Julie Kenner's Blog, page 96
February 6, 2013
What’s Romantic to You? A $10 Gift Card? Come Join the Hop!
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and that means it’s time for all sorts of romantic fun.
Now, romance can be soft and gentle, it can be hot and steamy, or it can be wild and crazy. (And so many permutations thereof.)
I’m thinking that this post is going to go with hot and steamy.
A dessert pot of fondue and a plate piled high with strawberries is both steamy and sexy (and hot!).
And my current book, RELEASE ME, is sizzling hot (and it’s in it’s third week as a NYT bestseller, and it just landed for it’s fifth week on the USA Today list … yay!)
Did I say the book was hot? Well, it is. But not as hot as the hero, Damien Stark! “5 of 5 stars – Oh.My.God. Where do I start? Damien, that’s where.” In Love With Romance
But, of course, curling up with a book is a solitary activity.
If you want to get all romantic and snuggly, maybe curl up with a movie (and your sweetie). I ran across this blog post recently of Movies to Get You In The Mood. Check it out!
And, of course, if you need romantic paraphernalia, Amazon has pretty much anything … and delivers to your door!
Before you hop on to the next stop on the hop, be sure to enter the contest for a gift card! Rules are in the Rafflecopter (if you can’t see it or the Linky for the next stop on the hop, refresh your page. Glitches happen!)
Great USA Today and New York Times bestseller list news for Release Me!
In the “documenting for posterity” category, I just have to shout out on the blog that Release Me is now in its third week on the New York Times bestseller list and its fifth week on the USA Today bestseller list!
Thanks so much to everyone who’s read and raved about the book! I am so, so excited!
(And now I must print this page for my scrapbook …)
Claim Me is available for pre-order now. It will be released in July and is already on the Kindle erotica bestseller charts!
Erotic Romance Novels: Superior to Mystery and Fantasy Novels? The Evidence is In!
As most of you know, I write in a variety of different genres. But which one is the “best”? Hard to know, right?
Do my Julie Kenner books win? Suburban fantasy like my Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom books? Paranormal romance like my series of superhero romances?
Or maybe the dark, paranormal romantic suspense books that I write as J.K. Beck?
Or does erotic romance win the toss? Books like my current book, Release Me, written as J. Kenner?
According to today’s guest blogger, Release Me wins big. Read on to find out why!
Did you know that the most popular genre of fiction is romance? I was kind of surprised. I know I love it, but I figured mystery or fantasy would come out on top. While they didn’t rank first, they still came in as second and third.
However, thanks to books like Fifty Shades of Grey, which actually won the UK Book of the Year for 2012, romance novels continue to rank as number 1.
So as an attempt to keep our favorite books in the coveted spot, I developed this tongue and cheek list of the top seven reasons why reading a romance, specifically an erotic romance novel, is better than reading a mystery or fantasy novel.
7. Reading an erotic novel can help you start talking dirty in bed, whether it just inspires you or you read pages from the book to your partner. Reading a mystery novel can teach you all of the words to your Miranda Rights, which can sound really sexy if said while you’re riding your partner.
6. Erotic novels can provide you with new role playing ideas for your bedroom, while a fantasy novel can teach you new ways to interact with life on other planets, you know, for when you go on that summer vacation to outer space.
5. Reading an erotic novel can help you refocus on your attention on your relationship and therefore improve it, while reading a mystery novel can help you become paranoid and skeptical about your partner’s whereabouts.
4. Getting into a great erotic novel can help you learn about yourself, whether it be about what you want in the bedroom or how to get yourself off (because hopefully, it’s making you do a lot of that.) A fantasy novel, despite their tendency to contain sex scenes, is less likely to lead you to Adam & Eve for a little personal fun.
4. Reading an erotic novel is the female equivalent of watching porn, since women are turned on mentally and men are turned on visually. Reading a mystery is the female equivalent of watching Elliott Stabler (of SVU), which ok, let’s be honest, that’s like watching porn, too. I suppose we’re even there.
3. Erotic novels can put you in the mood, which means you’re more likely to have sex and sex helps you sleep better. So if A + B = C, then erotic novels can help you sleep better. Mystery novels on the other hand can freak you out and cause you to do anything but sleep.
