Beverly!

Congrats, Beverly! You can write me at bethkery@aol.com with your address, and I’ll forward the info to Joanna!
Thanks to everyone who participated! Glad to see so many people are already familiar with Joanna and enjoy her work. Joanna–wonderful to have you. Stop by anytime.

Up next…Lisa Marie Rice is going to give us a peek at her upcoming release Dangerous Passions, and a Giveaway of her sexy romance, A Fine Specimen.

Joanna Bourne has made a big hit in the romance community with her debut novel, The Spymaster’s Lady and the follow up, My Lord and Spymaster. Ms. Bourne possesses a delightful sense of humor (my husband and I got the biggest kick out of her blog entry about the DA BWAHA contest. Please give Joanna a warm welcome. Leave her a comment or ask her a question, and you’ll qualify to win a copy of My Lord and Spymaster!

My Lord and Spymaster

Raised as a poor but cunning pickpocket, Jess Whitby may have grown into a wealthy young woman, but now she must once again rely on her guile. Her father’s been wrongly accused of selling secrets to Napoleon, and he is going to hang-unless Jess finds the real traitor in the London underworld. She never dreamed her search would begin by waking up naked in a rude captain’s bed. Or how little she’d mind…When Captain Sebastian Kennett prevents a kidnapping on the London docks, he takes the headstrong would-be victim home. He’s infatuated with her courageous spirit. She’s enthralled by his commanding strength and the sexy spark in her eyes. The she discovers something else about the spellbinding seaman: He could be the traitor she’s hunting, the man whose next move could determine her father’s fate- and her future as well.

Publisher’s Weekly:

“Bourne’s latest espionage-based series historical (following The Spymaster’s Lady) entices with subtle subterfuge and heated romance. Jess Whitby, daughter of suspected spy Josiah Whitby, is doing everything in her power to exonerate her imprisoned father. In order to free him, she must prove that someone other than her father is the Cinq, a notorious mole. But Jess has met her match in Capt. Sebastian Kennett, wealthy bastard son of an English nobleman, equally as clever at keeping tabs on Jess as she is at tracking him. Sebastian is responsible for Josiah’s arrest; Jess believes that Sebastian may be the Cinq; their mutual attraction proves a lovely foil for their suspicious minds. Glimpses of the leads’ sordid pasts add depth, and Bourne’s consummate way with a story line and an explosive denouement do the rest.”

Check out Joanna’s Website.
Her blog
Order The Spymaster’s Lady
Order My Lord and Spymaster

Joanna Bourne Interview

BK: Thank you for joining us, Joanne!

The Spymaster’s Lady and My Lord and Spymaster have taken the romance world by storm. Were you surprised by their success? Was there a moment when you realized, I’m going to be a hit at this romance writing thing?

JK: My first and overwhelming sensation was delight that Spymaster’s Lady sold at all.

It was kind of a close thing. We were going through one of those, ‘Historical Romance is Dead,’ periods, so they were buying less Historical than they might have. And there’s the common wisdom that Romances set outside America and the British Isles don’t sell well.

Spymaster’s Lady was a little weird in some ways, I suppose. I remember one rejection I got — the nice woman pointed out that I was making a number of grammatical errors. Was English my first language?

Anyhow, Berkley took a chance on me.
I was flabbergasted by the lovely reviews and the interest and the kind support.
I have RITA FINALIST Nominations for both books.

I haven’t got over the flabbergasted stage, really.
“Wow,” says I, and, “Oh my.”

As to being a ‘hit’ in terms of selling lots of books . . . *wry grin*.
I don’t know whereas hit-dom is exactly just on the immediate horizon. But I do hope the Maggie book — out in 2010 from Berkley, God willing and the crick don’t rise — will avoid the books-that-suck category.

BK: Interesting, the way the romance market waxes and wanes. It seems like the moment they figure out a trend, it’s finished and something new is happening, doesn’t it?
What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

JB: Criminy. What doesn’t distract me? I have a hummingbird of a mind, always flitting off in any random direction, headed for the next showy flower.

Anything will pull me away from the writing. I will scrub the kitchen floor in preference to sitting down to write. I’ll wash the dog. I will watch bad TV.

I have to schedule a regular time every day and go somewhere OUT of the house to work, where there’s nothing to do but drink coffee and work.

