Jeffe Kennedy's Blog, page 170

Writing Bestsellers and Winning Awards!

Okay, I haven’t written a bestseller (yet!), but I’m over at the RMFW blog talking about the desire to write one and how wanting everyone to love our books can get in the way of writing the stories we need to.

And I haven’t won an award (yet!), but THE TALON OF THE HAWK has been nominated for Best Fantasy Romance of 2015 in RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Awards. I’m in there with good friend Grace Draven, which is wonderful. She came up with a solid plan: if she wins, we’ll drink wine; if I win, we’ll drink wine; if we both lose, we’ll drink wine!! Love her to death. I have to tell you folks, seeing my name listed with all of these other writers is a thrill right there. Really doesn’t get better than that!

Why I’m Tired of the Bitching about Smart Phones

I got this photo the other day, as the winter storm approached in the early morning. So dramatic.

Taking photographs is fun for me, and I think I’m getting better at it. Most of the time, however, I don’t work at it very diligently. These days it’s mostly an “Oh look at that – I should get a picture!” What I’d really love to learn is videography. (I keep thinking about getting a video card for my camera. I really should.) I have a couple ideas in mind for videos I want to make.

Right now, the one I really want to make would be in response to the one floating around Facebook with the clickbait title “If this doesn’t make you put down your phone, nothing will.” I don’t want to link to it because it annoyed me. Yes, yes – the bait worked and I clicked. It was one of those video poems with a guy rapping about how focusing on your phone means you’ll lose your friends. It shows a person looking at their phone while sitting with three others, then the other three disappear and the person is alone.

So sad, right?

There are lots of memes and rants on this subject. There’s another floating around of a group of teens all looking at their phones while walking down the street with the caption “the real zombie apocalypse.” Or people snap pics of a group in a bar, all looking at their phones and bitch about how social interaction is disappearing.

The thing is, this is a self centered view.

It’s all people outside looking in. Of course those teenagers look like they’re zombies from the outside – because their focus is elsewhere. That doesn’t mean they’re not interacting socially. In fact, I’d argue that their social circles are wider, more complex and varied than ever before.

This is what my video would show.

A group of people is sitting in the bar. They pick up their phones and send out messages. One tweets a photo of the group. Another texts that photo to an absent friend. Two others post to Facebook a funny bit of the conversation. As people reply, they appear at the table. People from The Netherlands, from Malaysia, from Antarctica. The friend too sick to leave home appears, joining the group. As people comment and reply, they manifest. The table becomes crowded with everyone, tens, hundreds, even thousands of times bigger than it appeared to the observer.

That group of teens walking down the street looking at their phones? They’re a mob of talking, laughing, highly engaged people from around the globe.

That family looking at their phones? One is texting her mother that grandma just mentioned an old quilt she used to love and maybe something like that would be a good birthday present, while another is sending a photo of grandma to their cousin in Germany.

People looking from the outside in have no idea what’s going on. Less judging, please.

Kind of a good credo, all around.

Conversations and Twelve Kingdoms Sneak Peeks

I’m over at Word Whores, giving some of my favorite bits of banter and conversational sparring between Harlan and Ursula – including some sneak peeks from future books!

Holiday Romance Without the Schmaltz

I’m over at the Contemporary Romance Cafe today, talking about my take on writing a holiday story.

French Club and Other Sekrit Societies

The full moon setting at sunrise. Such lovely color!

Back when I was in grad school, lo these many moons ago, one gal in the department started up a weekly (maybe monthly? I don’t really recall) meeting of those of us who spoke French. She’d been in the Peace Corps in north Africa and felt like her French was getting rusty. I’d become reasonably fluent while studying the language in college, but I’d also gotten less so with disuse, so it sounded fun to me. It would also be a break from All The Science.

So, we’d go over to her apartment, bring wine and snacks and converse in French. There were like five or six of us and it just so happened that we were all female.

Well – this drove the guys NUTS! We were a fairly small department – Zoology & Physiology – and all knew each other pretty well. We had Friday afternoon brown bag discussions, where we took turns giving presentations on our research (which included beer and frequently culminated in a mas migration to the campus beer garden) along with weekly department seminars, joint classes that we both took and taught, frequent potlucks and barbeques, etc.

The guys kept asking us, “What do you do? Do you sit around in lingerie or something?”

We’d answer, “We drink wine, eat snacks and gossip in French.” They were welcome to join us, but they protested that they didn’t speak French. We told them it was no different than other parties, except we spoke French.

