Date with a Siren… author interview with Jax Cassidy plus a Giveaway!
Hello lovelies. Today on ye old blog I’m so honored to have one of my very good friends, the multi-talented and multi-published, Jax Cassidy! Jax is here to talk about and celebrate her newest release SIREN’S SEDUCTION. Welcome Jax.
J.C. Thanks so much for letting me visit your awesome site! I’m super stoked about being here.
K.M. Can you tell us about SIREN’S SEDUCTION?
J.C. I’m a sucker for love stories and this one is a sad one. It’s about two characters that are broken, have lived through hardships, that find each other through fate. There is a sprinkling of my Eastern beliefs woven into the storyline but the essence of the story is about overcoming obstacles, valuing yourself, and allowing yourself to give and be loved. This particular story is very special to me because it’s the first print contracted story that was released through a small press publisher. Recently, I got my rights reverted to me and decided to breathe new life into it. I also felt that because it had such a small distribution, it didn’t reach a wider national and international market…so now it will.
SIREN’S SEDUCTION
Niko Chow craves solitude. Only fate won’t leave him in peace. His desire to overcome his demons leads him to a promise made to a dying friend and into the arms of a seductive chanteuse.
Donovan Matthews ignites a passion within him he has long denied. The more time he spends with her, the more Niko finds her spitfire determination and generous heart as sensuous and exotic as the lotus blossoms that bloom in his garden. Can she end his internal war and help heal his aching soul?
K.M. That sounds way sexy and Niko seems quite tortured. Tell us what are your favorite types of heroes?
J.C. Definitely the tortured hero but more on the gamma side. I love me some dark, brooding, and passionate heroes but I don’t want a wuss either. I’m also not a fan of alpha heroes simply because I like my men to have a sensitive side. I feel it gives him the advantage over an alpha hero who always sets out to prove he’s the man in any situation.
K.M. What made you take the step into self publishing?
J.C. Honestly? While I was waiting on contracts with New York publishers, I didn’t want my readers to forget me. Self publishing gives me a lot of control and since I am the publisher, I can put out the story of my heart every time without making sacrifices. I feel I have an advantage over the general writer who self publishes stories without having any prior experience or knowledge of the industry. I’ve spent almost a decade being involved and learning about publishing which allows me to make the right choices that are both professional and beneficial to me as a writer.
I’m not out there putting up stories that I haven’t spent a great deal of time and effort into. I focus on re-writing, editing, layout, distribution, and everything in between while channeling the publisher’s mindset. There is a lot of time intensive labor involved and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. There’s not a product I would put out without being proud of the final product. I’m not saying it will be perfect but it will be as perfect as I can possibly make it. However, it’s still trial and error and I’m sure I’ll get dinged along the way but I’m prepared for it. All I can do is keep learning the craft and putting my best foot forward.
A lot of my NY published author friends have done exceedingly well and they’ve even passed on NY contracts to self publish, but that’s not my goal. Self publishing allows me to have the best of both worlds and helps build my readership for when I have books back in the brick and mortar bookstores.
K.M. Now I know you are a woman of many talents. Besides being an author you are a web mistress and graphic designer. How has this helped you with stepping into the world of self publishing?
J.C. I’ve worked many years as a marketing/art director for a successful international company as well as for a publishing company that prepared me to tackle self publishing. Being an artist and designer helps with the overall branding and packaging of my products. Right now it may be a one-woman show but I’m a control freak and I like things just right. Web design and cover or product design is therapeutic. It makes me happy to create something that is eye-catching and even prouder that my clients love it. I wouldn’t hand off a project without loving it completely because I am all about creating something special that I would do for my own self. It’s got to have a lot of love in it and I hope it shows through.
K.M. For fun can you give us a song that would be on Niko and Donovan’s playlist?
J.C. THE STORY by Brandi Carlisle. It’s such a heartbreaking song but totally defines what a person will do for love. It’s one of those songs that make me a weepy and the ballad is so haunting and emotional that I can’t stop listening to it.
K.M. What can we look for next from you?
J.C. There’s several stories in the works including a Christmas story for December, and of course, the upcoming release of SAIGON SUMMER in 2013 which is part of my charity fiction reads. I decided to release a book each year (if I’m not buried under deadlines) in which all author proceeds go to charity. This particular story is dear to my heart since it goes to my home country of Vietnam. For this release, I’ve picked charities that focus on fighting human trafficking and helping the survivors integrate into society again. I have a huge marketing plan and will involve live events to help raise awareness and serious dollars for these amazing organizations.
