Jade C. Jamison's Blog, page 39

Blast from the Past: Nicki Sosebee – Lost

If you caught my blog post last month, then you know I’m sharing old page content and turning it into blog posts now that my site is revamped. Today, Nicki #6!

In a nutshell: Nicki and Jesse have broken up again, but this time it’s for good. She realizes how much Jesse meant to her when she finds it hard to fly solo. And she’s lost her touch, striking out with one guy after another. Her BFFs Brandy and Jillian try to take her mind off her pain, and Nicki finally reveals to them why she’s never been able to forget about Sean, but she doesn’t miss the opportunity to get down and dirty with a local rock star. In the meantime, the teenage daughter of a Winchester lawyer is kidnapped, and Nicki reports on the crime, hoping readers can offer clues to the authorities and find the girl…before it’s too late. But what Nicki discovers leaves her horrified.

Trivia: I sometimes struggle coming up with fake band names, because everytime I think I’ve thought of a cool one, I do a little research and discover someone is already using that one! Telepathic Nonsense was borne of my frustration, and–looking back–I think the band “name” reflects that a little bit. Were I telepathic, I wouldn’t have to deal with the nonsense of looking these band names up!

Cool facts: Those of you who don’t live in Colorado might not know that the Chapel Hills Mall is a real place in Colorado Springs!

How Nicki resembles Jade: We do love our metal music!

Characters:

Nicki Sosebee: A modern girl who works hard and plays harder.

Sean Ramsey: Nicki’s super-hot best friend. He owns his own business, a motorcycle repair shop. Nicki finally tells her friends all the reasons why she can’t let stop thinking about him.

Jesse Roberts: Nicki’s ex-boyfriend. She’s not quite over him, though, and she can’t seem to do it because she keeps running into him.

Brandy King: One of Nicki’s BFFs, Brandy has a hard time saying the F word and an even harder time trying not to giggle. She finally demands to know why Nicki can’t get Sean out of her system.

Jillian Carpenter: One of Nicki’s BFFs, Jillian is married with three children, three very good reasons, Nicki thinks, to avoid marriage altogether.

Mandy: A fellow waitress at Napoli Pizzeria.

Todd Turner: Bassist of the heavy metal band Telepathic Nonsense. Luckily for Nicki, he seems as interested in her as she is in him.

Neal Black: Nicki’s editor at the Winchester Tribune.

Detective Nathan Wright: A policeman who sometimes helps Nicki…and sometimes doesn’t.

Teaser:

“So how long have you guys been together?” Nicki asked.

Todd regarded her with his sleepy green eyes. He didn’t seem to want to talk much, but Nicki wasn’t ready to move forward…yet. She had her besties nearby, and she knew they wouldn’t let her go crazy anyway. And, besides, she knew sleeping with an up-and-coming rock star would be a stupid idea anyway. Really stupid.

And it would have been easier to convince herself to keep her mitts off if he hadn’t been so damned cute.

Still, talking wasn’t bad. Todd took a drink from his beer glass. “About three years. I was in a few different bands before this one, but this one’s stuck. I mean, we’re playing concerts and we’re getting fans. We’re not just sitting around talking about doing stuff. We’re actually doing stuff. And we’ve written some kick-ass sh*t.”

Nicki nodded. “Yeah. I’m impressed.” It was getting harder to keep her hands to herself. His eyes alone beckoned her to lose all restraint. But she was doing it. She grabbed her beer too and took a sip. Then she set the glass back down but held it, swirling the remaining inch of golden liquid around the glass. “I really liked that one song you guys did…the second song. Ummm…what was it called?”

Todd squinted his eyes. “‘Freedom’? The one that went, ‘I’m free without you, but I don’t want to. / Don’t know how to live without you.’ That one?”

Nicki nodded. “Yeah. I loved the beat. It was heavy, and Gunner got a good scream going.”

Todd laughed. “Yeah. He’s good at that sh*t, all right.”

“So…what inspired you to play bass anyway?”

“I love music. And I just picked one up one day when I was in the eighth grade. I played all kinds of instruments in band–clarinet, sax, bells, drums. So when I picked up the bass, I thought I’d struggle, but it came naturally to me. And I’ve played it ever since. I liked percussion, and bass is a different approach. It’s a lot more subtle than the drums, but you can’t have a good band without a solid bass. I think of myself as the glue.”

“Nice.”

“Do you play any instruments?”

Oh, Nicki had an evil thought pop into her head, and she didn’t want to just blurt out that she’d been thinking she could play c*cks really well. Not classy at all, and it would give Todd the impression that she was easy. Yeah, she used to be, but she didn’t want to play that game anymore, even if this guy was hotter than the ovens at Napoli. “No, not really. Not that I never wanted to. I guess I just had too many other things going on when I was a kid. I like to sing, though.”

Todd sat back. “Well, go ahead.”

“No way! I’m not singing right now.”

“What if I put something in the jukebox?”

“Hell, no. Not gonna happen.”

He shook his head. “That’s a shame, Nicki. You looked adventurous.”

She smirked. “I am.”

He leaned forward, his nose touching hers. “I intend to find out, you know.”