BK: What are you working on presently? What about upcoming releases?

JB: I’m in the middle of Maggie’s story. Maggie and Doyle. These two appear as secondary characters in The Spymaster’s Lady and My Lord and Spymaster. This is how they met and fell in love and managed to stay alive despite considerable and concentrated effort from various interested parties. Adrian’s in there too.
MAGGIE
is set in France in 1794. We are smack dab in the middle of French Revolution, in the time of The Terror, and fairly terrifying it is.
You think American politics are rough? In 1794 ,when you annoyed the Powers That Be, they cut your head off.

BK: What’s the best compliment you ever got on your writing or a book?

BK: Somebody called it ‘intelligent fiction’.

BK: If you could time travel to any time or place—the past or future—where and when would you go to, and why?

JB: I’m going to answer for how I feel right now at this minute. Other minutes, you’d get other answers.
I’m sitting in a coffeeshop, listening to jazz. It’s raining outside. The street is black with it and it’s all beaded up on the windows. Just beautiful.

I imagine myself in Paris in the 1920s, on the Left Bank. Since this is imagination, I make myself skinny and dressed in slinky black. I find a table way in a quiet corner of the Cafe de Flore. They all come in, singly or in groups. Brooding. Thinking. Settling down with a notebook to write. Drinking pernod. Reading. Arguing loudly and passionately. James Joyce. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda. Pablo Picasso and some bimbo model he’s dragged along. e. e. cummings. Sylvia Beach. Gertrude Stein and Alice. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Hemingway.

BK: I can just picture it. Jack Finney would say you were the perfect candidate for time travel with that imagination, Joanna. 🙂 Thank you for visiting with us today, and best of luck in future works.

Leave Jo a comment to qualify to win a copy of My Lord and Spymaster. The winner will be announced during the evening of 4/13/9. For those of you who already haven’t done so, be sure and enter the super Daring Time Contest and win BIG!

Well, the murmur is turning into an uproar. Apparently over the weekend Amazon decided to de-rank several erotic or GBLT titles. Don’t be fooled by the idea that this issue is just about egocentric authors who want to know their rank. This is about something much more serious.

See…Amazon runs like a regular bookstore, but online. I blogged about it extensively recently at Fresh Fiction. What does that mean, though? Well, in a nutshell, when you go into your local bookstore, what do you see, right off the bat? You see the bestsellers, right? This is PRECISELY how Amazon works. If I search–bestsellers in romance, surely Lora Leigh is going to pop up, right?

Well…according to Amazon’s infinite wisdom, not anymore. According to Amazon, you see, Lora L. is erotic romance…and therefore is relegated to the back room. She’s there. But you readers have to search a bit harder to find her.

Amazon is all about exposure. It’s about being in the storefront. In one decisive fell swoop, they apparently have taken that away. If you want to buy anything associated with erotic or GLBT, you’re have to go to the back room and ask for your stuff.

(Which will likely be delivered in a brown paper wrapper.)

Suddenly, one third of my rankings disappeared on Amazon. Now…I liked to see my rankings. But to focus on the rankings misses the point. We’ve just been moved off of lists that people might search in order to buy our books. And by the way…the things Amazon has decided to leave up vs. erotic romance? My eyes are still bugged.

Some really good links that I’ve read so far…

Dear Author
Lauren Dane (Lauren gives the place to write in protest and also the original statement from Amazon for reference.)
Naughty and Spice

I’m no expert, but this seems really wrong.

Cathy M! Congrats Cathy! (My husband, who takes this very seriously, picked your name.) Cathy, write me at bethkery@aol.com. You’ll soon get Sierra’s yummy book.

Thanks to everyone who chatted with Sierra today. What a nice lady, and such a talented author. It’s no wonder she got nabbed up by the Knight Agency.

Sunday evening, I have a surprise GUEST AUTHOR…Joanna Bourne! This woman is awesome. I have felt an admiration for her ever since I saw her blog…but more about that later. Look for Joanna’s feature…and a giveaway of My Lord and Spymaster tomorrow (Sunday) evening with the winner being announced on 4/13 in the evening.

So tell your friends. You WILL want to meet this smart, funny lady.

