Meet prolific author Madeleine Jaimes for an intriguing interview plus her latest release #interview #womensfiction #newrelease #nnlbh
Madeleine Jaimes has quickly become one of my favorite women’s fiction authors.
Here at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven, we love the chance to draw the curtain back and interview authors. It’s a great way for readers to discover more about their favorite authors and see what it takes to write and publish books. Madeleine Jaimes has quickly become one of my favorite women’s fiction authors. She agreed to sit down with me for an in-depth interview. So, grab your favorite beverage and join us. Madeleine, take it away…
What book do you wish you could have written?
While I’m 68 years young and hope I have many more writing years left in me, there is a book rolling around in my head, and has been for years, that I’ve not yet written. Perhaps it’s time has not yet come—and maybe it’s time will never come—but I still wish I’d already written it.
The book sometimes comes to me as a memoir about a certain “moment” in my life that has truly resonated throughout my life. There are times I want to write all those pieces down in little vignettes and call them a memoir. At other times, I consider taking all those pieces of life and rolling them into a piece of fiction. In all honesty, I’ve already done that in a few instances. And maybe that’s how these quilt pieces of life will eventually manifest themselves—tucked into prose and passages of fiction.
Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you?
Natalie Goldberg inspired me with her book, Writing Down the Bones, many many years ago when I was a struggling, aspiring writer. Today, her book is my go-to book when I just need to get over a writing hump. It’s the most dog-eared, paper-clipped, and inked book I own.
Phyllis Whitney is the author who kept me reading, kept me reaching for that next book of hers, as a young woman. Danielle Steele kept me reading as a young mom. And Sandra Brown kept me writing because I wanted to write and publish books just like her.
What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
My children. They are independent, hard-working, and the best parents to my grandchildren. I hope I contributed a little bit to that.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In five years, I’ll be in my early 70s, and I imagine I’ll be right here, writing. Either that, or I’ll be living in my new beach house commune with all my family. I figure if I buy a beach house, they’ll visit often. Right? (or come and live with me?)
Is this your first book? How many books have you written prior (if any?)?
This is not my first book. I’ve been publishing since 1997, both fiction and nonfiction. Right now, I can’t tell you exactly what number I Wish You Love is in my catalog, because some books have been retired, and others rebranded and republished. I think it’s safe to say probably around seventy-five. You can check out most of my catalog at www.maddiejamesbooks.com .
Do you write naked?
Now that would be scary, wouldn’t it? Or maybe fun. I dunno. But seriously, no, I do not write naked. Now, if you asked me that twenty years ago, my answer might have been different. 😉
Have you ever been in trouble with the law?
I have successfully dodged that bullet! (Unless speeding tickets count? I did get yelled at once by a state trooper…)
Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before?
Scotland. I have a strong desire to go to the Highlands. It could be the castles. It could be the thought of men in kilts. Or it could be lingering thoughts of Claire and Jamie and the moors and henges and, well, sigh….
It could be that I’ve got Scottish blood in my veins and that my ancestors are calling.
Do you have any scars? What are they from?
My scars are all within, and they come from life. Those are the ones that beg to be seen, perhaps in my memoir, or buried in those snippets of fiction.
What do you dream? Do you have any recurring dreams/nightmares?
I dream heavily and vividly with detail and in color. My dreams are often nonsensical and curious, making me think. Sometimes I know exactly why I dreamed something and other times, I scratch my head. I’ve had dreams that frightened me—like the one where a little girl is looking into my window from the outside of my bedroom, and I am lying in my bed asleep, and she peeks through the curtains and says to someone, “Shh… she’s still sleeping….” I used to have flying dreams as a child, and that was very cool. I’ve had recurring dreams where the road I’m driving on suddenly goes dark, or narrows, and I can’t see…but I still must drive. I’ve had dreams about houses that go on forever, room after room, floor after floor. Sometimes I dream about the same house. Sometimes I get to visit a new house in my dream. But they all are the same—there’s always something more, something new, around the corner, at the top of the stairs…. (Oh, the plot bunnies are hopping!)
Okay, you may analyze me now. 😊
Thank you, Madeleine, for the fantastic interview. Readers, please scroll down to check out her latest release.
Title I Wish You Love: Alice’s Story
Author Madeleine Jaimes
Genre Women’s fiction
Publisher Sand Dune Books
Book Blurb
Alice McBain spent a lifetime putting others first—her family, her friends, and Marilyn Morgan, the woman she’s secretly loved for over a decade.
But Marilyn isn’t just the mayor of Tuckaway Bay and Alice’s superior—she’s running for a state Senate seat and insists on keeping their relationship under wraps until after the election. Her constituents, and her husband, must never know.
Even though Alice has come to an amicable arrangement with her own husband, she is tired of hiding. After years of whispers and waiting, she wants the life she and Marilyn have dreamed of for years—out loud and in the open.
But when she finally finds the courage to demand more than hidden moments, the carefully constructed façade of her life crumbles. The fallout touches everything. Her family is thrown into chaos, and Marilyn’s political ambitions hang in the balance.
