Jenna Sutton's Blog, page 3
June 7, 2016
The Life of a Late Bloomer
I read advice columns. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am insatiably curious (aka nosy) about the challenges that other people face in their professional and personal lives. What can I say? The letters spark a lot of ideas for books… or books that I would never write!
Just a few weeks ago, I read a Dear Abby column that will forever be burned into my brain. The letter read: “My daughter recently turned 13. It seems that every time we go to a gathering and the moms get together talking, someone will ask me if my daughter has gotten her period yet. It isn’t even a question from people I’m close with or who really know my daughter.”
Now, just to be clear, I don’t think menstruation is anything to be embarrassed of. But I also don’t think the whole neighborhood needs to know when a young woman meets the Red One, Aunt Flo or any of the various other nicknames we have for our periods.
And the Dear Abby letter reminded me of phrase that’s always made me cringe: late bloomer. To me, saying that someone is a late bloomer is, at best, an excuse for not being like everyone else. At worst, it’s an implied criticism.
I’ve been at family reunions, neighborhood barbeques, and graduation parties and heard the same reassuring/not-reassuring phrases over and over.
To the teenage boy who can barely look anyone in the eye: Oh, you’re 14, and you don’t have to shave yet. Don’t feel bad, you’re just a late bloomer. You’ll have a beard in no time.
To the teenage girl who hunches her shoulders to disguise her flat chest: You just turned 16? Oh, well, I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before the boobs show up. Don’t worry, you’re just a late bloomer.
Yeah, those comments are so encouraging.
In my newest book, Hanging by a Thread, the heroine, Bebe Banerjee, is a late bloomer, although not in terms of her intellectual or physical development. She’s a late bloomer sexually.
At the age of 30, Bebe is still a virgin. And virgin doesn’t accurately describe the extent of her lack of experience. She calls herself an über-virgin because she’s never been kissed, she’s never masturbated, and she’s never seen a penis except for those on the cadavers in medical school.
Bebe isn’t a late bloomer because of her religion or her culture or any past trauma. She just doesn’t view herself as a sexual being until she meets the hero, Cal O’Brien. And he changes everything.
Here’s a little teaser from Hanging by a Thread. Cal and Bebe are celebrating his birthday, and Bebe is his birthday present.
“Was that your first orgasm?” he asked.
She met his eyes. “Yes. It was my first.”
He had a hard time believing she had never given in to the innate curiosity and physical need that drove humans to masturbate.
“You’d never had one? Ever?”
She shook her head, her cheeks dusky with a blush. He eased his fingers into the crevice between her ass cheeks and thighs, and she shifted on her heels, widening her legs to give him better access.
“Not even one you gave yourself?” he persisted. “You never touched yourself?”
Again, she shook her head. He stroked his fingers along the edge of her panties. “Why not?”
“I was unaware of my sexuality. My body wasn’t a source of pleasure. It was just there . . . like a household appliance.” She licked her lips, and he felt it in his cock. “I wasn’t interested in sex until I met you. Now it’s all I think about.”
He slid his fingers beneath her panties, petting the damp hair of her pussy. “You touch yourself.”
“Yes,” she replied, her voice barely audible.
What do you think about the term “late bloomer”? Were you or someone you know a late bloomer? How did it impact you (or them)?
June 22, 2015
How Do You Feel about Hypocoristics?
I love hypocoristics. Now take a second to read that again. I love hypocoristics. Not hypocrites. I definitely don’t love those.
I’m just guessing, but I doubt you know what a hypocoristic is. I didn’t, not until I typed the word nickname into Google.
The term hypocoristic is used to refer to a nickname of affection between those in love or with a close emotional bond, compared with a term of endearment. So instead of your husband calling you honey or darling,he calls you something that is unique to you.
In my debut novel, ALL THE RIGHT PLACES, my hero, Quinn O’Brien, bestows a nickname on the heroine, Amelia Winger. (No, I’m not going to tell you what that nickname is. Read the book if you’re curious!)
For me, hypocoristics play a huge role in a romance novel. I love it when the hero has a nickname for the heroine. To me, it shows an additional layer of affection and familiarity.
I know a lot of readers aren’t fans of nicknames, though. And many readers absolutely abhor endearments.Baby seems to be the most polarizing one. I recently read a review from a reader who said that she stopped reading a book because the hero called the heroine baby.
