This post contains links to products that I may receive compensation from at no additional cost to you. View my Affiliate Disclosure page here.
Jane Lo is the author of A Summer Like That, which is available now.
Jane Lo is a Chinese-Canadian writer and English teacher. Shortly after she was born in Hong Kong, her family moved to Vancouver. In university she studied Biblical Hebrew and English Literature and loved both: she pursued further studies in one (Hebrew) and a career teaching the other (English).
Over the years she has worked and studied in both cities, but she is now happily settled in Hong Kong with her husband and two children. Her passions include reading detective mysteries and writing happily-ever-afters. A Summer Like That is her second novel.
Synopsis for A Summer Like That:
When Leo’s girlfriend turns down his marriage proposal and reveals that she has been cheating on him for over a year, his world falls apart. Devastated, he flees Hong Kong for the summer, his broken heart in tow, and wanders across mainland China by bus and train. Each city is indistinguishable from the one before it until he arrives in Xiamen where he meets Pearl, a single mother whose quiet kindness is such a balm for his grief that he falls unexpectedly and helplessly in love with her.
Pearl’s greatest wish is for her five-year-old son, Win-win, to beat the odds and find success. When Leo stumbles into her life and offers her not only a second chance at love, but a new and prosperous life for her and Win-win in Hong Kong, it all seems magical, too good to be true.
Neither wants to break the spell. But what happens at the end of a summer like that?
Let’s get to know Jane as she talks favorite novels, writing for the romance genre, her TBR and more!
What are some of your favorite novels?
Recently I’ve gotten hooked on thrillers and mysteries, and absolutely love the Detective Kaga mysteries by Keigo Higashimo, the Cormoran Strike mysteries by Robert Galbraith, and anything by Ruth Ware or Lucy Foley. They are just so immersive and constantly bubbling over with tension! I love the feeling of not being able to put down a book – and that’s exactly what happened as I was reading The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith when I was on holiday in Bangkok with my family. I made the mistake of starting that novel when I was on the plane and lost myself so completely in the story that I didn’t want to leave the hotel!
Some of my all-time favorites are novels that I read when I was quite a bit younger but keep coming back to, including The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan), Joyland (Stephen King), and Plain Truth (Jodi Picoult). Among middle grade fiction, I love anything by Kit Pearson or Lois Lowry, especially the War Guests Trilogy and Number the Stars! I can’t wait to introduce those to my own children when they are ready for them.
When did you know you wanted to become an author?
I was in Grade 6 when my English teacher told me she thought I was a good writer. Looking back, it’s unlikely that I was uniquely talented in any way. But I believed her – and her words essentially changed my life, as I have been writing stories ever since.
What drew you to the romance genre?
I just love love! I love meet cutes, first dates, weddings, anniversaries – anything love-related! I adore the idea of two people finding each other in this big crazy world and then doing the hard work to overcome differences and challenges all because they love each other. I love all this in real life and it’s so magical to be able to create stories where this happens and they get to have their happily ever after.
What can readers expect from A Summer Like That?
A Summer Like That starts out like a classic grumpy meets sunshine story but we quickly find that Leo isn’t actually grumpy, just very, very heartbroken, and Pearl isn’t all sunshine, either – she’s bubbly and cheerful, sure, but she’s also struggling to make ends meet and lonely, too.
When the two of them meet, it begins to feel like a modern-day Cinderella adaptation – but is Pearl really a damsel in distress? Is a prince in shining armor really what she’s looking for? And if not – is Leo’s heart destined to remain broken forever?
What was your favorite part or chapter to write?
I loved writing the ending! It took me a while (over two years!) to figure out how the story should end, but when I got there, it felt so right that it was worth the long wait. I hope my readers like it, too.
What are you currently reading and what’s on your TBR (to be read) list?
I just started The Wedding People by Alison Espach and am really enjoying it so far. A book I can’t wait to read is The Woman in Suite 11 because all of Ruth Ware’s mysteries are fantastic, and especially because The Woman in Cabin 10 was so very good. I just love a good mystery!
