Two special guests!!!
I have two very special guests taking over my blog today and I couldn’t be more thrilled because I love both of these gals to pieces! So…put your hands together for the amazing Juniper Bell and the wonderful Kelly Jamieson! They have new releases. Woot! Woot!
My friend Kelly Jamieson and I have a lot in common – we both have red hair, we’re both part of the Nine Naughty Novelists, we both had books come out last Wednesday, and we both on occasion write stories that involve more than two people. Menage R Us!
But Kelly’s new release, ONE MAN ADVANTAGE, is an M/F erotic romance, while mine, BEAUTIFUL OBSESSION, includes an extra 2 M’s – M/F/M/M.
Jack Cartwright has put his wild sexual side firmly in the past so he can focus on his graduate studies. All he wants is to finish his thesis. But the appearance of three mysterious students in a neighboring suite throws his careful plans into chaos. Especially when he catches the three of them together…in bed.
Clare, Luc and Rob have a highly unusual relationship. Friends since childhood, the two boys rescued Clare from unimaginable horrors. They’ve been her protectors ever since, and something more. But Clare can’t stop thinking about the sexy, smoldering resident advisor down the hall, and what fierce urges might be hiding behind his controlled exterior.
Now Jack’s dark sexual needs threaten to derail his career as the irresistible threesome lures him into their secret erotic world. But when obsession takes hold, rules don’t stand a chance.
After her ex trashes her reputation in front of the media and it quickly goes viral, Nicole vows she’ll never get involved with another hockey player. Too bad her job with the Minneapolis Caribou puts her in contact with sexy hockey players on a daily basis, including the newly traded center, Logan Heller.
Logan’s pretty sure Nicole is the perfect woman for him and he’s determined to have her—in and out of bed. Nicole is equally determined to never date another hockey player. But Logan has a one-man advantage…he knows what she really wants.
I asked Kelly what she thought about the differences between these two subgenres. For instance:
What’s your favorite thing about writing an M/F romance as opposed to a ménage?
Kelly: Not having to worry about all the pronouns during sex scenes, LOL!
Juniper: Don’t talk to me about pronouns! Once my sexy threesome lures a fourth into their erotic games, fuggedaboutit! Next book, I’m keeping it simple. One her. One him.
What’s the hardest thing about writing straight romance?
Kelly: It’s really important that there’s enough conflict and enough obstacles to the relationship to keep the story going without anything else – without some kind of villain or suspense subplot, for example, or without never-ending sex scenes (although let me reassure readers that there is plenty of sex in One Man Advantage!)
Juniper: It’s a Kelly Jamieson book, of course there’s plenty of sex! And wait … is there something wrong with never-ending sex scenes? What’s your point? I’m just kidding – I agree, finding those sources of conflict is key. With ménage, there’s plenty of potential for complications.
When you were writing “One Man Advantage,” was there anything you missed about writing ménage? Were you ever tempted to throw in another guy?
Kelly: I totally was tempted! In fact I’m still not sure this shouldn’t have been a ménage story! The heroine in this story has a history of dating hockey players and after what happens to her (sounds vague, read the story to find out!) she vows to never date another hockey player. Well, the worst thing that could happen to her is obviously to get involved with another hockey player, but I kept thinking — what if she got involved with TWO hockey players? After what was said about her on national television, that would be even worse! But I just didn’t see Logan as a guy who would share his girl, so it didn’t happen.
Juniper: Oh Logan. You spoilsport. But this brings up a good point – it’s all about the characters and what’s driving them. Some characters need a ménage, some wouldn’t consider it. You can’t force the story where it doesn’t want to go.
Kelly: It ALL depends on the characters and what they want. I’ve never started a story as a ménage that ended up not, but that’s only because I make sure from the start that these are characters who want and need a ménage. Sometimes they don’t know that’s what they want or need, but they learn that through the story.
The books of yours I’ve read are all either threesomes or twosomes. Have you ever thought about writing a “ménage a more” along the lines of Beautiful Obsession? Or have I missed one?
Kelly: No, I’ve never done more than a threesome. I mean, I’ve never written more than a threesome, LOL! I’ve read a few stories like that and I think it has to be tricky – that’s a lot of personalities and motivations and emotions all coming together. I can’t wait to read Beautiful Obsession to see how you handle the ménage à quatre, Juniper! I know it will be amazing!
Juniper: Speaking of amazing, why do you think readers love your hockey stories so much? Do you have more in the works?
Kelly: I don’t know why they’ve been so popular! And actually they were a little slow to take off — it’s only in the last few months that sales have really grown and I’ve gotten all those emails from readers asking about the next story. Maybe that’s part of having a series…the first story, Breakaway, introduced the other Heller brothers, then readers got to meet them again in the second story, Faceoff, and now they want to know about the other brothers too…
Juniper: Brothers are good. We love brothers. Keep them coming, Kelly!
One Man Advantage and Beautiful Obsession are both out now from Ellora’s Cave. To celebrate, Kelly is giving away a copy of one of her previous hockey books, BREAKAWAY or FACEOFF to one lucky commenter and I’m giving away winner’s choice of any book from my backlist.
Juniper Bell is a multi-published, bestselling author of erotic romance for Samhain and Ellora’s Cave. She lives with her husband in a cabin in Alaska with sporadic running water and a spectacular view of glaciers. When she isn’t writing naughty or shoveling snow, she’s dreaming of the day she can move to Hawaii. Visit her website at http://JuniperBell.com, her blog at http://AuthorJuniperBell.blogspot.com, friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
Kelly Jamieson is a best-selling author of over twenty romance novels and novellas. Her writing has been described as “emotionally complex”, “sweet and satisfying” and “blisteringly sexy”. Where you can find Kelly:
