✦✦✦ AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT✦✦✦ Christina C. Jones

I’m soooo excited to bring you all the first of a new feature for MRN — the AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT! As I mentioned previously, MRN will feature a different author on the 2nd Monday of each month. Let’s get started, shall we!

Allow me to go full on fan girl for a moment. I’m beyond happy have this author here at MRN! *insert big cheesy grin* You’ve probably seen many of her books reviewed here so you know that I’ve enjoyed everyone single one of them. 🙂

Today, MRN puts the spotlight on Author Christina C. Jones. Let’s get acquainted with Christina and her work…

Christina C. Jones is a modern romance novelist who has penned more than 15 books. She has earned a reputation as a storyteller who seamlessly weaves the complexities of modern life into captivating tales of black romance. Prior to her work as a full time writer, Christina successfully ran Visual Luxe, a digital creative design studio. Coupling a burning passion to write and the drive to hone her craft, Christina made the transition to writing full-time in 2014. With more than 17,000 books sold or borrowed, Christina has attracted a community of enthusiastic readers across the globe who continue to read and share her sweet, sexy, and sometimes scandalous stories. Most recently, two of Christina’s book series have been optioned for film and television projects and are currently in development.

If your life was a book, what genre would it be?

One of those boring nonfiction books that nobody reads, lol! My life is super-simple, by design. Or maybe one of those “Mompreneur” type of things. People might read that, lol!

Who/what inspires you/your writing?

Everything around me! My last project was inspired by a trip with my family to go get pancakes. Earlier in the year, we drove down a empty stretch of highway, surrounded by creepy Spanish moss covered trees. That setting sparked an idea for something completely different than anything I’ve done before! Plot bunnies can come from anywhere.

What do you read?

I’m (obviously) a huge fan of black romance/women’s literature. I also like a little bit of YA dystopia, some urban fantasy and paranormal, and those huge fantasy series, like Lord of The Rings, Eragon, Harry Potter, etc!

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I wrote for a while when I was younger, and then an unfortunate event prompted me to lay down my pen. Back then, I think I was just writing to entertain myself and my friends — it didn’t occur to me seeing my name on a book was an attainable reality. When I picked it up again in November 2013, it was after I realized that people were doing this (i.e., publishing) for themselves. They weren’t waiting around for months at a time to year a yes or a no, they were moving! So… I moved too, and I haven’t looked back!

What’s the biggest challenge you face as an author?

Not giving in to the urge to alter my voice, the story I want to tell, my characters, etc, for the purpose of fitting a specific notion of what I, or my story, should be. Even if it bothers some, I do my best to remain true to myself, to my goals, and to the work I want to put forth!

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Read an excerpt from Christina’s latest release….Love You Forever 

“You seem different.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I’d stepped outside, into the delivery area, just to take a breather and collect my thoughts after the intensity of that little impromptu meeting with Harlan.  I’d washed my face in the bathroom, took a deep breath, and then went out to talk to the customers. It was a nice distraction for a bit, but then Harlan came out, and just having his energy in the same general area made my heart race. What I needed was the fresh air.

It had been working too. I felt a little calmer, a little less on edge. Definitely less anxious than yesterday, or the day before. Better, now that I’d apologized to Harlan. Maybe he accepted it, maybe not, but at least it felt like a step in the right direction. What direction that was? I had no idea. Anything was better than where we’d been though… right?

But now, my mother had picked it up. Inspector Scott, as I jokingly referred to her, had noticed a shift in the atmosphere, and was coming to investigate – and scare me half to death in the process.

“What do you mean?” I asked, turning my face up toward the sun, hoping my eyes no longer looked bloodshot from crying.

She clicked her tongue. “Don’t play coy with me, little girl. Did something happen?”

“Something like what?”

“Something,” she said, cupping my chin to pull my gaze toward hers as she stepped in front of me, “like a mending of the rift between you and Harlan?”

I swallowed hard. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

As much as I loved my mother, as much as I told her – almost – everything, I’d never given her an explanation for my sudden disdain for Harlan. She and my father both assumed it was onlybecause of the job – as far as I knew – and I let that assumption ride. I didn’t know what the reaction would be if they found out just how close Harlan and I had become before the announcement of that job, but I knew I didn’t want to risk causing a split between him and my parents.  If my father knew I’d left for New York with a broken heart, Harlan’s job may not have been the only thing in jeopardy.

But Inspector Scott was always onto something.

“Sydnee, when you came back here less than a week ago, you refused to even share a dinner table with that young man. Five minutes ago, I saw him smile at you, and you smiled back. And not that fake smile you do either – you blushed, young lady, and I don’t mean your cheeks turned red.”

My eyes went a little wider. She’d seen that?

I’d been heading to the back, and Harlan had been coming out, so we almost bumped into each other. He’d grabbed my arms to steady me, then smiled, and I’d bolted out here to calm my racing heart.

“So… you want to tell me about it, or not?”

“Not,” I answered, putting a hand up to cover my smile when she rolled her eyes.

“You know your secrecy only lets me know for sure that there’s something going on, right? You may as well just tell me….”

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Christina’s Book List (click cover to purchase on Amazon)

               

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You can stalk…cough…follow Christina for updates on upcoming releases, teasers, etc. How she finds time to write books, take care of her family, and interact with folks on social media is beyond me, but somehow she does it all without missing a beat!

Website ✦ Facebook ✦ Twitter ✦ Pinterest ✦ Goodreads ✦ Amazon

You can search the blog for my reviews of Christina’s work — stay tuned for new reviews of recent titles in the coming weeks. If Christina is totally new to you, I hope you’ve discovered your next favorite read! Come back and let us know your thoughts!

Xoxo,

Coco