Jessica E. Subject's Blog, page 199

Cover Reveal and Contract Announcement!

I know many of you have seen this cover already, as I have it for my avatar in many places, but I'm officially showing it off today.

So, here's the cover for Unknown Futures, my F/F science fiction romance coming soon from Decadent Publishing as part of their 1 Night Stand line.

[image error]Once again, Fantasia Frog Designs did a fantastic job in giving me exactly what I wanted even when I didn't think it would be possible. She gave me a portal and Jewel's scars. Thanks!

Blurb:

Known as the town monster for the scars all over her face, Jewel applies to the 1 Night Stand service. She believes no one can see past the scars to love her. But she doesn't expect to be sent to a space station where her date could be any number of unusual alien species.

Flavia left everything behind to be one of five humans working for the Space Service space station. Extremely homesick, she is excited to learn she will be a guide to a woman from Earth visiting the station for a couple days. She is immediately drawn to the petite woman, seeing past her scars to her true inner beauty, stirring unforeseen desires.

Unfortunately, Jewel is there for a date which Flavia hasn't been told about. Can she contain her lust and simply show her a good time? Or will she let her desire lead them into an unknown future?

Also, I signed a second contract with Decadent Publishing this month for Never Gonna Let You Go. It's a science fiction/dystopian with F/F and M/F romance and the first book in The Underground series. I'll hopefully have a cover for this one in the beginning of November.

Blurb:

Caught in a tangle of lies, Calla Jacobs must sort through the truth to discover where she truly belongs.

Calla Jacobs is on Airondelle studying the various species of plants and animals in preparation for inhabitants of Earth to live on the newly-discovered planet. She is often distracted by Erik Edwards, Aerospace Engineer and her former best friend and lover, even though his recent attitude toward her has been cold. When Melina Holloway, another former lover or Erik and the mission commander, offers Calla the attention she desires and more, Calla engages in her first sexual relationship with a woman.

Erik quickly learns of the relationship and confronts Melina. Bitter words are exchanged between the two, leaving Calla hurt by the two people she's ever had strong feelings for. Erik finds Calla to apologize and explain his recent behaviour, but a previous injury sends Calla back to the medical tent until the end of the mission. Upon her release, she demands the truth from both Erik and Melina and learns Planet Core is not the company she'd been led to believe it to be.

25% OFF Paranormal Titles at Decadent Publishing!!

Here is a list of the paranormal titles that are on sale this weekend at Decadent Publishing:

Another Chance
Awaken the Demon
Blood Moon
Back in the Saddle
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Can't Stop Me
Careful What You Wish
Echoes at Dawn
Evie's Gift
Eye Contact
Fairy Casanova
Familiar Desires
Heart's Sentinel
Hey You
High Above
Invasion of the Nylonians
Kya's King
Of Course I Try
One Night With a Wolf
Out of Joint
Pandora's Box
Perchance to Dream
Red Riding Hood
Red's Return
Red's Wolf
Retribution
Run Devil Run
Share Your Soul
Soul Catcher
Steamside Chronicles
Strut
The Devil's Bidding
The Golden Haired Boy
The Kraken's Mirror
The Legacy Keeper's Treasure
The Sweater Curse
The Tempest
Trinity
Unite Our Souls
Untouched Places
Vengeance
When a Mullo Loves a Woman
Wings of a Butterfly

They have PRC for Kindles and EPUB for the Kobo and Nook. Plus PDF, LIT and HTML formats as well. This weekend only!

Buy Link: http://decadentpublishing.com/

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Here's to Spooky Friends – My Writing Family by @JoAnneKenrick

Many thanks for hosting me today, Jessica. It's an honor to be here! I just adored your 1NS story and can't wait to read more stories penned by you. I totally dig your style. Talking of 1NS stories, it's release day for me. How's that for a segway? I know, I know. I'm here to talk about those who help/helped me along my journey as an author and since it's Halloween…well, almost…I thought I'd go straight to the beginning of my writing career, and to where the inspiration for Dracula's Kiss came from.

