HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY Guest Post: WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? by Cerise DeLand & Desiree Holt

Valentine’s Day? Love? Significant Others? Dates?

Love has a whole darned lot to do with mating!

And as two ladies who have had wonderful relationships with our lovers, we feel as though we can tell you about:

The Ones that Got Away,

The Ones that We are Grateful Did go away,

The Ones that We Kept

The Ones We Write About whom we keep all to ourselves until we give them to you to read about, pass around and enjoy (wink!) as much, we hope, as we do!

So. Who were these fellows? (And who were yours? We want to know…and we have a few prizes for a few of you!)

Read on!

Cerise:

I remember one guy I drooled over in the summer between my freshman and sophomore college years. He was a pharmacy student, very TDH, and I really thought he was the one for me…until he introduced me to his mother. His widowed mater doted on him and wanted to control me as well as she did him!  Shiver. I had a mother of my own who did that and I wasn’t interested in tacking on another who, god knows, might not be as kind to me.

I tied the can to him! Especially after he told me that when we married, we would live with her!

NOPE!

Bye Bye!

Desiree

This is going waay back, when I was thirteen years old. I had the cutest boyfriend (of course what we did as thirteen year olds was a LOT different than young teenagers today). Anyway, I thought he was the heart of my hearts. He walked me home from a party one night (I lived in a small town and yes, we could walk everywhere). We were both wearing braces and when he tried to kiss me goodnight our braces locked. My father had to come downstairs with pliers to unlock us. But we’re still friends today.

Cerise:

There was another whom I met a year later. He was Army officer whom I met at a Friday night dance party bar in Washington. Talk about sweep me off my feet! He was The One and I would have been a career Army officer’s wife (his Dad was a general, so the stars ran in the family), but my beau was in an auto accident abroad and died. I was broken up for more than two years. Soon after, I quit my job teaching high school and went back to grad school (where I met my future hubbie). Read on!

Desiree:

I have a sad story, too. My senior year in high school I met a young fighter pilot stationed at the air base outside of the town where I lived. I was set to go off to college and he wanted me to go. By the time I finished college he’d be out of the air force. But two weeks after my graduation he was killed in a training accident. It took me a long time to get over him.

Cerise:

One night when in grad school, I went out with a roommate who liked to bar hop. Oh, I should have known better. The man I met this night was a Marine. Hey, this was during Vietnam and Marines were then known for being wild men. But he seemed nice for two dates until the third when he took me to a party on the other side of town (let that read: the part I did not know) and the party was…yes, an orgy. Drugs, not my scene. Now, you and I know that I write erotica. But I do write erotic romance, happily ever after, not the temporary kind of no hearts and no strings. Suffice to say, I left him. Found a public phone booth (no cell phones back in the day) and called…my father.  I was 23, should have perceived this Marine was on my  no-no list, but foolishly didn’t. My father, god loves him still in heaven for me, came more than 60 miles and with little or no description, he found the building where I was and took me home. 

About two months later, I met the man I have been married to for many happy years. And he is kind, funny, never took me to a wacky party and he loves me. He does completes me. And BTW, his mother was a gem…and yes, we did live with her after we got out of the Army, but never did she do anything but honor me. I loved her then and still do. She is on my Valentine’s list, along with my dad and the love of my life, my husband.

Desiree:

I met my first husband in college. A friend introduced us and on our first date he took me to buy a student directory. Is that romantic or what! But he was a senior editor on the sports staff of the student newspaper and introduced me to my love of sports. He always sent me roses and chocolates on Valentine’s Day along with big mushy cards. Sadly he was ill and passed away after many years together. (Wow! Hope I’m not bumming everyone out with these stories.

But everything has a happy ending. I met my second husband while living in Florida and he was truly the love of my life. He remembered every holiday, always with little gifts and trinkets, nothing expensive but always meaningful. He made me love and we made wonderful memories together. The interesting thing is we had met years before so this was kind of a reunion for us. And our love really blossomed.

Which I guess is why I wrote about reunited love in my Valentine’s story from Decadent, LUST BECOMES YOU. Ten years earlier Kylie and Sam had been lovers with a future, but circumstances rerouted their plans. Now fate has suddenly brought them together again. Is the magic still there? As someone who’s been there, done that, I say it’s there if you just reach for it.

