Jess’s Comments (group member since Jun 11, 2013)

Jess’s comments from the Ask Jess Michaels group.

Oh thank you Victoria! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! :)

Today is an exciting day for me because my newest erotic historical romance, Pleasuring the Lady. This is the second book in my The Pleasure Wars series (the first book was Taken By the Duke, July 2013). Here is a quick description:

Her mother’s madness and her father’s and brother’s irresponsibility have relegated Lady Portia to the life of a wallflower. The only shining light in her life is her best friend, Ava, who is suffering a rift with her own brother.

Portia’s quest to help takes her to the notorious Donville Masquerade in the hells, where—behind the safety of a mask—she witnesses shocking public acts of sin. And succumbs to the touch of Marquis Miles Weatherfield.

Unfortunately, they’re discovered. And now, tainted by scandal, she and Miles are destined for a marriage neither of them want. But Portia makes a bargain that raises even Miles’s eyebrows.

In return for saving her mother from the asylum, Portia will do anything Miles wants in bed. Shocked by his driving desire for Portia, Miles agrees. As they explore every wicked desire, every forbidden act that pleases them, they discover something that goes far deeper than flesh. But the lies that brought them together could be the very wedge that drives them apart.

The book is available at all eBook retailers:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D...

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pleas...

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eboo...

And of course at Apple, Sony and Samhain itself! If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy it.

An excerpt from the book:

She flushed as her gown parted, revealing inches of flesh, then more than inches. He stared at her bare collarbones, the curve of her breasts that disappeared into the thin fabric of her chemise, and let out a shuddering sigh of his own.

“Very pretty, Ava,” he murmured, then tugged the dress from her arms and down to her waist. “Very pretty indeed.”

She lifted her hands instinctively, covering her nearly naked chest as heat flooded her cheeks.
“You shouldn’t—” she began, but stopped because it was so foolish.

He arched a brow. “This is what we bargained for. Are you reneging?”

“No,” she managed. “But I…I’ve never…”

He nodded. “I realize that.”

He said nothing more, but stroked his hand over her breast. In the office, she had been protected at least a little by the layer of fabric of her gown plus the chemise beneath. Now there was nothing but a thin scrap of silk that kept him from touching her intimately and shockingly.

She felt the roughness of his palms through that scrap, the heat of his thumb as it strummed her. She felt the way her nipple responded by hardening to a tight, aching bud that seemed to betray all she had been taught as a lady.

“God,” she whispered and reached back to find some balance on the edge of the bed.

“Don’t fight that feeling,” he murmured, placing the opposite hand on the strap of her chemise. “Let it happen. Let yourself feel every pleasure. Let yourself ache.”

She shook her head, and her voice barely carried as she murmured, “I don’t know how.”

“I’m teaching you,” he said, lifting his gaze to snare her with blue, steely heat. “Now surrender.”

They are the BEST covers on any translation. So gorgeous.

I know! They translated out of order for you guys. I hope they'll grab Penelope's book (I love that book) and then grab the Samhain books. :) Crossing fingers that will happen soon!

I’m so happy to announce the release of my newest erotic historical romance, TAKEN BY THE DUKE. This is the first book in a new series called The Pleasure Wars. Here is a quick description:

An eye for an eye, a sin for a sin…

Amid all the lies and scandals that fuel Society’s gossip mill, one truth has stood out: House Rothcastle and House Windbury have always hated each other.

Lady Ava Windbury prays the feud will someday end, to no avail. One dreadful night, her brother accidentally causes the death of Christian Rothcastle’s sister, a tragedy that leaves both men maimed.

Consumed by grief, Christian makes a grim decision. He will kidnap Lady Ava so that her family will feel the pain of loss as keenly as he feels the loss of his own sister. But once he has Ava in his clutches, desire takes unexpected hold. Even more surprising, she willingly surrenders to his every sexual whim—after haggling over the terms of giving up her virginity.

Too late, he realizes she is using her body for peace, not war. But just as their affair of revenges turns into an affair of the heart, the past rears its ugly head to take matters into its own hands…

The book is available at all eBook retailers:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BNDPQVG/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taken...

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Taken-...

And of course at Apple, Sony and Samhain itself! If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy it. It’s one of my favorite books I’ve ever written, so it’s close to my heart.

Well, the trouble with writing historical stories in a modern world is that I want my heroines to be sympathetic for a modern woman. So yes, they may be a little stronger than perhaps they could have been in truth, but I really have to like my heroines to write them. :) And I like strong women who can save themselves or their men if need be. Real love means saving each other.

And oh thank you so much! I'm so excited that the books are slowly being translated into Portuguese!! I hope my Samhain books will do the same.

