Love at First Sight or Chemical Romance?

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Serendipity is an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.  This post owes it’s existence to that aptitude.  While I was researching the Art of the Sense of Hearing in Writing Romance, I ran across an amazing article by James Hall, “Learn the Six Secrets of Chemical Romance.”

Chemical Romance?  I thought that was a musical group.

Well, apparently there’s something to it other than just a cool name for a band. 

Chemical romance is “a scientific approach to seduction that reveals how to unleash the natural chemicals in the body.”  When we are attracted to someone, our bodies release specific chemicals that produce a state of euphoria.  So if you’ve ever found an immediate attraction to someone—love at first sight—you have experienced a chemical romance.

The three chemicals that combine to create this phenomenon are oxytocin, phenylethylamine, and endorphins.  Together they produce intense feelings of pleasure within the body, hence the attraction to the person who makes you feel good. 

Oxytocin, released during sexual orgasm in both men and women, is thought to enhance the ability in humans to bond with one another.  Its production can be stimulated by other physical means as well, such as massage, and is present during child-birth, encouraging mother-child bonding.  In a study, published in 1999, researchers found “that oxytocin may be mediating emotional experiences in close relationships.”

The second ingredient in this triple-cocktail of love is phenylethylamine, or PEA.  This is “a neurotransmitter chemical in the brain that causes you to fall madly in love with someone. It is a natural form of amphetamine that floods the regions of the brain involved in sexual excitement.”  Bob Condor’s article, “A Chemistry Lesson for Lovers,” is based on the work of Professor Robert Friar and Theresa Crenshaw, a sex-therapist, experts on the “biochemistry of love.” Says Crenshaw, “PEA could well be the visual component of the chemistry of love at first sight.”

And finally, endorphins, the body’s natural morphine, accounts for the pleasurable feelings of “being in love.”  Studies have shown that blood endorphin production during sexual intercourse can increase up to 200%.  Endorphins produce a sense of well-being, of feeling soothed and at peace.  But beware!  Like many drugs, endorphins can create a “drug-like dependency.”  And there are those who become addicted to their “love high.”

Although the effects of chemical romance are fascinating, can this information help you in writing romance?  I believe that understanding how the biological or psychological mechanisms of love work in people can greatly enhance your ability to portray the same actions in your characters. 

So go back to James Hall’s Six Lessons and use some of his suggestions in your writing.  Have your characters turn the lights down low, have them feed each other sensuous food, have them “romance” each other.  Is it love or is it chemistry?  Odds are the results will be just as enticing either way.

Have you ever experienced “love at first sight?”  Have your characters?  Do you think this theory of “chemical romance” is valid or is there something else going on as well when we fall in love?

Available now!  Click on the cover to purchase your copy today!

Posted in On Writing, On Writing Romance | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Come to Your Senses: The Art of Using the Sense of Hearing in Romantic Writing

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Romance writers are always told to “put the five senses into your writing.”  This means  that we need, as much as possible, to put our readers into the virtual bodies of our heroes and heroines by showing how those characters are feeling.  Most romance readers want to vicariously experience the joys and thrills of love by putting themselves into the characters they read about.  In order to do this, the author needs to describe in detail, everything the characters experience—what they hear, touch, taste, and smell, and see.

Over the next few weeks I would like to explore each sense in-depth, talk about what each sense evokes and ways to help you put your readers “into the moment” through use of these senses.  This week I’m focusing on the sense of hearing.

First, the senses are channels of communication.  Each time we hear a sound, we are receiving information about something.  Even the way information is presented sends messages.  So hearing is a major way that we communicate.  The article “The Voice of Love:  Building Romance through the Sense of Hearing” gives ideas for how to use the sense of hearing to make romance bloom. Some of these tips can be utilized in writing romance as well.

Next, use paralanguage to make your dialogue pop. Paralanguage is all the sounds we hear connected to language other than the words themselves.  Using these elements—vocal fillers, pitch, tone, rate, volume, inflection—you can give a complete picture of how the characters sound when they speak and reveal themselves.  A character who uses vocal fillers–um, er, well, you know, and like—has a character trait that may suggest hesitancy.  A heroine whose voice squeaks signals her excitement; the hero who drops his tone to husky is also excited, but in a different way.  How fast or slow they speak, how loud or soft their voice is, all set the scene and enhance what characters are experiencing.

