This Winter Heart

PG Forte’s steampunk story for the Clockwork Christmas anthology made me cry. She has a way of presenting you with one character and making you feel for that character, so much that you live in that character’s shoes and understand exactly where they’re coming from. In THIS WINTER HEART, I felt for Ophelia, completely. I was firmly on her side…until PG showed me the other side of the story, and then I was torn.  Because the other side of the story is his side. I’d already decided Dario was being ridiculous and unreasonable and the heroine had every right to be pissed…but then she started to reveal his reasoning, his hurt and how badly he felt betrayed. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotion, and I’m so lucky to have gotten the “advance” ticket.

So today’s question is about emotional journeys. Please comment for a chance to win a complete set of the novella trading cards. The characters from your favourite stories, the ones that stay with you for a long time…do you think it’s because their journey was deeper, emotionally? Their baggage harder to overcome? What is it about a character that makes you remember them?

Blurb:

Santa Fe, The Republic of New Texacali, 1870

Eight years ago, Ophelia Leonides's husband cast her off when he discovered she was not the woman he thought she was. Now destitute after the death of her father, Ophelia is forced to turn to Dario for help raising the child she never told him about.

Dario is furious that Ophelia has returned, and refuses to believe Arthur is his son—after all, he thought his wife was barren. But to avoid gossip, he agrees to let them spend the holidays at his villa. While he cannot resist the desire he still feels for Ophelia, Dario despises himself for being hopelessly in love with a woman who can never love him back.

But Dario is wrong: Ophelia's emotions are all too human, and she was brokenhearted when he rejected her. Unsure if she can trust the man she desperately loves, she fears for her life, her freedom and her son if anyone else learns of her true nature...

Wanted: One Scoundrel

I've been so lucky to be a part of this fantastic anthology called A Clockwork Christmas. If you haven't heard about it yet, it's a collection of wicked steampunk novellas with a holiday theme, available on Dec 5 -- just in time for Christmas!

Jenny Schwartz's contribution, Wanted: One Scoundrel,is beautifully told. She draws you into her story so deeply you can feel the breeze on your face, you can see the small town of Swan River and you follow Jed and Esme's journey with a smile on your face for their snappy back and forth. Jenny also has a way with the steampunk gadgetry that is absolutely brilliant :)

I loved this story and I have to admit -- I'm already counting the days until the sequel.

For a set of romance trading cards for all of the novellas in A Clockwork Christmas, please comment. Today's question is about gadgets. What steampunk accessory MUST you have? (I heard the most amazing idea recently for a steampunk coffee machine that I don't think I could live without)

Blurb for WANTED: ONE SCOUNDREL:

All suffragette Esme Smith wants is a man. A scoundrel to be precise. Someone who can be persuaded to represent her political views at men-only clubs. As the daughter of the richest man in Australia, Esme can afford to make it worth the right man's while.

Fresh off the boat, American inventor Jed Reeve is intrigued by Esme's proposal, but even more interested in the beauty herself. Amused that she takes him for a man who lives by his wits, he accepts the job—made easier by the fact that he already shares her ideals. Soon, he finds himself caught up in political intrigue, kidnapping and blackmail, and trying to convince his employer he's more than just a scoundrel...






Tomorrow, I'll be sharing THIS WINTER HEART by PG Forte

One More Week!

I can't believe A Clockwork Christmas is going to be available to buy from Carina Press in one more week! All this week I'm going to be talking about the stories and giving away sets of our romance trading cards, so I hope you'll join me.

Monday: Wanted: One Scoundrel, by Jenny Schwartz
Tuesday: This Winter Heart, by PG Forte
Wednesday: Crime Wave in a Corset, by Stacy Gail

My Thank You Letter

I wanted to say thanks to someone special. Someone who's been there from the beginning and really gets where I'm coming from and why it's all so important today. Please check out my special letter on Rachel Firasek's blog as part of her Thanksgiving event.

Holiday Giveaways!

Carina Press is doing a giveaway this week for ebook and exclusive print copies of their holiday anthologies. Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/CarinaPress?sk=app_121121694568521

now to 11/22, 6 pm EST: HOLIDAY KISSES
11/23 to 11/24, 6 pm EST: MEN UNDER THE MISTLETOE
11/25 to 11/26, 6 pm EST: A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS

 

Hot Angels

As part of the Hot Angels/Cool Demons blog tour, I figured I should show off my "hot angel", Gabriel, from FALLING HARD.

