As a reader, I love books with dark, sexy heroes who meet their match in strong, vibrant women. And as I writer, I strive create heroes and heroines just like that in both my historicals and my paranormal contemporaries–men that melt your senses meeting women that inspire your spirit and finding a love that fills your heart. Everyday I realize more and more that the most important thing in life is learning to love yourself and others. So today for a little fun and a lot of love I want to hear from all of you readers and writers out in Fresh Fiction land. Tell me about your favorite heroes. What are they like and why do you love them? He can be a real-life hero you know, or he can be one created by your favorite author. And if any of you have had the opportunity to read any of my books, then I would love to hear, which of my fictional heroes was your favorite and why? I’ll be off to the Romantic Times Convention come Monday and invite any of you to stop by and say hello. Happy ReadingJennifer St. Giles Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about…
I’ve been talking on the radio all morning long about my new young adult novel, Paraworld Zero… literally. 18 radio interviews, back-to-back. Just about all of the interviewers had one question in common, so I’ll address that topic, which is… drum roll, please. Now that Harry Potter is over (and even that is questionable) how do we get young adults to keep reading? Being a father of five boys–all of whom enjoy fighting with light sabers on a daily basis–I have my work cut out for me. After watching my book’s video trailer on my website (http://www.paraworlds.com/) a dozen times yesterday, my oldest son said he couldn’t wait for me to put the rest of my book into a movie, so that he wouldn’t have to read it. He’s only eight-years old, so it’s understandable that he’s not into reading just quite yet, but his comment made me realize that I’m going to have to work harder at helping him to enjoy reading. The first step is to understand your child’s interests. I have boys who can’t get enough fantasy and science fiction in their lives. They breath it in like air. So I naturally need to pick some shorter…
New Year’s is a day of reflection and recovery in some cases and most certainly resolutions. Here are a few I’ve heard from family, friends, book club members and other readers for 2008. Read more…As a book club member I vow to read at least ONE book of each author chosen within the month of their appearance. I’m planning on reading more books outside my comfort reads, maybe I’ll even try a vampire book To read other books in 2008 including mysteries, maybe even a cozy To make more time for reading by not forcing myself to finish a book that isn’t working Go to book signings and not feel too shy finish the Jane Austen books before watching the miniseries on PBS Masterpiece Theatre and so on… As for me, I plan to keep on reading and not ever feel guilty for “skipping the filler” when it bogs down. I am also, gulp, get rid of a few books. Yeah, right! What’s your resolution for 2008? Is there a genre or author you’ve avoided? Do you plan on pruning your library? Tell us! Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.
I’ve been an avid reader since I was ten years old. Blame it on the elementary school’s reading program (re: read twenty books in a month and win a prize!). I wanted that prize, so I read the twenty books. Along the way, I discovered…I LOVED reading. Since then, I’ve always had my nose stuck in a book, much to my childhood best friend’s annoyance. When I was in tenth grade and my older sister was in twelfth, she brought home an assigned reading book. The fiction book sat in the exact same spot she’d dumped it—on the chair next to the stairs—for days. After a week of passing by this book, I picked it up and read the blurb on the back. A mystery to solve and a love story…hmmm, it didn’t sound too bad. I sat down that night and read the entire book and I loved it! I was so excited about the story that I told my sister all about it, hoping I could get her excited enough to read it herself. While I blabbed on and on, my sister nodded and uh huh’d and smiled. The next day she wrote the book report and turned…
After 21 published novels, and numerous reprints of my old titles, I’m getting ready once again to contract with my publisher to write some more books. It’s always an interesting time for me, because I get to pick new characters, new plot twists, and new storylines. As I go through this process, I’m interested in what readers think. I’m renowned as “The Queen” of erotic romance, as well as “The Queen” of villains, so I write a story that’s very different from mainstream romance. My books are very plot driven. By this I mean they’re very fast-paced, with a focus on action and dialogue. They’re also very passionate and very dramatic, with extremely evil villains. If you’re one of my fans, and have read some (or all!) of my novels, I would love to hear what you enjoy about them. For example, is it the macho heroes? The great sex scenes? The heartbreak? The drama? The villains? What do you relish the most? Also, what could I leave out or tone down? The answers to these questions help me pinpoint the direction my books should go. If you haven’t read my books before, I’m curious as to why not. Is…
Book club last night was great. Of course, that had a lot to do with fact that this month’s author, Shanna Swendson, was there in person rather than over the phone. Shanna, Harry Potter fan that she is, even provided a couple of meal suggestions for June or July’s (I forget) Harry Potter themed book club menu. Besides that, how could you not like someone who has enough humor to admit that her longest relationship so far has been her four year crush on one of the local TV news guys?!The idea behind her Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc. series came from a trip to New York City with friends after she had some knee surgery done. There Shanna was moving around NYC not totally sure footed and she received nothing but kindness and assistance from the locals. Her friends apparently did not get that same polite experience in NYC. A few years later, she thought to combine the concept of the two different experiences she and her friends had in NYC with her love of Harry Potter (did I mention Shanna’s a fan) and Chick Lit (which she sees as the style most like her life). The Magic, Spells,…
Jade Lee and Sasha Lord were having a great time at the RT Booklovers Conference in Houston. It’s only Friday afternoon and Jade’s quiet — no voice! But she was able to stop by and chat with the Fresh Fiction crew for a time on Friday afternoon. She was joined by Sasha Lord who told us all about the book she’s finishing to be published in 2008! And it sounds terrific since she confessed to keeping it under her pillow at night! Sounds like a keeper to me if the author doesn’t want to let go of it! Jade’s next book will be on the shelves in June, TEMPTED TIGRESS, the sixth in the Tigress series of very sensual historicals set in China. Another winner guaranteed! We also ran across an old friend from DFW area — debut author Tracy Garrett. She was excited to show us the promo postcard for her book TOUCH OF TEXAS, on shelves October 2nd at a very special price! The cover is DE*lic*ious! Gotta love the cowboy, especially a Texan cowboy! It is tiring to be go-go-go at the RT gathering. We spotted a grouping of authors lurking, ah, resting, under the escalators. JC…