And finally, make your romance novel richer by adding sounds the POV character would naturally hear or be aware of within the scene.  The crackle of leaves underfoot in a dry forest, the swift, dull thudding of horses hooves on dry mud, the blood pounding in the heroine’s ears as her heart beats faster at sight of the hero.  Sounds that surround your hero and heroine should sink the reader into the psyche of the character, letting the reader “hear” what the character does.  The better your descriptive writing skills, the better the experience for your audience.

For more tips on using the sense of hearing (and the other senses) to add emotion to your scenes, check out Rosemary Gemmell’s article “How to Write Romantic Short Stories.”

The following excerpt from Heart of Deception, my newest release from Books To Go Now!, shows how effective sound can be used to bring the reader into the scene.

Heart pounding, he laid her on the frilly coverlet, still clothed. His strong fingers slid her gown and chemise off her shoulders.  Celinda looked up at him, her eyes liquid pools of golden brown heated by the sure touch of his fingers.  She sighed, a slight sound that sent a blow to his heart.  Then he watched, incredulous, as her small hand gripped his, led it to the neckline of the gown now barely covering her nipples.  Sliding his hand beneath the fabric, she pressed his fingers into the soft white flesh and moaned as they brushed the tip of her erect peak.

Tell me how you put your reader into your scenes?  Do you make an effort to put all five senses into your writing?  Do you find it difficult to include all five?  Do you find yourself using only your favorite senses?  Thanks for sharing!

Click on the cover to purchase your own copy!

Posted in On Writing | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Your Kiss Is On My List–Best Kiss Contest

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Hi, everyone!  In conjunction with my promotional blogs today over at Godess Fish Party Pavillion, I decided to run a contest to find the most romantic, sexy kisses on-screen.    My absolute fave is in the You-tube video below: 

THE KISS between Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeline Stowe in The Last of the Mohicans:

That is one satisfied woman!

So what’s your candidate for Best Kiss?  Leave your vote in a comment to this post or in one of the posts at Goddess Fish Party Pavillion and I will announce the winner (made by random drawing) on Saturday, June 11 on Jenna’s Journal.  The winner will receive copies of my two new releases, Heart of Deception and Hog Wild.

Kiss, Kiss!

Click on the covers if you’d like to buy your own copy now!

Posted in On Heart of Deception, On Hog Wild | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Heart of Deception Releases Today!

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

It’s a red-letter weekend!  Not only did my short story Hog Wild release on Friday, but Books to Go Now! informed me yesterday that my historical romance short story Heart of Deception is being released today!  Two publications in one weekend is a dream come true.

The story will be available from Books to Go Now! today, and from Amazon and B & N in a day or two.  I am super excited!

Below is my gorgeous cover, blurb, and excerpt for Heart of Deception.  Enjoy!

Blurb for Heart of Deception:

Celinda Graham—young, naïve, passionate—is head-over-heels in love with Andrew Finley, Viscount Hurston and insists on marrying him. Unfortunately, Andrew’s family has been feuding with Celinda’s for generations.  When her father refuses to allow the marriage, Andrew proposes a scandalous way to get his approval.  But Andrew has a secret that may spell disaster to his plans if Celinda finds out he is not what he seems.

Excerpt from Heart of Deception:

Andrew glanced around the upstairs paneled hallway of Baron Ivor’s manor house, making sure he was not seen.  He stopped before a plain oak door, sent one more furtive look over his shoulder, then twisted the knob and entered.  Pulling the door closed, he leaned his powerful body against it, remembering with a smile how little coaxing it had taken for Celinda to agree to his plan.  Was she as excited at the prospect of this tryst as he was?  It made the seduction much easier than expected.

His eyes roamed the room, resting at last on the pink and white ruffles adorning the coverlet on Celinda’s bed.

Her virginal bed.

He loosened his cravat and removed his coat.  After tonight, however. . .   He grinned into the empty room, pleased at how well the ruse had gone so far, and wondered if tonight would go as planned.  If only his conscience had not begun to nag him, to cause him to doubt the reasoning behind the whole ploy.

Andrew shook his head.  He had to go through with this.  Too much could go wrong if he relented.  He paced around the room, waiting for Celinda, hardly cognizant of his surroundings. Halting next to the fireplace where a small fire burned, he stared into the flickering embers.

