A Question of Love

Here it is! Finally.

The gorgeous cover of A Question of Love.

What do you think?

And the blurb?

Well, I have an updated one for the book:

A Question of Love: Blurb

A past with three, a future for two…

The sequel to A Question of Trust.

Gabe Carter and his best friend Connor’s passion for threesomes brought Tina Jenkins into Gabe’s bed—and into his heart. As a matter of honor, he gave up the woman he loved. Time passes, times change and old promises fall away, but Gabe is still in love with Tina. Now he’s going after his heart’s desire.

Tina has her own opinion about Gabe’s sense of honor. His departure tore apart the most special of bonds and destroyed her relationship with Connor, leaving her brokenhearted. It took her a long time to pick up the pieces, a struggle she doesn’t wish to repeat. When Gabe shows up at her favorite coffee shop, she knows just where to tell him to stick his apology.

Gabe isn’t so easily put off—and Tina can’t help but respond to his seduction. Picking up where they left off is tempting, but Gabe wants her all to himself. And Tina wants the whole package, which includes Connor.

At the risk of crushing his hopes for the future, Gabe sets out to prove he’s more than enough man for her…

Warning: If piping hot sex, ménage scenes, adult toys, anal play, short blonde heroines and stacked, muscular heroes are not your cup of tea, then don’t read this book. You won’t enjoy it.

A Question of Love releases at Samhain on the 10th of November.

Jess

Wise Words From an Editor

Sherry Ricardo posted the following blog at International Heat. I thought it was a brilliant topic, which offered some excellent advice. Recently I’ve spoken to two authors who have been desperately unhappy with edits they had received. Were the editors at fault? The authors? Or were both right, but neither could see the other’s point of view? I can’t answer that.

But Sherry took it from an editor’s point of view and tried. She offers some amazing insights.

Jess

Sherry Ricardo’s Blog:

If you’re like me…

When you’ve finished a really good story, you whiz through the streets of cyberspace, searching frantically for the author’s website or blog, and that—sometimes elusive—“Contact” link so you can share your joy with said author about their fabulous story.

When you’ve finished a story that sucked, you stare at your ereading device in stupefaction, cursing at the waste of your time. If it’s an old fave who’s going downhill, you make a mental note to give them one or two more chances before you cross them off your buy list. If it’s a new-to-you author, you make a mental note to avoid said author’s work at all costs. If parts of the story were shockingly incongruous, you might ask, “How on earth did this get past an editor?” If you see a trend in that all the stories that sucked have been from a particular publisher, you make a mental note to be careful about buying stories published by that house.

The Crux

Edits can be tough. When you receive edits, don’t burn the effigy you’ve created of your evil editor because of the sea of red they desecrated your baby with. Take a step back. Then another one. And another. That’s it, you’re out of the room. Go do something else.

When you return to the computer, follow these steps:

1) Open the document and go immediately to the drop down box with viewing options.

2) Select “Final” (i.e. you don’t what to see the markup).

3) Read the story from beginning to end as if you had purchased it NOT written it. If something jumps out at you as wrong, make a note using the “Comment” option.

By this stage, two things would have happened. Either, the story sounds better than it did when you submitted it and you release a sigh of relief. Or, you had to insert tons of comments—you can burn the effigy now.

After the smoke clears, return to the document and:

4) Accept the edits you agree with.

5) Revise the sections where your editor’s changes clash with your vision.

6) Send new version to your editor.

Re: step 5—The story will be crystal clear in your head because it’s your story. Unfortunately, sometimes that vision just doesn’t make it all the way to the paper…uh…screen. I know it’s nearly impossible to be objective about your manuscript but if your editor doesn’t get a scene, some readers won’t either. So, tweak those sections.

Bottom line

For the editor-author relationship to run like a well-oiled machine, you can’t hold on for dear life to every word in your beloved manuscript. You have to be willing to make as many changes as needed so your story shines. Yes, aside from grammar and punctuation, etc. editing can be subjective. But, there are readers out there just like your editor.

Reading is a serious business and the experienced reader has no patience for crap. Sometimes you’ll see reviewers make the concession that a story was okay but it had “editing issues.” The fact of the matter is, readers rarely focus on the editor. It’s all about the author.

The Perfect Fairytale

LOLOL,

Jess

New releases from my IH sisters

This week has seen the releases of two new books from Viv Arend and Rhian Cahill.

(Yes, I like to brag about their accomplishments. Sue me.)

Check them out:

Rocky Mountain Heat Vivian Arend ISBN 978-1-59578-588-6 Blake Coleman is old enough to know that acting on impulse causes nothing but a heap of trouble. But when trouble’s a blonde wearing a cowboy hat with slim legs that go on forever, what’s a man to do? Wanting the sweet girl next door is just wrong. Hell, he was the one that taught her to ride a horse and now all he can think about is riding her. The responsible thing to do is keep his hands off. Jaxi has other plans for his hands, and his heart. She may have considered Blake a big brother once but that was a long time ago. She’s all grown up now and ready to convince him that she’s just what he’s been waiting for. Add the complication of two sexy younger brothers who have suddenly noticed Jaxi and things heat up fast. Blake’s gonna have to decide if a little trouble is worth fighting for. Read An Excerpt Here Book Length: Novella

Buy the book

$5.75

Singapore Fling
by
Rhian Cahill
Genre:
Contemporary
Length:
Novella
Carly Simmons has lusted after her boss for six months. Throwing caution to the wind while on a business trip in Singapore, she suggests a fling. When Saxon takes her up on her offer, Carly gets far more than the conservative businessman she’s expecting.

Saxon Grant is definitely up for a weekend of red-hot sex, but once he gets his hands on Carly he knows a couple of days will never be enough. Months of wanting her explode into a weekend of tangled sheets and twisted emotions.

And after one wild weekend, these two hearts will never be the same.

Buy the book $4.50

I’m off to buy the books right now.

Happy reading to all of us.

Jess