How dare he do such a dastardly thing?!
One of the best nicknames I’ve ever come across was in Sophie Jordan’s New Adult romance, WILD. It’s the third in a trilogy about college roommates who find their happily ever after. I loved this book, and the nickname was just a small part of the overall fabulousness of this book. The heroine, Georgia, is great, and the hero, Logan, OMG. He’s so delicious. Beyond delicious.
Part of his hotness, in my opinion, is that he calls Georgia by the nickname “Pearls” because she’s kind of this uptight, princess-y type. At first, she doesn’t like it. But eventually she does because the word comes out of a mouth that does incredibly awesome things to her body.
I adored Logan’s nickname for Georgia. Every time he called her Pearls, I swear my toes curled inside my shoes.
Maybe my love of hypocoristics comes from my husband. Although he’s never called me honey, sweetheart, baby, darling or anything else that could be considered an endearment, he has a lot of nicknames for me. I never know what he’s going to come up with next.
The most creative (and insulting) nickname my husband has ever called me? Mastodon.
Yes, you read that correctly. Mastodon.
I have no idea why he came up with that nickname, and neither does he. But he stopped calling me Mastodon after my dad said, “You know that’s a big, hairy prehistoric elephant, right? I don’t like that much… you calling my daughter a big, hairy prehistoric elephant.”
How do you feel about hypocoristics? Do the people close to you have a nickname for you? Do you call your significant other by a nickname?
Originally posted at Christine’s Words blog
What’s Sexier? A Tux or Jeans?
Is there anything sexier than a hot guy in a well-fitting tux? Well, yes, I think there is… a hot guy in a pair of well-fitting jeans. And I’m not the only woman who thinks a man is sexier when he’s rocking jeans instead of something dressier. In fact, the vast majority of the female population prefers good ole denim.
According to a survey conducted by Esquire, only 22.6 percent of women prefer their guy to wear a tux. A whopping 67.7 percent prefer him in “rugged jeans and a plain white T-shirt”. You’ll note that those percentages do not total 100 percent, and I can only assume the other 10 percent must prefer their men in nothing at all (which only works for me if I’m alone with my guy because I’m not into sharing men, brownies, or margaritas).
Did you know that approximately 450 million pairs of jeans are sold in the United States every year, and that every American owns, on average, seven pairs of jeans?
Jeans have an almost universal appeal, yet they mean different things to different people. Some people wear them because they’re comfortable and durable. Some wear them as a statement of style or status.
Jeans are at the heart (or should I say bottom) of my new series, Riley O’Brien & Co., proud designers and manufacturers of blue jeans since 1845. Around the world, people wear the company’s signature jeans, known as Rileys.
All the Right Places is the first book in the series, and the hero is Quinn O’Brien. He’s the great-great grandson of the company’s founder, and he takes a lot of pride in his heritage.
Quinn wouldn’t be caught dead wearing any brand of jeans except Rileys. And he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a pair of skinny jeans, either.
Now, I’m not talking about a pair of jeans that fit. Jeans shouldn’t be baggy. They should showcase a lean waist, tight ass, and strong legs.
I’m talking about skinny jeans—those horrific pieces of clothing that cling to a guy’s legs like Saran wrap. Skinny jeans make male legs look like one of two things: sticks or stumps.
Ugh. Just ugh.
In Quinn’s opinion (and mine, too), there are only two groups of males who can wear skinny jeans without risking ridicule:
1) Tattooed, bad-boy rock stars like Lenny Kravitz or Matthew Bellamy of Muse (BTW, have you heard Muse’s new song, “Dead Inside”? It’s awesome.)
2) Babies, preferably younger than 12 months
And as visually offensive as skinny jeans are, there’s something even worse: colored skinny jeans.
Red. Purple. Teal. Orange.
Think Howard Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory. I can handle his ‘70s haircut, his turtlenecks, and his unusually large belt buckles. But I can’t handle those colored skinny jeans. They’re just hideous.
I leave you with one last thought: most men wear what their women tell them to wear (this is a fact proven by market research), and if the man in your life isn’t a rock star or a baby, I think you should steer him away from skinny jeans and suggest a more relaxed fit. And as far as color goes, blue is best.