K.M. Where can folks find you and pick up Siren’s Seduction?
J.C. Readers can purchase my book on my website and almost all major online venues. The eBook is currently available and the print book is expected to be released in December. Since I love connecting to friends and readers on my social networks, I’m usually found frequenting Facebook or Twitter. I spend a great of time on Romance Divas since I co-founded the site. I wish I had more time in the day to add more social networks to my list but I figured my time should be spent wisely on trying to send proposals to my agent as well as writing regularly.
Website: www.jaxcassidy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorjaxcassidy
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaxcassidy
For writers & readers: www.romancedivas.comK.M. Thanks so much for being here Jax! It’s been a real pleasure.
J.C. Thanks, Kwana! I’ve had such a fabulous time and I hope that folks will give me and my stories a chance! For those totally new to me, I have a few free short HOT reads available on my website, Smashwords, Kobo, B&N and more…
K.M. Please leave a comment or question for Jax and 2 lucky folks will win a copy of Siren’s Seduction from Jax. Thanks Jax!
JAX CASSIDY followed her dreams to Paris, then Hollywood to pursue a film career but managed to fall in love with penning sexy romances and happy endings—finding Mr. Right was just an added bonus. She writes contemporary & paranormal romances and is Co-Founder of Romance Divas, an award winning writer’s website and discussion forum. Jax is also known as one-half of the retired writing team of Cassidy Kent. She is represented by Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency.Living the Laws of Love… Interview with author Lisa White
Hi Folks I’m pleased to have on ye old blog today another fellow Crimson author Lisa White. Her contemporary romance: The Laws of Love is currently available from Crimson Romance.
Welcome Lisa!
Kwana, thank you for hosting me! It is an honor to be here today.
Can you tell us a bit about The Laws of Love?
THE LAWS OF LOVE is set in a small, Virginia town where fly-fishing is the favorite pastime, Hampton Steel is essentially the only employer and Associate General Counsel Livi Miller believes she has reached the top rung of Hampton Steel’s corporate ladder. With her alcoholic boss retiring soon, Livi is the presumptive heir to Hampton Steel’s general counsel position. However, in the midst of proving herself promotion-worthy, Livi’s high school sweetheart, Jake Cooper, returns from Iraq and causes long-lost butterflies to alight in Livi’s emotionally charged stomach. The resulting loss of her promotion to slimy newcomer Edward Winston combines with her rekindled feelings for Jake to place Livi on track to choose between her career and her heart.
If she chooses Hampton Steel, she saves her hometown. If she chooses Jake, she saves her butterflies as well as herself.What made you choose doing a hometown romance?
First, I love small towns, especially small towns in the South. There is nothing like that old hometown feeling and I think that feeling is important to Livi in THE LAWS OF LOVE. The familiarity of her small hometown is really the only stabilizing force in her life. She would not be the same person if my book was set elsewhere – and I don’t think I would like that. The small town setting helps make Livi who she is in the book.
Second, I love a lost love story. You know, about the ones that got away. Everyone has someone from high school or college that they remember fondly – or they think “What if?” Jake is that for Livi – the one that got away. He makes her feel young again – a high school sweetheart. But lost loves always carry baggage and it is interesting to see how couples get past all that baggage. And in small towns – there is always a lot of baggage!
Tell us about your hero, I see he’s a vet. Is there a special story there?
A few years ago a father in my son’s preschool was deployed to Iraq. I remember seeing the mother drop her boys off each morning and we were all counting the days until the father shipped out. When that day finally came and he left for Iraq, I was so shocked to see the mother doing what she did every other day – bringing her boys to preschool and going to work like it was any other day. No tears from the mother. No tantrums from the boys. Now, I am sure many tears were shed at their home early that morning, but by the time I saw them, they were back in their same routine. When I asked her about it, she told me that was her job – to take care of her family while her husband was away, to make sure his home was intact when he returned. That amazed me and taught me that military life is a family affair. The entire family signs up and has a sense of duty and honor. I wanted Jake to have that same sense. He takes care of his parents, his sister and he wants to take of Livi if she would stop being so stubborn. It was easy to give Jake that sense of honor – of doing what is right – if I simply made him a soldier. All I had to do was state that Jake was a vet and readers automatically know what kind of person he is. They automatically identify him as a good guy, a guy with integrity – a guy that wants to take care of the woman he loves – if she would just let him.
