Just for fun

With thanks to Selena Illyria for passing this on to me.

Enjoy.

WHY BEING MARRIED TO A WRITER ISN’T ALWAYS A GOOD THING:

Jess

Three Of A Kind: Full House

Wowska.

I’m stunned. On Tuesday I finally completed Full House – the third and final novella in the Three of A Kind Series – and submitted it to my editor, Jennifer Miller.

(Yep, lots of rewrites on that one. With thanx to Viv Arend, Fedora Chen and Valerie Tibbs for their invaluable help in slamming the book into shape.)

Today, a mere three days later, not only did I hear back from Jennifer about the novella, but she sent through the first round of edits.

OMG! I think that has got to be the fastest turn around time – ever.

So this weekend, instead of luxuriating in the relaxation of school holidays and a long weekend, it’s time to tuck into to edits.

Am I upset?

NO WAY!

I’d been just a little terrified Jennifer wouldn’t love the book. Having the first round of edits is a wonder indeed.

So want to know what the book’s all about? Well, I’m only to happy to share the very rough draft of the blurb with you. (Just so long as you realize this is gonna change.) Oh, and be sure to check out the warning. I think it sums up the book even better than the blurb.

Full House: The Blurb

A full house beats a pair any day.

It’s been six weeks since Trev Greenfield’s casual lover, Max Ashberg left on his business trip. In that time Trev’s realized two things: he’s crazy, head-over-heels in love with Max, and he’s falling, head-first, for his new housemate, Grace Miles.

Max never expected to miss Trev quite as much as he does. Nor did he expect to develop such strong feelings for the other man. Now all he needs to do is convince Trev they’d make a top pair. Max knows Trev’s looking for a housemate, and he’s about to suggest a perfect candidate: himself. But his plans are shattered when he discovers a woman—with the face of an angel—living in the room he’d tagged as his own.

Grace never meant to fall for her new housemate, but the chemistry between them is too powerful to ignore. And when the chemistry turns to live electricity in the midst of a power failure, there’s no denying the spark that flares between the two of them. There’s also no denying the shock when Grace comes face to face with a strange—and naked—man in her new home.

It’s up to Trev to convince Grace and Max that if they’re open to the most unlikely possibilities, the three of them could be very happy together.

Warning: There’s a lot of sex in this book. I mean a lot! Hot sex. Sweaty sex. Gay sex. Straight sex. Ménage sex (M/M/F and M/F/M).  Oh, and romantic sex. Lots of romantic sex. Hot romantic sex. Sweaty romantic sex. Gay romantic sex… You getting the picture?

Full House releases on the 12th of April next year, at Samhain.

Going All In, Book 1 in the series is already available. And Raising The Stakes, Book 2, releases on the 7th of December.

Jess

One scene left to write…

Just one scene. That’s it. And the novella I have been working on for over a year will be complete.
It’s not even a long scene. A couple pages tops.
Sounds easy, huh?
Well, it’s not!
It’s kicking my butt.

Seriously, I began this story on the 27th of May last year. Isn’t that ridiculous? I mean how long can it take to write a 30k novella?

ARGH.

Please excuse me, I’m going to tear my hair out now. If you need me, just follow the trail of brown locks and painful screams.

Jess

New Blog Launch

I am very excited to tell you about a brand new blog we have just launched.

It’s called International Heat, and it features a host of erotic romance lovers – from all across the world.

International Heat is the brainchild of Viv Arend. She’s roped fellow authors Mari Carr, Jambrea Jo Jones, Lila Dubois, Rhian Cahill and me into joining her in this cool new venture.

But wait! There’s more. See it’s not only about authors. It’s about Artists (Valerie Tibbs), Editors (Sherry Ricardo) and Reviewers (T) too.

So what are you waiting for. Hop on over to our new blog and say hi!

Jess

Read an eBook Week

Yes, it’s true. I LOVE eBooks. Which would explain why I am so excited about The Reader’s Appreciation Read an eBook Week, which begins on Sunday the 8th of March.

