Jade C. Jamison's Blog, page 27

Throwback Thursday – MADversary

Holy cow.  It seems like forever since I wrote MADversary, and it almost was (at least in this little writer brain of mine).  I was writing it about this time four years ago!  It was my second rock star romance book (and it was and always will be a standalone), but I’d wanted to write something light and fun.  Some of my most faithful readers discovered me because of this book, but a lot of my newer readers don’t even know it exists! 

The blurb:

Megan Walker doesn’t plan to attend her high school reunion, but her best friend Lisa begs her to come along. Megan doesn’t want to risk running into her old boyfriend Tyler Green, a man who has since become rich and famous as the frontman of a heavy metal band called Madversary. Lisa convinces her that Tyler would never show up for something like a reunion, so Megan gives in, only to regret it. Because when Tyler does show up, the spark reignites, and she doesn’t know that she can bear letting him go again.

Excerpt:

Chapter Two from MADversary

LISA’S BLUE EYES sparkled as a raucous laugh poured out of her mouth. She and Megan sat at a picnic table in the park across from the library. Lisa had brought her specialty—mandarin orange salad—for the women to eat at lunch. Lisa was on a perpetual diet and, therefore, the girl ate more lettuce than rabbits, and she had dozens of delicious salad recipes. Megan stabbed an orange with the plastic fork and nibbled on it, afraid to put it in her mouth in case Lisa started making her giggle too. She didn’t want to inhale an orange, only to have it get stuck in her throat. Imagine how the obit would read….

“Oh, my God, Megan. Would you stop worrying so much?” Lisa tossed back a lock of blonde hair behind her shoulder to keep it from dipping in her salad.

“I can’t help it. I just know something will go wrong on this date.”

“That’s a shitty attitude, girlfriend. Of course something will go wrong if you expect it to. You have to have a positive attitude.”

Megan screwed up the corner of her mouth. “Easier said than done.” She chanced the orange, wrapping her lips around the fork and pulling it into her mouth.

“All right. I gotta know. Have you given the high school reunion any more thought?”

Megan swallowed the orange. “Yes.”

“And…?”

“I haven’t changed my mind. I’m not going.”

“Oh, come on, Meg. I don’t want to go by myself!”

“Sorry, Leese, I just can’t find any good reasons to go.”

“Are you kidding me? Seriously? I can think of thousands!”

“Name one.”

Lisa used her fork to scoot pieces of lettuce glimmering with dressing and dotted with almond slivers around the paper bowl. She sighed. “Well, maybe it’s not a nice reason, but I’m dying to see what childbirth did to Summer and Monica.”

Megan swallowed the bite in her mouth. “That’s…unoriginal.” Summer and Monica had been co-captains of the cheerleading squad their senior year in high school. Both Megan and Lisa had thought the cheerleading girls would go on to do big things like most privileged daughters do, but instead both married their high school sweethearts. One girl’s said sweetheart was a year older and attending college in Boulder, while the other was a senior and did attend college…but in nearby Colorado Springs. The two of them “had” to get married so their bundle of joy could be considered legitimate. Summer and Matt Harper at last count had three children and he was now the manager of his father’s hardware store in downtown Winchester. Monica’s future husband had attended CU in Boulder, and she went to school there after graduation as well but never finished. Once her boyfriend John graduated, they married, but last Megan knew, they lived in the Denver Metro area. “You know, they probably look just like we do. I doubt they look any worse off.”

Lisa waved her fork back and forth, the tines pointing at Megan. “Oh, no. I saw Summer a few years ago, and she looked haggard.”

Megan shrugged. “So what are the other nine-hundred ninety-nine reasons?”

“Aren’t there guys you’re dying to see? I mean…I always imagine one of the computer nerds will come back all rich and sexy and remember I was nice to him.”

“Also unoriginal, Leese. You gotta stop watching stuff like Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. That’s all total fantasy.” Megan picked up her napkin and wiped her lips. “That’s why you’re dying to go. You think you’re going to impress the hell out of everyone while laughing your ass off at the misfortunes of others.”

Lisa grinned. “Well, there is that…. But I also just want to see people I’ve fallen out of touch with.”

“I don’t. I’ve stayed in touch with the people I’ve wanted to.”

“Me, Megan. That would be me. You haven’t stayed in touch with anyone else.”

“My point exactly.”