Now from your bio I can see you are a lawyer as well as a busy mother. When do you have time to fit in writing?
I reluctantly became a night person. From 9:00 p.m. to whenever, I am writing or reading or marketing my books. As you know, writing is a full time job with little to no pay, so you really have to love what you are doing – and I love it! It is a nice way to end the day and I look forward to hitting the computer each night after my family goes to bed. A working mom can get a lot done if everyone is asleep! Now, where did I put the Nyquil…? (just kidding!)
That’s so funny and don’t think I haven’t thought of it. LOL. Now please, tell us what’s next for you?
As everyone knows, I just finished the first book in The Council of Powers trilogy, Discovery. It is a young adult romantic suspense with some paranormal elements. The heroine, Grace, thinks she is normal, a little shy maybe, but no less normal than any other seventeen-year-old. But she does not know about the secretive Powers world. She does not know she is the last person on earth with the DNA needed for the Powers’ survival. And she certainly does not know her newest boyfriend, Gregory, is an Anti-Powers prince who intends to break her heart and her bones in no particular order. But when she discovers that Ben, her best friend and unrequited former crush, is actually her secret Guardian with superhuman powers, Grace’s normal turns a little wacky. And when she learns that she has The Gift, the rare power to heal the injured and resurrect life with her touch, it is official – Grace is a weirdo even in the Powers world. But what freaks Grace out more than all that is the fact she has feelings for Ben again – and he has feelings for her – which makes Grace’s new normal a lot more complicated.
Unfortunately, Crimson Romance only handles adult romances – so I am once again going through the query process to find a YA publisher. Frustrating, I know, but we writers don’t choose the book to write – it chooses us! And I love the characters Ben and Grace – flawed teenagers who simply want to have their first kiss – unfortunately life keeps getting in their way and that first kiss is quite elusive. Hopefully, Ben and Grace will make their public debut soon!
Best of luck with your YA. And that is so true. We don’t choose the book, it chooses us. Thanks so much for being here. It was truly a pleasure.
Thank you! It was fun!
The Laws of Love can be found at:
http://www.amazon.com/author/lisawhite
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-laws-of-love-lisa-white/1111808971?ean=9781440552298
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibooks/id364709193?mt=8
And Lisa can be reached at her website here: www.lisawhiteauthor.com
And on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-White-Author/345773668818384?ref=hl
Best,
K.M.
aka
Kwana
And the winner is….
Thank you so much to all my lovelies who have shared the love and entered my Tell 2 Friends contest! Your kind words and generosity meant so much to me. And thanks to the Random Number Generator the winner is the super fab Laurie!
True Random Number Generator Min:
Max:
Result:15Powered by RANDOM.ORGLaurie please email me at: kwanawrites (at) yahoo (dot) com with your mailing info and if you would like an Amazon or a B & N gift card so that I can get your prizes out to you!
Thanks once again to all who entered and for making this a fantastic launch for me with Through The Lens. If you have not downloaded it yet please look to your right and click on one of the links on the sidebar. I think you may enjoy it but of course that’s just the author talking.
Wishing you a wonderful Monday! Congrats again Laurie!
All the best,
Kwana
Image from here
Friday Goodies
Happy Friday!
Well, we’ve made to the end of another week. Go us! I hope it was wonderful for you and I hope the weekend is even better. I wanted to share with you all my bookmarks and postcards. Aren’t the beautiful? I’m in lurve with them. And I should be since I have a ton. They were so very easy to upsize. Sort of like popcorn at the movies.
I also wanted to share that even though Through The Lens is an e-book you can still have it personalized if you like. Well, in a way. I’m now signed up on Kindlegraph and if you go there you can send a message asking for a Kindlegraph and I can send a personalized page to you for your e-reader! Check out the one I sent to myself. (Don’t judge I had to test it out.) Cute huh?
Lastly, today is the final day to enter the Through The Lens tell two friends contest. Please click on over here to enter. Don’t miss out. A $25 gift card plus other fun prizes are up for grabs!
Have a happy weekend.
All the best,
K.M. Jackson
aka
Kwana
Summer Promises… interview with author Laura Simcox
Today on ye old blog I’m pleased to feature another fellow Crimson author, Laura Simcox whose fun and sexy book: Summer Promises will be available next week!
Welcome Laura!
Thanks, lady!
Can you please tell us about Summer Promises?
