Jeffe Kennedy's Blog, page 195

More Jeffe! News on Workshops and Pitch Opportunities

I love how I’m patiently posing for the picture while Carolyn Crane is mugging away beside me.

This was at Ten Thousand Waves and we were all squidgy with relaxation from soaking in the hot tub. Carolyn visited me this last week from Friday to Tuesday and it was so much fun spending time with her. We also hatched Secret Plots that we’re very excited about!

Just you wait.

So, I have some newsy things today. First of all, all y’all who’ve been asking for me to teach a workshop on smexytimes and/or folding origami table lamps? I’m ready! In fact, I have two workshops lined up for you this spring!

These are hot off the press, so the listings may not have come up yet, but here’s the two scheduled so far.

Writing Sexytimes in Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Stories

FFP – April 7-20 – http://www.romance-ffp.com/category/workshops

Sex is a fundamental human experience and arguably the most powerful. The intimacy of sexual interaction can elevate the tension, emotion and visceral impact of most any story. But how do sex scenes best function in the speculative fiction genres?

 This class will cover the basic of adding vivid, sensual and heart-pounding sexytimes to any story. In particular, students will explore examples of sex scenes that enhance the world-building and fantastic elements of any speculative fiction tale. Finally, writers will come away with tools for using sexytimes to enhance and build unique excitement in their worlds. Students will be able to submit short scenes to the instructor or the group for feedback.

 
Walking that Consent Line

Romance Writers of America, San Diego Chapter – June 2-13 – http://rwasd.com/training/index.html

BDSM (Bondage, Domination, Submission/Sadism, Masochism) and kidnap/captivity stories are all the rage. But why? Is it all just a kinky fad? No! These questionable consent/loss of control stories are about a deeper, darker aspect of human nature. One that taps into both psychological and story dynamite.

In this class, students will learn where the lines of consent, questionable consent and non-consent lie – and also which genres tolerate how much line-crossing. The role of the reader in giving consent will be examined and students will learn techniques for mining the tension around those lines. Finally, the concepts of redemption and what exactly can be forgiven will be explored. Writers will be able to submit short scenes to the instructor or the group for feedback.

These will both be online workshops, conducted via email loops. I’m really excited to be teaching them!

ALSO, there’s a great online pitch opportunity coming up for those aspiring writers out there. I’ll be one of the author mentors helping you polish that pitch for the fabulous agents who will be participating in NESTPITCH. Check out today’s post to guess who’s hiding behind the Secret Agent Bunny Masks – and a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card! I may know who one of them is, which should be a CLUE for those keeping score at home.

Good luck everyone and Happy Friday!

Act 6, CRESCENDO! Final Master of the Opera Release Day

Finally the wait is over!

Today sees the sixth and final installment of my serial novel, Master of the Opera. Act 6: Crescendo winds it all up.

In the sixth and final installment of Jeffe Kennedy’s sizzling Master of the Opera, a man and a woman risk everything they’ve ever loved-for the most dangerous passion they’ve ever known. . .

Caught in a web of secrets and lies, Christy Davis has come under the suspicion of the local police. Since becoming an intern at the Sante Fe Opera House, she has witnessed strange occurences in the underground tunnels. She has heard inexplicable whispers in the shadows after midnight. And she has found the lover of her dreams in the masked man who lives down below. But after the discovery of a dead body and other sinister events, Christy realizes that her life is in danger. Two men hold her fate in their hands: Roman, the opera house’s wealthy benefactor who uses his money and power to control her. And the masked maestro known as the Master who demands her surrender and commands her pleasure with each stroke. Both want her; only one can have her. . .

In a rising crescendo of madness, obsession, and lust, Christy must take a chance and follow her heart-to a breathtaking climax as powerful as love itself.

I’m breathless just reading that!

Here’s a couple of fun reviews of the final installment:

From Amy at So Many Reads

For those that have been following the story you will love it. Jeffe sure had me in quite a fit of emotions at the end. I thought it was going to end one way and was coming to terms with it but then she gave me quite a surprise!  All I can say is that I hope this series comes out bundled together because I can’t wait to read it all again at one time.

Lisa over at My Favorite Things says

What an ending – very classy. The story is wrapped up succinctly and neatly with just enough drama to stay consistent with the series but not so much it seems like a cheap shot thrown out for added “bang for the buck”. The steamy scenes in this series have been STEAMY, but the series itself is not about only sex…

 And Livia at Butterfly-O-Meter Books loved it too!

All in all, I felt this serial was a great read and I totally recommend it if you’re into paranormal / fantasy elements and awesomely hot romance. There’s some super-awesome imagery going on in this story as a whole and this is a definite must read if you’re into creative, original romance stories. Trust Jeffe Kennedy to make your toes curl and butterflies flutter in your tummy and keep you biting your lips. Master of the Opera is an awesome read, and now you can get it all and read it one go, so I say go for it!

As for me? I’m celebrating by wearing the fab over-the-knee purple socks David gave me for Christmas. Doesn’t get better than that!

