Interview with Courtesan Boot Camp author, DL Jackson
Welcome back to my blog, DL! It is truly an honor and a pleasure to have you here again. You know how much I love your science fiction romance, your military romance, heck, every story I’ve read of yours.
Now, June was a very busy month for your with three releases all together, and more. How are you handling it all?
DLJ: It’s been crazy. Personally and professionally, I’ve had a lot going on this month.
So, we’re here today to talk about Courtesan Boot Camp, which released June 27 from Decadent Publishing as part of their new science fiction romance line, Elatia. Can you tell us a bit about the story?
DLJ: Shay is my heroine. Her parents were hand-picked to conceive her, she’s been raised and trained to become a one and only courtesan for a royal couple, the only one for that generation, but first she must beat out four others left in the running.
With only one last bit of training to go through, the most important, the part of her training that will set her apart and define her as the Ruellan Courtesan, she travels to Elatia to train with a Dominus named Dayne. But success comes at a cost, a price she soon begins to question if she is willing to pay. To become the Ruellan Courtesan, she must give up the man she’s fallen deeply in love with—her trainer. Where failure is not an option, Shay must make a choice that will forever change her future.
For this new line, all the launch authors were given the same world-building “Bible” from which to develop their story. Can you tell us how the idea formed for Courtesan Boot Camp after reading those guidelines?
DLJ: I knew I wanted to tell the story of a woman who knew no other life other than that she was raised to be. Placing her in a situation between who she’s told she is suppossed to be and what her heart knows. That was the premise. When they said pleasure planet, I could think of no one as learned or captivating than a courtesan. By pairing her with a man who makes this living teaching others the art of pleasure, I knew would make for an interesting story. I wanted fun, and I wanted heat.
Did you find it easier, or more difficult to develop this story with much of the world-building already done?
DLJ: It pretty much wrote itself. I orginially had another story half way written I started writing for this world, but at the point of nearly finishing it, I realized it would not work with some of the situations I needed to place my hero and heroine in. Since Courtesan Boot Camp has a lighter tone, than the other, it worked beautifully into the world that Azura built for this series.
Shay, the heroine of the story, comes to Elatia to be trained by an Adamo in the sensual arts in order to become a Courtesan to royalty. Can you tell us about her first experience on the planet, what she went through when she arrived?
DLJ: Well, her escort certainly wasn’t what she expected and from there, her plan for making the perfect impression swiftly goes downhill.
Dayne is Shay’s Adamo trainer. Can you tell us a little about his background?
DLJ: Former military, Dayne has agreed to train Shay as a favor to a close friend, the prince and the man who has already chosen Shay. Dayne knows he needs to keep his emotions out of the training, but the more he gets to know Shay, the harder being subjective becomes.
He has a pretty wicked tattoo. Can you tell us about it?
DLJ: Ah, the nanite tat. The ink is made up of microscopic nanites that activate and can change color or go clear. They all are secronized and work together as one. Through this technology, they can literaly make his tattoo move from head to…er, wherever he’s been tattooed, as though it were animated. Think of how tiny pixels make a picture in a television and that’s what his tattoo does. It’s one of the fun bits of science in this story.
How does he feel about Shay when he first meets her?
DLJ: I think his first thought is this, “What a pampered priss.”
And what tactics does Dayne use to train Shay?
DLJ: She finds herself dropping clothing to drop inhibitions. He teaches her to use what she has “without props” first. Something she’s a little reluctant to embrace in the beginning.
What does Shay think of his training methods?
DLJ: She’s most definitely not impressed and it takes a little bit to coax her down from her pedestal.
There is another man involved in this story, the Ruellan Prince. Can you tell us about him?
DLJ: He is Dayne’s childhood friend. He trusts Dayne with her training, knowing he won’t let him down, or is that the reason?
Can you give us a little taste of what we’re in for in Courtesan Boot Camp?
She stopped in front of the tall door and stared at it for several seconds before she found her courage. Shay cleared her throat. “Open,” she spoke in her most commanding tone. Stepping forward on instinct, she smacked face first into the hard surface, which had failed to vaporize as expected.
Shay reached up and rubbed the tip of her nose. What kind of freaking planet is this?
She poked it and cleared her throat. “Open.” The door didn’t move. Shay glanced around for a button, or something, anything to activate the mechanism that opened it. Lever? Fuck. Nothing but a round thingy. She bit her lip again. Certainly nothing as primitive as….
You have to turn the round thingy, honey. This timeMilos’s voice came through by brainwave, telepathy, or whatever he was using to annoy the shit out of her.
“Stay out of my head.”
Turn the knob. Open the door. It’s not rocket science.“I know rocket science. I don’t need your instructions.”
“Of course you don’t.”
“You’re an asshole!”
“Nice language.”
Shay lifted her chin to look in the face of…dear gods. Dark hair, green eyes, strong jaw and chin. The man standing in the doorway had looks that would melt a woman where she stood. And she’d just called him an asshole, or he thought she did. Her mouth dropped open.
Where can we find Courtesan Boot Camp? (I’ll add in the hyperlinks later, if you just want to add the ones you’d like readers directed to.)
Thanks so much for visiting today, DL! I wish you all the best with this release, and all of your others!
DLJ: Thanks for having me, Jessica.
Courtesan Boot Camp:And courtesan boot camp starts now.
When Shay lands on Elatia, she knows she has one shot to be chosen as courtesan for a king and queen. Mess up, and everything she was born to be, all she’s trained her entire life to become, will be lost. The alternative is unthinkable.
What a pampered priss.
Dayne’s first impression isn’t a good one, but he’s determined to turn the spoiled beauty into the next royal courtesan at any cost. As a Dominus, a master of all things sexual, he agrees to help a friend, his sovereign, and promises to do nothing to compromise her future.
That promise will soon cause him to question his loyalty, friendship and honor. All he knows is on the line, when he falls in love with a woman who can never be his.
Available from:
Decadent Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks & more
Author Bio:
D. L. Jackson is an award-winning writer of urban fantasy, science fiction, military romance and erotic romance. She loves to incorporate crazy plot twists, comedy and the unexpected into her worlds. As a U.S. Army veteran, she naturally adores men in uniform and feels the world could always use more. She does her part by incorporating as many sexy soldiers in her novels as she can. When she isn’t writing or running the roads, you can often find her online chatting with her peers and readers. Grab a cup of iced coffee, pull up your virtual chair and say hi. She loves emails and blog visits from her readers.