Here is the Daring Time Contest schedule for guest authors next week.

4/13 Joanna Bourne
4/14 Lisa Marie Rice
4/15 Cynthia Eden
4/16 Julie James
4/17 Elizabeth Amber
4/18 Surprise Giveaway

On a different topic…
Guess what I’m doing? Those of you are familiar with me know I love English literature. I’m watching my George Elliot BBC collection. I know I admitted I couldn’t get through Middlemarch when I was 15…but OMG, I’m becoming entranced by George Elliot.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

Beth

For those of you who haven’t met this weekend’s Daring Time Contest guest author, you are in for a real treat. Sierra Dafoe is an award-winnng author and genuinely nice lady, and she’s here to chat with us! Leave her a comment or question, and your name will go in the pot to win a free download of The Boys Back Home.

She could never choose between them…until they both chose her.

Even as a young girl, Cassie Jordan knew the rules: one man, one woman. Especially in rural Idaho. But how can she choose between blond, kind-hearted Kyle Watson and dark, sensuous Alan Caine?

She can’t. Not even when she discovers the two handsome cowboys in bed together and is convinced that neither of them cares for her at all. That discovery sends her running all the way to Chicago and into the arms of another man. Now, with her wedding fast approaching, it’s time to return to Preacher’s Bend to sort out her tangled emotions.

Now that Cassie’s back in town, Kyle and Alan are determined to do whatever it takes to keep her there. As far as they’re concerned, there’s only one place on earth Cassie belongs — in their arms.

Reviews

2008 CAPA nominee: Best Contemporary Erotic Romance!

2008 Love Romances Cafe winner: Best Western!

An All Romance eBooks bestseller!

5 Stars! “Sierra Dafoe has made me a believer. I loved The Boys Back Home… I absolutely recommend it as one of this summer’s must reads!”
— Just Erotic Romance Reviews

5 Hearts! “Skillfully blending emotions that are engaging, highly sensual, unconditionally loving, and heart-wrenching…” — TRS

4 1/2 Hearts! “Sierra Dafoe has definitely won over many readers with her warmhearted, tender storylines. Cassie, Kyle and Alan’s unique relationship fascinated me…” — Romance Junkies

4 Angels! “Ms. Dafoe has created an interesting story about learning that sometimes the past wasn’t what you thought it was… [I]t is obvious that there is more to the situation than meets the eye, but can Cassie, Kyle and Alan find a way through the misunderstandings and hurt feelings?” — Fallen Angels

The Boys Back Home
M/M/F menage romance
Publisher: Samhain
Format: eBook
Length: Novella
order eBook!

Excerpt

“I was real sorry about your mom, Cassie. I wanted to say something at the funeral, but you left so quickly…”

Bea’s voice trailed off inquisitively, and Cassie grimaced to herself. So let her think that’s why you left town, Cass. It’s better that way. But as heartbroken as she’d been by her mother’s death, that wasn’t what had driven her, running like a scared rabbit, all the way from Preacher’s Bend to the windy streets of Chicago and into Richard’s arms.

Aloud, she replied, “I know. I’m sorry. I just had to get away for a while.”

Bea nodded sagely. “I felt the same way when my mom passed on. Felt like my whole world was falling to pieces. But you’re back now,” she added with a last, satisfied nod. “Back where you belong. You’ve been missed around here, Cassie Jordan.”

Cassie shifted uncomfortably at her words, both wanting and afraid to ask who, exactly, had missed her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was terrified of hearing their names.

Not his. Their. And that was the whole problem, wasn’t it?

Even the unflappable Meredith Jordan had never had a solution for that dilemma. Cassie felt tears sting her eyes as she remembered the endless reassurances her mother had tendered over the years — reassurances which had never helped in the least. It’s just a phase, Cassie. Why, I used to fall in love with near about every boy I saw… You’re young yet, there’s no shame in not knowing what you want… Don’t worry, sweetie, someday you’ll meet a man who…

A man. Always a man. She sighed, thinking of the engagement ring hidden in her coat pocket, and lifted the coffee mug to her lips.

Then the bell above the doorway jingled, and Cassie froze.

Suddenly, her heart was thudding like a jackhammer in her chest. She heard heavy footsteps approach, pause behind her… God, Cassie, get a grip! she told herself sternly. It’s probably just old Mr. Hawley, or Mr. Tennant, or hell, it could be anybody.