2. Romance and erotic novels have been found to actually make people happier, because they tend to have happy endings, whereas fantasy novels are far more likely to make you worry about a giant asteroid destroying our planet.
1. Reading an erotic novel can put you in touch with your sexual side, while reading a mystery novel can help you tap into your serial killer tendencies.
So, if you were thinking about picking up a mystery novel next, think again. Think about your well-being, your relationship, and your sleeping habits. They all lay in the balance of your next read. Don’t mess it up!
So, readers, what do you say? Is today’s guest right? Does erotic romance win? What’s the best genre out there in your mind?
P.S. - my current book -- Release Me -- is still on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?
P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!
XXOO
--J.K.
Hump Day Books from Susan Sey, Ciji Ware, Libby Hellmann, Marquita Valentine, Tessa Adams, Therese Ramin, Tara Janzen, and Katy Madison
Looking for awesome books to beat the mid-week slump? Check out these new or notable reads–great books from your favorite or soon-to-be-favorite authors!
Taste for Trouble (Blake Brothers Trilogy)
Exclusively on Kindle!
Learn more at http://www.susansey.com
A Bitter Veil
$.99 through Feb 9
Learn more at http://libbyhellmann.com
That Summer in Cornwall
“That Summer in Cornwall” is a contemporary, stand-alone sequel to Ciji Ware’s bestselling “time-slip” novel “A Cottage by the Sea.”
Learn more at Ciji’s website.
Drive Me Crazy (Going the Distance Series ~ Book 1)
New contemporary romance
Visit the Red Door to Learn More: Red Door Reads
Soulbound: A Lone Star Witch Novel
New urban fantasy, hot off the presses!
Learn more at Tessa Adams’ website
Winter Beach (Futures and Securities)
New in digital!
Learn more here!
The Chalice and the Blade (The Chalice Trilogy)
Free Fantasy and Romance – “Holds us spellbound!” RT
Learn more at http://www.tarajanzen.com/
Awakening His Duchess
Can a man forced into slavery ever forgive the woman who betrayed him?
Learn more at http://katymadison.com/
P.S. - my current book -- Release Me -- is still on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?
P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!
XXOO
--J.K.
February 5, 2013
Release Me readers rock! (Check out this Claim Me Kindle page!)
I’ve been so thrilled by the reader response to Release Me … and I’ve been having a blast communicating with readers who’ve left comments on this site, emailed me, or who have contacted me through Facebook or Twitter or Goodreads.
Your enthusiasm for the first book in Nikki and Damien’s story has really come through in those conversations and posts.
Earlier today, I was poking around online to see if the cover copy for Claim Me had posted yet (it has! check it out!), and I saw this:
Right now (or, right when I took this screenshot), Claim Me was in the top 400 Kindle books … and in the top 25 in Erotica.
And it doesn’t even come out until July!
Y’all, that just makes me happy! The truth is, I would write even if I was trapped on a desert island with no one to read my books (though I might have to scratch them on the inside of coconut husks).
But it is so much more fun and rewarding to know that there are readers who are loving the characters and the story so much that they can’t wait to learn what happens next to the characters.
So, readers, I’m celebrating and saying thank you. This is for you!
XXOO,
J.K.
Learn Where to Dump a Body in Austin, Meet Tessa Adams, and Maybe Snag a Signed Copy of Soulbound!
First, off, thanks so much for having me, Julie. I’m a huge fan of your books and am absolutely thrilled to be here today talking about Soulbound, the first book in my new urban fantasy series
[Thank you, Tessa! I'm absolutely thrilled you're here. I love urban fantasy, and so it's incredibly cool to get to host a blog about the start of a brand new series in one of my favorite genres!]
And now … here’s Tessa!!
Soulbound is the story of Xandra Morgan, a witch whose powers come from Heka (Egyptian magic and the oldest recognized magic on earth).
Despite the promise of great power, for most of her life she’s been latent due to circumstances she doesn’t understand. But when Declan, a dark warlock with amazing power, comes into the picture her magic wakes up with a vengeance—much to her dismay.
Because Xandra isn’t like most other witches. She can’t do spells or mix potions or heal. Instead, she sees dead people– not ghosts, but the bodies of people who have died violently. It’s not exactly a cake walk, especially when she’s magnetically drawn to these bodies and forced to endure the pain and terror of the victims as she relives their deaths.
