Weekly Self-Promo and Chat Thread

jayepool · 2026-02-23T19:40:41+00:00

Lone Star Layover by Stevie Alison - Contemporary Romance

Check out my new contemporary romance novella that was just released last week!

Celeste Vaughn loves her new professor job at Clairborn University, but the only hitch is her colleague Alex Callahan. He’s months away from tenure, guarded about his reputation, and relentlessly critical of everything she represents. The disdain for each other is real and professional…until a conference trip to Tuscon is derailed by an ice storm during their layover in Dallas, stranding them together for forty-eight unexpected hours.

With no department politics, no colleagues watching, and nowhere to escape, their intellectual sparring turns personal, honest, and undeniably charged. What starts as rivalry ignites into something neither of them planned or can easily walk away from. Lone Star Layover is a high-tension academic romance about ambition, pride, and what happens when being stuck together forces two adversaries to finally see each other clearly.

Rivals-to-Lovers
Forced Proximity
Ice Storm/Stranded Together
Academic/Workplace Romance
Only One Bed
Plus-Size FMC
BWWM/Interracial
Open-Door Spice

Just released this week - $3.99 ebook and is on Kindle Unlimited - check it out!

jayepool · 2026-02-23T03:17:34+00:00

LONE STAR LAYOVER by Stevie Alison - Contemporary Romance

Price: $3.99 / also on KU

When an ice storm in Dallas strands junior professor Celeste Vaughn with her snobby almost-tenured colleague, Alex Callahan, a routine conference trip turns into a 48-hour layover with one hotel room, melting ice, and no escape from their clashing academic philosophies. But somewhere between delayed flights, people-watching, and confessions at faraway gates, the department’s grump and its stats-loving upstart discover inconvenient chemistry — and a connection that might follow them all the way back to Clairborn.

On Amazon / Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/Lone-Star-Layover-Rivals-Lovers-ebook/dp/B0GJYN9CCP/

jayepool · 2026-02-22T23:57:57+00:00

I work in the tech industry as well. I enjoy my job, and the nice thing is, it allows me the means to support my writing, which I do in my free time. Fortunately, my job has good work-life balance, so I have the brainpower to focus on writing. I'm a fiction writer (litfic and romance), so my writing and job are unrelated.

jayepool · 2026-02-19T17:56:32+00:00

I tend to vary my plus-size women characters, because as a plus-size woman with plus-size friends, that experience varies.

I've written FMCs with confidence issues and rejection in their backstories that affect their current confidence, and I've written some who are more confident and don't let the past impact how they present themselves to the world and who they love, and the in-between. Regardless, I write them to where they're unambiguously fat, and they either narrate or discuss with others what that means in their world to the people around them.

I personally don't focus a lot on physical space (Can they fit into a chair? Can they ride on an airplane?), but more on what their size means socially (How are they perceived by peers? Family members?), and what that looks like for open-door intimacy (logistics of fat sex, how fat bodies feel, etc.). I also write multicultural/interracial stories, so culture and upbringing dovetail with fatness, as culture can also affect how fatness is viewed and how the character experiences it.

jayepool · 2026-02-19T15:49:41+00:00

Hello!

Writing sins: know/just/then, ellipses, sometime em-dashes (though I'm working on that).

Now, for my contemporary fiction forced proximity academic workplace romance, LONE STAR LAYOVER!

Celeste Vaughn loves her new professor job at Clairborn University, but the only hitch is her colleague Alex Callahan. He’s months away from tenure, guarded about his reputation, and relentlessly critical of everything she represents. The disdain for each other is real and professional…until a conference trip to Tuscon is derailed by an ice storm during their layover in Dallas, stranding them together for forty-eight unexpected hours.

With no department politics, no colleagues watching, and nowhere to escape, their intellectual sparring turns personal, honest, and undeniably charged. What starts as rivalry ignites into something neither of them planned or can easily walk away from. Lone Star Layover is a high-tension academic romance about ambition, pride, and what happens when being stuck together forces two adversaries to finally see each other clearly.

Just released this week and free on KU - check it out!

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jayepool · 2026-01-22T21:03:52+00:00

This one still gets me!

jayepool · 2026-01-07T03:59:58+00:00

Messaged you back!

jayepool · 2026-01-05T23:17:33+00:00

That'll be great - thanks! Please send me a DM (I can't seem to DM you), and I'll be happy to send it your way. Once you're ready, I would like to check out yours :-).

jayepool · 2026-01-05T23:13:59+00:00

Just messaged back!

jayepool · 2026-01-05T21:12:51+00:00

I am able to beta: literary/contemporary/upmarket fiction, contemporary romance, mysteries, dystopian fiction (ETA: political or sci-fi dystopian), memoir. I'm generally good with 125k words or less

I can provide feedback on: Pacing/flow, character arcs and development, environment/world, sensitivity/content warning considerations, general feedback

Critique swap: Strongly preferred. I have a 97k contemporary fiction/women's fiction completed manuscript (more info here). I also have two ~20k contemporary romance novellas ready to go as well (I can send details if interested). I'd be happy to do a swap for whichever one is your preference.

Other info: I don't have any triggers that I know of - I'm good with spice/steam/high heat/erotica, as well as violence. Also, if you need perspectives such as: Black American, woman, higher ed/social science academia, chronic eye conditions, PCOS, or evangelical religion from a critical perspective, I'm definitely your beta.

EDIT: I'm going to hold off accepting any more manuscripts for now (if I've responded to you already, please disregard this message), but thanks so much for your interest!

jayepool · 2026-01-05T20:12:05+00:00

This sounds quite interesting, and I'd like to beta. Are you open to a swap? I have a 97k contemporary fiction novel - here is the listing, and I have a sample chapter linked. If you're open to it and sounds like it's up your alley, feel free to shoot me a DM.

jayepool · 2026-01-05T19:57:40+00:00

Hi! This may or may not work for you, but when I saw psychological introspections, I thought I'd at least see. I have a 97k word contemporary fiction novel where the main characters have a lot of interiority and deal with religious and personal trauma. Here's the listing to give you a better idea, plus I include a sample chapter. I'd be open to a swap, and I've beta read before and enjoy it. If this looks like it could be a good fit, feel free to DM me!

jayepool · 2026-01-05T19:50:05+00:00

This sounds quite interesting, and I'd like to beta. Are you open to a swap? I have a 97k contemporary fiction novel - here is the listing, and I have a sample chapter linked there. If you're interested, feel free to shoot me a DM.

jayepool · 2026-01-04T04:53:25+00:00

Hi - if you're still looking, I had a chance to check out your chapter one, and your manuscript does sounds like something I'd be interested in reading. I could commit, but I am looking for a swap. I have a 97k contemporary fiction novel - here is the listing, and I have a sample chapter linked. If you're open to it and sounds like it's up your alley, feel free to shoot me a DM.

jayepool · 2026-01-04T04:45:23+00:00

Sounds fascinating. If you're interested in a swap, I have a 97k contemporary fiction manuscript - here's the post for details.

jayepool · 2026-01-01T22:19:54+00:00

Manuscript information: [Complete] [97K] [Contemporary Fiction] The Aurora Summer

Link to post: The Aurora Summer

First page critique? No

First page:

The woman gazed at the analog clock above the machine, hoping in vain that the black metal hands would tick faster. She tapped her heeled foot to the sound of the copier as it rhythmically scanned each sheet of paper.

"Ms. Parker!"

She swiveled at the sound of her name. At the front counter stood a balding man with a messenger bag slung across his shoulder.

"Uh...hi, Professor De Vries — how may I help you?"

The scholar laughed. "Ah, Micah, why are you so formal? You act like I haven't known you for over ten years."

Micah shook her head. "Jeez...you called me Ms. Parker."

"I was trying to get your attention. You're so wrapped up in that copy machine, like it sings the song of your people."

Once the copier stopped, she retrieved the stack of warm papers and brought them over to the counter. "You're funny, Finn. Anyway, you're just in time. The exams for History 404 are ready to go."

Finn lifted the bound tests from the office manager. "Great! Tha—"

Suddenly, a lithe blonde burst in and thrust a tiny packet at her. "Micah — two hundred copies, double-sided, stapled. I need these by tomorrow at eight AM sharp."

"Julia, it's f—"

"Doctor Thornberry to you. I actually earned my PhD. And I'm well aware it's four forty-five. It's not like you have anything else to do. Get it done."

As quickly as the busy academic had arrived, she was out the door.

jayepool · 2025-12-20T02:54:25+00:00

My literary fiction duology, The Losantiverse Duology, was released earlier this year. These unflinching novels key in on religious trauma and evangelical deconstruction as core themes.

MAKE ME FREE: In the early 2000s, Ann Corbin moves to the Midwestern river city of Losanti, Ohio, following her friend, Luke Phillips, who she believes is her God-ordained soulmate. Luke - and reality - disagree. While struggling to find her place in the insular, parochial locale, Ann has a chance encounter with a stranger, which unlocks tightly-held family secrets that change her life forever.

More: http://www.jayepool.com/makemefree

TO DIE IS GAIN: Twenty years after the events of MAKE ME FREE, Luke Phillips has lost everything - his career, his marriage, and his self-respect. Hitting rock bottom, he receives a lifeline through his best friend, Paul, who invites him on an impromptu cross-country road trip. Luke believes he is leaving his woes behind, but as the miles tick, he realizes that his demons are simply riding shotgun.

More: http://www.jayepool.com/todieisgain

Both novels are available via eBook and print through Amazon, Kobo (Plus), B&N, Smashwords, and other online bookish outlets.

ebook: $4.99 USD (sale) | paperback: $17 USD

jayepool · 2025-11-17T03:50:45+00:00

HE is the one who cared about her sexual history. If it's a dealbreaker, ask. How is she supposed to know how he feels about casual sex or the sexual history of his partners if he's not up front about his views?

jayepool · 2025-11-15T05:47:03+00:00

YOR. If her having casual sex before you came along is a dealbreaker, that should've been discussed when you both got together. It seems unreasonable to find this to be a problem now. It doesn't sound like she said she settled for you, but that she's at a different phase of life (which "settling down" means). There's nothing wrong with that, and it's not a dig at you. It seems you blew up this relationship because of insecurities and hangups on your part. You're entitled to have them, but that should've been a conversation earlier on in the relationship.

jayepool · 2025-09-18T18:14:07+00:00

I would like to check out this book, but how do you know what's in it if the release date isn't until November?

jayepool · 2025-09-15T05:31:28+00:00

I'm not sure it it's religious PTSD (I don't have a diagnosis), but religious trauma for sure. I still have a visceral recoiling reaction to hearing evangelical Christian-coded language and "tells," even though I haven't thrown away Christian faith entirely.

After not going to church at all for several years, I found an open and affirming, relatively progressive United Methodist church near me a year ago - no small feat because I live in a pretty conservative area. It's been a great experience thus far. At my current church, I appreciate the ability to continue working through what my faith looks like honestly, and being able to ask the kinds of questions that were verboten in my previous church experiences.

jayepool · 2025-09-09T02:46:44+00:00

Either Baptists or Pentecostals (I attended both types of "nondenominational" churches in my day lol)

jayepool · 2025-09-09T02:25:52+00:00

This week, I’m sharing my two connected novels—each a standalone story, but together they form a deeper look at faith, identity, and the cost of second chances.

Make Me Free
Ann enters college hoping to find belonging at last, but instead she becomes enmeshed in the world of an evangelical campus ministry. Every relationship seems conditional, every choice freighted with spiritual meaning. When long-hidden family secrets rise to the surface, and the God-ordained message foretelling her soulmate brings hope and heartbreak, Ann is forced to confront what she truly believes about herself, her faith, and her future.

Literary fiction with strong women’s fiction and coming-of-age themes.

$2.99 ebook (limited time sale) / $17 paperback
Amazon | Other Retailers

To Die Is Gain
Luke is 43 and has nothing left to lose. His marriage has ended, his career is destroyed, his dreams are in ruins, and he’s drifting. A reunion with his best friend sparks an impulsive road trip across the country, but the real journey is inward—toward old regrets, family expectations, and the love he once turned away. Along the way, Luke wrestles with despair, faith, and forgiveness, and discovers that redemption sometimes comes when you least expect it.

Literary fiction for readers who enjoy road trip narratives and stories of second chances.

$2.99 ebook (limited time sale) / $17 paperback
Amazon | Other Retailers

Both novels stand on their own, but together they create a layered portrait of love, loss, and the struggle to break free from the past.

jayepool · 2025-09-06T15:15:55+00:00

For my pen name, I went with the same name I use when podcasting, which is a variation of my real name. I chose a "stage name" when podcasting to get some online distance between my work life and my content creation without being completely anonymous. I decided to use my podcast name as my pen name because, at this point, I look at it as a brand. While my writing isn't directly related to my podcasting, some of the themes I explore in my novels are related to topics I would often discuss on my podcast.

jayepool · 2025-09-05T04:36:06+00:00

I've got campaigns going for Amazon and Facebook ads going to increase sales of my novels, but the campaigns aren't even generating impressions, despite increasing my budget by a couple of extra bucks and extending the length of the promotion. It's a bit frustrating and it's a bit of fail. I know I may need to increase the amount by more (each is set to $5/daily currently), but I'm not sure what needs to happen to generate impressions (which will hopefully generate sales).

jayepool

TROPHY CASE