Jayne Castle's Blog, page 2

JAYNE DOES TWITTER

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[image error]Okay, I admit that I am not much into the Twitter thing. My life is boring. I write. I drink tea. I write. I shop. There is nothing in that routine that is worth a tweet. But my character, Fallon Jones, on the other hand, lives a very interesting life in the little town of Scargill Cove on the Northern California Coast. And it turns out he keeps his local case files on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ArcaneSociety He has already tweeted one case, DEATH IN A BOOKSTORE, and now he is has another case: STRANGER IN THE COVE.


The mysterious stranger in the Cove is none other than me. I am currently visiting Scargill Cove in order to do some deep background research for my January hardcover, IN TOO DEEP. I'm hoping to get an interview with Fallon Jones, himself! Meanwhile, I'm exploring the Cove and taking notes on the local residents. I hear Fallon is getting suspicious. But, then, he has always been inclined in that direction.


The good news is that I have finally found stuff to tweet about. You can follow my research trip at http://www.twitter.com/JayneAnnKrentz

And if you don't do Twitter, you'll find my daily tweets and Fallon's as well on my home page, http://www.jayneannkrentz.com . Wish me luck getting that interview with Fallon.


I hope you'll enjoy my adventures in Scargill Cove.


Sincerely,
Jayne

Can you say chaos?

Chaos.
I must thrive on it - or else I'm crazier than I think!

Bewitched, a repackage/reissue of 2 older stories, was just released. It's generated a lot of emails because it's a 2 in 1, and 1 of the books is part of a continuity. "Married to the Boss" is, I think, book 4 in a 15 book series of related stories - all different authors, open threads that carry over...
Yeah.
Readers are like, "What's up with not telling us this, or that?"

Maybe reissuing that book wasn't such a great idea. LOL. But as I've told the readers, it wasn't my decision. Luckily I can dodge any responsibility on that!
The other story in Bewitched, "In Too Deep" is an old fave of mine, so hopefully that makes up for the few open threads in Maitland Maternity continuity book. (Does that make sense!?)

Right now I have a deadline closing in, too - the book is due early December - and I have a couple hundred more pages to go. I'm having such a great time writing this new sexy series that I don't mind the crunch too much.
I'm working on the 3rd book now, and all 3 will be out in 2011, along with some new anthologies.

May is "WHEN YOU DARE" for Dare MacIntosh
June is "TRACE OF FEVER" for Trace Rivers
July is "SAVOR THE DANGER" for Jackson Savor - and it's Jackson's book I'm currently writing.

Soon as I'm given the go ahead, I'll show you the terrific covers. They are mega yummy! Harlequin did a photo shoot and took extra photos of the guys, so I might have some neat stuff for promo too. And they made me a trailer that is just incredible. I'm in love with it!

But on top of the usual work load, the holidays blooming all around us, and like a dolt, I had this great idea to move my office.
And if I'm moving my office - from upstairs, right outside my bedroom, to the finished lower level where I'll have a LOT more room - then might as well get new carpet and paint for all 3 upstairs bedrooms, and new paint and towels, etc... for both upstairs bathrooms. Right?
Can you picture me rolling my eyes and asking myself why, why, why?

Moving my office is an astronomical task! Yikes. It's loooong past due, but holy cow, I've collected things. Like printers I haven't used in ages but were still connected. Print cartridges that I needed to donate. A gazillion different types of paper. Hidden snacks everywhere. (Shame on me.) Old notes from readers, receipts, gadgets, candles, a massive tangle of cords and cords and cords (and of course, now everything is wireless so none of the cords are being used!) and BOOKS - some I've read and loved and kept, some I haven't gotten to yet!

I hired someone to help figure out the office downstairs, and she won't have it ready until almost Christmas. But the painters have been at work this week, and the computer people visited on Thursday, and the carpet people are coming next Wednesday...

So my office will be traveling for a little while.

I do have much of my Christmas shopping done, but I only have about half of it wrapped. Christmas cards will be prepped over the weekend (I hope!) and then I'll need to do yet more holiday shopping! Shoot, we JUST took down the Halloween decorations, but to spare my lovely mother-in-law, hubby and I are having Thanksgiving this year (she's more than earned the break!) and then we always have Christmas Eve.