In case you’re interested, here are a few more fun facts about jeans:
Blue jeans weren’t popular outside the U.S. until World War II when American soldiers wore jeans while they were off-duty
Jeans manufacturers first used indigo to dye denim because the darker color hides dirt better
When jeans first became available for women, the zippers were on the side
A boutique in the New York East Village called Limbo was the first retailer to wash a new pair of jeans to get that faded effect
Originally posted at Cocktails and Books
The Pleasures and Perils of Workplace Romance in Real Life and on Television
Elevators. Stairwells. Conference rooms. Supply closets.
To most people, these places are nothing special. But for those who are involved in workplace romances, these same places are ideal for a sexy rendezvous.
Would it surprise you to know that nearly a third of people engaged in a workplace romance have had a tryst in the workplace—not always after hours! (If that doesn’t compel you to use hand-sanitizer at work, I don’t know what will.) Four percent have even been caught in the act, a thought that makes me cringe because seeing co-workers going at is almost as bad as catching the parents in flagrante delicto.
Millions of people around the world have had workplace romances. These amorous entanglements are as commonplace as beer and hotdogs at a baseball game. They’re so common, in fact, that they’ve become a cliché (or, more fondly, a trope in Romanceland). Case in point: the boss and the secretary who use their desks for something other than paperwork.
Roughly 51 percent of employees have had an office romance at some point in their careers, according to Vault’s Office Romance Survey. The survey considers a workplace romance to include everything ranging from a one-night stand to marriage.
There are some very famous examples of workplace romances including President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle. They met at a Chicago law firm when she was asked to mentor him. She showed him the ropes (and maybe the whips too!)
Workplace romances are a common trope in romance novels, TV shows, and movies—one of my favorites. I love a good (fictional) workplace romance, and TV powerhouse Shonda Rhimes, the woman behind Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder, obviously feels the same way. Characters on her shows are always tangled up with co-workers, and by tangled up, I mean naked.
Have you seen those diagrams that use strings of yarn to link events that are seemingly unrelated? If you did one of those diagrams to chart which colleagues have slept with or are sleeping with each other in Rhimes’ shows, the diagram would be nothing but a humongous ball of yarn.
I think one of best workplace romances is the relationship between NYPD Detective Kate Beckett and mystery novelist Richard Castle on the ABC’s Castle. These two don’t have the classic workplace romance in that they’re not actually employed by the same organization (Castle works for free; his compensation is the thrill), but they consider themselves partners and solve crimes together. They kept their relationship a secret from the brass at the NYPD for fear that their romance would prevent them from being able to work together.
Like Castle and Beckett, most people who are getting a little lovin’ at work try to keep it a secret. No one sends out a memo telling everyone about their inner-office orgasms (unless it’s by accident—you need to watch that Reply All button).
A recent survey by CareerBuilder found that more than one third of workers who have had an office romance had to keep their relationship a secret, despite the fact that most companies don’t have an official policy preventing so-called fraternization. Instead, the policy is informal and unwritten: “Don’t dip your pen in the company ink.” (An appropriately phallic warning, I have to say.)
Despite the fact that workplace romances are so commonplace, most people still tend to view them negatively—further proof that we all get trapped in the quicksand of hypocrisy. When people are involved in workplace romances, co-workers tend to attribute their success to what’s between their legs rather than what’s between their ears.
In fact, a third of people surveyed by Career Builder said they believe that a colleague has gained a career advantage by getting involved with a co-worker or superior. We’ve all heard the rumors: “Emily got that promotion because she’s banging the VP” or “Eric never would have gotten that job without screwing the HR manager.”
It makes sense that we have mixed emotions about workplace romance because they can be quite risky. Beyond the risk of being caught with your pants down (literally), there’s also the possibility that an office romance could negatively affect your reputation and jeopardize your job, especially if you’re involved with someone with the authority to advance your career or place a call to security and ask them to escort you from the building.
There’s a lot of risk involved in workplace romances, yet people get involved anyway. It’s a lot like paying too much for a new pair of strappy sandals—you know you don’t have the money, that it might hurt you later, but you do it anyway, because you just can’t resist.
There’s a reason why workplace romances are so prevalent. Actually, there are several reasons, but the main reason is simply proximity. You spend the majority of your waking hours at work, which means you’re spending most of your time with your co-workers. You see them every weekday and sometimes on the weekend, too, if you have a high-pressure job that requires extra hours.
