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Monthly Archives: May 2011

Link of the Week?

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Threads of Feeling is a really remarkable site. 18th Century textile tokens left with abandoned babies at the London Foundling Hospital is a flash slideshow, so if you’re on an iThing, I believe you won’t be able to view the slideshow. But I highly recommend it. The bits of fabric that were left with the babies are poignant as are the glimpses of writing. The photographs are vivid and lovely.

More about The Foundling Museum which, as I discovered, houses a collection of the composer Handle’s original manuscripts.

Here’s another site I adore: Trovais If I just need to look at something pretty, I go here.

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The Wednesday Melange

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First, an announcement:
The winner of Isobel Carr’s book is
Dtchycat


Dtchycat – email me with your mailing information at carolyn AT carolynjewel.com

In other news

My Next Historical is done and turned in and now titles Not Wicked Enough. The book that follows will be Not Proper Enough.

I leave you with this picture because in the post deadline haze it’s all I’ve got:

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Double Your Dangerous Lady Seduction Pleasure

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Today is Double the Fun. Amanda and Carolyn both have releases this week and we are pimping them hard, giving you the inside scoop and revealing amazing details. Leave a comment for a chance to win a cool prize which will be awesome. Like a gift card for books, or maybe books or something else. Check out the rules at the bottom of this post then comment to enter!

About Lady of Seduction

It’s a mad, ill-advised journey that leads the usually-sensible Lady Caroline Blacknall to the legendary isle of Muirin Inish, off the windswept coast of Ireland. Even so, she doesn’t expect to find herself shipwrecked and then rescued by a man she believed she would never see again. A man who, long ago, held her life in his hands–and with it, her heart.

Reformed rake Sir Grant Dunmore knew he could never forget the beautiful woman he once endangered, nor will he ever forgive himself for placing her in harm’s way. But history seems doomed to repeat itself, for as long as Caroline stays on the island, she is trapped in a secret plot that could forever free Ireland–or turn deadly for all. And yet, now that she is in his arms again, how can he ever let her go?

Buy Lady of Seduction

Read an Excerpt

About My Dangerous Pleasure

TEMPT THE DARKNESS Strong-willed and independent, Paisley Nichols is used to taking care of herself. But when an insane mage begins tracking her every move and threatening her at every turn, she has no choice but to put her life in the hands of a demon.

RISK THE PASSION Burned by betrayal, demon assassin Iskander won’t get too close to anyone. He spends his days serving his warlord and his nights indulging in carnal pleasures . . . and that’s exactly how he likes it. But when a mage wages a wrenching psychic assault on his beautiful tenant Paisley, Iskander must defend her. Under his protection, she will be drawn irresistibly into his life and learn about her own mysterious powers. And not a moment too soon. The mage haunting her isn’t acting alone-and he won’t rest until he destroys both Paisley and Iskander.

Buy My Dangerous Pleasure

Read Chapter 1

Enter my Contest and read chapters 1-3

What they’re saying

Stellar writing, a charismatic hero and fearless heroine, an amazing blend of suspense, action, and romance, LADY OF SEDUCTION will entice, exasperate and enchant readers without mercy. Laurel McKee books are automatic Must Buys
— Romance Junkies

An unlucky human female becomes the focus of the next battle in the ongoing war between the Magekind and Fiends. Expert storyteller Jewel excels at developing rich and intriguing characters who face challenges of the most dangerous kind. Packed with the right dose of danger and treachery, this love story is the perfect escape from reality.
— Romantic Times, Reviewed By: Jill M. Smith

Your Dangerous Lady Seduction Pleasure is the BEST book I ever read. It has everything. Ladies. Danger. Seduction, Pleasure. Hot guys. TEN stars. No, a HUNDRED stars! A bazillion stars! Fictional novels just don’t get any better than this. Jewel McKeeCabe is a genius.
— A. Reeder

Tell me about your book

Amanda: Lady of Seduction is the third (and last!) of my Daughters of Erin series, and I’m so sorry to say good-bye to these characters! Though I like to imagine they are off living their HEAs and having lots more adventures. It’s set in 1803, and is (possibly) my favorite of the three stories. Caroline is my favorite sort of heroine (bookish, outwardly quiet and sensible, but adventurous and brave when she needs to be), and Grant is my favorite sort of hero, the villain-turned-hero (he was one of the bad guys in Duchess of Sin), scarred, dark and brooding, lives in a crumbling old castle (I blame my love of the Bronte novels).

It also has a windswept Irish island with ancient ruins and cliffs, and a “road romance” as Caroline and Grant have to make a run to Dublin with all sorts of danger chasing them. (There’s also a medieval manuscript that contains dangerous secrets). I had so much fun writing this book!