She couldn’t hold herself back any longer. F*ck it. She just didn’t give a sh*t anymore. So…she’d lasted for a while. She could pat herself on the back for that at any rate. “I wish you would.”

Todd cocked his left brown eyebrow while Nicki looked down at his full, luscious lips. She felt her mouth flood with saliva as though he were a three-course meal set down in front of her and she hadn’t eaten in a week. Well, maybe one little kiss wouldn’t hurt. So she snuggled just a little closer to him in the dark booth and placed her hands on his chest. His arms encircled her shoulders and back and he brought her up close. She looked in his eyes as his mouth met hers. He sucked on her bottom lip, and it was slow and sensual. God, what could this guy do in the bedroom?

Oh, who was she kidding? This guy didn’t do it in the bedroom. He probably did it in bathroom stalls, in the back of cars, in parking lots and motel rooms. He didn’t have to go through the trappings of a relationship, and he was young enough that he didn’t want to. Well, Nicki might have been all about the hot sex, but she wasn’t going to get banged in the parking lot, even if this guy was unbelievably hot.

His tongue touched her lip and she parted them, sucking his tongue into her mouth. So maybe she wouldn’t f*ck him, but she could pretend with his tongue. He was warm and tasted good. Because she’d been drinking beer out of the same pitcher, she couldn’t taste the alcohol at all. Nicki ran her hands up the soft cotton of his t-shirt up to his neck, then ran her right hand to the back of his neck where his longish hair covered her fingers. Her other hand rested on his shoulder, feeling the sinew beneath her fingers. This guy was rock-star cut too…wiry and solid but not bulky. Yeah, he probably was really good in bed…if he wasn’t too selfish.

God, she had to stop thinking about that. She’d wind up f*cking him if she kept thinking about him in that way.

Thank God for Brandy. She heard her friend over at the next table. “Hey, Nicki, come on. We’re ready to go.”

Nicki unlatched her lips from Todd’s. “I guess that’s my ride.” She knew her face no doubt had a coy look plastered on it. “I’m sorry.”

Todd shook his head. “Uh-uh. I’m not letting you go without getting your number first.”

It was then that she felt all her blood flow straight to her nether regions. Oh, yeah…maybe not tonight, but she was going to have to f*ck this guy after all.

The post Blast from the Past: Nicki Sosebee – Lost appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

A Venn Diagram of Sorts

Did you ever have to create a Venn diagram in school? If you haven’t, this is all you need to know–you have two (or more) overlapping circles. In the area that overlaps, you write all the properties that are similar about both items you’re comparing. On the areas of the circles that don’t overlap, you write the differences. This post is about my own Venn Diagram of sorts…

The creative process is a funny thing…for me, at any rate. I get to know my characters really well. They become my friends, my enemies. I live with them in my head for a long time. I laugh at them, cry with them, get angry with them, mourn for them. They are as real as can be, even if it is just in my head.

Let’s talk about my next book, Savage, which comes out 3/31/15. I had the first inkling of an idea for this book back in December 2013 (I wrote about it in this blog post), but I didn’t really start giving it some deep thoughts until later in the summer of 2014. I had to put off writing it (over and over and over) because of other projects, but I wrote the blurb and prologue in September and a teaser scene in October. I began writing it in earnest in January.

Soooo…let’s just say that the characters Nina and Kevin have been “living with me” for some time. Now, I’ve had to change character names late in the game for various reasons (some of you who followed me in late 2012 know that the character Zane in Bullet started out with the name “Jed”). But I was able to change the name pre-publication…and even before I was done writing the book.

Well, here’s the news. Most of you know that I’ve sent out copies of Savage to both beta readers and reviewers. I had to do them at the same time because I spent a lot of time on the book, perfecting it as much as possible before sending it out. It’s a huge book (and “real life” has taken its toll of late), so it took me longer than usual. One of my beta readers was able to begin reading the book today (after ARC copies were sent out) and she messaged me after starting. I got the message later today and my heart sunk deep in my chest. Why? There’s a zombie book series out there (and apparently book three of this series is being released very soon) and guess what the main character’s name is? Yep, you guessed it. Her name is Nina. If it wasn’t a zombie book, I wouldn’t even worry. Names are used and reused all the time. There’s no getting around it. Hell, it’s real life. But what a coincidence.

Would it be easy to fix? Yes, on paper, absolutely. I write in Microsoft Word. Find and Replace is a nifty little tool and easy to use. What would be harder for me would be the adjustment in my mind…but even that is doable. What can’t be changed is all those ARCs that have already been sent. Even if I could say, “Oopsie. Can you please read this one instead?” how would you feel if you had started reading one story with a character named one thing, only to have it switch in the middle of your reading? Or if you finished reading it and wrote the review and had to change the names? My blurb’s been sitting on Goodreads for months and I and my Street Team have been pimping the hell out of this character named Nina.

I discussed what to do with one of my other beta readers and my Street Team admins…and we all came to the same conclusion.  It really sucks, but it’s already done, and it’s too late to change.  No one else who has seen the blurb or the teasers, until now, has said anything, so the hope is that they’re such different genres that most readers won’t confuse the two books or wonder what the hell I’ve done  To repeat:  that’s the hope. 