And that, surely, is enough chaos for anyone!

So what type of nuttiness do you have going on?
Seems these days, we all live in the fast lane with craziness all around us.

To help clean out my office, I'm going to give away a tote bag from the last "Reader and Author Get Together." It was signed by many of the attending authors and is overflowing with fun promo stuff. I'll add a shirt and a book and any other fun stuff I have on hand.

Sunday night, I'll randomly draw a name to win. If you post, you're eligible, but please remember to check back to see if you won! If the winner doesn't reply to me by Monday afternoon with an address, I'll pick another name.

Oh, and that reminds me, for my Sweetest Day giveaway (Oct 14th blog) I never heard back from one winner.
It was Jodi, saying:
jodi said... My husband is not the romance flowers candy card etc type of guy that so many have.
Jodi, if you see this, please email me your address so I can get your goodies off to you!

My best to everyone!

Lori
aka
L. L. Foster
www.LoriFoster.com

One of those weeks!

Ack. I'm a day late! Yesterday was...well, yesterday. I'll spare you. I'm back, making coffee, lighting the fire in the woodstove as we face a couple of days of cold November rain.

COLD DAWN is in stores and I've been doing some fun radio interviews. To show what it's been like here, I had a interview on Monday and was having a celery-and-Laughing Cow cheese break (yeah, I know) and suddenly remembered I was supposed to be on the phone. That was a near thing.

Yep. Have all this on a calendar with an alarm but on a different computer from my deadline laptop, and it's just been one of those weeks. We've all had them. One major thing we've had on our minds this week is shaping up now: my sister sailed through her surgery. She'll make a full recovery in time for the holidays. She's a nurse and one of the most cheerful people you'll ever meet.

And my work-in-progress is going well. I have a November 15 deadline that I'm well on the way to making. But I'm not a well-paced, regimented writer. I'm sort of like one of those marathon runners who flails his way over the finish line, collapses to his knees and pours water over himself, glad he finished the race and lived through it.

That might be a slight exaggeration. ;-)

I love this phase of a manuscript, when the story is set in my head. It's as if the entire book is on the tip of my tongue. I'm in the zone. I could write 24 hours at a stretch if I didn't have to eat, sleep and exercise. And I'm having a great time with this story...but more about that another time.

Many thank s to Susan Andersen for her lovely um, Carla, reminder. Susan's the best!

I'll sync my calendars and see you all in two weeks. Last night I found out that COLD DAWN is on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, for which I'm so grateful to readers. Many, many thanks! Have a great day, and let us know -- how's your week shaping up?

And a reminder to those who are having 'one of those weeks' as I am: It's Thursday. :-)

xoxo

Carla

Happy Halloween!

[image error] Good morning, my flowers:

I'm not a happy camper. The beautiful post and photographs I had ready has lost something (everything) between learning to use a new Mac and coming over to my old laptop to finish up.

Okay, I'll blather on and do what was to have been my last France epistle next time.

Just got in from planting white pansies and some sort of black grass. It looks very tasteful:) As one who goes in for riotous color and variety with no plan, color or otherwise, I'm not sure how I feel about all this orderly chic on my little terrace.

I still have more grass, some nice tall red and black things that look like palm trees and are perennial (my favorite thing) and I'm going to have a go at getting some cyclamen to grow through the winter out there. They do that in France so why shouldn't I try? White cyclamen, naturally . . .

Soon I must write a bunch about TWO CHIMNEYS and the ups and downs of moving location so drastically. Louisiana has been my writing "home" for a long time so Whidbey Island in the San Juans (WA State) is a huge change. However, I'm really having some fun and branching out, so to speak. Do you know any woodsmen fae at the moment? No, well I have plans to change that for you.
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This evening, in addition to being with friends at http://www.writerspace.com/ for the big Halloween bash, I shall go to give out candy for my daughter and son-in-law so they can both go trick or treating with their four children. I'm quite excited about this because we never get children at the door where we live. Probably because it looks too scary. . . Or perhaps they have seen me coming or going and have decided to stay away.