Come and join Samhain and its authors at The Cafe for seven days of fun, chatting, excerpts and loads of prizes!

Win an eBook every hour, or go for the grand prize: an Ebookwise eReader.

I’ll be chatting on Wednesday the 11th of March at 7pm US EST for about an hour. Pop in, say hi, and hang around for a couple of excerpts from both my  available books and my book releasing on the 28th of April: Steve’s Story (Circle of Friends, Book 2).

See you there.

Jess

Only Tyler is a Bestseller!

I’m very excited to report Only Tyler is a bestseller at Samhain.Yep, it took a couple of days to hit the bestseller list, but it’s been there now since Thursday, so I’m happy. This is what the bestseller chart at MBaM looks like today:

Best Sellers:

• 1. Broken by Eve Vaughn
• 2. Take Me Again by Mackenzie McKade
• 3. Playing for Keeps by Shiloh Walker
• 4. Immersed by Liz Craven
• 5. Veiled Heat by Leigh Wyndfield
• 6. Biting Nixie by Mary Hughes
• 7. Lucas by Eliza Gayle
• 8. Only Tyler by Jess Dee
• 9. Fortune’s Promise by Karen Erickson
• 10. Second Chances by Denise Belinda McDonald

I’ve received some amazing feedback from readers. (Thank you to those of you who let me know you enjoyed the book so much.) Here’s what some of them had to say:

“I had the chance to read Only Tyler. I loved it! I can be an extremely picky reader and I usually do not like “he left me but now he’s back” kind of stories because I have a hard time warming up to the hero. But even before I knew the truth of why he left I found myself wanting her to give him another chance. Which drove me crazy because I loved Steve too! Can’t wait to see how you do his story!” (Melissa, from Joyfully Reviewed.)

“Just got done reading Only Tyler…I must say it was awesome and well worth the wait!! I started it and couldn’t stop until I finished and now I can’t wait for Steve’s!!” (Maggie J)

“…O.M.G.
Jess Dee is a wonder. That was amazing.
I really wondered how she was  going to pull it off but the story is hot, tender, sweet, sexy, makes you frustrated, makes you weepy, makes you SWEAT!
I now have another ‘re-read’ story in my files AND…
I’m dying for the sequel, Steve’s Story. All I can say is I’m glad it’s already on the ‘Coming Soon’ pages or there would be heads rolling. Waiting is going to be so hard!!!!
THANKS for writing Only Tyler. WOW!” (Vivian Arend, Author, posted at the Samhain Cafe.)

“I loved Only Tyler. It was hot, sexy, and completely Riveting. It comes with one of my highest recommendations. I couldn’t put it down till I read the last page. You have turned into a must buy for me, Jess .” (Sandie, Moderator at the Samhain Cafe.)

“Jess Dee, I have a bone to pick with you! April! I mean seriously! What were you thinking? Okay maybe the general public can wait that long for Steve but I’m special.  Right? ” (Joy, Moderator at the Samhain Cafe, who has now kidnapped Tyler and made him a part of her harem of hot, dangerous, sexy heroes.)

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to buy and read Only Tyler.

Jess

Preditors and Editors

Voting closes today, the 14th of Jan, for the Preditors and Editors Reader’s Poll 2008.

As it stands, Boys Down Under is no 14 on the Anthology list. There are still a couple more hours to cast your vote if you haven’t already done so.

Just go to the Anthology Voting Page, select Boys Down Under, add your email address to the bottom of the page and hit enter.

Jess

Kudos to Jennifer (my editor)

Don’t know about you, but I am one of those who loves tackling the first round of edits. It’s a chance for me to see my book in a whole new light – through my editor’s eyes. And I gotta say, my ed, Jennifer, picks up things I would never in a million years notice. I can’t wait to read through her notes and comments,  because I know there will be some startling revelations in there, issues that’ll change parts of my books completely. Okay, yeah, sometimes it takes a while to accept she’s right. (And let me tell you, she is always, unfailingly, unerringly right.) It’s simply a matter of coming to terms with someone else’s opinion of my baby.

