Spotlight & Giveaway: The Jane Thing by Tracy Broemmer

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Tracy Broemmer to HJ!

Hi Tracy and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Jane Thing (Meet Cute Book Club, #2)!

 
Hi! I’m so excited to be here!
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

The Jane Thing is a best friend’s brother romance featuring sunshiney happy Skye Stafford and her best friend’s very serious, reserved (arrogant, grumpy!) brother, Gideon Reece. Gideon is staying at Skye’s apartment in St. Louis while he secures a job…unless Skye kicks him out—he’s nothing like his sister, and Skye doesn’t know how to deal with that…until they find they have a few things in common…like the Jane thing…
 

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

Long dark curls frame his very serious face—at the moment, I’m half convinced it’s carved of stone.
I lift my hand and pat his cheek. Nope. Not stone. All warm male there. Actually, his skin is surprisingly soft. When I rub a thumb over the dark scruff on his cheek, he twists away and narrows his eyes at me.~ This is from the beginning scene, but I love it because this little exchange totally sets the scene for everything that happens between Skye and Gideon.

What inspired this book?

Lots of Jane stuff…
I’m a big reader and I love music. Gideon is a musician and Skye is a reader, so I wanted a way to connect them, since in the beginning they’re pretty much opposites.

I thought about writers and books first:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Jane Hamilton
Jane Green

And then thought about music:
Jane (Jefferson Starship)
The Diary of Jane (Breaking Benjamin)

And finally, TV and what Skye might binge-watch on Netflix
Jane Fonda (Grace & Frankie)

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

The first thing that surprised me with Skye and Gideon was that they wanted to tell their story in first person. I don’t do that often, but when I started the book, that’s how the words came out—First person, Skye. I kept going, and I really enjoyed that Skye was funny and a little bit sarcastic. I don’t necessarily think I’m funny, but I am very sarcastic, so I related to her well.

I was also surprised at how much Gideon brooded over everything. When I plotted the book, I planned for that, but getting inside his head to write his chapters was interesting to me. I was surprised at who he really was, and I really enjoyed getting to know him.

What was your favorite scene to write?

There’s a scene in the middle of the book where Gideon plays the piano for the first time for Skye. It’s a very intimate scene, and Skye really sees who he is. Gideon is touched, a little bit amazed that she reads him so well, but he’s also a little bit afraid of that honesty, and he wants to hide from her.

Gideon plays the piano like he touches me. With reverence and passion. He starts soft and tender, and the melody of the piece is haunting. I watch his long, slender fingers stretch and reach and stroke. The muscles in his forearms flex, even his biceps flex as the music strains to something louder and more intense. For a few moments, he pounds the keys with unbridled strength. His face is drawn in a severe frown, his gaze on the keyboard, though I know he’s not seeing the black and white keys. He stares at a fixed spot as his hands demand sound and his body sways.
When he’s done, sweat has gathered on his forehead along his hairline. Even his wrists and hands are shiny with a thin sheen of sweat. He hangs his head and rests his hands in his lap. In the silence, I hear echoes of the music. It’s solitary and lonely and so raw, I feel like I’ve watched, overheard, something private and intimate. I want him to play more, another piece, the same one. I just want to hear Gideon’s music—the sounds he hears in his head. I want to watch him move over the keyboard again.
There’s so much more to Gideon Reece than I ever thought possible. Even though he’s not even a year younger than Chloe and me, even though she and I are thirty, I’ve always just envisioned him as a kid. There’s nothing childlike or innocent about him. He’s a dark, brooding man with intense passion that I’ve now seen and heard in his music.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

Even though Skye and Chloe (Gideon’s sister) are best friends, I think the scenes with Chloe in them were the most difficult to write. Skye and Chloe have a great relationship, and Chloe talks with both of them on the phone, but it was hard to actually physically bring her into the story because three’s a crowd. It was necessary to the plot, but it was just like, wow, Chloe, you’r e in the way—if I don’t like, and I’m writing it, imagine how Skye and Gideon wish you would go away!

