Hi everyone! I’m A.J., and I write new adult and (coming in 2016) adult contemporary romance with Entangled Embrace and Berkley/Intermix. I've got two different NA series out now, both with new books releasing this fall. Now, all my books are 100% fiction, but I always take a tiny bit of inspiration from real life and sprinkle it into my stories. So I'm going to let you all in (shhh...don't tell anyone) on my super secret real life connections (we'll call them SSRLC) to all my books.
My first series, If Only (also title of first book), follows my heroine, Jordan, to Aberdeen, Scotland, where she spends her junior year of college. And she meets two hot American guys on the train from London to Aberdeen, and things get a little complicated...but also swoony. I promise!
*SSRLC-I spent my junior year of college in Aberdeen Scotland. While it was an amazing year, and while I did meet lots of great people, I did not strike up a love triangle on the British railway. I did, however, have a fabulous year (and yes, I was an English major like Jordan), but alas, no life-changing romance for me on that trip, so I created Jordan and gave her one instead.
This is Seaton Park on the Aberdeen campus. This was my walk to classes every day!
Book #2 in the If Only series, What If, is a stand alone yet connected story that follows a side character from book #1 back to the states. This is Griffin and Maggie's story, and it takes place two years after If Only, but don't worry. There are If Only cast cameos in this one. Griffin meets Maggie when she's hitchhiking to her job at a Minneapolis coffee shop, and from there they have one wild night that involves sneaking into a movie, spray-painting graffiti, and something a little more intimate back at Griffin's apartment.
*SSRLC--Okay, none of the above ever happened to me. BUT, in this book, Maggie is a huge Gilmore Girls fan, and to be more specific, she is undeniably #teamjess. Herein lies the connection between What If and me.
Book #3, I Do, releases on November 17! I don't have a cover yet, so I'll share a teaser. I Do is the most unique project I've done yet in that this book takes place over one weekend, and it follows the main couples from If Only and What If to Greece for a wedding. There are FOUR separate interweaving romances going on in this book, and even though it has characters from book 1 and 2, it can still be read as a stand alone...but really, why not read all three?
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| Thessaloniki,Greece |
*SSRLC-I had a Greek roommate when I lived in Scotland (asdid Jordan), and she inspired Elaina. Duncan and Elaina's wedding takes place in Thessaloniki, Greece, which was where my roommate lived, and I got to stay with her and her family in their gorgeous city for a week!
My second series (the Only You series) tackles some serious issues like depression and addiction, but they are still romances as well. Book #1 is One Night, about a girl (Jess) who thinks she's only worth one night and the injured college basketball star (Adam) who wants to prove her wrong.
*SSRLC-My heroine, Jess, battles depression. When I was Jess's age, I also dealt with this experience. Jess's depression is triggered by a traumatic event (this part is fiction). My goal in writing a book that deals with mental illness was to hopefully connect to readers who may still be scared to ask for help, who--like Jess--think they can self medicate their depression away. I wanted readers to know that asking for help isn't a weakness. Instead it shows immense strength.
And...to help Jess connect to others (because she's alienated), I gave her and her roommate Zoe a television show to fall in love with together--The Vampire Diaries. YES, I watch TVD.
And...to help Jess connect to others (because she's alienated), I gave her and her roommate Zoe a television show to fall in love with together--The Vampire Diaries. YES, I watch TVD.
Book #2, One Life, is Zoe and Spock's book, told from Zoe's point of view after she experiences a death in the family for which she feels responsible. Zoe is the daughter of an addict, and she experiences addictive behavior in how she deals with this family death. She becomes addicted to body modification in the way of tattoos and coloring her hair.
Thanks for letting me introduce you to my books and my (not so) super secret real life connections to them. I've got a four book contemporary romance series releasing in 2016, called the Kingston Ale House series. So far, the only connection I have to these books is that there is a brewery that serves as a central location for all the books, and--well--I like beer.
AJ Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. As an English teacher and a librarian, AJ has always surrounded herself with books.
All herfavorites have one big commonality–romance. Naturally, her books have the same. When she’s not writing, she’s of course reading. Then there’s online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes) and a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires and superheroes. And in the midst of all of this, you’ll also find her hanging with her family in the Chicago burbs.
Catchy titles.
ReplyDeleteI have If Only and can't wait to read it!!!
ReplyDeleteI love a good romance!
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