Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 3/02/14 Betrayal

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors! Thought I’d share some more of that same scene from last week–eight more sentences that are…troubling.

Alyse’s betrothed, Sir Geoffrey Longford, has been called away to his father’s home because his brother is ill. Geoffrey’s friend and Alyse’s champion, Thomas has just arrived with news and handed her a parchment letter. Alyse reads it with some trepidation as Princess Joanna and the other ladies wait in the next chamber.

In her bedchamber, Princess Joanna waited with Maurya, Anne, and Margaret. The women’s faces had changed from puzzlement to fear. Joanna looked from one maid to another, trying to hide her despondency. So many prayers had not been answered today.

Anne finally summoned the courage to ask, “Your Highness, what has happened?”

A wrenching wail of anguish shattered the hushed room, as though the very walls echoed the sound. The four women stood rooted to the floor at the almost-inhuman shriek of grief.

The sound cut off abruptly, and in the eerie silence that followed, they heard the soft thud of a body hitting the floor.

Yes, I’m being bad this week with that cliffhanger. 🙂 If you want more before next week, Betrayal is available at Amazon on SALE today for .99.

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, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged Betrayal, Jenna Jaxon, Weekend Writing Warriors | 34 Comments

Swag for the Romance Writer: Part III ~ Exotic Swag

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

The final category in my series on promotional swag is what I term Exotic Swag. This type of promotional item is usually done for a special occasion–such as RWA or RT conventions–and is usually more expensive than typical author or paper swag. But at these larger conventions, the exotic or practical items are what gets taken away. Paper swag is often left behind at such conventions, so you need to plan when and where you want to put your hard-earned dollars to get the most exposure from your swag.

Cookie with Cover of Ella Quinn’s The Seduction of Lady Phoebe

Items in this category include anything you can think of, pretty much, to help sell you and your book. these items can include, but are not limited to: cell phone screen cleaners, cookies, post-it notes, pens, gummy candies shaped like something in your book, lanyards, drink holders, bottle openers, take measures, mints, tea bags, key chains, manicure sets. The list is virtually endless.

There are some decisions you can make to help you get the biggest bang for your buck. Catch people’s attention by making the swag both practical and related to your book or you. If there is some theme to the book–cooking for example–incorporate a cookie recipe or shaped cookie cutter. If your book is set in Regency England, paste a promo label on an English Breakfast tea bag. Author Katherine Bone handed out stress-relief balls in the shape of bones with her name and info.

Current thought says to give away items that will last. A pad of post-it notes with your

Katherine Bone’s “Stress Bone”

name or books name on each sheet will keep the name before the reader only until the notes are all used. The same goes for things like mints or candies, other food items, chap sticks (although these do last a while), and bath salts.

If you want to spare yourself the expense of having your items personalized, yet want to make your swag memorable, use a swag bag to bundle several items that include things like signature cards, candy, novelty items, or pens. Swag bags themselves can be anything from a clear baggie to specialized

Kieran Kramer’s Princess Swag Bag

cellophane treat bags. A great site for these is mygirlfriendshouse.com. They sell a wide variety of designs and sizes on these bags: hearts, flowers, chili peppers, lip prints, etc. at $10.45 for 100 bags.

One final consideration I’d like to address is cost. How much should you spend on swag? If you have unlimited funds, the sky’s the limit to what you can purchase. For those on a budget, however, you need to be rather canny. You don’t want to spend so much on swag for one book that you cannot make the money back in sales. Price out all components of your swag (include such things as the bag, the items, distribution costs if they have to be shipped to the site include postage) and figure how many sales you can reasonably expect from the convention or event.

I’m taking lavender sachets to RWA this year to promote my medieval serial novel Time Enough to Love that will be released as a print book as well as an e-book bundle (three novellas). Lavender figures prominently in the book and a sachet is something that will last for a while in a sock or underwear drawer, reminding the reader of my book. Price of all components is about $175 for 300 sachets and signature cards I will attach to them. If the e-book bundle itself is priced at $4.99, I will need to sell 50 bundles to make back my investment. I think I’ll be able to do that.

But you need to be careful. Swag is just as seductive to authors as it is to readers. Don’t get carried away with ordering so much or such expensive swag that you will not be able to recoup your investment.

I hope this little series on swag–which I do find fascinating–has helped give you ideas about what can be done to promote your books and yourself creatively and inexpensively.

What has been your all-time favorite piece of swag you’ve gotten? (Mine is a bath tea bag–a sachet you put in your bath water. It gave me the idea for my lavender sachets.)

