My next book: FLIRTING LESSONS! Upcoming events in Portland and Berkeley!

And also a picture of my puppy

Hello hello! It’s been a long time since I’ve written this newsletter, I know. I could blame it on my wonderful and very energetic puppy, but it’s only sort of her fault — it’s mostly because I feel guilty working on anything that isn’t a book instead of hanging out with her, especially when she gives me a look like the one below:

But I guess I’m burying the news here: if you haven’t seen it elsewhere, I have a new book coming out next spring! (See, I talk about my dog before my new book, this shows where my priorities are). It’s called Flirting Lessons, and it’ll be out in the world on April 8, 2025! The cover is below, and I love it very much (almost as much as I love my dog). I’ve been working hard on it for the past year and a half, and I’m so excited for all of you to read it!

And here’s a little blurb about it:

Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially other women), flirt with everyone she sees, wear something not from the business casual section of her closet—all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One problem: Avery doesn't know where to start. She doesn't have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn't have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.

Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley's biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can't make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It should keep her busy and stop her from texting people she shouldn't. And it might take her mind off how inadequate she feels compared to her friends, who all seem much more settled and adult than Taylor.

At first, Avery is stiff and nervous, but Taylor is patient and encouraging, and soon, Avery looks forward to their weekly lessons. With Taylor’s help, Avery finally has the life she always wanted. The only issue is: now she wants Taylor. Their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, despite them both insisting to themselves and everyone else that it isn't serious. When Taylor is forced to confront her feelings for Avery, she doesn't know what to do—and most importantly, if she's already ruined the best thing she's ever had.

It’ll be available in paperback, hardcover, ebook and audio! You can preorder it from Bookshop (use the code Jasmine15 for 15% off!), Barnes and Noble, Amazon, your local independent bookstore, or wherever else you buy books! But I’ll make a special plug for you to preorder a signed copy from my local bookstore, East Bay Booksellers: as you see if you click through that link, a few weeks ago, East Bay Booksellers suffered a devastating fire that destroyed the bookstore. I’ve been going to that bookstore for many years, long before I was a writer, and it means so much to me, and I’m so glad that the owner and the booksellers are determined to find a new physical location, especially with the help of the donations to their Go Fund Me. And we are all committed to making sure I get signed preorders out to readers next April!

And speaking of East Bay Booksellers, I will be reading a little excerpt from Flirting Lessons on Sunday at a fundraiser for the bookstore! This shows you how much I love the store — I’ve never read from an unpublished work before, but there’s a perfect scene to read at the event this weekend, so I have to do it. The fundraiser is this Sunday, August 18, at 7 pm (doors open at 6:30) Gilman Brewing Company in Berkeley, and though advance tickets are sold out, they should have some tickets at the door, along with raffle tickets for all sorts of prizes that were donated!

Also, this Saturday, August 17, is Bookstore Romance Day, and I’ll be at Powells Books in Portland, Oregon to celebrate, along with a whole bunch of other authors! (As a matter of fact, I am on a plane to Portland right now). I’ll be on a 4 pm panel with some fantastic fellow authors, and I’ll also be at the author cocktail party starting at 6 pm, where we’ll get to hang out and chat with all of you! This is my first time ever doing an event at Powells, and I’m very excited about it, so Portland people and those nearby, please come!

I can’t send a newsletter without giving you some book recommendations: I was recently on the Today Show with the lovely Emma Straub, where I recommended It’s Elementary, by Elise Bryant, Housemates, by Emma Copley Eisenberg, and A Love Like The Sun, by Riss M. Neilson. I also read and loved Margo’s Got Money Troubles, by Rufi Thorpe, and One-Star Romance, by Laura Hankin. And speaking of the talented and generous Laura Hankin, she’s organizing a fundraiser for East City Bookshop in Washington DC, which suffered a water leak recently that forced the store to be closed for a month (what is it with bookstores, the best places on earth, getting hit with disasters like this? It’s unfair!). So many authors have donated signed books, early copies of books, query or manuscript reviews, and more. I’m donating a 30 minute zoom or phone call with me to ask publishing questions, get advice, a pep talk, talk through any of my favorite recipes, get my puppy to bark for you, etc. Bid here!

Have a great weekend, everyone! I promise I’ll be back soon with more book recommendations, more recipes (I’ve made some great baked goods so far this summer!), and very likely more dog pictures.

xo

Jasmine