Lisa sighed and stabbed another piece of lettuce with her fork. Megan felt a little guilty, especially seeing Lisa’s bottom lip begin to push out in a slight pout. But she didn’t feel guilty enough to give in. Lisa looked up. “Okay, fine. Give me some good reasons not to go.”

Like she hadn’t already outlined a solid case. “Well, I don’t want to see what ten years have done to everyone. I don’t care if Summer has big hips and stretch marks and doesn’t wear makeup anymore. I don’t care if every last computer and gaming geek I remember comes to the reunion loaded with dough. I just don’t care, Leese. There’s nothing there for me. And…” Oh, shit. She’d said too much.

Lisa wasn’t stupid. She pounced on it like a cat. “And what?”

“Oh, nothing.” Suddenly, Megan was interested in her salad again and piled a forkful in her mouth.

Lisa’s eyes narrowed down to slivers and she dropped her voice. Megan became aware of the cool April breeze on her arms, and she wanted to pull her sweater back on. She felt like a bug under a microscope, and Lisa wasn’t going to let her squirm free. “I don’t think so.”

She let all the air out of her lungs in a long exhale. Better to just get it over with now. She forced her eyes up to look in Lisa’s. “What if…Tyler’s there?”

Lisa’s chin dropped as did her hands and the flimsy plastic fork from her fingers. “Oh, my God. I should have known.”

Megan shook her head. “Oh, no. Don’t make a federal case out of this.”

“But it makes so much sense.”

“No, it doesn’t. I have no idea why I would be so worried about seeing him again.”

“Yes, you do.”

Okay. Yes, she did. Tyler Green had been her boyfriend her senior year in high school for all of three months, the last three months of school. When school let out, he and his heavy metal band had wandered off first to Denver and then to L.A. to make it big while Megan had been responsible and gone to college in nearby Pueblo, Colorado. He and his friends had left just days after graduation and, throughout the summer, he and Megan had maintained a long-distance relationship over the phone, but by the time she was knee-deep in school, both of them admitted it wasn’t working. Their phone calls had become sporadic anyway and they weren’t even exchanging emails anymore by that time. But Megan knew the truth. She knew he must have been enjoying the rock star life. She knew women were probably falling all over him and offering themselves up to him for whatever pleasure he could ever ask for. How could she compare? And, besides that, she was lonely. She missed having him around, and a long-distance boyfriend was like no boyfriend at all. She still didn’t date until her second year in college, just couldn’t bring herself to do it. “I guess maybe I do. I…think it would be awkward, don’t you? I mean, I’ve seen his picture and stuff, but in person…might be pretty weird.”

“You didn’t end it on bad terms. What’s the big deal?”

The big deal was Megan had thought Tyler was the guy. He had really rocked her world the short time they’d been together. He was sweet and sensitive but cute. And even though she’d tried to avoid following his career, it had been unavoidable. At least, that’s what she told herself. But Megan knew that if Tyler had asked her to come with him that summer, she would have. She would’ve abandoned the notion of school along with the scholarship and work study job, would’ve easily said goodbye to friends and family to follow him. She was pretty sure he’d known that too but he hadn’t asked. That was all she’d needed to know. So, no, she didn’t want to chance running into him. There were too many what ifs she didn’t even want to consider. “It’s no big deal. I just don’t want to see him.”

Lisa slapped her hands on the picnic table. “That’s just messed up. You really cared about Tyler, and I can’t believe you want to miss the chance to reconnect with him. And, besides…I really doubt he’d show up anyway. I know I wouldn’t want to attend a high school reunion if I was famous. What a cluster.”

“So why do you even care?”

“Because, Meg…I want some support there. What if everyone’s a bunch of jerks or they are all rich and just want to rub everyone’s noses in it? What if no one remembers me? I need a friend there, Meg. Come on. Please?”

There were those damned blue puppy dog eyes Lisa managed to play up when she wanted people to feel sympathy for her, and even though Megan had long been aware of their powers, she still fell victim to them. Lisa was probably right. Of course, Tyler wouldn’t be there. His first band might not have made it and he’d faltered in the beginning, but the last five years, he’d been a solid rock god. Why would someone with that level of fame attend a high school reunion? There would be no good reason. “All right. Fine. But…” Megan needed to cover her bases. She couldn’t take a chance. “…if, for some strange reason, Tyler does show, then all bets are off.”

Lisa took a deep breath and scrutinized her friend. Slowly, she offered her hand across the table for a handshake. “It’s a deal.”