Posted in Promotion, Swag | Tagged book promotion, book swag, exotic promotional items, exotic swag, Jenna Jaxon, Promotional Items, swag bags, Swag for the Romance Author | 13 Comments

Horny Hump Day 02/26/13: Betrayal ~ Forbidden

Posted on February 26, 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

In keeping with yesterday’s post–The Historical Quickie–I’m giving you a snippet of Thomas and Alyse’s “quickie” from Betrayal. They have been forbidden to go up on deck, but they defy the order and seek a tryst under the stars.

He caressed her backside then lifted her up, settled her upon his eager shaft. A muted groan of pleasure escaped as the throbbing heat slid deep within her. She leaned forward to kiss him, and he pushed her into a gentle rocking rhythm that gathered speed, causing the tension inside her to mount quickly, spurred on by the forbidden nature of their act.

I hope you enjoyed this “quickie” from Betrayal. 🙂 If you did, it’s available from Amazon and Smashwords!

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, New Release, On Horny Hump Day, On Time Enough to Love, Promotion | Tagged Betrayal, blog hops, historical romance, Horny Hump Day, Jenna Jaxon, medieval romance, sensual sex scene, Time Enough To Love | 18 Comments

The Historical Quickie

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

There’s nothing new under the sun. Couples throughout time have lived and loved and done a very good job of finding creative places to indulge in…well, in each other. I’ve done some research to find out ten of the most popular spots historical couples went to have a “quickie.”

1. The Woods. Yes, picnics often ended with desert of a different kind. Mind you, young ladies would be heavily chaperoned, so most of these tete-a-tetes were between husband and wife, or betrothed couples. (A very high percentage of babies were born less than 9 months after weddings during the Regency period.) But the freedom of the outdoors made for frisky behavior.

2. House parties. What better place than a house party to slip away for a bit of alone time. Here young ladies could probably manage an assignation without Mama being the wiser. And certainly married couples could. So many rooms in these manor houses in which to dally with a delicious young man: the library, the billiard room, the linen closet.

3. Balls. Believe it or not, couples who had little time together could be ingenious when it came to making the best of an opportunity. Balls were one of the few places young men and women could mingle without strict chaperonage at all times. With a very willing partner, a secluded nook in a ballroom could turn into a little piece of heaven.

4. A Closed Carriage. Unmarried women were forbidden from riding in a closed carriage with a gentleman without a chaperone for this very reason. But married couples could and did take advantage of the drawn drapes and the rocking motion of a swiftly moving carriage.

5. Coaching Inns. Travel, until the advent of the steam engine, took a lot of time and so a series of overnight accommodations evolved all over England and the Continent. Coaching inns were hotels that provided a change of horses, bed and board for the night. Assignations could be arranged there easily between men and women, especially if a lady’s maid servant had been conveniently left at home.

6. The Gazebo. Also called a folly, these structures served admirably as a trysting place on many an estate. They often had lots of windows, so you had to be bold—and very quick—lest you be seen.

7. Bath Houses. During the medieval period public bath houses existed in all major cities. Bathing facilities were co-ed, providing patrons with numerous opportunities for a quick one in the tub.

8. Formal Gardens. Many estates boasted formal gardens on the property, some with walls or sturdy hedges surrounding them. These gardens acted as an outdoor haven for courting couples, affording a lot of privacy for afternoon delights among the roses and shrubbery.

9. The Theatre. The theatre provided a place for aristocrats to see and be seen. It also provided a private box—with curtains—where, if a couple was not too noisy, they could re-enact a love scene with much more realism than was found on the stage.

10. Vauxhall Gardens. Vauxhall was a pleasure garden, a leading place of public entertainment in London especially in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Amid the tightrope walkers, singing, dancing, fireworks, and food vendors, one irresistible draw of Vauxhall was its dark pathways, down which couples could stroll unnoticed and experience the true meaning of the phrase “pleasure garden.”

Finding unusual places for making whoopee seems to have been a favorite past time throughout history. Do you have any favorite or exotic places where characters have “done it?”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged coaching inns, gazebos, Jenna Jaxon, The Historical Quickie, trysting places, Vauxhall | 19 Comments

Melissa Keir: My Top Three Favorite Madams

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

My book Chalkboard Romance features a mysterious man named Draikoh San who has a matchmaking and dating service. He’s found many clients’ one and only. Some people would consider him a Madam as he sets up people for a one night stand. Considering this, I wanted to share my top three Madams from books, movies and television shows.

