Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 7/06/14 Beleaguered ~ An Icy Hand

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!

July brings me finally to the release of my final installment of my medieval serial novel, Time Enough to Love. So this week I’m spotlighting Beleaguered, the novel-length conclusion and third book in the series.

The Princess’s entourage has fled the plague in Bordeaux and taken refuge in the little town of Loremo. They have been safe there for some weeks. Reminder: Lady Mary is married to Geoffrey who was originally betrothed to Lady Alyse.

Princess Joanna sat in her accustomed seat in the middle of the room, her eyes wide and staring. Lady Anne stood to her right, wringing her hands, her face contorted in fear—the same look Alyse had seen the day they left Bordeaux. But most terrifying, Lady Mary sat at the princess’s feet, her head in Joanna’s lap, a low moan issuing from her open mouth.

Shocked by this unheard of breach of protocol, Alyse stood, confounded for some moments, before the import of the women’s grief sank in. She swept forward, demanding, “Highness, what has happened?”

Alyse glanced from Anne’s staring eyes to Princess Joanna’s tear-stained cheeks, her gaze finally coming to rest on Mary’s contorted face.

An icy hand clutched her heart.

“Geoffrey?” The only word she could summon from a throat suddenly gone dry as dust.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this snippet from Beleaguered, which releases in the next week or so. More on that next Sunday. 🙂

When death holds sway in the world, can even the greatest love survive?

Finally in France, Alyse and Thomas return to their roles as courtiers to Princess Joanna. Their passion for one another continues to smolder hot and deep—until one fateful encounter changes everything.

During a formal banquet, Alyse must share an intimate dance with Geoffrey, her first love. His searing touch proves her love and desire for him is as strong as when they first met. Tormented by this revelation, Alyse is bitterly torn between the love of her life and her love for her husband.

Into this agonizing situation, the disaster of the Black Death rears its head, decimating the princess’s retinue and threatening all their lives. Alyse, Thomas and Geoffrey must try to save the princess from the ravening disease but at a dire cost to themselves. With her world plunged into chaos, Alyse struggles with her feelings for both of the men she loves. But which love will survive?

In the mean time, check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

Posted in Beleaguered, On Time Enough to Love, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged Beleaguered, historical romance, Jenna Jaxon, medieval romance, Time Enough To Love, Weekend Writing Warriors | 17 Comments

Sale of the Season!

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

I just checked with my publishers and somehow almost everything I’ve written is on sale today! Just in time for your holiday reading pleasure. 🙂 So I’ve put together this little promo post–just click the cover if you want to purchase.

In anticipation of the release of Beleaguered, I’ve set both my medieval novellas, Betrothal and Betrayal, at just .99 on Amazon. Buy them now and be ready for #3!

Enjoy the Scandal this holiday weekend. My Georgian romance, Only Scandal Will Do, is currently only $1.99.

Want a hot 4th of July celebration? My erotic contemporary novellas 7 Days of Seduction and Hog Wild are on sale too for just .99 each. A lot of bang for your buck. LOL

And if you’d like Christmas in July, my little Christmas collection, All Wrapped Up is still just .99.

So if you want some Jenna Jaxon this weekend, this is the sale for you!

Posted in Betrayal, Betrothal, On All Wrapped Up, On Hog Wild, On Only Scandal Will Do, On Seven Days of Seduction, Promotion | Tagged 7 Days of Seduction, All Wrapped Up, Betrayal, Betrothal, books on sale, Hog Wild, Jenna Jaxon, Only Scandal Will Do | 3 Comments

Horny Hump Day 07/02/14: Betrayal ~ Bedding the Bride

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

WARNING: MATERIAL NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 18!

NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

Participating authors in Horny Hump Day post three sentences from their published works or WIP, hot like a firecracker! LOL

Welcome back to Horny Hump Day!

For the month of June I’m showcasing different works from my back list (I’m coordinating this with my Weekend Writing Warrior posts). And I’m continuing today with the second novella of my medieval series, Betrayal.

In this snippet, Alyse and Thomas have just become the victims of a popular custom in the middle ages called bedding the bride, a public ceremony where the friends and relatives literally strip the bride and groom and put them into the bed. Alyse had no idea this ceremony awaited her.

Stretching forth his arms, Thomas waited as the men stripped the robe from him, revealing his perfectly nude body beneath.

A brisk hum echoed around the room as the whispered comments of the ladies merged with the bawdy japes of the gentlemen.

