Spotlight & Giveaway: Main Character Energy by Jamie Varon

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jamie Varon to HJ!

Hi Jamie Varon and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Main Character Energy!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Poppy Banks has always wanted to be a novelist, but after a string of soul-crushing rejections, her mom’s constant criticisms, and having to watch her perfect older brother become the successful novelist she thought she’d become, Poppy has decided to give up. On herself. On her dreams. On, basically, everything. But there’s one person in her family unwilling to give up on Poppy and that’s her Aunt Margot, who she’s been secretly having lunch with for nine years (despite the fact that Margot and Poppy’s mom haven’t spoken in decades). When Aunt Margot passes, she leaves Poppy a mysterious invitation to go to the south of France for six months and take this one last risk. Poppy is astonished to find that she stands to inherit not only a villa, but an esteemed writer’s residency right on the French Riviera—all Poppy has to do is finish her novel within six months. She meets surly, grumpy Oliver, who loved Margot as a second mom and thinks Poppy is some interloper, intent on destroying his favorite person’s legacy.

Up against her own self-doubt and self-sabotage, and Oliver’s recriminations, Poppy is certain this is going to turn out exactly the way everything else has: in heartbreak and disappointment. Will she step off the sidelines to become the main character in her own life finally? Will she decide she deserves her own love? Who will Poppy become after these six months in France?
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

This is the heart of the book and one of those exchanges that made it from first draft all the way to print! It’s from Chapter 1, at Poppy and Margot’s last lunch together:

“You make it all sound so simple,” I say, my eyes downcast on the table, fingering the stem of my wine glass. “I try to write, Margot. I do. I sit down and stare at a blank page and it taunts me. It’s not as easy as you think—to just sit down and write. Everyone says that. ‘Just sit down and write!’ Unless you’re a writer, you just don’t get it.”
“Of course it’s not easy!” Margot says with force, and I jump. Her eyes are fiery as she continues. “It’s not supposed to be easy, Poppy. All good things require grit. I’ve spent my life around artists, and every single one of them—especially the most brilliant ones—struggle to find a way to access their potential. All of them think giving up is easier. But giving up because you don’t think you’re good enough is simply another pain to endure. Don’t make excuses, darling. Not to yourself, not to anyone. Excuses are a great way to be on the sidelines of your own life.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I have been to all the locations mentioned in the book and got inspired to write a novel based in the French Riviera because I spent eight months in 2018 living there.
• The hummingbird necklace, a detail that I absolutely love, was added in the very last revision I did before the book went into print (the power of editing!!)
• When the book idea came to me, Poppy Banks as a character arrived fully formed in my head and it was the most magical moment—it felt like I had been anointed a novelist right then and there
• I had never heard of Ben Barnes the actor before writing MCE and when I saw him in Shadow & Bone, I was like, wait, what’s Oliver doing in this show? Ben Barnes is EXACTLY how I imagined Oliver looking in my head. It was surreal!

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

What a great question! Hero to the heroine = I always imagined he was anticipating meeting Poppy because of Margot’s stories and was maybe a little envious of Poppy and Margot’s bond. When he meets her in the airport, I think he overcompensates into grumpiness because he didn’t expect to find her quite so alluring.

For the heroine to the hero, it’s clear she thinks he’s very handsome when he’s searching for her in the airport.

Even though it’s surface level at first, I think they create this quick bond because they have so much shared experiences because of Margot.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

One of my favorite scenes I always loved was when Poppy calls her best friend Mia after arriving in France. Mia is the one that really calls Poppy out and lightens her up. I loved writing Mia. And this exchange is one of my favorites!

“Got it, okay, processing. A villa. A writer’s residency. Novel. Lots of questions, but tabling them because answer me this: how hot is this Oliver guy?” She purses her lips at me while stifling a smile. “Because, even across continents, I can see you blushing talking about him.” “I am not!” My voice is so loud it echoes in the bedroom. “Oh, listen to you protesting,” Mia says, a glint in her eye. “He must be delicious.”