Belle Watling from Gone with the Wind- She is seen as the comfort for Rhett’s demons and is a staunch Confederate. But she’s also a woman who knows her place. When Melanie tells Belle that she’ll acknowledge her if she sees her on the street, Belle tells her not to. Belle is more concerned for Melanie’s repuation than her own.
Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke- As a madam, she was revered by the town’s marshal. They had a loving relationship but never consummated it. The town respected her and came to her saloon for more than a drink but shoulder to cry on. She’s also one of the town’s business woman as she became the co-owner of the saloon.
Miss Mona Stangley from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas-Miss Mona runs a clean brothel that has been turned a blind eye to by the town and local sheriff.She pays for sports teams in town and helps financially in other ways. Her love affair with the sheriff is under wraps until he is forced to close her brothel down. His romantic proposal at the end where he sweeps her off her feet is the stuff of romance novels.

Now that you’ve seen my choices for top three Madams and you’ve heard about Draikoh San…don’t you want to sign up and find your own happily ever after?

Check out Chalkboard Romance and see just how spot on Draikoh is with his choice for Lauren and Mac.

Blurb:

Lauren Walsh, a divorcee and elementary teacher, wanted to feel sexy again, after her ex tossed her aside for a younger woman. Her teaching partner and best friend encouraged her to sign up for The Playhouse–a renowned dating agency.

Mac Thomas remained trapped in a marriage to a money-grubbing socialite. Forced to stay away from his young son, Mac lost the ability to trust. After the death of his wife, he returned to care for his son but his sister wants more for him. She sets him up with The Playhouse.

Passion ignites but Mac’s a parent of one of Lauren’s students. A teacher and a parent dating could cost Lauren her job and her chance at happiness. Will Mac be able to convince the school and Lauren, that love is the most important thing?

Excerpt:

“Not happening. The dates arranged by the mysterious Master Draikoh San are legendary.” Melanie perched on the corner of Lauren’s desk. “Supposedly he’s arranged for a few Hollywood and rock-n-roll bigwigs. His ability to find the perfect date is astonishing.”

Lauren avoided eye contact, pulling papers off her desk. “Since the divorce—Boy, I hate that word—I’m hesitant to jump into the dating scene. I don’t want a permanent relationship right now.”

“You need to get back on the horse. We talked about this. Someone to soothe your feminine ego would be perfect.”

Lauren did want to feel desired and loved again. The Playhouse happened to be hideously overpriced but offered a private select screening with a deep background check on all their clients. Few things were known about the owner of The Playhouse, but Master Draikoh San appeared either part god or part magician but totally reliable, very well-respected. He guaranteed his results whether you were looking for a casual affair or long-term love. Most of all, he was discreet.

I’m ready to move forward. She couldn’t keep letting her husband’s—ex-husband’s—infidelity overshadow her life. At least, the alimony would go for something good. She took a deep breath. “I’ll check my email.”

Lauren logged into her account. An email from Master Draikoh was at the top of the list. Her heart began to pound. Nervous to see who Master Draikoh recommended, she hesitated, fingers poised above the keyboard. She agreed to Melanie’s demands partially to get her off her back. She pulled her hands back, then twisted them. Apprehension, excitement, and determination fought for control.

Teachers aren’t seen as hotties except in campy ‘80s music videos. She shuddered. The video for Hot For Teacher crowded her mind. If I take this step, what will happen to my career? What if someone found out I used a dating service? Lauren chewed on her lip as she continued to wring her hands anxiously. She threw her shoulders back.Who am I kidding? The whole process is safe. Besides, I don’t care if someone does find out. I deserve this.

She inched her fingers back toward the keyboard. With a few strokes, she’d find out. Her curiosity would be answered.

“It’s here,” she said with a whisper. Lauren opened up the email, then read the details aloud to Melanie.

“Your night is arranged for next Monday night. I’ve found the perfect guy for your date. I have included the flight information to Chicago, your room accommodations at the Lotus Hotel, in addition to some details about the man you’ll be meeting. Remember our rule…for this first date, only use first names. This enhances your connection. If you want to meet again, you can arrange to exchange numbers afterward. I’m sure you’ll have the night you dream of.”

Buy Links:

SECRET CRAVINGS STORE http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=794

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Chalkboard-Romance-Melissa-Keir-ebook/dp/B00HQ6KIKI/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390784222&sr=1-4&keywords=melissa+keir

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chalkboard-romance-melissa-keir/1117992791?ean=2940148293705

ARE: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-chalkboardromance-1389701-149.html

About the author:

As a writer, Melissa likes to keep current on topics of interest in the world of writing. She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America and EPIC. Melissa is always interested in improving her writing through classes and seminars. She also believes in helping other authors and features authors and their books on her blog.