Once upon a time, I was a ghost tour guide in Hartlepool, Newcastle. But these weren't guides in the traditional sense. Sure, we walked about town and talked about ghost stories, but partipants were also given time to 'feel' out the area with psychic development guidance. And trust me, in Hartlepool there is a lot to feel out. And then came a night's vigil in some of the creepest places I've ever had thepleasure of screaming in. We're talking smugglers, and lesiban nuns, the most exorcised home in England, and phantom horse galloping noises, murdered nuns still looking for her killer, soilders trying to find peace, and a wee boy wandering the streets looking for his home. Let me not forget to mention the gun battery where you not only feel the presense (strange pull to make you stand up straight) but hear and see them, too. And those are some dark, narrow tunnels with dead-ends. You can bet I screamed a few times.

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How does this relate to my writing family? Well, you might well ask. My Scooby Gang –as I like to call us–have always been in my corner. Even after I moved to Australia and began writing fictional articles for glossy magazines. Thank goodness for the internet. It's how we all met, and how we all stay in touch…miles away from eac other.

And when one of my spooky friends–as my husband calls them–visted Ecclesgreig House near Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire, and shared the details, I was so excited for them. What's so special about Ecclesgreig House? Bram stayed in Cruden Bay while reportidly writing his most infamous eternal love tale. And during this stay, it's thought he visited Ecclesgreig House and Slains Castle. Both are said to have provided inspiration for Dracula. And the seed is planted for what became Dracula's Kiss.  Even though I wanted to keep it simple, a classic vampire tale if you will, I also wanted it to relate to actual historical sites while telling a very erotic story set in some very darkly gothic ruins to give the feel of Dracula. And Cruden Bay was just the inspiration I needed for this story with  Ecclesgreig House becoming renvoated to a Castilo Hotel. For those who have yet to read a 1NS story, madame Eve uses the Castilo Hotel and Resorts, only, for her matches.

So here's to my spooky friends, who surround me in supportive vibes and much inspiration.

Who'd have thought, from ghost tour guide to smut writer? But here I am. And with all that experience, and ace, supportive spooky friends, you can bet I've got enough material to last me a life time of paranormal releases…and then some.

BLURB: Cathela's Office Halloween Ball is a complete bust. She spills out her Dracula's Bride costume, and her vamp fetish chases away her boyfriend. Only redeeming feature to the night? Necking multiple shots of Dracula's Kiss—a lush Black Cherry Vodka cocktail—and an interlude with a gorgeous man dressed Gary Oldman style.

No one comes close to satisfying Alec Murray's needs until he meets Cathela during some lame-ass party for bankers. One taste of her blood, sweet yet darkly dangerous, he knows she's perfect for him.

A night of goth bondage is planned for one. For the other, a night of sexual control is a must. A perfect fit. Alec is compelled to reveal his true nature, but can their relationship survive his dark secret?

BOOK TRAILER:

BUYLINKS

JoAnne Kenrick, an ex-Ghost Tour Guide turned Romance Author, is a Welsh lass who has lived in various countries around the world. She now calls North Carolina her home, where she lives with her husband, two children and a lazy cat. When they aren't demanding her attention, she can most likely be found watching a vampire movie, reading or baking up a British favorite in her N.C. kitchen. That is, when she isn't writing or chatting up a storm on social networking sites. www.joannekenrick.com Her current release, Sweet Irish Kiss, is an ARe bestseller!

FACEBOOK / GOODREADS / THE ROMANCE REVIEWS / AMAZON PROFILE

Book Review: Blown Away by D.L. Jackson

Blown Away by D.L. Jackson

Publication date: November 12, 2010 by Passion In Print Press

Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Military, Science Fiction Romance

from Goodreads:

Four soldiers face alien threats in these two erotic tales of explosive romance.

Detonate

Alice MacKay can't keep up with all the bomb threats in Trios Port. When Boomer, a former Terran Marine with more than a healthy dose of arrogance, strolls into her office for an interview, she can't get rid of him fast enough. But disarming bombs is easier than disarming amorous Marines. When Boomer decides to stick around, MacKay wonders if she's met her match.