Did Celinda love him?  God, but she was young. She had confessed she thought herself in love last year, but had given up both suitors after her father made strenuous objections.  But she refused to give him up this year and seemed willing to take desperate measures to secure him.  Did this speak of love or lust?  Which would be served tonight?  He knew which one he served.

Tomorrow, starting at 9 am, I will be joining Goddess Fish Promotions for their June New Release Party.  Just click on the link above and come join the fun.  I’ll be blogging throughout the day, answering questions or comments, giving away copies of both Hog Wild and Heart of Deception, and Goddess Fish will be giving away an Amazon gift card as well. 

Sounds like a party to me!  Come join us!

Posted in On Heart of Deception | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Fairy Tale Ending Contest: And The Winner Is

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Thank you to all of those who visited my blog during the pre-release festivities for the Fractured Fairy Tales  and to those of you who participated in the Fairy Tale Ending Contest.

Without further ado, I am pleased to announce that the Winner of the Fairy Tale Ending Contest is:  Gabrielle J.

Gabrielle, please send me a quick email from the account where you want me to send your five fairy tales!  Thanks again and Congratulations!

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

“Now that I’m Published…” Coping with Authorship Part 1: How to Handle Reviews

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

It’s official. Today, thanks to New Dawning International Bookfair and all their fantastic staff, I am a published author.  For years this has been the day I’ve been working towards.  So now I’m done, right?  Move on to the next project. 

Not so fast.

Publication is only the beginning.  Because publication brings with it responsibilities:  to your publisher, to your readership, to your book, and to yourself.  And I now know that there are a lot of mistakes that new authors, and not so new, can and do make.  In the next weeks I’m going to be talking about some of these mistakes and offer some advice I’ve found or been given to help you avoid them.

I am starting today with a topic that has garnered a lot of attention because it is one of the facts of life as an author:  the bad review.  But now I actually have a work that people, hopefully, will be reading and reviewing.  Now I have to worry because of the negative impact a bad review can have on your work.  Right?

Maybe not so much.  On The Big Bad Book Blog, for Greenleaf Book Group, Shenandoah Diaz discusses the fact that negative reviews can actually help you in several ways. 

First, one or two negative reviews can reassure readers that the reviews are authentic.  Nothing (not even your own literary labor of love) is 100% perfect.  Letting readers see that there are possible flaws encourages them to believe that a couple of less-than-glowing critiques are simply the law of averages.  If you have ten glowing and two unfavorable reviews, most people will assume that majority rules.

Second, really outlandish or over-the-top bad reviews can make readers curious.  Is it really that bad?  Why would a reviewer say such a thing?  I need to read this and judge for myself.  Some authors have ridden a bad review very solidly to the bank.  You don’t want to wish for this kind of review, but if you get it, use it to your advantage if possible.

The final, and most important, thing new and established authors need to beware of with the bad review is your reaction to it.  Yes, seeing those unkind words about your pride and joy will hurt your heart.  However, possibly the worst thing you can do is try to defend your work or point of view.  Remember, each reader is entitled to his opinion—and face it, a review is really just one person’s opinion.  Trying to argue, rage at, slander, or otherwise attack the reviewer is committing authorial suicide.  It makes you seem petty, immature, and unprofessional.  Any sympathy you may have garnered for receiving the bad review will automatically revert to the reviewer.  Kathleen Massara at Flavorwire gives examples of how to act and how not to act towards the bad review.  Heed her advice WELL, my newly pubbed friends, and you will be able to take that sour note and make sweet music for some time to come.

Today there is much excitement on Jenna’s Journal as well as at New Dawning International Bookfair. 

My Fairy Tale Ending Book Giveaway Contest is in full swing with the prizes being free copies of Hog Wild, Pinocchio Syndrome, Goldie and the Three Doms, Hideous, and Snowy and the Seven Wharves. 

 

 

 

 

It’s easy to enter:

1.  Read the excerpts from those five tales posted on my blog earlier this week.

2.  Answer the five questions below and email them and the answers to jenna.jaxon@yahoo.com

3.  Post a comment about one or more of the tales on this blog before 11pm tonight and you are entered.

FAIRY TALE ENDING QUESTIONS:

1.  In Hideous, how is Triselle’s hair styled?

2.  Where were Rob and his brother supposed to ride to that morning in Hog Wild?

3.  In Goldie and the Three Doms, what is the first name of the guy who blindfolds Goldie?

4.  How long does Chio say his dick is going to be in Pinocchio Syndrome?

5.  What are the legal charges against Snowy’s stepmother in Snowy and the Seven Wharves?

The winner will be drawn randomly from all correctly answered entries and announced on Jenna’s Journal tomorrow.