And the woman who’s always put others first must decide what love truly means when you finally choose yourself.
I Wish You Love is poignant, powerful story of identity, sacrifice, and the courage to live—and love—authentically.
Excerpt
Marilyn parked on the road, headed up the sidewalk, and stepped onto the wide porch.
After a moment, Alice opened the interior door and stared out through the screen. “What are you doing here?”
“May I come in?”
Alice glanced past Marilyn, like she didn’t know what to do. “You don’t come here, Marilyn. Why?”
“I know.” Pausing, she looked back at the dark street. “Alice, please? We need to talk.”
She rarely said please. Even rarer, that she’d start any discussion with the word. But tonight, she wasn’t above begging.
“Sure.” Alice unlocked the door.
Marilyn slipped inside and rushed past her, the words tumbling out. “What are we going to do if those pictures get out? I don’t trust Callahan.” They’d avoided that subject all afternoon and evening until now.
Alice followed her with a shrug. “Deny? Claim they are artificial intelligence? I don’t know.”
Marilyn whirled back. “That’s not a bad idea. The A.I. angle.”
“Do you think it will come to that?”
Marilyn strolled further into the house, Alice behind her. She slowed and rotated when she got to the living room. “It’s been a long time. I picture your house in my head, looking just like this. It’s you,” she whispered.
Feelings of remorse quickly washed over her. She’d only been there once before, and that was a shame. She and Alice had put their lives on such strict hold that they truly hadn’t gotten to know each other better on a simple, down-home basis. For that, she was sorry.
But she wouldn’t tell her that. Not tonight. Not yet.
Alice ambled toward her, stopping only to turn out a lamp on a side table. Now, the room was lit only with the low light from the entry hall. “How long can you stay?” she whispered.
Marilyn sighed and reached for her, jerking her closer. “For a while,” she murmured. Her lips were now dangerously close to the tender spot right behind Alice’s ear. She knew that with one swipe of the tip of her tongue, she could send her into pre-orgasmic shudders.
But she’d promised Jonathan.
I don’t give a fucking shit about Jonathan at the moment. I can live in two worlds, no matter what he says, and I want to be in this one. In this house. I cannot give Alice up—even for him.
“Marilyn…?”
She stepped back, searching Alice’s eyes. “I have some news.”
“Oh?”
“I’m afraid I have to let you go. From the campaign. Matt will take over.”
The stunned look on Alice’s face was almost her undoing. Why was she doing this? Putting her through this? Them? Was it all so that Jonathan would stick around and make her world appear perfect? To her constituents? Or, was he forcing this because he loved her and didn’t want to lose her?
Obviously, he was messing with her head. And no one messed with her head like Jonathan.
Alice took a breath. “What are you saying?”
“Jonathan has copies of the pictures. He wants me to fire you.”
“Shit.” Alice pushed back, putting space between them. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Losing two jobs in one day was definitely not on my bingo card.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“How did Jonathan get the pictures?”
Marilyn sighed and turned, arms crossed, pacing a few steps back and forth. “Honestly, I didn’t ask him that question, but I can only assume it’s Callahan. They were in the same type of folder.”
“Callahan is a bastard.”
“I’d say that’s being kind.”
Alice grasped Marilyn’s elbow and stopped her pacing. “What do you want to do?”
“Well, obviously, I don’t want to let you go.”
Closing the gap between them again, Alice crowded closer. “Then don’t. Because your husband suddenly grew balls, you’re going to bend the knee to him?”
Who is this woman? Marilyn chuckled. “Who else grew balls?”
Alice grinned and reached for her hand. “Come to bed,” she whispered. “I want you in my bed.”
“Shit, Alice,” she hissed.
She led her toward the hall and stairwell. “Come.”
“He’s going to watch me like a hawk. Us. He’s going to watch us so closely.”
Alice halted and looked over her shoulder, smiling. “Everyone is watching us closely. We have to be careful. For you, for the campaign, for us. This could be our last night together for a while—but we can play the game until it’s over. Right? Until we are finally together?”
She looked at her with such sincerity, and suddenly, for the first time in their relationship, Marilyn wondered if she was only now truly seeing Alice for who she was.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Author Direct: https://maddiejamesbooks.com/products/i-wish-you-love-alices-story
Universal: https://books2read.com/I-wish-you-love
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wish-You-Love-Alices-Tuckaway-ebook/dp/B0DKY5ZX1F
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/i-wish-you-love/id6737483830
B&N Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-wish-you-love-madeleine-jaimes/1146480699
Kobo Books: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-wish-you-love-6
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Madeleine_Jaimes_I_Wish_You_Love?id=-cssEQAAQBAJ
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220805714-the-me-i-left-behind
Author Biography
Madeleine Jaimes writes emotional upmarket women’s fiction, exploring the real-life, complicated issues of women and their relationships through story. She sometimes spends her time writing small town and cowboy romance as Maddie James. Learn more at www.maddiejamesbooks.com
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MJNovelist/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddiejames_1
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@maddiejames_1
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/themaddiejames/
Nice, Maddie!
Thank you, Nancy! I enjoyed crafting the interview with you!