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Author Archives: carolyn

About carolyn

Carolyn Jewel was born on a moonless night. That darkness was seared into her soul and she became an award winning and USA Today bestselling author of historical and paranormal romance. She has a very dusty car and a Master’s degree in English that proves useful at the oddest times. An avid fan of fine chocolate, finer heroines, Bollywood films, and heroism in all forms, she has two cats and a dog. Also a son. One of the cats is his.

Regency Demons?

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My Immortal Assassin

Book 3 of my My Immortals paranormal series is out! Quick, go buy it from one of the links on my website! (Because you can pick your favorite bookseller. I don’t do any affiliate link stuff because it’s one more thing to fail to keep track of.)

Believe it or not, I have a Regency link to this book which is that I modeled my hero on a Regency Romance hero, kind of like Mr. Darcy. He’s all about decorum and awesome clothes, and the heroine is all — not that stuff. So, it’s a little like Mr. Darcy meets Buffy, if Mr. Darcy was a demon and didn’t know about Elizabeth yet.

Revenge. It’s all Grayson Spencer wants. Christophe dit Menart, a human with dark magical powers, destroyed the life she loved. She wants the pleasure of killing him, no matter the cost to her. If not for Durian, a dangerously sexy demon fiend charged with keeping Christophe alive, she would have succeeded, too. Now, she’s certain all hope is gone. But he has a plan and an offer she can’t resist…

Durian has spent his life as a trained and sanctioned assassin. His duty: to enforce the laws against demons harming humans. He’s always prided himself on staying out of the fray, carrying out his orders and honoring his fealty to his warlord, but never getting attached. Never until Grayson, a spunky and determined woman clearly gifted with magic herself. He convinces her to swear fealty to him so he can protect her and teach her to use her magic to taste the revenge she so desperately wants.

They’re soon bound together in a forbidden desire–a dangerous passion that calls into question Durian’s oath of loyalty to his warlord. When he refuses to return her to Christophe, his disobedience threatens to inflame the tumultuous war between demons and the magekind. Can they–and their love–survive?

Read Chapter 1.

Reviews

Romantic Times 4 1/2 stars
The lines in the war between Magekind and Fiends continue to blur in the next installment of Jewel’s exhilarating My Immortal series. The protagonists in this drama have both suffered terribly, giving them a common ground and enemy. Jewel provides her fans with a terrific tale that has action aplenty and drama to spare. Great stuff!
Jill M. Smith

Alternative Worlds
Fast-paced from the moment Gray and Durian meet on the streets of San Francisco
Read Full Review

Publisher’s Weekly
Jewel’s third paranormal (after 2009’s My Forbidden Desire) is an exciting return to a world of demons and mages.

BookPage – Romance of the Month – Top Pick!
Dark, edgy and laced with thrilling desire, My Immortal Assassin will set readers’ hearts racing.
Christie Ridgway

Book Reading Gals
Carolyn Jewel is a master storyteller. The world that she has created is in this reviewers humble opinion one of the best in the paranormal and romance genre. The conflict between the fiends and the mages is a perfect combination. The hero and heroine are a perfect complement to each other.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Thanks for sharing the excitement with me!

Posted in Former Riskies | Tagged , , , | 10 Replies

Carolyn’s List O Risky Stuff ™

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2010 is coming to a close, but not without some lists. Keep in mind that last week is ancient history . . . I have to really get the brain going to think back much farther than yesterday.

Standout Books of 2010

These are the books that stand out in my mind without even having to think about it. 2010 was the Year of Georgette Heyer for me. We had our first Risky Read-Along and I went on a Heyer tear after that.

1. The Iron Duke by Meljean Book
2. Venetia, by Georgette Heyer
3. Frederica, by Georgette Heyer
4. A Civil Contract, by Georgette Heyer (with some small reservations)
5. The Talisman Ring, by Georgette Heyer

Favorite Gadgets

1. iPad
2. iPhone 4
3. Virgin Mobile MyFi

Things I overdid

1. Eating cookies
2. Procrastinating

Things I did not Overdo

1. Spending more time in real life with friends, near and far, including fellow Risky Megan, and two people I met online and via twitter, @sonomalass and @redrobinreader who turned out, respectively, live within 15 miles of me.
2. Spending more time with writing friends who, as it happened, moved to my town.

Things I did not Do Enough

1. Sleep

Favorite Songs or Bands I Discovered This Year

  1. Our December, Thriving Ivory
  2. Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen, these versions:
    1. Jeff Buckley
    2. Rufus Wainright
    3. John Cale
    4. Leonard Cohen
    5. kd lang
    6. Susan Boyle
  3. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga, hell, the entire Monster album
  4. Orion, (James Hatfield of Metallica) by Rodrigo y Gabriela
  5. Take Five (Paul Desmond) by Rodrigo y Gabriela
  6. Goodbye, Sweet Youth, The Greycoats

Things that Amazed Me

1. The SF Giants winning the World Series!!!
2. Hearing my son speak politely to other people’s parents
3. Just how badly the 49ers played

My 2011 Wish List

I am leaving out the obvious Peace on Earth stuff, OK? Assume all that as a given.
1. Agency Pricing goes away
2. I turn in my books on time
3. Someone gives me a free 13″MacBook Air
4. I get more sleep

So, what are a few things on your lists?

Posted in Former Riskies | Tagged , , | 7 Replies

Let it snow or, you know, not. Plus doorknobs

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First off, Happy Holidays from Risky Carolyn!

Here’s something I didn’t know, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas.