We look like polite roommates who might discuss books from across the apartment. Except we’re still in a lip lock when we hear Chloe’s voice right outside the door. Skye jumps away from me and swipes her hand over her mouth to get rid of any evidence. Smeared lipstick, maybe, although I’m pretty sure she was wearing a nude gloss, and I’m equally sure I sucked it off.
There’s a sharp knock on the door, and Chloe calls out Skye’s name as she pushes the door open. By this time, I’m on the stool at the end of the bar with my biography of Daniel Boone open under my hands. I think I’m on page 72, but it’s open to 129. I don’t care. I’m not reading anything but Skye’s body language right now.
Is she embarrassed to be involved with me? Is that why she made sure her mouth wasn’t wet with my kiss before Chloe came in? Or is she just worried about what Chloe will say?

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

As I mentioned before, this book is a bit of a departure for me. I don’t often write in first person POV and present tense, but I have written a few books like this. I do think it showcases a lighter side of my writing, my stories, although, as I said, Gideon is kind of a dark, brooding guy.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

I want people to read this book and walk away happy. I want them to feel Skye and Gideon’s connection, for sure, but also, to me, this book says love can find anyone, even people who aren’t looking for it and think they don’t want to be involved and settle down. And I guess, I want those people to see that being in love, being involved with someone, doesn’t mean you have to give up who you are and other things you love. It should mean you’ve found your person to share your unique likes and dislikes and loves with, and your person loves you for all of those very things.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

This is a year of anthology and shared worlds for me! I have written 8 pieces of varying lengths so far this year. I have a story in the anthology Cool Off that will be released in August, so that’s my next release, unless I get something of my own done before then. And I hope to do that, actually. I would like to finish the sequel to Toasted, my New Year’s Eve novella. I also have a story in an anthology later this year that I plan to dedicate to my parents. I lost my mom to Alzheimer’s, and I wrote this story to sort of chronicle Mom’s illness and her fight but also to thank my dad for the way he loved her and cared for her through 53 years of marriage, even when things were horribly hard and painful those last few years.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Ebook copy of THE JANE THING by Tracy Broemmer

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Did you have a crush on any of your friend’s siblings when you were growing up? (I married one of my good friend’s brothers when I was 21! Twenty-nine years later, we’re still happily married and living the dream!)

 
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Excerpt from The Jane Thing (Meet Cute Book Club, #2):