It wasn’t.

“Afternoon, Bea. You got any of that coffee to go?”

That warm, rumbling baritone voice could belong to only one person on earth. Cassie’s fingers shook so badly she could barely put the mug back down, and she hunched her shoulders, desperately wishing she could sink into the floor and disappear.

“Oh, I think we could manage something.” There was an anticipatory gleam in Bea’s eyes. “One today, or two?”

“Two.”

Bea filled two Styrofoam cups, held them out and rang up the sale, and then, then, just as Cassie could feel him turning away and was beginning to consider letting herself sigh in relief…

“Kyle Watson,” Bea said sternly, “aren’t you even going to say hello to Cassie?”

Thump. Something hit the floor, followed immediately by a pained oath. “Shit! Damn! Hell, that stings.”

Cassie glanced over her shoulder to see coffee splattered across the floor and Kyle Watson, his broad shoulders hunched beneath his worn sheepskin jacket, glaring at Bea from under the rim of his Stetson as he sucked the back of his hand. “Dammit, Bea! You did that on purpose.”

Bea laughed. “I’ll get you another.”

Kyle scrubbed futilely at the sleeve of his coat while Bea poured him a fresh cup of coffee, and Cassie, her heart pounding, held herself rigid on the stool, trying so hard not to think of the last time she’d seen him…

“You know, Kyle, since you’re going that way, maybe you’d give Cassie a ride out to her place. It’s a powerful long walk.”

Damn you, Bea.

Cassie could feel the blood rising to her cheeks as Kyle turned, smiling, and then there was no place to hide, no place to look except up into eyes so light a blue they were almost silver, piercing her straight to the bone. He tilted back his Stetson, his face spreading into a grin that was so easy, so familiar, it seemed to melt away the years as if they’d never happened at all.

“‘Course I will. Hello, Cass.”

Order The Boys Back Home

Sierra’s Interview

BK: Welcome Sierra! Your steamy romances have garnered you a legion of loyal readers and fans. What makes your books stand out in the realms of erotic romance and romance?

SD: Oh gosh! My mom always taught me to be modest. This is hard!

I guess if there’s one thing I always strive for, it’s to write a story I believe. Whether it’s about lions or cowboys or shape-shifting dragons, I have to be able to believe it before I can ask my readers to.

And heroes! Yummy heroes that I fall in love with — once again, if they can’t sweep me off my feet, how can I expect anyone else to get swept away?

BK: Very true, Sierra! I recently heard that you signed with the Knight Agency and your dream agent! Congrats! Tell us about that journey.

SD: Thanks so much, Beth! To say it’s been exciting is an incredible understatement. Nephele Tempest is a wonderful agent, very responsive and insightful and supportive.

BK: I’ve been working for the past year, on and off, on a series — or at least I got the original idea for it about fourteen months ago, and have spent a lot of time in between novellas fleshing the world out, starting to build the stories, seeing how it all connects. I’d sent Nephele the partial of the first book (which, as I worked on the world more, I realized was the second book) and we talked a lot about it by phone. Then I sent her a big chunk of the “new” first book, and she decided she wanted to keep me.

BK: What’s in the works for you?

SD: Well, the above series, which I wish SO BAD I could talk about more! Since we’re getting it all shiny and ready for submissions, I’m gonna play it close to the chest, though. The best way to get inside glimpses as things progress is to join my yahoogroup and sign up for my newsletter at sierradafoe.com.

Those are also the best way to hear about my contests, new releases, new contracts, and works in progress — and there are a few works in progress in addition to the series, including a follow-up to The Boys Back Home.

More hot yummy cowboys, yay!!!

BK: Something to cheer about, to be sure! What’s the biggest compliment you ever received about one of your books?

SD: Wow. Um. I don’t know — I get so knocked out sometimes by the way a reader responds to a book. It’s the best feeling there is! Theresa (from the Samhain loop) made me this great little quiltlet because she loved The Boys Back Home so much — that was amazing, the day I opened my mail to find that! It made me cry.

There’s a picture of it on my blog.
So I’d call getting that a pretty huge compliment! It made me feel awfully good.

