Jackie Braun Romance Writer

Check out this video from the RWA literacy signing

2010-07-30T09:16:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=docOBvGf2-M

This makes me really wish I had been there.

Inconveniently Wed! gets four stars from RT

2010-07-24T08:31:00.002-04:00

Here's what the RT reviewer had to say about my August release, which is the third in the Girls Weekend in Vegas series.

"A great storyline, interesting characters and a fast pace help immerse readers in this tender tale."

Girls' Weekend in Vegas blog

2010-06-24T12:28:00.002-04:00

The other three authors and I have put together a blog for our Girls' Weekend in Vegas series. You can find it here: http://girlsweekendinvegas.blogspot.com/ The first book in the series is out now. It's Myrna Mckenzie's "Saving Cinderella." (A fabulous read and the cover is to die for.) Shirley Jump's "Vegas Pregnancy Surprise" is coming in July. (Another great book!) Check out the blog for reviews and more. Parts of it are still under construction, so be sure to keep checking back!

Find me on Facebook!

2010-06-02T09:22:00.003-04:00

I have a Facebook page now. That's right, I've finally embraced social media. Look for Romance Author Jackie Braun. Come on over and sit a spell when you get a chance. I'm trying to drop in a time or two a week right now, and perhaps more in the future. The frequency will depend on my deadlines.

Next on my digital to-do list: Twitter. I tweet, therefore I am.

What's coming next?

2010-06-02T09:09:00.002-04:00

Look for another Harlequin Romance from me in August. This one is the third in the Girls Weekend in Vegas continuity I was invited to participate in with talented authors Melissa McClone, Myrna Mackenzie and Shirley Jump.

Myrna's book, "Saving Cinderella" is out now. Look for Shirley's book, "Vegas Pregnancy Surprise" in July. Mine, titled "Inconveniently Wed" comes out in August, and Melissa winds up the series with "Wedding Date with the Best Man."

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Or does it?

Out in stores now!

2010-06-02T09:05:00.003-04:00

I'm excited to say my latest book is on store shelves now. It's "A Dinner, a Date, a Desert Sheikh." For those in the UK, yes, this is the book that came out in March titled "Sheikh in the City." The title was changed for its release on this side of the pond.

The book represents a bit of a departure for me. I've never written about a sheikh before. Nor have I ever created a fictional country. I found both to be challenging and, at the end of the day, rewarding. It's good to shake (or is that sheikh) things up every now and again.

Enjoy!

Book signing on Dec. 16

2009-12-08T05:58:00.001-05:00

Come out and see me. I'll be signing copies of CONFIDENTIAL: EXPECTING! as well as some of my older titles from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Genesee Valley shopping center in Flint, Mich. Books make great stocking stuffers!

20 and counting …

2009-11-25T14:46:00.001-05:00

Gee, that headline makes me sound like a reality TV mom, except that I'm talking about books, not babies. My 20^th published through Harlequin Enterprises hits store shelves in December.

In a way, I suppose writing a book is like having a baby. Some days when I stare at my computer screen I feel nauseated. Other days, I have cravings. Only chocolate - and lots of it - will spur my creative process. Some night are sleepless. My characters are kicking and keeping me awake. Toward the end, my story becomes unwieldy. Rewriting is in order. Then the final push comes. Crying and a bit of screaming are involved. Afterward, I take a moment to coo over it and all of the nail-biting and effort are forgotten. Then off it goes to my editor.

If that isn't labor …

Anyway, back to my book. The title is Confidential: Expecting! Mallory Stevens, a young, go-for-the-jugular journalist is certain that handsome Chicago radio personality Dr. Logan Bartholomew must have a skeleton in his closet. The man is way too perfect. With his call-in program poised to go national, Mallory is sure that finding the dirt on the doctor will be her ticket back into her editor's good graces. She begins digging, but dirt isn't what she finds. Romance is. Then, as their relationship deepens, she discovers she's carrying her own little secret.

What does the future hold for these two? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Coming out soon across the pond

2009-06-09T16:48:00.003-04:00

I just learned A Venetian Affair is coming out in "An Italian Summer," a special release anthology from Mills and Boon on sale in July. I'm excited my story will be in with ones by fellow Harlequin Romance author Rebecca Winters and Kate Hewitt, who writes for Presents. Here's a quick peek at the plots:

THE LUCCHESI BRIDE by Rebecca Winters

Catherine Dalton has come to Italy to meet her family and she’s quickly swept away into an exciting new life – starting with gorgeous, brooding Italian Alessandro Lucchesi, who steals her breath…and has designs on her body!

