Clean Romance Cafe discussion

This is the thread for the July/August Author Group Read with Guest Author, Tana Jenkins. Tana will be joining us July 15th-August 14th, as we read her Interracial, Enemies to Lovers Romance, Slow Dancing in a Black Storm. Grab a copy from Amazon (FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited), read it, and join us in discussing the book over the next month.

Welcome to Clean Romance Cafe, Tana!

Welcome, Tana. Your book looks like a vibrant fun story.

Lynn wrote: "Welcome, Tana. Your book looks like a vibrant fun story."

Hi Lynn - Thanks so much for the welcome! I'm happy to hear Slow Dancing gives that impression. I tried to make it a blend of island fun, quirky humor, and strong chemistry with sprinkles of suspense, and a hint of mysticism all while respecting the culture of St. Croix. I can't wait to hear what folks think.

What genres do you normally enjoy?

Mora wrote: "

This is the thread for the July/August Author Group Read with Guest Author, Tana Jenkins. Tana will be joining us July 15th-Aug..."

Salutations All!

Mora, thanks so much for creating this special place on the internet where people can come together to discuss happy things like books and love. Even bigger thanks for inviting me to join you all. I am super excited to connect with everyone over the next few weeks.

For those who are new to me, I'd love to learn more about you. What are your favorite tropes? What do you enjoy most about reading clean romance? Do you ever read spicy?

I'll go first. My favorite trope is some variation of enemies to lovers. Give me an opposites attract or grumpy sunshine and I'm a happy camper. I feel like so often in life we judge people based on first impressions and that judgment is distancing. I love it when real life imitates art and people overcome those surface-level perceptions of one another to form authentic connections.

What I enjoy most about clean romance is the sense of peace I get from reading stories that are usually low angst. Life is raw enough--I usually like to read light and happy stories.

That said, I do find value in reading broadly across various genres and spice levels. High spice isn't my preference, but I have definitely been impressed with books that contain heat.

Your turn. I can't wait to hear from you! And thanks in advance for sharing :)

I like many different tropes. It would probably be easier to say what I don't like. I don't like secret babies, huge age gaps, love triangles, or widows. Then again, I never say never, meaning I might still pick one of these types of books up if it looked good enough. I enjoy suspense sometimes, but I am not a high angst type of girl. I like knowing things are going to turn out good in the end of a romance. I am willing to give spicier books a try, but I will skip over some of the sexier scenes sometimes. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I accidently picked up a spicy book, and I don't judge people who read them.

Thank you for being here, Tana. I keep saying it, but I am ecstatic over all of the authors willing to be involved in this, and I hope the readers are loving it, too!

As for me, I love to read a variety of tropes and genres. I am constantly mixing things up when it comes to what I read. And I hardly ever read the same type of book back to back. This helps keep me entertained as a , and I fully believe it makes my writing better, too.

Also, Lynn, "vibrant" was my first thought when looking at this book as well. I think that partially has to do with the cover. Which is gorgeous. I don't always like the cartoony covers (though they are growing on me through the years), but this one really pops. Though I am partial to hot pink, so that may be part of it. I really love this one in general.

You're right, Mora. This book caught my eye right away.

I started the book last night, and it sucked me in from the very beginning. I love the opening scene, and the descriptions make me feel like I'm in the room with her. I can imagine this small island town, so resistant to change.

Lynn wrote: "I like many different tropes. It would probably be easier to say what I don't like. I don't like secret babies, huge age gaps, love triangles, or widows. Then again, I never say never, meaning I mi..."

Hi Lynn - That's so funny, I'm not a fan of the secret baby trope either. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever met anyone who is. They must be out there though, cause the books do well.

And I agree with you--never any judgment here about anyone else's bliss. I am a firm believer in not yucking anyone's yum.

Thank you for the kind words about the cover!

Lynn wrote: "I started the book last night, and it sucked me in from the very beginning. I love the opening scene, and the descriptions make me feel like I'm in the room with her. I can imagine this small islan..."

Hi Lynn - I'm so glad the opening drew you in. Openings are the hardest for me. You want to establish your character and draw people in, using limited space. It requires one to get in touch with their inner engineer, which is a feat for someone who took algebra three times, lol!

Hope the rest of the book is holding you!

Thanks again for your support.

Mora wrote: "Thank you for being here, Tana. I keep saying it, but I am ecstatic over all of the authors willing to be involved in this, and I hope the readers are loving it, too!

As for me, I love to read a v..."

Hi Mora - I love the idea of reading different types of books back to back. We might have similar brains, kept fertile by swapping the crops regularly, like a farmer's soil ;) lol!

Tana wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I like many different tropes. It would probably be easier to say what I don't like. I don't like secret babies, huge age gaps, love triangles, or widows. Then again, I never say never,..."

I love that "yucking anyone's yum." The rest of the book has been great so far. I'm not the fastest reader, but I try to read a few chapters a night.

