About the Book

Book: Ronnie

Author: Jennifer Lynn Cary

Genre: Sweet Romcom

Release Date: June 12, 2024

She’s literally stuck in her engagement…

…He’s trying to keep her there.

But when you take the couple out of Texas, is the romance lost too?

Ronnie Webb has broken her engagement to the love of her life, Carlos (Cal) Garcia, or would have if the stupid ring would come off her finger.

To find the space to get over him and the rest of what is going wrong in her life, she leaves her dad’s Texas ranch to visit her aunt and family in Kokomo, Indiana.

But hanging out with the Weather Girls, especially with their cardinal in the sycamore legend sending out strong vibes, Ronnie’s love life may not be as dead as she thinks.

Carlitos can’t believe the letter Ronnie left him right before Christmas—his last one at home before his enlistment starts. However, his broken wrist might just be the break he needs to get Ronnie back before it’s too late.

But what does this native Texan know about mid-western Hoosier romance?

And can he learn, or is this the end?

Ronnie: A Sweet, Quirky Romantic Yarn is book five in the Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue series. Inspired by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ 1960’s song of the name, this charming tale with a bit of western influence finishes off 1972 and brings you into the New Year in Kokomo, Indiana.

You will enjoy this sweet and wholesome romcom with a touch of western flavor because everyone dreams of their own cowboy romance.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Historical Christian Romance author, Jennifer Lynn Cary, likes to say you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take the Hoosier out of the girl. Now transplanted to the Arizona desert, this direct descendant of Davy Crockett and her husband of forty plus years enjoy time with family where she shares tales of her small-town heritage and family legacies with their grandchildren. She is the author of The Crockett Chronicles series, The Relentless series, and The Weather Girls trilogy as well as the stand-alone novel, Cheryl’s Going Home, her novella Tales of the Hob Nob Annex Café, and her split-time novels The Traveling Prayer Shawl and The Forgotten Gratitude Journal. Her current spin-off series, The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue, contains standalones with a common thread.

More from Jennifer

In the first chapter of Ronnie, Carlitos comes home to his mom making his favorite, Pozole. It is a Mexican soup, and the first time I had it was at my neighbor’s house. She has given me her recipe and permission to share it with you all. Two things to keep in mind: first, she and I had to work to translate this from Spanish to English. We did our best, but if you don’t understand something, just give it your best shot—or ask me. I might be able to figure it out. Maybe. 😉 Two, she usually makes big batches of this, and she cut it back for a “normal” size. So feel free to adjust as needed.

Most of all, though, enjoy!

Pozole Recipe by Araceli Estrada (my amazing neighbor and friend)

Ingredients:

For meat pot-

4 lbs. of bone-in pork loin

½ white onion–diced

1 head of garlic—clean off the paper

2 bay leaves

1 T oregano

1 T ground cumin

1 T powdered chicken bouillon

1 large can of hominy

For chili sauce-

10 chili pods

10 Ancho chilis

10-15 black pepper corns

4 cloves of garlic

For garnish—

Shredded cabbage

Diced onion

Sliced radishes

Chopped cilantro

Chunked avocado

Lime wedges—to squeeze over

Directions:

Place in a Dutch oven, the pork loin, the half onion, the head of garlic, the bay leaves, the oregano, and cumin. Add enough water to cover up to ¾ of pot. Bring to a boil and then heat. Simmer for 2 hours stirring often and skimming off the foam.

Slice open chilis and remove seeds and membranes. In a second pot, add chili pods and Ancho chilis. Cover with water and bring to a boil. After two minutes, turn off heat and allow chilis to rest in hot water for at least ten minutes. The chilis should feel soft and pliable.

Remove from water and put into blender with black peppercorns, 4 cloves of garlic, and a cup of water. Add water a little at a time, careful to not add too much. Puree until smooth. Then pour through a strainer into the meat pot.

Strain the hominy and add it plus the chicken bouillon to the meat pot. Salt to taste. Allow to simmer while preparing the garnishes.

Set garnishes out so guests can choose. Serve with warm tortillas.

(From Jenny: Not sure home much this will serve, but it is so good!)

Author Interview

What is your favorite genre of books? Why?

I enjoy several genres, but lately I’ve been drawn to more of what I like to write—romance with a touch of romcom. You can add some suspense to the mix if you will still make me laugh. I’ll probably go back to straight romance or women’s fiction romance or even some historical one of these days. But for now, what I read needs to be snort-worthy funny.

Are you a one project at a time author or do you have multiple projects going at once?

I had to think about that for a moment. For the actual writing, I’m a one-at-a-time girl. However, I usually have at least three or more stories bouncing around in my head. For instance, I’m currently writing Tracy: A Sweet, Quirky, Romantic Masterpiece (Book 6 of the Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue series). But I have Shilo, Bernadette, and Pieces of April playing “What if?” in my head until I start their writing process. I haven’t figured out yet what I’ll call their sweet, quirky, romantic books yet, but they are the next three. And I can picture them and hear their voices already. As I tell them, we take turns and they’ll get theirs when the time comes. 😉

Do you have extensive outlines when writing or do you write a book as you go?

I’m sort of a middle of the road person. I feel like I know the character pretty well before I start writing. I use One Stop for Writers to build a profile. Then I use Jennifer Crosswhite’s Novel Blueprint to flesh out the basic structure of the story. From then on, though, there’s a lot of wondering and tossing my characters into situations and getting a feel for what they’ll do. Some stories have more structure to follow than others. But I always end up surprised at some point. A new character jumps on the page or a main character does something I hadn’t thought of before. That’s always fun.

Do you remember the first book you read? What sort of impact did it make on you?

I doubt it was the first book I read, but it was one of them. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. I actually memorized the book and enjoyed the rhythms as much as the funny rhymes. I didn’t realize I still had it memorized until my eldest daughter was little and she got the book one Christmas. On a side note, I think it was our 30^th anniversary, our girls threw us a surprise party and my good friend, who is also a pastor and performed the ceremony for two of our girls’ weddings, renewed our vows with us using a Dr. Seuss rhyme. We definitely cracked up trying to get through those.

What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?

Quiet. I’m so easily distracted. I’ve tried music in the background and it worked when I wrote historicals. But now, the best music that inspires me is 60s and 70s music but I only end up singing and not writing. No phone calls or texts, no email or Facebook checking. Just quiet. Sometimes I allow myself to research online—but it must be vital, and I have to limit my time. It’s the only way.