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  M.J. Kane stumbled into writing. An avid reader, this once stay-at-home mom never lost the overactive imagination of an only child. As an adult she made up stories, though never shared them, to keep herself entertained. It wasn’t until surviving a traumatic medical incident in 2006 that she found a reason to let the characters inhabiting her imagination free. Upon the suggestion of her husband, she commandeered his laptop and allowed the characters to take life. It was that, or look over her shoulder for men caring a purple strait jacket. And the rest, as they say, is history. What is your favorite thing about being a writer? Being able to listen to the voices in my head and know that they are my characters talking and that I’m not crazy! Being a writer is the perfect excuse to be an adult and use my imagination all the time and get paid for it! What genre(s) do you write? My stories are a mixture of Women’s Fiction, Interracial Romance, and Contemporary Romance. What was the hardest part of writing your book? Deciding what point on a timeline to start the story. First chapters can make or break a story. Knowing what about the characters story would draw a reader in the most can take the longer than deciding how the story will end. Are you a plotter or a pantser? I’m a plotter all the way! Why do you think people should choose your books over another author? I wouldn’t say a reader should choose my book over anyone. There are tons of authors out there with amazing stories to tell. I would tell readers that if you like stories that are about imperfect characters that make mistakes, yet learn from them and evolve into stronger individuals based on their experiences, them my books are for you! What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories? My stories are about the reality of finding love and living life. Regardless of our racial or economic backgrounds, we all face the same issues in life. Be it financial, family, career, or medical…there are experiences we face that can be life changing. My stories are about those situations and follow the characters as they grow. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Oh yes! My wish is that my readers be able to find encouragement from my stories and learn to open their hearts and minds to the world and people around them. How long have you been a writer? I started my writing journey in 2005 when I wrote a short Fan-Fic story for the show, Lost. I decided to dig in and learn the art of writing in 2009. How much time did it take from writing your first book to having it published? It took four years. During that time I had several major re-writes, character name and plot changes. It took six months of query letter writing, then I was signed to 5 Prince Publishing! What other careers have you had? Most of my careers have involved Customer Service. I’ve worked for Safelite Autoglass as a dispatcher and customer service rep. UPS Logistics as a dispatcher. Several bank operations locations as a 10-Key operator (back when people actually wrote checks!), and I currently work at a library as a Library Assistant. This has been my favorite job, for obvious reasons. J Where are you from? Atlanta, Georgia, yep, I’m a Georgia Peach! How do you come up with the titles? I love symbolism and use the butterfly as a part of each story. Colors are also key, but when it comes to book titles, they are statements based on the characters story and theme of the book. Often times it’s something that jumps out from me. One of my writing signatures is having a character use the title of their story in their dialogue as a part of their story or another characters story when they appear. Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer? Well, I haven’t gotten Nora Roberts money yet, but I stay busy! I also have the pleasure of running into people who have read my books or recognize the covers or my name when I tell them I am a writer. It feels good to know that my work is making it around the world! Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task? I mostly focus on writing one story at a time, but I’m learning to multi-task and write more than one at a time. Here are some questions just for fun. Answer as many as you would like. Do you have any pets? Yes, we have four pit bulls, Vader, Ivy, Smokey, and Sugar. What was your first car? Ford Escort, two door, black, stick shift. I loved that car! What genre of books do you enjoy reading? Do you have a favorite author? Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Romantic Comedy. My favorite authors: J.R. Ward, Suzanne Brockmann, Stephanie Evanovich. Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself. 1. Favorite color: Purple 2. Favorite candy: Skittles 3. Favorite flower: Magnolia 4. Favorite song: Stella by Andres Vollenweider 5. Favorite book series: The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward Please share with us your future projects and upcoming releases. My current release is Nobody’s Business, the fourth novel in The Butterfly Memoir series. I am currently working on the fifth novel, Alone, which will be available Summer 2016. Where can readers find you? MJKaneMedia.com  Excerpt: Nobody’s Business (Book 4 of The Butterfly Memoirs) “Daddy!” Justin jogged as fast as his little feet could carry him up the walkway to my home the moment Trina released him from the car seat. I bent down to catch him. “Hey, mini me.” I tickled him as I swooped him up. He laughed, wrapped his little arms around my neck, and squeezed. “Hi, Trina.” I tried not to stare too hard at the mother of my child and the tight jeans she had on as she leaned over in the back of her Trailblazer. She regarded me as she unhooked his car seat. “Hi.” I grabbed his weekend bag she held out to me, tossed it over my free shoulder, and walked towards the house. Trina followed with the car seat. “You’re all dressed up for a Friday night. Got plans?” I fought the urge to look over my shoulder and read her body language. “None of your business, Tre. We’ve been over this before.” I decided to ignore her reply and focused on my son instead. “Are you ready for a fun filled man-weekend?” Justin giggled. “Yes!” “Make sure you stay on top of his medication, regardless of how much fun you’re having.” “I always do. How did his doctor’s appointment go?” “He’s doing well. The doctor is pleased with the results. There’s still no sign of tissue rejection which means he’s on his way to being completely free of the disease.” Inside, I sat the bag and Justin on the sofa. He rolled off and ran for his room, attempting to drag his oversized bag behind him. Trina watched in awe. “I just can’t get over how much more active he is. It’s like he’s trying to make up for the weeks he spent lying in the hospital bed.” “True, plus I think he likes it here. It’s better than living in the confines of an apartment.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “Large rooms, no nosey neighbors, huge fenced yard. Perfect for a boy to run around in with his dog.” Trina’s arms went across her chest as she sighed. “For the fifteenth time, no.” “Come on. We’ve lived together before and it wasn’t bad. I know things didn’t work out last time and it was my fault. I promise it won’t be like that this time. We have a reason to try again.” “No, you have a reason. We are fine where we live now. Justin has his own room and everything he needs. Quit trying to act as if your stepping into the picture is doing more for him than I have.”
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