So…with all due respect to the other author, I am keeping my character name. That said, if she or any of her readers find this post, I want to right now say that I apologize. Had I known earlier, I would have changed it, even though I love the name and it “feels” right. For those of you who are curious, the series in question is The Dead Saga by Clare C Riley—my beta reader said it’s not my genre (it’s more straightforward horror).  I have not read it (but maybe I should–maybe it’s fate!). I just want to clear the air before the release of my book so that folks understand it was not meant to capitalize on her success. It’s just too late for me to change it, and that really bums me out.  I’ve had similar things happen to me as the author on the other side…and I’ve learned that sometimes it is inevitable.

At least she and I both have good taste in choosing women’s names.

I get the feeling that the only similarities between our books are zombies…and the name of the main characters. From that point, all bets are off. To my readers, I hope you love the book. One of my other beta readers said she thinks this is way beyond anything else I’ve ever written. Wonder what she means? Guess you’ll have to read it yourself to find out.

#KillOrDie, 3/31/15.

The post A Venn Diagram of Sorts appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

Savage Cover Reveal

Zombies, schmombies.  Seriously…you’re gonna let a little undead action stop you from reading this baby???  Well…that’s your choice, I guess, but I’m telling you right now, this is one of the best books I’ve ever written.  Savage is epic in scope and it’ll tug at your heartstrings.  I promise!!!  What was coolest about writing the book was, as I got near the end, I started getting that same feel that I did when Bullet was close to publication.

Anyway, due to my real life schedule, the cover reveal is close to release date, but better late than never, right?  So…without further ado, here’s the cover and a little something to go with.  Publication date is 3/31/15, so be on the lookout.  No presale on this one, so just keep your eyes peeled.  If you have subscribed to my newsletter, you’ll get a reminder in your inbox! 

Blurb

Kill or die…

From erotic romance author Jade C. Jamison comes a story about second chances and learning let go and find oneself again.

Nina Hardwick has had a rough life since leaving high school, but inside she is still the girl looking for a silver lining. The past several years have left their toll on her psyche, and just as she feels like she’s climbing out of a deep abyss, her life and the lives of millions of others fall into shambles as a virus overtakes the country and leaves a plague of undead armies scouring the land.

In a desperate attempt to get away from the infected, Nina and some neighbors speed out of town, nearly killing a man on a motorcycle. When they stop to rescue him, Nina realizes that he is the one man from her past she never got over, the guy who should have been her high school sweetheart until she messed it up. But this unrequited love, Kevin Savage, says he doesn’t even remember her. Or does he?

Nina, Kevin, and her neighbors head to the wilderness and fight to survive not only the plague but also hunger, cold, their inner demons…and even each other. Will they survive and, more importantly, will her heart?

Excerpt

All those thoughts were in my head, whether buried or at the forefront, as the tears began to stream down my cheeks. I hardly registered when Kevin pulled me into his chest and held me tightly as I sobbed, letting it all go.

Once my crying jag was over, I marveled at the man holding me. It wasn’t too long ago that he had said he never knew what to do when someone was crying. So I swiped at my face and nose with my hand, realizing his coat had absorbed a lot of the teary evidence, and looked up at him. “You did just fine,” I said.

He started laughing. “So did you.”

Then I laughed hard. Between that and the tears, I was beginning to feel like a whole new woman. “No, I didn’t mean this,” I said, waving my hand toward my back, indicating the fully dead bodies in the snow behind me. My voice was softer when I said, “With me crying. You said you never knew what to do when someone started crying.”

“Oh.” Kevin was a quiet man, speaking less now than he had when he was younger, but I believed I had rendered him mute.

“What you did right there was perfect.”

~ ~ ~

Want to add it to your Goodreads TBR?  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23197491-savage

 

The post Savage Cover Reveal appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures (HINT: SALES!)

Good morning, my friends!

It’s a lovely spring day and my car is in the shop.

You’ve all no doubt heard my lamenting over how Amazon has changed, once more, the way they sell books…and some of us have been suffering.  I’m not going to whine about it anymore, because it is what it is and I’ll figure it out–or not–but it won’t stop me from continuing to write and publish.  And those aren’t the desperate times the title refers to.  Nope, it’s my second paragraph up there.  My car is in the shop.  My writing used to provide me with a decent second income, one that allowed me to not have to worry about where I would come up with car repair funds.  Now that that’s no longer the case, I’m learning new “tricks,” as it were, and one of them is having regular sales.

Ah…but, as I’ve said already (repeat with me), desperate times call for desperate measures, and I conducted an informal poll on Facebook (I gotta stop doing that), and readers there told me which books of mine they’d be most likely to buy if they were on sale.  Some suggested books they already own, and others suggested older titles of mine that they just haven’t had a chance to pick up.  I now have a list and a plan, and it starts today!  An entire week of sales (some of these books have never been priced this low), and my fingers are crossed.

