WARNING:
If you are a reader and you wandered over here, just know that there are some possible spoilers in this information. If you don’t want to know the tropes in the books or how long the series will be or any other kind of potential surprises, hit that back button!
Series or Standalone?
Series
I am only publishing books in the Books of the Kindling series at this time. I am hoping it will be a nine book series with some novellas and short stories, like Falling Into the Sky and others. Worst case, it might go to ten books. *guilty smile*
Each book is clearly identified as to where it fits in the series, on this website as well as on the books themselves.
With that said, every book is a fully contained romance with an HEA for the relationship of the main couple while the overall conflict arc of the series continues.
Genre/Subgenre?
Contemporary romance/Science fiction romance/Romantic Suspense
The Books of the Kindling is a contemporary romance series. It is set in current day, with the exception of the prequel, which is set in the recent past. It could be happening right now in the hollows and hills of the Appalachian mountains to people just like you and me.
But it is also science fiction romance. I like to call it cozy science fiction romance – science fiction romance for people who love romance and don’t think they would like science fiction. It is not set in space, although I love exploring relationships set out there in the universe and on other planets. And it does not involve alien romance, although I have some favorites in that genre.
The series could be labeled romantic suspense as well, since there is a resolution of a threat or danger within each book and a sense of impending catastrophe building throughout the series, but as I said, cozy. There is darkness, but in the midst of it there is love and laughter.
Tropes
Catching Stars in a Jar, Book One
- Wounded hero
- STEM heroine
- Fake identity
- Ticking clock
- Healer in hiding
- Forced proximity
- Sacrifice for love
- Spunky kid
- Amazing dog
- Stewardship of the Earth
Content Warnings/Trigger Warnings
Catching Stars in a Jar, Book One
- A few expletives, some with apologies
- Some violence and threatened violence, character injury
- Characters trapped in a confined space
- Death and implied demise of secondary (“bad guy”) characters, off camera, no gore
- A non-explicit consensual sex scene, mostly implied and off camera, with laughter and fireflies
Comparative Titles
That’s a tough one!
The Bones Beneath My Skin comes close, especially the gorgeous natural setting. But, of course, T.J.’s lovely stories revolve around an LGBTQ+ romance.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars is another one that is very comparable, but is more woman’s literature than romance.
The message delivered by Wild Dark Shore is another close comparison, but that amazing book is as bleak and dark as its setting. Of course, it is not a romance either.
Finally, I have said that the entire Books of the Kindling series is Practical Magic meets Contact in the Appalachian mountains. And that is probably the best comparison.
Why I Wrote The Series
Because I love romance and I love the planet
I wrote the Books of the Kindling series to introduce readers who love to read romance (like me!) to the realities of the slow-motion destruction of our environment. Too often fiction, despite succeeding in spotlighting the slow violence that is degrading our ecosystems, raising sea levels, decimating biodiversity, and ultimately, threatening human existence, goes either too dark or too preachy.
My intention is to be uplifting and entertaining (and making readers swoon is fun) while delivering just a bit of information and education at the same time. If my readers who love romance finish the books with an even slightly increased understanding of our natural world and how we can preserve it while saving ourselves, I’ve done my job. Love will always be at the forefront, but hope will be riding its coattails.
Where Are the Books Available for Review?
Catching Stars in a Jar, Book One
- NetGalley
- Booksirens
- Reedsy Discovery
If none of the above work for you, contact the author (below).
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