And that’s how Megan Walker got suckered into attending her ten-year high school reunion.

MADversary

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mvzIDM

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1nj7d9m

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1mAv2qU

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1wSsn26

iTunes: http://bit.ly/10cJAZp

Quality Control

I am and will always be proud to be an indie author. Long before Amazon “opened the gates,” I struggled with the process of seeking traditional publication. Some of you have heard it from me before, how I was able to publish everything but “big fiction” (I had no problems getting my poetry, short stories, articles, and academic writing published, though). So when I finally learned of what Amazon was doing, I dusted off the keyboard (okay, so it had never really been neglected!) and started learning everything I could about the process.

And what a feeling that was—to have a book out there that people could read and review! There was nothing I’d done before that could quite compare. It was scary and exciting and…agonizing. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

It didn’t take me long to learn, though, that indies were getting a bad name—and quickly! One of the first things I’d done as an indie author was to make my published books as professional as possible—not just in look and feel but in content. Not only did I make sure I had a copyright page and things of that ilk, but I also made sure the insides were as perfect as possible. Don’t get me wrong—booboos still slipped through—but I wanted them to be the best they could be. I bought all kinds of traditionally published ebooks and worked my ass off to make mine feel like those. I didn’t want readers to virtually open the book and have it scream INDIE! I wanted their experience with my book to feel like their experiences with traditionally published books. And I know a lot of other indies feel the same way.

So, the longer I was out there in the indie realm, the more upsetting I found it that not all indies think alike. Some indies, it seemed, just didn’t give a crap about quality. Oh, sure, they’d pay a buttload of cash for a hot cover or they’d sink a ton of money into a blog tour, but they wouldn’t spend a dime on finding a quality editor to clean up the mess in the interior of the book. That made me angry, because their lack of attention to their book reflected on me, on all indie authors. A good many of us were lumped together.

But many readers seemed to be fair and gave indies a shot just the same. Lots of readers told me they overlooked errors if a story was good. I wanted to scream, “But you’re telling the writers that it’s okay to sell inferior work!” (That’s the English teacher in me.) Some readers would note errors in their reviews; others didn’t care. Myself? If a book was too overladen with errata, I couldn’t keep reading it. When the itch to correct and grade came over me, I was done. I find lots of errors far too distracting. As I said, one here or there is acceptable. Even traditionally published books have mistakes. But one or two per page is not okay in my book.

And it shouldn’t be in yours, either. If you’re paying $2.99 a book (or more), it should be of high quality. Period.

And Amazon feels that way too. They’ve always had a bit of a quality assurance focus. They’ve contacted me twice with “issues”—the first one, a long time ago, was not having a TOC link in one of my books (actually, none of my books had them—I had overlooked that requirement). I quickly fixed that book and all the others, adding that link. The second issue was a typo a couple of readers had reported in one of my Nicki books. I was horrified—and quickly fixed it. What I’ve been told is that Amazon is now stepping up its game. In many ways, that makes me feel more relief than I can express to you. It’s like putting a “Quality Assurance” seal on indie books (even though you’re “innocent—and quality” before being proven guilty—and error-prone).

I have to admit that part of me worries, though. So far, my experiences with Amazon have been mostly positive over the years and most of the good folks there listen to reason. But what about when you have a reader who is either an idiot or a bully? For instance, I received a review three years ago that began this way: “Aside from all of the spelling and grammar errors…” I made it a policy when I first began publishing to not address reviews (although recently, with the blessing of my readers, I have started “liking” reviews on Goodreads—and I’m now questioning my judgment there…but that’s a blog post for another day), but this particular review made me very angry. You can tell me everything you hate about my books (and I’ll take it, because I understand—not everyone likes the same thing), but when you lie—yes, flat-out LIE—to people reading your review by implying that one of my books is laden with spelling and grammar errors, you are not only potentially costing me lost sales, but you are hurting my reputation. Fine, I’ll deal with it, but now I worry—what if Amazon takes that reader at her word and then punishes me for it?

As I said earlier, mistakes happen, even to the best of us, and I have no doubt there are a few errors in all my books that have been overlooked—not just by me but by all the eyes scouring it and helping me edit and make it perfect. It happens, but my books are as perfect as possible. If a snarky reader who didn’t like my book decides to take another jab at me just because she knows it will make my life difficult…uncool. But I’m going to trust that Amazon will do the right thing, and I’m hoping this new policy is the godsend it’s promised to be—ensuring quality to unsuspecting buyers who want a good (and non-distracting) read they can get lost in.