Some things you might want to know about my selection process:  I don’t want to “punish” faithful readers.  What do I mean by that?  Well…I usually offer my books at a lower introductory price and then raise the price after a day or so.  That is how I “reward” faithful readers, because if anyone should get a break, shouldn’t it be YOU?    I try (for the most part) to not put those books on sale for at least a year for that reason.  (There is one exception to that rule today, and that’s Punctured, Bruised, and Barely Tattooed, which will go on sale…the reason being, it was offered for 99 cents when it was part of the Inked anthology, so I don’t feel like I’m punishing any readers by doing that, even though I republished it with bonus material in October.  I also offered it for a low intro price then as well.)

So, my lovely friends, I’m hoping you can catch a bargain or two while helping me out.  If you’ve been dying to get your hands on one of these titles but just haven’t for whatever reason, you can pick it up for less.  If you already have one of these titles and loved it, you can tell your friends about it!  Win-win! 

But let’s get on with the nitty-gritty, shall we?  (These prices are for ebooks, and they are available at most major booksellers online.  Oh, and I don’t have an end date.  I’ll decide that once I see how the sales go!  The better they sell, the longer I’ll offer them on sale!) Here are the details…

March 14-March?: The Kiss Me, 99 cents
March 15-March?: MADversary, 99 cents
March 16-March?: Be Careful What You Wish For, 99 cents
March 17-?: Punctured, Bruised, and Barely Tattooed, 99 cents
March 18-?: Bullet, 99 cents
March 19-?: Rock Bottom 99 cents
March 20-?: Feverish 99 cents

Also, a few of you suggested the Nicki books–I already have a sale planned for the last weekend this month (the first box set), so keep your eyes peeled.

One thing…I might not have an end date, but when I end one sale, I will likely end them all.  I haven’t decided for certain yet.  Here are some links to get you started!   Happy shopping!

Then Kiss Me

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

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1eZS0rj

Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/m2uyq98

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1whJ6xz

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1vm3uJO

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

Be Careful What You Wish For

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jnUP3q

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/QpFb0m

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1r3QgoP

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

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

ARe: http://bit.ly/1wXwNDI

Punctured, Bruised, and Barely Tattooed 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ys7Beh

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/ZemO3p

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Bz6yFU

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

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

Bullet

Amazon: http://amzn.to/12qnzqW

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

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/164FQfC

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1qg0lLG

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1lv3fO1

Rock Bottom

Amazon: http://amzn.to/15VfzR0

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1q4Ah8a

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

Kobo: http://bit.ly/WN4cFA

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1sr9hzT

Feverish

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mp0KeK

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1m162dw

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

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

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1xnvX4I

The post Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures (HINT: SALES!) appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

Blast from the Past: Nicki Sosebee – One More Time

If you caught my blog post last month, then you know I’m sharing old page content and turning it into blog posts as my site is revamped.

For the next few days, I’ll be sharing everything Nicki Sosebee!  Today, Nicki #5.

~ ~ ~

In a nutshell: Nicki notices there is a big problem with the homeless population in Winchester, and the local shelter doesn’t have any more room for them. Nicki becomes irate when the City Council decides to do everything in its power to drive the homeless out of town, because she has other ideas. Meanwhile, she and Jesse are still going strong, if they can keep everyone else out of their business.

Characters:

Nicki Sosebee: A modern girl who works hard and plays harder.

Sean Ramsey: Nicki’s best friend. If she could, she’d try to forget they’d ever slept together, but she just can’t forget about it.

Jesse Roberts: Nicki’s superhot on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Brandy King: One of Nicki’s BFFs, Brandy has a hard time saying the F word and an even harder time trying not to giggle.

Melvin Roberts: Jesse’s cantankerous father.

Jenna: Jesse’s sister.

Neal Black: Nicki’s editor at the Winchester Tribune, the man has a lot of patience.

Detective Nathan Wright: A policeman who sometimes helps Nicki…and sometimes doesn’t.

Teaser:

Sean picked up the pen on the desk and dropped it into the pencil holder sitting on the corner of the desk close to the wall. “So…I gotta know. Did you tell Jesse what happened between us when you guys were broken up?”

Nicki felt like he’d slapped her in the face, he’d taken her so off guard. She just couldn’t understand why he’d bring it up now, so long after it had happened. “No. Did you?”

“No. I think it would kill him.”

Nicki wasn’t so sure about that. All that had happened was she’d tried to seduce Sean, and he’d crumbled under the pressure. And then, later that week when they talked about it and admitted they had strong feelings of sexual attraction for each other, Sean told her he didn’t think he’d ever be able to have a relationship with her. He didn’t give her an explanation, had just asked her to try to understand. So nothing happened. Besides, she and Jesse were broken up, so it shouldn’t matter anyway. But Sean thought it was important. “What would kill him, Sean? So big deal. We kissed.”

“We did a lot more than kissing.”

“Really? What fantasy world do you live in?”

Sean’s eyelids lowered. Nicki couldn’t tell, but he looked like he was getting p*ssed. Good. “Do you really think that’s all that happened? Would you feel like you were being honest with Jesse if you told him we just kissed each other when you were broken up?”