So why am I telling you all this now? I guess because I am in deep edit. Have to return to my cave soon to complete the first round for Circle of Friends: Steve’s Story. There are a LOT of rewrites. A very lot. Lordy, I have to rewrite an entire love scene – chop out some very hot stuff and then add in some other very hot stuff. I even have to rewrite most of the last chapter. Then there are several thousand grammatical changes to be made, and don’t even get me started on my incorrect use of commas. Honestly, Jennifer could write an encyclopedia on my incorrect usage of that one little punctuation mark.

So hopefully I’ll be poking my head out of the cave soon, with the news that first round is finished. I’ll also nip out to post the cover for this story. Once again, Scott Carpenter has done a truly astounding job. The cover is gorgeous, hot and sexy. Just waiting for the final one to come through and I’ll display it to the world.

In the meantime, thank you, Jennifer. For helping me to make my books the best they can be.

Jess

Author Promo: Selena Illyria

A Peek into my Stories

By:

Selena Illyria

Hi Jess! Hi Everyone!

So this blog was supposed to be about Mudslide my new release from Aspen Mountain Press. Then the topic changed to At Drogan’s Command, Out Now at Changeling Press. Well, all that’s gone out the window because things have changed. I just realized that I will have four books releasing this month. Four. I am still in shock, trying to figure out how the heck this happened.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love having books out. It’s great. I’m always excited to see my title in the Coming Soon section, the joy is increased when my brand spanking new cover is added. I giggle like a loon and spend the rest of the day on cloud nine. I go back, like a dork, and look at it.

It always gives me glee. Then comes the promoting of the book or in this case books. I’m excited and nervous. Excited that a new story is coming out and nervous about the reaction. There’s nothing like hearing that a reader liked the book that you wrote, liked the world you created and hopes you write more in that world. I truly do hope readers enjoy the story I’m presenting.

These last few weeks I’ve taken readers to a paranormal bar where the future demon king found his mate and to the stars where a ship’s Captain had his dream woman at his command. And soon, I’ll take you to the future where a few of Earth’s children are given psychic abilities. The Roman God Pluto gets an unexpected offering and two vampyres are trapped in an old in with passion burning between them.

Where do some of these ideas come from? Well, I can tell you from anywhere and everywhere. I could be talking to friends and suddenly, IDEA! Or throwing ideas on a wall with fellow writers. Two story ideas that I love are Mudslide and At Drogan’s Command.

Mudslide took me into the world of demons. I had wanted to do a story for the Del Fantasma line at Aspen Mountain Press but wasn’t sure where to go. After a bit of musing and talking with fellow writers, I decided to try my hand at demons. I had done it for my Friday Flash series (which sorely needs updating) but not for a full length book. The book was fun to write and went quickly. I was nervous and excited once the book was released. I can’t wait to dive back into the world of the demons again.

Drogan was my first foray into Sci-Fi with some BDSM. I was scared, nervous and excited. I adore this story and its hero. The story started out being for a contest but went over the word limit. After some additions and changes it is the story you see today. I had never thought of trying Sci-Fi until this story and now I want to do more. I even want to try writing some cyber punk. *Grin*

Here are some peeks into the stories mentioned above. I hope you enjoy them. Hugs.

Del Fantasma: Mudslide

Blurb:

Pietro, future king of the demons is looking for a mate. He doesn’t expect to find her in mortal, Callisto Monroe. At first he wanted a fling but as be begins to bond with her, he ends up falling in love with her. He claims her as his mate and future queen of the demons.

Callisto Monroe works a negotiator for the paranormal world. When she goes to a friend’s wedding and meets sexy as sin demon, Pietro, sparks fly. She agrees to spend the weekend with him. When she finds out he is the future king of the demons, their growing relationship takes on a whole new dimension.