Book Club Questions for THEN KISS ME

I wrote Then Kiss Me when my first two children were fairly young, and it was the first romance novel I remember writing from start to finish without a lot of difficulty. Yes, I revised it and made it much better years later, but it was one of those books that had worked on a lot of levels for me and helped me become a better writer. Like Bullet, it was one of those books I thought I’d never publish, but when I retooled it and made it better, I knew it was a possibility.

Most of my readers either love or hate this book, and one of my readers told me that, for her, it was because some of what was in the book made her uncomfortable. Sometimes fiction does that—it causes us to examine our feelings about a lot of things, and sometimes our feelings aren’t pretty. But that too causes growth, I think, and personal emotional growth is always a good thing. So let’s get to the questions—the first will deal with that issue!

The blurb:

Casey Williams has left a loveless marriage and is trying to rebuild her life. She finds that, even though you can never go home again, you can find lust again, and she finds a love interest in Scott, her coworker. She also discovers his secret, that he’s a drummer for a heavy metal band, and falls hard for him…just in time to find that, between his questionable friends and psychotic maybe-ex-girlfriend, he might not be the right guy for her. But her heart beats like a drum for him, and she finds herself willing to play with fire to get closer.

Careful—spoilers here! Don’t peruse the questions if you haven’t read the book!

One of Jade’s readers told her that some of the events in the book made her uncomfortable. Did any part of the book make you feel uneasy? If so, which scene(s)? Why?

At the beginning of the book, Casey seems to think she’s an adult because of all she’s gone through, but some of her actions indicate that she still has some growing up to do. Do you think she’s maturing throughout the book? At the end, do you think she’ll continue to grow? Whatever your answer, what makes you say it?

Many readers have complained that Scott went way too easy on Jim when he approached and assaulted Casey fresh out of the shower. If you feel that way, how do you think Scott should have instead handled it and do you dislike his character because of the way he handled it?

Jade chose an alternate story delivery structure for part of this book, breaking it into sections, and the middle section is delivered as though they are Casey’s journal entries. Does this method of storytelling work for you? Why or why not?

Scott has told Casey that he’s content without having any huge dreams, simply living the life he’s created for himself. Casey, though, seems to have some ambitions. How do you think these different approaches will affect their relationship in the future?

What scenes stand out to you and why?

Did the book seem believable?

If you could ask Jade just one question about this book, what would it be?

If you use these questions for a book club reading, I’d love to know how it goes. If you come up with other questions, I’d love to hear them! Happy reading!

Dear Crabby: Confused in Colorado

Dear Crabby is a weekly column featuring the loveable but cantankerous Crabby, full of relationship advice for the lovesick. Let’s read what advice she has this week for our poor reader.

Dear Crabby:

A little background might be in order first. I am not a virgin, but I’m not exactly what you’d call wise in the ways of love. I’ve been a bit of a sheltered girl and, even though I’ve been going to college the past few years and have had lots of freedom, I still act like I’m living under my parents’ roof. I’m a bit of an introvert and so, when my friends decided to do something pretty outlandish, I didn’t exactly chicken out, but there was no way I would ever do that.

See, my friends want to go to a place where something rather…questionable happens. It’s called OM for short—orgasmic meditation. Some people take it pretty seriously and I guess it’s supposed to be therapeutic, but I just can’t get past the idea that a complete stranger would be touching me DOWN THERE!!! My friends are taking a road trip to do it, but I just can’t. I can’t! No way.

But…a guy I’ve crushed on for a long time has offered to perform his own version of OM on me. I wish I was kidding, because how embarrassing. This guy—he’s sweet and good looking and WOW! But I freaked out when he offered.

Anyway…part of me is titillated and wonders if I’d be stupid to not take him up on his offer. Will he think I’m a slut? Is it one of those things I should just do to say I did it? Or am I better off telling him absolutely not? But what if I regret it?

Yikes. Please help!

~ Confused in Colorado

 

Dear Confused:

You might not need a session of OM, but I’m wondering why you’re hesitant about pursuing a man who is “sweet and good looking and WOW” when it’s clear that he’s into you? You might be an introvert, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Talk with Mr. Wow and let him know you’d like to chat a little bit about his offer. You never know what might come of it.

Dear Crabby will address reader letters every Monday.