BK: I’ll bet, Sierra. 🙂 If you could time travel to anytime, where would you go and why?

SD: This is one of the best things about being a writer — I don’t have to pick, lol! But honestly, if I could, I’d sneak forward in time about 10 years and see if I had grandkids yet — or maybe sneak forward 50 and see if I had great-grandkids!

BK: Great answer, Si. Thanks so much for joining us at the Daring Time Contest and good luck with future projects!

Caffey!

Congratulations, Caffey! Write me at bethkery@aol.com to tell me what addy you want GrimJustin sent to! I’ll pass it on to Fi!

Thanks to everyone who particpated. Make sure you’ve entered the Daring Time Contest and come back tonight for Sierra DaFoe’s feature, and a Giveaway of The Boys Back Home.

As many of you know, Fiona is a lovely friend of mine. She writes of awesome kick ass heroines and the exceptional alphas who have what it takes to win their hearts. Leave Fi a comment or ask a question, and qualify to win a copy of GrimJustin on Friday evening, 4/10–a day before it releases! And if you haven’t yet signed up for the DARING TIME CONTEST, be sure to to do that in addition to Fi’s daily contest.

The GrimJustin Collection: DeBriefed, DisArmed, DeTainedMay you live in interesting times…

Read an Excerpt
Purchase the GrimJustin Collection

Reviews:

“When I saw this series, I knew I just had to read it. And let me tell
you I am sure glad I did. Fiona Jayde built a strong world and story
that kept me wanting to know what would happen next.”
— Nicole Harvey, ParaNormalRomace (PNR)

“Naughty, engaging, and thrilling just like a sci-fi romance should
be… A novel worth reading again and again.”
4 Nymphs! — UrbanPixie, Literary Nymphs Reviews

“The sexual tension between Trent and Lil explodes off the pages and
when these two get together, you’d better hold on to something because
it’s a wild ride.”
— Kerin, TwoLips Reviews

Interview Questions:

BK: Howdy, Fi, and Welcome!
What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

FJ: Pretty much any sort of noise will distract me. I have to have complete
solitude (and feline supervision) to get any writing done. This is
especially true in plotting/brainstorming and editing sessions.

BK: What are you working on presently? What about upcoming releases?

FJ: I’m currently developing a paranormal series, and also toying with a
contemporary series with a sci-fi edge.
As for upcoming releases, I have a romantic suspense titled Pitch Black
releasing as part of Ellora’s Cavemen in September, and coincidentally,
a time travel “pirate” type romance releasing some time at the end of
fall, early winter, titled Treasure of Devil’s Isle.

BK: A time travel pirate–how awesome is that:)
What’s the best compliment you ever got on your writing or a book?

FJ: A good friend of mine once said that my writing style reminded her of
Raymond Chandler – which is a HUGE compliment because I freaking love
the guy – especially his writing style:)

BK: Ooh, Ooh, I’m that friend! LOL. And it’s true–naked, powerful prose and lean, sharp dialogue.
If you could time travel to any time or place—the past or future—where
and when would you go to, and why?

FJ: Hm, you know, this is a very tricky question. If I traveled to the past,
I could change history. If I traveled to my own past and kicked some
righteous ass, I would potentially change my present – which I happen to
like. So, nix that. And do we REALLY want to know our own future? I
don’t think I would… So um… next question?

BK: *Grinning* There’s a woman who knows the power of time travel.
The GrimJustin books were among your first published works, weren’t
they? How does it feel to re-read them? Do you think you’ve grown as an
author? Are there any aspects of looking back on your work that you
think–“Wow, that was good. Why did I stop doing that?

FJ: Yep, GrimJustin books were the first three I ever wrote – the first
three I ever finished:)

I can’t say I’ve re-read them – mostly cause I’m my own worst critic,
and I want to remember the sheer terrorizing fun of writing them and not
muddle that feeling with “why I didn’t end this scene here?” or “I
could’ve used another word here”.

As far as looking back – the biggest thing I did that I don’t do now, is
the head first plunge into the story. There was no preplotting, no
prewriting, no character charts, no timelines.

