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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Interview with Author Jeffe Kennedy

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Jeffe Kennedy while
on her tour  for Sapphire.

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1. Who is Jeffe Kennedy, really?
Really? Hmm. That’s a closely guarded secret, with all associated information monitored by the International Police. I appear to be a mild-mannered – okay, kind of dramatic and impatient – woman with long black hair, a Santa Fe tan and green eyes, but really I’m a cat in a human suit. It’s all about the opposable thumbs for me.

2. Where did you get your inspiration from for Sapphire?
I had this fantasy about a guy, handcuffs and a party on a yacht. I rolled the story from there. Why would she let him do it?

3.  Do you ever have problems with writers block?  If so how do you get through it?
I don’t, really. But I also make myself write every day, at the same time, for the same amount of time. I sit there and dream about the story (with the internet turned off) until the time is up. I almost always get a lot done. Even if I don’t write many words or revise many pages, I still make mental inroads on the story.

4. Do you have any future works we should keep an eye out for?
My novel, OBSIDIAN, is coming out the first week of July! It’s about a Neuroscientist who ends up in Faerie by accident – and contracted to bear the firstborn child of a manipulative and roguish Fae man.

5. While working on a story, do you directly onto the computer or are there notebooks and plot ideas jotted down in various places?
I’m a computer girl. I compose on the computer. I keep spreadsheets in Excel and notes in Word. I do have a little paper pad in my purse, for when I’m out and about in the world, but those notes go into my electronic file, to become “real.”

6.  What do you do when you’re not writing/editing or thinking about writing/ editing?
I work. I have a day job with an environmental consulting firm that keeps me very busy and often on the road. I’m writing this in a Hilton hotel in Springfield, Illinois, in fact. If I’m not working the day job or writing, I try to keep the house semi-clean, I take long walks, I watch movies with the man. I read as much as I can squeeze in. I like to play with my cats.

7.  If you had one piece of advice for all those writers sitting out there procrastinating about making that first submission, what would it be?
Hmm. Interesting question. If you’ve followed the steps and you think it’s done, then submit the damn thing already! If it’s not ready, fix it. Don’t obsess. Submitting your work isn’t a decisive thing, no matter what the agents or editors threaten. Submit your work and learn from the response. It’s the only way.

8.  Please share your favourite scene with us from Sapphire.
I confess I love the lunch scene. Because I love lunch with wine in the sun. And it cracks me up when she asks if he’s had his OCD diagnosed.