Happy Trails

Jenna's been infatuated with Tyson Rivers since she boarded the mining ship, but the scoop's explosive ordnance officer doesn't seem to know she's there. Too shy to introduce herself, she decides to snoop in his personnel file instead. When Tyson catches her digging, he realizes he's not the only one feeling the attraction, but could his tactics to get her alone end with a bigger bang than he expected?

First Line:

Detonate – Strike one.

Happy Trails - Happy trail: That sexy little strip of hair that runs from a man's belly button to his—towel.

My Review:

Blown Away is a fantastic double novella by D.L. Jackson.

In Detonate, MacKay is an explosives ordnance officer looking for another person to help her disarm bombs off-world. What she doesn't expect is the Terran jarhead who gets under her skin and tries to get into her bed. She had already loved and lost her husband and daughter in a terrorist explosion. She doesn't plan on opening her bed or her heart to anyone ever again; the pain is still fresh. But Boomer doesn't take no for an answer. He plans to show her how to live again. That is, until both of their lives are threatened. Then they must decide whether to diffuse that threat by going their separate ways or face it together.

Happy Trails is the second novella in this book, and begins showing the reader a mighty fine happy trail. Jenna is in hiding on a mining scoop, The Gold Digger. Captain Jayson River has hired her as his assistant and as a distraction. But his twin brother Tyson shows more than a little interest in Jenna. The attraction is mutual, and when Jenna finds herself in close quarters with Tyson, the sexual tension between them reaches a boiling point. But they both have secrets to hide and want to define their new relationship in different ways. When they find themselves on the run after being labelled terrorists, they must work together to clear their names and decide what it is they both want.

Blown Away is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2011. D.L. Jackson is able to evoke so much emotion in her writing, from steamy love scenes to those gut-clenching moments that made me feel like crying, like those moments were happening to me. And then she upped the emotion even more.

Within the first chapters, I knew the characters and could relate to them, but had many ah-ha moments when their secrets were revealed, especially in Happy Trails.

But these stories aren't just about romance. There are plenty of tension-filled, life-threatening moments to keep the stories well-rounded.

D.L. Jackson does an amazing job building the common world of both of these stories, easily transporting me there as the reader.

Now, the end of both of the stories connects them together, and I've learned from the author that there are more stories to come as part of this series. I will definitely be lining up to read them.

If you like military romance, scifi romance, or heck, any romance at all, be sure to check out Blown Away. You'll be glad you did.

My Rating: 5 Aliens out of 5

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Blown Away by D.L. Jackson is available from:

Passion In Print Press
Amazon.com
Kobobooks.com
AllRomanceEbooks
& more

Find D.L. Jackson on her Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

Meet Ardyth from Marva Dasef's BAD SPELLING

BAD SPELLING – Book 1 of the Witches of Galdorheim

A klutzy witch, a shaman's curse, a quest to save her family. Can Kat find her magic in time?

by Marva Dasef http://marvadasef.com

Blog: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/MarvaDasef

Twitter Handle: @Gurina

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgjP4szkh0

MuseItUp Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/3daem4r

Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005URFJ0Y

Bio: Marva Dasef is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a fat white cat.  Retired from thirty-five years in the software industry, she has now turned her energies to writing fiction and finds it a much more satisfying occupation.  Marva has published more than forty stories in a number of on-line and print magazines, with several included in Best of anthologies. She has several already published books of fantasy, science fiction, and mystery. A few more are scheduled for 2011 and 2012 from her super duper publisher, MuseItUp.

BACK COVER BLURB

If you're a witch living on a remote arctic island, and the entire island runs on magic, lacking magical skills is not just an inconvenience, it can be a matter of life and death–or, at least, a darn good reason to run away from home.

Katrina's spells don't just fizzle; they backfire with spectacular results, oftentimes involving green goo.  A failure as a witch, Kat decides to run away and find her dead father's non-magical family. But before she can, she stumbles onto why her magic is out of whack: a curse from a Siberian shaman.

The young witch, accompanied by her warlock brother, must travel to the Hall of the Mountain King and the farthest reaches of Siberia to regain her magic, dodging attacks by the shaman along the way.

MEET ARDYTH

In Bad Spelling, Ardyth and Thordis are Kat's and Rune's only relatives on Galdorheim Island. Ardyth is their mother, and Thordis their aunt.