London defies ban on Christmas

Transcript
Report sent to S[i]r Hen[ry] Mildmay
The Councell haveing received severall Informations that there was avery wilfull & strict observation of the day com[m]only called Christmasse day throughout the Cittyes of London & Westm[inster] by agenerall keeping of their shops shut up and that there were Contemptuous speeches used by some in favour thereof, which the Councell conceiveing to be upon the old grounds of superstition and malignancy and tending to the avowing of the same and Contempt of the present Lawes and governm[en]t have thought fit that the Parlam[en]t be moved to take the same into Consideration for such further provisions and penaltyes for the abolishing & punishing of those old superstitions observations and meeting w[i]th such malicious contradiction of offenders in that behalfe as their wisedomes shall iudge fit, They have likewise received informations of frequent resort unto and exerciseing of the idolatrous masse in severall places to the great dishono[u]r of Almightie God, notorious breach of the lawes and scandal of the governm[en]t wherein according to notice given they have already taken some Course and desire the parlam[en]t will be pleased to take that matter alsoe into their Consideration for further remedies & suppression of that Idolatrie in such way as to them shall seeme meet.

That it be likewise reported to the Parl[amen]t that the Councell is informed that there are still remaining the Armes and pictures of the late King in severall Churches Halls, upon the Gates and in other publique places of the Citty of London

That the parl[amen]t bee moved to appoint whom they shall thinke fitt to see the same armes & pictures taken downe and defaced and to give an Account of their executing the same w[i]thin such tyme as they shall thinke fit to allow for that purpose

And S[i]r Henry Mildmay is desired to make this report

Celebrate as you see fit. Christmas, I heard the other day, is celebrated by 80% of Americans regardless of any religious beliefs about God or men in red suits. In other words, a number of us are celebrating a very pagan Christmas. To me, that’s a fine meaning of Christmas. Buying presents for people you love, doing nice things, saying Happy Holidays! or Merry Christmas! and meaning it. And eating cookies and other goodies.

Doorknob News

In doorknob news, the Doorknob man did email me back and he pointed me in the direction of some astonishingly fantastic resources, including dates and pictures.

Doorknobs as we know them (the turning kind) did NOT exist in the Regency. A latch type door, which was the most common sort, could (and often did!) have what looked pretty much exactly like a doorknob. Only it was push/pull to open/close the door, not a knob that turned.

This means my hero and heroine can, indeed, have a door hardware malfunction. Is that awesome or what?

Traditions

Speaking of Christmas and traditions that Oliver Cromwell failed to stamp out, we have a fairly recent tradition in our family, which is the gift exchange involving EVERYONE and is in addition to any other gifting that may go on, in which everyone buys a gift for no more than $15, and then we do that gift stealing round robin thing. It’s much fun and involves a great deal of plotting and trading and backroom deals, as well as a great deal of thought about what gift to bring. The gifts are anonymous, of course.

Afterward there is often spirited trading.

Do you have a family tradition? Share in the comments.

Posted in Former Riskies | Tagged , , | 5 Replies

The Door is This Way

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Yours Truly: Jane!

Jane Austen: Good morning. Is it morning? Do you know the date?

YT: Yes, but I’m not telling you on account of you might be shocked how long it’s been since the last time you were sitting around yakking. By the way, it’s your birthday tomorrow.

JA: It is? How lovely. Thank you so much for mentioning my special day–

YT: Right. Special day. Before we talk about your fav cake and shit, can I ask you a question?

JA: (looking a bit shocked) Of course.

YT: You had doors in your house back in the Regency, right?

JA: Certainly.

YT: Good. What did they look like? Because I need to know. I’m trying to write this scene—

JA: You’re an authoress? What a coincidence. I too–

YT: Yes, but only if we define writer as someone who procrastinates any actual writing until there’s nothing left of her soul except panic and the need for caffeine, sugar and cocoa butter and who when she’s freaking hyped up on the stress with like smoke coming out of her ears before she actually gets decent words on the page, finally does something you could call writing. Sort of. Does that sound familiar to you at all?

JA: I think I’m getting a call. (Digs in her reticule.)

YT: They didn’t have cell phones when you were writing. So listen, about Regency doors. I have this scene where the hero and heroine are in this room and they’re alone, but one of them wants to leave, I can’t decide who yet, but that doesn’t actually matter. The point is whoever tries to open the door, when they do that the handle falls off and they get temporarily stuck only I don’t know if they had door knobs back then.

JA: Door knobs?

YT: Crap. Did they have door knobs? Do you know who invented the door knob? Because actually, when I Google, the results are unclear.

JA: Google?

YT: Yes. Google. A search engine. 

JA: But it’s misspelled.

YT: INORITE?

JA: I beg your pardon?

YT: Door knobs, Jane. Concentrate.

JA: Perhaps there were door knobs as early as 1820 but I can’t be sure because **cough** I was not alive in 1820.

YT:  I’m thinking I may have to email the Antique Doorknob Collectors of America or buy one of their books, but I don’t know which one to get. Ack!

JA: Americans collect doorknobs?

YT: Some of us are obsessed. OMG! Look at those doors and hardware. So pretty!

JA: Oh Em Gee?

YT: I’m swooning. Look!

JA: Where is my vinagrette?

YT: You know what I really hate?

JA: Spanx?

YT: Pictures that look exactly on point that have no date. Seriously. There should be a rule that whenever you post a picture of something old you’re REQUIRED to say what date the really old thing was made. You can’t just say, Victorian, or 19th century or back in the olden days. There should be a rule that you have to GIVE THE YEAR!

JA: Could we go back to talking about cake?

YT: Sure. If you want.

Pegasus Cake

Happy Birthday, Jane!

JA: Who’s Emma?

PS. Was I supposed to do a contest thinggee? OK. Comment and I’ll figure out a prize. Not cake, though.

Posted in Former Riskies | Tagged , , | 24 Replies