“I thought we’d walk—it’s great weather today.” Kirliss took her elbow to guide her in the right direction. “So, how are you planning to break up with me?”
“I don’t have to break up with you,” she returned, “as we don’t have a relationship.”
“Everybody has relationships. It’s just a matter of determining what kind.”
“Well, then I’m determined that you and I will have a business relationship.”
“Negotiations are always fun. I look forward to hearing your business plan. And presenting my own counteroffer.”
Taylor pressed her lips together. How could every damn thing this man said sound sexual?
They sat at a table on the deck overlooking the harbor. Taylor enviously noted that some of the other women were enjoying golden wine in full-bellied glasses, but she opted for iced tea. She didn’t need the afternoon sleepies—or to let down her guard with Kirliss, who ordered a cafĂ© Americano.
Taylor opened her mouth to begin her speech, then bit down on it when he reached into his jacket and withdrew a rose to lay on her plate. Extraordinarily large and perfect, the rose’s pristine white petals were tinged scarlet at the edges, as if they’d been dipped in blood. She brushed the velvety texture with tentative fingertips, oddly moved by the gesture.
“‘For even the love that is purest and sweetest has a kiss of desire on the lips,’” Kirliss quoted in a husky voice.
She looked up to find him observing her with inscrutable brown eyes. She raised her eyebrows, deliberately arch. “Love poetry? And here I thought this was about sex.”
“That too. Desire is about both, don’t you think? O’Reilly thought so.”
Taylor gazed at his intent expression, feeling off balance again.
“What I think,” she said in a crisp tone, deliberately setting the rose aside and starting her speech, “is that you and I are business associates. A sexual…dalliance is not appropriate.”
“None of the good stuff is,” he agreed in an easy tone. “But when your life is all about the job, like it is for you and I, we have to find ways to work around that.”
“I’m not interested.”
“The hell you aren’t. You’re just afraid of the way you lose control with me.”
Taylor sipped her icy tea. “What happened last night was—”
“Delicious.”
“A horribly inappropriate fluke.”
“Don’t you believe in love?” Kirliss leaned over his plate, steepling his fingers. “In the intimacy of sex and the dark desires people can share?”
“Never mind that you’re mixing emotion and lust—what I believe is irrelevant and immaterial to this conversation, Mr. Kirliss.”
“I’ve decided I like how you call me ‘Mr. Kirliss.’ I picture you whispering it, hands tied behind your back, kneeling naked at my feet.”
Taylor’s heart thumped, her groin clenching with unexpected heat. She cast about, looking to see if anyone at the nearby tables had overheard. The ladies who lunched at the next table laughed and clinked their wineglasses, in another world. The suited men on the other side were talking loudly of the stock market. Still, enough was enough. Taylor carefully folded her napkin, laid it across her plate, started to stand.
Kirliss’s hand shot across the table, steel fingers wrapping around her wrist, wrapping her heart in that scary feeling of helpless need.
“Let go of me,” Taylor said softly.
“I’ve only just got a hold of you—how can I?”
“I can’t do this.”
“You’re afraid of it. Afraid of how much you want it.”
“Hi, folks. Sorry to keep you waiting. Ready to order your lunch?” The chirpy waitress fluttered at Kirliss, eyes only for him.
Kirliss released her wrist, turning the gesture so he stroked her palm with slow heat. “Well, M, what did you decide on?”
Taylor could see herself walking away. She could tip her wrist and exclaim at the time on her silver watch, cite an important meeting she’d forgotten. Kirliss watched her, brown eyes intent. This was absolutely the moment for her to walk.
She ordered the crab salad. And a glass of Chardonnay.
She didn’t hear what Kirliss ordered, her ears too full of rushing blood. She hadn’t agreed to a damn thing, she told herself. It was just lunch.
“So, what does the M stand for?” Kirliss sat back, relaxed.
“Have you had your OCD professionally diagnosed?” Taylor returned in the same conversational tone.
Kirliss chuckled. “You know well that I can be quite obsessive about details I’m interested in. I’m interested in you, M. I’m looking forward to uncovering that sweet, hot, gooey center that Taylor protects so carefully.”
“I find it…unsettling, that you talk like I’m two different people.”
“And yet, you don’t argue the point.”
“Debates with you tend to end up in one place, I’ve found.”
“Oh yes?” Kirliss purred. “Is this the place where you’re naked and I’m ravishing you?”
“I haven’t agreed to anything.”
“Haven’t you? You’re still sitting here.”
Taylor shrugged. “A girl needs to eat.”
“And yet you were about to get up and walk out five minutes ago.”
The chirpy waitress brought Taylor’s wine, sighed in Kirliss’s direction and reluctantly left again. Taylor sipped it, watching Kirliss warily over the rim.
“First rule, M—you may not walk out of any situation I put you in, unless you call your safe word.”
Sapphire. She hadn’t forgotten. A wise woman would have defused this entire situation with that one simple word. All along she’d had the key to escape. But she hadn’t used it. Not last night. Not today. Her blood ran hot. Did she dare put herself in this man’s hands?
“Perhaps I don’t choose to use that word because I refuse to engage in your game.”
“It’s understandable. You need to put up a token effort for the propriety of your conscious mind. You maybe find the struggle thrilling. I’ll let you in on a secret.” Kirliss leaned forward and stroked the petals of the rose. “I confess I like it when you struggle too. It…stirs me.”
Taylor gathered herself. Desire raged through her, filling her with life. Everything seemed sharper: the blue of the sky, the gold of his eyes, the crisp oak of the wine. Lust and curiosity drove her. The words came out of her mouth before she fully formed the question in her mind.
“Let’s say I don’t use my out. What would the other rules be?”
Triumph flared in the eyes across the table. “It’s very simple, M. You do as I say, without hesitation.”
The waitress set their plates down, but Kirliss never glanced at her, he was so focused on Taylor. As soon as she left again, he continued in that quiet, relentless voice.
“I will never interfere with business or cause you to consider that your career or reputation might be harmed. What goes on between us is, and always will be, private. But I will ask a great deal of you, M. Things that Taylor might not be comfortable with.”
Taylor couldn’t meet his eyes. Her chest felt too tight for breath. She tasted some of the succulent crab. Surreal, having this conversation. Feeling the arousal pulse through her.
“So I just let you do whatever you like to me. Unless I cry off.”
“Yes.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“Oh no, M. It won’t be easy. I intend to break you apart and rend you open. You’re right. This isn’t about love. Nor is it just about sex. It’s about possession and knowledge. I want all of you and I will open every secret, dark corner of you until I’ve had it all.”
Taylor stared at him, terrified and aroused. How was it possible to feel both things at once?
“And then what?” she asked, her voice unsteady.
Kirliss shrugged. “Who knows the answer to that at the start of any relationship?”
He had a point.
“I seem to recall you saying you weren’t interested in having a slave?”
He flashed white teeth at her. “I’m not. I’m interested in having a lover. One who shares my particular bent.”
“And you think I do.”
He leaned forward, fingers tightening around her wrist. She trembled at the touch and she knew he felt it.
“If I slipped my hand into your panties right now, I’m sure I’d find you dripping wet. Shall I tell you to accompany me to some dark corner so we can test my theory?”
She stared at him, helpless to answer. Part of her wished he would pull her into that corner and do all the things he’d done the night before and more. The other part protested that she couldn’t allow it.
He rubbed his thumb over her pounding pulse and smiled at her. “Hold that thought—we’ll take it up tonight.”
Taylor tugged her hand back to fork up some salad. “I’m supposed to do whatever you say in all aspects of my life? What happens if you tell me something like that and I have another engagement—a business dinner or if I need to work late?”
“That’s what your safe word is for.”
“What if—” Taylor took a bite and pointed her fork at him, “—I don’t choose to use that word.”
“It’s not a capitulation to use it. It’s a way of communicating.”
“I’ll communicate how I choose. What if I can’t meet one of your demands and I don’t use the get-out-of-jail card?”
“If you tell me no without the safe word, you’ll be punished.”
The crab stuck in her throat. “Punished? How?”
Kirliss shrugged and flipped careless fingers at the perky waitress for the bill. “However I choose. That’s part of it.”
“If I do…meet you tonight, what happens? Dinner? Full-out kinky sex or what?”
He chuckled, shaking his head slowly. “Oh no, Taylor, you don’t get to control this. That’s the whole point.”
“Well, how do I know what to wear?” she snapped. He seemed to find her buttons with uncanny accuracy.
He raised his eyebrows. “Why, darling, you’ll wear what I tell you to.”