Told you I could blather on if I had to. Now I'm going to plant a few more black and white things and think about Jazzy, Leigh's dog in TWO CHIMNEYS.

Love to all,
Stella

Q. Have you planted anything in your garden for winter and if so, what?

Q. What do you actually enjoy about Halloween, if anything--come on, be honest.

The World Serious

The World Serious...that's what Gracie, our six year granddaughter, is calling the World Series, and it works for me, because suddenly everyone here in northern California is serious about the series. It's the lead story on the news at night and just about all anyone wants to talk about, and if you're anywhere near the San Francisco Bay Area, as I am, you'd darned well better be a Giants fan!

I am most definitely not a fan of professional sports—my personal opinion of most professional athletes is pretty poor. Blame the media or our need to make heroes out of celebrities, but the emphasis on money and bad behavior has gotten so over the top that it turns me off. I love high school sports and Little League, and thoroughly enjoy weekend soccer with the grandkids, but rarely can I sit through a professional athletic event. I'd rather read a good book.

So, why am I so caught up in this year's series between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers? I can only say it's because there really aren't any stars involved. Instead of a battle of egos, we're seeing two teams made up of what even the sportscasters and experts are calling a bunch of odd balls and misfits—guys who've been traded around because they weren't doing all that well, who have somehow come together to create two really interesting teams.

I don't know much about the Texas Rangers, but I do feel as if I'm getting to know more about the men playing on the Giants—and I use the term "men" loosely. Some of them are just boys! One of the pitchers is only twenty-one, the catcher, Buster Posey, is twenty-three and looks about sixteen. Tim Lincecum, their starting pitcher, is all of twenty-six. (And for you ladies from the great PNW, he's from Belleview, Washington.)

There are a few with beards, and a right-fielder who just joined the team a few weeks ago after he was released from his original team, who can knock the ball a mile and rarely stops grinning. And when you watch them play, the amazing thing about the team is that they're actually playing. They're deadly serious about winning, but they all look as if they're having a blast. Maybe it's because none of them really expected to be in this position—playing in the ultimate baseball series—because not a single one of the Giants is a star. They're a team. Some nights one guy does well while another falters, and on another night it's someone else picking up the slack.

Even more, I realize that what is bringing this series to life for me is that I'm watching one of the greatest stories going—it's an ageless tale of someone who's not expected to win the fight, getting up there and showing the world that with enough heart and soul, anything is possible.

Whichever team wins this series, it's going to be a terrific contest—two teams who were not expected to reach this point, going toe to toe in front of a worldwide audience. The really cool thing is, it's got everything you look for in a good book, which is probably why I'll be glued to the TV until the last game is played.

So are you watching? And if not baseball, is there any sport that has you hooked? I really don't like baseball, but this "world serious" has certainly got my attention!

And, because I've been promising my readers for ages, I'll be giving away a stuffed Bumper dog to one of you leaving a comment, so be sure and check back on Sunday when I post the name of the winner. Bumper is a character in my Demonslayers series, and she's really cute--a "pitoodle," guess you'd call her--she's a pit bull, poodle mix with hair like a blond Shirley Temple wig.

Susan gives you Autumn Leaves and oddsie endsies

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This is going to be short and sweet. I had one of those drop-everything-to-do-writing/promo afternoons and tonight is Girl's Night, which means a late evening.

So let's [image error]talk Autumn.

I love this time of year. There's a clarity to the air that's never quite duplicated during any other season. We went to our cabin in eastern Washington last weekend, where we got a first class helping of that cool, clear air.

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It's been quite a while since I've been there and it was soooooo relaxing. The weather was better than Steve Pool (Channel 4 weatherman) predicted, which is always a welcome bonus. Plus, I slept like a baby, read a lot and got to browse through fun boutiques with my BFF Mimi, while the guys kicked back and didn't shop (which filled us all with gratitude). It was a much needed break.