They simply could not get their heads around it and wouldn’t let the topic go.

I think it had to do with feeling closed out of something, which I understand, but also the male/female dynamic played in. I think if even one guy had been part of French Club, they wouldn’t have thought about it. But something about the women getting together without them got under their skin. They also sexualized it – with a lot of their questions along the lines of the lingerie thing and pillow fights.

I’m thinking about this because of some groups wanting to create “safe spaces” on the internet – which can mean females and female-oriented topics – and men objecting to it, calling it cliquey and elitist. I can understand the feeling left out, but… I dunno. Sometimes I think it’s okay for people do things without others looking over their shoulders.

Also, my French is nearly nonexistent now. Alas.

Setting Writing Goals You Can Actually Meet

I’m over at Word Whores, giving my annual advice on how to make NaNoWriMo work for you – not just for this month, but for the sustainable future.

The TBR!

I’ve been posting to Facebook and Twitter about my project to organize my TBR pile – both physical and virtual. I’m hoping that by putting them all into a spreadsheet I can prioritize what to read next and hopefully avoid duplications. I’m really psyched to put a dent in this list! There’s 272 print, audio and ebooks on the list. (I originally said 275, but I found a few that I had indeed read on the final pass.)

Several people asked to see the list, so here it is in order of author first name. I have my own list sorted according to my arcane set of priorities, but I didn’t want to share it that way, lest anyone get their feelings hurt.

Here it is!

