Jacqueline C. Thomas - Romance Novelist

Romance

The Lake Michigan Affair is Now Available!

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Today is the official launch day for the Lake Michigan Affair! The book is available on Amazon in paperback and Amazon Kindle. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the book over the past ten days. In case you missed the ten-day countdown, you can find the description of the book below:

Rosalie fell into her life, a life she didn’t want. She met Richard, her brilliant surgeon husband, and fellow Catholic as a teenager. One night in the back of Richard’s car, her fate was sealed, to be Mrs. Richard Russo. Her strong Catholic family, where faith dictates all actions, left Rosalie no other choice but to marry Richard, a man who she did not love.

Rosalie’s life looked perfect from the outside, the brilliant surgeon husband, a tight-knit Catholic community in Chicago, and friends. One evening in the halls of the Field Museum, she meets the man who will change her life forever, Catholic Bishop Sebastian Cole.

The Lake Michigan Affair is a story of a woman finding true love, learning who she is, attempting to flee an abusive marriage, and ultimately risking it all to be with the man she loves. Set in a tight-knit, Italian-American neighborhood on Chicago’s Northside, tradition, religion, and culture collide. The Lake Michigan Affair looks at love, not what it is supposed to be, but how raw and powerful it can be and the force it has on the lives of Rosalie’s community.

The Lake Michigan Affair Ten Day Countdown: Fact #8- This is The First Paragraph of The Lake Michigan Affair

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Today, I wanted to share the first paragraph of the book to give you a taste of the book. I’ll let Rosalie do the talking here,

“How do I even begin to tell my mother that I am sleeping with a Catholic Bishop? I was raised as a good Catholic girl, following all of the rights of passage. This will kill her. I find it odd that my biggest concern is what my mother will think; not what my husband will think. I have been so unhappy for so long that when I met Sebastian, something inside of me awoke. Once I experienced true love, it became like a drug; it was something that I found impossible to walk away from despite all of the odds.”

-Rosalie Russo

The Lake Michigan Affair Ten Day Countdown: Fact #6- There’s a Pandora Playlist for The Lake Michigan Affair

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I love listening to music when I write. This was my go-to playlist for The Lake Michigan Affair as I was writing. This playlist sets the mood for the book. There is one scene in particular that takes place towards the end of the book (I can’t be more specific) where Rosalie is walking by Lake Michigan, this is a very dramatic scene. If this book was ever made into a film the only thing I would push for is that this song plays for this scene. The link can be found below, and to me it will always be Rosalie & Sebastian’s song.

Link to Pandora Playlist

Link to Rosalie and Sebastian’s Song

The Lake Michigan Affair Ten Day Countdown: Fact #4- There’s a Pinterest Board for this story.

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I have this tradition of creating a Pinterest board for each book that I write. I think of it a lot like a mood board, because that is essentially what it is. Today, I am sharing the link to the Pinterest board for The Lake Michigan Affair to give a flavor of the book. I had to edit the board to be able to share it as I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

The Lake Michigan Affair is a dramatic romance, with super high stakes for all involved. With that being said, you can see that the story Rosalie and Bishop Sebastian Cole’s faith is a big part of this story, as are children and big families. Additionally, you’ll also see lots of great pictures of Chicago, that set the tone and mood of this story. Click the board below to see it all.

The Lake Michigan Affair Ten Day Countdown: Fact #3- The Italian-American Culture is a Big Part of This Story

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Homemade cranberry and pistachio biscotti is a Christmas tradition.

I wanted to highlight Italian American culture in Rosalie’s story because it is a big part of her story. She comes from a tight-knit Italian American community. As a proud Italian American, I wanted to highlight the value of family, and the respect that is held for elders, and in some small circles the reverence that is still held for the Catholic church. Rosalie is very much a product of her culture and upbringing, in a beautiful culture that is also toxic. The story shows how she is very much a product of her environment.

There are beautiful scenes in this book of celebration of family and food. Traditions are celebrated in the book in a truthful way. It was special to me to share my culture and the beauty of it and the not so pleasant things as well. As an Italian American I grew up in a culture where adults were the law, and respect for elders was never a choice, it was the law. There was also a strong reverence for the Catholic church. Celebrations were marked with food, family and laughter.

The Lake Michigan Affair will be available on April 14, 2023.

The Lake Michigan Affair Ten Day Countdown: Fact #2- The Book is Set in Chicago

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It is said to write what you know, and Chicago is my hometown. I never questioned where to set this story because it was always obvious to me, that this is a Chicago story. I feel like the city itself is almost a character in the book. There are so many Chicago landmarks that are key to this story.

Here is a list of some of the Chicago locations in the book:

The Lake Michigan Shoreline (Near North Ave. Beach): So many poignant scenes take place here. I’ve walked there a million times and when I think of Chicago, this to me is my city. While the scenes aren’t on the beach, they are on the paved trail at the beach, that provides the most spectacular view of Chicago. You can see the beach here. Also the view of the skyline on the front of the book was taken from this spot.

The Field Museum: One of the most important scenes in the book takes place in the Field Museum in downtown Chicago. An event is held here in the book and trust me, look up events at the Field Museum, the space is incredible for fundraisers, and weddings. You can visit their Instagram page here.

Rosalie’s Parish Church: Chicago is full of gorgeous robust Catholic parishes throughout the city. Rosalie’s parish is an amalgamation of lots of Catholic parishes. Her parish is not named after any one parish in particular but I wanted it to feel very Chicago in nature, and the anchor of Rosalie’s community.

Rosalie’s Neighborhood: As I said earlier, Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, each with their own culture and flavor. While Rosalie’s neighborhood is made up, you can still find pockets of tight-knit neighborhoods like hers. She lives in a mostly Italian-American neighborhood, full of old worker’s cottages.

UIC Hospital: While I don’t think I ever mention the hospital by name, I always assumed that Richard (Rosalie’s husband) practices medicine here.

There really are too many places to mention but I hope you enjoy learning a little bit about Chicago in this book.