Alyse’s mouth dropped open, and her gaze raced over his form as she tried to look everywhere and nowhere at once.

If you’d like more, Betrayal is available at Amazon for only .99!

Please continue to the Horny Hump Day blog site for additional sites on the hop and go check out the other hot authors.

Thanks so much for visiting the Journal once more for Horny Hump Day!

Posted in Betrayal, Blog Hops, Horny Hump Day, On Horny Hump Day, On Time Enough to Love, Promotion | Tagged bedding the bride, Betrayal, historical romance, Horny Hump Day, Jenna Jaxon, medieval romance, Time Enough To Love | 2 Comments

Spotlight on D’Ann Lindun and Lily’s Summer Cowboy

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

I’ve got a treat for you today! My good friend and fellow author D’Ann Lindun has a new book out, Lily’s Summer Cowboy. I know you’re going to love it. D’Ann’s books rock! Check out the hunky hero on the cover!

Blurb: Afraid to love, Lily Halderman is determined to never feel despair like when she lost her husband to cancer. Left alone to continue their custom farming business, she struggles to stay afloat, both financially and emotionally. Until Will comes along to help with the farm, impressing her with his hard work ethics, and presenting a danger to her heart because he is just the kind of man she could love.

Will Wainwright is running from the pain of the past. Feeling responsible for the death of fellow soldier—the woman he loved—Will takes a job working for Lily, hoping the dawn-to-dusk labor will help him forget his sorrow. But, Lily’s grit and determination to move forward catches him off guard.

Friendship turns to passion …but can they heal one another?

Excerpt:

Three days passed and Lily had forgotten all about Maggie’s grandson. Her hours had been filled with getting seed in the ground and nothing else. Her shoulders ached from steering the big John Deere and she still had another five hundred acres to plow by the end of the week.

She parked the tractor in the barn and trudged toward the house. The sun had begun to set behind the mountains in the distance, making it hard to see, but she thought someone sat on one of her wicker chairs on the porch. Maybe Maggie’s grandson had come after all.

Too tired to do more than eat, shower and fall in bed, she fought a spark of irritation. She didn’t have time to babysit a spoiled teenager. Why Maggie thought she did was beyond her. With a frown, she stepped up on the porch. And stopped. And stared.

A man sat on the rocking chair, spinning a Stetson on the toe of one of his boots. A striped western shirt hung open over a grey t-shirt snugged against a flat belly and faded Wranglers pulled over taut thighs.

This was Maggie’s grandson?

Lily swallowed and swiped her palms down her jeans, realizing for the first time how she must look in a dust stained tank top and jeans, her tangled ponytail pulled through the back of a ball cap. “Hello.”

A smile lit up against his darkly tanned face. “Howdy.”

“I—uh, I’m Lily.” She stood on her own steps, unsure how to proceed. “You’re Maggie’s grandson?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He stood and held out his hand. “Will Wainwright.”

“Nice to meet you.” She took his hand and jolt of awareness went through her. Dark blond hair, eyes as dark brown as the earth. Chiseled cheekbones. Wow.

Maggie had led her to believe her grandson was a teenager. This man was no teen. Probably around twenty-five. A man. Although a decade younger than Lily.

“I’m sure sorry about your husband,” he said. “Gran told me what happened.”

“Thank you.” He’d probably never been touched by tragedy in his life. Suddenly she felt ancient. “Would you like iced tea?”

Buy Lily’s Summer Cowboy at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L6J9S20

Falling in love with romance novels the summer before sixth grade, D’Ann Lindun never thought about writing one until many years later when she took a how-to class at her local college. She was hooked! She began writing and never looked back. Romance appeals to her because there’s just something so satisfying about writing a book guaranteed to have a happy ending. D’Ann’s particular favorites usually feature cowboys and the women who love them. This is probably because she draws inspiration from the area where she lives, Western Colorado, her husband of twenty-nine years and their daughter. Composites of their small farm, herd of horses, five Australian shepherds, a Queensland heeler, two ducks and cats of every shape and color often show up in her stories!