Gabriel is everything you love to hate in a celebrity. He’s a rock star. A hard-living, selfish musician whose music causes radio stations to go crazy with the bleeping, whose dirty jeans and Strokes t-shirt becomes immediate high fashion with misguided teenagers, and whose self-destructive behaviour makes everyone else shake their head. A bad boy of rock and roll--and he has all the angst and baggage that goes along with it. But after a devastating loss a year ago, he's tried to set his life to rights and may finally be on the right track...

Until he discovers he and the devil share a soul and that Lucifer will stop at nothing to use Gabriel as his ticket to living and breathing once more.

The only thing standing between Gabriel and destruction is the angel Amelia. The opposite of him in every way. Light to his dark. Calm to his anger and pain. Gabriel's turbulent emotions too often get the better of him, while Amelia's concrete control over hers only makes him want to work harder to ruffle her feathers.

As the darkness grows inside him, Gabriel begins to think not even Amelia can save him, and why should she? He has never doubted he was no good and he definitely doesn't deserve to be saved. How can Gabriel fight something he can't see, that's inside of him, a part of him? Should he even try?

Find out in FALLING HARD from Carina Press!

"Rocker. Emotionally scarred bad boy. Literal inner demons. Possible apocalypse. OK; truth be told, this book had me at the “rocker” and the rest was just icing on an already tempting brownie." ~ from BJ at Dark Side of the Covers Reviews

Don't forget! Commenters here and on the rest of the blog tour are eligible for great prizes! I'll be giving away a copy of FALLING HARD and a set of my romance trading cards! 

Excerpt:

Amelia circled until she could look into his hard face. Despite his public success and wealth, Gabriel’s was a face that had lived with much pain. She knew better than most what he’d gone through, since she had been there, seen it happen.


She’d experienced it with the detachment of her emotionless existence, but now there were too many feelings warring within her, swamping her with hurt and guilt and loneliness. All the images of 

Gabriel's past came back to haunt her. Amelia didn’t know how to make them stop. Maybe she deserved to feel his pain now as if it were her own.

She did the only thing she could think of. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth softly to his, kissing him.

The sharp electric shock flaring between them was instantaneous. A stronger, deeper expression of the awareness and heat that had been building inside her, simmering just under the surface since their first meeting.

Spooked, she pulled back almost instantly, but Gabriel growled deeply and followed her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, crushing his lips to hers in firm, unrelenting hunger. It felt alien and wonderful at the same time. Amelia couldn’t fight it, however wrong, however forbidden. She wanted to explore these feelings she’d been given, was tired of pretending she didn’t have them.

After only a brief hesitation, she slid her hands up his chest, twined her fingers around his neck. The measured beating of her heart was a deafening hammering in her ears. She felt it pounding away and wondered if Gabriel could feel it too.

His soft lips felt sinful, so incredible. She moaned and Gabriel responded in kind, pressing for more, sliding his tongue over the seam of her lips before slipping inside to sweep her mouth. Again and again until she matched him, giving him her tongue so that they dueled together in a slick, sensual challenge.

Her gasp broke through their heavy breathing and deep kisses as Gabriel’s hands pushed beneath the hem of her shirt. His calloused fingers were rough on the smooth skin of her waist, up the length of her spine, splaying over her back and pressing her closer to him as if they could melt into each other and become one person.


Regret and disappointment. That’s what she felt when he finally broke away to look into her face. Her gaze was caught by the drugging temptation of his mouth, and she self-consciously bit her lip against the urge to kiss him again.


Don't forget to visit all the other participants of the Hot Angels/Cool Demons blog tour!

Nov.13	Misty Malone
Nov.14	Jay Di Meo	http://jaydimeo.wordpress.com
Nov.15	Ellis Carrington	http://elliscarrington.wordpress.com
Nov.16	Daniel Christian Juris	http://dcjuris.blogspot.com
Nov.17	JK Coi	www.jkcoi.blogspot.com
Nov.18	Kiki Howell	http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com
Nov.19	Michael Mandrake	http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com
Nov.20	Angel Martinez	http://www.freewebs.com/angelwrites
Nov.21	Marie Dees	http://mariedees.com
Nov.22	Sara York	http://sarayork.blogspot.com
Nov.23	Barbara Elsborg	www.barbaraelsborg.blogspot.com
Nov.24	Hayley B. James	www.hayleybjames.com
Nov.25	Ryssa Edwards	http://www.ryssaedwards.net/blog
Nov.26	Andi Anderson	http://andiandersonauthor.blogspot.com
Nov.27	Arlene Webb	http://www.arlenewebb.blogspot.com
Nov.28	Diane Hartsock	http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/my-blog/
Nov.29	Kiernan Kelly	http://kiernan-kelly.blogspot.com
Nov.30	Tour Wrap Up Jay Di Meo, Misty Malone, & Marie Dees	http://jaydimeo.wordpress.com