He’s wearing khakis today with a white t-shirt. His shoes look like dress shoes but have the sole of a tennis shoe.
“Did you do a job interview dressed like that?”
Damn. Did I say that out loud?
I did. Gideon turns to look at me and holds his arms out at his sides. He looks down at his outfit and back at me.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
I can’t pretend I’m reading anymore, so I close my book and put it on the apothecary cabinet when I stand. There’s nothing wrong with what he’s wearing. Simple but classic is a good look on him. In fact, too much might be wasted with that hair and hard jaw.
I have no intention of saying that to him.
Gideon makes a point of giving my sweats and tee the once over before turning back to the fridge.
“Job interviews usually call for something a bit…”
He shoots me a cool look over his shoulder as I perch on a barstool. I shrug.
“And this is from a woman wearing sweatpants?”
“I’m not at work,” I remind him.
“It’s not that kind of job,” he tells me as he selects the egg carton from the second shelf and puts it on the counter next to the bacon.
“What kind of a job is it?”
“Music store.”
As if that explains everything. I watch him move around in my kitchen like he owns it. The way he pulls skillets and utensils from my cabinets and drawers is kind of spooky. I wonder if he was out here studying everything in the middle of the night.
“So, what? You’re gonna sell records to Gen Z?”
“I’ll be managing it for a bit,” he answers with a shrug.
“Wait. You got the job?”
Gideon stops and stares at me. Hands poised over a bowl, he’s about to crack two eggs.
“I had the job when I came here.”
“Oh.”
Still explains nothing. He goes back to making his breakfast for dinner, and I go back to silently watching him.
“Do you want any?” he asks me. Shocked by the question, it takes me a moment to respond.
“No, thanks.”
He shrugs as if to say suit yourself and pours his egg and milk mixture into a hot skillet.
“So what music store is it? Where’s it at?”
“You haven’t heard of it.”
Annoyed by the little shake of his head, I straighten on the barstool and narrow my eyes at him.
“How do you know? I live here,” I remind him.
“The Hep Cat.” He flicks a glance at me as he turns his five slices of bacon in a second skillet. He’s got me, and he knows it. I snort when he rolls his eyes. “It’s in Soulard.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I know the owner.”
“How do you know the owner of a random music store in St. Louis?”
“Met him in Tupelo several years ago.”
“I thought you were in Nashville.”
“I was.” He nods.
“So, you move around a lot?”
A little smirk slides over his face, there and gone immediately. He plates his scrambled eggs and bacon and then scoots it across the counter to the seat next to where I’m sitting. This is new. The other night, he took his Thai food to the loveseat and ate there while studying something on his iPad. I stewed in the recliner, frustrated again that he wasn’t friendly and fun like Chloe, not to mention that he was in my favorite spot in the apartment.
“I do.”
“Why?”
I hadn’t planned to ask, but of course, I want to know. Gideon forks a big bite of eggs, shoves it in his mouth, and looks at me.
“I didn’t eat today,” he says to excuse the monster bite.
“Why not?”
“Got busy,” he mumbles. He stares at his plate for a few minutes while he eats. I take that as the end of our conversation, so I slide off the stool to get a bottle of water. “Why not?”
“Why not what?” I twist the top off the bottle and take a long drink. “You want water?” I ask when I notice he doesn’t have anything to drink.
“Apple juice,” he answers with a headshake.
“Apple juice,” I repeat and open the fridge again, half expecting to see an eight pack of juice boxes for little kids. I find the jug of store brand apple juice and get a glass for him.
“Why not move around a lot?”
“Mmm.” I nod and shrug as I push the glass toward him. When he takes it, our fingers touch. Gideon swallows a mouthful of food like the world didn’t just explode in his fingers—like it did in mine—and takes a big swig. “I don’t know. I guess I needed to find a job.”
“I’ve had jobs,” he says, nonplussed. The look on his face as he watches me scramble, trying to find a way to say a real job without putting down his jobs, is cool amusement.
“I like St. Louis,” I mumble, suddenly feeling pedestrian.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

When my best friend asks me to put her brother up at my place for a while, I’m totally on board. After all, I practically grew up in Chloe and Gideon’s house, so I used to kind of know him. Those childhood memories don’t compare to the real Gideon Reece when he shows up ready to be my temporary roommate. He’s grown into a smoking hot guy complete with tattoos, rakish-looking hair, and a face that looks like art. Too bad he’s a pompous jerk.

My sister’s best friend is going to drive me crazy before my stay here is over. She’s prettier than I remember, but she’s all sunshine and chatter, like she thinks we’re going to be besties while I’m here. Spoiler alert: we’re not. I’m here to secure a job and find a place to live, and in the meantime, I have no interest in palling around with Skye Stafford.

Then why did I kiss her? Probably the same reason I can’t get her off my mind. She’s completely different from any woman I’ve ever known, and to my regret, I can’t get enough of her. I have to keep my hands to myself, because I’d never forgive myself if I came between Chloe and Skye.

Book Links: Amazon |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Tracy Broemmer is the author of several contemporary romance novels including The Mississippi Queen Trilogy, the H Books, and Wedding Day Shenanigans. Tracy also writes women’s fiction and is the author of the Williams Legacy series as well as several stand-alone titles.

Tracy’s books have been called gripping, emotional, and timely, and readers describe her characters as real and relatable.

Tracy lives in Midwestern Illinois with her husband of 29 years.
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