Melissa doesn’t believe in down time. She’s always keeping busy. Melissa is a wife and mother, an elementary school teacher, a book reviewer, an editor for a publishing company as well as an author. Her home blends two families and is a lot like the Brady Bunch, without Alice- a large grocery bill, tons of dirty dishes and a mound of laundry. She loves to write stories that feature “happy endings” and is often found plotting her next story.

Melissa loves hearing from readers!

www.melissakeir.com

http://www.facebook.com/melissaakeir

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaKeir

www.twitter/melissa_keir

Posted in Guest Bloggers, Guest Posts, Promotion | Tagged Chalkboard Romance, contemporary romance, Melissa Keir, My Top Three Favorite Madams, school romance | 23 Comments

Sunday Social : To Be Read…

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

If you are looking for Weekend Writing Warrior, click here.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

I realized sometime last week, while reading a Facebook post, that I have no clue what the last book was that I read (not as a beta read). That’s rather frightening because I always used to know what book I was reading and what book I had just read. No more. I think some of it might have to do with the fact I read from my Kindle or my phone. so I don’t constantly see the book–with its title prominently displayed–as a reminder of what I’m reading now.

I also have no clear concept what’s on my TBR (To Be Read) list either. I add books all the time, but as I’m adding them to a non-tangible list, it’s very easy to forget what I’m supposed to be reading right now.

I think, and these are in no particular order, I’m supposed to be reading:

A Taylor-Made Life by Kary Rader

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Prophecy’s Child by Brenda Dyer

The Long Road to Love series, Ghost Lover and Saving Casey by Liza O’Connor

Seduction in Silk by Jo Beverley

The Temptation of Lady Serena by Ella Quinn

Journey’s Valentine by Patricia Green

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

And of course the list goes on, and on, and on. Each of these wonderful books is sitting right there on my Kindle or Kindle App on my phone waiting for me to find the time to pick them up and read. Maybe I’ll start reading right before bed again. That might work–until I drop my Kindle. 🙂

What’s tops on your TBR list?

Posted in Social Sunday, What I'm Reading | Tagged Jenna Jaxon, TBR list, To Be Read List | 14 Comments

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 2/23/14 Betrayal

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

I’m Back!

It’s been almost a year since I was a part of WWW, and I really missed you guys! So I decided to join back up and take a peek at what everyone’s been doing.

What I’ve been doing is writing and publishing my medieval serial novel, Time Enough to Love. Betrothal, Book 1 came out last April and Book 2, Betrayal came out almost a month ago. As that one is the most recent release, I thought I’d give you a snippet of it. I hope you enjoy.

Alyse’s betrothed, Sir Geoffrey Longford, has been called away to his father’s home because his brother is ill. Geoffrey’s friend and Alyse’s champion, Thomas has just arrived with news.

“Geoffrey bade me place this in your hand and no other, my lady,” Thomas said, thrusting the missive toward her.

Alyse compelled herself to hold her hand out.

“He also bade me be at your service, lady, had you need of anything.” 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. She forced her shaking hands to break the seal. Alyse unfolded the letter and slowly read the scratched and blurry words.

I hate to leave you and Lady Alyse hanging here, but that’s my 8 sentences. 🙂 I hope I’ll be back and you’ll come to see me next week. If you want more before next week, Betrayal is available at Amazon, B & N, and Smashwords.

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

Posted in Uncategorized | 26 Comments

G is for Gracias de Gyvill

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Gracias de Gyvill was the favorite court musician of Prince Pedro of Spain (later known as Pedro the Cruel). He was sent by the Prince as a gift to his young bride-to-be, Joanna of England, Edward III’s second daughter, to amuse her and entertain her with songs of her future home on her way to Spain.

Not much else is known of Gracias. It is supposed that he died of the plague that swept through France in 1348. His grave site is unknown, his body never recovered because the royal château and docks were set on fire in order to stem the tide of the plague.

Almost every source cites this exact message, of Prince Pedro’s gift to Princess Joanna. The main exception to this rule is a novel entitled Gracias, written by Susan Wetherall, in the first person in Gracias’s POV. In this tale, he and the princess have a lover’s tryst.

A similar situation occurs in “In the Wake of King Death,” an original play written for Northern Kentucky University Department of Theatre and Dance. In this fictionalized version, Princess Joanna is appalled to find her retinue of courtiers dying all around her. To assuage her grief, she seduces Gracias.

No account of Princess Joanna ever hint that she would have had an illicit affair with someone, much less with someone not of her station in life.

