Horny Hump Day 01/08/13: Betrayal ~ Alyse Gets an Eyeful!

Posted on January 8, 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

I’m back with my current WIP, soon-to-be released Book 2 of Time Enough to Love,

Betrayal

In this snippet, Alyse get her first look at her bridegroom’s body.

Alyse’s mouth dropped open, and her gaze raced over his form as she tried to look everywhere and nowhere at once. After a struggle, her gaze slipped lower, to his chest matted thickly with pale hair over well-defined muscles. She tried to stop there, to force her eyes back to his face, but she had seen his cock, jutting boldly from a golden bush.

Hope you enjoyed this little tease from Betrayal. 🙂 It’s set to release January 31 and I can’t wait!

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, On Horny Hump Day, On Time Enough to Love, Promotion, WIP | Tagged Betrayal, blog hops, historical romance, Horny Hump Day, Jenna Jaxon, medieval romance, sensual sex scene, Time Enough To Love | 14 Comments

“Finish the Damn Book” Contest Finalists

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Chesapeake Romance Writers

Over Christmas break I was busy compiling the score sheets for Chesapeake Romance Writers’ “Finish the Damn Book” Contest. We had almost four times more entries this year as last, making our 2013 contest a definite success.

The finalists have been notified and the entries sent off to the category Finals Judges so I thought I’d make an announcement here to let you all know the great writers we had enter this year.

CONTEMPORARY CATEGORY: Penny Barber, Editor Kensington/Lyrical

Rules for Burning by Chloe Carson

Under Your Charms by Claire Evans

The Prisoner by Crystal Joy Schneck

MAINSTREAM W/ ROMANTIC ELEMENTS CATEGORY: Marie Lamba, Agent Jennifer di Chiara Literary Agency

Pulse by Lisa Sullivan

Unforgettable by Carrie Christie

Warrior Spirit by Carol Rubright

HISTORICAL CATEGORY: Jordy Albert, Agent Booker Albert Literary Agency

My Reckless Love by Melissa Limoges

Beauty and the Barbarian by Amy Jarecki

Destiny’s Dagger by Karen Woodward

PARANORMAL CATEGORY: Amanda Barnett, Editor The Wild Rose Press

Walking Through Fire by Carolyn Bahr

Divergent Bloodline by TJ Shaw

Stealing Time by Bill Haggart

YA/NA CATEGORY: Deb Smith, Editor Belle Books, Inc.

Becoming by Karen Y. Bynum

Broken by Kary Rader

The Fairy Godmother Rule Book by Sarah Vance-Tompkins

Congratulations to all our finalists and a great big THANK YOU to all those who entered. We will announce the winners of the 2013 “Finish the Damn Book” Contest at the February 9th meeting of Chesapeake Romance Writers.

Posted in "Finish the Damn Book" Contest, Chesapeake Romance Writers, Contests, Finalists | Tagged "Finish the Damn Book" Contest Finalists, Chesapeake Romance Writers, Finish The Damn Book Contest | 8 Comments

The Alphabet Posts Return!

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

For the New Year I’m re-instating my Alphabet Post feature and I decided to go back and start with the letter “A.” That way I get two complete cycles per year. J

A is for Almack’s Assembly Rooms

If you read Regency romance novels, you most likely know about Almack’s Assembly Rooms, one of the most elite social clubs of the Regency period. It was the place to see and be seen, to bring your daughter in order to find a wealthy and socially correct husband for her, and possibly harder to gain entry to than Buckingham Palace.

Almack’s Assembly Rooms in King St., St. James

Almack’s opened its doors in February 1765 as a ladies social club devoted to gambling. By the 1790s it had evolved into a mixed-sex social club where the elite of London society sought husbands for their daughters. Thus it became known as “the marriage mart.”