‘Summer Promises’ is a tribute to theater people everywhere who are searching for happily ever after. It’s hard to find love when work requires a person to move constantly for jobs that last a few months at best. In this story, a young woman finds her true love while working at a summer theater. She’s sworn off getting involved with another man who will leave her cold; in fact it’s her ONLY promise to herself before taking this job. But as luck would have it, her dream man is just behind the stage curtain! All she has to do is pull it open.
This sounds lovely. I’d call it a good post summer, I wish I were still on the beach read.
What was your inspiration?
I was inspired to write this because of my own experience working in summer theater. I’ve seen a lot of broken hearts and a lot of lonely people. That’s not to say that true love can’t be found, because I’ve witnessed that as well. Even a Christmastime proposal on an actors’ tour bus! But for the most part, theater romance is tough. I wanted to give it a happy ending with Asher and Carly.
A tour bus proposal? How cool!
Asher seems hot. Did you have someone in mind when writing him?
Not specifically. On the surface, Asher appears to be a moody, self-involved artist. Once Carly gets to know him, how can she resist? Because he’s a rare gem: a truly good man wrapped in a delicious layer of hottie. J After I wrote the book I realized he looks a little bit like Hugh Jackman. And that can only be good.
Hugh is always a winner! Now one of my favorite questions, please tell us the story of your “overnight” success.
I was tired, standing in the living room wearing a plastic blow up pirate hat hiding my Kindle behind a magazine while I checked my e-mail. (I never should have downloaded toddler games onto it!) A bunch of junk scrolled down my screen and then I spotted ‘The One’. It was a message from my (now) editor telling me she really enjoyed my book and wanted to buy it. I stood stock still for about twenty seconds reading and re-reading. Then I told my son in a pirate voice “Yarr, yer momma’s going to be published, matie!” He said “Pirate Mamma?” I said “Sure! Whatever ye want.” Then we went back to playing pirates, but I had a lot more energy after that!!
I love that story. What’s next for you?
Speaking of pirates, I’m working on another contemporary romance, but this has a time travel twist. My hero is a fortune hunter searching for a ‘lost to the ages’ original Shakespeare manuscript. My heroine is a budding archeologist searching for a job. Together, they step through a portal onto an eighteenth century island populated by pirates and miscreants. Let the hunt begin!
That sounds great. Now, where can we find you on the web?
Laura can be found at: http://www.laurasimcox.com
And on FB at: http://www.facebook.com/authorlaurasimcox
And on Summer Promises is available for preorder here on Amazon here
Thanks so much for being here Laura. Wishing you the best with Summer Promises.
All the best,
Kwana
P.S. Just a reminder: My Jumping Through tell 2 friends contest is still going on here. Enter to win a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift card plus other fun prizes! Ends Friday. Don’t miss out! Click on over!
Babbling On…
Happy Monday!
Welcoming the week with a cheery smile and hoping you all had a great weekend. I had a great time as my fantastic block had is annual block party this weekend. Only postponed one day due to some scary storms and off tornadoes in New York, but the next day the sun was shining and the bouncy house came out.
The Jackster got into trouble early off after stealing two hot dogs in two minutes. Showing everyone that he’s not fit for mixed company. So embarrassing but that’s the Jack.
That said the party rolled on and today I’m a little tired but still ready to move and on my virtual blog tour.
Today I’m Super Excited to be over at Kate’s Babbling about Books babbling about Through The Lens. I’d love it if you’d stop on by and give my guest post a read. And after that please stay awhile. Kate has a fantastic review blog and I know you’ll become a fan as I am.
Have a great Monday.
Best,
Kwana
Your Wife Wrote What?
Good day folks. So last night I was cracking up as I watched as it started to really hit the DH that I was now published. While flipping back and forth between football and the DNC we were talking about the week so far and he turned to me and said, “So people have read the book? The WHOLE book?”
With the way he said it I couldn’t help but laugh. Finally those jitters and butterflies over people reading your words that I had been talking about was hitting him and hard. I think it may be because he was kind enough to tell some people at work about TTL and one women went and downloaded it right away coming back to comment on my dedication to him.
I just looked at him with what was probably a ‘duh dude’ face, but then I took in his nervous eyes and smiled. “Yep,” I said, “The WHOLE book. Hey, it was bound to happen one day.” Then he did that tight lip and run his hand over his forehead thing that he does and I wondered if a certain scenes were coming to his mind. I could practically feel his wheels spinning as he was probably second guessing if telling the folks at work was a good idea after all. Yep, it was funny to me.