“Uh…yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s all that happened. Your clothes were on. My clothes were on. You never even touched me, and I sure as sh*t didn’t touch you. So what exactly do you think happened, Charlie Sheen?”

Sean sighed. “Nicki, be honest. Do I need to paint you a picture?” Nicki just sat up in the chair and crossed her arms, pursing her lips together. “Apparently, I do. As I recall, your hands were on my naked chest and my lips were on your neck. Now, maybe you thought you were just playing, but if I hadn’t stopped us, we would have wound up in bed together.” He pushed his chair back from his desk. “You know it, and I know it. So let’s stop playing this game.”

Nicki drew in a deep breath. “Yeah, but we didn’t, okay? And I figure if we didn’t, then it doesn’t count.”

Sean grabbed the telephone that sat on his desk and pulled it toward Nicki. “Then here. Let’s call Jesse and see if that all sounds innocent to him.”

Nicki felt her blood vessels constrict. “Jesus, Sean. What does it matter? Seriously. So it happened. It’s in the past. Why do we have to make a big deal out of it?”

Sean licked his lower lip and rolled the chair close to Nicki. His knees didn’t touch hers, but they were close. “So you’re telling me you don’t feel the same way about me anymore?”

Nicki’s mouth went dry. “I…I didn’t say that.”

“See, Nicki, that’s the danger. You say you love Jesse, right, but somehow you’re not able to let your feelings for me go. Don’t you think that’s a problem?”

Nicki closed her eyes. She knew Sean was right. It didn’t matter how much she cared for Jesse. Sean was still there, still mattered to her in a huge way. She forced herself to think…by pretending for a moment she was alone. If Sean were to strip down to nothing right now and tell Nicki he was hers, what would she do? Would she take Sean in her arms and sh*t all over Jesse? Would she forsake the man who had said he loved her just for a quick f*ck with a guy who couldn’t seem to get over some weird hang up? She opened her eyes, prepared to give Sean the only answer she could.

The post Blast from the Past: Nicki Sosebee – One More Time appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

Blast from the Past – Right Now

If you caught my blog post last month, then you know I’m sharing old page content and turning it into blog posts as my site is revamped.

For the next few days, I’ll be sharing everything Nicki Sosebee!  Today, Nicki #4.

~ ~ ~

 

In a nutshell: Nicki is becoming a better reporter, so much so that her boss Neal leans on her more and more to get the good stuff. So when a rash of robberies hits the downtown Winchester area, Nicki is reporting the damage…and probably getting a little too close for the bad guys’ comfort. As if that weren’t enough, Nicki finds herself in a full-fledged love triangle between Jesse and Sean…and she can’t bear to choose between them.

Trivia: When I wrote Right Now, I’d taken some really cool pictures at a couple of high school football games, wanting to use one of the pictures of the lights for a book cover, but around that time, I redesigned the covers, using the plain colored background with hearts (which has since changed!)

Cool facts: Well, I don’t know how cool this is, but this book is one that leaves a few readers feeling uncomfortable, simply because Nicki’s choice of sexual partner pushes against (even though it doesn’t cross) a few boundaries.

Characters:

Nicki Sosebee: A modern girl who works hard and plays even harder.

Sean Ramsey: Nicki’s super-hot best friend who’s good at keeping Nicki in the friend zone.

Jesse Roberts: Nicki’s on-again off-again boyfriend whose emotions are just too intense for Nicki.

Jillian Carpenter: One of Nicki’s BFFs, Jillian’s life reminds Nicki exactly why she wants to stay single and childless.

Brandy King: One of Nicki’s BFFs, Brandy pulls no punches when she tells Nicki the girl’s got to get over Sean and move on. And Brandy might be a newlywed, but she still likes to hear all about Nicki’s sexual pursuits.

Neal Black: Nicki’s editor at the Winchester Tribune.

Matt: A high school football player who is smitten with Nicki.

Detective Nathan Wright: A policeman who sometimes helps Nicki…and sometimes doesn’t.

One last thought: Sometimes the “bad guys” get away. Life isn’t always nice and neatly wrapped up, and I don’t think fiction should be either.

Teaser:

Nicki climbed the stairs to Sean’s apartment, lugging a 24-pack of Budweiser and a bottle of Jägermeister. She had demanded a meeting of sorts and promised to bring libations.

She didn’t know how it would go. All she did know was that Sean had effectively split her and Jesse and he was going to pay. Enough was enough. Did he care about her or not? Could they have a future together? Would he just f*ck her already?

She planned to find out.

She set the beer on the floor in front of his apartment and pressed the doorbell. Sean answered the door a few seconds later and saw the pack of beer on the ground. He stooped over to pick it up. She noticed his eyes lingering on her knees just a second too long before he stood up.

Operation Sean Seduction locked and loaded.

“Come on in,” Sean said, letting Nicki walk in and closing the door behind her.

She pulled the bottle out of the brown paper bag. “I also have Jäger.”

Sean’s face was stone. She couldn’t read him. “If I didn’t know better, you’re planning on getting drunk.”