Carolyn: My Dangerous Pleasure is book 4 of my My Immortals paranormal series. The hero is Iskander, a demon and former blood-twin who entertains a different woman just about every night because he’s still learning how to live alone. Paisley Nichols is his tenant. She’s living her dream of owning her own bakery. To keep costs down, she rents a tiny apartment above her landlord’s garage. She doesn’t know her smoking hot landlord isn’t human. Then she finds out and things get hot.

Jewel MckeeCabe: My Dangerous Lady Seduction Pleasure is a book for the times. For all times. A sweeping saga that will bring you to tears while making you laugh. There are no clowns in this story.

What’s next?

Amanda: My Amanda McCabe self has a Harlequin Historical Undone short story out in August (Unlacing the Lady in Waiting), but you’ll have to wait until May 2012 for another full-length book! Laurel will have a new series, The Scandalous St. Claires, which will start in 2012 with book one, One Naughty Night. It’s a bit of a change, since this series is set in Victorian London and centers around an underworld family of gaming club owners, actors, and naughty bookstore owners. There will be great clothes, too….

Carolyn: I have two historicals slotted for 2012, Not Wicked Enough and Not Proper Enough. The two books are loosely linked by a locket reputed to have magical powers. In Not Wicked Enough Lily Wellstone comes to the rescue of her best friend and ends up falling in love with her friend’s brother. You can read Chapter 1 here. (Unedited and subject to update!)

Later this year, I expect to get the last of my reverted backlist titles online and available once again; my Crimson City novel, A Darker Crimson and my Crimson City novella, DX, as well as the very first book I wrote, a Georgian-set historical titled Passion’s Song.

Jewel MckeeCabe: In 2012, I will win several literary prizes for novels of staggering genius. In 2013, watch for six major motion pictures based on my fictional novels.

Who is your favorite queen of all time? Ever.

Amanda: LOL! Only one??? But there are so many. Catherine de Medici, Marie Antoinette, Elizabeth I, Victoria. I think I would have to go with Anne Boleyn, though. Beautiful, intelligent, strong-willed, brave, fiery-tempered and outspoken–yeah, I’m definitely a fan.

Carolyn: Queen Latifah. Because Amanda stole all the dead ones I like.

Jewel MckeeCabe: Uh, Queen is a band and there can be only one. Unless it’s me. I am queen of the fiction novel. Ask anybody.

If someone said you could live in any time period but your decision had to be based SOLELY on the clothes, what time period would you choose and why?

Amanda: Hmmm. For looks–the mid-18th century. I am crazy about those rich fabrics, big skirts and tight waistlines, ruffles and lace and ribbons. But for comfort–the Regency. Light corsets, high waists, thin fabrics, much better. But that’s two, isn’t it? Can I go with the 1920s, too?

Carolyn: Imperial Rome, because I really have a thing for Centurions and Legionnaires. Also, I would like to point out that Amanda is cheating with her answers.

Jewel MckeeCabe: Honey, I invent fashion. Everyone else just follows.

For this question, assume you would have all the necessary talent, skills and aptitude: If you weren’t a writer (PRETEND!) what would you be instead? In other words, non-writing dream job?

Amanda: When I was a kid I told everyone I wanted to be an opera singer, but I can’t actually sing so that was out. Then I thought I might like to be an actress, and did school and community theater. I had so much fun with it! So I would be an actress, but a stage actress not a movie actress. Or maybe a race car driver.

Carolyn: I’d want to be an artist, I think. Or else a physician. I really always wanted to be a singer, but I can’t sing and Amanda stole that answer, too.

Jewel McKeeCabe: I would be the world’s best number guesser. Then I would guess a couple of mega-winning lottery tickets and I wouldn’t need a job. You two are kind of slow, aren’t you?

The Contest

  • No purchase necessary.
  • Void where prohibited.
  • Deadline to enter is midnight Pacific May 31, 2011.

Leave a comment in which you:


Share your favorite Jewel McKeeCabe fun-fact or story. Don’t be shy. Jewel McKeeCabe isn’t! Or tell us your favorite queen–alive or dead….

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In an Interesting Condition

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I turned in The Next Historical, which will be titled Not Wicked Enough (here’s a link to to the first chapter: Chapter 1 of Not Wicked Enough) and found myself at loose ends that I didn’t know what to do with.

I’m not starting the next book (another historical, Not Proper Enough) until June 1, so you’d think I’d be all, yay!! Three weeks to relax and do whatever I want!

Uh, no.

First, of course, I had to catch up on all the stuff I’d been ignoring since Deadline-itis kicked in. That took quite a while. I got mostly caught up on the backlist ePubbing tasks. I did some promotion related stuff for My Dangerous Pleasure that had been hanging over my head. But all that felt like, and was, work.

Then, whenever I walked into my room, my little writer brain said, “There’s the computer. YOU MUST SIT DOWN AND WORK OR TERRIBLE THINGS WILL HAPPEN.” So like a good little drooling dog writer on deadline, I sat down at the computer and . . .

stared.