ITALIAN BOSS, HOUSEKEEPER MISTRESS by Kate Hewitt

A housekeeping job in a crumbling villa on Lake Como was a fresh start for Zoe Clark. But she hadn’t bargained on her dangerously sexy boss – Leandro Filametti. As the blazing Mediterranean sun heats up, Leandro realises his one desire is to claim Zoe…

A VENETIAN AFFAIR by Jackie Braun

Dayle Alexander decides to join her gorgeous bachelor business partner Max Kinnick in romantic Venice to check out wedding locations, but then realises that her unsettling, sexy, flirtatious partner would be her perfect groom!

My novella originally came out last summer in Destination: Marriage, released here in the States. To read an excerpt, go to my books page.

For more information on An Italian Summer, visit http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/special-releases.htm

Want to be on my mailing list?

2009-05-13T17:46:00.003-04:00

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive postcards noting upcoming book signings, send me an email with your name and address. Or, if you'd prefer an email, I can send a notice that way, too.

Book signing at Barnes & Noble

2009-05-13T17:42:00.002-04:00

I'll be at the Barnes & Noble in Genesee Valley mall (Flint, MI) from 6-8 p.m. this Friday (May 15) signing copies of my newest book, MARRYING THE MANHATTAN MILLIONAIRE. I'll also have select older titles available. Hope to see you there!

Oh, and about that signing. Per usual, I sent out postcards announcing the time and date. Or I thought I had. It seems a good dozen or so wound up without the information on the back. So, if you got a blank postcard in the mail in the past week, it was probably from me. Sorry!

EXPECTING A MIRACLE is NRCA finalist!

2009-04-20T13:31:00.002-04:00

I'm thrilled to announce that EXPECTING A MIRACLE is a finalist in the traditional category of the National Readers Choice Awards. I'm in good company, too. Several other wonderful Harlequin Romance authors have been nominated, too. This is the fourth time one of my books has finaled in the NRCA, a contest that is judged by readers. Maybe the fourth time will be the charm. Winners will be announced in July at the Romance Writers of America conference in Washington, D.C. I don't know that I will be at the conference this year, but keep your fingers crossed for me anyway.

Here's the link to the list of finalists: http://www.okrwa.com/nrca.htm#traditional
Check out all that talent!

You can make a real difference

2009-03-31T19:37:00.003-04:00

If you've cruised through my site, you know I have some causes that are near and dear to my heart. I'm advocating for one of them here. In just a few days, Love Without Boundaries is sending a Cleft Medical Exchange Program team to China to perform surgeries on orphans who were born cleft-affected.

Surgeries begin April 5 at the Fundan Hospital in Shanghai. These surgeries are life-changing and, in some cases, life-saving. But, as with all things, they cost money. Right now a lot of wonderful little ones who had the misfortune to be born cleft-affected are scheduled for a turn in the OR. Five more need sponsors. The cost of sponsorship is $1,000, which is a lot to swing, even in good economic times. But you don't have to give the full amount. Any sum is appreciated and it can add up. Pass on a few lattes this week and send it to LWB. It can be that simple.

I can't stress enough how important this surgery is, and the earlier these little ones have it the better for their physical, emotional and social development.

Visit LWB's website at here for details and to see pictures of these wonderful kids. You have to scroll down for the cleft kiddos, but I'll understand if you don't get that far and decide to sponsor one of the kids at the top who have more urgent needs. All these children, no matter what their medical condition, need help. In a perfect world, they wouldn't have to wait so long for it.

Join me over at the Harlequin Romance Authors Blog

2009-03-31T16:39:00.002-04:00

Come visit me at the Harlequin Romance Authors blog on April 13 where I share some insights into my writing process - such as it is - to celebrate the release of my newest book, Marrying the Manhattan Millionaire.

The link is here.

Hope to see you there.

So, what do you think?

2009-02-18T13:10:00.005-05:00

I'm curious to know what readers think of my new website. It combines two things I love: writing and gardening.

Anyone who visited my website during the past year probably wondered if I fell off the face of the earth. No new releases were posted. No reviews went up. Nothing got updated. I even had one concerned reader write to ask if I was okay.

I'm happy to report I'm fine. Better than fine, in fact. As Dave Ramsey says, I'm better than I deserve to be.

I've been working on books -- four of which were released in North America in 2008. (See the Books page for titles, blurbs and excerpts.) I also have three books due out in 2009. (Look for Marrying the Manhattan Millionaire in U.S. stores in April.) So, I've been busy, busy, busy.