 

If you’re wanting to see how Confused’s adventure turned out, you can read Finger Bang to get your answer!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1nxh4J7

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1hP8DK3

B&N: http://tinyurl.com/pr3xtff

Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/oh6xyke

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1vuNrz5

A Special Day!

Guess what today is?

Silence.

Aw, you already knew. Today is Valentine’s Day! So…I’m not writing this post just to tell you something you already know. I’m writing this post to let you know that one of my bestselling books is on sale today to celebrate the holiday of chocolate and roses.

Look for Punctured, Bruised, and Barely Tattooed on all sites. It should be on sale for 99 cents. Snag it while you can.

Oh, you say, but it says it’s a “companion novel to the Tangled Web series. I don’t want to buy a series book!” But I say, “It can be read as a standalone and was originally released that way—because there’s a scene inside the book that I wanted to come as a complete surprise to my faithful readers” and it usually does!  But you can completely enjoy the book, even if you’ve never read anything else by me before.

Maybe you’re still not convinced? How about the blurb?

Kory McCallister has had her eyes on tattoo artist Stone Bowman for quite some time—so long, in fact, that no other guy will do. Stone pushes every turn-on button Kory has—he’s tattooed from head to toe; he’s hot; he’s funny and charming; and he’s also mysterious. So when Kory’s friends dare her to ask Stone out on a date, she can’t believe she actually finds the guts to do it. More surprising? He takes her up on the offer. She discovers that, while his past might not be quite as dark or mysterious as she’d imagined, it’s bigger than she’d expected, and it’s something she will need to contend with if she decides she wants to keep him around to color her life for good.

No? Then how about a little teaser?

“Know what? Never mind. I thought you were better than that.” She turned on her heel and started walking down the street away from him.

Three…four…five. “Kory.” Yes. It had worked…well, at least she hoped so. She’d have to wait to hear what he had to say. Carefully, she turned around. She was several steps away from him. She made sure her face didn’t show sadness, fear, or anger. She hoped she had a look of annoyance, like he was an irritant at this point.

She let out a breath as though she didn’t have time to wait. Finally, she said, “Yeah?”

He walked toward her and she became aware of the sound his boots made on the sidewalk. Sure, she heard a couple of cars driving down the street, and she could hear noise from the bar she was almost standing in front of. She was becoming more and more aware of the heat bearing down on her shoulders like a weight, and it got worse the closer he got, because her breathing grew shallow.

He stood in front of her. Oh, fucking hell. His eyes were dark and her mouth started watering as his hands cupped her cheeks and he guided her chin upward until his lips touched hers.

Gone…the heat, the noise, even her goddamn heartbeat…until it started throbbing in her chest and her blood began swarming through her body, warming her back up from lifelessness. Stone’s tongue touched her lips and parted them before entering her mouth and, holy God, for the first time in a long time throughout her miserable existence, she felt alive. Overflowing with too much emotion, too much adrenaline and…

her fucking panties were wet

…hopes and dreams, unspoken and unknown, flowed through her like water.

Until the kiss was over. She opened her eyes, the breath gone from her lungs, and she searched his eyes. He’d done it. Why had he done it after fucking with her, blowing her off? Did he like messing with her mind?

But his eyes—they told her more than his words ever could. Jesus. What she felt then was heavy. Had he been screwing around with her head, when really he was just trying to deny something?

As she sucked in a breath, forcing it to the bottom of her lungs, she realized her hands had formed fists around the back of his t-shirt, as though she were clinging to him for dear life. No smile, no smirk. He said, “That what you wanted?”

Finally convinced?

When That Review Stings…

I used to write articles for several sites online, and each site had its own focus—for one zine, I mostly wrote articles having to do with academic writing, but for another, I wrote alternative health articles, and I even wrote fashion/diet/exercise articles for yet another. (Don’t try to find these articles, because they’re written under another name!) Two of the blogs didn’t have a comment section, but one did, and the readers could get rather, um…let’s just say they could get a little nasty about their points of view if they didn’t agree with the writer. I had someone not only disagree with one of my articles, but she proceeded to call me all sorts of names. It was rather shocking, if not humbling. You mean not everyone loves what I have to say?

A few years later, I was publishing fiction as an indie author, and reviews were few and far between in the beginning. I had several sales (and the number grew from month to month), but no reviews. When I finally started getting a couple here and there, I pounced on them, devouring them in one fell swoop. I wanted to know what my readers thought! Now, bear in mind, this was on Amazon. It took me a while to discover Goodreads but when I did, ouch!