Hot Angels/Cool Demons

I'm taking part in a blog tour celebrating Hot Angels and Cool Demons, which kicks off today at the blog of Jay Di Meo with a post from author Misty Malone.

I'll be blogging as part of the tour on November 17, so stop by and check it out. There'll be a copy of FALLING HARD and a set of romance trading cards up for grabs, and also a ton of great prizes from the other tour contributors. Here's the list of authors taking part.

Schedule of the Hot Angels and Cool Demons Blog Tour:

Nov 14	Jay Di Meo	http://jaydimeo.wordpress.com
Nov 15	Ellis Carrington	http://elliscarrington.wordpress.com
Nov 16	Daniel Christian Juris	http://dcjuris.blogspot.com
Nov 17	JK Coi	www.jkcoi.blogspot.com
Nov 18	Kiki Howell	http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com
Nov 19	Michael Mandrake	http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com
Nov 20	Angel Martinez	http://www.freewebs.com/angelwrites
Nov 21	Marie Dees	http://mariedees.com
Nov 22	Sara York	http://sarayork.blogspot.com
Nov 23	Barbara Elsborg	www.barbaraelsborg.blogspot.com
Nov 24	Hayley B. James	www.hayleybjames.com
Nov 25	Ryssa Edwards	http://www.ryssaedwards.net/blog
Nov 26	Andi Anderson	http://andiandersonauthor.blogspot.com
Nov 27	Arlene Webb	http://www.arlenewebb.blogspot.com
Nov 28	Cate Masters	http://catemasters.blogspot.com
Nov 29	Kiernan Kelly	http://kiernan-kelly.blogspot.com
Nov 30	Tour Wrap Up Jay Di Meo, Misty Malone, & Marie Dees	http://jaydimeo.wordpress.com

Everybody's Doing It. Are You?

Are you doing NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, and every year thousands--yes, thousands--of writers participate. Young, old. Published, unpublished. Newbie, veteran. It doesn't matter. The rules are the same for everyone.

What are they?

Simple.

Write 50,000 words in one month, starting on November 1 and finishing on November 30 (which is roughly 1700 words per day)

This can be tough for some people, and a snap for others. I've done it before and while I have made the 50,000 word goal some years, I've failed (miserably) in other years.

The trick is to keep writing. Don't edit. Don't second guess yourself, your story, your characters goals, motivation or conflict. Just write. Get it all out on the page. Recognize and accept the fact that what you're left with at the end of the month is likely to be utter crap, but that at least it will be something you can work to fix in December (and probably January).

I'm not "technically" doing NaNoWriMo this year (first time in a while) but only because I'm expecting some edits to roll in any day. However, until those edits come down the shoot, I will be writing as much as I can. I'm working on the steampunk sequel to FAR FROM BROKEN, and so far the first day of my NotQuiteNaNo went well. 

How about you? Are you doing it?

Also, head on over to The Romance Reviews. In November, they are holding a fabulous contest with tons of prizes, including some stuff from...me! :)

Cynthia Sax’s Soundtrack To Stories

One of my favorite scenes J.K. has ever written is the opening scene from Falling Hard . Gabriel is on stage, performing, and, when I read the words, I hear the music. That’s how vivid and lush and emotional the writing is.

For me, writing and music goes hand in hand. I always have a soundtrack in my head for every story. With Lust by Moonbeam , my latest release, that soundtrack has evolved. Of course, the music I played over and over again was the original theme song for Star Wars . That’s a no-brainer as nothing says to-the-death battles and against-all-odds love and vast, glorious space like Star Wars. The hubby, a former D.J., would play Katy Perry’s E.T. every time I mentioned Moonbeam. He’d tease me, calling Rellec, the hero, a “big-headed astronaut.” (He isn’t a big-headed astronaut. He’s a sexy mechanic from another planet.)

