Love and Dreams: Who is Maya Summer of the Summer Sisters?

Guess what’s coming to ereaders? Book 2, Love and Dreams: A Summer Sisters Beach Reads Contemporary Romance by Jean Oram!

Last week, Jasmine Haynes tagged me to chat a bit about my latest work and I decided to turn it over to Love and Dreams heroine, Maya Summer.

Maya Summer from the Romance Summer Sisters series by Jean Oram

1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Allow me to introduce you to Maya Summer, the second born sister in the Summer family…

2) When and where is the story set?

Hey, it’s Maya Summer here. My story, Love and Dreams–written by Jean Oram (she did an okay job of telling my story although I wish she’d shown a bit more of my sultry side–hello? What’s a gal got to do?)–is set on Nymph Island which is where my family’s 110-year-old cottage is located. That’s in Muskoka, Canada. Cottage country. Just north of Toronto in Ontario. You know the place? Lots of rocks and trees. Very pretty, quiet, clean, and beautiful. Anyway, it’s okay if you don’t. Jean will tell you all about it in my story. Keep reading!

3) What should we know about him/her?

There’s lots you should know about me. First, I am very determined. Connor–he’s the hero in my story–calls me his spitfire which pretty much sums it up. My family means a ton to me. I have four sisters, a five-year-old niece who is fun (she’s quite the kid). We call that girl Tigger for a reason! She’s bouncy. Us sisters also share a mother who isn’t doing so well. She had a stroke years ago and we all want to take care of her, but Hailey, the eldest, does a lot of it. You know big sisters, always think they run the show! (Sometimes I can sneak in there and get some credit and sunshine.)

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

Okay, so I graduated from the University of Toronto. Not to brag, but top of my class and all that. The only problem was that it has been really, really hard to find a job. And I really need a good job. You see, my sisters and I ended up way behind in paying the taxes on our cottage and we’re in danger of losing it. At first I was like, big deal, sell that old beast. But…things change.

Anyway, in comes hunky-hunk Connor MacKenzie who is the king of Toronto. I thought my prayers were answered. First, a great job with him–easy peasy, right? Just strut myself and wait for him to notice because with a great job comes money. Save the cottage! Ta da! Only it didn’t quite work that way…

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

I have always imagined myself being someone. You know…sexy, in charge. Someone people come to because she makes things happen. She knows stuff. She’d powerful. I’d sleep my way to the top if I had to, but I don’t think I should have to. You know? (Although sleeping with Connor MacKenzie would NOT be a hardship. Hello! Powerful, intriguing, smart and with shoulders that are a serious…wait, I have to keep this PG, don’t I? Let’s just say if every man was like Connor women would be spending a lot less time outside of the bedroom.)

But back to my story, I knew wanted and I knew what I had to do and where I needed to go. Only problem? My plan wasn’t working. At all. Thanks to Connor.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

Love and Dreams is available for preorder! Jean got her stuff together and as of this second, you can preorder the story in these places:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Kobo

iTunes–coming VERY soon!

B&N–coming VERY soon!

Add to your Goodreads Shelf!

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

It’s coming on Thursday, August 28th! It’ll be all over the place ready for you to read it!

By the way, have you read Hailey’s story yet? That’s the first book in our series, Love and Rumors, with her and Finian Alexander. He’s a hot movie star. Anyway, if you haven’t read their story yet, you can get it, too. And for only 99 cents during September. It’s a deal just for you!

Love and Rumors in Hot Summer Love:

Get Your Copy of Hot Summer Love:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
iTunes
Kobo
B&N–coming VERY soon
Google–coming VERY soon
Add it to Goodreads

Tell your friends! Tweet this post!

Loving the blog hop and want more exclusive, new interviews from fresh new books? Check this out:

I was tagged by:

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Jasmine Haynes/Jennifer Skully who is the author of classy erotic romance, hilarious romantic mysteries, and the Max Starr sensual suspense series.
See her interview for her new release Pleasing Mr. Sutton: http://jasminehaynes.blogspot.ca/?zx=bfcf5a55e683ad81

 

 

Next week you can learn more from two of my box set buddies, Jax Cassidy and Julie Farrell!

Jax Cassidy:

Jax Cassidy was born in exotic Southeast Asia. At five years old her family fled the war-torn country of Vietnam for the American dream. As a child, she learned the English language through daily PBS children’s programming (Sesame Street, The Electric Company, etc.) and soap operas like Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. When she wasn’t in front of the tele, she entertained herself by weaving epic tales of heartbreak and love in her journals. When technology crept to the forefront, she happily typed those stories out on her brother’s wordprocessing machine and stored the dot matrix print pages underneath her bed..

