JJ Knight

The Trail to Rom Com Land

The Trail to Rom Com Land

I’m known for my ugly-cry books. I’ve always landed on the dramatic end of the scale, which has served me well for my biggest bestselling books like Forever Innocent and Baby Dust.

I’d written a few rom coms here and there, almost by accident. (I’m funny? No. No one thinks the Queen of the Ugly Cry is funny.) But they sold way better than I thought they would. So when the pandemic began, I leaned in to my humorous side.

It didn’t really feel right to publish those books under Deanna Roy, where an unsuspecting reader with a box of tissues by her side was ready to go full-on emotional. So I chose my pen name known for her sports romance, JJ Knight.

And wow, did readers love them. Wow, wow, wow. Big Pickle hit the Top 100 on Amazon, then Hot Pickle did, too. I decided I had a series going, so I wrote more. Spicy Pickle. Royal Pickle. You can probably tell from the titles that I was not taking myself very seriously. But they ARE set in a delicatessen — where did your brain go? 🙂

These days I find myself working in two spaces: drama and comedy. It’s a good place. If you’re looking for my latest work, head over to JJ Knight, because that’s where the action is. But don’t give up your tissue box. I have a doozy of a Deanna-book in the works. It’s right up there with Forever Innocent.

No matter which name you’re reading me as, you can always find me on social media, especially in my private Facebook group, which is very active, full of Pickle jokes, and frequently doing giveaways of signed copies. I’m even on TikTok! Here are some of the crazy books in my Pickle-verse! I think you’ll still find that emotional connection inside, even if the crying comes from laughing too hard.

Thank you all for being crossover fans!

Days that make the journey worth it

I take very little for granted these days.

I have two new boys now. They arrived last September. The first three months were really tough. Of course they would be. They’ve had a hard journey making their way to us. We only just turned the corner as a family a few weeks ago, in mid January, into something manageable.

So my own life was set aside for a while. That didn’t mean big things didn’t happen. This for one:

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Fight for Her hit the USA Today bestseller list in January at #116. This was my sixth time on the list — second time for my JJ Knight pen name.

I’m so grateful.

I didn’t get a chance to talk about it much, as we were in crisis at home. As so often happens when family comes first, even the big personal accomplishments get pushed aside.

But we’re getting there.

I’m not sure when I’ll introduce our new family to the world. Their safety will come first, even after they are adopted and I am legally free to let everyone see their adorable faces. But know they are here, and my life is far more multi-faceted than it ever was before. I’m not quite as available online or at book signing events as I once was.

If you do want me, the best place is my private Facebook group for book fans. I try to stop by every couple of days to say hello. Click to hop over to it.

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