Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Jen Turano & A Match in the Making

I am delighted today to welcome the fabulous Jen Turano back to the blog to chat about her new historical romcom, A Match in the Making! Jen is one of my very fave authors, especially when I need a feel-good romance with a good dose of hilarious madcap mayhem, and I’m super excited about this new series, too!

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publishers Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO.

You can connect with Jen on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.

A MATCH IN THE MAKING by Jen Turano
SERIES: The Matchmakers #1
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance / Gilded Age
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2023
PAGES: 368

Miss Gwendolyn Brinley accepted a temporary paid companion position for the Newport summer season, believing it would be a lark to spend the summer in America’s most exclusive town. She suddenly finds her summer turning anything but amusing when her employer expects her to take over responsibilities as an assistant matchmaker. Tasked with the daunting prospect of attaining advantageous matches for her clients, Gwendolyn soon finds herself in the employ of Mr. Walter Townsend, the catch of the Season, but a gentleman Gwendolyn finds beyond irritating.

Walter Townsend is reluctantly in search of a wife for the sake of his unruly motherless children who cannot keep a governess for long. What he wasn’t expecting was Miss Brinley, an amateur matchmaker who turns his quest for a new wife into a complete and utter debacle. Constantly besieged by society ladies on a mission to win his affection, Walter must find a way to overcome their inundating attention–and his unexpected attraction toward Gwendolyn.

The more time they spend together throughout the Newport Season, the harder it is for Gwendolyn to find Walter a wife when she realizes his perfect match might be . . . her.

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Hi dear Jen! Welcome back to the blog!

Jen: Hahaha—neither. I’m a fall kinda girl. Beautiful colors, chilly weather but not freezing, and best of all, bringing out the sweaters and fancy boots.

Carrie: it really is the best season for fashion, you’re right 🙂

Jen: Coffee, with a dollop of cream, but only fat-free because the other stuff is too heavy, and I can only have one cup first thing in the morning or else I’m spastic for the rest of the day.

Carrie: haha!

Jen: Under, and does there need to be an explanation because, well, that’s the right way to put it on the roll, isn’t it?

Carrie: i completely agree with you! (Though we are, sadly, in the minority on this one. Who knew?)

Jen: I live by the mountains, so I’m going with ocean since, being outside of Denver, I’m land-locked these days.

Carrie: makes sense!

Q: Which books are “on your nightstand”?

Jen: So this is a departure from what I usually read, but someone gave me The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes for Christmas, and I’ve only just started it but it’s super fun. Avery Grambs is a girl who was sleeping in her car and suddenly discovers that a billionaire she doesn’t know has left her his fortune. It’s an old-fashioned kind of mystery, young adult for sure, and the writing has really pulled me in. I also have the other two books in the series, so I’ll be immersed in mysteries for a few weeks.

Carrie: oh that sounds fun!

Q: If I sneaked a peek in your purse right now (which I would never do, I promise!), what would it tell me about you?

Jen: Since I just got a new purse, it’s not going to tell you much since it’s relatively tidy, except that I seem to believe I need to keep three pairs of reading glasses at the ready, and two pairs of sunglasses, and . . . seven different shades of lip gloss, but I’m sure most ladies lug around a ton of gloss because one certainly doesn’t want to run out of that, right?

Carrie: lip gloss is pretty important 🙂

Q: How do you find such delightful character names? I look forward to them with every book!

Jen: I find a lot of them while I’m doing research. Anything unusual I run into gets jotted down and put into a name folder. I also scour old obituaries, and, well, I have been known to shake down my friends if I find out they’re researching their ancestors. That’s where I got Temperance Flowerdew, Mercy Miner, and Lucetta Plum.

Carrie: love the peek inside your process (PS – Temperance Flowerdew is my fave of your character names, I think. So far. lol)

Q: Which of your main characters is most like you?

Jen: Daphne Beekman from To Write a Wrong because she’s a writer, and I may have given her a lot of the quirks I have while trying to write a book.

Carrie: haha! Daphne is such a fun character 🙂

Q: Were there any songs that inspired you as you wrote A Match in the Making?

Jen: I have a really eclectic playlist, but I was mostly listening to ‘80’s rock while writing A Match in the Making. Aerosmith may have been on repeat often, as well as Meatloaf.

Carrie: I cannot wait to see how that inspires Gilded Age era hilarity haha

Q: What is one of your favorite quotes from A Match in the Making & why do you love it?

Jen:

“I knew underneath that intimidating demeanor of yours was a reasonable woman,” Walter began.

“I’m only reasonable when I’m not in danger of drowning, so please, get on with it before I sink again.”

I adore this exchange because it shows exactly who Gwendolyn is, practical to a fault, even when she’s holding a conversation as waves are tossing her about.

Carrie: sounds like a scene I’ll love 😀

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Jen: Thank you so much for having me. Always delightful to be with you. As for what’s next, I just turned in developmental edits for the second book in the Matchmaker Series, To Spark a Match, which means I don’t have much work left to do on that one, but I’m only a few chapters into the first draft of the third book in the series, so . . . that’s what I’ll be doing for the next few months.

Bethany House is offering a print copy of A Match in the Making by Jen Turano to one of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read A Match in the Making by Jen Turano?