The sister witches are the most powerful on Galdorheim. Both are tall, Nordic blonds, but they couldn't be more unalike in personality. I'll talk more about Thordis in another post.

Ardyth acts a bit silly sometimes. She was a girly-girl in her younger days, a flirt, and aggressive in her pursuit of male companions. Kat's father was a wandering Siberian hunter named Boris who had the bad (or was it good?) luck to be marooned on the icy shores of Galdorheim. Ardyth immediately liked his looks, and proceeded to save him from the elements outside of the protective bubble over the witches' village. The pair hand-fasted and Ardyth was soon pregnant with Katrina. Before Kat was born, however, Boris was buried in the collapse of an ice cave in the glacier that covers most of Galdorheim.

After that misfortune, Ardyth went off in search of another male parental unit. She found a likely warlock in the Carpathian Mountains who courted her and won her heart. Just as they were settling into a lovely relationship, Ardyth found that Drakos was not only a warlock, but had been turned vampire. She escaped with her life, and that of her son, Rune. Poor Rune must learn to deal with his vampire side while learning the warlock trade. And you thought you had a weird childhood!

[image error] I wanted a beautiful blonde to portray Ardyth and think she might look a bit like Candace Bergen. That's why the actress you most likely know from the Murphy Brown series was my model. Another reason for the choice is that Murphy had a child without bothering to marry the father. This made for the somewhat dense attack by Dan Quayle, then running as the VP with George H.W. Bush. Even back then, conservative family values went askew. Attacking a fictional TV character? Wow. Just wow.

A further note: I borrowed the name Ardyth from author Ardyth deBruyn who was a faithful critiquer for Bad Spelling, and a YA fantasy writer herself.  Read about her and her first published book, Chosen Sister, here http://www.ardythdebruyn.com. She's completing another book soon, which I will tell you about when it's released.

EXCERPT

Kat slowed to a walk as she drew near home and wiped the tears from her cheeks with her shirtsleeve. The daffodils and tulips growing along the white picket fences twisted their blossoms away from her as she passed. She glared at a staring patch of black-eyed Susans and snapped, "What are you looking at?" The flowers trembled and turned away. Then she felt bad she'd scared the poor things.

Going into her house, she tried to slam the door behind her, but the door obediently slowed the swing and quietly clicked shut. Her mother, Ardyth, stood by the kitchen table, hands on hips. Her familiar, a plump Siamese cat, grinned up at his mistress from her chair. The light spilling through the window turned his brilliant blue eyes red.

"Not funny, Cornelius." The witch shook her finger at the cat.

Kat could hear the familiar purring from across the room. The cat decided in the last month or so it was a fine joke to jump up on any chair her mother was about to sit in. When Ardyth's bottom approached the chair, Cornelius would slither into the seat then yowl like he was being squashed. Ardyth never failed to reverse direction then turn to the cat with a scowl and a shaking finger.

Kat forgot her tears for a moment and couldn't help but smile. "Mother, why don't you look before you sit?"

Her mother turned to Kat with eyebrows raised. "That would ruin Cornelius' joke." She gently squeezed into the small space left by the purring feline. Cornelius seemed satisfied he'd pulled it off again and jumped to the floor. With his tail raised high in triumph, he headed for the hearth and his own cushioned bed.

Kat dropped her book bag on the floor, took Teddy out of his sling, and put the rabbit on the floor. He hunch-hopped to his food bowl and sniffed around the edges.

"Hungry, little guy?" She took out a bag of rabbit food from the cupboard, filled the bowl, and then slumped down in the chair across from her mother. "Mom, what am I supposed to do? Everyone thinks I'm not trying hard enough, but I am. I feel all the power just swirling around in my head, but when I let it loose it always goes haywire!"

Ardyth pursed her lips. "I don't know, dear. Perhaps I should never have taken up with Boris. I'm afraid that side of your parentage might be hindering your spellcasting. He was just a regular human after all."

"But if you hadn't, uh, gotten together with Boris, I wouldn't have been born. Are you saying—?" Kat couldn't finish. If her mother believed she shouldn't be alive, what hope was there?

