Tag: inspiration

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#IWSG Is Your Writing a Dream?

jenlanebooks

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 less frequently now. But it’s still great to bond with writers in both A to Z and IWSG!

IWSG Co-Hosts:

I’ll leave you with a marketing idea. The folks at USB Memory Direct sent me some cool flash drives with my book cover and website on them. I plan to load my ebooks and use them as giveaways. Check them out HERE. They even have a fun book-shaped flash drive.

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What #songs Inspired New Release SPIKED (Blocked #3)?

jenlanebooks

Spiked has been out in the world for a week, generating wonderful reviews!

“Starting from the moving dedication to victims of trauma, to the very satisfying ending, this was not only a very engaging book, but also thought-provoking and inspirational.”
~Teresa from Goodreads



“I FLOVE MATEO AND JESSICA.

FLOVE, FLOVE, FLOVE.

I mean, come on, who wouldn’t like this broken guy who ends up being perfectly imperfect with a girl he never thought he would chance to meet. She is beautiful, smart, and yet utterly broken as well.

They build each other up as much as they break each other’s walls down.”


~Amy’s Review Obsession (this one made me laugh!)


The hero Mateo Ramirez is a singer/songwriter, so music is quite important to the story.

Which songs inspired SPIKED?

1) Lay it All on Me by Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran

Let my love in, let my love in 

Lay your heart on me 

If you’re hurting, if you’re hurting 


Lay it all on me 





2) Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan

When the evening shadows and the stars appear

And there is no one there to dry your tears

I could hold you for a million years

To make you feel my love.






3) Yesterday’s Songs by Neil Diamond

Baby, yesterday’s blues

May be yesterday’s news

But the truth always stays the same

And the good things will never change

Like sayin’ “I love you”

Just sayin’ “I love you”



Check out Nicki Elson’s post about another pivotal song on my Spiked playlist HERE.

What songs inspire you as a writer or reader?

Don’t forget to enter the $25 gift card giveaway HERE. It ends 10/15.

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#IWSG Pinterinspiration #Pinterest #Writing #Inspiration

jenlanebooks

Happy May, writers. Time to discuss our hopes and fears. Join us at Alex Cavanaugh’s blog. The amazing co-hosts for the May 4 posting of the IWSG will be Stephen Tremp, Fundy Blue, MJ Fifield, Loni Townsend, Bish Denham, Susan Gourley, and Stephanie Faris!


We writers find inspiration in the strangest places. For me, Pinterest is top on my list. I’m addicted to Pinterest, I must admit.

I like to create a Pinterest board when writing to collect images and websites that relate to the story.

For my work in progress SPIKED (Blocked #3), I’ve pinned these images:

1) Volleyball T-shirts (the heroine from Blocked has quite a collection)




2) Bad pickup lines (How Mateo gets Jessica to laugh)




What inspires YOUR writing? What’s the worst pickup line you’ve heard?

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Insecure Writer’s Support Group #IWSG

jenlanebooks

Inspiration in Strange Places

Hey, fellow writers! *waves* 

My main insecurity this month is my book sales. Two words: They suck. 😉 

Hope you published authors out there are doing better!

But I am enjoying writing my current work-in-progress: a New Adult volleyball romance titled Blocked. 

I have fun finding inspiration in strange places, like my volleyball board on Pinterest. I’m proud that I worked this quote into my novel:


Where do you find random inspiration?

I’m not sure if any IWSGers will attend the New Adult Sleepover Weekend December 6-8 in Savannah, Georgia, but I WILL BE THERE! I’m super stoked to party with authors and readers.

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The Next Best Thing and Author Blog Bounce

jenlanebooks

To continue on with The Next Best Thing Challenge, today I’m answering the following question about my work-in-progress On Best Behavior:

Where did the idea come from for the book?

On Best Behavior is the third and final novel of my romantic suspense The Conduct Series, so most of the book follows the natural progression of my hero and heroine Grant and Sophie.

But I often find inspiration in movies, and Donnie Brasco (with Johnny Depp, yummy) sparked the idea for the plot. Grant goes undercover to immerse himself in Mafia life, risking not only his life, but that of Sophie and his nephew Ben as well. Eek! I love messing with my characters.

I’ve set a goal to finish this novel by December but my progress last weekend wasn’t great. My kind father came up for a visit to drive me for a steroid injection in my back, and we spent time watching football (yay for Denver beating the Steelers–love to see Payton Manning back in there) instead of writing. Now my back feels great but I’m a bit behind, and I have to work this Saturday too, waah!

Onto the Author Blog Bounce by Omnific Publishing–see instructions, here and enter a giveaway for my novel Streamline. Authors and readers, join us!