It's an El Nino year on the West Coast, however, which means Washington state is braced for colder and wetter than usual weather. Sunday morning we saw evidence of it on the mountain peaks across the road. The soul mate and I have spent the past ten plus Thanksgiving weekends (Friday through Sunday--not the actual holiday) at our cabin, and historically that's when we see the first dusting of snow on those peaks and often on the trees lining the two passes as we drive home, as well. This year we saw the dusting on October 24th.

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I wanted to show you the actual snow, but either my camera or iPhoto messed up the download for the 4 pics that showed it well and I erased the originals before I figured that out. Sigh.

We started renting the cabin out earlier this summer on a week-end and weekly basis, and this was the first time I've been there since we've had renters in it. We have a guest book that many of them wrote in, and it was fun to read their comments. My very favorite was written by a girl named Elaina. To preface what she wrote to the left here: above the French doors going out onto the deck we have a framed poster of two Adirondack chairs overlooking the--you guessed it--Adirondacks . We also have an capital A on the wall perpendicular to that.

Her assumption tickled the heck out of me and Mimi, who now calls me Susie Adirondack.

Well, happy Halloween, everyone. Anyone attending a Halloween Party this weekend? And inquiring minds wanna know:What's your fave season (and why)--and what's the best Halloween costume you've ever seen or worn? Apologies to those of you who already participated in this question on my Facebook page...but I got such cool replies I thought it was worth expanding the information base.

Jayne Brings you MELJEAN BROOK

Jayne, here, with a very special guest, MELJEAN BROOK. Her fabulous new Steampunk Romance, THE IRON DUKE, is in stores now. You all know that I've been personally very excited about the development of this new romance genre. I do believe that Meljean's book defines it. I loved it. Please welcome Meljean:********************************************************************Steampunk has been earning quite a bit of buzz recently, but if you aren't familiar with the term, trust me — it's not as alien as it sounds. Simply imagine a movie like Sherlock Holmes combined with steamy romance and airships, or Pirates of the Caribbean with clockwork gadgets and automaton robots. Steampunk is thrilling adventure, featuring bold, sexy characters exploring an exciting new world — and it's full of heart, wonder, and romance. It's historical romance...with a steampunk twist. In the Iron Seas world, that twist came from a small change in history that, over the centuries, completely altered the course of historical events: In this alternate history, the Mongol Horde didn't halt their military advance into Europe in 1241 A.D. (as they did in our history), but came later with war machines and powerful technology. Much of Europe and Africa fled to the New World, but most of England — who believed the Horde's lack of a navy meant they would be safe — remained in Britain. They were wrong, because the Horde used a weapon that was too small to see coming: nanotechnology that infected the population and enslaved them.Using this twist in time, I was able to create an England that looked very much like the Victorian England that we know and love in our romances, but with some significant cultural changes. At the opening of THE IRON DUKE, England has only been out from under the Horde's two-hundred year occupation for a decade ... and the man who freed them all — pirate captain Rhys Trahaearn — is a national hero. It's not until he meets Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth that he becomes worthy of being a romance hero, however. And as much fun as the steampunk worldbuilding is, this story is all about the romance. The conflicts that arise from the setting — the class issues, the changing technology and social roles, the zombies and the giant squid — they are all challenging or just pure fun, but the real reason for all of these conflicts is so that I can create characters who have to struggle to find their happily-ever-after. I want them to fight for each other and fight to be with each other. I want it to matter that these two people fall in love and hold on to their happiness, and I like to think that the Iron Seas world is changed for the better when they do. In my story, THE IRON DUKE will do anything to have Mina, even if that means changing the world to be with her. That, to me, is pure romance ... and I hope that everyone enjoys the adventure with me.—Meljean Brook

The Mentors in Your Life

I'd like to welcome two very special bloggers to Running With Quills—my good friend and now official mentor for Kensington Publishing/Brava, Diane Whiteside, and her protégé, KC Klein. And, rather than muck up the explanation, I'm going to let them describe to you exactly what they've been up to. And if you get a chance, follow the link to RT, take a look at the entries, and cast your vote! First off, welcome, KC:

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RT book reviews and Brava Publishing has teamed up for a contest called Writing with the Stars. You've heard of Dancing with the Stars? Well, this is basically the same, but for writers. Ten finalists are paired up with a published, or soon-to-be published, author as they go through and vie for votes. Every month there's a new challenge. For example, one month there's a paragraph about the hero and heroine, the next, a back cover blurb, and my personal favorite, a hot sex scene. (This is for the Brava line after all.) And if having your work out there for all and sundry to see isn't enough, there's a celebrity judge who gives comments and tells the readers who her favorite is. At the end of all the rounds, the last one standing gets a book deal with Brava. Yeah, baby!