Hope you will read Desiree’s and Cerise’s short stories for Valentine’s Day from Decadent publishing.  BE MINE is my story about a man who has been searching for the woman he met last year on Valentine’s Day and has suddenly found her. Now, he has plans to keep her with him. With wine and a snow storm he ordered just for the occasion! (No, kidding there.)

Buy link is: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=457&osCsid=1rcdbdds6gq178amemm4hkubh7

Now, your turn to tell us about the loves of your life!

(Be sure to leave your email addy in the post!) because Cerise and Desiree will be picking one lucky reader to win their novella UNTIL TWILIGHT

Conversation & Contest with the Author of INKED MAGIC, New York Times Bestseller Jory Strong

 INKED MAGIC

By Berkley Jove

Author

Jory Strong

The thing I love most about my job as a reviewer is that I get to bring new-to-me authors to my readers’ attention.  Get ready to add award-wining erotic paranormal romance author Jory Strong to your print and eBook TBR pile.  All I ask is that you do not hold me responsible for the pure guilty pleasure you will have once you succumb to Strong’s magical writing.  It is all her fault, not mine. =)

To say I am thrilled, jumping over the moon and doing an Irish jig in excitement to bring Jory Strong and her latest erotic paranormal romance release, INKED MAGIC is like asking if a woman loves chocolate.  Strong’s latest story is a decadent indulgence in reading that she supercedes in giving her readers an all consuming sensual erotic story that will leave readers breathless for more…craving in desperation to get their hands on any and all previous and upcoming reads by Strong, because once you have had a taste of this scintillatingly engaging writing you will be addicted and hooked from beginning to end.  Without further ado, because I am desperate to know more about this writer and her phenomenal books, I believe we should get this party started.  

Jory, I am so excited you are here.  For those not yet familiar with you (crossing fingers that my readers become devoted fans after meeting you) please share a bit about yourself.

What makes you tick? 

I’m big on self-improvement and living life to the fullest. I’m always striving to be better at the things I do, to be more efficient so I have time to pursue a lot of interests. Being balanced is also important to me, as is being able to look back and have no regrets about how I spent my life.

Why do you write?

I can’t not write. Being an author is who I am.

Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

The thing that shocked me the most was how difficult becoming a tattoo artist is for a woman, from finding a mentor to gaining respect as an artist. It’s still very much a boy’s club mindset. 

Do you have a favorite motto?

Not one I have taped to my computer monitor. But a motto that resonates with me would be the Army’s “Be all that you can be.” Or a refrain from a song would be Tim McGraw’s “Live like you were dying.”

What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

I’ve been blessed by the cover gods. Of my own titles, InkedMagic is probably my favorite, though it edges out the Ghostland cover by only a tiny, tiny bit. The cover for Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Kiss is also one of my favorites.

What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

I fairly introverted. That’s why I don’t go to very many conventions, and probably why I enjoyed RomCon so much last year, because the smaller venue and emphasis on reader-author games made it easy to be more outgoing. It’s why I’m going back to RomCon this year, the first time I’ve ever done the same convention without a lot of years passing between attending.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

Truthfully, I refrain from Googling myself. Haven’t done it in years because it’s too easy to stumble on a bad review or negativity. I just don’t want to ruin my mood or writing momentum that way.

If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose?  Why?

Forward. I’ve always been more oriented toward the present and future than the past. The past is over and done with while the future holds a ton of possibility.

Jory, please share with us more about your latest erotic paranormal romance, INKED MAGIC which is released by Berkley Heat.

It’s a ménage, though it’s unlike any ménage I’ve ever written in that one man (Cathal) isn’t willing to share, while the other (Eamon) is, if it’s really necessary, though he’d prefer the choice of who to share Etaín with be his.

It’s a paranormal, though the supernatural world is hidden from the human one. Etaín is a changeling elf though she doesn’t know it. Eamon is an elf lord whose territory includes San Francisco and Oakland, where the story is set.