D’Ann loves to hear from readers! Please contact her at

dldauthor@frontier.net

http://dlindunauthor.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/DLindunAuthor

http://www.amazon.com/DAnn-Lindun/e/B008DKL9TU

Posted in Guest Bloggers, New Release, Promotion, Spotlights | Tagged contemporary western romance, D'Ann Lindun, Lily's Summer Cowboy, western romance | 28 Comments

Sexual Tension: It’s all in your head

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Writers in the Storm Blog

Writers in the Storm, a fantastic blog for writers, has a wonderful guest post today about writing sexual tension. I couldn’t find a way to reblog it, so I’m providing the link and urging all my writer friends to click that link and find out the six secrets guest blogger Susan Squires has come up with to creating good sexual tension. She begins:

“The road to writing a successful romance always leads through good sexual tension. It doesn’t matter whether your characters are having actual sex every other scene, or indulge in nothing more than a chaste kiss during the course of the story. In romance, sexual tension is the name of the game. But in many books I’ve been reading recently, the sexual tension has seemed a little flat, so I’ve been doing some thinking about what makes good sexual tension. I think there are about six secrets.” Read More…

Posted in On Writing, On Writing Romance, Reblogs | Tagged Susan Squires, Writers in the Storm, writing sexual tension, Writing Sexual Tension: It's all in your head | 2 Comments

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 6/29/14 Betrayal ~ The Letter

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!

For the Sundays in June for WWW, I’ve decided to share snippets from each of my back listed books. This week is Betrayal, the second novella in my medieval serial novel, Time Enough to Love.

In this scene, Alyse is given some very bad news.

“Tell me.”

That there was something he could not bring himself to tell her filled her with terror.

Before she could question him further, he drew out a folded piece of parchment, sealed with blue wax and stamped with a signet ring bearing Geoffrey’s family crest.

A cold dread creeping through her, Alyse compelled herself to hold her hand out.

“He also bade me be at your service, lady, had you need of anything,” he said as he gave the parchment into her hand. As he did so, she looked into his eyes and recognized the same pity she had seen in Princess Joanna’s.

Panic made her arms weak and her fingers numb, but she forced her shaking hands to break the seal. Alyse unfolded the letter and slowly read the scratched and blurry words.

Hope you enjoyed this little snippet of Betrayal. If you want to read more, it’s available on Amazon right now!

The worst betrayals come from within.

After a night of passion with her betrothed, Sir Geoffrey Longford, Lady Alyse de Courcy is eagerly looking forward to her wedding. But when Geoffrey is forced to marry another, a heartbroken and possibly pregnant Alyse finds herself in her own private hell. She must either gamble with her reputation or marry someone she does not love.

A reputed connoisseur of women, Thomas, Lord Braeton, has dallied with many ladies of King Edward’s court, although he has favored none. However, as Geoffrey’s best friend, Thomas has sworn to serve and protect Alyse, an oath now sorely tested when he agrees to marry her—in name only—to guard her reputation. Yet, as they grow closer, and Thomas discovers Alyse’s sweet but spirited nature, he comes to desire a marriage in truth. Can he overcome her memory of Geoffrey or is Thomas doomed to burn with passion for a woman he can never possess?

And don’t forget, Beleaguered releases in mid-July!

In the mean time, check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

Posted in Betrayal, On Time Enough to Love, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged Betrayal, historical romance, Jenna Jaxon, medieval romance, Time Enough To Love, Weekend Writing Warriors | 13 Comments

Alphabet Post: M is for Masquerade

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Venetian Carnival Mask Courtesy of Wikimedia

Last week I was enjoying my last day in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World and I was tempted to post M is for Mickey! But I refrained because I really wanted to do this post on masquerades.

A masquerade is a social gathering at which participants dress up in costumes and act like someone different from their normal identity. Today we usually associate these types of parties with the celebration of Halloween. However, in the eighteenth century, these social events took place throughout the year and were taken very seriously by the people who attended them.

Masquerades originated in Italy and were especially popular in Venice during the 16th century. The fashion appeared in London in the 17th century and took hold in the 18th century, becoming one of the most fashionable of parties to give or to attend. The idea was to disguise yourself in an elaborate costume and mask until you were unrecognizable by the other guests. During the party you were to speak and act as your costume indicated and other guests would question you to try to find out your identity. At midnight, everyone unmasked, and the party continued into the wee hours.

The costumes were usually extremely elaborate, characters ranging from historical figures to the very popular Greek gods and goddesses, to characters from portraits of the period. If, however, you desired anonymity and simplicity, you might elect to attend in a domino. A domino was a robe-

Man Dressed in Domino Costume

like costume that covered the wearer’s regular clothes . It included a hood and with a plain mask, would hide a person’s identity completely, which was the aim of all the costumes at a masquerade. It was said that sometimes married couples would not know one another until the unmasking.

