Jeffe Kennedy's Blog, page 198

Mark of the Tala Sneak Peeks!

Yesterday I received my page proofs for The Mark of the Tala. Aren’t they pretty?

I’m tremendously blessed that the production editor at my publisher has turned out to be a major fan of the story and she went to lengths to make the book beautiful. She wanted special fonts, black-feather icons in the line breaks and special swirlies under the chapter numbers. (I would have looked up the term for that, but that’s the exact word she used in her email to me, so…)

Don’t they look great??

And yeah, you get tiny little teasers along with those. I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not.

LOL.

(On Twitter there’s a newish meme to apologize for stuff like this and add the #notsorry hashtag to the end. Adds the perfect bit of smirk to every tease.)

The other terrific thing about her liking this book and this series is that she’s a serious fantasy geek, the kind that rereads Lord of the Rings every year, so I love, love, love that this book is speaking to someone like that. I also have cover flats that I’ll take to Adventures in Fiction next month. And soon there will be ARCs! It’s all very exciting.

Finally, the second installment of Master of the Opera, Act 2: Ghost Aria releases this Thursday! This release-every-two-weeks thing makes me feel a bit breathless. Especially while receiving page proofs on Mark and finishing drafting Emerald, the new full-length novel, which will be renamed.

One day I’ll write interesting blog posts again!

(Presuming they were EVER interesting. *snort*)

Why I’m Weird and Don’t Like Games

I’m over at Word Whores today, talking about our word of the week (adz) and taking off from there into puzzling over why I don’t like games.

Friday Newsies

I was planning to put up this clever, witty post on the Nine Circles of Social Media Hell, but it’s Friday and…

Okay, I’m not feeling ambitious.

Plus, I know I’m not as chatty on here as I used to be. So, I thought maybe I’d catch you all up on some news and so forth.

First of all, for all of you reviewer people bitching about mentioning the cliffhanger at the end of Act 3 of Master of the Opera, Phantom Serenade? Act 4, Dark Interlude is now up on Net Galley! Go ye forth and request a copy. Or, if you have trouble, I have a handy-dandy widget I can give you (and for the previous acts, if you need them). Just ping me and let me know!

 Act 1 of Master, Passionate Overture, released on January 2, for all us non-reviewer chickens. Act 2, Ghost Aria, comes out next week already on January 16! I’ll be in West Virginia that day to conduct a seminar for the day job, so I’m being Zen about this release. Besides, six release days spaced out every two weeks begins to feel like a little MUCH, you know?

Anyone around the Charleston, WV area who wants to meet up? Also, I’ll be in San Diego the weekend of January 30 – February 2. Finally, I’ll be in Dallas for the Adventures in Fiction Signing and Masquerade Ball February 14-16. Should be big fun!

Other than that, I’m nearly done drafting the new erotic novel that will come out in July. I’ve been calling it “Emerald,” as the next in the Facets of Passion series, but we’re going to give it a new title and put it in a whole new series, along with the next two books. I think you all will like them. They’ll be at least twice as long as the Facets books, with a lot more meat.

 You all have a great weekend!

Fact-Checking Those Resolutions

I’m over in the Darkest Cravings Author Cage today answering their Only the Brave questions. Also, Allison Pang blogged today about finding an easter egg I left for her in Rogue’s Possession. Pretty funny! (Okay – WE think it’s hysterical anyway.)

Last year, I did a post on Word Whores on a new way for me to set goals in the new year. I borrowed someone else’s idea and put my resolutions in sealed envelopes and did not reveal them until the end of the year. So here’s how they looked: I sealed them up and didn’t open them until December 31. This is what they look like now.

Very interesting experience to do it this way.

Most significant is that I didn’t remember what I put in them. This was part of the point of the exercise, to test how much I internalized my goals.  That is, would I stick to them without having them stare me in the face?

The answer: yes and no.

Also, REALLY depended on the category, which is illustrative right there. Of my three categories – weight/health, writing and financial – guess which I did the best on? (“Best” qualified as coming closest to achieving – I wasn’t 100% on any of them.)

Writing.