“I’m sorry, but you’re failing the Bechdel test here. I just told you I’m inheriting a villa in the south of France, and all you want to talk about is some hot guy?” Mia narrows her eyes and says, “So, you admit he’s hot?” She gives out a roaring laugh, and I shake my head, waiting for her to finish. Once Mia’s laughter winds down, I look at her with a dramatically serious face and say, “Yes, he’s hot. Happy now? Are you done?” I smile. “Because villa? Residency? Hello?”

Readers should read this book….

If they love heartwarming and uplifting books that touch on deeper subjects with care and love, then this is for them! I personally love a strong character arc where we see genuine growth and change. That’s what I love about writing novels!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’ve got the next idea cooking, but not ready to share quite yet!!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: 2 Print copies of MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY! Open to US addresses

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What do you think it looks like to be the main character in your life? And how can you embody main character energy even more?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Main Character Energy:

When I met my aunt for the first time, I expected to hate her. After all, she had been the villain in my mom’s story since I was a kid. They hadn’t talked in nearly twenty years and every time I brought her up, my mom would shut me down. I didn’t know what caused their fracture, but my mom’s anger was enough to make me believe that Aunt Margot was the problem.
I never wanted to go behind my mom’s back and betray her trust, but when Margot contacted me in secret, I knew I had to finally meet my elusive aunt.
It was a shock to me that our first visit felt like a reunion.
I thought she’d be hard-edged and critical like my mom was, but instead, she was warm and effusive. I was pulled into her comforting orbit immediately.
We convened in Malibu on a rainy, moody February after¬noon. I was twenty-three years old and hopeful, brash, naive. We ate at a cliff-side restaurant, waves crashing against the rocks below us. I didn’t know this would be the start of an annual tradition where I’d meet her for lunch once a year in Febru¬ary, always at the same place, the same order—a sacred ritual just for us.
“Poppy,” she said, her eyes crinkling, her hands outstretched for me to grab them. She seemed ready to cry and I sat there feeling slightly guarded and guilty. I wasn’t supposed to be here. If my mom knew I was meeting with Margot, she wouldn’t be happy. But curiosity had won out.
“Hi,” I said, and the one question that had plagued me slipped from my lips before I could stop it. “What happened between you and my mom?”
Her face clouded over for just a fraction of a second before she waved me off and said, “That’s neither here nor there. Tell me about you. What do you love, Poppy? What lights you up? Who do you want to be when you grow up?”
There was a magic to Aunt Margot. It was clear immedi¬ately. I felt myself open up like a blooming sunflower in her presence. A smile spread across my face, the initial guardedness falling away like petals to the ground.
Looking at Margot was like looking at myself in the future. Long, loosely waved, chestnut-brown hair, hers streaked with natural gray, mine highlighted by caramel coloring. Almond-shaped eyes. Hers, moody gray-blue. Mine, vibrant green. Curvy bodies. Heart-shaped faces, reddened at the cheeks. Full lips tinted a cherry red, and straight teeth.
Where we differed was that she was so at ease in her body. She made me feel stronger, simply because she was so herself. Her body wasn’t an apology. She existed as if everything about her were a celebration. She wasn’t braced for the world, like I felt I was. When she spoke to the servers at our lunches, they were all mesmerized by her. She had the kind of wide-open soul that invited everyone in. She had confidence that radiated out¬ward. I basked in it, like it was sunlight after an endless winter.
I wanted to be as carefree as her.
I still do. She made me feel bold.
“What lights me up? Writing,” I told her, jutting my chin up. “I want to write books.”
Her face beamed into a wide smile.