It’s a story I hope is also relevant to the real world, in that it asks the question, “What is justice for a rapist?” Etaín, because of her gifts and connections to other tattoo artists, is helping a task force try to identify and capture the Harlequin Rapist, who has been terrorizing the Bay Area for months. Cathal, on the other hand, has been sent by his family to gain Etaín’s help in finding those responsible for the drugging and rape of his sixteen-year-old cousin and her friend. His father and uncle are mafia.

I noticed that most of your books, including INKED MAGIC are set in the erotic and paranormal genre. What is it about setting your stories in the paranormal that peaks your curiosity?

I love paranormal. Always have. I think it’s a way of capturing what the world was like when I was kid and everything was a mystery full of endless possibilities.

Why write erotica?  What is about this genre that also sparks your writer’s curiosity?

Writing erotic romance was just a natural evolution of a lifetime of reading romance books. I can remember the first time a hero/heroine actually had sex in a book I was reading. The whole thing, including loss of virginity, lasted one paragraph but I can remember the visceral thrill of it--though ICK, it was the time in romance history of thirty-five-year-old experienced man-of-the-world heroes and eighteen-year-old totally innocent heroines. I am so so glad the genre has moved well beyond that!

Etaín is an empath, meaning when she touches people she feels, lives and breaths what they have gone through.  Being a tattoo artist with a special gift must have been very unique to write about.  Would you mind explaining more about Etain and why this particular skill was needed for this character?  Also how it play an intricate part in INKEDMAGIC.

In this case, it wasn’t so much a situation where the character was needed for the story, but that the story came about because of the character. I had this great line that popped when I was thinking about my heroine, “Skin didn’t lie, not to her. It was her gift, sometimes her curse.” From there a couple of questions came to me. “What if she used her gift to help her policeman father and FBI brother find those who were guilty of terrible crimes?” And then, “What if a mob boss learned about her way with victims and was determined to gain her help, whether she was willing or not?”

And the story was born. =) 

Okay, I want to give a warm welcome to Etain, Cathal Dunne and Eamon (Waving franticly trying to get the besotted trio’s attention). I know you three have gone through a lot to get to your not yet so happily ever after so I will try to be brief. (Blushes scarlet as she catches the intimate glance between the trio), clears her throat...Okay, so you three are what we romance readers would say you are all still in the honeymoon stage, I see. I would like to know what each of you thought when you first laid eyes on the other. Was it love at first sight? Or was it all physical attraction bound in pure lust?

Etaín (speaking for all of them): Pure physical attraction. At the time I didn’t even think permanence was an option, because of my gift.

Eamon adds: Desire, but over time, I was confident love would come.

When you met, did you believe in true love? You can all answer. I’m quite curious to know all of your opinions.

Cathal: Definitely. It’s not something I’ve actively looked for, but yes, I believe true love is possible.

Eamon: Elves measure their lives in centuries, not decades. Yes, true love is possible, and with the right choice of mate (or mates), it deepens into a bond that encompasses mind, body, soul and magic

.

Etaín: No. And if you’ve read our story (so far), you know we’ve still got some issues to work out.

Etain, when you first met Cathal what was the very first thing you thought?  When you first met Eamon what was the very first thing you thought?

When I first saw Cathal I thought, “Black Irish. A bad boy dressed in fine treads but unable to hide the truth about himself beneath them.”

Eamon, then and to this day, “The call of like to like.”

Cathal and Eamon do not run too far.  I know readers are beyond curious to know what your very first impression of Etain was when you both first laid eyes on her. 

Cathal, you first saw and met Etain at Stylin’ ink, right?  What was your first impression?

Lust, pure and simple. But I also knew that despite what my father said about gaining Etaín’s help being simple if I set my mind to it, that it wasn’t going to be. And I’ll remind the readers, I only agreed to becoming involved in this because otherwise Etaín would most likely end up dead as what is often called “collateral damage”—but dead is dead.

Eamon, you actually sensed Etain when she walked through the doors with Cathal at your restaurant the Aesirs, correct?  What were your first impressions of Etain?

She stepped through my wards and took my breath away. Her magic felt old, like the magic of Elfhome, the place where my ancestors were banished from a long time ago. Then when I saw her, I understood she was changeling elf and, to be succinct, I knew in a heartbeat that I would make her my wife-consort and magic-bound mate.