Gaining entry to this mecca of the fashionable set, however, could prove daunting. Almack’s was run by a group of titled ladies, “The Patronesses,” who had exacting standards when it came to who was allowed entry and who was not. Each season prospective attendees had to apply for a voucher that allowed entry to the Assembly rooms. The Patronesses sat in judgement on each applicant, weighing their social position, address, and behavior more heavily than their wealth. The cost of a voucher for the season was ten guineas, approximately £350 or $574.00 in today’s currency. Then, of course, you also had to buy tickets to enter at 10 shillings (£17 or $27.88) each.

The voucher, if obtained, entitled the bearer to “a ball and supper once a week for twelve

Actual Almack’s Voucher for 1817

weeks.” If, that is, one did not lose favor with the Patronesses. They could revoke your voucher at the hint of scandal or misconduct, or just because you were not fashionable at the moment.

Dances were held on Wednesday evenings and comprised English and Scottish country dances only until 1815, when the quadrille and the scandalous waltz were introduced, the latter by Russian Countess Lieven. Young girls had to apply to the Patronesses to be given permission to dance a waltz.

Supper was served at 11:00 pm, at which time the doors were closed and no further entry allowed, although the dance often carried on until the wee hours of Thursday morning. The refreshments, about which there was much grumbling, consisted of “weak lemonade or orgeat or ratafia, dry biscuits and day-old brown bread and butter,” according to M.M. Bennett’s article “Almack’s—it’s not quite what you think.” No alcohol was served, although one could certainly imbibe before arriving.

Dancing at Almack’s

Although it may not sound as exciting as our current night life, Almack’s was one of the most prestigious and exclusive clubs in Regency London. The Beau Monde flocked there each year, for the most part to have a safe place to show off their daughters and arrange advantageous marriages for them based on wealth and position. And perhaps even love. As Captain Gronow, a figure of the period, wrote afterwards, “at present time one can hardly conceive the importance which was attached to getting admission to Almack’s, the seventh heaven of the fashionable world.”

Sources:

“Almack’s Assembly Rooms,” by Rachel Knowles

“Almack’s—it’s not quite what you think,” by M.M. Bennett

Images from Wikimedia Commons

Posted in Alphabet Post | Tagged Almack's Assembly Rooms, Alpahbet Post, historical romance, Jenna Jaxon, Regency era club, Regency romance, Regency social club, social club | 21 Comments

How to Build A Hero: Part 1 ~ Physique

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

Although it seems irreverent, I sort of got the idea for this post from Build a Bear. 🙂 But romance writers create heroes, build them from the ground up. And I thought it might be helpful to look at the major components and what kinds of things go into the creation of a romance hero.

Over the next few weeks I’ll post a series of three articles offering some of my research in what goes into creating heroes that women want to read and fantasize about. The areas I’m going to look at are the physique, the features, and the characteristics of a hero.

The most fundamental question, perhaps, is how do women in the real world want a man to be built? And after doing some research, I have a good inkling of what women want both in a real man and in a romance hero.

According to Men’s Health, women looking for a hook-up go for big muscles. They are “looking for something hot.” The ideal shape is the V-torso: broad shoulders, small waist, narrow hips. And tall to boot.

When they are looking for a husband, however, they choose “scrawny over brawny” according to an article on Netscape. The big, muscular guys are nice to look at, but are deemed “less faithful, less likely to treat them well, less emotionally sensitive.” Muscular guys are also deemed more intimidating and dominant. For husband material women want a guy with an average build, a little taller than themselves, who is less hot and therefore less likely to stray and more likely to value family.

But if you look at most romance heroes (although there are exceptions of course) they combine the best of both worlds. They are tall and broad-shouldered, with a small waist and narrow hips. They are muscular and physically fit. Quite often they dwarf the heroine. They are, in fact, the ultimate hottie.

Despite this incredible build, however, the romance hero also possesses the attributes of the good husband: faithful, family oriented, and sensitive to the heroine’s emotional needs. He may be intimidating and dominant, but the heroine is able to tame these attributes until they are non-threatening toward her. He is, quite simply, the best of both worlds. This fantasy, of finding the perfect man, is at the core of romance novels. The Happy Ever After is happy partially because the hero fulfills both roles of hottie and husband.