It wasn’t long, though, before I started getting some not-so-stellar reviews. Some reviews felt fair (for example, a good many readers hated the present/past storytelling aspect of Tangled Web), while others just felt mean. Whatever the case, I read each one and tried to glean anything useful out of them. After all, businesses grow when they listen to and adjust for customer feedback. One thing I hadn’t realized then that I know today: most of those readers would never be “customers” again, so there was no point in trying to revise my writing for one poor review. That said, if several readers complained about the same thing, I took it to heart and pondered it, because there was more weight to the complaint.

Something I’ve learned over the years, though, is that I will never make everyone happy. I said in my book Indie Writer Companion that even the most beloved writers are not beloved by everyone, and to prove my point, I pulled up their ratings on Goodreads. For example, at the time I’m writing this, Janet Evanovich has a 3.98 rating; James Patterson, 3.96; Toni Morrison (one of my personal faves), 3.83. I could go on and on, pulling up author after author to show you that no one has a one-hundred percent rating. Some might be higher than others, but no one on this planet likes the same thing—including books.

But, as an author, it’s not always easy reading those reviews about yourself. Reviews can hurt, especially when they feel personal (and, believe me, some of them are meant to feel personal). But you know what? You don’t have to take them that way. Nowadays, to keep myself sane, I get my feedback from beta readers. I let them tell me what’s working and what needs more of my attention. If I read reviews (and I do), I have a certain way I go about it. First, I know I’m going to have some bad reviews. All authors do. So that’s okay. That’s part of the business. I remind myself of that little fact. Then…guess what? I skip the bad ones. If there’s one star or two stars, I’ll skip it (okay, I’ll try to skip it). Why? Because reading it will only make me feel bad. It won’t help me improve my writing. I know there are a few authors out there who will connect with those readers in an attempt to understand the review, but I myself choose not to interact. It’s better for me to not read them—because I feel that most reviewers are simply trying to be honest. I don’t think most reviewers are trying to be hurtful…and they are entitled to their opinions. I just don’t have to read them, right?

Right! And, if you’re an author, neither do you. Happy writing!

Teaser #2, Nicki Sosebee #10: LIES

On Sunday (yes, Valentine’s Day), my husband and I and a couple of our kids are going to see the Deadpool movie. Hubby freely admits that he is a comic book nerd and always has been, and he is thrilled, because it looks like Deadpool’s been done right. The antihero is snarky, smart ass-y, and lots of fun. I’m looking forward to it. I love Ryan Reynolds anyway, but I love him even more when he’s dripping with dry sarcasm. This looks like one of his best roles yet. I realize it’s not for everyone. And it might be releasing in February, but it’s no rom-com. That’s okay, because I’m not that kind of girl anyway.

Well, neither is Nicki Sosebee, the main character in my series of the same name, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need or want love. Today’s teaser—without giving anything away—shows Nicki struggling with some personal, emotional issues…but at least she has a friend who’ll listen. So, without further ado, here it is:

 

Nicki squeezed her eyes shut before more tears leaked out.

As she opened them, though, she saw JD again. He’d already served the young ladies at the other end and was back with her. Stupid man. Couldn’t see an invitation even when it was lined in gold. “Penny for your thoughts, Nicki.”

She ground her jaw together, hoping to bury the emotion, before she answered. “You don’t want to hear my thoughts, JD.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Try me.”

If he’d thought she was there for his particular sexy ways of bartending, he was mistaken, and it was best to let him know right now. “They’re depressing as hell.”

He was undeterred. “Of course, they are. That’s why you’re drinking alone…on your damn birthday. And that’s why I’m telling you to let it all out. I’m a hell of a listener and what you tell me will go no further.” As if she needed more convincing, he nodded his head toward the end of the bar where the two girls sat chattering. “They don’t need me to listen, so shoot.”

The look in his eyes was so sincere, so inviting. How the hell could she say no?

She couldn’t. “How much time you got?”

You’ll get Nicki #10, Lies, in a little over two weeks—February 29, to be exact. Right now, it’s available for pre-order on Amazon, but don’t worry. It’ll be available on all sites on release day!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SbdkOP

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1OZ3Yii

A Bullet through My Heart

Wow! So far, Locked and Loaded (Bullet #6) has gotten mostly positive reviews. This book, the sixth and final installment in the Bullet series, has a dark side, and that darkness was pretty unexpected by a few readers. When my beta readers tackled it, most of them liked the book but one didn’t, and she had valid reasons for it. I weighed her feedback along with what I received from the others before deciding what final changes I needed to make prior to publication, but overall, most readers loved it. I have never had one-hundred percent approval for any book, and that’s okay, but it’s nice to know when my books are enjoyed by most of my readers.