Moreover, co-workers and colleagues tend to spend time outside of work. You have lunch together, stop by the local bar for happy hour, and sometimes co-workers even participate in activities like softball leagues and events like company barbeques.
Beyond proximity, though, there’s another big reason why workplace romances ignite: shared experiences and interests. Think about it this way: you have at least one thing in common with your co-workers—your employer. And you may have even more in common than that—similar education and ideals. Attorneys, for example, might find common ground in where they attended law school and their love of the law.
Surprisingly, most office romances don’t end too badly (at least from a professional standpoint… who knows how many pints of Ben & Jerry’s consumption can be directly attributed to workplace breakups). According to Vault, only 5 percent of people involved in workplace romances say they left their jobs because the relationship ended.
And the good news is that some workplace romances don’t end at all. The Vault survey found that 10 percent of people dating co-workers actually married them. Take Barack and Michelle: they got hitched and ended up in the White House. Beckett and Castle got their happily ever after, too.
When it comes to the workplace, one thing is certain: it’s always smart to knock before you enter. You never know what kind of “closed door meeting” could be going on.
Originally posted at Heroes & Heartbreakers
BookPage – All the Right Places
Jenna Sutton’s All the Right Places is the first in her new contemporary series about siblings determined to keep Riley O’Brien & Co—their iconic, 170 year-old denim company—viable in a changing industry. This kickoff book features Quinn O’Brien, who has become an all-work-no-play kind of guy upon taking over the business from his ailing father. His stoicism hits a serious hiccup, however, the day he follows a curvy redhead up the escalator and discovers she’s the new accessories designer his sister hired to breathe life into the nearly nonexistent women’s division.
Amelia Winger was born and raised in a small Texas town by a ne’er-do-well mother, and her hardscrabble background makes being named the company’s accessories designer a particularly delicious dream come true. The last thing she needs is an immediate, overpowering sexual attraction to the strapping CEO. No one’s going to say she slept her way to the top—she will be taken seriously as a professional.
Quinn struggles with a similar problem. It’s bad enough that the first thing he said to Amelia was “Nice ass.” Make a move on her, and she’ll likely hit him with a deserved sexual harassment suit. As hard as the two try to stay away from each other, however, their chemistry proves impossible to ignore. In addition, Quinn soon learns how talented, hardworking and sweet Amelia is, while she is blown away by, well, just about everything about him. She’s never met a man as aggressively sexual yet so kind and decent. Plus, they’re two consenting adults, right? So maybe it won’t matter that they’re burning up the sheets every chance they get. But then there’s the fact that Amelia is keeping a huge secret from him. And Quinn is sure to have a large problem with it.
Peopled with complex, believable characters and set in an interesting business, Sutton’s debut novel is a sexy, sassy and hot hit.
Book Briefs – All the Right Places
All the Right Places is the first book in a new contemporary romance series, called Riley O’Brien & Co. I loved this book. I don’t want to call it a book slump, but I have been reading a lot of 3 star books lately. Books that are fine and good reads and all that, but I just didn’t love them. All the Right Places was the first book that I have read in a week or two that made me feel the tingles of excitement while reading. And not just because the romance was great- which it was!, but because the overall story was great. The Riley O’Brien & Co. series is one that I will definitely be continuing!
The romance between Amelia and Quinn is so rockin’. It is one of instant attraction and lots of slow and torturous unresolved sexual tension. It was just so much fun watching Jenna Sutton draw out the URST scenes between these two. And the story is told in their alternating points of view, sometimes switching back and forth within the same chapter. I thought that added to the tension between them. Amelia is an up and coming designer and so far she has focused on accessories. She is just what the iconic jeans brands needs. I loved her secret plan with Quinn’s sister initially to modernize and revamp the women’s jeans. I thought this was such a relate bale problem for the company to have too. I feel like it is so much easier to get great fitting guys clothes than it is women’s jeans.
This is going to be a great contemporary romance series. You can just tell. The characters are all so developed and realistic, and the romantic pairings have you dying to read more about them. I love Quinn and Amelia. Each of them was holding back from the other for their own reasons, but you could just tell that they wouldn’t be able to resist for long. It made reading All the Right Places so much fun. Every time I turned the page, I kept thinking “are they going to get together now?” “or now?” If you like tension filled and chemistry charged romance, this is the series for you. I want more of Riley O’Brien & Co. right now!
