The Spotlight welcomes Jaye Viner this week, author of Jane of Battery Park
Author Name: Jaye Viner
Book Title: Jane of Battery Park
Book Genre: Romantic Thriller
Release Date: 8-31-21
Publisher: Red Hen Press
Congratulations on the launch of your new book! How would you describe Jane of Battery Park?
Jane of Battery Park is a romantic thriller in the vein of Romeo and Juliet where she comes from a family that puts celebrities on trial for their sins, and he is a has-been heartthrob from Hollywood royalty. Falling in love is easy, until their families find out.
What drew you to the romantic thriller genre?
I set out to write an empowering story about a woman learning to love herself after coming from an extreme faith culture. In fact, I specifically did not want to write a romance. But when I first offered the book to agents in New York, it was suggested that the story could be improved if it was also a romance. I thought about that for a while, and I decided this would be okay because part of learning to love yourself is figuring out how you are in a relationship with someone else. I think the love story aspect did a lot for the story.
For you, what’s the hardest thing about writing?
It’s easy for me to write a story I’m satisfied with. So, I think the hardest part is thinking about an audience and what they want, or what will be satisfying to them beyond just what I want. Lots of advice is always to write to your own passion, but at a certain point, you are writing for a publishing industry and reading audience and evaluating writing to see how it fits for those people is very hard.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Jane of Battery Park?
There’s so much to love about Jane of Battery Park. I fall in love in new ways every time I read it. (Which is really amazing considering how many times I’ve had to read it.) I’m a literary writer who knows the value of a fast plot and tight scenes. The book goes quickly. It has the romantic side. It has the family drama side. And for people interested in thinking about our particular American political moment and the rise of Christian Nationalism, it gives a human face to the many people who are struggling to figure out who they are apart from families who either supported or participated in the coup attempt on January 6th. Jane as a main character is messy and human and so desperate to find a firm place to put her feet, I think that’s very compelling because so many people struggle with finding themselves at different stages in their lives.
I love that you see so many dynamics of today represented in this story. I’m in! So what’s next? Are you working on a new project?
I am currently working on a eco-fiction novel that takes place in far-future Nebraska. It’s about a murderer who tries for a new start in a dome city only to find out that her new boss might have secret motives for hiring a criminal. There are some carnivorous plants. It might be speculative horror, one of those burn down the broken world stories.
How are you adjusting to marketing a book during a pandemic?
This is the first time I’ve marketed a book, so there wasn’t much adjustment from something I had done before. I’ve enjoyed being creative on social media and making connections with people through those platforms. As a disabled writer with limited money, the shift to online has been really helpful and given me more opportunities than I would have had if I’d been expected to travel and figure out access in physical spaces.
Where can readers find you (website, blog, social media, etc.)? Feel free to include any upcoming, live/online events, workshops, too!
Launch event Tuesday 8-31 at 7 pm CT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEC9kZgPO1c
https://www.instagram.com/jaye_viner/
Thank you, Jaye! Jane of Battery Park is out TODAY!
Jane of Battery Park
Jane is a Los Angeles nurse who grew up in a family that puts celebrities on trial for their sins.
Daniel is a has-been actor whose career ended when Jane’s family nearly killed him for flirting with her.
Eight years after a romantic meet-cute in Battery Park, both search for someone to fill the gap they imagine the other could’ve filled if given the chance. Jane compulsively goes on dates with every self-professed expert in art, music, and food hoping they will teach her the nuances of the culture she couldn’t access in her youth. Daniel looks for a girlfriend who will accept the disabilities left from the cult attack. A loving woman will prove to Daniel’s blockbuster star brother, Steve, that he’s capable of a supporting role in Steve’s upcoming movie and relaunching Daniel’s career.
When a chance encounter unexpectedly reunites them, Jane and Daniel not only see another chance at the love they lost, but an opportunity to create the lives they’ve always wanted. The only question is whether their families will let them.