Although many masquerades were given in private homes, some of the most famous ones were public affairs, organized by Teresa Cornleys, an Italian opera singer who needed a way to support herself in London. Mrs. Cornleys’ masquerades at Carlisle House became the rage in 18th century. Attendees included members of the royal families of England, Monaco, and Denmark in addition to half the peerage in England. According to Alan Chilvers in The Berties of Grimsthorp Castle, “In February 1770, Parliament adjourned early to enable members to attend one of her masquerades.^“

The popularity of masquerades, lasted well into the 19th century, although they eventually dwindled from being elaborate affairs into mere fancy-dress parties.

If you have not attended a masquerade before, especially not one in the 18th century, let me direct you to this wonderful interactive site created by the students at the University of Michigan. Called The World Upside Down, it will take you into the world of the 18th century masquerade and give you a real taste of the entertainment that was the rage of Georgian London. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂

Venetian Carnival Mask Courtesy of Wikimedia

Posted in Alphabet Post | Tagged Alphabet Post, domino, jenna jaxom, masks, masquerade, Teresa Cornleys | 5 Comments

E-Books VS Print: Which do you Prefer?

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

I had always been a firm fan of print books, loved holding either paperback or hard covers in my hands. Loved the feel of the paper in my hands.

Then I started writing and learned about e-books. Got a Kindle for Christmas and started filling it up. Even learned last summer how to download books to my cell phone! Yep, e-reading became the thing for me.

Until I got sick last month. And the two books I hadn’t read by my favorite author I happened to have in print. So I read them. And fell in love with print books all over again. There is just something about holding that book, turning those pages. Being able to quickly thumb back to check on something you just made a connection to, or to check and see how much further to the end of the chapter make reading a print book a more satisfying reading experience to me.

I grant you, E-books are convenient. They give the reader anonymity in case you don’t want others to know what you’re reading. You don’t have to lug around a ton of physical books. And you carry the bookstore with you as long as you have a Wifi connection.

As long as people continue to buy both mediums, the debate over e-book vs print will exist. In an article in The Guardian, author Nick Harkaway points out, “Digital will continue to grow for a while at least, and continue to exist, because it is becoming part of the world we inhabit at a level below our notice, no more remarkable than roads or supermarkets. Ebooks are here to stay because digital is.”

However, he also acknowledges, “Digital books are still painfully ugly and weirdly irritating to interact with. They look like copies of paper, but they can’t be designed or typeset in the same way as paper, and however splendid the cover images may look on a hi-res screen, they’re still images rather than physical things. To my irritation, you still can’t flick through an e-book properly; you can’t riffle the pages, you can’t look at more than one page at once… Better, a lot of the time, to shove a paperback in your pocket.”

And even though it really comes down to reader preference, is there a new trend on the horizon?

An article from the PBS Newshour states that a report came out in January 2014 affirming that Americans read more print books. ” A report…found that 70 percent of Americans read print books last year, but only four percent read exclusively e-books. According to the survey, conducted by the Princeton Survey Research Associates International, the average adult read five books in 2013.” The report also revealed that “half of American adults now own an e-reader or tablet, which is a seven percent increase from 2012.”

The debate of e-book or print is more serious for authors, as we decide whether to publish exclusively in e-format through small presses or self-publishing, or push to get a print contract through an agent and major publishing companies, a difficult feat at best. And though most small presses provide POD print copies, few of these copies are usually ordered because of higher costs and shipping charges.

So, which side of the debate do you come down on? As a reader or as an author, do you prefer e-books or print books?

Posted in On Publishing, On Reading, On Writing | Tagged digital media, E-books vs Print Books, Jenna Jaxon, print media | 25 Comments

Horny Hump Day 06/25/14: Betrothal

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

WARNING: MATERIAL NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 18!

NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

Participating authors in Horny Hump Day post three sentences from their published works or WIP, hot like a firecracker! LOL

Welcome back to Horny Hump Day!

For the month of June I’m showcasing different works from my back list (I’m coordinating this with my Weekend Writing Warrior posts). And I’m continuing today with the first novella of my medieval series, Betrothal.

In this snippet, Alyse has just forgiven Geoffrey for a grave transgression and he is pressing his advantage in the rose garden.

Held against him, unable to move, almost unable to breathe, Alyse reveled in his caresses as wave after wave of glorious sensation flooded her body. Kindling passion wrested all thought from her mind, and she wantonly returned his kiss, pressing her mouth to his. His lips awoke the flame she had only vaguely sensed before, transformed it into an inferno that began at her mouth then blossomed unexpectedly in her breast and between her thighs.