Guest Appearance on Jaunty Quills
Fabulous Firsts with Jenna Sutton, author of All the Right Places
This is my first visit to the Jaunty Quills blog, and I wanted to thank these lovely ladies for having me. My debut novel, All the Right Places, just came out, and since it’s my first book, I thought it would be fun to share snippets from the fabulous “firsts” in the book.
Before I do, let me tell you a little bit about All the Right Places. It’s the first book in the Riley O’Brien & Co. series. The hero, Quinn O’Brien, is the fifth generation of O’Briens to be involved in the family business, Riley O’Brien & Co., proud designers and manufacturers of blue jeans since 1845.
Quinn reluctantly partners with up-and-coming designer Amelia Winger for a new line of accessories. He views the accessories as a last ditch attempt to save the ailing women’s division; she views it as part of a larger plan that he knows nothing about. Mixing business and pleasure isn’t wise, but neither Quinn nor Amelia can resist the temptation.
FIRST MEETING
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, offering her hand to him. Her voice had a slight twang to it, betraying her Texas roots.
Clasping her hand, he gazed down at her. She couldn’t have been more than an inch or two above five feet tall because the top of her curly head didn’t even reach his shoulders. Her brown eyes crinkled as she smiled, and he noticed a slight gap between her top front teeth.
Her smile wobbled a bit as he stood there silently, staring into a face sprinkled with freckles that reminded him of brown sugar. Finally, he spoke, but when he did, it wasn’t exactly what he had intended.
“Nice ass,” he said.
Damn. Did I really say that out loud?
FIRST DATE
He gestured toward their empty plates and the pizza pan. They were bare except for a couple of crumbs.
“I’m kind of disappointed there aren’t any leftovers. Now I have to find something else for breakfast.”
She chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. Was he serious? Only college kids ate pizza for breakfast. Adults ate yogurt and egg-white omelets.
“Unbelievable. You eat pizza for breakfast, and you still look like that.”
She clamped her mouth shut before she blurted out a truly regrettable comment about what her butt would look like if she made such poor dietary choices. He gazed at her intently.
“Look like what?”
Tall, dark, and handsome, that’s what. And he totally knew it.
Their interactions had given her plenty of evidence his self-esteem was healthy. In fact, it was so healthy it probably participated in marathons.
“Please,” she scoffed. “You don’t need me to stroke your ego.”
At the word “stroke,” his gaze heated and fell to her lips. When he brought his eyes back to hers, the dark blue irises were nearly obliterated by the pupils. The proof of his arousal made her lightheaded.
“You’re right,” he said huskily. “My ego’s just fine.”
FIRST KISS
Now that he had his mouth on hers, he was torn between devouring and savoring. He ran his tongue against her bottom lip before sucking gently. She gasped, and he darted his tongue into her mouth. The taste of her was better than he’d imagined, and he couldn’t get enough of it.
He slanted his head to delve deeper into her sweetness, holding her captive by weaving his hands into her fragrant hair and tilting her head back. When her tongue met his, he sucked on it lightly. It felt so good he increased the suction, and she moaned loudly.
Lust slammed through him as she wrapped her legs around his hips. Pushing up his shirt, she grasped his back just above the waistband of his Rileys. Her fingernails dug into his skin, the dual pain and pleasure of her touch sending a tingle up and down his spine.
Bright lights exploded behind his eyelids, and blood rushed through his veins, heading straight to his cock. He was sure he’d never been so hard, the buttons on his fly pressing painfully into his length.
He fed her several deep, wet kisses before pulling back and trailing his lips down her neck. He gently bit the tendon where her neck and shoulder met. She whimpered, and he soothed the small bite with his tongue.
“I’ve been thinking about this since I first saw you,” he breathed against her skin.
FIRST TIME
She leaned forward to kiss him, and he wrapped his arms all the way around her, pulling her closer and deeper into the V of his legs. As their lips met, he palmed her butt cheeks and squeezed. The unexpected gesture made her gasp and pull back slightly.
“Sorry. Too hard?”
She shook her head, and he rubbed the spots where he had squeezed. “I love your ass,” he breathed. “It’s so round and delicious, and I can’t wait to get you out of these pants so I can touch it skin-to-skin.”
A strangled laugh escaped her. “I hate my butt. It’s too big.”
He shook his head. “No,” he countered fiercely. “You can’t hate something that makes me hard every time I see it.”