“That’s wonderful, Poppy,” she said. “Are you writing now?”
“Yes,” I told her. “I’m working on a novel. A thriller, ac¬tually.”
Margot looked delighted.
“I love thrillers, too,” she said. “Who’s your favorite author?”
“PJ Latisse,” I said quickly.
Margot sported a grin and said, “Oh, I love their books.”
“You don’t think it’s silly?” I asked, my voice low. “To want to be an author? My mom thinks I’m wasting my time.”
My relationship with my mom was beginning to deteriorate and maybe that’s why I met Margot—to rebel against my mom and all her rough edges. I was realizing I could have agency over my beliefs about the world and myself. She’d spent my childhood urging me to lose weight, forcing me on various fad diets, hoping I would become thin like her. But my body was unruly then. Still is. It didn’t respond to her shame, but my mind did. And I felt cloaked in it.
My mom believed a thin body, handed over like a sacrifice, made dreams come true. Or at least, a thin body was the ini¬tial conduit for a good life. Without it, possibilities limit and dwindle. If I did nothing with my life except lose weight and find some man to marry me, it seemed like that would make my mom the happiest. She had virtually no patience or inter¬est in my dreams or aspirations.
“Silly?” Margot asked, cocking her head to the side. “To fol¬low your dreams? Never.”
“Mom says dreams don’t pay the bills.” I shrugged. “But I have to try, don’t I?”
“You always have to try,” Margot said with a sharp nod of her head. “It’s your life, not hers, after all.”
“Hmm,” I said, nodding. For years, I’d been writing at night, during stolen time. I’d been reading my whole life and books were my first love. All I’d ever wanted was to be a writer.
“Remember this, Poppy. For some people, it works out,” Margot said with authority. “You don’t know if it will for you until you try. If you love it, don’t give up on it. Ever. No mat¬ter what anyone says.”
“Okay,” I said, smiling, feeling supported and buoyed for the first time ever.
“Something I always say: at the very least, do it for the plot. Do it for the story. Be bold in life, mostly because not being bold is boring as hell.” Margot tipped her head back in glittery laughter and I felt my chest expand in hope.
“The last thing I’d ever want to be is boring,” I replied.
“Good.” Margot nodded firmly, then clapped. “Now, tell me all about what I’ve missed for the last twenty-three years of your life. Don’t skimp on a single detail!” Margot’s hands framed her jaw and she rested on her elbows, waiting with un¬disguised glee.
This Margot was the villain in my mom’s story? But, she was lovely. I spent the rest of the lunch catching her up, and she listened with rapt interest. It was the most seen and heard I’d felt in a long time.
And so, when she asked if we could meet again the next year, I said yes. And it became our annual tradition. I secreted the visits away from my mom and never told her about any of them. I kept that first lunch—and future lunches—with Mar¬got in my pocket like a precious stone I could rub my fingers on for luck, support, and the unconditional love I longed for.

From MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY by Jamie Varon. Copyright Jamie Varon. Copyright © 2023 by Jamie Varon. Published by Park Row, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

“This book absolutely dazzled me from the opening scene until the very last page. Highly recommend!”
—Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading

Poppy Banks would rather be writing mysteries than writing listicles for her dead-end job at Thought Buzz. But after a series of rejections, she’s ready to accept life on the sidelines as a plus-size woman. Her aunt Margot is the one person unwilling to give up on her niece’s dreams and tells her so at their secret yearly lunches.

But all of Poppy’s beliefs about herself are challenged when her beloved aunt dies and leaves her niece a grand surprise—a trip to her villa in the French Riviera. There, she learns her aunt intends to leave her stunning villa and secretive writer’s residency to Poppy—if she can finish her novel in six months.

When the writing countdown begins, Poppy realizes she has more to confront than her writer’s block. Family drama, complicated romances and self-doubt all threaten to throw her off course. In this fun and heartwarming debut, Poppy must decide if she can live up to her aunt’s—and her own—desire to be the main character in her own life.
Book Links:  Amazon | B&N |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Jamie Varon is an author, branding expert, course creator, and graphic designer living in Calabasas, California. Her nonfiction book Radically Content was published in 2022 with Quarto and is currently being adapted into a feature film with Camilu Productions LTD. Main Character Energy is her debut novel.
Website | Instagram |