Thanks so much for taking the time to be here today, Jeffe!  J
Thank you for hosting me!

More about Sapphire:

Publisher: Carina Press
Date Published: October 24, 2011

A successful executive, M. Taylor Hamilton is on track with her ten-year plan. Too bad her personal life consists of hitting the gym and grocery shopping. Enter the seductive Adam Kirliss. They may have a working relationship, but everything changes at an office party when he handcuffs her to the rail of a yacht. Taylor writes the adventure off as too much champagne, but when Adam challenges her to a date, she agrees to meet up with him. And follow his rules. They share a night of exquisite intimacy, brimming with both pain and pleasure. But afterwards, fearful of losing her heart, Taylor pulls back emotionally. Adam is determined to prove that she longs for the loss of control he can give her – and the passionate release it provides. How can he make her see that he wants her, and not just her body?


More about Jeffe

Jeffe (pronounced Jeff- ee) took the crooked road to writing, stopping off at neurobiology, religious studies and environmental consulting before her creative writing began appearing in places like Redbook, Puerto del Sol, Wyoming Wildlife, Under the Sun and Aeon. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow (2001), was a Wyoming Arts Council roster artist, when she lived in Wyoming, and received the state’s 2005 Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award for a woman writer of exceptional talent in any creative writing genre and the 2007 Fellowship for Poetry. Jeffe has contributed to several anthologies, Drive: Women’s True Stories of the Open Road. (2002), Hard Ground (2003), Bombshells (2007) and Going Green (2009). Her first book, Wyoming Trucks, True Love and the Weather Channel was published by University of New Mexico Press in 2004. An erotic novella, Petals and Thorns, came out under her pen name of Jennifer Paris in 2010, heralding yet another branch of her path, into erotica and romantic fantasy fiction. Jeffe lives in Santa Fe, with two Maine coon cats, a border collie, plentiful free-range lizards and frequently serves as a guinea pig for an acupuncturist-in-training.

Who Is Jennifer Paris?

I was doing the “Jeffe Kennedy writing as Jennifer Paris” thing, but Angela James, my editor at Carina, said no, no, no. Since I really don’t want to “flesh out” Jennifer Paris and tweet or blog as her (she was only a cardboard cut-out anyway), I decided to retire her. However, I have one book “Petals and Thorns” that is by Jennifer Paris.








Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Another November insanity complete!


I did some mad writing last night and today and finished 
a little over the 50,000 word goal for a final count of
53,207 words!
Of course in the next few months when I have time to go
through it I will have to cut out probably about 3000 of those and
correct another 10,000
but I made it with one day to spare and despite the insanity of
the last month for me I already made a note on my calendar to plan
next years NaNo novel in September so I know what I'm writing.

And now I can rest my brain and hands for a few days.



Friday, November 25, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I actually missed Canada's Thanksgiving as I worked
right through it - so I thought I'd get all the upcoming
holiday wishes in one swoop - just in case I'm lost at
work again through those!

Something else that's going on is the Kindle version for
DREAMS and for CURSES is now only $2.99 until Dec. 31st

See I even come with gifts for all occasions!!