And let me be clear—yes, this is Zane’s story, but I don’t leave you hanging, wondering what else has happened with the rest of the Bullet gang. You have an ending to the entire story. I felt like that was important.

So, for those of you still on the fence about the book, I wanted to share with you links to the bloggers who reviewed the book on their websites as well as a few quotes from reviewers who gave me permission to share. Thank you to all of you who have taken this journey with me! It’s been a hell of a ride!

Praise

“Zane and Jen come to a crossroads. She gives him the ultimatum of a life time. Thankfully she does and thankfully he realizes he needs to get and stay clean. I loved this book because we see Zane taking control. We see Jen standing up for herself and taking back her life….I loved seeing the couple figure out what they need and fixing what has been broken all these years.” ~ Angie J., Twinsie Talk Book Blog. FULL REVIEW HERE: http://www.twinsietalk.com/?p=12760

“I am very sad that this is the end of the Bullet series as I absolutely love these characters and will always wonder what they are up to.” ~ Sarah, A Literary Perusal. FULL REVIEW HERE: http://aliteraryperusal.com/2016/02/01/release-day-blitzreview-locked-and-loaded-by-jade-c-Jamison/

“AND she’s back! Who might you ask? Well of course I am talking about the hard rocking Queen herself…Jade Jamison and her fascinating, complex Fully Automatic cast of characters and in particular Zane, the quietly messed up bass player who lives his life on the edge and crosses the line one too many times before he falls from the cliff….I love second chance novels (especially when they involve a hot and naughty rocker) and this one had just the right amount of steamy, raunchy sex and poignant, gut-wrenching desperation to get “clean” with a whole ton of life lessons for anyone who has ever stumbled on their road to sobriety.” ~ Sue Banner

“Locked and Loaded is an amazing story!! … I highly recommend reading this series.” ~ L. Morales

“What an amazing ending to the best series ever!” ~ Julie Ruth

Links to reviews on other sites

Twinsie Talk Book Blog, Melinda’s review: http://www.twinsietalk.com/?p=13180

Books Laid Bare: http://www.books-laid-bare.com/latest-review/locked-and-loaded-by-jade-c-jamison/

Book Consumed Diva: https://bookconsumeddiva.wordpress.com/2016/02/01/locked-and-loaded-by-jade-c-jamison/

Jezabell Girl & Friends: http://www.jezabellgirlandfriends.com/blog/release-blitz-locked-and-loaded-bullet-6-by-jade-c-jamison

In Stefter’s Humble Opinion, The Book Barista’s review: https://insteftershumbleopinion.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/the-book-barista-reviews-locked-and-loaded-by-jade-c-jamison/

The Book Curmudgeon: http://crankybookreviews.wix.com/bookblog#!New-Review-Locked-and-Loaded-by-Jade-C-Jamison-5-Cranky-Stars/cmbz/56b4b16c0cf2062bd418cd6d

Love to Read Romance: http://lovetoreadromancebooks.blogspot.com/2016/02/review-locked-loaded-by-jade-c-jamison.html

BJ’s Book Blog: http://bjsbookblog2.blogspot.com/2016/01/locked-and-loaded-bullet-6-jade-c.html

***Thank you to all who gave me permission to quote your reviews and I’m also very grateful for all the reviews!

Locked and Loaded:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lWuUIF

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1QleUNe

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Si3cUr

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1N76HVM

iTunes: http://apple.co/1SOirnq

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2373tgQ

Playground Bullies Online

I’ve had the pleasure of being part of several multi-author anthologies over the years (Hot Summer Nights, Inked, Mistletoe & Kisses, several editions of Pink Shades of Words, and—most recently—What To Read After Fifty Shades of Grey: Coming of Age). Anthologies used to seem to sell fairly well but they don’t seem to do as well nowadays (I’m guessing due to a glut in the market). Nothing wrong with that, but I overanalyze everything, and this phenomenon is no exception.

I didn’t learn anything really, at least not about that trend, but I did discover something that made me pretty angry. I was looking at reviews for one of these anthologies recently, and I saw that a reviewer had one-starred one of these books on Goodreads. I frowned, because this person didn’t look “real,” if you catch my drift. This person’s “name” was one letter—like L—and s/he had no profile picture. I clicked on the link to their “name” and discovered that this person’s average review was one star.