“Maybe I am.” Nicki smiled. Sean opened the refrigerator and started moving things around. Nicki looked around the apartment. She hadn’t been here in several months; in fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been there. Like Nicki’s apartment, Sean’s dining room and living room blended together, but the dining room had a kitchen right off it that had a wall separating it from the living room. And also unlike Nicki’s apartment, the dining and kitchen areas had linoleum flooring. The walls were white but decorated with an occasional painting and bookshelves. Apparently Sean was no longer hiding the fact from his friends that he liked to read. She knew from past visits that he also had one full bathroom and two bedrooms–the large one he used as an actual bedroom, but the smaller one he used for working out. He had a Bowflex and a treadmill and who knew what else. She would have loved to be a fly on the wall the next time he worked out. It was one of the things Sean did religiously that made him look sooooo good.

It wasn’t the only thing, though. Sean paid attention to the details. He stood up from the fridge with two beers in hand and closed the door. And Nicki got to sample those details right then. He’d been wearing his hair extra longish lately, and his bangs just barely grew past his eyebrows…very sexy. His hair looked mussed up, but he did it that way on purpose. And his dark blonde hair had light blonde highlights in them that Nicki knew he’d recently had touched up. As he got closer to the table, Nicki focused on his eyes…baby blue surrounded by the longest lashes she’d ever seen.

She was forcing herself to remember all the things she’d loved about Sean, because, deep down, she was still hurting, yearning for Jesse. But Jesse had made it clear as a spring sunrise they were over. So Nicki planned to get over him the only way she knew how…with a good f*ck. And why not make it with the guy she’d crushed on for more than eight years? She considered it an early birthday present.

“So tell me the whole story, Nicki. Why is it Jesse’s letting you and me hang out together no holds barred?”

Nicki gritted her teeth. “I already told you…Jesse can’t tell me what to do.”

Sean popped the top off his beer and took a swig. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Sh*t. He already knew. She rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me…Jesse already came crying to you.” A little harsh, she knew, but she didn’t want Sean to know how badly she hurt.

Sean let out a small laugh. “You got me. Yeah…he told me today.”

Nicki took the top off her beer. “Did he also tell you why?”

“In so many words.”

Nicki took a long swig. Yes, she did plan to get buzzed…but not drunk. She wanted to savor tonight. “And…?”

“It’s because of you and me.”

Nicki nodded. “So…if that’s the problem, then we’re going to celebrate by re-igniting our friendship. How does that sound?”

“Cheers.” They drank a little more. Then Sean stood up. “Should I get one shot glass or two?”

“One should be fine. And I have an idea for that.”

Sean got up and walked to the cabinets again. Yummy…his jeans were snug on his ass, and she could just imagine her hands cupping… “Just one?”

Nicki darted her eyes back up to his. Had he caught her? And did it really matter? “Yeah. One’s fine.”

He walked back to the table. “So what’s this game anyway?”

“It’s a game I made up called Tell the Truth.”

“And how does this game work?”

“Well, you’ll say something about yourself that’s true. If I already know it, then I don’t do anything, but if you say something I didn’t know already, I have to take a shot of Jäger. Same with you.”

“So, like most drinking games, the goal is to get the other person to drink.”

“That’s right. So you want to say something I didn’t already know.”

“So you start.”

Well, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Hmmm…” Sean smiled at her, his eyes teasing, as he took another swallow of beer. “I’ve considered moving out of Winchester more than once over the last several years.” Sean seemed to consider her statement. But he didn’t reach for the bottle. When Nicki looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he shook his head. Damn. She’d have to think of some better secrets if she wanted him feeling good. “Your turn.”

“I don’t have many close friends.”

Nicki looked at him. What amount did he consider to be many? She knew of three…herself, Jesse, and Travis. Rather than assume, she asked, “What would you consider to be many?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Five or more, I guess.”

She nodded. No drink for her then. She smirked. Time to try for something harder. “I know the Apostles’ Creed by heart.”

Sean scoffed and opened the bottle, pouring himself a shot. “What the f*ck is that?”

“Well, if you were a good little Lutheran like yours truly, you’d know.”

He shook his head and slammed the shot. When he put the glass down on the table, his eyes locked with hers. That was the look from Sean that gave her shivers…that look that made it seem like he knew her innermost thoughts and deepest desires.

“Okay, I can play rough too. I have a Hunter’s Safety card.”

Did she know that? She didn’t think so. She didn’t know Sean had ever hunted. She poured herself a shot and tried not to get all twittered that her lips were touching where Sean’s had been. And she let the syrupy flavor warm her throat and chest. She closed her eyes. “Mmmm.” She licked her bottom lip and opened her eyes.

Sean looked downright amused. “Your turn.”

She wasn’t buzzed yet, but she was starting to feel relaxed. And it was time to take the game to new heights. “I’ve been in love three times.”

Sean considered it, then poured another drink and slammed it. He stared her down. “One time for me.”

Sean, capable of love? And who was it, she wondered. She poured herself a shot too. Now they were getting somewhere. And it was time to shock the sh*t outta the boy. She cleared her throat and a wicked smile spread her lips, baring her teeth. “I orgasm easily.”