Have a great holiday season!!!

Jacqueline Paige
http://jacqpaige.webs.com/



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Interview with Author Emlyn Chand

Farsighted_Button.jpg

Today I have Author Emlyn Chand here for an interview
about her release Farsighted.


1. Who is Emlyn Chand, really?
A 26-almost-27-year old YA author. I am also the president of Novel Publicity and a crazy bird lady too. And, oh yeah, I emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in my left hand (at least that’s what my Twitter bio says).

2. Where did you get your inspiration from for Farsighted?
Everything started with a single image—my face in these tacky oversized sunglasses reflecting out at me from the car’s side mirror. I was daydreaming while my husband drove us across Michigan for my sister’s wedding. Something about my image really struck me in an almost horrific way. I felt the glasses made me look blind but found it so weird that there was still a clear image within them; it seemed so contradictory. At the time, my book club was reading The Odyssey, which features the blind Theban prophet, Tieresias. I started thinking about what it would be like to have non-visual visions of the future and began forming a modern Tieresias in my mind. Lo and behold, Alex Kosmitoras was born. I didn’t want him to be alone in his psychic subculture, so I found other characters with other powers to keep him company. Thank God for my poor fashion sense. J

3.  Do you ever have problems with writers block?  If so how do you get through it?
Writer’s block has not really been a problem for me. I have so many ideas swimming about in my head, I don’t generally come up short. What I do experience is writer’s  detour, or pursuing wild tangents to the detriment of my story. If I can’t find focus myself, my beta readers are great at letting me know it’s time to kill some darlings.

4. Do you have any future works we should keep an eye out for?
Farsighted is a 5-book series.  Each book will be told from a different character's point-of-view, so in book #2, we'll actually be able to see what Grandon looks like!  Next up is Open Heart.  I hope to have that ready by the middle of next year.  And don't worry, Alex will remain an important character throughout the entire series; we just won't be in his head anymore.

5. While working on a story, do you directly onto the computer or are there notebooks and plot ideas jotted down in various places?
I use the computer so much, I’ve virtually forgotten how to write long-hand, so no notebooks for me! I do keep crazy to-do lists and outlines either on scrap paper or gigantic poster boards. I’ve also been known to sketch pictures of my characters or log ideas in a voice recorder—whatever’s closest when I have an idea.

6.  What do you do when you’re not writing/editing or thinking about writing/ editing?
I work, of course! I started my book marketing business, Novel Publicity, because of my love for writing and reading, but often times it keeps me away from my writing. That’s why I have to hold myself “writing hostage” at the local Panera for hours on end sans wi-fi—it’s the only way I can ignore work long enough to write. Ultimately, I’m lucky, because I have two all-consuming passions instead of just one.

7.  If you had one piece of advice for all those writers sitting out there procrastinating about making that first submission, what would it be?
Just do it. You can almost guarantee that you’ll receive a rejection letter, but this is an important rite of passage for us, and it really does make us stronger; it really does get easier with time. Sorry to be so cynical, but I find it’s better to have a realistic understanding of the insane query process than hopes that are too high. That first “not for us” form letter is like a dart through a hot air balloon. Prepare to crash and burn. But you can patch up; you can rise again. Maybe even float higher.

8.  Please share your favourite scene with us from Farsighted.
Sure! My favorite scene actually occurs at the end of the story—spoiler-alert :-P So I’ve attached “Meeting Miss Teak,” a scene from the second chapter that many readers seem to enjoy.