The song I now play while working on the sequel to Lust by Moonbeam is Simple Plan’s Lust by Astronaut . This song perfectly captures the aching loneliness of the alien males. They’ve left their home planet and everything they’ve ever known to collect their human mates. Their knowledge of English and North American customs is limited, and they’re alone, so very alone. They have this one chance to find a mate. If they fail…well, as Rellec says “Failure is NOT an option.”

Do you listen to music while you read or write? What songs do you associate with stories?

Lust by Moonbeam is now available from Ellora’s Cave.

Cynthia Sax
Erotic Romance With A Hint Of Humor

Blurb:

Cathy arrives at Moonbeam, the Roswell of the North, with one goal—to prove the mysterious dead tree circles are not caused by UFOs. Meeting a devastatingly handsome lumberjack with unusual blue and green eyes is a bonus. He thinks he’s an alien, but that doesn’t bother Cathy. She can tolerate a little crazy in a one-night stand, especially since Rellec claims her body as no sane man ever has—with the hungry touch of forever.

Rellec arrives at Moonbeam with one goal—to retrieve his assigned mate, ensuring the continuation of his species. Having trained long and hard for his erotic mission, he is determined to satisfy his tiny human female and overcome her objections with out-of-this-world passion.

Failure is not an option.

Ouch, ouch, ouch

Yesterday was not my best day...

I had to have 4 impacted teeth removed. Two wisdom teeth, and two teeth that were up in my jaw, just beneath my nose. Yeah...ouch! I won't regale you with the details of the procedure. Really just because halloween is around the corner doesn't mean you all want to know these things. Let's just say that I kind of feel like a cross between Frankenstein's monster and a boxer who just took the beating of his life.

The worst part besides being pretty tired, is not being able to eat. At first I didn't want to anyway, but today all I can think about is food. I want steak. I want crunchy vegetables. I want chocolate.

I'm stuck with broths and jello. *sigh*

I guess it's the perfect diet :)

She's alive! Alive!!

Chloe Jacobs is alive! How do I know...she's got a website! And a Twitter feed! Not to mention a Facebook account and a Goodreads profile!

LOL

If only that was really the measure to go by, right?

True, Chloe Jacobs technically isn't real. I mean, not according to any official census or birth registry. But she's real to me because she's writing from my head, telling the stories that live in me. It doesn't really matter what name she uses, at least not from the creative perspective. But in other respects it does, which is why I'm posting this--because while I'm obviously not hiding the fact that I am now going to be writing under two different names, I still think there should be a separation between the two different focuses and I just want to make sure that doesn't create any confusion as time goes on.

I hope everyone is going to love Chloe and the stories she tells!

Meet Chloe Jacobs

It's official, my YA work will be published under the name Chloe Jacobs, and you can find her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Jacobs_Chloe

A Clockwork Christmas

I'm so excited to finally be able to share details of the upcoming A Clockwork Christmas Anthology! The Holidays can't come fast enough :)



We Wish You a Steampunk Christmas

Changed forever after tragedy, a woman must draw strength from her husband's love. A man learns that love isn't always what you expect. A thief steals the heart of a vengeful professor. And an American inventor finds love Down Under. Enjoy Victorian Christmas with a clockwork twist in these four steampunk novellas.

Anthology includes:
Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy Gail
This Winter Heart by PG Forte
Wanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny Schwartz
Far From Broken by JK Coi

Stories also available for purchase separately.


WANTED: ONE SCOUNDREL by Jenny Schwartz

All suffragette Esme Smith wants is a man. A scoundrel to be precise. Someone who can be persuaded to represent her political views at men-only clubs. As the daughter of the richest man in Australia, Esme can afford to make it worth the right man’s while.

Fresh off the boat, American inventor Jed Reeve is intrigued by Esme’s proposal, but even more interested in the beauty herself. Amused that she takes him for a man who lives by his wits, he accepts the job—made easier by the fact that he already shares her ideals. Soon, he finds himself caught up in political intrigue, kidnapping and blackmail, and trying to convince his employer he’s more than just a scoundrel…

THIS WINTER HEART by PG Forte

Santa Fe, The Republic of New Texacali, 1870

Eight years ago, Ophelia Leonides's husband cast her off when he discovered she was not the woman he thought she was. Now destitute after the death of her father, Ophelia is forced to turn to Dario for help raising the child she never told him about.

Dario is furious that Ophelia has returned, and refuses to believe Arthur is his son—after all, he thought his wife was barren. But to avoid gossip, he agrees to let them spend the holidays at his villa. While he cannot resist the desire he still feels for Ophelia, Dario despises himself for being hopelessly in love with a woman who can never love him back.

