I write romantic comedies as both

Jennifer Joyce and Ashley Reece.

Find me on Instagram:

@writer_jenn | @ashleyreecewrites

My latest book, A Million Meet Cutes is out now.

Below, you can find my blog posts, or you can read my free short stories, catch up with my news or find out more about my books.

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Christina and Jonah's Romantic Comedy Playlist

 

I like to put together playlists for my books, and for A Million Meet Cutes I imagined the songs Christina and Jonah would compile in a romantic comedy playlist.

Flatmates Christina and Jonah love to curl up on the sofa to watch rom coms (usually with snacks. Usually pickled onion Monster Munch) so I've put together a playlist of songs from the soundtracks of the films they like to watch:

Express Yourself - Madonna

[Isn't It Romantic]

Head Over Heels - The Go-Go's

[13 Going on 30]

Bad Girls - Donna Summer

[Picture Perfect]

Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar

[13 Going on 30]

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours) - Stevie Wonder

[You've Got Mail]

Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain & Tennille

[Picture Perfect]

I Try - Macy Gray

[Picture Perfect]

Kids in America - Kim Wilde

[Clueless]

Respect - Aretha Franklin

[Bridget Jones's Diary]

It's Raining Men - Geri Halliwell

[Bridget Jones's Diary]

Just Like Heaven - The Cure

[Just Like Heaven]

Maneater - Hall & Oates

[Runaway Bride]

I'm Every Woman - Chaka Khan

[Bridget Jones's Diary]

You Gotta Be - Des'ree

[The Object of My Affection]

When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating

[Notting Hill]

You can listen to the playlist below or you can find it on Spotify here

A Million Meet Cutes is out now

Christina has always wanted her movie-perfect meet cute. Surely this would mean he was The One?

So she is shocked and amazed when one day she has very own meet-cute - sadly, the guy is most definitely NOT The One.

Over the weeks that follow, Christina finds herself encountering meet-cutes everywhere she goes - but she is still single. Plus, she's becoming fed up of getting tangled in dog leads (even if the dog owner is extremely handsome) and her car breaking down (even if the recovery guy is extremely handsome). Even when she is on a date, she has another meet-cute with a different guy.

What does it all mean and is this the way to find the perfect guy, or have her beloved romcom movies been lying to her all this time?

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Kobo

The Single Mums' Picnic Club Playlist

A Beginner's Guide To Saying I Do Playlist

The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea Playlist

A Million Meet Cutes Bingo

 

If you've read my latest newsletter, you will have already seen the bingo card I put together as a fun Book Extra for A Million Meet Cutes but today I'm sharing it on my blog too.

The idea is simple: mark off the squares when you find the corresponding bit in the book.

There are no prizes, I'm afraid, and no glittery-clad bingo caller, but I thought it'd be a bit of whimsy, because you can never have too much whimsy in your life.

A Million Meet Cutes is out now

Christina has always wanted her movie-perfect meet cute. Surely this would mean he was The One?

So she is shocked and amazed when one day she has very own meet-cute - sadly, the guy is most definitely NOT The One.

Over the weeks that follow, Christina finds herself encountering meet-cutes everywhere she goes - but she is still single. Plus, she's becoming fed up of getting tangled in dog leads (even if the dog owner is extremely handsome) and her car breaking down (even if the recovery guy is extremely handsome). Even when she is on a date, she has another meet-cute with a different guy.

What does it all mean and is this the way to find the perfect guy, or have her beloved romcom movies been lying to her all this time?

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Kobo

The Wedding Date: Online Dating Profiles

The Accidental Life Swap: Naming The Animals

The 12 Christmases of You & Me: Back In Time With Maisie

So, I've Finished Writing My Book - What Do I Do Now?

 

I reached The End of the first draft of my latest writing project and I've put her aside, so what am I going to do until it's time for Draft 2?

I could start planning my next book, because I already know what it's going to be and I have the bare bones of the story, BUT I've decided to take a well-deserved break from writing for a few weeks. I LOVE writing, but getting a first draft down can be intense, even without a deadline, and I don't want to burn out (I've been there. It's not nice) so I'm going to have a little rest.

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to be doing anything book-related or creative.

My latest release, A Million Meet Cutes was published a couple of weeks ago so I'm busy preparing Book Extras and behind-the-scenes peeks and sharing the lovely reviews she's received so far on my Instagram accounts (I'm @writer_jenn and @ashleyreecewrites).

And I'm unleashing my creativity via the medium of yarn as I'm crocheting blankets. YouTube taught me to crochet a few years ago but I'm not very adventurous with it: so far I've only crocheted stripy sausage dogs and blankets, but this time I'm making TWO blankets at the same time, and I'm using patterns from a couple of granny square books instead of following tutorials, so I'm seeing that as growth.

I'm also reading lots, ideally in the garden if it isn't too hot, and watching TV - mostly Heated Rivalry, to be honest, but also my older comfort shows, like Miranda and Gavin & Stacey.

I'll be returning to my book in September for the second draft, where there will be a LOT of cutting (I've gone over 20,000 words over my intended word count goal) but for now I'm going to enjoy my break :)

A Million Meet Cutes: What Inspired The Book?

