Jan Thompson – Diversity Between the Pages

First Line Friday: Zero Sum

Published on April 29, 2022April 15, 2022 by Allyson Anthony1 Comment

Happy Friday reader friends! It’s time for First Line Friday hosted by Hoarding Books. Grab the book nearest to you and share the first line! Today I’m sharing the first line from Zero Sum by Jan Thompson.

And the first line is…

“This better pay off, Kel,” Cayson Yang said when his employee and friend came back to their booth at a corner of the noisy convention center.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Publisher’s Note: Zero Sum debuted in the Kill Zone anthology that was published on October 3, 2017.

She opens a case she cannot close.
If he helps her solve it, he will die.

From USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson comes Binary Hackers, an inspirational Christian romantic suspense technothriller collection, featuring hackers and cybercrime specialists at Binary Systems, Inc. Binary Hackers begins with the trials and tribulations of Cayson Yang, the fearful leader of the struggling Binary Systems, Inc.

FBI Special Agent Stella Evans finds the last surviving computer consultant who holds the key to destroying a terrorist organization’s global network, but poor Cayson may not live long enough to dismantle the computer system.

The Chaos…

He is now able to give pay raises to himself and his business partner and cousin, Leland Yang-Joule, and bonuses to his employees. Cayson dreams of a bigger office space for them all.

Somewhere between two dollars in his bank account and a two-million-dollar computer network contract, Cayson finds himself in the crosshairs of the world’s most notorious terrorist organization, now coming after him, his business partner, and his family.

Ignoring repeated warning lights might have been Cayson’s downfall, but it’s too late for him to backtrack now that his enemies have implanted a cybernetic kill switch in his head.

The Crime…

Assigned to the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force, FBI Special Agent Stella Evans finishes assisting her colleagues from the Counterterrorism Division to apprehend a notorious terrorist.

On trial in Europe for war crimes too numerous to list, Molyneux refuses to help the authorities dismantle her sophisticated international computer network. The only alternative is to find the architects of this network and hope they will cooperate.

Shutting down Molyneux’s underground computer network is the best way to destroy those mercenary terrorists for hire. However, the terrorist organization doesn’t want to be outdone. A successor is named, and they begin to kill off anyone who has worked on the underground network in the past.

The Crisis…

Stella finds herself at a crossroad between duty and following Cayson and the cybernetic implants in his head. She stands to lose not only her carefully cultivated career but, more dangerously, her closely guarded heart as she decides what to do with the Pandora’s box she has opened…

Binary Hackers

Book 1: Zero Sum
Book 2: Zero Day
Book 3: Zero Base

AMAZON | GOODREADS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson writes clean and wholesome multiethnic contemporary Christian romance with elements of women’s fiction, Christian romantic suspense with an air of mystery, and inspirational international thrillers with threads of sweet Christian romance.

Jan’s books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWIT TER

Post by contributor Allyson Anthony

Book Review: Zero Sum

Published on April 18, 2022April 18, 2022 by Allyson Anthony1 Comment

Happy Monday reader friends! Today’s book review is of Zero Sum by Jan Thompson. Have you read this series?

ABOUT THE BOOK

Publisher’s Note: Zero Sum debuted in the Kill Zone anthology that was published on October 3, 2017.

She opens a case she cannot close.
If he helps her solve it, he will die.

From USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson comes Binary Hackers, an inspirational Christian romantic suspense technothriller collection, featuring hackers and cybercrime specialists at Binary Systems, Inc. Binary Hackers begins with the trials and tribulations of Cayson Yang, the fearful leader of the struggling Binary Systems, Inc.

FBI Special Agent Stella Evans finds the last surviving computer consultant who holds the key to destroying a terrorist organization’s global network, but poor Cayson may not live long enough to dismantle the computer system.

The Chaos…

Computer network specialist Cayson Yang’s struggling network infrastructure company has received a rash of new clients lately, the total income of which finally puts Binary Systems, Inc., in the black for the first time ever.

He is now able to give pay raises to himself and his business partner and cousin, Leland Yang-Joule, and bonuses to his employees. Cayson dreams of a bigger office space for them all.

