Jennifer Lohmann – Guest Blog and Giveaway

An unlikely encounter…but he’ll take it!

It seems like fate…or something! When Miles Brislenn spies the girl he had a crush on in high school—at his ex-wife’s wedding, no less—he can’t let the opportunity pass. He might not have had the courage to talk to Renia Milek back then, but he definitely does now. And that’s not the only thing that’s changed. Gone is the rebel Renia used to be. In her place is a beautiful woman who’s reserved, cautious…and holding on to secrets.For Miles, this second chance with Renia is too important to let her past stand in their way. He’ll do whatever is necessary to help her accept her choices and move on—even if that means a salsa lesson or two! Because now that he’s made the first move, he wants the second to be hers.

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Thank you for having me on the blog and giving me an opportunity to talk about my new release, The First Move. The book is the second in a trilogy of the Milek siblings.

Mad said I could talk about whatever I wanted, which she may regret because I’m going to talk about dumplings. Those of you who read my first book, Reservations for Two, know I like to write about food and that pierogi (a Polish dumpling) play an integral role in the lives of all the Milek siblings. Part of this is because I love dumplings. From ravioli to xiaolongbao to samosas to kreplach, eating starch wrapped around hot and savory fillings is incredibly soothing. Dumplings are usually cheap, because they evolved from peasant food cultures. Cheap plus soothing equals the universal comfort food.

Renia Milek, the heroine of The First Move, needs all the comfort she can get. She has spent the past eighteen years of her life hiding from her past and refusing to allow herself intimate relationships, with either friends or lovers. She has a secret that even her best friend doesn’t know about. Her family knows, but they don’t talk about it. Miles, the hero, isn’t afraid of her prickly demeanor, nor is he willing to be pushed away simply because the only reaction Renia has to pain is to shove. He’s wanted her since high school and no secret is going to get in the way.

What does this have to do with dumplings? Two of my favorite scenes happen over a meal of dumplings. When Renia finally makes the decision to be open about her past, she confesses to her best friend over jiaozi (boiled Chinese dumplings much like Japanese gyoza). When she has to face her past over dinner, pierogi are on the menu and Miles is there to support her.

Renia doesn’t have an easy journey in The First Move. Though she works hard for her happy ending, I tried to give her some help along the way—Miles at her back and dumplings on her plate.

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Jennifer Lohmann is a Rocky Mountain girl at heart, having grown up in southern Idaho and Salt Lake City. After graduating with a degree in Economics from the University of Chicago, she moved to Shanghai to teach English. Back in the United States, she earned a Master’s in Library Science and now works as a public librarian. She was the Romance Writers of America librarian of the year in 2010. She and her husband live in the Southeast with a dog, a chicken, and four cats.

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For more information about Jennifer and her books, visit jenniferlohmann.com. And for a chance to win The First Move, just leave a comment below. Good luck!

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