Etain, Cathal and Eamon if you could turn time back to change one thing about what happened would you and what would you change?

Eamon (answering for all): No. To change the past is to change the present and the future.

Etain, name the one thing about Cathal and Eamon that you believe won your heart.

Hmmm, I don’t want to give away the good parts of the story. Let’s just say the  answer involves my gift of touch.

Cathal and Eamon, name one thing about Etain that you believe changed your outlook on love, magic.

In a word, Etaín.

What would you, Etain, Cathal and Eamon consider to be the turning point in your relationship?

To answer this would be a total spoiler, and we’re afraid if we do, then readers won’t feel the need to read Inked Magic. We really want them to read our full story, not just because we lived it, but—and here’s a truth about the world of publishing—if there’s not enough interest in a series, then it dies. There are men introduced in our story who deserve stories of their own, with us showing up in supporting roles of course. We want that to happen!

Oh, curious to know if you, Cathal, have come to terms with having to share Etain with Eamon.   

I’ve accepted it in my head, but in my gut… Let’s just say this is still a work in progress, and part of our unfolding story, which readers will get a front row seat to in the Inked Magic sequel.

Jory, while you were writing Etain, Cathal and Eamon’s story was there a scene that popped out the most?

The scene introducing Etaín, which continues through Cathal and Etaín meeting. I still love it.

Jory, what is more difficult to write: an intense sexual scene or a heart-wrenching emotional scene?  Why?

A heart-wrenching emotional scene. This is an area of craft I’m always striving to get better at. I think it’s harder because emotional scenes build from what’s come before them. They’re the culmination of the reader being totally invested in the characters and story.

When you were writing “INKED MAGIC” did you have music playing in the background?  If yes, what type?  Does music play an intricate part in your writing?

No. I’m a total-silence-required kind of writer. I envy those who can sit in a coffee shop and write. I can’t.

Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

It’s actually hard to separate the two. I usually have to know what a story is about, and that it’s viable, before I start it. But once I do, I have to get the “voice” right before the story starts to jell. Sometimes this happens immediately. Other times I have to rework the beginning multiple times before it feels right.  Once I have the right story voice/right feel it’s not something I consciously think about again until I’m doing revision/editing passes.

Jory, please share with desperate readers where they can connect with you in cyber world. =)

My website: http://www.jorystrong.com

There’s a contact form there, or readers can email directly,  jory@jorystrong.com

I love to hear from readers and will always answer. So if I don’t, assume the email didn’t reach me and try again.

I’ve got a Twitter account. I answer when I get notified of a tweet, but otherwise I’m not on it very often because it tends to be a huge time suck and time is what I always feel like I have too little of.

I’m at Goodreads. I enjoy seeing what everyone else is reading.

 I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

My got-to-have authors get read the day their stories release, so they don’t spend time on my TBR pile. To name a few: Michele West (House War series)/Michele Sagara (Cast In series); JD Robb (In Death series); Robert Crais; Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter series); Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson series); Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels series); Amanda Stevens (Graveyard Queen series).

What’s next in the works for you?  When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

I’m currently writing the sequel to Inked Magic. It’s the continuation of Etaín, Cathal and Eamon’s story. The working title is Inked Destiny, but that is subject to change. There’s no official release date. I’d assume maybe February of next year. Once it’s turned in, I’ll be working on stories in my various Ellora’s Cave series. Depending on how quickly I get them finished and in, they’ll actually release before the next Berkley book.

Jory, thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with Saucy & Sinful Reviews readers and myself; it has really been a blast getting to know more about you and your books.

Thanks for inviting me!

Product Details

Reviewed by ChristineRCJR

Read Review

Book Heat: Scorching Hot

• ISBN-13: 9780425245378
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
• Publication date: 2/7/2012
• Pages: 384
• Sales rank: 938
• Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 1.20 (d)
• Order

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of Healer's Choice comes the story of a woman with the power of touch. Skin doesn't lie to her. It is her gift, sometimes her curse. She feels what others felt, and sees the things held in their memories...

With the touch of her palms to the skin of a crime victim, San Francisco tattoo artist Etaín can see the faces of the guilty and draw them. Changeling elf but unaware of it, at odds with her police captain father and FBI agent brother, magic and gift have put her in the path of two compelling men.

Cathal Dunne, the son of an Irish mob boss, needs Etaín's help finding the rapists who left his cousin for dead. Eamon, a powerful elf lord, is determined to make her his consort-wife.

Her gift once made permanence impossible when it came to a lover. Now, as she approaches the transition to fully Elven, her survival depends on keeping two. One of the men is willing to share her. The other isn't-until the search for a sexual predator turns deadly, and only by paying magic's price will there be any future at all.

~ CONTEST~

RCJR is proud to present  New York Times bestselling author Jory Strong's latest Berkley Heat release, INKED MAGIC. 

THE PRIZE: Two lucky readers will win their very own copy of INKED MAGIC

To enter: Please leave a comment for Jory Strong including your email address.

*Connect with RCJR eZine at:

***

Contest is open to ALL

It will runs until February 14, 2012

I will contact the winners directly on February 15, 2012

HAPPY READING! =)

Conversation & Contest with the Author of THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, Jasmine Haynes

THE PRINCIPAL's OFFICE

By

Jasmine Haynes

Why do you write?

I’ve always loved making up stories, even as a child. It must be some sort of outlet for me, I’m sure, and it just felt natural for me to want to be a published writer.

Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

I learned that you could actually pay to use the outdoor pool at Hearst Castle! And I utilized that bit of knowledge in “Hers for the Evening.” It’s very expensive though!

Do you have a favorite motto? 

Never give up!

Do you have a favorite fictional hero?  Favorite fictional heroine?

I adored Spike in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” And I love Anita Blake in Laurell K Hamilton’s series.

 Which fictional character would you hang out with?

Castle and Beckett!

What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

I have to say that my favorite cover is for one of my own books, “Dead to the Max”, the first book in the Max Starr series. I love it because it has a photo of a graveyard that I actually used for a scene in the book, so it fit perfectly.

What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

I’m very shy.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

There are a LOT of other Jasmine Haynes’s out there! I wouldn’t have thought it was such a common name.

If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose?  Why?

I’d go back in time, to the 1950’s.  I could have been June Cleaver and worn pearls while I vacuumed!

Jasmine, please share with us more about your latest installment in your DeKnight Book series, THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE which is released by Berkley Heat.

Single mother of two teenage boys, Rachel Delaney is happy with her life and her job, except for the lack of a strong male body to help her make it through the occasional lonely night, no strings attached. Enter Rand, a mysterious stranger, who’s absolutely perfect, until Rachel finds their lives intersect in the principal’s office.

The DeKnight series takes place in a little company I created, DKG (DeKnight Gauges, Inc). Erin and Dominic DeKnight own it, and readers will find their story in “Past Midnight”. Then I wrote Bree Mason’s story, DKG’s accountant, in “What Happens After Dark”. Rachel is the receptionist.  Readers will get to see some of their favorite characters from the first two books in “The Principal’s Office”.

I noticed that the series is a contemporary erotic romance. What is it about setting your stories in the contemporary that piques your curiosity?

I like writing in a contemporary business environment because that’s what I worked in for years. I was an accountant. I’ve always felt there was such great fodder for stories in the corporate world, combining the sexual elements with corporate espionage. Also, in a contemporary setting, I can explore some erotic ideas that might not go over as well in a historical setting. For instance, in my novel “Kinky Neighbors”, I explored what happens to two couples who decide to have a foursome relationship, trading partners, and whether that could really work out or whether it might destroy the existing marriages.

Why write erotica?  What is about this genre that also sparks your writer’s curiosity?

I like writing very sexy stories. Sex is a very big part of life, and a very big part of romance. It’s a challenge for me to see how I can blend sexuality with every-day life, particularly for women. We’re always rushing around doing things, moving fast, taking care of children, husbands, aging parents, and it seems to me that our sexuality gets put on the back burner. I like to bring it up front again, especially for older women. Most of my characters these days are in their forties or older. Rachel in “The Principal’s Office” is a good example of her sexuality taking a back burner, until Rand suddenly turns on her pilot light. But she is dealing with every-day issues, divorce, teenage sons, work.

