there a lot of  different bits and pieces, some that clearly fit together, others not so obviously — but in the end, all coming together to create one beautiful, colorful whole. Just like a family.

     

    I hope The Forever Summer brings home the idea that our families might be messy, complicated, even not what we expected. But at the end of the day it is the most important thing we have if we can just let go and embrace it.

     

    Pre-order The Forever Summer here now

     

    Jamie Brenner’s latest novel is The Forever Summer (Little, Brown). She is also the author of  The Wedding Sister published by St. Martin’s Press ( a Target Emerging Author pick and one of Popsugars Best Books for Women 2016) and the historical The Gin Lovers (St. Martin’s Press), named by Fresh Fiction as one of the Top Thirteen Books to read in 2013. She lives in New York City with her husband and two teenage daughters.

     

     

    Check out Jamie on the web:

    www.jamiebrenner.com

    Twitter @jamieLbrenner 

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiebrennerauthor/

    FB: https://www.facebook.com/jamiebrennerauthor/   

    Jamie Brenner will be on tour! 

    Tuesday, April 25th, 7:00 p.m.:

    Barnes & Noble, Upper East Side

     In conversation with Cristina Alger (author of This Was Not The Plan)

    (150 E 86th St., New York, NY)

    Wednesday, April 26th, 7:00 p.m.:

    Barnes and Noble, Cherry Hill

     (911 Haddonfield Road, Cherry Hill, NJ)

    Thursday, April 27th, 7:00 p.m.:

    WORD, Brooklyn (126 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11222)

    Saturday, April 29th, 11:30a.m.:

    Turn of the Corkscrew Books and Wine,

    Celebration for Independent Bookstore Day!

    (110 N Park Ave, Rockville Centre, NY, 11570)

    Tuesday, May 2nd, 6:00 p.m.:

    Savoy Bookshop and Café (10 Canal Street, Westerly, RI, 02891)

    Tuesday, May 9th at 6:30 p.m.:

    Ferguson Library (1 Public Library Plaza, Stamford, CT 06901)

    Tuesday, May 16th at 7:30 p.m.:

    Point Street Reading Series (Point Street Dueling Pianos, 3 Davol Square, Providence, RI, 02903)

    Wednesday, 5/31 at 7:00 p.m.:

    Summer Reads Panel

    Turn of the Corkscrew Books and Wine

    (110 N Park Ave, Rockville Centre, NY, 11570)

    Saturday, June 3rd

    BookCon, Details TK (Javits Center, 655 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001)

    Thursday, June 8th at 6:30 p.m.:

    Drinks and Discussion at Booktowne (171 Main Street, Manasquan, NJ, 08736)

     

  • #WeNeedDiverseRomance,  book launch,  Books,  To Me I Wed,  Unconventional Brides

    Almost to the Altar!

    Hi Peeps! I was so thrilled yesterday to find out that TO ME I WED, Book 2 in the Unconventional Brides Series, was chosen to be one of Goodreads best romances for April! I can’t wait until TO ME I WED is let out into the world next week on the 25th but util then here is a little sneak peek!

    To Me I Wed Cover Final

     

    Have your cake—and true love too…

    Nightmare bridesmaids’ dresses, tasteless fondant icing, budget-busting wedding expenses—some women just aren’t about it. They’ll laugh off tradition, make their own rules—and find the most outrageous ways possible to flip wedding day lockstep into true love.

    She’s done, finished, had it. Between her family’s expectations and being always-a-bridesmaid, Lily Perry is fed up with being nagged to find a husband. She’s happy with her life—and tired of being burned by “nice guys” who demand she fit their dreams. So she’s going to settle the issue once and for all: by marrying herself. And celebrated chef Vincent Caro’s fabulous restaurant is the perfect place for a big-time, blow-out,
    not-hearing-it-any-more wedding. Lily doesn’t care if everyone—including Vincent—thinks she’s crazy. Especially when his mouth-watering talent and no-commitments style ignites one sizzling, no-strings fling, or two…or more.

    But no matter how hard they try to keep things light, their relationship keeps getting hotter. The more Vincent helps Lily tackle unexpected trouble, the more he finds she might be everything he’s ever wanted. Can she afford to forget caution and finally let go? And can they both take a risk to discover if what they have is meant to last long after the dessert course?

     

    TO ME I WED

    Chapter 1:

    “You’re not just gaining a wife, you’re getting my best friend.” Lily Perry took one look at her sister, Sophie, and realized her mistake. Shit. Now I’ve done it. Did she really just use the same best friend line on Sophie that she had with Sophie’s twin, Audrey, at her wedding? Or was it Peggy whom she used that line on when she married Marcus? Her sisters had been getting married left and right, and all the weddings and toasts were starting to blur together. You’d think they were in some sort of great marriage race.