 Meanwhile, today at Publishing Trove New Dawning Bookfair will be hosting a chat from 10am to 10pm with contests, giveaways, prizes, jokes, recipes, and more.  Please come join in the fun!

 Even better, join New Dawning’s new group, Bookfair Buddies, to find out about more prizes during the month of June, including info on how to win a Kindle and upload a free book twice a week for a month.

 I’ll be online at Publishing Trove beginning at 10 am, so come chat with me!

Posted in On Fractured Fairy-Tales, On Hog Wild, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

“I’ll Blow Your House Down!”–Spotlight on Jenna Jaxon

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Well, not exactly.  This threat has a completely different meaning to the she-wolf in my Twisted Tale Hog Wild, based on The Three Little Pigs.  Houses are not what  she’s interested in blowing.

Throughout this week, Jenna’s Journal has been spotlighting featured authors of Fractured Fairy Tales with blurbs and excerpts of their works.  Today the Fairy Tale Ending Contest will begin at 11am and last until 11pm Friday, June 3.  All you have to do is read the excerpts from the different works I’ve posted during the week.  Immediately following the excerpt of Hog Wild below, you will find five questions about the five tales.  Leave a comment on this blog June 2 or 3, send me an email at jenna.jaxon@yahoo.com answering the five questions and you’ll be entered to win a copy of all five Fractured Fairy Tales featured on Jenna’s Journal.  The winner will be drawn randomly from all correct answers and notified via email.

In my version of the Three Little Pigs, the pigs are three Harley riding brothers (HOGs) and the wolf is a predatory female who’s looking for a fast bike and a little satisfaction of her own.  Take a peek at Hog Wild.

Blurb for Hog Wild:

When Lula Wolfendale’s motorcycle breaks down on her way to a Harley rally, she detours into tiny Shoshone, CA to find a replacement.  Seducing bikers Beau and Rob Hogue and commandeering their Harleys is easy; finding sexual satisfaction is a “hog” of a different color.  A Blue Phantom, to be exact, owned by the pair’s older brother Jesse.  After brief, unsatisfying encounters with the first two Hogues, Lula approaches Jesse with a proposition:  a sexual contest for his Phantom, where Lula will emerge with either a climax to die for or the motorcycle of her dreams.  Or can she possibly obtain both?

Excerpt for Hog Wild:

You looking for a mechanic or just a ride?” His baby-blues stared straight into her eyes, and he winked.

“What if I need both?”

“Then this is your lucky day, honey, ‘cause I am both.” He leaned forward and ran a warm, tanned finger down her arm. “Which do you need first?”

Lula’s arm broke out in goose-flesh, a distinctly pleasant sensation. “I suppose we could start with a ride and see where it takes us.” She stepped close, grabbed his head and pulled him down, wrapping her lips around his mouth as it opened to…agree? Protest?

Her tongue stabbed into him and she heard a grunt, and his arm cinched her waist, drawing her pelvis against the hard-on in his jeans. Hips grinding against the thick ridge, Lula stroked his tongue, urging it into her mouth. When he complied, she sucked it like a candy cane until the man squirmed and pulled back, eyes wide.

“Damn, lady!  Are you part leech?”

Lula laughed and grabbed his hand. “One part. I have been known to let go on occasion.” She pulled him toward the steps leading onto his deck. “Let’s go inside.” When his eyebrows rose in twin question marks, she leaned in and whispered, “I promise not to bite.”

“Well, don’t take all the fun out of it.”

She licked her lips. “Not a chance.”

They headed up the wooden steps to the deck, but when Lula would have turned to the door that led inside the house, Rob tugged her into the center of the deck. A group of colorful striped lounge chairs clustered around an in-deck hot tub.  He flipped a switch on the control panel and jets began to hiss bubbles onto the water’s surface.

“One advantage to living on the fringes of a small town is a lack of snoopy neighbors.” He indicated the empty desert that stretched to the horizon. “You game for skinny-dipping, Lula?”