So we now have the perfect build for our hero. Next week we’ll look at what features are most desirable to women. And no, I’m not thinking that feature necessarily. LOL

Do you agree with the research? Do women have a double standard for men? And do romance heroes need to embody both standards?

Posted in On Writing Romance | Tagged build a hero, Jenna Jaxon, popular physiques, romance heroes, V-torso | 30 Comments

Cover Reveal: Betrayal (Book 2: Time Enough to Love) by Jenna Jaxon

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Jenna Jaxon

If you’re looking for Horny Hump Day, click here.

It’s finally here!

The cover reveal for

BETRAYAL

the second novella in my medieval serial novel,

Time Enough to Love

The worst betrayals come from within.

Blurb:

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 instead of a regular excerpt, I’m posting all of Chapter 1 of Betrayal, which you can read here. I hope you enjoy it! Betrayal will release on January 31, 2014 from Rising Phoenix Publications. So expect another party at the end of the month. 🙂

I want to thank my editor and cover designer, the extraordinarily talented Danielle Fine, for giving me two gorgeous medieval covers. I can only look forward to the third with great anticipation.

For now, two lucky commenters on my blog today will receive copies of Betrothal, Book 1 of Time Enough to Love. I hope it whets your appetite for more medieval romance. 🙂

Posted in Betrayal, Book Spotlights, Cover Art, Cover Reveal, On Time Enough to Love, On Works in Progress, Promotion, WIP | Tagged Betrayal, Betrothal, cover reveal, Danielle Fine, historical romance, Jenna Jaxon, medieval romance, Rising Phoenix Publications, Time Enough To Love | 34 Comments

Looking Forward to the New Year with Resolutions

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Jenna Jaxon

Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone!

As 2013 winds to a close, I look back over the past 12 months to see that the year has been an odd mixture of productivity and sloth. My biggest regret is slacking off on my blogging and social media commitments. And while I did a lot of writing in its place, I ended up publishing only one novella during the year. I did complete four other major projects, but they have either been sent to editors awaiting judgement or have been sidelined for needing more work.

That being said, I have come up with a list of New Year’s resolutions that I sincerely hope I will keep. I need to mend my ways both professionally and personally in order to get the life I truly desire.

1. Write more. I need to write more books, more blog posts, more critiques, more Facebook posts, more Twitterings, more thank you cards. I will never be able to write enough, so it’s a safe bet that I will always need to write more.

2. Manage my time better. This is the key, in my opinion, to making #1 happen. I’m getting an egg timer and putting it beside my computer and working out a schedule of what I’m writing and when. When I can be on social media and when I need to close that tab and work on other things. I actually think this will allow me to be on social media more than I am currently.

3. Be a bigger presence on social media. This includes updating profiles and learning how to use social media successfully. I need to work smarter, not harder in this arena.

4. Learn how to promote my work better. Again, I tend to always want to re-invent the wheel. Now I’m going to find out how to just roll with it and streamline those efforts.

5. Join a gym. Yes, sloth that I am, I am joining a gym. I found a Planet Fitness close to my work that’s very inexpensive and is open 24/7, which suits my pocketbook and my eclectic theatre schedule. I’ll keep you posted on how this works out (no pun intended) as I absolutely HATE exercise.

6. Lose 20 pounds. This is not all I need to lose according to my health professional, but I think it’s a reachable goal that I can hopefully multiply throughout the year.

7. Blog more. This is actually tied to #1, but I was so remiss about posting this past year I’m making it a separate resolution. My plan (see resolution #2) is to pre-schedule most of the blog posts each week so all the work gets done on one or two days. I’m also hoping to maintain several regular features: a book review post, a writing craft post, and re-instate the historical Alphabet Posts from this year.

So these are my Lucky Seven Resolutions for 2014. I’m hoping they do not fall by the wayside too soon because if I can maintain them, 2014 will be a totally awesome year!