I was curious. It talks about the main character having a hard time getting used to things being more formal on the island. Is that really the case in real life, or is everyone just like that with her? I've never been where the story is based. Are things just more formal in work settings or in general?

Lynn wrote: "Tana wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I like many different tropes. It would probably be easier to say what I don't like. I don't like secret babies, huge age gaps, love triangles, or widows. Then again, I nev..."

Haha! Yes, I'm a big fan of the 'live and let live' philosophy.

And yes, St. Croix was this beautiful mix of formality and relaxed beach vibes. It was one of the things that made the culture so unique and delightful.

Everyone says 'Good Morning' and 'Good Afternoon' and 'Good Evening.' And in the work world, people are greeted by their titles. At that same time, folks are super warm and genuinely loving.

Have you ever been to the Caribbean?

I haven't been to the Caribbean. If I do one day, I will probably go on a cruise. It definitely won't be the same wide experience you have had there. It's interesting to see so many cultures on one earth.

Lynn wrote: "I haven't been to the Caribbean. If I do one day, I will probably go on a cruise. It definitely won't be the same wide experience you have had there. It's interesting to see so many cultures on one..."

I couldn't agree more with you about the cultures. Someone once told me that in Peru, they have dozens of words for 'potato' because the food is such an important part of their culture. And Navahoe have one word for the color your skin turns when the first morning ray of sun touches it. I love how different cultures draw our attention to things we might not otherwise notice:)

Perhaps I was from Peru in a past life, because potatoes are a very important part of my life. Lol.

All jokes aside, those are great facts. I love when authors are able to bring their knowledge of other cultures into their books. And you definitely have a way with transporting your readers to St. Croix.

I also see that you had a career in law, how much of that experience did you use in Slow Dancing in a Black Storm, and how much did you embellish on?

I just passed the part that references the title, and it is such a sweet scene.

Lynn wrote: "I just passed the part that references the title, and it is such a sweet scene."

Hi Lynn - Thank you! I love hearing that.

And apologies for the delayed response. My mother passed away and the funeral was yesterday. I had meant to respond, but the ball slipped through my fingers like it'd been soaked in grease.

Hope the rest of the book and your other reading is going well.

Mora wrote: "Perhaps I was from Peru in a past life, because potatoes are a very important part of my life. Lol.

All jokes aside, those are great facts. I love when authors are able to bring their knowledge o..."

Hi Mora -

Thank you. My goal is for folks to put that book down and feel like they need to dust a few grains of soft white sand from their fingertips:)

And yes, good question. I embellished quite a bit with respect to the case in Slow Dancing. Sometimes I like to recreate stories and give them the ending I would have liked to see.

The meet-cute in my book Sailing into the Heart is based on the Central Park birding incident a few years back. I made a few Hallmark-style tweaks, tamped the anger way down, and attached a cute little happy ending.

And if we ever meet IRL, you can have all my fries :)

It always seems that authors leave little pieces of themselves within the pages of their books. Though, it's nice we can change the ending to our liking...provided the characters allow us to, that is. Lol

Do most of your books include parts of the legal system? And do you plan to continue with this trend? Or will you just go with whatever comes to you for each story?

Also, I have to say, this book really makes me want to dance. I love the mentions of different styles of music and dance. I used to teach dance, and was also a fitness and Zumba instructor, and you're really making me miss it!!!

I admit to loving all of the dancing and music too. But the whole book was great in general, and I loved finding another great author in this group.

Mora wrote: "It always seems that authors leave little pieces of themselves within the pages of their books. Though, it's nice we can change the ending to our liking...provided the characters allow us to, that ..."

Hi Mora!

You're a dancer? That's awesome. I'm in awe of folks with rhythm. And I'm so glad to hear the book gave you happy feet!

I definitely think you'll see more books with aspects of the legal system in them. Like you said, we authors leave pieces of ourselves in the books and tend to write what we know. Law was my life for nearly two decades, and provided me a front row to seat to lots of great characters and stories. So it'd be hard not to include certain aspects.

But my current project is a cowboy romance. So it will be a while before I get back to the legal intrigue or suspense.

Thanks so much for reading Slow Dancing and including me in your awesome group. I've absolutely loved talking to you and Lynn!

Lynn wrote: "I admit to loving all of the dancing and music too. But the whole book was great in general, and I loved finding another great author in this group."

Hi Lynn -

Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to read Slow Dancing. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the story!!

Warmly,
Tana

Dance and music have always been huge in my life. My mom was a music teacher. It was like this book was made for me!

It's exciting to hear that you'll be writing cowboys in the future. I know a lot of readers in this group love their cowboy romance. You will have to share with the group when you get to releasing those books!

Thank you so much for joining us this month and sharing this wonderful read. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the group before you go, and how can readers follow you and stay in touch if they'd like?