She chuckled. “I’m game for anything at this point, Rob.” Unwavering, she stared into his eyes as she crossed her arms, grasped the bottom edge of the white bandeau and pulled it over her head in one liquid movement. I’m going to wear this top out if I keep getting dressed and undressed today. She tossed the garment onto a lounge chair and posed with hands on hips. Your move.

Rob took a deep breath and raced to unbutton his shirt. He plucked it off then pulled his tee-shirt over his head, its momentum sailing it into a corner. His wide, well-muscled shoulders dropped as his arms went back to his sides and Lula feasted on the sight of his bronzed skin rippling over tight abs. Three quick steps and she was against him, her tongue darting out to lick the hard nubbin of a male nipple.

“Jesus!” He clamped her shoulders, eyes closed, steadying himself. “You play hard, darlin.’”

She ran her hand the length of his thick erection, like a cannon stuffed down his jeans. “So do you.” Lula reached to unbutton his jeans.

“Shit!” Rob grabbed her before she could make contact.

Lula pulled back, glaring at him. “You’re awfully protective of that package, Rob. What do you have in there, the crown jewels?”

“No, it’s not that.” He shook his head and gave an exasperated snort. “Fuck. I just remembered, my little brother’s coming over any minute. We’re supposed to ride Death Valley today.”

Lula glanced at the black leather watch on her wrist. “I’m sure he’s still asleep.” Rob looked confused, so to distract him, she continued with the only argument that might get those jeans off him. “Besides, if he shows up, he could join us. The more the merrier, as they say.”

Rob’s mouth dropped open. “You’d do us both?”

 An interesting question.  Wouldn’t you love to know the answer? Well, you certainly can, come tomorrow.  Hog Wild and all the other Twisted Tales will be released for purchase on June 3.  And now here’s your chance to win

FIVE GREAT NEW SEXY TALES  ALL ABOUT THAT HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

        

 

FAIRY TALE ENDING CONTEST:

Here is all you have to do:  1)  Leave me a comment on Jenna’s Journal by 11pm tomorrow (June 3rd).  Comment on any or all of the five tales listed here.  2) Answer the five questions below.  The answers can be found in the excerpts posted this week.  3) Email the answers to me at jenna.jaxon@yahoo.com.  That’s all there is to it.  All entries must be received by 11pm Friday, June 3rd.  Winner will be drawn randomly from all those correctly answering the questions.  The winner of a copy of all five tales will be announced on Jenna’s Journal on Saturday, June 4th.

FAIRY TALE ENDING QUESTIONS:

1.  In Hideous, how is Triselle’s hair styled?

2.  Where were Rob and his brother supposed to ride to that morning in Hog Wild?

3.  In Goldie and the Three Doms, what is the first name of the guy who blindfolds Goldie?

4.  How long does Chio say his dick is going to be in Pinocchio Syndrome?

5.  What are the legal charges against Snowy’s stepmother in Snowy and the Seven Wharves?

Good luck to all entrants and remember:  all of the Fractured Fairy Tales will be available on June 3rd from New Dawning Bookfair.  Come check us all out!

Posted in On Fractured Fairy-Tales | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“When You Wish Upon A Star”–Spotlight on Casea Major

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

It’s time for your wishes to come true! 

Throughout this week, Jenna’s Journal will be spotlighting featured authors of the Fractured Fairy Tales with blurbs and excerpts of their works, leading up to the Fairy Tale Ending Contest Thursday and Friday.  Read the excerpts from the different works during the week, and on Thursday I will post five questions about the five tales.  Leave a comment on this blog June 2 or 3, send me an email at jenna.jaxon@yahoo.com answering the five questions and you’ll be entered to win a copy of all five Fractured Fairy Tales featured on Jenna’s Journal.  The winner will be drawn randomly from all correct answers and notified via email.

Today’s featured author is Casea Major  Casea’s twisted tale is Pinocchio Syndrome, based on aspects of the classic Pinocchio.  Her version, however, is more like Pinocchio meets The Sopranos!   Her blurb and excerpt below will make you think wishes do come true!

Blurb for Pinocchio Syndrome:

Chio Pino, Chicago’s newest wiseguy, is given his most important assignment to date –protection detail for Rosaria De Luca, his godfather’s daughter.

Home from college and grown-up in all the right places, Rose is determined to lose her virginity to Chio, the guy she’s had a crush on since fourth grade.

With a meat cleaver-wielding mob boss on his ass and an overly amorous temptress in his face, Chio’s problems are growing just like his dick when he lies.