Name ten (10) fascinating thing you learned about erotica and contemporary romance.

1) Fictional characters have a genius for finding interesting places to have sex, and they never get caught.

2) Not all sexual positions you read about in erotic books are possible.

3) Fictional alpha heroes can actually be tamed (not so sure they can be in real life).

4) My vacations spots always seem to find their way into my books (In Kinky Neighbors, I used my trip to Tahoe and for “The Principal’s Office,” I used my vacation in Las Vegas.  My sister and mom helped me pick out the setting, LOL!

5) With erotic romance, the sex scenes that are fresh and pull the reader in are those that fully involve the emotions of the hero and heroine. It is their characterization that makes the love scene more than mere sex, and also makes it more than slot A into slot B.

6) Writing sex is hard (no pun intended).

7) Contemporary romance, as with all romance, the stories are highly character driven. This should also be true of erotic romance, but I’m afraid sometimes it’s all about the sex instead of the character and emotion.

8) Sometimes, characters actually talk to a romance writer (which probably should be scary, but it’s quite helpful).

9) In erotic romance, a heroine can actually have a happy ending with more than one hero (my story “Take Your Pick”, my heroine gets two men!)

10) In romance, I’ve learned that readers get very angry when you kill off the hero (which I’ve never done, thank goodness!)

Okay, I want to give a warm welcome to Rachel Delaney and Principal Rand Torvik. (Waving franticly trying to get the besotted couple’s attention). I know you two have gone through a lot to get to your happily ever after so I will try to be brief. (Blushes scarlet as she catches the intimate glance between the honeymooners), clears her throat...Okay, so you two are still in the honeymoon stage, I see. I would like to know what each of you thought when you first laid eyes on the other. Was it love at first sight?

Rachel: It was lust at first sight. I wanted to drag him home. Unfortunately, I had the boys that weekend.

Rand: Law of attraction, I wanted Rachel and knew I’d have her. It was just a matter of time. But then lust very quickly turned to love.

When you met, did you believe in true love? You can all answer. I’m quite curious to know all of your opinions.

Rachel: No, I didn’t believe in it. I’d been disappointed in marriage.  But (batting eyelashes at Rand), he showed me how wrong I was.

Rand: No. I grew up where marriage and infidelity went hand-in-hand. I would never have trusted in true love. But I couldn’t live without Rachel (squeezing her hand tightly).

Rachel, when you first met Rand what was the very first thing you thought?

Rachel: Yum. Viking God!

Rand, do not run too far.  I know readers are beyond curious to know what your very first impression of Rachel was when you first laid eyes on her standing in front of the juice cooler.

Rand: Absolutely perfect, from her beautiful hair to her gorgeous breasts, right down to her magnificent butt. I wanted to get daring with her.

Rachel and Rand if you could turn time back to change one thing about what happened would you and what would you change?

Rachel: I would never change the outcome, but I would change how I handled some of the things that happened with my son Nathan. I wish I paid more attention to what was going on with him.

Rand: I wouldn’t change a thing (hugging Rachel close). I know Rachel wishes she’d done things differently with Nathan, but he needed to learn his own lessons.  And he did.  He’s going to grow into an amazing man because of it, and because he has Rachel’s example to follow.

Rachel, name the one thing about Rand that you believe won your heart.

Rachel: How caring he was about his students. (shrugging, eyes gleaming) Okay, I love his naughty fantasies, too!

Rand, name one thing about Rachel that you believe changed your outlook on love.

Rand: It was the way she felt about her sons. She put them first in everything. It showed me how capable of love she truly is.

What would you, Rachel and Rand consider to be the turning point in your relationship?

(They laugh, sharing private looks). Rachel speaks for both: That thing that happened in my house the first time Rand was there.

Oh, curious to know if you two are heading back to Vegas anytime soon?

(Another laugh, and sexy looks) Rand answers for both:  Oh yeah. And this time, we’re going to—(Rachel elbows him)  All right, I better not tell you what we’ll do the next time. (in aside) But it’ll be hotter than the last trip.

Jasmine, while you were writing Rachel and Rand’s story was there a scene that popped out the most?