In her late teens, she wanted to be just like Connie Chung and pursued a broadcast journalism career. Her efforts were quickly rewarded with several creative writing awards and a national Asian American journalism scholarship that enabled her to work for the local newspaper. Stifled by the lack of creativity at her jobs—between working for editors in the communications desk, working in her family-owned restaurant, and longing for adventure—she jumped at the opportunity to move to Paris, France for three years.

In the City of Light, she brushed off her dusty art supplies to immerse herself in the artist’s lifestyle. She was inspired and often mentored by successful comic book artists such as Jean Giraud aka Moebius, Philippe Caza, Bruno Bellamy, Sandrine Gestin and Marc Bati…to name a few. Her experiences in Paris, and traveling through Europe, opened her eyes to the beauty of the people, the elegant lifestyle, mouth-watering cuisine, luscious wines, exquisite couture and breathtaking countryside. The dreamy adventure came to an end when she realized how much she missed the American food chains and her close-knit, yet drama-filled, family.

Once bitten by the travel bug, she spent the next few years “city hopping” across the States and leaving a trail of broken hearts along the way. After being able to mark Paris off her Cities I’ll Live Someday list, she could now strike through Los Angeles with a red marker. While living in the entertainment mecca, her love for romantic comedies and romance novels led her to the Romance Writers of America, which prompted her to join the Los Angeles Romance Authors (LARA) chapter. She is currently a member of several online and local chapters and has served as a board member for both LARA and CFRW.

On the work front, boredom set in after almost a decade of taking on challenging freelance and temp positions—anything from actress, production assistant, makeup artist, hair stylist, screenwriter, photographer, ghostwriter, technical writer…to personal assistant to the highly powerful and filthy rich—she decided to do what she should have done all along…become an author!

Within the first few months of joining her local chapter, she was offered two writing contracts through Phaze Publishing and Amber Quill Press. Not long after, she helped launched the multicultural/multi-ethnic line for Parker Publishing with her novella SIREN’S SEDUCTION, in the LOTUS BLOSSOM CHRONICLES print anthology. With publishing credits under her belt she went on to sign with her fabulous dream agent, Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency.

When Ms. Cassidy isn’t working on her next project(s) she feeds her K-drama addiction and can also be found lounging at day spa or sipping lattes at the local café. But don’t let her indulgences fool you, she enthusiastically volunteers for charities (whenever possible) and is always searching for ways to make the world a better place.

You can find Jax and her interview next Monday, September 1, at: www.jaxcassidy.com/blog

Julie Farrell:

Life is for living, and I’m loving it!

I write steamy romances that will make your heart pound hard and your thighs surge with desire!

There was a time, not so long ago, when all I wanted was to stop my heart pounding hard and my mind surging with fear. You see, I suffered with panic attacks. The fear debilitated me on a daily basis, and the feelings of weakness undermined my self-esteem. This ‘fear of fear’ became so immense that there were times when I was scared to even go outside of my home.

At those times, all I wanted to do was write, because my imaginary world of fiction provided a soothing escape from reality. The strong female characters I created allowed me to pretend everything was okay in my world. And the sexy men in my fictive imagination were protective, loving, and strong.

I’ve never been someone to give up! Even at my lowest, I knew I could and would recover. Thanks to a great support network, a wonderful self-help book (The Panic Attacks Workbook by David Carbonell), and my own patient determination I experienced my last ever panic attack in January 2013. Then, in April 2014, I proved how strong I’d become by backpacking with a friend in the chaos and heat of India – something that had filled me with dread back when my fear was dominating my every waking breath.

But nothing in this life is ever a waste. During the years when I was suffering from panic attacks, I learnt to write well! I honed my craft, and when I came out the other end, I was ready to self-publish, knowing that if I can cope with panic attacks and survive, then I can become a successful indie author too! My books are the products of this amazing journey that I’ve been on, and now I can’t wait to find out what other delights await me, just around the corner!

Never give up on your dreams, and don’t let the setbacks of today ruin your tomorrow! You can do it  – just like I did!

You can find Julie and her interview next Monday, September 1, at: juliefarrellbooks.com/blog

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Thank you for reading! And don’t forget, if you’re on Facebook you can join me and my fan girls to talk men, life, good books, my books, and much more at www.facebook.com/groups/jeanoramfans. Everyone is welcome.