Not everything has been about work, though. My husband and I also welcomed another son in December 2007, a wonderful little guy who is full of energy and giggles. His name is Will, he turns 4 years old at the end of this month and his favorite word is "Why?"

Once I found some time, though, I knew I had to do something about my outdated website. So, I threw some ideas out to the wonderful folks at Ohno Design, worked up a tagline (Love blooms in every book) and had new photographs taken. (Kaiser Studio in Troy, MI did a fabulous job of making me look far more glamorous than I normally do.)

I think the end result looks pretty darned good. I also think the site is easy to navigate and should help readers find places online where they can purchase my books, especially those books that are already off store shelves.

But tell me, what do you think?

Will the third time be the charm?

2007-03-29T11:54:00.000-04:00

Terrific news! A WOMAN WORTH LOVING, the first book in my CONLANS OF TRILLIUM ISLAND trilogy, has been nominated for a RITA award. This is my third nomination in the prestigious contest and the thrill remains the same. I'm over the moon! Keep your fingers crossed that I'll win the golden lady this time.

Watch for these titles!

2006-07-19T20:55:00.001-04:00

After their battle with infertility nearly destroys their marriage, can Reese and Duncan learn to love again? If you like emotionally charged stories, then check out THEIR VERY SPECIAL GIFT. It's out in stores in March 2007 and available online and by order at your favorite bookstore after that. Go to my books page to read an excerpt.

In August, September and October 2007, watch for the SECRETS WE KEEP triology. I'm thrilled to be part of this unique series. I got to work with Liz Fielding of Wales and Barbara Hannay of Australia -- two incredibly talented Harlequin Romance authors -- on an exciting transcontinental trilogy about three women, their secrets and the men they fall in love with (sometimes again) while trying to right past wrongs. Liz's book, REUNITED: MARRIAGE IN A MILLION kicks off the trilogy. Barbara's NEEDED: HER MR. RIGHT comes next. I'm last with FOUND: HER LONG-LOST HUSBAND. I hope you'll pick up all three books.

And there's more ...

COMING IN 2008

What is Jaye Monroe to do when her father dies and her stepmother sells the family's Leelanau Peninsula vineyard to a California vintner? She proposes a business partnership with the very sexy Zack Holland. He agrees, but is business the only thing on his mind? MOONLIGHT AND ROSES (Harlequin Romance, January 2008

I also have two other Harlequin Romances due out in 2008, and a novella in a June anthology that appropriately enough is wedding-themed. The other writers are Jill Marie Landis, one of my all-time favorite authors, and Jo Leigh. More on these projects to come ...

Signings and appearances

2005-09-29T13:39:00.000-04:00

I'll be signing copies of my THEIR VERY SPECIAL GIFT at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Genesee Valley mall from 7-9 p.m. Thursday May 10. Come out and say hello!

Still a bridesmaid

2005-08-09T10:09:00.000-04:00

Sad to say that when it comes to the RITA and the National Readers' Choice Awards, I am still a bridesmaid. But it was one heck of a wedding! I had a great time in Reno at the Romance Writers of America's annual conference. This was the writing organization's 25th year and we celebrated that milestone in style.

The Game Show Bride

2004-09-16T13:07:00.000-04:00

If you're wondering what happened with Stephen and Catherine Danbury from Her Stand-In Groom, you can visit with these characters again in The Game Show Bride, my December 2004 Harlequin Romance. This book also takes place in Chicago. New Vice President Sam Maxwell has stepped in to run the Danbury Department Store chain while Stephen is taking a leave to dote on his wife and their new baby. But if Sam thinks running one of the nation's oldest retail businesses is a challenge, he's in for a real surprise when he meets single mom Kelli Walters. Thanks to a reality TV show that promises heaps of free publicity for the foundering chain, Sam agrees to swap lives and jobs with Kelli. While she's sitting in his big office calling the shots, he's scraping by in her tedious warehouse job. Kelli sees the show as a way to improve the future for her and her two young daughters. But when Sam ups the stakes with his heart-stopping smiles and smoldering glances, she realizes that winning it all may not have anything to do with winning the show.

Awards

2004-07-01T08:32:00.000-04:00

That's me, second from the left, with authors Marion Lennox, Lillian Darcy and Liz Fielding at the Rita Award Finalists Reception in New York in 2003.

Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America

2004-07-01T08:31:00.000-04:00

Clockwise from top: Authors Dana Corbit, me, Laurie Carroll, Sue Charnley and Nancy Gideon represented the Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America at the Women's Expo in Flint, Michigan, in August 2003. It was right after the big blackout that left a good part of the country in the dark, so the facility had no air conditioning. The event itself, though, was pretty 'cool.'