M. Jane Colette is a Calgary-based author who, as her bio puts it, writes tragedy for those who like to laugh, comedy for the melancholy, and erotica for people who like their fantasies real. She believes rules and hearts were made to be broken; ditto the constraints of genres. Her novels include Tell Me, Consequences (of defensive adultery), and the award-winning rom-com Cherry Pie Cure. This December, she’s releasing her fourth novel, Text Me, Cupid, which she’s calling “a (slightly dirty) love story for 21st century adults who don’t believe in true love… but want it anyway.”
As part of the Text Me, Cupid launch party, I’m hosting an Author Spotlight on M. Jane Colette, which includes a video of Jane reading an excerpt from Text Me, Cupid and a chance to win a PRINT copy of the novel. But first… some Q&A with M. Jane:
Is there a general theme to your novels?
Yes! I try to write… fantasies that come true. So all of my heroines come with wounds and baggage, often with children and ex-husbands and needy parents, and everyone is imperfect and messy… and they all fall in love anyway and have fabulous, hot sex, and craft their own unconventional happily ever after.
What inspires you to write?
Everything! My least favourite question, to be honest, is “How much of this is based on real life.” Because, really, everything comes from real life. Just not necessarily my life, right? The first seed for Text Me, Cupid happened about two years ago when I was helping my friend Marie clean a bank at night. She was dry-mopping the foyer and dancing, and I was lugging this giant vacuum cleaner, and it was such hard work, but we were having such fun, and then one of the bank managers was working late in her office when we came in to clean… and she treated us so badly… because, you know, we were cleaning ladies. And I decided my next heroine was going to be a janitor and she was going to rock it. And her lover was going to be a bank manager… and… and… well, before I knew it, I had a story.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
Reading. Right? Or, dancing. Or taking care of the fam. Or, falling in love. But mostly reading. The exciting life of a writer. 🙂
Strangest place you’ve ever written?
It’s not so strange, but I wrote the first chapter of my second novel, Consequences at a Christmas Party, by hand, on a bunch of napkins, because it came to me so clearly and I was so worried I was going to lose it. There were about 40, 60 people milling around and talking and drinking, and I was writing like a madwoman… and then, I didn’t come back to that story for another seven months. But I had the beginning, and that first chapter stayed virtually unchanged in the final story.
What do you want for Christmas?
A unicorn. 😉 What else?
What’s this newest novel about?
A one night stand that lasts 365 days. Incidentally, I have Christmas issues–all my books, apparently, have climaxes and crashes centered around Christmas, and Text Me, Cupid is no different. The action starts just before Christmas… and ends on Christmas Day the following year. It’s a pretty sweet arc. The hero and heroine are so clearly wrong for each other–but the chemistry is so explosive–I think up until the end the reader will be wondering how the hell I’m going to manage to give them a happy ending. But I do. 🙂
You write romance. Are happy endings important to you?
Yes. So very. I believe we use stories to heal our trauma, and no stories do this more explicitly than romance novels. Author Martha Beck has this amazing quote, she says: “Bad artists ignore the darkness of human existence. Good artists often get stuck there. Great artists embrace the full catastrophe of our condition and find beyond it an even deeper truth of peace, healing, and redemption.” I don’t claim to be a great artist. But I do explore the full catastrophe of the human heart… and if I’m going you to hell, I promise I will take you to a land of such utter bliss afterwards, you’re going to want a cigarette… even if you’ve never smoked in your entire life.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TEXT ME CUPID
Text Me, Cupid
a (slightly) dirty love story for 21st century adults who don’t believe in true love… but want it anyway
by M. Jane Colette
Genres: contemporary romance, romantic comedy, steamy (occasionally filthy)
HOLIDAY STRESS HAS NEVER BEEN THIS HOT
MEET FLORENCE: I’ve done this before, looking for a partner or soul mate or someone-to-grow-to-love, and you know what? I’m done with that. Honestly. I’m just looking for some casual sex. All I’m interested in is a one-night stand, or several—not all of them with you. Just making it clear that I’m interested in playing with multiple partners. I don’t want to get attached and I don’t want you to get attached.
MEET WILL: I’m reeling from a recent divorce and incapable of having a meaningful relationship, possibly even a meaningful conversation. The only upside to my situation is that after fifteen years of monogamy I get to chase all the strange I want.
