Thanks to Jayne Allen, it’s beginning to feel a lot like the holidays. I recently spoke with her about her latest romantic comedy, The Most Wonderful Time.
Tell me about your latest book.
My latest book, The Most Wonderful Time, is a holiday home swap romantic comedy with a little bite of satire, and it comes out on October 8. It’s also a much deeper story of healing, reclaiming space, and rediscovering oneself. You’ll meet Ramona Tucker who is trying so hard to keep her family from finding out she’s broken up with her fiancé that she’s resorted to faux-planning her wedding in Chicago. And you’ll meet Chelsea Flint who is so subsumed by grief that she can’t even access her natural talents to fix a financial crisis she’s facing in Malibu concerning her home. Both women are desperately in need of change. Fortunately for them, and for us who get to follow their story, their lives will intersect when they swap homes for the Holiday and get a chance to spend a week in each other’s respective lives in Malibu and Chicago. It’s a book that’s very character-centered and full of life. I think readers will become very connected to the characters—they were a lot of fun to write.
What inspired you to write it?
I wanted to write a “vacation in a book” type of story, that literally would feel like you took a trip, even if you never left your own most comfortable reading place. And I think there’s something quite special about the holiday time at the end of the year—it feels full of emotion and possibility. You’re thinking back about the year that has passed, you have high expectations of time with family and friends, you’re thinking forward about who you want to become in the coming year. I loved the movie The Holiday, but always wished that it was more diverse or that I could see a version of that premise rooted from my own cultural perspective as a black woman also. So, a holiday home swap romance comedy became the perfect landscape for one of my stories—fundamentally always about a woman we likely know who is recovering an important part of herself. My dual protagonists, although both very different, are really mirror images of each other and dealing with the same issue. I also thought it would be important to add in the perspectives that the experience of race brings—and to explore that in writing the story. My books are basically my own little laboratories where I discover and learn about human behavior and relationships.
When did you fall in love with the written word?
I started reading very young. My grandmother was a teacher, and she taught me how to read and write at home even before we learned in school. I said my first word at six months old. I just grew up believing that people put the best parts of themselves in books. I would always go into bookstores and libraries looking for those kinds of treasures.
What’s the best part of being an author?
By far the best part of being an author is getting to create something that becomes a shared experience for so many people. Suddenly, we all know these characters in common. We know their story and have opinions about them that we can discuss. It’s a beautiful way to foster connection, and I love visiting with the book clubs who read my work.
What’s the hardest part of being an author?
The hardest part of being an author is the discipline involved in the actual process of writing, especially on deadline. You may want to be out in the world discovering, but you have to sit and write for hours at a time, sometimes to actually get very little down on the page. But it’s only hard, definitely manageable!
What books have you read lately and loved?
I recently read Skin and Bones by Renée Watson. I thought it was so beautifully done and presented such a brilliant perspective on life in a larger body.
What book(s) are you most excited to read next?
I have several books in my queue right now. Next up is: The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas. She did such a brilliant job with her prior book What Passes As Love. I can’t wait to read this one.
Who would you cast in a movie to play your main characters?
All I know is that I would love to write words for Angela Bassett to deliver. I think I’d love to see her as Ramona Tucker’s mother, Melba Tucker. As a character, she’s such a lively, sophisticated, and yet down-to-earth woman. She’s a twirl of style and color in every scene. I’d love to see Angela Bassett as that kind of character.
What’s next for you?
My next book series is an exciting step forward into a different kind of exploration relative to my prior work. I’m still writing a romance, but this time, I’m adding in paranormal elements and setting the story in the world of shapeshifters. It’s been so much fun to explore the world-building and lore-crafting. I’ve had to imagine a whole parallel history for a people that parallels that of African Americans in the American South up through slavery and beyond. The protagonist of the story discovers that she’s the rightful ruler of a shapeshifter dynasty currently under the control of her love interest’s power-obsessed family. She loves him and has no idea his job is to kill her. It’s going to be very steamy and will become a new series.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
I’m working on some very exciting tie-ins for readers of The Most Wonderful Time. So I’d just like to mention that on October 8, the book website TMWTBook.com will become a very fun destination for readers—right now, it is simply set up for the book pre-order campaign, but there’s much more to come!
Use the Black Fiction Addiction affiliate link to purchase your copy of The Most Wonderful Time.
To learn more about, Jayne Allen, visit her websites or connect with her on social media.
The Most Wonderful Time book website: TMWTBook.com
Author Website: www.JayneAllen.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/JayneAllenWrites
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jayneallenwrites
YouTube: @jayneallenwrites