Sean had a mouthful of beer that he fought to not spit out. He tapped his fingers on the table. How the f*ck could he have known that…unless maybe Jesse had said something, and if so…the bastard. But Sean poured himself another shot of Jägermeister. He must have just needed to swallow the information. Nicki was congratulating herself.

Sean had a big grin on his face. “So do I.”

Nicki shrugged. “You’re a guy. That’s a no brainer. You just have to go rub on something.” Sean started laughing. “You’re losing.”

“Am I? Seems like I’m getting to drink more of the good stuff.” Oooh…he was relaxing. Didn’t want him too relaxed. Maybe she’d call a halt here soon. “It’s your turn.” He took the last swig of his beer.

Now or never, Nicki. “I always wondered what might have happened between us if…well, if I hadn’t screwed it up.”

Sean shook his head slowly. “You thought I didn’t know that?”

Her mouth screwed up. “I wondered.”

God, she was making this party a downer. “Hey…where are your tunes? We need some music, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Sounds good.” He pointed to one of the shelves in the living room. “There’s the CD player and CDs. Knock yourself out. I’m gonna drain the vein. Be right back.”

Nicki snickered. “Drain the vein? I haven’t heard that one in a while.” Nicki walked over to Sean’s music set up. He was old school. Nicki had tried forever to convince Sean that iPods were the way to go, but he wouldn’t hear anything of it. He liked his CDs, and he didn’t care how much they cost. So she rifled through what he had on his shelves, and he had a smattering of everything, but it was mostly metal, which was one of many reasons why he and Nicki had always gotten along so well. She saw the line of Korn and knew she’d have to pick one of them. Korn was Nicki’s all-time favorite band, and they could do no wrong as far as she was concerned. She grabbed Life is Peachy, because she hadn’t heard it in a long time. When “Twist” started playing, she turned the volume down. She didn’t want Sean’s neighbors p*ssed.

He came out of the bathroom. “Of course…Korn. I thought you were supposed to tell me something I didn’t know.”

“Fair enough.” She walked over to where Sean stood, just outside the hallway to the bedrooms. “Do you know why I wanted to see you tonight?”

“The reason you gave me or the real reason?”

Jesus. Did he know? She was just a few inches from him now and she was done playing games. “Okay, smart guy. What’s the real reason?”

He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. There wasn’t a molecule of air between them. He licked his lips and pressed his forehead against hers, drilling into her eyes. “I know you better than anyone else, Nicki Sosebee, and I know your intentions. And I’m not going to fight you anymore.” And his lips were on hers faster than she could take a breath.

The post Blast from the Past – Right Now appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

Flash Forward Friday – Teaser from SAVAGE

I used to share most of my teaser exclusively on Facebook.  However, over the past two years, you know as well as I do (if you’ve been on Facebook at all, that is) that it is not the best venue for sharing things anymore.  Even if you pay to boost your posts (which I do not and will not), you have no guarantee that any of the people you want to reach will see what you’re sharing.

As I said last month, I am taking back control of my stuff.  On that note, I will be sharing my teasers and excerpts here.  I will still share them on FB, but I’m not relying on it to get the word out.  My website has a better chance of that.

On that note, here is this week’s FLASH FORWARD FRIDAY teaser.  It comes from my current WIP Savage.  Release is scheduled for 3/31/15.

I lay in Kevin’s arms for longer than I could calculate, staring out the window and watching as the sky grew darker. Part of me wished we could stay like this forever, in this place the world seemed to have forgotten about, away from everything bad and horrible and dark.

That might have been nice, but there was still the question of my kids…and the rest of my family. I needed to know they were all right, had to find out where they were. I didn’t know how the hell I was going to do that or when, but I needed to.

Up against my body, he felt strong where I felt weak, warm where I could only sense cold. He had become to me everything I always knew he was, and the realization that I had fallen in love with him again struck me hard. It had been an easy slide, one I hadn’t even known I was on until my feet were back on the ground.

I decided there, in his arms, that I wasn’t going to fight it.

But I also wasn’t going to acknowledge it. After our weird past as teens, I didn’t know what to expect from him in the aftermath. I only knew this moment, and I was going to cherish it, hold it tightly in my heart like I might clench a locket in my fist, and then I was going to let tomorrow bring what it would. I would leave this room with no expectations, no hope.

It was something I’d grown pretty good at over the years.

As if he could read my mind, he said, “We should probably head back.”

“Yeah, I was thinking that. I think a storm’s moving in, don’t you?” I turned around in his arms. Part of me didn’t want to. I was sad—profoundly—but felt like I shouldn’t be drowning in that emotion. I didn’t want to give away anything in my head.

His voice was soft when he said, “Yeah, I think so, so we shouldn’t screw around.”

I smiled in spite of myself. “A little late.”

He grinned too, and I imagined that he was feeling inside the same way I was but also wanted to try to put on a happy face. But he pulled me close and kissed me tenderly. He didn’t say anything, though, even after his lips left mine.

I wanted to acknowledge the significance of his earlier revelation, even though part of me was afraid to go there, so afraid of what the truth was. But I had to know. “Do you really remember me…or were you just saying that?”