Ardyth rushed to her daughter's side, putting her arms around her. "No, no. Of course not; I don't mean anything of the sort. The days you and your brother were born were the happiest of my life." She held Kat's shoulders at arms' length. "I just wish you took after my side of the family and not your father's. Just for the magic, of course."

Follow the BAD SPELLING tour here: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com/p/bad-spelling-release-schedule.html

I'm sitting across the beer bar with author & microbrewery owner Liz Crowe

Available November 4th

Today, I'm visiting with fellow Decadent author Liz Crowe. And I think she's trying to get me drunk. Be sure to stop by! I'm giving away a copy of Celestial Seduction there, too!

Here's the link: http://www.brewingpassion.com/

Dracula's Kiss – Just in time for Hallowe'en

A Paranormal Romance I'm looking forward to this month is Dracula's Kiss by JoAnne Kenrick. I mean, just watch the book trailer:

And while you're there, be sure to like the video.

Blurb:

Cathela's Office Halloween Ball is a complete bust. She spills out her Dracula's Bride costume, and her vamp fetish chases away her boyfriend. Only redeeming feature to the night? Necking multiple shots of Dracula's Kiss—a lush Black Cherry Vodka cocktail—and an interlude with a gorgeous man dressed Gary Oldman style.

No one comes close to satisfying Alec Murray's needs until he meets Cathela during some lame-ass party for bankers. One taste of her blood, sweet yet darkly dangerous, he knows she's perfect for him.

A night of goth bondage is planned for one. For the other, a night of sexual control is a must. A perfect fit. Alec is compelled to reveal his true nature, but can their relationship survive his dark secret?

Dracula's Kiss by JoAnne Kenrick coming this Friday to Decadent Publishing.

Find me at JoAnne Kenrick's blog today!

I'm visiting the amazing JoAnne Kenrick's blog today, sharing another excerpt from Celestial Seduction.

She is holding a contest as well, prior to the release of Dracula's Kiss on Friday. Here's the deets:

Pay attention to the purple letters in each of the posts, and collect them ready for a Halloween 1NS anagram contest I'll post on 21st October to celebrate the release of Dracula's Kiss.  Four 1NS books, winners choice, are up for grabs!

Also, one random commenter throughout the 1NS posts will win an ecopy of Dracula's Kiss, digital format of winners choice. So be sure to comment on each post if you want to win

So be sure to drop by and while you're there, check out her other 1 Night Stand release, Sweet Irish Kiss.

Six Sentence Sunday 10/16/11 – Why Jewel is reluctant to hug

Thank you to everyone who keeps coming back to read and comment on my excerpts every week. I appreciate all of your support.

Here's an excerpt from Unknown Futures (blurb here), possibly explaining why Jewel never returned Flavia's hug:

 "I think she's a little self-conscious about her scars," Frey said.

Flavia winced. Why did he have to mention them? Sure, she'd noticed, but she had friends with fins, feathers and elephant ears. A few scars wouldn't stop her from being social. Was that why she'd been asked to entertain Jewel during her stay?

Visit http://www.sixsunday.com/ to find out who's participating in Six Sentence Sunday this week or follow the #sixsunday hashtag on twitter.

Also, I'm giving away a $10 AllRomanceEbook.com gift certificate to celebrate one year of participating in Six Sentence Sunday and my birthday (which happened earlier this month). Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win.

25% off SciFi titles at Decadent Publishing

The following science fiction and science fiction romance titles are on sale at Decadent Publishing until October 17, 2011:

Absinthe Flames by Azura Ice
Absinthe Forever by Azura Ice
Celestial Seduction by Jessica E. Subject
Conquering Venus by Azura Ice and Maria Moonstar
Impulse Control by Sara Brookes
Heart's Sentinel by PJ Schnyder
Invasion of the Nylonians by J80
Ironhaven by Misa Buckley
Kybernatia by Clare Dargin
Lace, Lightning and Multiple Orgasms by Azura Ice
Perfect Limit by Sara Brookes
Red's Wolf by PJ Schnyder
The Ship's Mistress by Maureen O. Betita
The Sister's Story by Maureen O. Betita