I pants it all the way through – with the characters pretty much telling
me how the story would turn out. It was both brutal and amazing. I still
remember Kara telling Duke about her knees being weak from injuries –
where the hell did THAT come from? And it built the entire story 🙂

BK: Ah, yes. The Fiona before she found the power of meticulous plotting. Worth looking at, to be sure! Thanks for joining us today, Fi, and best of luck with the release of the GrimJustin Collection tomorrow from Changeling Press!

FJ: Thanks for having me Beth!!

BK: My pleasure, Fiona:)

Jane!
Congrats, Jane! You can write me and tell me whether you’d like a free download of FLIRTING IN TRAFFIC or a t-shirt…I think I have sizes M, L, XL. If you choose a t-shirt, be sure and leave me your address. Write me at bethkery@aol.com
Thanks everyone for walking down Prairie Avenue with me today!

Well, we’ve had a great week so far, spending some time with talented and fun authors. Today, I thought I’d tell you a bit about Daring Time, my erotic romance time travel that comes out on May 5; not so much with blurbs and excerpts, but with photos of the still hauntingly elegant avenue where Daring Time takes place, the six blocks that once housed the wealthiest and most august citizens of Chicago–Prairie Avenue, brief descriptions of Ryan and Hope and blurbs from early reviewers Lea and Shannon. Leave me a comment and you’ll qualify to win either a Beth Kery Paradise Rules T-shirt (my steamy erotic contemporary that comes out in October, 2009) or a free download of Flirting in Traffic.

They called it the sunny street of the sifted few.

This house on the corner of eighteenth and Prairie Avenue is the mansion which I loosely based Ryan’s and Hope’s residence. He lives there in the present; she in 1906. Here are some of Ryan’s thoughts when he first enters the house he unexpectedly inherited:

Sunlight spilled from a row of four exquisite stained glass windows, casting a landscape of rosy light and trellis-like shadows onto the mahogany floors. For a brief moment, Ryan Daire perfectly envisioned what it must have been like: the crystal chandeliers alight with newly installed electricity, a fire leaping in the marble encased fireplace, the ladies in their gowns and jewels, the men in their evening attire, the rich, acrid smell of fine cigars, the tinkling sound of champagne glasses being removed from a tray.

That’s me standing in front of the Kimball mansion (the same one on the corner above.) I got to tour it when I was writing Daring Time. Amazing.

Beth Kery set a high standard with her excellent previous novel, Wicked Burn; with Daring Time, she’s proven she’s no one-hit wonder. If this is a taste of Kery to come, we’re in for a real treat. It’s a powerful, explosive novel of intensely erotic sexual hunger, cleverly constructed time travel, and two wonderfully developed and very real characters.
The city of Chicago in the 1900s came alive for me ““ I’ve never been, but I could feel and taste it even though Kery doesn’t overburden her prose with long descriptions. There’s a slightly gothic flavour to the story, especially the scenes within the mansion, as if the house is a character in and of itself.
—Shannon

Me in front of one of the few remaining Prairie Avenue Mansions. This one is the house of Marshall Field’s son. Every time I visit Prairie Avenue, I can almost see my heroine Hope marching down the street…off to save the world.

Hope walked along briskly, as at home amidst the young, brash city as she was in the elegant silences of Prairie Avenue. Chicago was a city of industry, a town that knew where it was headed. As a young woman of determination and purpose, Hope innately understood and appreciated her place in the sprawling miasma of bustling humanity.

This is the house I’ve used as a loose basis for a sequel I’m proposing for Daring Time called Making Time. It doesn’t look as imposing as Ryan’s and Hope’s house from the outside, but I got to tour it and was completely stunned by its beauty. Perfectly, meticulously restored.

Daring Time, Ms. Kery’s wonderful erotic fantasy, time travel novel to be published in May 5, 2009, was a thoroughly enjoyable “escapist” read, however it was also an enriching experience. I learned about Chicago’s history, some famous people that lived in the Prairie Avenue District, and with each of Ms. Kery’s books my comfort level with BDSM themed stories is increasing. “Love’s not Time’s fool”, and this exquisite story, while a fantasy, proves that short beautiful line of poetry true.
–Lea

kh

Congratulations, kh! Write me at bethkery@aol.com with your street address if you live in the US or your email address if you live out of the US, along with your book choice.

Up next…I’m taking you to the street where my hero and heroine from Daring Time crossed the barrier of a century…