Somewhere between two dollars in his bank account and a two-million-dollar computer network contract, Cayson finds himself in the crosshairs of the world’s most notorious terrorist organization, now coming after him, his business partner, and his family.

Ignoring repeated warning lights might have been Cayson’s downfall, but it’s too late for him to backtrack now that his enemies have implanted a cybernetic kill switch in his head.

The Crime…

Assigned to the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force, FBI Special Agent Stella Evans finishes assisting her colleagues from the Counterterrorism Division to apprehend a notorious terrorist.

On trial in Europe for war crimes too numerous to list, Molyneux refuses to help the authorities dismantle her sophisticated international computer network. The only alternative is to find the architects of this network and hope they will cooperate.

Shutting down Molyneux’s underground computer network is the best way to destroy those mercenary terrorists for hire. However, the terrorist organization doesn’t want to be outdone. A successor is named, and they begin to kill off anyone who has worked on the underground network in the past.

The Crisis…

By the time Stella reaches the Binary Systems global headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, most of the original computer specialists who worked for Molyneux are either dead or have disappeared—except their fearful leader, Cayson Yang, the final link, kept alive for reasons unknown.

Stella finds herself at a crossroad between duty and following Cayson and the cybernetic implants in his head. She stands to lose not only her carefully cultivated career but, more dangerously, her closely guarded heart as she decides what to do with the Pandora’s box she has opened…

Binary Hackers

Book 1: Zero Sum
Book 2: Zero Day
Book 3: Zero Base

AMAZON | GOODREADS

MY THOUGHTS

This is a wild ride. Lots of action, mystery, and intrigue in this romantic suspense novel. Cayson is a hacker who got implants in his head without his knowledge. Cayson and Stella make a great team. Cayson works with other hackers to remove the implants before the bad guys get to him and detonates him while Stella protects him. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jan’s books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

Post by contributor Allyson Anthony

Book Review: Tell You Soon

Published on August 19, 2020August 18, 2020 by Allyson AnthonyLeave a comment

Hello friends! On this wonderful Wednesday I’m excited to share my thoughts about Tell You Soon by Jan Thompson. Tell You Soon is book 2 in the Savannah Sweethearts series.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

She wants to fix up his beach house and move on.
He wants to fix up her heart and move in.

A Christian beach romance with suspense, Tell You Soon is Book 2 in USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson’s Savannah Sweethearts series of sweet, clean, and wholesome multiethnic contemporary Christian romances celebrating faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ.

Sabine’s Scars…

Sabine Hu’s legs were crushed in an auto accident three years ago, ending her modeling career. Today she walks without a cane, is back in heels, and has found a new job as a real estate agent selling houses in Savannah and on Tybee Island. She keeps to herself and stays in the background, unlike her high-profile sister, Helen, whose fame as a private investigator is constantly in the news.

Ming’s Mayhem…

Private Investigator Aidan Ming Wei works with Sabine’s sister, but he’s interested in getting to know Sabine better. He thinks he can draw her out of her shell. Since he has hired Sabine to sell his house by the Atlantic Ocean, he has all sorts of excuses to spend time with her. She seems to be at ease around him, and they get along well.

However, spending time with her is exactly what would put her life in danger, and Ming risks losing Sabine forever…

AMAZON | GOODREADS

MY THOUGHTS

Both Sabine and Ming have scars from their injuries. Sabine, a former model now real estate agent, becomes Ming’s real estate agent when Ming decides to sell his house. Sabine and Ming felt like real people with real emotions and life challenges such as Sabine struggling to forgive her sister. Jan Thompson also added suspense into this story which made it more exciting to read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jan’s books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

Post by Contributor Allyson Anthony

Top Ten Tuesday: Diverse Books that Give Off Summer Vibes

Published on June 2, 2020May 31, 2020 by Caitlyn Santi10 Comments

Happy Tuesday, friends! Welcome to June! It’s time for Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Today’s topic is Books that Give Off Summer Vibes! So, I give you, in no particular order, my list of Ten Diverse Books that Give Off Summer vibes! Enjoy!