 

I’m a huge fan of romantic comedies, both in book and film form, and I love a meet-cute, where the love interests meet for the first time in a funny, charming or chaotic way (Hugh Grant chucking orange juice down Julia Robert’s T-shirt in Notting Hill or Matthew Perry jumping the queue for the toilets in front of Salma Hayek in Fools Rush In, for example). I’ve written meet-cutes into my books before (Cleo mistaking James as a burglar in her grandmother’s house in The Grown Up To-Do List or Hugo catching Melody baby-talking his dog outside the fish and chip shop in The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea) but what if I really leaned into the whole meet-cute thing?

I'm also a massive fan of romcoms with a dash of magic; 13 Going on 30 and When We First Met are my favourites in film, and I’ve also sprinkled some magic into my own books – Everything Changes But You, The Mince Pie Mix-Up, The 12 Christmas of You & Me, The Christmas Cupid, Our Last Summer and A Magical New Year’s Kiss all have time travel or wishes coming true – and I wondered what would happen if I combined my love of meet-cutes and magic?

What if the heroine was also a massive romcom fan and, after seeing so many meet-cutes on screen, she wished for one of her own?

And what if that wish to meet-cute came true?

If you’ve read any of my magical realism stories, you’ll know that my characters should always be careful what they wish for, because it is never, ever plain-sailing for them (my brain just naturally gravitates towards making these things bad for them, I’m afraid). So, what would happen if our heroine had not one meet-cute but a whole bunch? Meet-cute after meet-cute after meet-cute, until she’s ready to tear her hair out? Fun, yes? I think so (though maybe not for our poor heroine). The idea amused me and I went with it, thinking up all the possible meet-cutes to throw at my main character, and that is how the idea of A Million Meet Cutes was born.

A Million Meet Cutes is out now

Christina has always wanted her movie-perfect meet cute. Surely this would mean he was The One?

So she is shocked and amazed when one day she has very own meet-cute - sadly, the guy is most definitely NOT The One.

Over the weeks that follow, Christina finds herself encountering meet-cutes everywhere she goes - but she is still single. Plus, she's becoming fed up of getting tangled in dog leads (even if the dog owner is extremely handsome) and her car breaking down (even if the recovery guy is extremely handsome). Even when she is on a date, she has another meet-cute with a different guy.

What does it all mean and is this the way to find the perfect guy, or have her beloved romcom movies been lying to her all this time?

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Kobo

The Grown Up To Do List: What Inspired The Book?

Our Last Summer: What Inspired The Book?

The Christmas Cupid: What Inspired The Book?

A Million Meet Cutes: Meet Christina

 

A Million Meet Cutes is out now and I thought I'd give you a quick intro to its main character, Christina.

Christina Jelly is the manager of a cafe bar, Rollerz, where she works with her best friend, Rhys. She loves watching romcoms with her flatmate, Jonah, but she doesn't have much romance in her own life: she's been single for a year after the end of her long-term relationship.

But Christina is ready for the kind of romance she sees on screen. She wishes she could meet-cute and find The One and live happily ever after.

But life is never that simple, is it?

(Not in my books, anyway *cue evil laughter*)

Christina's wish comes true: she has her very own movie-style meet-cute, and she ends up on the first date she's had in years. But it does not go well.

But then she has another meet-cute. Maybe he will be The One?

But then Christina has another meet-cute. And another - and another. She has meet-cute after meet-cute but none of them are The One.

What is going on? Will these meet-cutes ever stop? And will she eventually find The One?

A Million Meet Cutes is out now

Christina has always wanted her movie-perfect meet cute. Surely this would mean he was The One?

So she is shocked and amazed when one day she has very own meet-cute - sadly, the guy is most definitely NOT The One.

Over the weeks that follow, Christina finds herself encountering meet-cutes everywhere she goes - but she is still single. Plus, she's becoming fed up of getting tangled in dog leads (even if the dog owner is extremely handsome) and her car breaking down (even if the recovery guy is extremely handsome). Even when she is on a date, she has another meet-cute with a different guy.

What does it all mean and is this the way to find the perfect guy, or have her beloved romcom movies been lying to her all this time?

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Kobo

Publication Day: A Million Meet Cutes

 

It's Publication Day for my new book, A Million Meet Cutes

A while ago I shared that my next book would be published under a new name, and today I'm delighted that A Million Meet Cutes by my alter ego, Ashley Reece is now out!

I love a meet cute, and I love a wish gone horribly wrong, so I decided to merge the two for my poor heroine. Christina also loves a meet cute and wishes she could meet cute and find The One. Except she doesn't have one meet cute. She has them all. It's meet cute after meet cute until she can no longer walk down the street without tripping over a paving stone and falling into the arms of a handsome stranger.

Fun, yes?

Maybe not for Christina, but I had a lot of fun creating the kinds of meet cutes I love watching in romcoms and I hope you enjoy reading Christina's (mis)adventure just as much! If you do read the book, I'd love to hear what you thought. You can find me on social media using the buttons on the right or, if you want to make me really, really happy, you could leave a little review on Amazon :)

Christina has always wanted her movie-perfect meet cute. Surely this would mean he was The One?

So she is shocked and amazed when one day she has very own meet-cute - sadly, the guy is most definitely NOT The One.

Over the weeks that follow, Christina finds herself encountering meet-cutes everywhere she goes - but she is still single. Plus, she's becoming fed up of getting tangled in dog leads (even if the dog owner is extremely handsome) and her car breaking down (even if the recovery guy is extremely handsome). Even when she is on a date, she has another meet-cute with a different guy.

What does it all mean and is this the way to find the perfect guy, or have her beloved romcom movies been lying to her all this time?

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Kobo