Well, when you put it that way . . .
Interview with To Each Their Own Reviews
Before you read this interview, I just want to say that I had a blast coming up with questions for Ms. Sutton, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview her! Onwards:
TETOR: First, I’d like to congratulate you on your debut release, All the Right Places.
SUTTON: Thank you! I am really excited about the book and the opportunity to share Quinn and Amelia’s story with romance lovers.
TETOR: One thing that really drew me to All the Right Places was the denim empire at the heart of it. Contemporary romance definitely has that ‘wealthy businessman’ trope, but it’s rare to see that businessman engaging in something so concrete as Riley O’Brien & Co. What drew you writing about a denim company, in particular?
SUTTON: I know it sounds just a little weird, but I think jeans are really fascinating. Can you think of any other piece of clothing more ubiquitous than jeans? With the exception of a few isolated spots on the planet, jeans are everywhere. At any given moment, at least half the world is wearing jeans, and the vast majority of people own at least one pair.
Jeans have an almost universal appeal, yet they mean different things to different people. Some people wear them because they’re comfortable and durable. Some wear them as a statement of style or status.
For me, it’s not just the jeans that make Riley O’Brien & Co.’s denim empire so interesting; it’s the company’s history and the generational element. I’ve been fascinated with the idea of generational businesses—those that have been passed down from generation to generation—for a long time.
As a journalist, I covered many retail chains and fashion brands that were generational businesses. Nordstrom is a great example of one. For more than 100 years, the department store chain has been run by the Nordstrom family. Today, it’s in the hands of the fourth generation of Nordstroms. They’ve managed to keep their family company at the top, staying true to the brand and serving their customers, while also evolving and growing.
In my Riley O’Brien & Co. series, staying relevant and maintaining market share is the challenge for this generation of O’Briens. Unfortunately, competition from designer denim is eroding the company’s bottom line, and the women’s division is in really bad shape. The company has alienated its female consumers, and it must find a way to win them back.
The three heirs to the company—Quinn, Cal, and Teagan—have differing opinions on how to do that. Responsible, risk-averse Quinn clashes with smart, headstrong Teagan, while easy-going, witty Cal is kind of stuck in the middle.
TETOR: Who are your go-to authors? Do you read a lot of contemporary romance, or romance more broadly?
SUTTON: For the past several years, I’ve read romance almost exclusively. I used to read other genres including mysteries, legal thrillers, women’s fiction, and the occasional non-fiction book. I’m trying to be a little more inclusive in my reading choices, but I really crave that happily ever after. I don’t like to invest in characters and then have something terrible happen to them. I feel cheated and angry, not to mention weepy. Ugh.
Within the romance genre, I definitely prefer contemporary romance, although I read historical, new adult, romantic suspense, and erotica. I have a fairly long list of authors I like, but the books on my keeper shelf—the ones I read over and over again—are written by Lisa Kleypas, Rachel Gibson, Elizabeth Hoyt, and Anne Stuart. And I have discovered some great new authors over the past several months including Penelope Douglas, Elle Kennedy, and Jackie Ashenden. I love scorching hot sex scenes, and these women really deliver.
TETOR: You worked for several years as a journalist, and there are certainly other journalists who have made the transition to writing fiction. I always wonder how much the skills developed as a journalist help (or perhaps even hinder) authors. Can you talk a little bit about how your background in journalism has impacted you as an author of fiction?
SUTTON: I absolutely believe the skills I developed as a journalist help me as a novelist. As a journalist, I thought about my job in two parts: asking questions (reporting) and answering questions (writing articles). I approach fiction writing similarly. When I write a chapter, I think about what questions my readers might have about my characters—what they want to know about them—and then I answer those questions with backstory, internal narrative, dialogue, and action.
As a journalist, I outline every article, whether it’s a simple 500-word news brief or a 5,000-word feature piece. For me, outlines prevent problems in the long run, providing a roadmap for me to follow and a path that leads my readers to their destination.
When I start a new book, I outline it from beginning to end and really flesh out each chapter. I already know how the story is going to end before I even open up a Word document to type the first word. On average, my outlines are about 100 pages.
And then there are the deadlines. As a journalist, you live and breathe deadlines. You don’t have the luxury of writer’s block or “not feeling it” that day. You have pages to fill, and if you don’t meet your deadline, those pages are blank, and a lot of people are very unhappy. And if you don’t meet your deadlines, you don’t have a job for long. So, I’m very comfortable with the deadlines in book publishing.