    Lily looked around the banquet room of the VFW hall and caught her mother’s sister, Aunt Ruby pulling a face and whispering something to her newly engaged daughter, Nikki. Lily swallowed back a grimace. Jeeze, even Nikki was jumping the broom. At the rate her family was going, there would not be a broom or a groom to be snagged in all of the Rockaways. Not that Lily was actively looking for either. She had a vacuum in her apartment for sweeping, and, well, for other tasks, if her dating life hit a lull she had an electronic device to take care of that too. It was way more reliable than men anyway. Still, Lily glanced left and caught her mother, Renée Henton-Perry, staring too. The hyphenation in her name was still new to her and intentionally left off the wedding invitations. She preferring to keep things simple she said and going the traditional route of Mr. and Mrs. Perry request the honor blah, blah, blah and so forth. Her hair and makeup were flawless, as usual, and her skin was smooth and unlined. The untrained eye would never determine that she was the mother of six grown daughters—four married—with a grandchild on the way. One would also not know that right then she was highly pissed. But Lily knew. She caught the glint of disapproval in her mother’s eye and the ever-so-slight pull of tension around her perfectly lined mouth. Lily wondered if it was due to her speech faux pas or the fact that, one table over, Lily’s father, Philip Perry, was sitting with his arm draped casually around his current girlfriend, who was happily sipping on her pink cocktail and batting her long, glued-on lashes.

    Lily cleared her throat as her cousin Nikki smirked and rolled her eyes in her direction. Unperturbed by her cousin’s cutting glance, Lily raised her glass higher, giving her sister what she hoped passed for a glowing smile before turning to the crowd. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world to have been blessed with the world’s best sisters. And to all my brothers-in-law, you’d better treat them right, or there will be hell to pay.” She then directed her final words to her newest brother-in-law, Simon, who looked ecstatic to be marrying Sophie. His big blue eyes shined brightly for her as they had every day since they’d met in Sophie’s improv class.

    Both budding actors, they made a slightly sickeningly perfect couple. Sophie with her cocoa-brown skin and finely chiseled model features, and Simon with his wavy dark hair and captivating eyes. They looked like a couple in an aspirational car ad or in the picture that comes in the picture frame that you replace with your mediocre second best. Plus, they were always smiling and complimenting each other. If Lily didn’t know them in person and up close, she’d swear their love was faked for some reality TV show. Lily smiled at her new brother-in-law and continued from her heart. “Simon, I’m not worried about you. Your love for Sophie has been shining bright since day one. May it shine on forever.” Lily turned back to the now-beaming crowd. She had them. Hell, even Aunt Ruby was blinking back a tear.

    But just as Lily took a sip of her champagne, she caught sight of a sneer from freaking Lacy Colten. Ugh, why had Sophie invited that man stealer? A nemesis since high school, Lacy was well known for frequenting weddings to get free booze and easy prey. Lily watched as Lacy stopped sneering, quickly sat up straighter, and stuck her already-on-display double Ds out even farther as she looked across the room, no doubt at her next victim. Lily’s eyes shifted.

    It was him, and surprisingly, he was staring at her, not Lacy. Oh crap. His eyes so dark and intense they reminded her of hushed quiet in the dead of night. Midnight. Lily frowned as the heat of his stare penetrated her being. Working her over from the inside out. Stirring up feelings that she’d long told herself she was well and good over.

     

    To Me I Wed no groom

     Pre-order your copy of TO ME I WED today!

    Amazon: http://amzn.to/2krfm26
    Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2nr6hFs
    iBooks: http://apple.co/2ojumlK
    Kobo: http://bit.ly/2mVZGa2
    Kensington: http://bit.ly/2ojxj5W

     

     

    All the best,

    KMJ

  • #WeNeedDiverseRomance,  book launch,  Books,  contests,  Insert Groom Here,  K.M. Jackson,  my view,  Uncategorized

    Happy New Year! And so it begins…

    Happy New Year my Dear Peeps. Welcome to the new world.

    Ouch!  Does that sounds as scary as you read it as it does when I write it?

    Sorry. I’ll just move right along to happier chit chat. I’m hoping you all had a wonderful holiday and a

    Very Happy New Year!

    I’m thrilled to say that on the very first day of the new year I got to start it off in a most exceptional way by seeing my very first mass market single title, INSERT GROOM HERE book one in my Unconventional Brides Series, on the shelves in my local Barnes and Noble for the first time. It was a pretty fantastic feeling and one I’ll never be able to recapture. Hey, your first time is your first time and I’m so grateful to my editor, Selena James and my publisher, Kensington Books for making that dream come true! (cut to me posing awkwardly while I try and play it cool blinking back tears as my husband not so discreetly snaps pics.)

    I tell you what, I may be a way late bloomer, but I least I got a chance to see the sun.

    There is something to this never too late stuff.

    insert-groom-here-barnes-and-noble-bn

    You can pick up your copy of INSERT GROOM HERE Book 1 of the 
    Unconventional Brides 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/2g8Fhtp

    insert-groom-final-postcard-front-igh-postcard4x6-3

    And a bonus don’t forget: please subscribe to my mailing list on the right and click below to enter this

    month’s giveaway!

    Hint: it’s FIRE! (Kindle Fire)

    http://gvwy.io/wbjmjcd

    All the best,

    KMJ

  • #WeNeedDiverseRomance,  book launch,  diverse romance,  Insert Groom Here,  my view

    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-fb-igh-fb-ad-5

    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/2g8Fhtp

     

    And 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)

    http://gvwy.io/wbjmjcd

    All the best,

    KMJ

  • #WeNeedDiverseRomance,  book launch,  Books,  contests,  Holiday Temptation

    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!

    bn-y

     

    bn-z

    bn-w

    bn-x

    All the best,

    KMJ