If you’d like more, Betrothal is available at Amazon for only .99!

Please continue to the Horny Hump Day blog site for additional sites on the hop and go check out the other hot authors.

Thanks so much for visiting the Journal once more for Horny Hump Day!

Posted in Betrothal, Blog Hops, Horny Hump Day, On Horny Hump Day, On Time Enough to Love, Promotion | Tagged Betrothal, historical romance, Horny Hump Day, Jenna Jaxon, medieval romance, sensual kisses, Time Enough To Love | 9 Comments

Spotlight on Liza O’Connor and The Worst Week Ever!

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

BEST WEEK EVER

For

Worst Week Ever

by Liza O’Connor

Humorous, Contemporary, Disaster Romance

Fabulous News!

Worst Week Ever has been nominated by the IRC as

The Best Contemporary Romance of 2014

So to celebrate its grand achievement, I’m offering it to the world for 99 cents

From June 23 –June 29^th

What do reviewers say?

“By the time I got to the chocolate turtles I was laughing so hard I was literally crying” 5*

“Funniest book I have ever read!”

Don’t wait! Grab your copy now!

Available at Amazon US and Amazon UK

Blurb:

What do you get when you put a hardworking, can-do middle-class young woman together with an egotistical, outrageous, billionaire boss, than throw in the worst week of disasters imaginable?

Book 1 of the 4 book series A Long Road to Love, named Worst Week Ever.

Trent Lancaster spends one month without his Executive Assistant (or as his driver refers to Carrie: ‘Trent’s brain, left hand, and right hand’). He’s had a miserable month without her at his side and to ensure it never happens again, he intends to marry this brilliant beauty. Only given all the times he’s threatened to fire her, he’s not sure she even likes him. However, the future of his company and his happiness depend upon him succeeding, so Trent begins a slow one week seduction that happens to coincide with Carrie Hanson’s Worst Week Ever when everything that can go wrong does so in hilarious form.

(Hilarious to the reader, Carrie is not having much fun this week.)

Excerpt

Carrie squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the thump of a body against the limo’s hood.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have insisted Sam take a shortcut,” Trent muttered beneath his breath.

She groaned softly. If her boss questioned his actions, then matters must look grim outside. She tensed even further, expecting to hear multiple bodies slam into the car.

Sam braked hard, turned right, and resumed driving a billion miles an hour. If not for the seat belts, she and Trent would’ve sailed into the front seat, and then plastered against the door. To secure her further, Trent protectively placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against his warm chest.

She focused on the thumping of his heart. It beat once to three of hers. God, how can he be so calm?

Determined to match his bravery, she tried to raise her head, but he wouldn’t let her.

“Just a little longer, I hope. Sam, when do we depart this third world country?”

“Two more blocks, sir.”

“Thank God. You’ve terrified poor Carrie to death.”

Instantly, the limo’s speed dropped.

She turned her head sideways so Sam might be able to hear her words. “Your driving doesn’t frighten me, Sam, the neighborhood does.”

As if on cue, a round of three loud pops sounded, followed by three thunks into her side door. She squeaked like a mouse at the first thunk. By the third, her body shivered in fear.

Trent’s arms tightened around her as the limo picked up speed again. “We’re okay,” he assured her, then his lips pressed against her temple. His calm certainty silenced her tremors.

Having successfully soothed her, he released his outrage upon Sam. “Why the hell did you drive us through here?”

Sam calmly replied as he drove the car at a billion miles an hour, taking corners at deadly speeds. “I warned you the locals might not welcome us.”

“Someone just shot at us?” Trent yelled.

Sam’s nonchalant reply sounded almost surreal. “I’m sure they didn’t mean for you to take it personally, sir.”

Maybe none of this is happening. Maybe I fell asleep in the traffic and my dream has gone rogue.

Her heart calmed and she nuzzled closer to Trent, breathing in his masculine scent. Secure in her dream, she confessed something she never would in real life. “You smell good.”

Trent’s arms relaxed a bit and he chuckled. “It’s called Trent. I had the cologne custom developed. They assessed my natural odors and then determined the optimal combination of scents to create my unique smell.”

She snorted. Even in her dreams, he remained the strangest man she’d ever met. If she had all the money in the world, she’d try to end poverty and violence in…whatever hell they’d just driven through, not have some custom designed perfume created so she’d smell really, really good.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT

LIZA O’CONNOR

Liza’s Blog and Website Facebook Twitter

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