Beyond the deadlines, journalists must write to specific word counts. You have to maximize every word because there’s no room to waste. And you can’t sacrifice information just because you have limited space. Your writing must be concise and digestible. You have to make it easy for your reader.
I’ve been told that my books are “easy” – that it doesn’t take a lot of effort to imagine a setting or connect with the characters or immerse oneself in the scene. And that’s a huge compliment to a writer.
TETOR: Shifting gears, I want to say that I love the banner on your website. I love the ‘brand’ effect of your name on the denim background. I could absolutely see that name, with the fireworks, stitched into clothing, which I think is a very clever tie-in with the series. There’s such a huge emphasis on authors marketing themselves and their books, and it looks you’ve got a pretty good sense of how important even those little details are. Is marketing a component of being a writer that you’re enjoying or maybe not so much? What kind of balance have you found between that social media/internet presence/marketing aspect of the work and working on the next book?
SUTTON: Thank you! I’m so glad you love the banner and the look of the website. I’m lucky that the Riley O’Brien & Co. series lends itself to interesting imagery, specifically the denim background. To be frank, I’m still trying to figure out how to balance the writing part of being a romance author with the business part. Marketing isn’t something that’s completely foreign to me because I have a Master’s degree in integrated marketing communications. For a long time, I was convinced that I wasted a bunch of time and money getting that degree because I chose not to pursue a marketing-related career. But now I’m happy that I did because I’ve applied a lot of that knowledge to marketing myself and my books. I don’t claim to be a marketing guru, far from it, and there’s a lot of debate about how effective author websites actually are. Personally, I’m a reader who loves to visit author websites. As for social media, I enjoy interacting with readers via Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, I think most people are suffering from what I call social media fatigue. They’re bombarded by messages, and at some point, those messages become nothing but noise.
TETOR: Tell us what’s coming next! Have you got several Riley O’Brien & Co books planned already? When will the next book in the series be available?
SUTTON: Right now, there are three full-length Riley O’Brien & Co. novels. The second one, COMING APART AT THE SEAMS, is scheduled for publication on Dec. 1, 2015. The third in the series, HANGING BY A THREAD, will come out in spring 2016. I’ve also written two Riley O’Brien & Co. novellas, but I don’t have any specifics on when they’ll be published.
TETOR: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today!
SUTTON: Thank you for having me! I had a great time, and I hope I can visit again soon.
Harlequin Junkie – All the Right Places
Amelia has found a measure of success since her best friend has become Nashville’s newest star and loves to wear Amelia’s designs. She’s somewhat unsure of her own talent she was never formally trained. When she gets the chance to design for an iconic denim company, she jumps at the chance.
Quinn is leading his family’s iconic denim company and determined to make sure it succeeds during a transition in leadership. He’s not thrilled when his sister springs the news of a completed deal for an accessories line designed by Amelia on him minutes before he’s due to meet her. Quinn is a planner and hates surprises.
Amelia quickly wins Quinn over during their first meeting. However, Amelia realizes that they have a problem. They both experience the immediate attraction, and plan to minimize complications by avoiding each other for their own reasons. Life has other plans, and they tend to find themselves together.
“A reward, huh?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with blue fire from the overhead can lights. His look make warmth trickle through her.
“I can see that you have something in mind. What?”
“Dinner. Tonight.” He cleared this throat. “With me,” he clarified as if he were worried she would misunderstand his invitation.
Their attraction gets to be too much and they give in one night. Quinn isn’t a man who has to pursue women, but he pursues Amelia. Amelia brings out another side of Quinn.
“What about talking?”
She was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Can I talk while you take off my boots?”
“Sure.”
He nodded. “I accept your terms.” He twirled his finger in a motion that indicated he wanted her to turn around. “Get busy.”
The more time that they spend together, the more they like and respect each other. Their relationship becomes more serious, which creates all sorts of problems for Amelia due to her secret project.
All the Right Places is an entertaining contemporary romance where the backdrop is an iconic company undergoing significant changes. Jenna Sutton created a family-oriented cast of characters. Ms. Sutton created a very determined character in Quinn’s sister. She comes across as selfish and shortsighted, so it’ll be interesting to see how Ms. Sutton will redeem her in the next book in the series. Fans of Jessica Topper would enjoy All the Right Places.