There’s all kinds of stuff I do when I’m avoiding writing. Twitter, other blogs, checking email. But there was no pay off for the behavior. (Take that, controlling writer mind! I am AVOIDING YOU!) because I wasn’t avoiding anything.

I don’t actually know how to work the TV anymore and even if I did, I wouldn’t know what to watch unless Game of Thrones or True Blood was on.

I have several books I MUST read, but I was effectively avoiding that because I have to read them.

So, dear Readers, how do you relax? I need tips.

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Secret Facts

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The Shameless Self-Promotion Portion of This Post

I have put out another of my backlist titles. Stolen Love is my second book, published by Harper-Collins in 1991. It’s not quite old-skool but almost. I’m not the same writer as I was in 1991 but I’ve put the book out pretty much exactly as it was published — because today I would write a totally different book and any editing would inevitably be a total re-write and then STILL no one would be able to read the original unless they got their hands on a paper copy.

I made one change because I realized later my editor was right, my hero would call his valet by his last name only. So I removed all the Mr.’s for that character. That’s it.

Nicholas Villines is the heir assumptive to a viscount. His father left him in dire straits, but he’s managed to recover the family fortunes and re-enter society.  His childhood friend Elizabeth is now in London, hoping to make a modest marriage, as she is a woman of very modest means. Not so her beautiful (and rich) cousin Amelia. Every agrees that Nicolas and Amelia would be a perfect match. As Elizabeth and Nicholas rekindle their friendship, society can talk of little but The Mayfair Thief, a mysterious and cunning person who has made off with a fortune in jewels and other valuable items. Just who is this mysterious thief, and has Elizabeth really guessed his identity?

Nicholas agrees that Amelia would be the perfect wife for him, but he can’t stop thinking about Elizabeth and the beautiful woman she’s become. Will he accept his feelings for her before it’s too late or will she marry his best friend?

Secrets Revealed

Stolen Love was written before the World Wide Web and when the Internet was mostly accessed via text based commands (gopher, anyone?). In those days, authors couldn’t do anything like the promotion we can do today.

I wasn’t able to tell anyone things like this:

  • The hero, Nicholas, was named after my sister’s dog.
  • The hero’s last name (Villines) came from an article I read about a General Contractor who had an embezzling employee.
  • I lived in Berkeley at the time, in an apartment that, unbeknownst to me, had absolutely ideal conditions for growing orchids. I had several Phalenopsis and a Cattleya that bloomed six months of the year. I believed I was an orchid genius and made my hero one, too. Because, like, what’s so hard about growing orchids? Then I moved to San Francisco and my orchids died or never bloomed again.
  • I set the book in 1844 because I thought the fashions then were killer. I HATED Regency gowns. The cover was pure Regency. There was no cover consult.
  • When on submission, the book was pitched as hardcover and even I, pretty much a total newbie, knew that book wouldn’t sell hardcover and I was brave enough to tell my agent that. It sold to a St. Martin’s Press editor who promptly left to go to Harper-Collins, which was starting a NY based Romance line that, eventually, morphed into Avon. She took my MS with her.
  • I didn’t know I was a pantser. I just wrote the dang story by reading what came before and seeing an interesting theme and going with it. (Oh hey! In this chapter, the hero’s best friend is in love with Elizabeth! Let’s go with that. . . )
  • My printer was a near top-of-the-line daisy-wheel printer and it took 9 hours to print out the entire MS.
  • At one time, I laid out all the chapters in piles on the floor and rearranged them. I used scissors and tape to move scenes
  • I did all my research in the UC Berkeley libraries or at any number of extremely fine used book stores in the area. During that period I acquired some great reference books.
  • I learned that about this time (1844-ish) there was an orchid craze. The Amazon and other fragile habitats were scoured for orchids to the point of destruction and/or extinction of the flowers. They believed all orchids required the same hot-house conditions — which was untrue as we now know –so there were some orchid species that never bloomed in captivity. Orchid collections were valuable and stealing of collections and plants was a threat.
  • In 1991, there was no such thing as email for regular people, but I had a fancy answering-machine. With a tape.
  • I was worried the sex came too late in the book so I tried to sex it up in other ways.

If you want to read a sample or just buy the book:

ISBN: 978-0-9833826-4-5

A Racy Offer

If you happen to read Stolen Love (or any of my backlist titles) and post an honest review on Amazon or B&N, I will send you the eBook of two erotic short stories I wrote. I have a pretty cover for it. One story is historical, the other contemporary and both, technically, involve demons. You have to be over 18 and not easily offended. 

Just post your review (You are not required to have liked the book) and send me the URL to it and let me know what format you’d like. I will then send you the stories in just about any digital format.

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