Pale Queen Rising (Pale Queen Series Book 1)
A. R. Kahler


Twisted Miracles (The Shadowminds)
A.J. Larrieu


Mind Sweeper (Mind Sweeper Series Book 1)
AE Jones


Consequences
Aleatha Romig


Defeat the Darkness
Alexis Morgan


Dark Warrior Unbroken
Alexis Morgan


Love in the Afternoon (Feeling the Heat Book 1)
Alison Packard


Atlantis Unleashed
Alyssa Day


Atlantis Betrayed
Alyssa Day


The Lair of the Twelve Princesses
Amanda C. Davis


The Kingdom (The Graveyard Queen Book 2)
Amanda Stevens


The Martian
Andy Weir


The Breaker’s Concubine
Ann Mayburn


This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
Ann Patchett


Blades of the Old Empire: Book I of the Majat Code
Anna Kashina


The Guild of Assassins: Book Two of The Majat Code
Anna Kashina


The Majat Testing (The Majat Code)
Anna Kashina


Uncommon Passion
Anne Calhoun


Uncommon Pleasure
Anne Calhoun


The Seal’s Rebel Librarian
Anne Calhoun


The Seal’s Secret
Anne Calhoun


The Seal’s Second Chance
Anne Calhoun


Evening Storm
Anne Calhoun


Transcendent (Irresistible Series Book 2)
Anne Calhoun


Jaded
Anne Calhoun


The Girl in 6E
AR Torre


The Poetics
Aristotle


The All You Can Dream Buffet
Barbara O’Neal


Solatium (Emanations, an urban fantasy series Book 2)
Becca Mills


Passion Play
Beth Bernobich


The Creative Fire (Ruby’s Song)
Brenda Cooper


Black Sun Rising: The Coldfire Trilogy, Book One
C.S. Friedman


Crown of Shadows: The Coldfire Trilogy, Book Three
C.S. Friedman


When True Night Falls: The Coldfire Trilogy, Book Two
C.S. Friedman


Silk
Caitlin R Kiernan


Touch Me
Callie Croix


Wind Follower
Carole McDonnell


Free Fall (A My Immortals Series Demons and Witches novella)
Carolyn Jewel


Eyes Like Sky And Coal And Moonlight
Cat Rambo


Always and Forever
Cathy Kelly


With this Ring
Celeste Bradley


1 Dead in Attic
Chris Rose


Losing Mum and Pup
Christopher Buckley


Lady of Light and Shadows
CL Wilson


King of Sword and Sky
CL Wilson


Queen of Song and Souls
CL Wilson


Crown of Crystal Flame
CL Wilson


The Shadow Revolution: Crown & Key
Clay Griffith


A Malady of Magicks (The Ebenezum Series Book 1)
Craig Shaw Gardner


Unlovable
Cynthia St. Aubin


Hot Head
Damon Suede


Reluctant Concubine (Hardstorm Saga Book 1)
Dana Marton


The Tao of Jung – the Way of lntegrity
David Rosen


Dying Bites: The Bloodhound Files
DD Barant


Dream
Del Dryden


Sex on the Beach
Del Dryden


Mai Tai for Two
Del Dryden


Bitter Night
Diana Pharaoh Francis


Charmed Life (Chronicles of Chrestomanci Book 1)
Diana Wynne Jones


The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Diane Setterfield


The Thirteenth Tale
Diane Setterfield


The Thousand Names: Book One of the Shadow Campaigns
Django Wexler


The Reckoners
Doranna Durgin


Storm of Reckoning
Doranna Durgin


The Beauty’s Beast
ED Walker


The Heaven Tree trilogy
Edith Pagetter


Cheerful – By Request
Edna Ferber


Erotic Poems
ee cummings


Twisted
Elisabeth Naughton


Slave To Pleasure
Eliza Gayle


Eat Pray Love
Elizabeth Gilbert


A Hidden Fire: Elemental Mysteries Book One
Elizabeth Hunter


The Seduction of Lady Phoebe (The Marriage Game Book 1)
Ella Quinn


Strange Attractions (Berkley Sensation)
Emma Holly


Master of the Game
Emma Petersen


Blood Cursed
Erica Hayes


Shadow Bound
Erin Kellison


The Secret Heart (No Better Angels Book 1)
Erin Satie


A Vampire Quintet
Eugie Foster


Blood Cross: A Jane Yellowrock Novel
Faith Hunter


You’re Never Weird on the Internet
Felicia Day


Boomerang Bride
Fiona Lowe


Dead Man’s Rain (The Markhat Files Book 2)
Frank Tuttle


Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin series Book 1)
G. A. Aiken