But Dario is wrong: Ophelia's emotions are all too human, and she was brokenhearted when he rejected her. Unsure if she can trust the man she desperately loves, she fears for her life, her freedom and her son if anyone else learns of her true nature...


CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET by Stacy Gail

Roderick Coddington is on a mission to make Cornelia Peabody pay. After identifying her as the thief who stole a priceless Faberge egg from his dying sister, he finds her and shackles a deadly timepiece to her arm. If she doesn't return the egg by Christmas morning, she will die.

Normally seven days is more than enough time for Cornelia to carry out the perfect crime, but Roderick's intrusion into her life is beyond distracting. He challenges her mind, and ignites her body with desire she's never felt before. But worst of all, he threatens the independence she values above all else…

As Roderick spends time with Cornelia, he realizes there's a lonely soul hidden beneath her beautiful but criminal veneer. Falling for a thief wasn't part of Roderick's plan, but plans can change and he has no intention of letting another priceless treasure get away from him.

FAR FROM BROKEN by JK Coi

Soldier. Spymaster. Husband.

Colonel Jasper Carlisle was defined by his work until he met his wife. When the prima ballerina swept into his life with her affection, bright laughter and graceful movements, he knew that she was the reason for his existence, and that their love would be forever.

But their world is shattered when Callie is kidnapped and brutally tortured by the foes Jasper has been hunting. Mechanical parts have replaced her legs, her hand, her eye...and possibly her heart. Though she survived, her anger at Jasper consumes her, while Jasper's guilt drives him from the woman he loves. He longs for the chance to show her their love can withstand anything...including her new clockwork parts.

As the holiday season approaches, Jasper realizes he must fight not just for his wife's love and forgiveness...but also her life, as his enemy once again attempts to tear them apart.

See You Soon

I'm off to the Romanticon Conference! Have fun while I'm gone. While I'm in Ohio I'll be presenting a workshop, signing books, and having a grand time! I promise to tell you all about it when I get back :)

Welcome to...

I was very excited when the announcement came down from on high this week about my new contract! If you missed it, here's the Publishers Marketplace notice:

Children's: Young Adult
J.K. Coi's upper YA debut, GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING, in which a seventeen-year-old now trapped in a fairytale world after falling through a portal trying to save her brother from the witch's fire, is pursued by a sexy young Goblin King as she fights to find a way home for herself and the ragtag group of boys marooned on that side of the veil, to Heather Howland at Entangled, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in Fall 2012 (World).

Yep, you've got it right. I'm writing YA. Now, as some of you will already know, this book didn't start out as a YA but it did have the right voice for YA, and I'm excited for the opportunity to make some changes until it's just perfect.

Now, the only thing to decide is whether I'll be writing under a different name for my YA books, and what that name might be...


On another note, if anyone is in the Toronto area tomorrow, September 25, stop by Word on the Street. This is an annual book festival at Queen's Park, and this year I'll be at the Harlequin booth starting at 12:00 pm (located in the Toronto Star Exhibitor tent), and then I’ll be helping out at the booth with other members of my RWA chapter.

An update

Edits are done for A Clockwork Christmas, the steampunk anthology that will be available in December from Carina Press. I'm excited because I've now had a chance to read the other stories, and let me tell you, you won't be able to pick a favourite. They're all SOOOO good!

PG Forte, Jenny Schwartz, Stacy Gail and I have formed a Facebook page so that we can share everything steampunk as we countdown to release day. I hope you'll come check it out. There's already some fabulous stuff there, but we'll also be using this page to let readers know about the blog tour we'll be embarking on as it comes closer to the holiday season. There'll be excerpts to read, prizes to be won, and lots more!

Also, I'm now moving into edits for my little short, RUN WOLF, due for release near the end of this year in the UK anthology by Hic Dragones which is tentatively titled Wolf Girls: Dark Tales of Teeth, Claws and Lycogyny.

AND...more edits. For my EC release, BRAZEN GAMES, which is also due for release late-2011.

Needless to say, this is going to be a busy few months. As busy as the year has been so far. I took a small vacation this summer but I'm thinking now I'll need another one, although I'm certain there won't be any time for that since I think there'll be more news coming down the pipe shortly....

But I'll have to hold that to my chest a little longer. I promise to share as soon as I can!

Take care everyone! I'll check in again soon :)