My sense of justice kicked in.

Don’t get me wrong—I think everyone is entitled to an opinion, positive or negative, and they have the right to be public about it. But when it appears that someone has set up a fake profile just to trash others’ work…I don’t take kindly to it.

Well, I didn’t just sit still. Being the constantly naïve people lover, I felt it was my duty to contact the fine people at Goodreads. I sent them this message:

I am not able to flag this user, but I suspect that this account is used only to leave negative one-star ratings for books this user hasn’t actually read. I only say this because this user has one initial for a name, his/her profile is private, and s/he has over 17,000 ratings with an average rating of one star–and no reviews whatsoever. Because this appears to be abuse, I wanted to report it. The profile in question: [Link redacted, of course!]

Because I didn’t get permission to quote Goodreads, I’ll simply sum up their response to me. They were very polite, but they basically told me that the ratings system is used differently by different users and they didn’t see anything that they consider abuse.

[Before I move on, let me just say that I checked that profile again. That profile has changed. It’s still one letter (now B instead of A, for instance), but I find it interesting that all 17,614 ratings are GONE (yes, the ones with an average rating of 1 star) and now this person has -16 ratings. That makes no sense to me, but it does make me think that, perhaps, Goodreads might have actually done more digging but wanted to keep me out of it.]

But I had a discussion on Facebook about it with some of my reader and writer buddies. Apparently, there are lots of single-letter trolls who hide behind an initial who spend their time on Goodreads giving books one star. It makes this writer’s imagination go wild (who would do that?  What would they gain?)…and I almost friended that troll, just to let her know I was on to her. But I know that would have been a huge mistake for lots of reasons.

It makes me feel better that Goodreads might be doing something about it, perhaps behind the scenes, because—if not—that will only contribute to the environment that many readers and writers shy away from. I know so many friends who avoid Goodreads like the plague because of bad experiences they’ve had there.

The bottom line? When you have all the evidence there that a user is merely a troll (maybe not technically violating the rules but certainly is abusing the intent), just letting them continue to do what they’re doing is like ignoring the bully on the playground because they’re not actually hitting anyone.

With that in mind, I just might continue to report these one-letter bullies and maybe the teacher will eventually pay attention.

Book Club Questions for LAID BARE

I definitely think I’m on the right track with these book club questions. I’m part of a Facebook rock star romance group, and one of the authors asked what readers would like to do in the group. Readers said they’d love to do a group read of a book and then discuss it. Well…what better way to discuss than to read a few questions?

This week, I’m going to post questions for a book that was formerly named Worst Mother. Recently, though, I changed the title to Laid Bare and gave it a brand new cover as well, because I felt like the title and cover were scaring off readers. It now has a pretty cover and the description is no more or less accurate, but I do think it gives a lot more information. What do you think?

The blurb:

Randi Miller became the one thing her parents never wanted her to be: white trash. The man she’s sleeping with won’t commit; her kids have different dads; and she’s balancing school and work until it seems like something’s gotta give.

It does.

Except Randi feels ill-equipped to deal with the shambles of her life. It all starts when her daughter is suspended from the sixth grade for starting a fire in the girls’ bathroom and from there it goes downhill—fast.

Can Randi find the strength to survive when her world crumbles down around her, or will she be forever destined to live her life on the wrong side of the tracks?

The questions:

Don’t forget…there might be a few spoilers here, so don’t read them before you’ve read the book!

Randi has made a lot of mistakes in her life, but she’s tried to learn from them. By the end, do you feel like she has? Or does it seem like she just lucked into another situation and chose the right people to befriend?

The book ends without true justice for Sarah. How does the ending feel to you? Would you change it if you could? If so, how?

We see a little glimpse into Randi’s past relationships with Kent and Mike.  How is Justin different from them?  Do you think their relationship will continue to be strong?

What could Randi have done to be a better mother?

Did any passages or quotes stand out to you?

Do you know anyone like Randi?  Did you like Randi or any of the other characters?  Any you didn’t like?

If you could ask Jade one question about this book, what would it be?

The original title of this book was Worst Mother.  How would that have (or how did it) changed your perception of the book?

If you use these questions for a book club reading, let me know how it goes. If you come up with other questions, I’d love to hear them! Happy reading!