(Click on cover photo to go to the book’s Amazon page)

A Proxy Wedding by Toni Shiloh

Novelly Upon a Time (Book Nerds and Boyfriends Collection #3) by Sarah Monzon

Love Me (Chapel Cove Romances #2) by Alexa Verde

If Only in My Dreams (Seven Brides, Seven Brothers, #5) by Belle Calhoune

A Song for the Stars by Ilima Todd *Clean read

The Bashful Bride (Advertisements for Love #2) by Vanessa Riley

Love in Pictures by Alexis A. Goring

Her Hidden Hope (Colorado Grooms #4) by Jill Lynn

Predestined Love By Marshalee Patterson

Know You More by Jan Thompson

Post by contributor Caitlyn Santi

Did any of the books on this list catch your interest? Do you have a favorite diverse book that gives off summer vibes?

For more Top Ten Tuesday discussions visit That Artsy Reader Girl

Book Spotlight: Kiss You Now

Published on March 27, 2019 by Jessica BakerLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday reader friends!

I think we might finally be seeing signs of spring this week in my neck of the woods! The sun is shining, the temps are slowly creeping up, and the snow is ever so slowly melting away. Kind of puts you in the mood for a sweet romance story, don’t you think!? Today the spotlight is on Kiss You Now by Jan Thompson.

About the Book

A novelist who can’t write…
A doctor who won’t practice…
A world moving on with or without them…
Welcome back to the multiethnic new South, to Savannah and Tybee Island, two of USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson’s favorite coastal Georgia towns by the Atlantic Ocean. Going about their daily lives while attending the Riverside Chapel church, a group of Christians meet the loves of their lives. What is God’s will for each of these Christians?
In Book 7, we return to the Savannah Senior Living Resort on Tybee Island, where centenarian retired Great-grandpa Hiram Jacobs waits for the day God takes him home to heaven…

Hunter’s Honor…

The Reverend Hiram Jacobs believes he is finally dying, and he wants his memoirs published before his one hundred and fourth birthday.Well, Hunter has his own book deadlines to juggle, and can’t Great-grandpa Hiram wait a few more months?
Unfortunately, Hunter’s writing career tanks. He loses his publishing contract since his books haven’t sold enough copies, and his agent fails to find a new publisher for his old manuscripts. His writing well has dried up, and he has been unable to write anything new for months.

Hunter sells his cottage in the Swiss Alps to pay off his debts, and flies home to coastal Georgia. He wants to talk to Great-grandpa Hiram about his memoirs, hoping that it might reboot his writing career. To Hunter’s surprise, Great-grandpa has found a new writing assistant, someone who isn’t even in the Jacobs family. And Hunter is required to hand over everything he has worked on for seven years to her, an outsider who has barely known Great-grandpa for a year.

Stunned, Hunter feels stuck.

Priyanka’s Present…

Renting a campground yurt on Tybee Island, Priyanka Patel is far away from the surgical centers at pediatric hospitals and from that nightmare of a medical mission trip more than two years ago. Yet, even here, there’s that faint scent of a defunct career, too dark, too painful for her to revisit.

These days, Priyanka would rather cheer up the elderly residents of the Savannah Senior Living Resort by bringing them freshly-cut flowers, singing and praying with them, and listening to some of them tell sad stories about their children who never come to visit anymore. She spends mornings at the florist and afternoons at the SSLR, walking with the seniors who can, and wheeling them around if they cannot.

Pastor Hiram is Priyanka’s favorite patient—ah, friend. The centenarian is losing his memory bit by bit, and the sooner Priyanka writes down everything about his life for his posterity, the better. His great-grandson is supposed to be compiling all his sermons, and if he’d hurry up, those can be published before Pastor Hiram dies.

Still, perhaps she should have turned down Pastor Hiram’s request for her to help him complete his memoirs. And yet, her heart gets the better of her, and Priyanka says yes to helping an elderly gentleman fulfill his lifelong wish.