Thanks so much for taking the time to be here today, Emlyn!  J

“Did Dad tell you? A new tenant moved into the old pharmacy next door.”
“Really?” I ask, not letting on I already know. If I feign ignorance, Mom’ll divulge all the details. “What is it?”
“It’s a psychic shop,” Her voice crackles with excitement like a fire that’s just beginning to burn. “The All-Seeing Miss Teak. Isn’t that cute? Miss Teak, Mystic. Ha, I wonder if that’s her real name.”
I laugh. “That is funny. Never had a psychic in town before. What’s she like?”
“Oh, she’s very friendly. Why don’t you go over and say ‘hi.’  I’m sure she’d like to meet you.”
“Okay, I think I will.” I’m incredibly intrigued, because first off, it’s a psychic shop—how weird is that?—and second, its presence made Dad super uncomfortable—also very cool. I waste no time heading next door to check out the scene.
As I step cautiously into the new shop, a recording of soft, instrumental music greets me. I can make out chimes and a string instrument I don’t recognize but for some reason reminds me of snake charmers. The smell of incense fills my nostrils, which explains the burning I detected earlier.
“Hello?” I call out into the otherwise quiet room.
Nobody answers. I walk in deeper, sweeping my cane out in front of me in a metronome fashion. This place is new to me, so I need to be especially careful while moving around.
Thump! Despite my precautions, I stub my toe on something hard, big, and made of wood. Just my luck to stub the same toe twice in one day. I reach down to press my fingers into my throbbing foot to alleviate some of the pain. Something teeters before rolling off of the chest and across the floor; the sound it makes indicates a curved path. Suddenly, the object stops. Somebody’s stopped it.
“Hello?” I call again.
“Hello,” a deep, feminine voice responds, placing more emphasis on the first syllable than the second.
“I- I’m sorry I knocked that thing over. I didn’t mean to…” I hope she’s not angry. Probably not a good idea to get on a psychic’s bad side.
“That wasn’t just a thing, it’s a crystal ball,” she says as she walks over, sending my blood pulsing through my veins. I sense her looking at me for a moment before she places the ball back on top of the chest.
“Can it see the future?” I ask, allowing my curiosity to outweigh my uneasiness.
“No.” After a pause lasting several beats, she continues. “But I can see the future sometimes when I look into it.”
“Oh, okay.” I tighten my hand around my cane and turn to leave. It may not be the most polite thing to do, but all of this hocus-pocus stuff is freaking me out more than I would’ve guessed.
The psychic lady speaks again, stopping me cold. “Don’t run away, Alex Kosmitoras.” She must’ve spoken to Mom earlier today. That must be how she knows my name.
“I’m not running away,” I say meekly. “I’m just going back over to Sweet Blossoms.”
“Don’t run away,” she repeats—this time she speaks louder and with more energy. “Don’t run away from your abilities. They are gifts.”
“What?” I ask in confusion. What abilities is she talking about?
“You already know. Watch. Listen. Be open to your gifts.”
I turn to face Miss Teak, but find she’s already gone, returning to wherever she was before I got there.
Is it safe to leave? I trail my fingers across the wooden box I ran into earlier; a thick coat of dust clings to the tips as I pull away. If this shop just opened, why is it already so dirty? I wipe my hands over my shirt to get the gritty substance off. Shivers rock my whole body. Something about this place is wrong, and I’m not sticking around to figure out what. Tapping my cane along the floor, I’m able to find the exit without knocking into anything else.

More about:
Farsighted
by Emlyn Chand
Genre: Paranormal YA

Short Synopsis:

Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. 

Long Synopsis:

Alex Kosmitoras’s life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all. 

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to “see” the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future. 

In this enthralling debut novel, Emlyn Chand creates a world in which friendship, perseverance, and a handful of psychic powers come together to fight against what appears to be the inevitable and all-too dangerous future. This is a book you won’t want to put down—even after you finish it! 




Check out the fun quiz readers can take to determine which character they are.
It's just 7 questions long and has badges that readers can use to display their results http://www.emlynchand.com/farsighted/quiz/

Author Bio:

Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity.

Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb.

Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info.

Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky! 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Finishing the tour

Today is the last day for my month long book
tour - and I have to say it's been quite the adventure.
I've been to a lot of great sites on line and have
talked to a lot of awesome people.

With all of the new releases scheduled for 2012,
I decided to sign up with Bewitching Book Tours
to do a monthly promotional gig - otherwise
I'd just finish one month long tour and have to start
another!  

My hats off to Roxanne over at BBT for keeping me
organized this past month, if it weren't for her I would
have made more than one blunder and forgotten where
I was supposed to be!!

Stop by my last two stops today for another chance
to win in the draw.
Fangtastic Books

Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews


And now I'm off to see if I can use my day off to get closer
to the finish line in NaNoWriMo.

Jacqueline Paige
http://jacqpaige.webs.com/

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Body Snatcher Wears Lipstick

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The Body Snatcher Wears Lipstick
By Artemis Hunt
Genre: Romantic Comedy with Paranormal Elements
Word Count: Approximately 83,000

BLURB:

Abby Watson is about to move in with the man of her dreams. Too bad the body she wears isn't hers.

Abby Watson's life is an airtight box of a dead-end job, a skinflint boss, and a best 'frenemy' who thinks Abby has the fashion sense of a tubeworm. When a lab experiment at work blows up in Abby's face, she develops the ability to jump into other people's bodies. Suddenly it's goodbye frump, hellooooo . . . anyBODY gorgeous.

Abby's leaping into the bodies of heiresses, her best 'frenemy', anyone who has ever been mean to her in high school, her scrooge boss, and even the President of the United States (!).

When a chance encounter with the Ferrari of her childhood idol -- stunning movie A-lister, Jake Carradoc -- leaves one of her beautiful bodies in the hospital, Abby feigns amnesia . . . then a spot in Jake's home as his indefinite 'houseguest'.

But Abby's real body is dying in her soul's absence. What must she do to get and keep Jake, the only man she's ever loved with all of somebody else's heart?


Get it at: Amazon and Smashwords






EXCERPT:

I’m on Cloud Platinum.

Jake Carradoc is beside me, driving his red Ferrari 599 GTB (personalized and customized) – the very Ferrari which floored me into procuring the very litigious medical diagnosis of retrograde amnesia – and we are cruising to his home in Beverly Hills where I’m going to live!

That’s right.

I’ll be staying with Jake Carradoc (!) until such time I recover my memories and decide I want to go back to my life. He has very kindly offered me food, shelter, money, and his complete hospitality until I get my memories back, or if someone with a similar backpack from a rat-infested, one-star ‘the bar soap on the grimy sink is as thin as an insurance agent’s promise’ motel ultimately claims me.

This is so incredible I have to literally cradle my bladder from shooting out a squirt of excited pee every time we navigate a bump.

Jake, of course, completely believes I have severe amnesia.

“We’re. Now. Going. To. My. House,” he says slowly, enunciating every syllable just in case I’ve forgotten the specifics of English grammar. “Do. You. Remember. What. A. House. Is?”

Since leaving the hospital, we have conversed no more than three very prolonged sentences in this manner.

“How. Are. You. Feeling. Today?”

“This. Is. My. Car. This. Is. The. Key. That. Unlocks. My. Car.”

“This. Is. A. Seatbelt.”

I’m going to let Jake continue to think I have complete amnesia, but not so severe we’d have to descend to smoke signals to get communication across.

“I remember what a house is,” I tell him. “I remember the meaning of words, and grammar, and what things are. I just don’t remember specifics. Like where my house is. Or my street address.”

I’m tempted to add it’s just like Samantha Who, except I remember I’m not supposed to remember who Samantha Who is.

“That’s great.” He is visibly relieved. For a long-accused-to-be-monosyllabic actor, he doesn’t like monosyllables.

He gives me a sidelong glance. “Do you know who I am?”

This is the time to decide once and for all how much of a sham I want this to be.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Artemis Hunt has a husband who thinks all fiction is nonsense and all writers of fiction should get their heads checked for situational delusions. At any one time, they have 16 to 20 dogs, many of suspicious virtue.

Artemis frequently wishes she has telekinesis, so she doesn't have to lift a finger to change the room temperature. She's constantly glued to her computer, which serves as her gateway to her friends, books, movies, TV serials and sometimes husband, even though they're sitting on the same bed two feet apart.

Artemis writes under the name of A.R. Hunt for the adult thriller and suspense genre.

BOOKS BY ARTEMIS HUNT

The Body Snatcher Wears Lipstick
The Hunt for the Catalyst (Ether World Chronicles)
Snow White and the Alien
The Ether World Chronicles: Beginnings

Books by A.R.HUNT

Psychotic

WEB LINKS:



Twitter handle: @ArtemisHunt1

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Are we there yet?

I'm afraid that's the status of my brain and exhausted
body - are we there yet?

I'm going to blame the clocks being set back on how
out of it I am lately and as long as my children aren't
reminding me of the real reason - bad clocks!

First round of edits are complete for January's release
From Beltane Magic.

NaNoWriMo is flying right along having reach over 40k
right around the half way mark!  Of course I do not look back
once the word is on the page because the typo's and mistakes
are usually too numerous to admit.  Fixing NaNo stories is the
event that takes place in December.

And then there is my book tour.  I'm over at All the Days of..
tomorrow.  Stop by and give me a reason to pretend I'm not
at work when I check in throughout the day.
:)

All the days of

Hope to see you there!

Jacqueline Paige
http://jacqpaige.webs.com/


Saturday, November 12, 2011

Interview and Live chat!

With ten days to go on my book tour- I might just survive it!

Today I'm over at Word of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess
for an interview.
http://wowfromthescarfprincess.blogspot.com/

Tonight at 7pm (EST) until 9 I'm chatting at the
Romance Lives Forever group. I'll be giving some
prizes.   Drop by and say hello.  
Author friends are welcome too.
http://tinyurl.com/rlf4ever

Hope to see you there!!!

Jacqueline Paige
http://jacqpaige.webs.com/

Friday, November 11, 2011

Guest Author Michael J Lee

Today I have the pleasure of having Author Michael J Lee
here discussing The Romance of  the Spy Game.

From Russia Button.jpg


Someone once told me professional wrestling was soap operas for guys. If that’s true then James Bond is a guy’s idea of a romantic movie.

The guy has everything but he’s risking it all for the girl at the very end.

Seriously though, Bond is very closely linked to romance. The books first came out at the same time the first issues of Playboy were being published. Some might not think of Playboy as being that romantic but in the beginning it was the guide to becoming a sophisticated gent. You want to look at what Hugh Heffner was selling in those early days, besides naked pictures, you need only look at the James Bond films; cocktails, suits, exotic locales, and a sense of danger.

The Bond of the movies was definitely a romantic icon. He was strong, dashing, he always knew what so and what to do whether in the bedroom or in a gunfight. Whoever played Bond on film, his sex appeal had to be undeniable. Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig all had it. George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton, they weren’t bad but definitely not in the same league.

The Bond from the Fleming novels is a tough professional. But even in the beginning he had a tragic past. It was actually brave of Fleming to open his series with Casino Royale and have Vesper die at the end. Later in the series Bond would marry only to lose his wife in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Bond is no emo but he does have a heart and his creator took perverse pleasure in breaking it.

To modern eyes Bond can be seen a little too callous when it comes to relationships. His adventures are the most dangerous one night stands in history. In paranormal writing the characters take their relationships pretty darn seriously. Breaking up usually involves world shattering consequences. That was where From Russia with Blood differed from Bond. I made Ian and Larissa a couple. This wasn’t a couple of trips around the earth in a space shuttle and then off on their separate ways. This is more about that one true relationship. Maybe decades ago you could say that a night of passion was enough. But know it’s about two heart finding each and nights of passion that never end. Or if they do end, it’s cataclysmic. 

About Michael:

Micheal J Lee was born in the Midwest and has spent time out on the East Coast and in LA.

He learned the craft of screenwriting the hard way, as a barely paid reader. That’s how he got a good feel for writing form and the craft of storytelling. His approach to a story is a lot like Bruce Lee's approach to fighting, absorb what is useful.

Lee published his first paranormal romance, My Frankenstein, recently. It's been an adventure – and now he’s on to book 2, From Russia with Blood.



From Russia with Blood:

 400 year old vampire Ian Redd joined British Intelligence during the Cold War. But after the Berlin Wall came down they decided they no longer needed his services. He was retired, almost permanently. Ian escaped and has lived the quiet life in a small town until a professional hit team arrived at his doorstep. Who sent them? That’s a question that will lead Ian into the arms of a beautiful woman named Larissa Barton and into the most dangerous operation of his unlife.

Larissa Barton’s life has barely begun and it’s already gone off the tracks. She’s back in her hometown working as a barista. But things change when Ian Redd enters her life. Dark, mysterious and gorgeous, Ian is her only protection her from the people and creatures who suddenly want her dead. With Ian by her side Larissa plunges into a world of magic, werewolves, vampires, spies and assassins and discovers her own secret past.

"One part James Bond, one part Dracula, and a whole lot of action and adventure. From Russia with Blood kicks ass!" - Vivi Anna, award winning author of the Valorian Chronicles


Thanks for stopping by today, Michael!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Guest Author Theresa Meyers!

Today I have Author Theresa Meyers while on
tour for her book The Hunter.


About Theresa Meyers:
Raised by a bibliophile who made the dining room into a library, Theresa has always been a lover of books and stories. First a writer for newspapers, then for national magazines, she started her first novel in high school, eventually enrolling in a Writer's Digest course and putting the book under the bed until she joined Romance Writers of America in 1993.
In 2005 she was selected as one of eleven finalists for the American Title II contest, the American Idol of books. She is married to the first man she ever went on a real date with (to their high school prom), who she knew was hero material when he suffered through having to let her parents drive, and her brother sit between them in the backseat of the car. They currently live in a Victorian house on a mini farm in the Pacific Northwest with their two children, three cats, an old chestnut Arabian gelding, an energetic mini-Aussie shepherd puppy, several rabbits, a dozen chickens and an out-of-control herb garden. 



Blending Steampunk and Paranormal Romance
By Theresa Meyers
There’s something inherently fascinating about bringing two distinctive things together to create something new. Take Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Chocolate, perfect in its own right and deserving of a food group all its own. Peanut butter, the staple of probably more than half of the school kid lunches in America on every given day. Both all on their own fantastic, but when put together, well, the angels sing.

That’s what blending steampunk and paranormal romance is for me as a writer, and it’s why I wove them both into THE HUNTER. I love both as their own thing, but when merged into one story, it’s simply irresistible. It also makes my steampunk world a little different bend than most. Yes, of course there are the wonders of science, the mad genius, the spirit of adventure, but there’s also a darkly mystical side to my world. My heroes in the Legend Chronicles, three brothers named after their father’s favorite guns, are supernatural hunters in the Wild Weird West.

