May Author of the Month Jamie Lynn Miller Author introduction with Guest post & #giveaway @JamieLynnAuthor @TTCBooksandmore

Hey y'all, allow me to introduce you to our Author of the Month for May, my very good friend, Jamie Lynn Miller. Let's start off with Jamie's guest post for the month all about research. As an Indie Author myself, I completely agree that research is of the utmost importance when outlining and writing your stories. 

Giveaway details at the end of the post, and be sure to keep following all Jamie's posts for the month as every comment on every post will be entered into the giveaway.  

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Research is an author’s best friend...

For me, one of the best parts of coming up with a new idea for a book is the research. I love learning new things and throwing myself wholeheartedly into my work. You don’t need to be a doctor to write a romance about a doctor, but you do need to do your homework on the subject or your readers will call you out on your inaccuracies.

When I decided to write books about men in uniform, I wanted to get it right. For “Burnin’ for You”, my fireman/paramedic romance, I spent 14 days with my local fire department. I was fitted for my own turnout gear, I went on a ride-along, I went inside the burn tower to experience a backdraft firsthand, I spent time with the EMTs, I learned how to roll hose and attach it to a hydrant, I used the Jaws of Life to pry a door off a car and an axe to break out a windshield.

For “Out of the Shadows”, my K-9 cop/Hollywood actor romance, I used my knowledge and experience gained from several citizen’s police academy classes. I spent time with my local K-9 unit and learned what an amazing bond the handlers have with their dogs. I also learned that male/male domestic abuse cases are vastly under-reported because men are ashamed to admit they’re being abused by another man. Which just broke my heart, so I decided to bring that issue to light.

And all of that research paid off, as I’ve had more than one first responder commend me on how realistic my books are, which means the world to me.

For my brand new release, “Stronger Together”, a romance between two British Intelligence agents, I had my work cut out for me. I don’t live in the UK and I also set the book in 1977. I not only needed to get the British language right, complete with slang, but also the time period. Since I couldn’t time travel to London in the 70’s, I hit up Google, I reached out to friends in England and I also watched a lot of British movies and television shows from that decade. And again, all that research paid off, as my beta reader from the UK did a thorough “Brit-check” for me and pointed out just a few things I needed to change. Other than that, I’d gotten everything right!

So the moral of the story is—put the time in to do your research, may it be actual hands-on experiences or the internet or talking with people. Your fans will thank you for it!

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One unexpected kiss. Two lives turned upside down. 

Working for British Intelligence, agents Liam Bancroft and Colin Mason live a life of danger, on the razor’s edge. They’ve seen it all, done it all, trusting one another unequivocally with their very lives. Partners. Best mates. Their bond unbreakable.

Until one assignment changes everything…

It should’ve been nothing more than a simple, innocent kiss to save their cover and their mission. But instead, it sends Colin fleeing on a difficult journey of self-discovery and Liam fearing he’s irrevocably destroyed their friendship beyond repair.

Against the backdrop of a quaint cottage in the sleepy English countryside, painful secrets are revealed, long-buried feelings rise to the surface and two men learn for the first time in their lives what it truly means to be in love.

Stronger Together is a friends-to-lovers, first-time gay romance with a HEA 

BUY LINKS: AMAZON (US) AMAZON (UK) APPLE KOBO B&N PAYHIP

Jamie has been writing fiction since childhood and decided to take the plunge and go pro in 2008, finding to her amazement that people truly enjoyed her love stories. She’s a romantic at heart, and her tales reflect the desire we all have to find “the one,” persevering through trials and heartache for that happy ending.

Jamie has a degree in fine arts and has spent the last twenty-five years working as a graphic designer, though she’d much rather be writing. She was born in Chicago and still lives there today with her husband and their furry, four-footed children, er… cats.

If Jamie’s not brainstorming story ideas, you can find her at a sci-fi convention, in front of a furnace doing glass blowing, or on a mat twisted into a yoga pose.

Author links:

Email: jamielynnmiller@live.com

Blog: http://www.jamielynnm.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamielynn.miller.3

Miller’s Minions reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1095634237887734

Amazon Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/k3go6f2

Twitter: @JamieLynnAuthor

Jamie is offering any eBook from her backlist. To be entered, simply leave a comment with your favorite character(s) from any of her books.

*You MUST leave your contact information >email address< to be contacted if you're name is chosen* All comments from all Author of the Month posts throughout April will be entered into the giveaway.

Follow the blog facebook page HERE and check the giveaway tab for all the current promo posts with giveaways, thanks for stopping by y'all!