Meet Jennifer Lane

You know how there are people who, although you've never met them in person, you just know they're not only cool but a really nice person who'd be totally fun to hang out with?  Well, Jennifer Lane, fellow Omnific Publishing author, is one of those people. So I'm thrilled to have her visit today---and I'm even thrilldeder to get to meet her in person in a few months!

I recently read her novel, With Good Behavior, book #1 in the CONduct series, and here's a snippet of my Goodreads review (click to read the whole shebang).

And here's my interview with her, in which you'll notice I focused on questions about my sweet home Chicago:

1. I know you have family in Chicago and have spent a lot of time there, but I also know that you're a pretty frequent traveler and have been to many other fabulous places, so what made you choose Chicago above all those other places as a setting?

After growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, I love Chicago because it has the familiarity of the Midwest but the spiciness of the big city. When I was in a psychology graduate program at Notre Dame, my oldest sister and her husband moved from London to Chicago. I never will forget the thrill of driving into the city for the first time to visit them...the majestic skyscrapers, the shimmer of Lake Michigan, the pulse of the nightlife. My sister now has three boys and it's wonderful to visit my nephews.

Chicago has both beautiful architecture and a gritty underbelly, and I found that dichotomy to be a wonderful backdrop for my series. For a mafia story, the home of Al Capone is a natural choice. And I love to be around water -- Lake Michigan is gorgeous.

2.  Is Chicago the home base for all three books in the CONduct series?

Yes! Chicago architectural cruises play a big role in With Good Behavior (The Conduct Series #1). For Bad Behavior (#2), Chicago's political corruption a la Rod Blagojevich inspires the plot, ha ha. The mafia element of Chicago and local prisons in Gurnee and Downer's Grove continue to star in On Best Behavior (#3).


3.  When you visit the Windy City, besides your sisters' homes, what are the other "must see" places on your itinerary?  

One sister recently moved to Hilton Head Island, so maybe I'll feature my next novel there! In Chicago I love the restaurant Big Bowl, and the Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao (which inspired a scene in Bad Behavior). Roger Eaton's favorite deep dish pizza at Giordano's is also yummy. My nephews and I usually dive into the swimming pool in my sister's condo building. In the summer, we absolutely hit the Ohio Street Beach, and in the late summer, I like to swim two miles in Lake Michigan. Walking or riding bikes along the lake is fun, as is shoe shopping at Nordstrom's Rack (one of the few stores to carry size 12 for my flipper feet!) Sometimes we visit "the bean" at Millennium Park, and I want to return to the aquarium soon. Chicago is a fun place to meet up with friends like Lorne from England, my editor Jessica Royer Ocken, and my graduate school advisor Anita.

4. In April, I plan to meet up with you and other writer friends while you're in town at the Romantic Times conference.  What I'm wondering is...how much money (and/or tequila) will it take to get you to stand up and belt out Sinatra on an architectural cruise?

Yeah! I can't wait to meet you at our first romance writer conference. Luckily for me, I don't think architectural cruises start running that early? *crosses fingers* I like to belt out songs in the privacy of my car, but my voice is nothing like Grant's! How much tequila would it take for YOU to belt out Sinatra at the hotel bar? ;-D

Uh, maybe about one shot - I'm a cheap date these days. ;)

Thank you for having me to your blog, Nicki! I'm so blessed we met through our publisher.

Aw, see what I mean about her being nice?
Thank YOU for visiting, Jen! 

All are welcome to join & hop along. :)