Janet Elizabeth Jones's Blog, page 2

REVENANT Is Now Available

If I had to pick just one word to describe how I feel right now it would have to be: grateful.



After four years,  Revenant is once again available in a revised edition that's sure to please. Readers who enjoyed Incubus  can now read its prequel at last.



Revenant is on sale at Amazon.com and BN.com. A trade paperback edition will be available at Amazon any day now. Visit Romance for the Night Raven for excerpts and info.



This coming Friday, March 29, I'll be Tabitha Shay's guest at Fall Under My Spell. If you've got a minute to stop by, come on over. I'll be giving away one free copy of Revenant.

Wise words: "Nobody's good all the time and nobody's bad all the time."

One of my all-time heroes.

I was recently asked to explain what inspires me as a writer. And if you're wondering what Mister Rogers has to do with what I'm about to say, read on. Please note that the image and my caption is sincere. He is one of my heroes.



What inspires me as a writer? My inspiration comes from what's precious to people. Love, passion, courage and beliefs. We cling to these every day, no matter who or where we are. This is what it means to be human and alive. This is what gets me out of bed in the morning and takes me into the story world I want to build.





I don't want to write about paragons of virtue, because--and here is my Mister Rogers reference, because he said it first--nobody's good all the time and nobody's bad all the time. This is what makes people real and endearing, and this is what makes characters real and sympathetic.

But I do want my characters to do their best to be true to what they care about and true to themselves, even when they aren't sure they know themselves at all.



If they don't care about someone or something, how can I make readers care about them? If they aren't in danger of losing something precious to them, or struggling to protect something precious to them, or willing to stand up for something precious to them, they can't possibly be someone a real human being can identify with. Because people do exactly this every single day of their lives.



And yes, Mister Rogers was right: people can like you just the way you are. :) I hope to make characters who, like people, come across as just that sincere and believable.

I Haz An Imprint

Authors, publishers, and distributors have seen/survived so many changes in the past year. As Amazon shifts its weight from one foot to the other like a veritable Atlas, we go through a domino effect of adjustment. But I believe choice and change go hand-in-hand, and while I'm not encumbered by stars in my eyes, I feel positive about the direction the publishing industry is headed. Whether you're a reader or an author, I hope you do, too.






Eleven days from now, I'll get my first taste of self-publishing. ( Revenant  goes on sale March 30th.) I'm learning as I go, keeping an open mind and enjoying the experience, with the hope of being as helpful to others as others have been to me. Last weekend I made it through the Create Space gauntlet with most of my nerves intact and an ISBN that allows me to name my own imprint without having to waylay my anemic piggy bank.



By "name my own imprint" I mean merely that when my book is published through Create Space, instead of "Create Space" or "Independent" being listed as the imprint or publisher-of-record, readers will see my brand, Romance for the Night Raven, listed instead.



It's a thin veneer of ego that cost me $10. It's just for me, and I don't expect readers to be impressed or even to notice. I'd much rather they find their way as quickly as possible to the story that starts on the next page of the book. :)

Happy International Women's Day!

To all my sisters, may this day treat you kindly, may you love yourself and know you're cherished for who you are, right now in this moment.



I thank you for being here, for being the women you are. In spite of the miles and life experience that may separate us all, let's stand together today, in our hearts.



I hope those you love, and those who depend on you for nurturing, safety and hope will give you the respect and love you deserve today. And if not, please know that there are many of us who are thinking of you today.



I hope you are safe and fulfilled. I hope you are allowed to be in command of your body, your heart, your mind, your life and your future.  If not, be strong and persevere. Don't give up. Find your freedom. Be safe. Don't give your power away. This world needs you to be strong and safe.



Many have walked the path ahead of you. Listen for their encouraging words in your dreams. And if you can't hear them where you are today, I hope the spirit of their courage will awaken yours.



This day is yours. Love it and claim it and walk your path with enough hope to make the sun come up tomorrow.

Drop by today at Romance Lives Forever

Hi there, Night Ravens, I'm blogging over at wonderful Kayelle Allen's Romance Lives Forever blog today. If you've got a minute, please drop by and have a look at my post about Revenant's upcoming release. Leave a comment for me there, and I'll put your name in the hat to win a free copy of Revenant and a free copy of Incubus, the sequel.



And while you're there, enjoy Kayelle Allen's gorgeous blog and the many authors who guest blog there. It's a great place to keep up with your favorite books and authors.

A First Dance

From Revenant








Another CD began to play, one of his own compositions this time. The first track was a piece he was especially proud of, a perfect blend of love and lust. He watched it weave its spell on Talisen, caressing her the way he ached to do. She wasn't even conscious of how her body sought the rhythm of the music, a rhythm born from all that lay within him.




"That's 'Midnight Sun,'" she said, her voice soft and husky.



"Do you like it?"




"Love it."




Ellory held out his hand. "Talisen, will you dance with me?"



She looked bemused, but nodded. He drew her up from her chair and led her into the center of the room. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he took her hand in his and pulled her close.




He wanted her to feel him, relish his closeness, his music, the frank desire he allowed to show in his eyes. While he swayed her gently in an aimless circle, he sought to make it all conspire to enthrall her, but it was really the other way around. He never wanted to be free of her enchantment.



She drew back. Overwhelmed? Doubtless.



He checked her retreat with a gentle squeeze and shook his head. "Just a dance. Okay?"

She nodded and let him pull her still closer. He breathed in the scent of her hair, and with it, the scent of her fear. He could hear her heart catapulting inside her chest, her thoughts running in circles, her blood glutting every vein.




He knew it was the unknown she feared. Talisen had enshrined her grandmother's safe and familiar image of the perfect man--her precious Captain--and added her own imaginings. Sweet secrets and dreams she kept all to herself. She wasn't sure if she wanted to leave that familiar shrine of daydreams and risk her heart with a very real someone with very real expectations.



Before he was done, she would whisper all her fantasies to him, yield them up to him one by one. If it was the last thing he did, he would fulfill each and every one.





Revenant will be available in March 2013. For more information about it or its sequel, Incubus , drop by Romance for the Night Raven.

This is what's been keeping me so busy lately :D

A writer is told, always and everywhere, to write the book of her heart. Revenant is definitely a book of my heart, restored to itself, reawakened and (if you will forgive an old pun) revamped.



You'll be hearing more about it this month. I plan to release it in March, if I can get Ellory and Talisen to come up for air.



They don't look like they're planning for a house party just now, do they?

Romance For the Night Raven Wallpaper Available

Pick up some new wallpaper for your desktop over at Romance For the Night Raven :D






Recently I managed to get all six of my main characters together for a virtual "photo shoot". The results can be seen on the wallpaper page at Romance for the Night Raven, where you will find wallpaper in a variety of sizes, featuring Ellory and Talisen, Meical and Caroline, and Benemerut and Shelby from Revenant and Incubus.

Drop by and have a look:  http://www.janetejones.com/wallpaper.php 




Many thanks to author Kayelle Allen for her insight and input and support!

~Janet




Here's a preview of the three available wallpaper images:








"I may succumb to my hunger before she can ever have a chance to love me.
So please, at least now in this moment, let me do what I can so she'll know
one day that I didn't fail her completely."
Benemerut Neshi
REVENANT





"I haven't seen the sun in over two hundred years, Talisen,
but being with you is like feeling the sun rise in my soul."
Ellory Benedikt
REVENANT





"I've seen hell before, Meical Grabian.
I'm still alive. If you'll let me, I can help you."
Caroline Bengal
INCUBUS