Can he resist her or will he lose his expandable man part and his heart with one impulsive act?

 Excerpt for : Pinocchio Syndrome

“Hi, Chio.” Her hazel eyes twinkled like stars.

“Uhhh…” He reached up to make sure none of the spit that welled in his mouth dripped down his lip. Fuck! That was exactly what he wanted to do.

She smiled as if she knew what he thought. “Chio?”

“Yeah.”

She combed underneath her hair with long fingernails as she arched her brows. “Can we go?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure.” He stared in aroused disbelief.

“Now?”

He nodded as he tried to walk normal, but his rock-hard dick hurt like a sonofabitch. Halfway to the terminal door, she wasn’t beside him. He took a breath as he glanced around. She stood in the same spot – right next to her giant suitcase.

What a fucking moron. He popped himself in the head with his palm then walked back to her. “Jesus. I’m sorry. My manners are for shit today. Let me get that for you.”

Her face lit in a smile. Chio almost hit the floor. “No problem.”

He lifted her bag and strode to the sliding door.

“…Chio?” Her voice stopped him in his path.

He did an about-face. “Yeah?”

Her gaze traveled his shoulder down his arm. “The bag has wheels.”

“Oh, right.” Shit. He dropped the bag and pulled up the handle.

They made it to the Buick. He watched her to see what she thought of his car. Her eyes didn’t bug-out like previous chicks. Still, she had to be impressed.

 He opened the passenger door for her then put her suitcase in the trunk. It still smelled like piss from when Carmine threw that pimp in there last week. Chio had cleaned it out three times. How embarrassing. Now her bag was gonna smell like that pimp’s piss.

As he started his car, he glanced over at her. That was a big mistake. Her dress gapped open where her seat belt hit which gave him a view of her perfect tit. Apparently catching the aim of his gaze, she looked down. Chio looked away thinking she would readjust to cover herself…but she didn’t. Jesus Christ. She just left her tit in plain sight for God and everybody to see.

Sweating like a fucking race horse, with a pain in his pants, he turned the air conditioner on…full blast. Eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, he drove without moving his head.

“So Chio, do you remember me?”

“Uhh, yeah. I remember you from when you was a kid.”

“You know, I had the biggest crush on you.”

Chio’s heart pounded. “Yeah?” He looked at her face, but like a moth to a flame, had to gaze down. Oh, God. It had been a mistake to turn on the air conditioner, because the nipple of her naked boob peaked as hard as his cock.

“Watch out!”

He looked back in time to miss some sonofabitch whose lane he’d swerved into. They were both gonna die right here on the road if he didn’t quit dicking around. “Jesus. I’m sorry, Rosaria.”

“It’s okay. Please call me Rose. You seem a little jumpy. Do I make you nervous?”

“No, why would you think that?”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

She stared directly at his crotch. Chio looked down to see his pants swell from the lie. Motherfucker.

“Are you aroused, Chio? Do you want me?” She taunted him.

What he wanted was to slam on the brakes and relieve his tension in the middle of the freeway – in the middle of her. “No. Why would you think that?” There was no need to look down. The sound of thread breaking said it all. Not only was he going to die, he was going to die with a dick as long as a fucking broom handle.

 Problems for Chio spell fun reading for the rest of us! As do the other          

FIVE GREAT NEW SEXY TALES  ALL ABOUT THAT HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

Remember:  all of the Fractured Fairy Tales will be available on June 3rd from New Dawning Bookfair.  Come check us all out! 

Got a question for me or Casea?  Leave it here and we’ll answer you ASAP!

Posted in On Fractured Fairy-Tales | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

“Tale as Old As Time”–Spotlight on Violet Heart

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Hello, Fairy Tale Aficionados! 

Throughout this week, Jenna’s Journal will be spotlighting featured authors of the Fractured Fairy Tales with blurbs and excerpts of their works, leading up to the Fairy Tale Ending Contest Thursday and Friday.  Read the excerpts from the different works during the week, and on Thursday I will post five questions about the five tales.  Leave a comment on this blog June 2 or 3, send me an email at jenna.jaxon@yahoo.com answering the five questions and you’ll be entered to win a copy of all five Fractured Fairy Tales featured on Jenna’s Journal.  The winner will be drawn randomly from all correct answers and notified via email.

