There's Wicked...and then there's Wicked by Jennifer Wilck #WickedWednesday #romance #WRPbks

WICKED WEDNESDAY

Please welcome back Jennifer Wilck to Discover... and Wicked Wednesday. As it turns out, wicked has a lot of meanings. Jennifer knows. So grab a cup and enjoy the read.

When Brenda asked me to write about something “wicked” for this blog post, I laughed. My latest book that I’m promoting, Better Together in Boston, is, as you can see from the title, set in Boston. And Bostonians, and New Englanders in general, use the word “wicked” as a synonym for “very.” So I thought the request was appropriate. 

Why is my story set in Boston? Well, this book is part of the Ticket to True Love series, a multi-author contemporary romance anthology. Each participating author is given a letter of the alphabet to use for their title/setting, and I was given the letter “B.” Since my story incorporates Jewish characters, and cities tend to work better for that (at least for my storytelling), I chose Boston. 

But back to “wicked.” I had a wicked hard time writing this book because of the heroine, Anna. She made a brief appearance in the previous book I wrote for this series, Whispers in Washington, as the best friend of the heroine. I wanted to give her her own story, but I wanted her to be different from my other heroines. 

Anna doesn’t want to get married. She doesn’t want children. She doesn’t believe it’s possible to have it all, and she’s chosen a career. She’s in her early forties and she’s satisfied with her life as is. Mostly. So how do I write a heroine who some might think is “wicked” for a typical romance? After all, romance needs a couple that gets a happily ever after (or a happily for now), and if she’s happy being alone, exactly how am I supposed to do that? Is it possible to make her desires change without making her weak? 

Sure. Just like it’s possible to redeem a wicked character from one book and turn them into the hero in another—and no, I’m not saying that women who like their independence or don’t want children are wicked. Not at all. I know plenty of single women who don’t have children and are completely satisfied with their life. I admire them. 

But Anna? Anna is different. Her adult life is built on a difficult childhood. She watched her mother sacrifice everything to raise her, and Anna isn’t sure if she’s unselfish enough to do that. She’s so used to being alone that she forgets that a true partnership can be built with the right person. No, it’s not possible to have everything, but it is possible to have more than one dream with the right kind of help. And that’s where Ben enters. 

So is Anna wicked? No, not to me she isn’t. And I hope readers don’t find her wicked either. In fact, I hope they can see parts of themselves in her, and I hope she gives them hope that sometimes, life can be better with the right person by your side. 

By the way, if you’re interested in where “wicked” comes from, here’s a cute article I found during my research: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2017/10/13/wicked/ 

Better Together In Boston Blurb: 

Do you believe in the legend of True Springs? 

Mr. Right doesn’t exist… 

Anna Levinson was raised by a single mother, who sacrificed her dreams to give her daughter a warm, loving home. Now a respected professor on the tenure track, Anna is driven to live the life she thinks her mother should have had. She's long since come to terms with the understanding that “having it all” is impossible if she wants a successful career.  

He’s been told he’s Mr. Wrong more times than he can count… 

Despite being left at the altar twice, Ben Diamond still believes his soul mate is out there. He’s ready to marry and start a family of his own. He just clearly won't recognize her when he does find her. And then he meets the maid of honor at his cousin’s wedding, and his world is thrown off kilter. 

Settling down might be more than they bargained for. 

A long-distance relationship isn’t what either of them has in mind, and Anna isn’t about to ruin another person’s dreams. However, giving each other up is harder than it looks. Can Ben convince Anna that she’s got him all wrong, and that he’s finally gotten it right? 

Fall in love with Anna & Ben in this steamy contemporary romance. 

Ticket to True Love is a steamy contemporary romance series about new beginnings, second chances, and finding true love in unexpected places. Fall in love all over the world with bestselling and award-winning authors JB Schroeder, Savannah Kade, Moni Boyce, Shirley Hailstock, Holland Rae, Julie Strauss, & Jennifer Wilck. Start your next romance with Better Together in Boston now! 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Together-Boston-Springs-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B09432941B

Bio 

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after. 

In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate. 

She writes contemporary romance, many of which feature Jewish characters in non-religious settings (#ownvoices). She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Author Links: 

Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/

Newsletter: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/contact.html#newsletter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjenniferwilck/