Welcome back to Jen's Jewels, your weekly guide to the best in new fiction. This week, I am thrilled to host New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne to talk about her latest novel, THE RAINY DAY BOOKSHOP - a warm, feel-good read that I think you are going to love.
LIGHTNING ROUND
What’s your favorite way to spend a slow summer afternoon?
I love reading out in our covered pavilion in the backyard. It’s always cool with a lovely breeze and the sound of birdsong. Perfect!
If your main character could plan the perfect summer getaway, where would they go?
Rosie, the main heroine of THE RAINY DAY BOOKSHOP, would probably choose to stay home and work in her yard. She has a gorgeous view of the Pacific from her home in a small Oregon coastal town and it is definitely her happy place.
What’s one thing that instantly helps you slip into a creative mindset?
I love Lofi music. Listening to it always helps me find the writing groove.
THE SUMMER SPARK
June often feels like the beginning of adventure and possibility. In what ways did this story represent a new direction or challenge for you as a writer?
Well, I have written stories about mothers and daughters who have difficult relationships before, but I’m not sure I’ve ever written one where they’ve actually been estranged for years or where secrets between them threatened to blow up everything. I loved digging deeply into these characters and helping them heal their relationships and their hearts.
What was the very first image, line, or idea that sparked this book?
I really wanted to write about a woman who owned a bookstore falling for an author whose books she didn’t like. It was so much fun to explore Rosie and Andrew’s story!
Many authors say their characters “talk back.” Did any character surprise you or take the story somewhere unexpected?
My favorite character in the book is probably Bryce, who is the secondary hero to Emma, Rosie’s daughter. I didn’t know much about him when I started writing the book, but gradually his character developed into so much more than I was expecting. He’s a good, honorable, decent man who has nurtured a secret love for Emma since they were kids.
People often associate summer with memories and nostalgia. Did any personal experiences or favorite places inspire parts of the story?
My family and I have spent several memorable vacations on the Oregon coast, an area I absolutely love. I loved revisiting the area while I was writing the book, if only in my imagination. I hope my readers enjoy their visit to a truly breathtaking part of the world.
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
What’s a behind-the-scenes detail about writing this book that readers might never guess?
I don’t know if this is a huge stretch for readers to guess, but if I weren’t an author I would want to be running a warm, cozy small-town bookstore just like The THE RAINY DAY BOOKSHOP! I love the idea of helping readers find the perfect books for them.
Summer is ideal for discovering new books. Which books are currently at the top of your TBR pile?
I’m currently reading Eloisa James’ new book THE LAST LADY B and I can’t wait to read Jill Shalvis’s latest, FALLING INTO YOU that comes out in July.
If readers could step inside one scene from your book and experience it in real life, which scene would you choose and why?
I loved the scene where my MFC Rosie helps the introverted writer Andrew discover a hidden room inside the crumbling old mansion he is renovating. Wouldn’t it be cool to discover a hidden space somewhere in your house? We used to live in an old Victorian (which wasn’t that big) and I would have recurring dreams about stumbling upon rooms of the house I had never seen.
LOOKING AHEAD
Can you give readers a sneak peek into your next project, minus any spoilers?
I’m working on the final edits for this year’s Christmas book, COZY LITTLE CHRISTMAS. This is a heartwarming story about a wounded K9 cop and his wounded dog, a music therapist, a couple of adorable kids in need of a temporary home and all the holiday vibes you might want. The book will be out in October 2026.
Where can readers connect with you and keep up with your latest writing news?
My website, Facebook, and Instagram
BONUS: The Author’s Playlist (Optional but fun!)
Share 3 - 5 songs that capture the mood of your book or that helped inspire you while writing.
Come Rain Or Come Shine – Ray Charles
Thinking about the Rain – Stacey Kent
Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson
Stubborn Love – Lumineers
Bloom – Paper Kites
Narrator: Carly Robins
A Contemporary Small-Town Story of Family, Community and Books
Life is full of plot twists...
Sandwiched between caring for her mother and rebuilding the relationship with her estranged daughter, Emma, Rosie Lucas’s life is full. In the best way. With Emma and her 3-year old daughter, Olive, back home, Rosie has a partner for The Rainy Day Bookshop, the family business, and a chance to fix the past. What she doesn’t have time for is a romantic relationship. And even if she did, Andrew Morgan is the last person she’d choose. Not only is he an arrogant and reclusive writer, but he’s a single dad with two young kids. She’s already been there, done that. Still as an irresistible flirtation builds between them, he becomes her unexpected confidante on the distance Rosie can’t seem to overcome with Emma, a secret she can’t quite unravel…
Emma isn’t proud of her past. But she’s pulled herself up by the bootstraps, caring for her own daughter, and protecting her mom at all costs. Just as she always has. She never told Rosie what she saw all those years ago and she never will. But some secrets refuse to stay buried, and sometimes the truth is more shocking than fiction. Rosie and Emma will have to navigate an unimaginable path forward. Together.
Small Town | Women's Fiction Friendship [ MIRA, On Sale: June 2, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781335013200 / eISBN: 9780369764195 ]
Family drama hoping for a reconciliation
Stories of Hope, Healing, & Heart
RaeAnne Thayne will do anything to tell a story. In 15 years as a newspaper reporter and editor, she rode along with a motorcycle gang, took a trip in a hot air balloon and even gave a hunky country music star her home phone number (it was for an interview -- honest!).
When she wasn't working as a journalist, though, RaeAnne worked on her real love -- writing romance novels. She dreamed of publishing a book long before she ever thought it was possible. In fact, college friends used to spend hours when they should have been studying, trying to help her come up with a good pseudonym (none of which she actually ended up using, since she writes under her own name!).
After graduating from college, she took a job as a reporter at a daily newspaper, then moved to news editor. It wasn't until she was home on maternity leave after the birth of her first child in 1990 that RaeAnne seriously tried her hand at fiction writing. She sold her first book in 1995 and quit her editor job two years later to write full-time.
She is a two-time recipient of the Heart of Romance Reader's Choice award and has been a finalist for the RITA and for the National Reader's Choice award.
Jennifer Vido is the author of The Gull Island Series, sweet Lowcountry romances inspired by her love of coastal living and small-town charm. Serendipity by the Sea won Best First Book from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest, and Baltimore Magazine readers named her Best Local Author in 2024 and 2025.
A Vanderbilt graduate, Jennifer traded in teaching French to follow her dream of becoming an author. She loves discovering and sharing literary gems through her Jen's Jewels column, celebrating the books that make her heart happy.
Jennifer lives in Maryland with her husband and is mom to two grown sons. Her rescue dog, Fripp, is her constant companion, though he's better at napping than editing. When she's not writing, you'll find her at the beach with her toes in the sand, dreaming about her next romance.
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