Long-time Mr. Media fans – and you’re not the only one, Mom – are probably aware that it has been a while since I’ve had a romance novelist as a guest. I can’t explain why that is except there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of them and only one of me. But I get a kick out of the genre on occasion and have enjoyed the appearances of Kristin Harmel, Adriana Trigiani, Tracy Anne Warren, Jodi Thomas, JC Isabella, and Brenda Novak. That’s why I was game to read attorney Jane Peden’s first novel, The Millionaire’s Unexpected Proposal. JANE PEDEN podcast excerpt: "Suppose you have a successful lawyer in Miami and five years ago, he had a two-week fling in Las Vegas? He met a very attractive, cool blonde — someone Alfred Hitchcock would have loved — in the hotel bar. He started to feel too close to her and was scared by that so he dumps her and heads back to Miami. He becomes extremely successful. Five years later, she shows up at his office with an unusual proposal...." And I cannot tell a lie: I enjoyed the heck out of it. The story has twists and turns from start to finish. The romance comes and goes, just like in real life, and the sex is hot and steamy, just the way you want it when you want it. JANE PEDEN podcast excerpt: "I'm what they call a 'pantser' -- I write by the seat of my pants. There is no right way to write a book. But there are a lot of fiction writers who put up big boards and stickies and outlines and they write detailed character interviews before they ever sit down and start writing the book. That doesn't work for me." Making this book all the more fascinating is that writing love stories is what Jane Peden does at night and on weekends; by day, she is an employment law specialist, a happily married wife whose husband is her paralegal, and she is a mother of two. I think you’ll love reading The Millionaire’s Unexpected Proposal and you’ll enjoy getting to know my guest, too. Key interview moments: • 5:05 Turning writing from a hobby into a professional pursuit; • 12:40 Writing from the seat of her pants; • 17:00 An intro to the plot of “The Millionaire’s Unexpected Proposal." Jane Peden • •  •  More Mr. Media Interviews with Romance Novelists! • • • • •  •