When life moves on and time runs out, Priyanka finds herself thrown together with Hunter, trying to catch up with the world around them that is moving faster than they can handle. Should they press forward and go along with it, or should they shrink back and return to their comfort zones? Or is there another way they haven’t thought of?

Links: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

About the Author

Follow: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Book Spotlight: Know You More

Published on February 20, 2019February 9, 2019 by pennedbyalexLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, reader friends!

Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Know You More by Jan Thompson.

About the Book:

He loves her… He loves her not…
She’s waiting for him to decide.

A young pastor of a growing church in a thriving community, Diego Flores has to come to grips with God’s will for his church and his personal life.

From USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson come 10 clean and wholesome, sweet and inspirational contemporary Christian romances set on the beaches of Tybee Island and in the city of Savannah, Georgia, two of the most romantic coastal towns in the world.

Welcome to Savannah, Georgia, in the multicultural new south! Meet a group of multiracial and multiethnic churchgoing Christians who love the Lord, work hard in their careers, and seek God’s will for their love lives. Against a backdrop of ocean, sand, and sun, these inspirational romances showcase aspects of the human need for God and for one another.

These sweet and wholesome Christian beach romances begin with KNOW YOU MORE, the story of Diego Flores and Heidi Wei living in the city of Savannah and on the sunny beaches of Tybee Island.

*Buy Jan’s book on Amazon, Google Play, Kobo/Walmart, Apple Books or Barnes & Noble.

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson writes clean and wholesome multiethnic contemporary Christian romance with elements of women’s fiction, Christian romantic suspense with an air of mystery, and inspirational international thrillers with threads of sweet Christian romance.

Jan’s books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ.

Follow Jan on social media: Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Interview with Jan Thompson, author of “Know You More”

Published on February 11, 2019February 9, 2019 by pennedbyalex1 Comment

Good Monday Morning, reader friends!

Today, we’re interviewing Jan Thompson about her book Know You More.

Enjoy!

Interview with Jan Thompson about her book, Know You More:

Alexis: Know You More is Book 1 in the Savannah Sweethearts series. Briefly tell us about this series. Why is it special to you?

Jan: Savannah Sweethearts is my series of contemporary Christian romance, set in the city of Savannah, Georgia, and on the small beach town of Tybee Island by the Atlantic Ocean.

There are 11 books in all in Savannah Sweethearts, a mix of novels and novellas, including a prequel novel (that doubles up as a prelude to other spin-off and sister series). In this series, 7 of the books are multiracial romances.

I love the city of Savannah, where I have visited with my family on vacations. I decided to create a story world there, on the warm and sunny (in the summer, anyway) coast of Georgia, rich with history and vibrant with modern life. I am happy to showcase the ethnic diversity of my home state of Georgia in these books.

Alexis: What or who inspired you to write this book?

Jan: Across the board, whether contemporary Christian romance, romantic women’s fiction, or Christian romantic suspense, my inspiration to write is the same: to God be the glory. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Alexis: Tell us about your story’s heroine Heidi Wei. What is she like (looks and personality)? Who does she love (people)? What is her strongest trait? What does she value in life? Explain.

Jan: A Chinese-American, Heidi Wei is working on her doctorate in history. When Know You More starts, Heidi is in a conversation with her brother about their lives as they know it. Heidi has been in graduate school for years. Her brother wants her to go out there and do something more than just perpetually earning degrees.

Sneak peek: Ming’s own story is in the next book, Tell You Soon.

Heidi’s strongest trait is her sincere care for people, which has led her to help in the Riverside Chapel ministry of visiting elderly church members who are unable to physically attend worship services.

Most of all, Heidi values God’s perfect will for her life.

Alexis: Tell us about your story’s hero Diego Flores. What is he like (looks and personality)? What are his strengths and weaknesses? What are his core values in life? Explain.

