Life has never been easy for Karly Eriksson. Raised in a dysfunctional and abusive home, she struggles to break the chain of misfortune. She’s determined to finish college and rescue her little sister Emma from a similar fate at any cost, including her self-esteem.
The mistakes of her past complicate her future when she hooks up with Randy Mackenzie, the tattooed bouncer/bartender from the infamous Felony Bar. They shared one night together during the previous summer, and now he’s back in her life. He’s hot, intense, and tortured by emotions he’ll never reveal to anyone, especially her.
Despite Randy’s feelings for Karly, he can’t tell her what she needs to hear. She’s the only sunshine in his bleak existence, illuminating the dark and dusty corners of his life. The mother of his child left him because he couldn’t say those three little words, and it cost him the most precious thing in his life: his son. Will he lose Karly, too, or can he overcome his irrational fear of emotional intimacy?
This is the second book in the Felony Romance series. It can be read as a standalone but is meant follow Intoxicated (Book 1) now FREE, and Unexpected (Book 1.5).
Well, who doesn't like a good old-fashioned, tattooed bartender with issues of his own? Just look at that cover model. He's totally hot! And can I just say, I love the name of the bar? It definitely brings to my mind a distinct image of the atmosphere and clientele it must draw.
So, what inspired you to write this book?
I never really intended to make a series from my first book Intoxicated, but I couldn’t let the characters go. There was so much more to the story. The original version of Intoxicated was over 400,000 words, which is like 1000 pages. Way too big for a new adult novel! After talking to a few other authors with successful series, I decided to break it down into several smaller books.
My favorite character in Intoxicated was Randy Mackenzie. I like his relationship with the Jack, the main character. Randy’s a bit inept with women, gruff, and has an unexpected sense of humor. I couldn’t stop thinking about him, so he seemed the natural place to start with a spin off.
I wanted a hero who was a little broken but doesn’t know it. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of reading about perfect men who made millions of dollars before the age of twenty-five and have the world all figured out. Randy thinks he’s got things under control until Karly comes along and he’s totally thrown for a loop by her.
My friends think that Karly is me. I don’t think we’re anything alike. We do have some similarities. She’s got a fun streak and calls things like they are – qualities I admire. I drew inspiration for Karly from women I’ve met who struggle to get ahead, work, go to school, and support their kids. I wanted to portray a girl who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go get it, even when the odds are stacked against her. And all the time, she’s sunny and positive.
I hope I did an adequate job of retelling their story. I’m definitely attached to this couple and plan to revisit their relationship in a later book.
400,000 words! I seriously thought that was a typo at first. Good grief! And I thought I was doing good to get to 60k words. *hanging my head in shame* I admire anyone who can write a series. It takes a lot of planning and hard work to do that.
I don't know about you guys, but I'd love to get to know a bit more about the author behind the steaming hot storyline.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeana Mann is the author of sizzling hot contemporary romance. Her debut release Intoxicated was a First Place Winner of the 2013 Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest. She is a member of Romance Writers’ of America (RWA), Crossroads Romance Writers, Indiana RWA, and Celtic Heart RWA.
Jeana was born and raised in Indiana where she lives today with her two crazy rat terriers Mildred and Mabel. She graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Speech and Hearing, something totally unrelated to writing. When she’s not busy dreaming up steamy romance novels, she loves to travel anywhere and everywhere. Over the years she climbed the ruins of Chichen Iza in Mexico, snorkeled along the shores of Hawaii, sailed around Jamaica, ate gelato on the steps of the Pantheon in Rome, and explored the ancient city of Pompeii. More important than the places she’s been are the people she has met along the way.
CONNECT WITH JEANA E. MANN
Be sure to connect with Jeana on Facebook or follow along on Twitter for the latest news regarding her upcoming releases. Website: http://bit.ly/19Ke0nf Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1cFi3ye Twitter: @JeanaEMann
TO PURCHASE THIS TITLE AND SERIES
Because I know you're all dying to pick up this series today, here's a photo of all of the books in the series and the buy links are right below.
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jeana_E_Mann_Vindicated?id=ubEkBgAAQBAJ&hl=en
Thanks, Jeana, for letting me join in on your release party! It was fun having you here. I wish you many sales and lots of five-star reviews.
If you want to get to know Jeana more, check out her blog every Tuesday for the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop, where she'll spill her guts on everything from what's on her to be read list, to her writing habits, and much more. And don't forget to leave her some love in the comments below! Authors love comments. And reviews. And sales. And . . . .
If you want to get to know Jeana more, check out her blog every Tuesday for the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop, where she'll spill her guts on everything from what's on her to be read list, to her writing habits, and much more. And don't forget to leave her some love in the comments below! Authors love comments. And reviews. And sales. And . . . .
Before you leave, here's what's on my docket for next week:
TUESDAY - The authors of Romance Writers Weekly will be sharing their favorite first line from a book, as well as the first line from their current WIP.
THURSDAY - Author P.J. Fiala will be here to chat with me.
See you all soon!
Great interview! I enjoyed hearing about your series. And 400,000 words?! Whoa. I know a guy who did that and I suggested he create a series but he was adamant that his was one book. He's still unpublished. That's a beast. Funny that your friends think your character is you. I have the same thing with my friends telling me Alex in my novel is me. Well, we do share several characteristics. Great job!
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