Today’s featured author is Violet Heart.  Violet’s story, Hideous, is a twist on Beauty and the Beast–a tale as old as time.  Enjoy her blurb and excerpt below!

Blurb for Hideous:

Triselle has survived a winter of devastating snows. Spring has come, and with it, unending rain. The land is dying, along with any hope for happiness. Drawn to her lord’s castle, Triselle leaves her father’s farm and finds herself in a magical world under a curse.

Lord Vanir suffers as a man transformed into a hideous beast. The appearance of lovely Triselle threatens to send him deeper into his living hell. Her adventurous spirit and accepting heart surprise him, however. Somehow, she sees through his ugly countenance to the noble, generous man hidden within.

Can they find love despite adversity? Or will the curse condemn them both?

 Excerpt for Hideous:

What noise disturbed his slumber? The portcullis lifted!

Vanir heaved himself from bed, and trudged to his window. The portcullis had not moved since January. Had his curse been lifted? Running a hand over the rough chest he would never accept as his own, he issued a disappointed growl. If the curse remained, then who…what…entered his castle?

Sheets of rain hindered his visibility. Soon, the drops waned, and he discerned a figure moving through the outer bailey. A female figure. His salvation? Perhaps another means of increasing his torment.

Sighing, he wrapped a fur about his shoulders as she passed from the outer bailey to the inner. She seemed to have no purpose as she meandered along Trade Row. Who was she? Had she come here for a reason or had she simply stumbled upon his nightmare?

Plaited hair hung past her hips, and her clothing seemed plain. She stepped to his inner bailey and her gaze followed the stone walls of his donjon. Her upturned face revealed large eyes and truly fair features.

His stomach dropped. She had come to increase his despair.

Clamping his jaw until his teeth ached, he planted fists upon the window’s stone embrasure. A companion for the first time in six months. Why did she have to be a beauty? A lovely maiden would shun his hideous countenance. Scream from one look at him. Despise his presence within his own walls.

From the gateway, metal against metal rang out, echoing within the solid walls of his baileys. Already she ran for the exit. Not a good sign.

 Another intriguing tale to add to you TBR list!  Along with

FIVE GREAT NEW SEXY TALES  ALL ABOUT THAT HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

I hope you enjoyed this taste of Hideous.  If you’d like to see what else Violet Heart has to offer, just click on her name.

All of the Fractured Fairy Tales will be available on June 3rd from New Dawning Bookfair.  Come check us all out! 

Got a question for me or Violet?  Leave it here and we’ll answer you ASAP!

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FRACTURED FAIRY TALES: Spotlight on Patricia Green

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Happy Memorial Day!  Hope everyone’s long weekend has been fun and relaxing. 

Throughout this week, Jenna’s Journal will be spotlighting featured authors of the Fractured Fairy Tales with blurbs and excerpts of their works, leading up to the Fairy Tale Ending Contest Thursday and Friday.  Read the excerpts from the different works during the week, and on Thursday I will post five questions about the five tales.  Leave a comment on this blog June 2 or 3, send me an email at jenna.jaxon@yahoo.com answering the five questions and you’ll be entered to win a copy of all five Fractured Fairy Tales featured on Jenna’s Journal.  The winner will be drawn randomly from all correct answers and notified via email.

Today’s featured author is Patricia Green, who wrote two of the fractured tales, Snowy and the Seven Wharves and Goldie and the Three Doms, which she has introduced below.  Enjoy!

For Snowy and the Seven Wharves (I like puns), I turned the plot of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves into a pretty straightforward erotic romance. No dwarves in this one, but seven wharves on which Snow White must toil as she evades her evil stepmother. Each wharf illustrates a “dwarfish” aspect of the story, e.g. Snowy is grumpy at one wharf, sneezy at the next, sleepy at still another, and so forth. Her character grows as we get to know her through her adventures. Doc, the Marshal who guards her while she’s in the WITSEC program, falls in love with her and the feeling is mutual. The moral of the story is: good guys win, bad guys lose. Oh, yeah, and I added sex.

Did I mention that there’s sex in these stories? They’re not the Brothers’ fairy tales.

Blurb for Snowy and the Seven Wharves


Snowy is fair and sweet with ruby lips and hair as black as coal. Doc DuMont is the tall, broad-shouldered WITSEC marshal who’s going to save her from her evil stepmother. Doc finds Snowy irresistible, sexy and oh so tantalizing. He wants to both save her and seduce her. The trick is figuring out which to do first.