Yes, as with Rachel and Rand, it was the scene which took place in her house. It took a turn and just seemed to write itself.

Jasmine, what is more difficult to write: an intense sexual scene or a heart-wrenching emotional scene?  Why?

They’re equally difficult since they both have to be emotional. Sex is incredibly emotional.  The mechanics are easy to write, but underlying both types of scenes is the intense emotion between the hero and heroine. In one of my novellas, Kinky Neighbors, I had a very heart-wrenching emotional scene which was at the same time a sex scene.  I often find they go hand-in-hand.

When you were writing “THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE” did you have music playing in the background?  If yes, what type?  Does music play an intricate part in your writing?

I know a lot of writers use music, but I don’t. In fact, music playing distracts me because I start listening to it rather than concentrating on the story.  The only series I used music on was my Max Starr series, where I listened to a couple of Diamond Rio songs which really fit my heroine’s frame of mind.

Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

Story is more important to me. “Voice” is very subjective.  I don’t even really know how a writer works on their voice.  I concentrate on the story and the emotions the characters have about the events happening in their lives, doing my best to make sure their reactions are not clichéd and that they fit my character’s personality. I also write humorous romantic mysteries as Jennifer Skully, and of course, there, the story is very important, getting in the murder elements, who, what, when, where, why, et cetera.  This is also true with my Max Starr series because they are very intricate mysteries and there is also a romance that spans the five books in the series.

Jasmine, please share with desperate readers where they can connect with you in cyber world. =)

Gladly!  Readers can visit my website, www.jasminehaynes.com, www.jenniferskully.com, and www.jbskully.com to read blurbs and excerpts and learn about new releases. I blog at www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com, giving readers free erotic romance reads. I’m also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/JasmineHaynesAuthor and Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/jasminehaynes1

 I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

Actually, I’m hooked on audio books that I get from the library and my current favorites are Karin Slaughter, Michael Connelly, and Lee Child, who are mystery/thriller authors more than romance. It’s a kick I’m on currently.

What’s next in the works for you?  When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

I’m working on my new West Coast series, which is contemporary and highly erotic, set in a Silicon Valley manufacturing company I created (lot of sexual hijinx going on behind closed doors!). The first book, “Revenge Sex”, is available online now, and I’m working on the second book, “Submitting to the Boss”. There’s also my Max Starr paranormal mystery romance series, too!

Jasmine, thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with Saucy & Sinful Reviews readers and myself; it has really been a blast getting to know more about you and your books. 

And thank you for having me, it’s been a pleasure!

Product Details

Reviewed by ChristineRCJR

Book Heat: Scorching Hot

Read Review

• ISBN-13: 9780425247167
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Publication date: 2/7/2012
• Pages: 320
• Sales rank: 82,677
• Product dimensions: 5.58 (w) x 8.24 (h) x 0.86 (d)
• Order

Overview

Desire is in session.

Rachel Delaney, divorced mother with two boys, isn't complaining. Her life is fine. Really. There is one thing that could make it better, though: a strong, warm, male body to help her make it through the occasional lonely night. No strings, and no relationship, thanks. Just a little fun with a perfect stranger. And there's no more perfect a stranger than Rand.

He's tall, blond, unattached, smokin' hot, and looking for the same thing Rachel is: wild, abandoned sex with no limits, no last names, and no complications-until Rachel's eldest son gets in trouble in class.

Only then does Rachel discover that her down-and-dirty, dangerously sexy mystery lover is also the new school principal. They're not exactly the ideal role models for a troubled student acting out his own frustrations. With Rachel's life turned upside down, Rand's the only one who can make it right-by maybe taking their hot-bodied hook-ups into a warm-hearted new direction...

~ CONTEST~

RCJR is proud to present  award-winning author Jasmine Hayne's latest Berkley Heat release, THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, the conclusion to Hayne's saucy DeKnight Trilogy. 

THE PRIZE: Two lucky readers will win their very own copy of THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE

To enter: Please leave a comment for Jasmine Haynes including your email address.

*Connect with RCJR eZine at:

***

Contest is open to ALL

It will runs until February 14, 2012

I will contact the winners directly on February 15, 2012

HAPPY READING! =)