Sweet pretty release day congratulations flowers fm the DH
Today I’m over at the fantastic Laura Simcox’s blog talking about Through The Lens, my hero and heroine and what a cheap date I happen to be (lucky DH). Please stop on by here and see why.
Best,
Kwana
Hello My Name Is…
Happy Wednesday! Gee this week is flying by isn’t it? Today I’m hanging out with the Ladies In Red. The Ladies in Red Blog is the fantastic unofficial blog of the ladies of Crimson Romance. Please head on over there where I’m doing a Meet The Lady In Red -K.M. Jackson (Me!) guest post. Just go on over, say I sent you, and pretend that I don’t over-share over here and you don’t already know all the answers to all the questions. Thanks!
Also have you entered my tell 2 friends contest yet? Well come on and get in there too!
Have a great Wednesday. You doing anything fab today? Me, I’m about to have my pipes snaked. Seriously, I’m about to have them snaked and no, the plumber is nothing like either of those guys from that naughty commercial. Oh well.
Best,
Kwana
Through The Lens release… The Remix!
So I’m a published author ya’ll, holla! Through The Lens is here. For better or worse. Gulp.
And with that I get to clean the clogged bathroom sink and say, “so I’m a published author ya’ll, HOLLA!” It still feels good to say it while I do it. And I do it with lots of attitude all sassy and Honey Boo Boo style while Jack gives me the crazy eye.
Thank you all so much for the well wishes yesterday. Please don’t forget to go here and enter my contest. It’s a good one!
This week you’ll get tired of me sending you to other places where I’m blog hopping but believe me you won’t be sorry. Not for the me factor, I’m ok, but once you get there please browse around and get to know these fabulous, maybe new to you blogs. They are all terrific and I think you’ll become instant fans as I am.Today I’m over at author Synithia William’s blog talking about my how I became published and Through The Lens. Please stop on by and give it a read and a comment.
And Oh Boy, Through The Lens is Hanging with Bells. Bells has given Through The Lens it’s very first review! Trust me I was shaking as I read it. She is holding a contest today and giving away a copy of Through the Lens to the winner so please head over there and comment for your chance to win.Thank you all so much again!
All the best,
K.M. Jackson
aka KwanaJumping Through!… Through The Lens release day & a contest!
No need to Labor, it’s release day for THROUGH THE LENS! Bells, whistles, confetti, hooray!!! I tell you if I were younger and a little more limber I’d be doing back flips right now. But since I’m not then I won’t. But trust me in my heart, past the nerves and the constant feeling of nausea, I’m doing a triple back handspring right now.
I hope you all are flipping and bouncing right along with me. I also hope you all stop flipping and download it this very week. Heck, this very minute. Let’s make Through The Lens an instant bestseller! Remember that old Faberge commercial? You tell two friends and so on, and so on and so on… We’ll do one of those chains. I love going retro and it would seem telling my age.
So to get the ‘and so on’ party started I’m holding a contest. The winner will receive: Their choice of a $25.00 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card, a lovely shawl to ward away that early fall chill in the air, and a lovely picture frame to cherish the next moment they capture Through The Lens.
In TTL, Mika and Ale, though they have known each other for quite a long while, start to see each other with a different view. Tell me has this ever happened in your life?
So what are the rules for contest entry?
- Leave me a comment saying what you have looked at with a new view.
- For a 2nd entry Tweet the message: “Get a new view contest #ThroughTheLens by K.M. Jackson @kwanawrites http://amzn.to/NMladw & http://bit.ly/RBUU5v ” and then come back and let me know it was sent in the comments.
- For a 3rd entry follow me here or on my official Facebook author page here and leave a comment here letting me know that you are part of the team.
Please be sure to leave an email address where I can get back to you if you are the winner if you don’t have follow back capabilities. Thanks so much.
Sorry but the contest is only open to residents in the contiguous United States.
Winner will be chosen by Random.org on
All entries must be in by midnight EST Friday the 14th.
Thank you all so much. Really, happy can’t begin to tell you how I feel today. All your encouragement and support over the years on ye old blog meant so much to me. I hope you enjoy Through The Lens and the books that follow.
And now the shameless plug…
THROUGH THE LENS can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on iTunes
All the best, with all my heart,
K.M. Jackson aka Me!