Winchester, Remington and Colt have been trained to hunt down and destroy the Darkin that threaten humanity. So while regular people go about their daily lives, these guys don’t bat an eye-lash when it comes to fighting down demons, slay shape-shifters, battling hell-hounds or going up against ghosts. They just do it with some fantastical steampunk help, such as Colt’s clockwork horse, Tempus, Sting Shooters (that are steampunk, Tesla-coil-powered tasers) and the specially designed Darkin-killing bullets perfected by their inventor friend Marley Turlock. They know that while ordinary people might not see the ending of the world coming, they are the first, last and only defense in making sure humanity survives.

Part of what I love about steampunk is the essence that anything was possible if you were just curious, adventurous or determined enough to make it happen. It’s accepting that we can be more, do more, than we ever thought possible by reimagining the past as it could have happened. I love the clothing, the elegance and intricacy that was part of the Gilded Age. I’ve a bit of a Victoriana nut with a strong love of tea, and I’m a maker in my own right. I sew, design, paint, and can my own home-grown fruits, veggies, sauces and soups, when I’m not out tackling my herb garden. For me steampunk is like the peanut butter. It’s gritty, it’s brown, it’s got a specific flavor you won’t find anywhere else and you know it when you taste it.

With paranormal romance, I’m just as fascinated by the things we can’t see that still influence us. Most of my writing tends to take a paranormal path, likely because when I was little my mother did things like pretend we had elves in the tree stump in the back yard. They even talked under my window one night—which I later found out in my 20s was due to a tape-recorder. She made my brother and I believe in the magic all around us and I still have that rose-colored tint to how I look at the world today. But if there’s one thing about the paranormal I’ve learned, it’s that there’s balance. Dark must have light to survive and vice versa. And with paranormal romance, the ending is always sweetly satisfying. You know the good guys win and that love can conquer all. Paranormal romance is like chocolate. It’s dark, it’s varied, the subtle changes and flavors are nearly endless and when done right it can be an experience you can’t get enough of.

So when it comes to blending steampunk and paranormal romance, it’s not just about the fantastic inventions or goggles, nor is it about the balancing act between the dark and light forces of the paranormal world and the power of love. It’s a bit of both, blended together to create a flavor of fiction that’s something familiar but also completely different. That’s what I’ve tried to accomplish in my Legend Chronicles series, but you may have to taste it yourself to find out.




The Hunter tour button.jpg
THE HUNTER
by Theresa Meyers
978-1-4201-2124-7
Price is $6.99
Zebra paranormal romance with steampunk elements

They’re the Chosen—Winchester, Remington and Colt—brothers trained to hunt down supernatural beings using the latest steam-powered gadgetry. It’s a hard legacy to shoulder, and it’s about to get a lot more dangerous…

A DEVIL OF A JOB
Colt Jackson has gotten his name on many a wanted poster with success in the family business: hunting supernaturals across the frontier. Lately, though, there’s a sulfur stink in the wind and the Darkin population is exploding. A rift in the worlds is appearing. To close it, Colt will have to do the unthinkable and work with a demon to pass arcane boundaries no human alone can cross.

Except when he summons his demon, he doesn’t get some horned monstrosity: he gets a curvy redheaded succubus named Lilly, who’s willing to make a bargain to become human again. He also gets Lilly’s secret expertise on the machinations on the dark side of the rift. And her charm and cleverness help to get them out of what his silver-loaded pistol and mechanical horse can’t. Of course, when all hell breaks loose, he might have to sacrifice his soul. But what’s adventure without a little risk?

Here's where you can find Theresa:


You can find her online on Twitter, Facebook, at her Web site or blogging with the other Lolitas of STEAMED!






Thanks for stopping by today, Theresa!



Sunday, November 6, 2011

Coming this week...

I have another busy week on the way but a fun
kind of busy!

Tomorrow I'm over at  URBAN STARS

Tuesday I have Theresa Myers here on my blog with her release The Hunter

Wednesday I'm doing a double and will be in two places at once!
here  RAVENCRAFT'S ROMANCE REALM

and here GETTING NAUGHTY BETWEEN THE STACKS

Friday I have Michael J Lee here on my blog with his release From Russia with Blood
and I'll be over at CHARLENE BLOGS 

Saturday I'm over at WORDS OF WISDOM 
and Saturday night I'm having a chat at ROMANCE LIVES FOREVER

Sunday I sleep!  I wish lol

I've just been given the tentative release schedule for the four contracts I signed
last week - January, March, May, July ... and possibly September for one that isn't even finished yet.
With all of that in mind I have a new best friend, here's a nice pic - isn't she photogenic?



I here chocolate covered espresso beans are pretty tasty...

Hope to see you around the net this week!!!

Jacqueline Paige
http://jacqpaige.webs.com/