In Beleaguered, my third medieval novella, I do include Gracias in a very minor role as the musician sent from Spain to entertain Princess Joanna. He teaches the courtiers a particular dance that provokes a startling reaction from Alyse.

I tried to weave small bits of historical fact—like Gracias, who was an historical figure—into my tale to give it some dimensionality. He’s like a “fun fact” that helps bring my story to life.

Posted in Alphabet Post | Tagged Alpahbet Post, G is for Gracias de Gyvill, Gracias de Gyvill, Jenna Jaxon, King Edward III, plague, Princess Joanna of England | 14 Comments

Swag for the Romance Writer, Part II: Book Swag

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome to the second installment of Swag for the Romance Writer. Today I’m talking about ideas for book swag–items to help showcase and sell your current book.

Book swag is designed to call attention to and promote a specific book or series. You can use all the swag ideas for Author promotional items for Book promotion as well. However, take into consideration how long such a campaign will be in force. If you have 1000 pens with the name of one book, you may not distribute them all before your next book comes out.

Some inexpensive ideas for Paper Swag are:

Business cards. Just with the book cover on one side and infor and buy links on the back. You can also place a QR code on the back that takes you to your website or a buy link for the book. I’ve seen business cards with a tip calculator on the back. Now that’s something we’d all tend to keep!

Signature Cards. I’ve heard these called various things, like Keeper Cards or Collectible Cards. Whatever the name, this is a great promotional item especially if you have ebooks, yet want to do a book signing. The cards are 4 X 6 and have your cover on the front and your blurb and buy link info on the back plus a space for you to sign. Printingforless1 has postcards for .24 each for 500, front color, back black & white. With shipping this totals approximately $130.00.

Bookmarks. I think it’s ironic that so many authors use bookmarks to promote ebooks. LOL But the reality is that people still use bookmarks for a variety of reasons, including to mark a place in other books. Some people collect book marks and I’ve heard of people collecting them at signing events and then going home to download the ebook. Paper bookmarks are also relatively inexpensive. Printingforless1 has bookmarks (4 color on front/b&w on back with your design) at 500 for $93.37, including shipping. That’s .17 per bookmark. Very reasonable with delivery in about a week without rush instructions.

Chapter Books. This is one of my favorite pieces of paper swag. They are small booklets that contain the first chapter of your book that the reader can take away with them. You can even sign them on the inside cover as a bonus for the reader. And hopefully, once the reader reads that first chapter, she will just have to buy the whole book! 🙂 I currently have out the first two books of my medieval trilogy, so my printer came up with the idea to combine both chapters into one Chapter book (foreground). When you finish the first chapter of Betrothal, you turn it over and the back cover is Betrayal and its first chapter. The first chapter book I did was an entire short story, Heart of Deception (See pic above). The same idea as having a short story for free on Amazon, but you can also sign it!

Next week, in the third installment of Swag for the Romance Writer, I’ll finish up with all the fun promotional items that I call Exotic Swag: Cell phone screen cleaners, necklaces, post-it notes, gummy candies…the list is almost infinite, but I’ll give some suggestions for you to think about which of these items might be best to promote YOUR book.

What items have you used to promote specific books? Which ones made a lasting impression, do you think?

Now a shameless promotional plug for my latest book, Betrayal.

It’s the second book in my medieval series and is currently available at Amazon and other e-tailers. The latest review–5 stars!–said: “I was looking so forward to reading this after the first book, Betrothal, and I was not disappointed! Every bit as thrilling as the first, Betrayal had me on the edge of my seat. A love triangle has to be done just right for me to enjoy it, and Jaxon navigates these waters seamlessly.” I hope you will enjoy it too!

Posted in On Writing, Promotion, Swag | Tagged book swag, bookmarks, business cards, chapter books, Jenna Jaxon, Promotional Items, signature cards, swag, Swag for the Romance Writer | 23 Comments

Horny Hump Day 02/19/13: To Woo A Wicked Widow ~ No Resistence

Posted on February 19, 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

Changing gears completely and giving you a tiny taste of my current WIP

To Woo A Wicked Widow.

In this scene Charlotte has come seeking a tryst and Nash is about to oblige. She’s fallen into him but is not complaining.

Shocked to meet with no resistance, Nash repressed a groan of need. At this moment he’d like nothing better than to lay her down on the thick carpet and sink his all into her. Instead he reveled in the sensuous feel of her–silky and smooth.

Hope you enjoyed my widow. She’s certainly enjoying herself!

My medieval novella Betrothal is available at Amazon still for just .99! And if you liked Betrothal, you will just love my newest medieval, Betrayal. It’s available from Amazon and Smashwords!

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!