Jolene Perry - Gentle Romance Between Childhood Friends
Hiker. Occasional Yogi. Equestrian. Couch potato. Music lover. Mediocre guitar player. Sailor. Tailor. Homebody. Traveler. Enjoys suffering from being interested in everything. Co-founder and instructor at Waypoint Author Academy. Rep'd by Amy Bishop of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret. As our Author of the Day, Jolene Perry tells us all about her book, Hopeless for Beckett.
What inspired you to write about someone who has been in love with her best friend since middle school?
Friends to lovers romance is my fav, and add in some unrequited love, and I'm hooked. It's also something I hadn't tackled before. ALSO, I married the guy I crushed on in middle school. (I know, that was so adorable, you may have vomited in your mouth a little. Sorry, not sorry?)
What makes Beckett Meyer so special?
I love that he harasses his older brothers for their problems in love, and then ends up falling himself. And I love the relationship the brothers have. My favorite bits to write were the ongoing text messages between the brothers.
Why did you pick the Bahamas as the backdrop for your story?
The whole time I was growing up, my parents said they were going to retire on a boat. And they did. For a while, that sailboat was in the Bahamas. This island is loosely based on Compass Cay, which was easily my favorite stop in the Bahamas. Near Johnny Depp's island for those curious. And no, he wasn't there when we were. Sigh. But I have a constant case of wanderlust and am very happy to eat Ramen for a month to have an adventure.
Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?
I'm a mediocre guitar player, and I train horses. I still haven't written books with horses. That'll come at some point...
Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?
This happens to me in EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK.
This is book 1 of your The Meyer Brothers series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?
Each of the books can stand alone, and I do my best not to give too blatant spoilers (though, I do promise an HEA). I start with the youngest brother and move up to the oldest. Though, the rockstar brother has his own series - Love and Music.
When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?
The first thing I do is ponder characters until I know what music they like, and then I create playlists. It's my fav.
Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?
Anyone interested in what I write (and I take on a LOT of genres) they can find me at www.jolenebperry.com, and on Instagram @JRV_Perry For people who are writers - I'm on TikTok @JRV_Perry, and I help writers through www.waypointauthoracademy.com, where we have DIY workbooks for writers, and do a lot of one-on-one zoom and phone chats.