It's actually sometimes a relief to write something a little different, like a palate cleanser. But having multiple pen names is very difficult, since it's a lot of time and energy. That's why you'll notice there's no longer a dedicated Jenna Petersen page (jennapetersen.com takes you to a page on Jess Michaels) or Facebook or Twitter.

My Jesse books are different and have a different audience. I have a book out July 29 (The Monsters In Your Neighborhood) so I'm doing a little here and there for that, but right now my focus is on Jess Michaels erotic historical romance and my newest release tomorrow!!! (July 2)

Thanks Meredith! It's still available, obviously, just the free promo is over. :)

Hi Leslie,

Like I've said above, I've got a good basic knowledge of Regency period after writing so many books set there as both Jenna Petersen and Jess Michaels. But I do research on spot things and try to read research books to spark ideas and give myself greater depth when I write.

Jess

I've been writing in the Regency for a loooong time, so I end up doing spot research now. I don't think I'd want to write in a different time period at this point. I like the Regency! :)

Hmmm, well in my books An Introduction to Pleasure starts the Mistress Matchmaker series, so it's a good place to start. Or my July 2 release, Taken By the Duke starts my next series, The Pleasure Wars. All my books from Samhain are available in eBook and they come out as paperback about a year after their initial e-release.

As for others, I enjoy Lisa Kleypas a lot. I haven't been reading as much romance lately because I don't generally read what I write, but I'm trying to find a way to change that since I miss my romances.

I always wanted to write, but figured it would never be my career. Then when my husband got a great job at a big software company, he suggested that I try for it. So I started writing full-time straight out of collge and it's actually been my only "grown-up" job.

I'd love to come to Portugal! Wish I had the funds to do it. LOL

It's pretty much the best part of any day. :)

Sorry I didn't answer this sooner. Had a wedding to go to today, so was a little crazed. I don't have a lot of hobbies. I do like to hang out with my husband. We play video games or go for a walk/hike. We like to travel, too.

But I have to say that the thing that drags me out of my obsession with my job the most are my two nephews. At almost-3 and just-5, they pretty much demand Aunt Jesse's full attention, love and amusement. Which is a very good thing. There's nothing like a kid hug to let you know you are okay even if you didn't hit the USA Today or NYT Bestseller list.

Tomorrow AN INTRODUCTION TO PLEASURE will stop being free (I don't know what time that will happen, I'm guessing at the end of the day, but it could just... stop). So get on it, last chance to grab this bestseller for FREE http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007XUT09C/

An innocent lady’s education could be a gentleman’s wicked seduction.

Mistress Matchmaker, Book 1

Lysandra Keates is running out of options. Her father is dead, her mother is ill, and her efforts to find respectable employment have ended in failure. With her small savings bleeding away, she swallows her pride—and her terror—and turns to Vivien Manning, an infamous courtesan, to match her with a wealthy protector.

For years, Viscount Andrew Callis has lived a monastic existence at his country estate, hardening his body against the snobbish, lazy young man he once was, hardening his heart against grief over the deaths of his wife and infant son. When Vivien asks him to spend one month training a young woman in the ways of a mistress, his mind resists…but his body responds with an ache he thought long dead.

As Andrew begins his gentle tutelage, he finds himself falling under the spell of Lysandra’s innocent charms. And as they give in to the powerful hunger, the last thing Andrew ever expected, or wanted, forms between them. An emotional connection that could carry them well past the training period—if only Andrew can open his heart to the possibility of love.

Yeah, yeah, I'll take that. LOL

I tend to just write through. I'm a big plotter so I know where each scene needs to take me and I write toward that even if I feel like the writing is crap. I almost always hit a writing sweet spot after a few pages and then I'm fine. And what's funny is that scenes I struggled most with during writing are often scenes I like most when I got back after a few weeks of break to edit. Sometimes what you feel is bad is actually just getting hard emotion onto the page.

Isabel wrote: "Hi Jess!!!

I'm Isabel, and I want to say that I love your books!!! My favorite one is Taboo and Nathan is amazing :) Do you had a special man in mind when you wrote this book?"

Lots of time I'll start with an actor or actress when thinking about a hero/heroine just to get the features in my head. But honestly, it's been soooo long since I wrote Taboo, I don't remember who I first pictured as Nathan. Now it's a little easier to remember since I do Pinterest boards for each book. Cheating!!

Who do YOU picture?

Suzie wrote: "Hi Jess,

Have you thought about writing in a different genre! Like steampunk or using an exotic place like ancient Egypt in your books?

Suzie"

Actually my first novella, Ancient Pleasures from Red Sage Publishing, was set in Egypt. My second Aphrodite's Passion was set in Cyprus. But I don't really have an interest in going to another genre like steampunk. I've tried to read it and it strangely doens't hold my interest. Weird since I love that kind of stuff normally and am a Doctor Who fan and stuff.