What are your resolutions or hopes for the new year? Anyone want to share?

AND

(time for shameless promotion)

Please come by tomorrow for the

COVER REVEAL

for

BETRAYAL

BOOK 2 OF MY MEDIEVAL SERIAL NOVEL

TIME ENOUGH TO LOVE

I’ll be posting chapter 1 of Betrayal and giving away copies of Book 1, Betrothal. So please come by, check out the book and maybe win a copy!

Posted in Betrayal, Betrothal, Holiday Posts, On Time Enough to Love | Tagged Betrayal, cover reveal, Jenna Jaxon, new year's resolutions | 30 Comments

Horny Hump Day 12/18/13: An Almost Perfect Christmas

Posted on December 18, 2013 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

Here’s a little something different for the holidays. This is from a flash fiction piece I wrote for Christmas starring Pam and Roger, my hero and heroine from Almost Perfect.

On Christmas Eve, Pam gave Roger a set of red satin sheets for them to play on. After some trouble, Roger has a better idea.

Roger lay them down in front of the tree, the blinking lights casting twinkles of blue, red and green over their naked bodies. His gaze raked her with a hunger she had never glimpsed in him before. “Do you think under the Christmas tree will be memorable enough?”

If you enjoyed this little taste of Pam and Roger, check out Almost Perfect. And come by Christmas Day to share the story of their first Christmas together.

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 Blog Hops, On Almost Perfect, On Holiday Stories, On Horny Hump Day, Promotion, WIP | Tagged Almost Perfect, blog hops, Christmas stories, contemporary romance, historical romance, Horny Hump Day, Jenna Jaxon, sensual sex scene | 11 Comments

Sunday Social ~ My Favorite Christmas Movies

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Jenna Jaxon

It’s now December fifteenth, which means Christmas is almost here! In between shopping, my RWA chapter Christmas party, and finishing up at work, I’ve been watching some of my favorite holiday movies on TV. I had D’Ann Lindun on the blog Friday talking about her fave Western movies, and she’s inspired me to give you my top five Christmas movies.

5. It’s A Wonderful Life–This classic has been a favorite for years. You can’t get more “warm the cockles of your heart” than Jimmy Stewart. I also really like the updated version The Family Man with Nicholas Cage. I do sometimes wonder what life would have been like without me. Probably not as dramatic as these two films, yet I think I might have left a hole or two.

4. White Christmas–Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye singing and dancing away in Vermont. It just isn’t Christmas unless I see this one. (I watched it the other night while wrapping presents for my chapter Christmas party, so it’s officially Christmas time for me. 🙂

3. A Child’s Christmas in Wales–This is a lovely rendition of the Dylan Thomas poem. I’ve seen a live stage version, but this captures all the wonder and tradition of Christmas in a different time and place. Gorgeous movie. It’s rarely on TV so I bought a copy several years ago.

2. Christmas Vacation–Here’s another one for putting me into the Christmas spirit! I haven’t seen it yet this year, but I’m sure it will be on a station near me soon. 🙂 Chevy Chase and the Vacation crew always makes me laugh–and see a little part of myself here and there. My favorite of the Vacation movies.

1. Scrooge–the musical version of A Christmas Carol starring Albert Finny has been my favorite ever since I saw it as a child. The art production is gorgeous, creating Dickens’ London faithfully and the songs range from merry to touching. I always liked it most because it was the only version that followed Scrooge down into Hell. I’m macabre, what can I say? LOL And the spirited final sequence is sure to touch your heart with its dancing and singing and “God bless us every one!” This is another one that doesn’t show up on TV often (and when it does, they cut the scene in Hell), so I have a copy of this one too. 🙂

What Christmas movies to you need to see each year to make the season merry and bright?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Posted in Social Sunday | Tagged A Child's Christmas in Wales, Christmas movies, Christmas traditions, Christmas Vacation, It's A Wonderful Life, Jenna Jaxon, Scrooge, White Christmas | 24 Comments

D’Ann Lindun: “My Favorite Westerns”

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Jenna Jaxon

I love western movies! No surprise there, right? I was trying to narrow it down to just one, but there’s no way. I did come up with five faves in order of release:

Will Penny: 1968. Charlton Heston is an aging cowhand who takes a job protecting the range of a wealthy rancher. He finds his line cabin occupied by a widow (Joan Hackett) and her son. This movie isn’t a shoot ‘em up kind of western. Quiet, slow, but poignant.