And since a serial killer is on the loose in her adopted city of Austin, Texas (my home town) and that serial killer is seeking to both kill her and get Declan indicted for murder, things get sticky fast …
It’s a dark book, but one that I actually had a lot of fun writing. Though it’s an urban fantasy/paranormal romance, it’s also a murder mystery loaded with clues and twists and turns.
In fact, one of the most interesting parts of writing Soulbound, besides researching Heka, was trying to figure out where around Austin I wanted to kill people (in the book, I swear). For six months I drove my husband and oldest son crazy because wherever we went around town, I was constantly pointing out places that I thought might make good murder sites or body dumps. And since half the time my son’s friends were in the car … let’s just say I got to have a lot of fun at their expense.
So when it came time to do this blog, I thought I’d make a top five list of places in Austin I considered dumping bodies. Some of them made it into the book and some of them didn’t. But all had the dark, creepy vibe I was going for—at least at night.
5. Town Lake/Lady Bird Lake, which is next to/under the Congress Street bridge, a place Austin is famous for because at twilight hundreds and thousands of bats swarm out from underneath it and take to the night sky.
4. The Paramount Theater downtown, a movie theater and performance venue in the tradition of old Hollywood movie houses. There’s one big theater, lots of gold/gilt trim, pictures on the ceiling and red velvet seats.
3. The UT Tower, which was made famous by Charles Whitman in 1966 when he shot and killed 14 people from the top of it. The observation deck was closed for years, but it has since been reopened. It offers one of the best views of Austin.
2. Kerby Lane Café: The best place for pancakes in Austin, bar none. A funky little café that embodies the Keep Austin Weird vibe, Kerby Lane is my favorite place to eat breakfast in town. Most weekends they have a street musician playing music on the sidewalk near the front door to keep the hordes of starving Austinites calm
The Capitol Grounds: Austin is the capital of Texas and our capitol building rotunda stands taller than any other in the country—including the one in DC. This was done purposefully, as the Texas government wanted to make sure that theirs was the most intimidating, beautiful capital in the country.
If you have any suggestions for interesting or spooky places I missed or can use in the next book—either in Austin or someplace else in the U.S. (I haven’t decided where I’m setting it yet)—be sure to leave a comment.
One commenter will win an autographed copy of Soulbound and get a chance to check out which of the sites listed above actually made it into the book.
How about it, readers? Got suggestions for body dumps for Tessa’s next book? Let use know!
P.S. - my current book -- Release Me -- is still on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?
P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!
XXOO
--J.K.
February 4, 2013
Hot guys, your breasts, and one of the best ad campaigns ever
I absolutely love this You Tube video! Informative, eye-catching and best of all designed to be seen by the people who need to see it.
The video is from Rethink Breast Cancer. Here’s the organization’s description from their website:
Rethink Breast Cancer is a charity helping young people who are concerned about and affected by breast cancer through innovative breast cancer education, research and support programs. Rethink is a national volunteer-driven registered charity with a bold, enterprising and entrepreneurial approach. We are thinking differently about how to beat breast cancer.
Chances are, you or someone you know has been touched by breast cancer. I think this ad goes a long way toward educating women. If you agree, please share!
P.S. - my current book -- Release Me -- is still on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?
P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!
XXOO
--J.K.
February 3, 2013
Take a break from the Super Bowl to chat about Han Solo, indie v. traditional publishing and more
Tired of watching the Super Bowl? Check out this interview of me by author Judy Teel on her Brain Fog Blog!
Learn about my childhood Han Solo crush (okay, not just childhood) and my thoughts on going indie or traditional for publishing, and my super-secret story idea vault.
Hope you swing by!
P.S. - my current book -- Release Me -- is still on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?
P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!
XXOO
--J.K.
February 2, 2013
Check out the Book Trailer for Release Me!
Thanks to Headline/Eternal Romance for putting together this awesome trailer!
If you’re in the U.K., you can get a copy of Release Me here!
Order the U.S. edition from your favorite retailers
Random House
Amazon (print)
Amazon (kindle)
Barnes and Noble (print or Nook)
Books-A-Million
Kobo
iBooks
Indie Bound
P.S. - my current book -- Release Me -- is still on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?
P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!
XXOO
--J.K.