Lines in the Sand

I’m over at Paranormal Romantics today, talking about the release of the sixth and final installment of Master of the Opera, Act 6: Crescendo. Also, I’m at Word Whores for my usual Sunday gig, where the word of the week is the very ominous DEADLINE.

Structure in a Serial Novel

I’m over at the lovely Eleri Stone’s blog today, geeking out over how I structured my serial novel Master of the Opera.

On the Perils of Creativity

I’m over at Word Whores this morning, where the word of the week is “crisp” and I’m talking about what happens when the creative well has dried up.

Now We Are Two

Happy Birthday today to the Jackson cat!

Release Day! Master of the Opera: A Haunting Duet

Act 5 of Master of the Opera, A Haunting Duet is out today!

In celebration, I’m over at the Contemporary Romance Cafe, talking about breaking the rules by retelling a classic tale with a new twist.

I’m also at the Here Be Magic blog, discussing magical realism and how anyone knows what is really real.

2014 FOOL FOR ROMANCE CONTEST

I’m participating in a fun giveaway for the month of March! The grand prize is a $100 gift card, which – hey – who can’t spend that??

For my part, I’m giving away this very cool Phantom of the Opera charm bracelet.

To win, just post something excited about MASTER OF THE OPERA on some form of social media and comment back here to let know what you did. Every entry in my contest – or the other 19 authors – counts as an entry in the grand prize!

Winners will be announced April 1 – no foolin’!

More details here.

Book Contracts – The Good, the Bad and the WTF??

I’m over at Word-Whores this morning, talking about my lovely ARCs (!!!) and the good and bad of book contracts.

 

How Not to Talk to Agents

Jackson loves to sit on the kitchen garbage can to supervise all food preparation. It’s his special stool. So funny.

My lovely agent, the vivacious and Bookalicious Pam, keeps a Tumblr where she generously answers publishing questions. I amuse myself by reading through it. Not long ago, an aspiring writer asked her a question about whether Pam wanted to see a book from a particular genre. The writer said:

Should I send it your way (you are my top pick from Foreward), or to one of the other Foreward agents? Thanks.

*minor note that the agency name is Foreword

This triggered a memory from college. One evening our apartment phone rang and I answered. Now, this was in Ye Olden Days and we had a landline phone with a verrry long cord. Six of us shared an apartment suite with six bedrooms off a super long hallway. We’d drag the phone into our rooms to talk. But we all shared this one phone. I just happened to answer this particular time.

A guy on the other end invited me to a fraternity dance. I only vaguely knew who he was, but I was flattered to be asked. Sadly, I had a scheduling conflict and couldn’t go. When I told him as much, he said “Oh, well how about one of your sorority sisters?”

Ouch.

I mean, not only was I more or less interchangeable with my sorority sisters to him, but he didn’t even specify which of them he might be interested in spending the evening with. Because, well, it ultimately didn’t matter to him, right? He needed a date for the dance and any girl would do.

I think my analogy here is obvious.

You know – I get this. I really do. I felt this way back when I was first seeking an agent. They all seemed pretty much the same to me. One big sorority of faceless people who could bestow the boon of their efforts upon me or not. I wanted to go to the Publishing Ball and I really didn’t care who escorted me.

I just wanted to BE THERE.

One of the things you learn over time, however, is that it really does matter how you get to the Publishing Ball. You can buy your own ticket and go. Maybe you’ll be invited as a special guest. But I can tell you this – if you go with the wrong escort, that can suck way worse than staying home alone. At best you might be miserable. At worst you might get date-raped in the parking lot.

Seriously. I don’t think I’m taking this analogy too far.

So, that’s one piece of it. Pick your agent carefully. It may seem that any one will do, but that’s just not so. And I’m saying this as someone who does not believe in the “Dream Agent” concept. Nor do I believe in True Love. Just as I believe any of us could find any of a number of people to make delightful life partners, I think any number of agents would work out great for a given author.

But don’t treat them that way, okay? I mean, that guy who called me up so long ago clearly didn’t care a whit for actually dating me. He never asked me out again or made any effort to get to know me. So far as I know, he planned to ask out whoever answered the phone in our six-sorority girl apartment. Now, WE all know that he missed out BIG TIME, but he wasn’t looking for a life partner. If he was, he went about it in absolutely the wrong way.

What if I might have been the girl for him? Maybe True Love did await us and we would have hit it off, found a delicious mutual accord and gone on to marry right out of college and have brilliant careers, a scintillating social life and a passel of over-educated kids.

(Hey – I write fiction, run with me here.)

The way he treated asking me out, that one incidental time, ruined that possibility forever. I couldn’t go that night – just as an agent might pass on your book because it’s simply bad timing – and by treating me like I was unimportant as a person and interchangeable with any of my random sorority sisters, he not only blew it with me, he blew it with everyone in my sorority. Because OF COURSE I told them about it. It became a running joke that this guy said this to me.

Agents gossip, too. Especially when someone treats them carelessly, as less than an important individual in their own right.

Something to contemplate.

Have a great weekend everyone!