His Last Duchess
Gabrielle Kimm


Sabriel (The Old Kingdom Book 1)
Garth Nix


The Darkest Kiss
Gena Showalter


Home Fires
Gene Wolfe


Phantastes
George MacDonald


Love Letters Volume 1: Obeying Desire (The Love Letters)
Ginny Glass


The Duke’s Disaster
Grace Burrowes


Douglas
Grace Burrowes


The Lightning God’s Wife: a short story
Grace Draven


The Collected Stories
Grace Paley


The Lions of Al-Rassan
Guy Gavriel Kay


Romancing the Holiday: We’ll Be Home for Christmas\Ask Her..
HelenKay Dimon


The Secret of the Unicorn
Herge


Atonement
Ian McEwan


Burn for Me
Ilona Andrews


Thorn
Intisar Khanani


Faery Song
Isabo Kelly


Obernewtyn: The Obernewtyn Chronicles 1
Isobelle Carmody


The Golden City
J. Kathleen Cheney


Renegade
JA Souders


Naamah’s Curse (Moirin’s Trilogy Book 2)
Jacqueline Carey


Santa Olivia
Jacqueline Carey


The Golden Bough
James George Frazer


Persuasion (Illustrated)
Jane Austen


The King’s Viper
Janine Ashbless


Warhost of Vastmark
Janny Wurts


The Curse of the Mistwraith
Janny Wurts


Management Skills
January Rowe


Better When He’s Bad
Jay Crownover


Three Hearts
JC Nelson


Leopard Moon (Moon series Book 1)
Jeanette Battista


Up from the Grave
Jeaniene Frost


Blood Drive
Jeanne C Stein


Karma Girl (The Bigtime series Book 1)
Jennifer Estep


Don’t Breathe a Word: A Novel
Jennifer McMahon


The Scarecrow King: A Romantic Retelling of the King..
Jill Myles


Always on My Mind
Jill Shalvis


Tempted by His Target
Jill Sorenson


Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)
Jim Butcher


The Lady’s Secret
Joanna Chambers


The Harlot Countess
Joanna Shupe


Incarnate
Jodi Meadows


Redshirts: Chapters 1-4
John Scalzi


Johannes Cabal, the Necromancer
Jonathan L Howard


Beast (Avon Romantic Treasure)
Judith Ivory


It’s in His Kiss
Julia Quinn


When He was Wicked
Julia Quinn


Caress of Darkness
Julie Kenner


Wanted
Julie Kenner


Say My Name
Julie Kenner


Larcout (Fire Born, Blood Blessed Book 1)
K.A. Krantz


Red Hot Holiday: Wish List\I Need You for Christmas\Breath..
K.A. Mitchell


Grave Witch
Kalayna Price


Heart of the Dragon’s Realm
Karalynn Lee


Inked (Cassie Palmer)
Karen Chance


Changeling: Prelude to the Chosen Chronicles
Karen Dales


Greywalker
Kat Richardson


Spirit Gate
Kate Elliott


King’s Dragon
Kate Elliott


Simply Sinful
Kate Pearce


A Lady’s Wish
Katharine Ashe


Breakdown
Katherine Amt Hanna


Everlasting
Kathleen Woodiwiss


A Match Made in Texas
Katie Lane


Ring in the Holidays
Katie Lane


Uncommon Arrangements: Married Life in London Literary Circles
Katie Roiphe


The Middle Place
Kelly Corrigan


The Better Part of Darkness
Kelly Gay


The Darkest Kiss
Keri Arthur


Embraced in Darkness
Keri Arthur


Hounded
Kevin Hearne


Synthetic Dreams
Kim Knox


Dark Needs at Night’s Edge
Kresley Cole


Own the Wind
Kristen Ashley


Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Laini Taylor


Lethal Rider
Larissa Ione


The Chocolate Rose: (A Prequel to La Vie en Roses Series)
Laura Florand


The Prince of Midnight
Laura Kinsale


By Royal Command
Laura Navarre


Goddess With a Blade
Lauren Dane


Last Night at Chateau Marmont
Lauren Weisberger


Touchstone
Laurie R. King


Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo


Secrets of the Sands
Leona Wisoker


Grave Illusions (Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter Book 1)
Lina Gardiner


Games of Command
Linnea Sinclair


Hope’s Folly
Linnea Sinclair


A Civil Campaign
Lois McMaster Bujold


A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga Book 12)
Lois McMaster Bujold


Spellbent
Lucy A. Snyder


Bonds of Trust & Bonds of Need
Lynda Aicher


Dearest Friend
Lynne Withey


The Worth of a Shell (The Stone Moon Trilogy Book 1)
M.C.A. Hogarth


Blood of the Sorceress
Maggie Shayne


The Raven Boys
Maggie Stiefvater


Avenge Me
Maisey Yates


Nightmare Ink (A Living Ink Novel)
Marcella Burnard


The Blind Assassin
Margaret Atwood


The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam Trilogy, Book 2)
Margaret Atwood


Midnight Never Come
Marie Brennan


Beauty and the Wolf (The Cursed Princes Book 1)
Marina Myles


Undead Kama Sutra
Mario Acevedo


The Woman at the Washington Zoo
Marjorie Williams


Unfallen Dead
Mark del Franco


Thief of Songs
MCA Hogarth


The Position: A Novel
Meg Wolitzer


The Ten-Year Nap
Meg Wolitzer


Little Secrets
Megan Hart


Hold Me Close
Megan Hart


Tempted
Megan Hart


A Red Hot Valentine’s Day
Megan Hart


No Greater Pleasure
Megan Hart


If the Shoe Fits (Unruly Royals Book 2)
Megan Mulry


In Love Again (Unruly Royals Book 3)
Megan Mulry


A Little Harmless Submission
Melissa Schroeder


Home from the Sea
Mercedes Lackey


Archer’s Voice
Mia Sheridan


Cast in Shadow (Chronicles of Elantra, Book 1) (The..
Michelle Sagara


The Duke of Dark Desires (The Wild Quartet)
Miranda Neville


The Importance of Being Wicked
Miranda Neville


Fire Kin
MJ Scott


The Magic of Recluce (saga of recluce Book 1)
Modesitt Jr.


Falling Kingdoms
Morgan Rhodes


Loving Frank
Nancy Horan


Uprooted
Naomi Novik


Think and Grow Rich
Napoleon Hill


Fight or Flight
Natalie Damschroder


Neverwhere
Neil Gaiman


The Liar
Nora Roberts


The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity (Daw Book..
Palmatier


Scions: Insurrection
Patrice Michelle


Alphabet of Thorn
Patricia McKillip


Some Boys
Patty Blount


The Green Man and the Dragon
Paul Broadhurst


The Winter Witch
Paula Brackston


The Warded Man
Peter V Brett


Plato’s Erotic Dialogues
Plato


The Scroll Thief (A Tale of Ithian)
R.F. Long


Love Without Blood
Raz Steel


The Bridge
Rebecca Rogers Maher


The Red Wolf Conspiracy
Robert V.S. Redick


Assassin’s Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)
Robin Hobb


Shadows
Robin McKinley


Water – Tales of Elemental Spirits
Robin McKinley


A Knot in the Grain and other stories
Robin McKinley


Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits (Firebird Fantasy)
Robin Mckinley