Herding Cats & Burning Soup – All the Right Places
The quick of it is that Quinn now runs his family’s large company that specializes in jeans. Only problem…their women’s division leaves a lot to be desired. He’d rather just write it off but his sister has other plans and brings in Amelia–a fresh up and coming designer–to help revamp things. Everything is on the line for both of them so professionalism…a must. Too bad all kinds of lusty dirty thoughts just keep popping into their minds about the other. ::snort::
She didn’t want a cupcake. She wanted Quinn.
“They both sound good. I don’t know.”
—–
“How about you get one flavor, and I’ll get the other, and we’ll share?”
She nodded. “That sounds fine,” she said, lying through her teeth. She didn’t want to share his cupcake, unless “cupcake” was a code word for “penis”.
I…was totally there with Amelia. LOL
Quinn and Amelia. Oh man. These two were lovely. I enjoyed the hell out of both of them. Quinn is just the guy. Everything about him had me feeling a little swoony. He’s a good man. Dependable, solid, someone who would always be there for you and does the right thing. He was just sexy as all get out and made me want to lick him right good.
Amelia was a nice match for him. She’s a little quirky and despite some insecurities that would bubble up she was a strong woman who’d survived a horrible childhood and fought for everything she had. She’s a crazy talented designer, fun to be around and I just wanted to spend time with her.
I really loved them together too. They were sweet and hot and could be funny and cute. They tried so hard to resist each other but just couldn’t (yay for us!) They fit nicely and were two you’d just look at and go…yeah. That makes perfect sense and they so belong together.
“While I’m changing the sheets, I want you to take off every piece of clothing you’re wearing,” he ordered as he made his way toward the bed. “The moment I finish, I am going to throw you on this bed, and you’re not going to get off of it for a good long while.”
Pulling back the duvet-enclosed comforter with one hand, he tossed it over the footboard, his movements quick and economical. When he noticed she hadn’t moved, he dropped the stack of clean sheets on the bed and pointed at her.
“Why are you still dressed?”
She recognized the look on his face. “I’m making you crazy again, aren’t I?”
He propped his hands on his hips, an aggressively masculine stance. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes.
“God, yes, you make me crazy.”
And holy heat! I was expecting a rather sweet romance that didn’t get too hot and heavy but whoa! These two were scorching! The chemistry was excellent and they totally had me squirming as they heated things up and got to know each other better. It took them a little bit to get there and I was so having words with the book because they needed to stop thinking dirty and start doing dirty. lol And then they did. And dayum! Yay!
“You want to go out to eat right now?” she asked incredulously.
He frowned. “No. There are a lot of things I want to do instead of eating Chinese food,” He paused meaningfully, his voice deepening.”I want to strip you naked and put my hands and mouth all over your body. I want to be so deep inside you that you scream my name until your voice is gone.”
His voice faded to a husky whisper. “I want to make you come so many times you forget who you are and where you are. I want to take you over and over until the pleasure feels like pain.”
His raspy voice and raw words sent a flood of lava-like desire through her. She swallowed to ease the tightness in her throat so she could respond, but he stepped back,putting more space between them.
Holding out his hands, palms up, he shrugged his shoulders. “But I’m trying to be a decent guy here, Juice. I don’t think you’re ready for this. And I don’t want you to regret it.” He pointed to himself with his thumb. “Because I won’t regret it. And I’ll probably want to do it, and you, as often as possible.”
When she didn’t respond, he continued. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Yeah. It was good. Even when things weren’t perfect between them and when things blew up. I just really enjoyed seeing these two figure things out.
I really liked the set up as well. It was fun exploring this huge company. Seeing how they ran, the struggles as control of the company changed hands from father to son, as they tried to figure out how to move in a new direction and keep the company growing.
I only had one quibble, really. The epilogue jumped a crazy amount and landed them 10 years in the future. For me it made the ending a little….just…. less. It wasn’t a bad epilogue. I mean. It was all good things and smile-able. But it was just too far in the future for me. Okay. Two quibbles. I wasn’t a fan of his sister at all and seeing she’s the heroine of the next book I’m a touch nervous about that. I’m hoping she’ll be able to make up for things from this book.
All in all, Sutton totally delighted with her debut. All the Right Places left me happy, content and excited to see what Sutton will do next.