Go and check it out, and see what you think at www.rtbookreviews.com/content/writing-stars-vote-first-paragraph-and-last-line.

I was thrilled to be named as one of the finalists. So excited, in fact, I bought all of my critique partners cookies to celebrate. But following hard on the excitement was apprehension. I knew my manuscript, Dark Future, would be perfect for Kensington's Brava line, but would my mentor agree?

If I had reservations, there wasn't much time to dwell on them. Soon there was a volley of emails asking for headshots, bios, and a website—of which I had none. I got busy, very busy. After a quick introduction to my new mentor, Diane Whiteside, I had one last email—the deadline for all of the challenges had been moved up. Yep, a bit of a cold shower for someone who sits in her dusty office with only a half-dead house plant for company. (I feel keeping my plants on the brink of death helps them appreciate life more.)

Like a good girl, I wrote up my challenges, sent them to my critique group, and then re-wrote again. Finally, polished and perfected, I sent them off to Diane Whiteside. Diane was great. She was in the middle of a conference with sketchy internet service, and after a long day still sat in her hotel room and read through all my writing samples. Then, in that sweet manner of hers, proceeded to tell me I'd missed one glaring, obvious thing—the romance.

I'd written all my challenges from the sci-fi/suspense aspect of my book, and completely missed the spark, the tension, the thing that makes a person pick up a romance and get a warm excited tingle.

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[Diane: I was tickled when KC arrived as my protégé. DARK FUTURE, her manuscript, is a very fun read. No worries, I thought, I won't have to sweat too much because she's got such good stuff to pull from. Then her answers to the challenges landed on my doorstep. A couple of them were great – ooh, the sex scene, wow! – but most of them plopped, rather than leaped into the stratosphere.

I looked them over again very carefully, while some of my mentors' voices rang in my head. The Writing for the Stars contest is all about selling, rather like publishing a first book. There's a definite audience for it – hello, RT voters! – and they know what they expect. After all, Brava does publish dozens of romances every year and RT reviews hundreds of romances every month. Those voters need and want romance with a Capital 'R.' They're surely going to vote for the best romance in the contest.

So I went back and double-checked KC's manuscript for romance. Yup, lots and lots of heart-warming moments in there, where a man and woman find each other, resolve hellish conflict, and move to a fabulous ending. Okay, now I just had to coax KC on how to spotlight it in her challenges so she'd have the best possible chance in the Writing with the Stars contest.

Now, how did my mentors teach me the difficult stuff? I hoped I could do half as well with KC, because I owe it to the ladies who helped me.]

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For me this was an ah-ha moment, and I was grateful Diane was there to turn the light on for me. Between the both of us, I'm confident I presented the best of my writing. The process made me reflect on other mentors in my life. Sure they didn't have the official title, but they still encouraged me, got me on the right track, and wouldn't let me give up. I believe all successful people have been mentored along the way. Diane Whiteside's mentorship stood out for me.

What about for you? Who are the mentors in your life and what have they meant to you?

You can visit KC at kckleinbooks.com and follow kckleinbooks on Twitter and Facebook

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Diane Whiteside can be found at dianewhiteside.com and DianeWhiteside on Twitter.

Her latest book is THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS, a late Victorian adventure set in Constantinople and Arizona.

What's in your to-be-read pile?

The weather's turned cold here on our hilltop in Vermont, and the days are shorter -- perfect for firing up the woodstove and cozying up with a good book. I'm relocating my to-be-read pile to a basket by the hearth. Yes, I also love reading in an Adirondack chair in the shade...but there's something about these first chilly, dark nights that draw me into a book.