The Door in the Hedge
Robin McKinley


Deeper
Robin York


Fallen
Roselynn Cannes


Sunset Rising: Book One
S. McEachern


The Twelve Nights of Christmas (Snowkissed and Seduced!)
Sarah Morgan


Rosemary and Rue: Book One of Toby Daye (October Daye Series..
Seanan McGuire


Slow Summer Kisses
Shannon Stacey


Mystic and Rider (Twelve Houses series Book 1)
Sharon Shinn


Journey of Awakening (The Triune Stones)
Shawna Thomas


It’s In His Heart (A Red River Valley Novel)
Shelly Alexander


His at Night (The London Trilogy Series)
Sherry Thomas


Demon’s Captive (War Tribe Book 1)
Stephanie Snow


Daughter of Regals and Other Tales
Stephen R Donaldson


First Blood (The Guardians series)
Susan Sizemore


The Splendour Falls
Susanna Kearsley


The Winter Sea
Susanna Kearsley


The Admiral’s Bride (Tall, Dark and Dangerous Book 7)
Suzanne Brockmann


Pirate’s Alley (Sentinels of New Orleans Book 4)
Suzanne Johnson


Riding the Storm (ACRO Series Book 1)
Sydney Croft


Spellbound
Sylvia Day


Afterburn & Aftershock
Sylvia Day


Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness series Book..
Tamora Pierce


Terrier: The Legend of Beka Cooper #1
Tamora Pierce


It Had to Be Him (An It Had to Be Novel Book 1)
Tamra Baumann


Getting Dumped – Part 1 A Shultz Sisters Mystery
Tawna Fenske


The Color of Magic (Discworld Book 1)
Terry Pratchett


A Night to Surrender
Tessa Dare


Jitterbug Perfume
Tom Robbins


Vicious
V. E. Schwab


Property
Valerie Martin


What My Mother Gave Me
Various


Rocket Dragons Ignite
Various


Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Various


Star Cruise: Marooned
Veronica Scott


A Rake’s Guide To Pleasure (Zebra Historical Romance)
Victoria Dahl


Fanning the Flames: A Girls’ Night Out novella (Jackson:..
Victoria Dahl


The Guy Next Door
Victoria Dahl


Carolina Man
Virginia Kantra


Distrust That Particular Flavor
William Gibson


Spook Country
William Gibson


The Xandra King Erotic Romance Collection: Celestina and the..
Xandra King


The Curious Trio
Yoko Tsuno

Great News for ROGUE’S PAWN!

A lot of you have been with me for a long time. In fact, I happen to know that more than a few of you discovered me as an author via my first full-length novel, ROGUE’S PAWN, book one of my COVENANT OF THORNS trilogy. It was also my first fantasy romance, though I didn’t know what genre that was when I wrote it.

Well, I just received news that ROGUE’S PAWN will be seeing print! The book will be part of Harlequin’s Direct-to-Consumer shipment in February. For those who don’t know, this is a program where readers subscribe and received a shipment of romances each month. This means a LOT of new people will see this book! I really hope they love it.

This came as a total surprise, seeing as how this book has been out over three years now. But I’m also celebrating the serendipity here – this was a last-minute decision that came right after my move to go to writing full time. I’m calling this a yes vote from the universe.

Feeling pretty good over here!

Support the Ripped Bodice!

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, cheering, congratulations and general pom-pon waving in response to last Friday’s post on me leaving the day job. You all overwhelmed me, sending me messages of support across all social media – and it’s so very appreciated. If I missed replying to you directly, it’s because I simply couldn’t keep up. Good problem to have! You all are awesome and wonderful and I couldn’t be taking this leap without you.

Special love to those of you who jumped for joy at the prospect of this meaning more books to read. *MWAH*

I’m settling into a new writing routine and catching up on other things – like cataloguing my teetering TBR pile so I can catch up on my reading! One new feature here, if you look to the right —->>
you’ll note that you can now sign up to follow my blog. No onus. A couple of people requested the ability to do so. There you are.

The other thing I want to mention today is this terrific Kickstarter I’d love to see everyone support. These two gals in Los Angeles are aiming to create a romance-only bookstore called The Ripped Bodice. Their taglines are “Smart Girls Read Romance” and “Purveyors of Fine Smut.” There’s been some debate on Twitter that both “ripped bodice” and “smut” hearken to romance cliches, tropes and stereotypes people aren’t proud of and would like to ditch. I enjoy the wry irony of it myself and backed at the $40 level, just so I can have the tank.

Report from Mile Hi Con!

I’m over at Word Whores, giving the report on Mile Hi Con. Warning: includes wild man Kevin Hearne.