The Cowboys: 1972. Abandoned by his ranch hands, Wil Honeycut (John Wayne) is forced to hire a bunch of boys to help him drive his cattle 400 miles to market. This movie also stars Roscoe Lee Browne, Slim Pickens, A Martinez and Bruce Dern and Robert Carradine. One of my favorite quotes comes from this movie when Wil Honeycut says, “We’re burnin’ daylight.”

The Outlaw Josey Wales: 1976. Clint Eastwood is a Missouri farmer who joins up with a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family. Also starring Sondra Locke. I love this movie. It’s classic Eastwood. He’s bitter, silent and violent.

Young Guns: 1988. I love Emilio Estevez as a young Billy the Kid. Although wildly exaggerated, it is great fun watching Estevez’s portrayal of the famous outlaw. The movie also stars Charlie Sheen, Lou Diamond Philips, Keifer Sutherland and Jack Palance.

City Slicker: 1991. Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby on a modern day cattle drive. Although parts of this movie are cringe-worthy stupid, I can overlook that because the three middle-age men are so charming. My fave part is when they share their best day ever. Jack Palance is in this movie, too.

Elizabeth Adams loves western movies, and often draws on them for direction:

He looked grim. “The only road ends at this cabin. There’s no reason for anyone but me to come up here.”

“Do you think this is where the rustlers are hiding out?”

He shrugged. “Who knows?”

“Well, I know how to find out.” Elizabeth took a step before Cooper grabbed her from behind.

“Are you crazy? You can’t go busting in there. We don’t know who’s there, and what they’re doing.”

She squirmed in his grasp. “What do you propose?”

His grip on her tightened. “I think we need to go around and see if we can get a peek through the window.”

“Just like Butch and Sundance,” she whispered. “Or Emilio Estevez as Billy the Kid and William Petersen as Pat Garret before they became enemies . . . .”

“Who?”

“Young Guns . . . at his puzzled look, she said, “Oh, never mind. Let’s do it. Which way do we go?” She wiggled out of his hold.

He led off. “This way. Be quiet.”

Blurb: Elizabeth Adams has often dreamed of being a heroine in a western film, but her job as a florist in Los Angles is a far cry from cowgirl. Her mother travels to Colorado to sell her inherited ranch…and vanishes. When local law enforcement refuses to search, Elizabeth travels to Salt Lick to find her mother.

There is no proof JB Cooper murdered his neighbor, but the people of Salt Lick, Colorado, believe he killed the old man in a heated exchange over water rights. Lack of proof is the only thing keeping Cooper out of jail. When a woman goes missing and a homeless man is killed, he’s the first suspect.

Although everyone, including the local sheriff, advises Elizabeth not to trust Cooper, she instinctively knows he’s no killer. The cowboy reluctantly lets the city girl inside his tough outer layer. Can they find Elizabeth’s mother in time? Or will the dark eye of suspicion on Cooper tear them apart?

ON SALE FOR .99 At AMAZON UNTIL DECEMBER 22^ND!!!

Buy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Coopers-Redemption-Crimson-Romance-Lindun-ebook/dp/B00BFCUU20/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385921347&sr=1-1&keywords=Cooper%27s+Redemption

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Cooper-s-Redemption-D-Ann-Lindun?store=allproducts&keyword=Cooper%27s+Redemption+D%27Ann+Lindun

Author Bio:

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!

I love to hear from readers! Please contact me at

dldauthor@frontier.net

http://dlindunauthor.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/DLindunAuthor

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