No dwarves here, but seven wharves where Ms. White finds herself experiencing life on the run. From identity to identity, job to job, dopey, grumpy, sneezy, bashful and sleepy, Snowy finds herself in new and challenging situations. She thinks she’s finally found her happy place, but her evil stepmother isn’t far behind, and determined to murder the innocent Snow White. Doc will have something to say about that!

Excerpt from Snowy and the Seven Wharves

Doc watched Snowy move through the restaurant gracefully. Her dark hair, pulled back into a long tail, swished like polished silk against her slender back. She smiled at the customers she served, though the smile was superficial. He could see how unhappy she was in the weariness in her eyes and the high spots of color on her fair cheeks. As his subordinate, Deputy Marshal Logan, met him at the table, Doc looked up and nodded. “She’s secure.”

“No suspicious activity?”

“No.” Doc kept his voice low. “McCarty’s shift was a negative, too.” He popped another French fry into his mouth. “She’ll be off work in half-an-hour.”

“Right. Long hours for her today.”

“Yeah, her feet must be killing her. Let me finish these fries and then I’ll jog along.”

Nodding, Logan began to peruse a menu. This was the second time this week they’d had their officer debriefing at the witness’ place of employment. They’d have to find another location for their next status update.

“Any word on how the case against the perp is progressing?” Logan asked. “Ms. White must be getting truly sick of WITSEC’s tender care.”

Doc snorted softly. “Word at HQ is that Santa Maria’s lawyers are applying some new legal maneuver to delay the trial again.”

“That woman is a piece of…work.”

“She’s got the evil stepmother thing going for her, that’s for sure,” Doc agreed. “But the Federal attorney will nail her on conspiracy to commit murder charges. She’ll go down like a hod of bricks.”

“I hope so. The girl is feeling the strain. She seems brittle.”

“Yeah.” He looked over at Snow White and tried to keep his emotions out of his assessment. She didn’t deserve this nightmare.

From a writer’s perspective, fairy tales have several tropes: tell rather than show, minimal character development, and a moral. There are exceptions, of course, but all those tales by the Brothers Grimm had these things in common. When I wrote my two fractured fairy tales for New Dawning International Bookfair, I had to modernize the components to make them more appealing to today’s readers. Consequently, while Goldie and the Three Doms takes its base from Goldilocks and the Three Bears, I wrote the story as a farce. Goldie was more developed, but made into something of a silly twit. I exaggerated the too soft, too hard, and just right concepts and showed them in a mild BDSM framework. The moral is: be careful what you wish. Oh, yeah, and I added kinky sex.

Blurb from Goldie and the Three Doms

Meet Goldie. She’s a determined young woman, tired of men for whom pedicures are foreplay. She makes it her mission to find a dominant man to make her dreams come true. The search takes her to Bear Island where she encounters Doms either too soft or too harsh. Will she never find one who is just right?

Markus Masterton is waiting for just the right submissive woman. He’s got his paddle ready, but it looks like he’ll linger on Bear Island for a lot longer than he’d like.

Excerpt from  Goldie and the Three Doms

Goldie felt warmth stir in her loins. Unfortunately, he picked that moment to stop and go back to the chest. Bob rummaged around a bit, returning to her with a blindfold.

“Do you trust me?”

She bit her lip. “Well…”

“Your safe word is ‘prestidigitation’.”

“’Prestidigitation?’ Can’t we just settle on ‘stop-you-rotten-prick’?”

“Oh now, don’t be like that. Do you want me to quit?”

“No.” She eyed him, looking for signs of corruption, but saw none. “Okay.”

He gently tied the blindfold on her, and Goldie shivered with delicious fear. Not the scary kind of scared, but a thrill-of-the-roller-coaster kind of scared. Once her eyes were covered, he kissed her lips, gently at first, then with a more demanding pressure. Now we’re getting to the good part.

 I hope you enjoyed these excerpts from Snowy and Goldie.  If you’d like to see more of Patricia Green’s work, just follow this link to her website.

All of the Fractured Fairy Tales will be available on June 3rd from New Dawning Bookfair.  Come check us all out! 

Got a question for me or Patricia?  Leave it here and we’ll answer you ASAP! 

Posted in On Fractured Fairy-Tales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments