Today we have Julie Kenner here on the blog to answer a few questions alongside the release of Wicked Fortune, book 5 in her Wicked Nights series.

Welcome! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what got you into writing? I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer! I was making up stories from the get-go. It was my favorite form of entertainment as a little kid, and as I got older I started writing them down. Once I hit high school and college, I figured my career would be journalism, but that didn’t click. Somehow I ended up being a lawyer, but the writing bug never went away, and I wrote for many years while practicing law, until finally quitting to write full time!

Are there any books that have really influenced you as a writer? I read anything and everything as a kid, from Nancy Drew to the classics. But I was never a huge romance reader until later in life. I started out reading historical romance–especially Julie Garwood–and my first (very failed!) attempt at a romance novel was an historical, honestly because that’s what I thought the market was. But I got frustrated with the research (full time litigator before the internet). Another woman who worked with me suggested that I try contemporary romance and handed me a Vicki Lewis Thompson Harlequin Temptation. I loved it and targeted that market. My first full book was SO not on market, but the next was. It sold and I’ve been writing romance (and other genres) ever since!

What do you enjoy most about writing contemporary romance? Not having to research historical facts! (I’m only half-joking, LOL!).

What inspired this series in particular? I love, love, love writing Nikki & Damien Stark books. And in that world a lot of characters popped up into the various books. I realized I wanted those character to have stories, too, but not necessarily trilogies. So I created “Wicked Nights” as a way to feature some of the deliciously sexy guys who’ve made an appearance in the Stark books.

What is your favorite aspect of the dynamic between Aria and Matthew? I love that their friendship shows through the passion. That what they feel is so deep and true.

Can you tell us about your writing space? Where do you do most of your writing? In 2007, my family moved to a new neighborhood (as in fields became a neighborhood). We bought a lot on the back of culdesac, picked a floorplan, and watched the house go up. Right as you walk in, the blueprint had a formal dining area. I had them add French doors and I use that small room as my office. I have shelving all around the top with all of my 100+ books lining the wall, two filing cabinets, a small sofa, and my desk, positioned so that I can see the culdesac and the little garden area in the front, along with our bird feeder! Beneath the book shelf, I have some art, including my first book cover, framed, and several other pieces of original art that became book covers (from back in the day before covers were done electronically!) It’s small…but it’s cozy!

What helps you when you have writers block? Going on a bike ride or a hike around the lake near our house. Also…reading!

What are some things you are really enjoying reading right now? Books, TV, foods, etc.? I’m reading Darcy Burke’s Whisper of Death, an historical mystery that is fabulous! As for TV, I’m actually watching Grey’s Anatomy … from the beginning. I never watched it back in the day, but I now see why it is/was so popular! And food … my favorite thing these days are Alyssa Health Oatmeal cookies. YUM.

Learn more about Wicked Fortune below!

Matthew Holt built an empire on secrets, a polished billionaire hiding from the shadows of his past. Powerful and focused, he won’t let anyone stand in his way. Least of all a woman. But when Aria Parker steps into his office, he is determined to have her—whatever the cost.

Aria isn’t just any personal assistant. Blaming Matthew for the tragic death of a dear friend, Aria has infiltrated his world, intent on uncovering the truth. But as the heat between them intensifies, their growing attraction becomes just as dangerous as the truth she’s chasing.

The deeper she digs, the more elusive the answers become, until all she knows for certain is how much she craves his touch—no matter the consequences.

With everything on the line, Aria must decide if she can trust the man she came to destroy. Because the more she learns, the more she realizes that Matthew might not be the monster she thought—but the one person who can help her uncover the threat still lurking in the shadows.

Who is J. Kenner?

J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.

Though known primarily for her award-winning and internationally bestselling romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #1 internationally, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.

JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A four time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy).

In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

You can find her on her website, as well as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, BookBub, and X.