A Conversation with Fern Ronay, Author of BETTER BELIEVE IT (with a giveaway!)

Thanks so much for agreeing to be with us today!

Happy to be here!

What 5 things should readers know about you? 

1. My first name is Jennifer but my friends call me Fern.
2. I am 100% Italian American and from New Jersey.
3. I love Sarah Jessica Parker, SATC, Golden Girls and historical fiction and history in general. I love old photos and encourage everyone to tag me on photos of their grandparents. I really do love to see them even if I don’t know them!
4. I believe in signs from the other side and have a podcast called Signs from the Other Side. I also believe we can meet with our loved ones who have passed when we are asleep and we often don’t remember these visits, but there is a reason things often seem better in the morning.
5. I live in Los Angeles and my husband and I are in the middle of a home renovation. If you don’t want to follow me for book/podcast/signs stories, come for the before and after home photos.

Fellow history fan here! That is so cool about the grandparent pictures… 🙂

Where did the inspiration for this book come from? 

The main character in Better Believe It is Jada. She was a supporting character in my first book, Better in the Morning. The subplot in that book focused on Jada not following her heart, not doing what felt right, but rather what looked right and what pleased her overbearing mother. Better Believe It deals with the consequences Jada now faces by allowing external forces to be her guide.

I love when supporting characters get their own books! <3

How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start?

I never considered myself a creative person until I couldn’t fight it any longer. I was a lawyer in NYC and I had an idea for a novel. I decided to take a writing class and I’ll never forget learning about the three-act structure. It was eye opening and I marveled at how it helped me gather my thoughts and create the outline for what would later become my first novel, Better in the Morning.

It never ceases to amaze me how many lawyers/former lawyers become authors, especially romance and/or women’s fiction authors—they seem like such opposite careers!

What are you working on right now? What can readers look for from you in the next year?

I have the early rumblings in my mind for book 3 and have started the outline, character notes and the first few pages. In Better in the Morning, the protagonist seeks true love and career satisfaction, and is guided by her dead, Italian grandparents. In Better Believe It, the protagonist finds herself stuck in a loveless marriage and as an outsider in her own family and is guided by her dead chain-smoking cousin. In book 3, I would love to explore co-workers who hate each other and, after one of them passes, the other one learns, through dream visits with her now dead co-worker and nemesis, that they have lived previous lives as sisters and those prior lives have left unfinished business. 

Ooooh, sounds promising!

What are you currently reading, and what are your thoughts about it so far?

I’m reading Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. It was recommended to me by my niece. It’s her favorite book! I love historical fiction, especially centering around WWII, and this book is from the perspective of civilians fleeing on the ill-fated Wilhelm Gustoff. I am invested in each of the characters who have all been through hell and want to see them complete their journey, but not on that ship, of course, since we know what happens. I’m reading quickly to see what happens.

I’ve heard good things about that book! I hope you ended up loving it too.

If you had to “sell” your book in a single Tweet, what would you say?
I say this for both of my books, “Sex and the City meets Ghost.”

Short and sweet! I love it!

Thank you so much for these awesome questions, Becky!

Thanks for giving such thoughtful and fun answers! Enjoy your book tour 🙂

About the author:

Fern Ronay has lived in NYC, Chicago, and now sunny Los Angeles with her husband, but she will always consider herself a Jersey girl. She is the author of two novels, Better in the Morning and Better Believe It, and is the host of the podcast Signs from the Other Side, as well as a host at the AfterBuzzTV network. Follow Fern on Instagram @FernRonay and check out her free ebook at FernRonay.com.

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Better Believe It
by Fern Ronay
Publication date: December 3rd 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Women’s Fiction

Jada Marlone’s life appears to be perfect on social media. She has a loving husband, a beautiful child, and a successful career. What she doesn’t post about is the disconnect she feels in her marriage, the difficulties of motherhood, and her strained relationship with her mother.

Resigned to never being truly happy, Jada runs into an ex-boyfriend. While trying to decide whether the coincidence is her second chance at happiness, Jada begins having dreams that feature her dead cousin Gina.

With Gina’s help, Jada starts to uncover the real reasons behind her life decisions. As Jada tries to figure out her future, uncontrollable events threaten her resolve. Will she be able to draw from all she learned from Gina, or will she risk making the same mistakes twice?

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