I have eclectic reading tastes. A few of the books in my TBR pile right now:

Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror, edited by R.L. Stine
The Professional by Robert B. Parker
Sea of Glory by Nathaniel Philbrick
The Dangerous Viscount by Miranda Neville
Luck Be a Lady by Cathie Linz
This Body of Death by Elizabeth George
The Immortals by JT Ellison

That's just for starters. I have two Jayne Castle books and Susan Andersen's Burning Up in my office, and a book of Irish history and -- well, lots more! Staying up to date with the Quills is great fun, and I've discovered new-to-me authors through our guest bloggers.

This isn't my woodstove, by the way. It's the stove in the Irish cottage where I stayed in September. Ahh....

I bought my friend Sherryl Woods's Chesapeake Shores Christmas, but I'm saving it to read when we've decorated for the holidays. I don't normally pre-order books, but when my author's copies of COLD DAWN arrived, I realized almost all were already earmarked for giveaways and pre-ordered three to send to family members. :-)

Anyway, while I was at it, I pre-ordered Steve Berry's upcoming book, The Emperor's Tomb, Joan Johnston's Invincible and a couple of non-fiction books.

I also have an advance-reading copy of The Last Time I saw Paris by Lynn Sheene. I met Lynn at Thrillerfest, and her book looks fascinating. The cover's gorgeous: a 1940s couple embracing with the Eiffel Tower behind them. The woman's wearing a great hat!

I don't know about you, but I don't read books in the order of purchase. Reading choices depend on my mood, time, what's handy. And I almost always read fiction and non-fiction at the same time.

What are some of the books in your to-be-read pile? Whether you're in a cold or warm climate, is there something special about reading this time of year? Do you find you read more for pleasure -- or do you collect books to read after the holiday crunch?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for your time, and have a great day,

Carla

It's in the Jeans...

Good morning, my flowers:)

Finally I'm back in my little hole, sometimes known as Stella's Office. Feels good and I'm more than ready to get back to work.
[image error] But something is irritating me--French Panache. How do they get it? How do they keep it? What is wrong with me that I can't, despite sometimes dangerous attempts, capture some of that? I was certain that a casual outfit and the backdrop of the 16th century apartment I was staying in (in France) would give me that careless chic look. Well...

[image error]Then there was the oh, so relaxed shot in front of my new home, Chenenceau. Okay, so I paid nine Euros for a ticket-to-tour but it should have worked. Well . . .

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An artful shot through beautiful stonework in a Parisian garden? Hm . . .

Even my Bastille (Gerdelon, actually) imprisonment record didn't quite turn me into the gamin creature I was aiming for.[image error]

So let us analyze what the French woman does to achieve that certain, whatever.

1. Out of bed. To wash the hair or not to wash the hair--no time. Pull it all up into a handful at the back of the head, twist once, twist twice, shove a chopstick through the "chignon" and voila! Instant glamour. Make sure large hunks fall around the face and neck and you have a complete winner.

2. Do NOT put on makeup.

3. Wiggle into a tiny black top.

4. Sling a baggy, perhaps artfully torn cardigan over the top and make sure the bottom hangs at a variety of levels.

5. Find those down-at-heel, scuffed black knee-high boots with broken buckles sagging at the sides.

6. Put on the tatty jeans that cling to every inch (you don't have to lie on your back and struggle to force them on because despite the six croissants a day you are elegantly skinny and don't worry, you do not have cellulite so a bump will not show). Layer on the old boots, toss a huge scarf carelessly around your neck, grab that giant purse, sniff a few times at your reflection and off you go--keeping that nose slightly elevated, naturally

7. You are the envy of most women from other countries who took an hour to get ready, and you know it.

It's in those fabulous cheekbones.

IT'S IN THE GENES.

Love you all and now I'm off to throw a few scarves around my neck--enough of them and I should manage to cover my face and hair entirely.

Stella

Q. I need quick fashion tips. Come on, what is that one little something that makes you feel (at least) interesting to look at?