Jan: A biracial Christian pastor whose father is Latino and mother is Italian, Diego Flores is the young pastor of Riverside Chapel. He is tasked to grow the small church and feed the flock. He is so busy with church life that he doesn’t think he has time for his own personal life. Along comes Heidi…

Diego’s biggest strength is that he is committed to the calling of God for his life as the pastor of a busy church. He handles the Word of God carefully, and honors God when he preaches Sunday after Sunday. He takes after his father, a retired pastor who still counsels him and gives him advice.

However, when it comes to matters of his own heart, Diego is at a loss. He tries to keep Heidi at bay, being quite sure that he doesn’t need her. And yet…

Alexis: What draws Heidi and Diego together? What threatens to tear them apart?

Jan: Heidi and Diego have been friends for some years, so they are often in each other’s company, whether at church or doing ministry projects together. Both of them are Christians who desire to serve the Lord.

What threatens them apart? I’m trying to be careful not to give away spoilers! However, you’ll find out about the ups and downs of their lives when you read the book. At this time, the Know You More ebook happens to be free at these major online book retailers (see retailer links).

Alexis: You’ve mentioned that your book Know You More is a Multiracial Christian Romance. What does that mean?

Jan: I do believe that God created the human race, so we are all one race. By multiracial, I mean that my two main characters have multiethnic ancestries. My story world culture is still definitively Christian, since I write primarily about Christians. Thus, the books in Savannah Sweethearts are not multi-religious, as I focus on the Christian church life environment.

Alexis: What are the racial makeup of Diego and Heidi? Briefly describe their backgrounds.

Jan: A Latino-Italian-American, Diego Flores is the last unmarried son in his family, and the only one called to be a pastor of his own church. He is very close to his father, who travels a lot with his wife, now that all their sons have grown up with lives of their own.

A Chinese-American, Heidi Wei has been on her own with her brother since their parents perished in the mission field. They live on Tybee Island, minutes from the city of Savannah, where they are helping Diego Flores to build and grow their small church on the Savannah River.

Alexis: Why was writing this multiracial romance story important to you as an author of color?

Jan: For years I have been unable to find clean Christian fiction that reflects real life America, with its rich ethnic diversity—that is, my world, my community.

My own family is multiracial. I have relatives who are from various ethnic origins around the world. My all-American son has at least five ethnicities in him, from Chinese and Japanese to English and Irish to Native American.

I find it ironic that it took so long for Christian publishers to come around to publishing books showing that America is a melting pot of many ethnicities and cultural origins.

Therefore, in the words of Toni Morrison, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” (source: Goodreads)

So there by the grace of God, go I, with not just one book, but several series of books that reflect my multiethnic world.

Alexis: What kind of impact are you hoping that this book will make on your readers? Why?

Jan: It is my hope that not only are my readers entertained by this beach romance, but that they also take away some verses that might be encouraging to them or to someone they know. Throughout Know You More, I mention Bible verses that apply to Diego’s and Heidi’s many situations. In a church life series, it’s impossible to avoid mentioning the Word of God, and I am happy to talk about God all day long.

Alexis: What role does faith in God play in this story?

Jan: In every book in the Savannah Sweethearts series, I sign off with a farewell verse from the main characters. I hope that those scriptural references would be a good reminder to my readers about the importance of faith in God.

For Know You More, the overarching verses at the end of the book are:

“And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee” (Psalm 56:3).

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Jan! God bless you.

Jan: Thank you very much for having me here. I appreciate the interview. These are amazingly insightful questions. I am delighted to be able to share a little bit about the main characters in Know You More and the setting of the Savannah Sweethearts series. Thanks again, and may God bless you too!

*Interview conducted by Alexis A. Goring, contributor

Author Bio:

Jan’s books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ.

Follow Jan on social media: Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

About the Book:

He loves her… He loves her not…
She’s waiting for him to decide.

A young pastor of a growing church in a thriving community, Diego Flores has to come to grips with God’s will for his church and his personal life.

These sweet and wholesome Christian beach romances begin with KNOW YOU MORE, the story of Diego Flores and Heidi Wei living in the city of Savannah and on the sunny beaches of Tybee Island.

*Buy Jan’s book on Amazon, Google Play, Kobo/Walmart, Apple Books or Barnes & Noble.