Negotiation
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Author: Jeffe Kennedy
//Working Up My TED Talk
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Let’s Talk About TALON!
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Wow – I can’t believe we’re almost to release day for THE TALON OF THE HAWK!
I’ve had this date in my calendar since my agent sold the trilogy in late 2012. It’s kind of like finally getting to go on an amazing vacation I started planning three years ago.
The most fun aspect is finally having people read the book – and talk about it! Here’s two great posts from the last couple of days.
Mala Bhattacharjee did an amazing First Look at Heroes and Heartbreakers.
And Veronica Scott has a terrific interview posted at the Sci-Fi Encounters column on the USA Today HEA blog.
A Look Behind BEHIND THE MASK
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Guess what’s out today?? YES! The fourth book in Carolyn Crane’s Associates series, BEHIND THE MASK.
You guys, this story is so super hot, twisty and amazing.
You can take that with a grain of salt, as it’s no secret that Carolyn is my CP (critique partner) and bestie. However, that means two things – I read this story first, before ANY of you could (ha ha ha!) and I’m the one who egged her on to do more, go farther, give me that hot steamy dark smexy.
Let me set the scene. Carolyn was here in Santa Fe, visiting me last February. We went out walking, to see some art in the galleries, do a bit of boutique shopping. Then we settled into the bar at Inn at Loretto, which is one of my favorite bars in Santa Fe. We scored a table by the fireplace, drank wine, and I fed her notes from my Kindle about sex, death and other fabulously intense elements.
Sometimes I wonder what people at the other tables nearby were thinking…
Now, I’m not sure what Carolyn did with this and others of my suggestions, as I haven’t read her final version. However, I can’t wait to read it again and see! She’s such a brilliant writer and works magic in revisions. The story blew me away in rough draft – it might kill me in its final form. Which it sounds like it’s doing to others, like in this review at That’s What I’m Talking About.
At any rate, I’m giving away a digital copy in the format of choice to a random commenter! Tell me what intrigues you about this story by midnight US Eastern Time on May 21 and I’ll choose a winner. The official blurb is below.
When her long lost sister – a prostitute – is won in a card game by a brutal drug cartel, Zelda knows what she has to do: take her place. Save her. Focus on infiltrating the shadowy group on behalf of the Associates, and try not to think about why she left the spying game years ago. She’s slept with dangerous criminals before; she can do it again.
Hugo Martinez is one of South America’s most lethal and wanted men, a legendary mercenary living on a windswept mountain. Even at the height of the war he wasn’t in the habit of taking women captive, but the American whore has seen his face. And he and the orphan boy need a cook. He shouldn’t want this woman, but there’s something so unusual about her…
Little by little, Zelda finds herself falling for her captor…but is he the killer she’s been hunting all these years?
My TROPHY
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So, yeah, okay – I’m still giddy.
Just look at the gorgeous trophy RT Book Reviews gave me for The Mark of the Tala. The Awards Night was amazing and fun. The whole conference was. I shall put up more pics and tell stories as I get back in the groove!
Your Infrequently Asked Questions
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I’m at the RT Booklovers Convention (#RT15) this week, so I’ve scheduled this post ahead of time. At any rate, the topic for this week in my future, your present, is Your Infrequently Asked Questions.
An Interview with Agent Emily S. Keyes
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I had the opportunity to chat a bit with Emily S. Keyes, an agent with my agency, Fuse Literary. Head over to the RMFW blog to learn a bit more about her before you meet her at the Colorado Gold Conference!
Social Media Gaffes
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I’m over at Word Whores today, talking about my formative influences in celebration of Mother’s Day. And also about the worst thing anyone has done to me on social media.
Talon, Castle, Assassins and Sheep
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Look what arrived late last night! Yes, the UPS guy came by around 7:30 with this largesse. Finished copies of THE TALON OF THE HAWK!!! I may have fondled them.
I’m over at the Contemporary Romance Cafe today, for my usual first Thursday post, talking about prickly heroines and mixing it up with Ursula from TALON and Detective Kate Beckett from Castle.
Also, I did a really fun interview with Jennifer Estep over at Magical Musings. It includes a giveaway! In my typical style, after I glommed her terrific Elemental Assassin series, I stalked her on Twitter and made her be my friend. She kindly suggested doing this post, for which we are now both grateful, being equally crazy getting ready for the RT Convention. I get to have brunch with her there and meet for reals – very much looking forward to that!
Finally, the crazy gals at I Smell Sheep also did an interview with me and are hosting a giveaway also. More than you *ever* wanted to know about me?
Possible. Entirely possible.
All The Things! #RT15 Bound
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Yesterday I revealed the cover for UNDER CONTRACT, the third book in my FALLING UNDER series. I’m really loving this one – particularly because this is exactly how I picture my Los Angeles heroine, Celestina Sala. I had the idea/fantasy of this book a long time ago, but when it came to writing it, the execution was not easy. Early reader reports are that I got the power balance and compliance questions just right. Such a relief!
The kinkier the sex, the higher the price tag…
Ryan Black has admired Celestina Sala from afar for years, her lush body and sensual nature calling to the dominant in him. For just as many years, Celestina was off-limits—married, proud and self-sufficient. But all that has changed, and now Celestina is in debt and in need…and available. Ryan proposes a contract: he’ll pay off her debt if she gives herself to him in bed, yielding control in exchange for the pain and pleasure he’ll bring them both.
There are words for women who take money for sex, and none of them are nice ones. Celestina never thought she’d have to sink this low, but giving up control sounds more enticing than ever before. And suddenly it’s not about having to give in to Ryan. It’s about wanting to.
But when Ryan’s dark past comes to light, they may both be in over their heads. The terms of his contract say her body is his…but her heart may be another story.
One thing is for sure—now that Ryan has Celestina, he can never let her go.
This week I’m prepping to leave for the RT Booklovers Convention and, speaking of delicate execution of consent issues, one of the many, many (oh, so many!) things I’ll be doing there is giving a craft workshop on Walking the Line of Consent. I’ve given that workshop online before, but it should be very interesting to do in person.
You can see all of my appearances here. Not on that list is the Giant Book Fair on Saturday, May 16. It runs from 11 to 2 and is open to the public! So, even if you’re not going to the convention, you can still come by the fair! There will be TONS of authors signing both your keeper books and ones for sale. There will be maps, so you can find specific authors easily – including me! If you’re in the Dallas area, come on by and visit. I’ll have prezzies to give away. 🙂
See you in Dallas, I hope!