This doesn’t surprise me because it’s really my top priority. Interestingly, it was also the goal with the most points. Eight of them. They were (updated for what titles became, not what I thought they were then):

Write Negotiation to submit to Tuck’s anthology
Write Master of the Opera
Write Five Golden Rings to submit to Carina anthology
Turn in revision of Mark of the Tala
Turn in revision of Rogue’s Possession
Write Blood Currency #3
Write Tears of the Rose
Write Rogue’s Paradise

It’s notable that I kept these writing goals all within my direct control – something I’ve learned over time! So I didn’t include getting #1 & #2 accepted to those anthologies. They were, which was awesome, but my responsibility was to write the stories. Of all of these, I did not do #6. That was a conscious decision to pare that away for at least the time-being. Also, #8 got shifted at my publisher’s request because they wanted a different book first. Fair enough. I call this one a WIN.

Weight/Health

Okay, I didn’t make my goals, but I did pretty decently. Enough to pat myself on the back. I’d set a goal that required a 16-pound weight loss, including a 15% reduction in body fat. While I only went down by 11 pounds (damn those nearly-impossible-to-lose last five pounds!!), I did make a 14.8% reduction in body fat. Thank you new treadmill desk!

Of course, post-holidays, I’m a bit up from that but nowhere near where I was last year. I still want to hit that goal weight. PARTIAL WIN on that one.

Finances

*sigh*

Okay, so this one really wasn’t within my direct control and it shows. I had an ambitious goal for my writing income and fell significantly short. As in, I hit 38% of what I wanted to.

However.

I set that apart because I think it’s a big “however.

However, my writing income was over five times more than the previous year. I set a stretch goal – one that would let me at least reduce time at the day job – and, while I’m disappointed I didn’t reach it, I’m not sorry I set it. I suppose there’s a lesson in that. Reaching is part of it.

So, my overall assessment?

I liked this. It helped me focus myself on goals for the year, particularly for writing, and seeing where my head was this time last year gave me particularly good insights. Many of those writing goals were stretches and I’m really pleased with myself for hitting almost all – with excellent results. It’s also good to see how much I really did accomplish, where otherwise I might think I hadn’t. Like with the weight and money stuff. I tend to dwell on not being where I want to be yet, but now I see how far I came.

Which is important.

Taking Action – on Anything at All

I’m over at Word-Whores today, launching our 2014 topic calendar and talking about the crucial importance of taking action – on anything at all.

Master of the Opera: Passionate Overture Release Day!

Woo hoo!!

The first episode of my serial novel Master of the Opera releases today.

Act 1: Passionate Overture

In the first tantalizing installment of Jeffe Kennedy’s ravishing serial novel Master of the Opera, an innocent young woman is initiated into a sensual world of music, mystery, passion–and one man’s private obsession. . .

Fresh out of college, Christine Davis is thrilled to begin a summer internship at the prestigious Sante Fe Opera House. But on her first day, she discovers that her dream job has a dark side. Beneath the theater, a sprawling maze of passageways are rumored to be haunted. Ghostly music echoes through the halls at night. And Christy’s predecessor has mysteriously disappeared. Luckily, Christy finds a friend and admirer in Roman Sanclaro, the theater’s wealthy and handsome patron. He convinces her there’s nothing to fear–until she hears the phantom’s voice for herself. Echoing in the labrynths. Singing of a lost love. Whispering her name: Christine.

At first, Christy thinks she’s hearing things. But when a tall masked man steps out of the shadows–and into her arms–she knows he’s not a phantom of her imagination. He is the master of her desire. . .

I’m over at the Contemporary Romance Cafe talking about how much “para” makes a genre not “normal.“

And I’m over at Here Be Magic talking about magical realism.

 Stop by and say hello!

 

Jeffe’s Three Things to Try in the New Year

I’m over at Word Whores this morning, talking about the three things I want to try to improve my writing life in 2014.

Two Turtle Doves, Special Gift from My Agent for You and a Cover Reveal!

First off, OH MY GOD I HAVE A COVER FOR THE MARK OF THE TALA!!!

Thanks to the sharp-eyed Sullivan McPig for seeing it in the wild and telling me about it!

I’m all breathless.