He’s freshly divorced and in denial. She’s twice-burnt and prickly. They’re a terrible idea. They know this. But every time their eyes meet, their clothes come off. Still—they’re not going to fall in love. They are not.
Not even if this one night stand has 365 days.
WANT A TASTE?
Here’s M. Jane Colette reading a semi-steamy (but still safe for YouTube and Facebook) excerpt from Text Me, Cupid:
Prefer to read?
WANT THE WHOLE THING?
Price: $3.99 US (ebook), $14.99 US (paperback), $9.99-$19.99 (audiobook)
WANT TO WIN?
Click here to enter on RAFFLECOPTER by December 16, 2018 to win a signed PRINT copy of
TEXT ME, CUPID
M. Jane Colette will ship anywhere in the world (because she’s crazy)
ADVANCE PRAISE
“I couldn’t stop reading this! The waiting, the need, the want, the desire… the story is a rollercoaster and I love it. Will and Florence are so vivid on the page, I was in agony with them from the start.” Alyssa Linn Palmer, author of Midnight at the Orpheus and Le Chat Rouge series
“No one does angst, family drama, hilarity, joy and eroticism better than M. Jane Colette!” DIANA SOBOLEWSKI, author of The Desire & Luxury Wine Series, (on Messy Christmas, Episode 1 of Text Me, Cupid)
“Text Me, Cupid was the first story I’d read by M. Jane Colette, and I love her fresh, taut style. Every word, every sentence counts. It’s smart and sexy. I can’t wait to read the rest!” Michelle Orloff, GoodReads + Amazon.com ARC Review of Delayed Valentine, Episode 2 of Text Me, Cupid
“M. Jane Colette writes complicated relationship dynamics into story lines that keep you off balance but leave you smiling in the end.” Amazon.ca Verified Purchase Review, Delayed Valentine, Episode 2 of Text Me, Cupid
“She spotlights those less than perfect relationships; often the source of hilarity in this author’s work. M. Jane Colette has a unique writing style. At least it’s unique to me. She believes in short sentences and sparse dialogue. Don’t worry, you will not be short changed in any respect. You’ll visualize and experience everything you’re meant to, including the angst, the joy, the funny bits and all of the eroticism. This author doesn’t succeed despite her minimalist approach. She succeeds because of it. M. Jane Colette has mastered doing more with less.” Amazon.ca Verified Purchase Review, (on Messy Christmas, Episode 1 of Text Me, Cupid)
“M. Jane Colette knows how to write characters.” Caught Between The Pages (on Consequences)
“I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a sexy, intelligent, complicated, and fascinating read about relationships that are as complex and difficult and wonderful and confusing as most relationships usually are.” Grey Matter (on Tell Me)
“This book is a cure for divorce, depression, loneliness, boredom, you name it. Laugh-out-loud funny from the first page!” Holly Owen, Alberta Romance Writers’ Association (on Cherry Pie Cure)
“Warning: You may breakout in spontaneous laughter, develop cravings for baked goods and become a life-long devotee of the author!” Carrie Austin Reviews (on Cherry Pie Cure)
HEAT UP YOUR HOLIDAYS!
TEXT ME, CUPID online LAUNCH party #textmecupid | C.R. Moss (Tues, Nov 26, 2018) | Sip, Read, Love (Thurs, Nov 28, 2018) | Alyssa Linn Palmer (Sat., Nov 30, 2018) | UnConventional Bookworms (Mon, Dec 3, 2018) | Romance Novel Giveaways (Wed, Dec 5, 2018) | SJ’s Book Blog (Thurs, Dec 6, 2018) | Cameron Allie (Fri, Dec 7, 2018) | Dirty Bad Bloggers (Sat, Dec 8, 2018) | The Genre Minx Book Reviews (Sun, Dec 9, 2018) | Amanda Siegrist (Mon, Dec 10, 2018) | Stephanie’s Book Reports (Tues, Dec 11, 2018) | 2 Chicks & A Book (Wed, Dec 12, 2018) | Angelica Dawson (Thurs, Dec 13, 2018) | Roxana Nastase (Fri, Dec 14, 2018)
Casey's Corner 