Can he convince her that they should be together despite the fact that she is mortal and he is a demon?

Buy Link:
http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/del-fantasma-mudslide/prod_192.html

At Drogan’s Command

Blurb:
One little disc . . .

One little disc contains the only evidence of Rena’s wanton weekend where she enacted every sexual fantasies she’s ever had and a few about her crush Drogan Carter, Captain of the Hades’ Helmet. What will she do when the disc falls into the wrong hands?

When Drogan finds the disc and watches the contents, at first he feels guilt but soon that turns to need. He wants the carefree, sexual woman on the disc and in his bed. He forms a plan that will get her right where he wants her . . . at his command.

Buy Link:
http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1034

Excerpt Link:
http://www.changelingpress.com/content.php?utype=note&uid=3248

Spotlight on: Sami Lee

Yes, Sami’s blogged here before. But I am thrilled to have her back. Especially as she is chatting about her incredibly hot new novella, Chasing Sunset.

I won’t waste your time, other than to wish Sami congrats on the release of this awesome book, and congrats for hitting the no 2 spot on MBAM’s bestseller list!!!

Heeeeeeeeeere’s Sami:

SAMI LEE:

I’m so happy to be here blogging at Jess’s place. If you all don’t know already (not likely, as I know Jess has made use of every opportunity to tell you ☺), my latest release has been unleashed on the reading public this week. It’s called Chasing Sunset and it’s my first ever ménage themed story.

Something you might not know is that Jess and I shared this experience of being newbie ménage romance writers, and you wouldn’t believe some of the strange email correspondence that went back and forth during the writing process. We weren’t really sure what readers expected in a ménage. We knew some ended in a HEA for all three characters, while some didn’t. I knew how my story was going to end from the first page, but I wasn’t sure if it would work for all readers (that’s for others to judge I suppose). There was also some intriguing discussion about the logistical issues of where everything was supposed to, ah, go, the difference between m/f/m and m/m/f and which fit better with our story and why… you get the drift. In the end I think we both decided that you can only write what you’re comfortable writing, that as the author (or the supreme ruler of my fictional universe as I like to be called) only we can decide how our own individual stories are going to play out. I only hope that readers enjoy Chasing Sunset half as much as I know they’ve loved A Question of Trust.

Here’s a brief description of the story:

Sidney McCall is shocked when her boyfriend Drew arranges a special surprise for their anniversary—a night of no-holds-barred passion with him and his best friend Brody. She’s always harbored a secret desire to take on two men at the same time, and what follows is the most satisfying night Sidney’s ever experienced. When she intimates she wouldn’t mind a repeat performance, she doesn’t realize she’s opening a Pandora’s Box. Now, with two men vying for her affections, what started as nothing more than a harmless sexual dalliance just got a whole lot more serious.

Available now from MBaM @ http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shop/product.da/chasing-sunset.

You can also read the blurb and an excerpt at MBaM and you get a discount for buying in the week of release, which is a nice bonus for those who just can’t wait to get their hands on it ☺. Which I know is simply ALL of you, he he.

Because I know the blasted financial crises is playing havoc with everyone’s book buying budget, I’d also like to give away a free copy of one of my back titles. To be in the running, all you have to do is email me at sami.lee7@yahoo.com.au before Sunday midnight, tell me your first name and put Sami Lee Freebie in the subject line. I’ll pick a winner at random (it really is random—my daughter picks the names out of a hat), and be in touch. That’s all you’ve got to do and you could be reading a hot romance for free.

Happy reading everyone, and thanks for having me Jess.

Sami
PS. If you don’t know me yet, feel free to stop by my website @ www.samilee.com or blog @ http://sami-lee.blogspot.com to check out my slowly expanding backlist. Hey, with two kids under school age I’m going as fast as I can. Please stay tuned.