Finally, on this penultimate day of the Twelve Days of Gifts for all you writerly types who are online today, my lovely agent Pam has a special gift for you! She’s offering a query and first chapter crit to TWO of you! Just spread the word and let me know that you did!

Tomorrow I’ll draw ALL THE WINNERS!

Three Profound Impacts on My Writing in 2013 & Three French Hens

Only three days left in the Big Twelve Days of Gifts Giveaway!

I know everyone is crazy busy, so today is triple your chances to win day! Anyone who comments on Megan Mulry’s very funny post on what the hell colly birds are, or who comments on my Five Golden Rings post, will not only increase their chances to win both of those giveaways, but will get THREE entries for the Grand Prize!

(All of you lucky people who don’t celebrate Christmas and are not covered in flour and Scotch tape? This is an excellent time for you to sneak in and nab the prizes.)

I’m also over at Word Whores today, talking about the greatest influences on my writing in 2013. Yes, I named names!

Four Colly Birds – WTH??

Today I have a very special New Friend Megan Mulry visiting. 

Megan started following me on Twitter first (who knows why??), something I discovered when I began chatting with her via mutual friends. We’ve since discovered a reciprocal love for the other’s books (which does not always happen, sadly) along with similar sensibilities. She’s become a bright spot in my online world and one of the wonderful developments 2013 brought.

AND she’s giving away an ARC of her new bestseller, which lesser mortals won’t lay paws on until February, so fire up your commenting engines people!!

 *****

Hi Jeffe!

 I’m so excited you asked me to be a part of your Twelve Days of Christmas blog! It didn’t take me long to choose my day, because what the hell is a colly bird anyway? I needed to know!

 As usual, I’m all hung up on words. When you first posted about this blog idea, the four birds were listed as ‘colly’ birds and I was all, “What the—?” When you posted the next time, it said “calling” birds and I thought, “Ah. That’s more like it, right?”

 Wrong.

 You kindly sent me this link explaining the long-standing debate. It’s colly birds. Full stop. Which of course meant I had to venture over to Samuel Johnson’s dictionary to verify (no help whatsoever; ‘collie’ and ‘colly’ were dogs), then to the OED to get some serious fore-word-play on:

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So the blackbird theory stands up. But coal-dust and soot got me thinking, because (*fist pump*) that is also the origin of one of our mutual favorites: smut.

The thing I love about words is: they don’t just tell the story, they are the story. Take smut, for example (yes please!). The history of the word smut is delightfully linked with all that dirty sooty goodness too:

 [image error] 

 So we’ve got the ‘colly’ part all set: those birds were really four sexy little tarts.

 Wait! Birds, you say? Well, now I’ve got Michael Caine in Alfie and Mike Myers in Austin Powers yammering on about sexy birds. But was it a 60s thing? Referring to women as chicks and birds? Back to the salt mines I went:

 [image error]

That’s Samuel Johnson right there. That’s like…old (first published 1755). And not even a mention of the “feathered tribe.” And here is a subsequent definition from OED:

 [image error]

*tries and fails avoid bird/bride/bryd/burd rabbithole…twenty minutes later…*

So, right! Where was I? Oh, yes. Basically, I rest my case. It’s all right there in black and white. Those four colly birds were a bunch of dirty whores out for a good time with the leaping lords. Four birds…ten lords…I like the odds.

Next year, I’ll be researching the French Hens (arrogant bitches).

Oh, and since this should probably have something to do with my upcoming book (or something) I am giving away a super-top-secret advance reader copy of my February release, R IS FOR REBEL, to a random commenter. Why? Because the heroine, Abigail Heyworth, is one of my all-time favorite colly birds: she likes her sex smutty and to keep her hero…leaping. To win a copy, please let me know: who are your favorite colly-bird, sex-loving heroines?

 Happy caroling everyone!

PS And just for kicks, here’s a portrait of the aforementioned Samuel Johnson,painted by Joshua Reynolds, which I’m attaching because he’s so totally reading smut, right? No question. How do I know? Because he looks exactly like I do when I’m reading Jeffe’s books and tell my husband, “This is research, damn it!”

 [image error]