You can add Savage to your Goodreads TBR here:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23197491-savage

The post Flash Forward Friday – Teaser from SAVAGE appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Come on in!

Welcome to my revamped website and huge thank you to my webmaster for redecorating the place.  I (and we!) still have some things to do, but I didn’t want it down anymore, so we’re operating at 90% capacity.

You’ll notice things are a little different here–it’s not just cosmetic.  We made a major shift in the focus of the site, and I hope you like it!  If you’re receiving this in your email, that means you signed up to receive RSS feeds from my website (even if you don’t remember doing that).  Right now, Feedburner drives those feeds and we might have to switch in the near future, so if you all of a sudden notice you’re not hearing from me anymore (and you’re wondering why), that’s why.  If Feedburner goes bye-bye, we’ll find a suitable replacement, but I imagine you’d have to make the switch–I don’t think I have the means of doing it for you. 

Anyway, feel free to look around the site and let me know what you think.  Welcome! 

The post Knock! Knock! Knock! appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

*cough cough* Please Excuse the Dust!

Things are looking a bit different here.  You have likely noticed the huge changes taking place in my website right now.  My webmaster/hubby has been updating and refreshing the look of my website and, until it’s done, it’s going to look a little, shall we say, under-construction-y.  But please bear with us, because I think it’s going to look awesome when it’s done!  Happy Valentine’s Day and have a great weekend!

Oh…and in case you haven’t read it already, Substitute Boyfriend is free on Amazon this weekend.  Go snag it while you can!

Amazon

Amazon UK

 

The post *cough cough* Please Excuse the Dust! appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.

What the Future Holds

I’m taking a little pause from my “Blast from the Past” posts to give you a glimpse into the future. As many of you already know, I tend to write what my muse (my heart and writing soul, basically) compels me to, but I make plans. Sometimes those plans get derailed for whatever reason (for instance, Tangled Web 3, Seal All Exits, got backburned a ridiculous amount of times because my muse shoved another more urgent idea into my head–more times than I can remember).  Still…I tend to have an idea of what I want to write and when, and it’s all ultimately decided by what’s swirling around in my head making noise.

I conducted an informal poll earlier this month–some of you might have seen it and some of you might have actually given me feedback.  I worry that I have so many series in the air that readers might be tired of waiting and not trust me to finish out series.  Many of you assured me that’s not the case, but I’m still concerned, mainly because sales of the Bullet series have dropped significantly–so either I’ve waited so long to publish the next book that lots of readers no longer care or they’re waiting until the series is done to read all the books.  I’m not sure, but it’s led me to do a lot of thinking…and planning.

Of course, just when I start planning, my muse throws an idea in my head that can’t be denied.  My next book, Savage, happened that way.  It was an idea I had over a year ago, but over the summer it started knocking on the door and by fall I could no longer put it off.  That said, I couldn’t put off Seal All Exits anymore and I had already set plans in motion for Slash and Burn, so I knew I had to write those first.  Finally, I started writing Savage (which is coming along nicely, by the way, and is already shaping up to be a HUGE novel)…and, smack in the middle (so typical of my effed-up brain), I got an idea for another book, a standalone, and one that will not let me put it off.  Just so you can say you heard about it early on, the tentative title is Vagabonds, and I’m aiming for a summer release date.  I’m not willing to share any other details yet, but think Bullet.

That said, I feel the need to write some other books based on those informal polls I told you about.  Readers told me they’re dying for more Nicki…and I understand that.  The first six books came out fast and close together, and the seventh wasn’t too far off.  You had to wait forever for Nicki #9 (again, thank Bullet for that), and I felt bad! But those same readers who said they wanted more Nicki also told me they’re not ready for her to end.  I understand that too.  But that tells me that I need to write the next Nicki book, one that has started shaping up in my head.  It is going to be called Lies and I know the basic plot.  This book is probably going to set in motion the beginning of the end, if that makes any sense, and what I fear is that, once it’s written, readers aren’t going to want to wait as patiently for the next book as they have for ones past.  But…we’ll see what happens. 

After that, I think I’m going to go ahead and finish out the Bullet series.  I want readers to know and trust that I do have an end game in mind.  I already know the plot for Zane’s book, and I envision some sort of wrap-up novella, something that brings the characters together again as a way to close the door to the series.  The idea for that book is vague, but I know it will come to me when I get close.  I’m thinking those will be fall/winter releases.

What that means is that I’m putting off other projects–the second book in the Wishes series that I’d wanted to write this year (Diesel’s book), the first book in the Bullet spinoff series (the Feverish series), and perhaps the next Tangled Web book…but I’m only one person and can only write so fast.    I hope you understand and continue this journey with me because, in spite of it all, I’m here to stay.

So, to sum up, vague plans (but don’t hold me to them–my muse is a fickle bitch!):

March – Savage

Summer – Vagabonds

Fall – Lies (Nicki #10)

Fall – Bullet #6 (Zane’s book)

Winter – Bullet 6.5 (wrap-up novella to end the series)

Cross your fingers and wish me luck!

The post What the Future Holds appeared first on Jade C. Jamison.