I loved this book. Can I say that again? I loved this book.
And I loved Cherijo.
It took me awhile to start the book. I read the first few pages, and well, there wasn’t anything that made me want to read the book. I mean, woman who’s planning to go on the run? What’s new about that?
But this is written by SL Viehl, after all. š
This rates 5 out of 5.
1. On a scale of one to ten, rank your current level of insanityāwhere ten is belongs-in-lunatic-asylum insaneāand tell us why.
Iām happily slumming with the fivesādefinitely a bit nutty, but more in the delicious chocolate-covered way than in the lock-me-up way. Part of the insanity is my own fault (mental note: STOP CHECKING AMAZON RANKING EVERY HOUR). Part of it is writing-related (contrary to popular belief, the waiting doesnāt get any easier once you are getting published). Part of it has to do with everyday stress. But as for the rest? Itās all good.
2. There’s a whole host of paranormal creatures you could have chosen. Why succubi?
Why not succubi? š
3. Lilith, Lilith everywhere. Wait, you have a Lillith, with a double L in the center. But there are many Liliths in fiction today. Why is that, do you think? And why is yours spelt with two Ls?
When writing about a succubus, thereās probably going to be a Lilith reference in there somewhere ā according to some stories, Lilith was the First Woman (the pre-Eve model), and subsequently became the first succubus after she got tossed out of the Garden of Eden for not doing it missionary style with Adam. She was the original demonic Working Girl. You gotta admire that. In HELLāS BELLES, the character is spelled with two Ls because it felt right. It rolls off the tongue: Li-llllllllllll-ith. I would have had more Ls in there, but that would have looked weird.
4. It seems like every writer is writing YA now. You have begun reworking your Great American Novel, your first ever book, as a YA. Is it industry driven, or is it “What the heck, let’s try this!”?
Both. I was going nowhere with it in its previous version ā for good reason, in retrospect. The characters were college seniors, which automatically puts them in the āWho the hell is the target audience?ā bracket. And then there was the clichĆ© plot, the been-there-done-that world building, and…um, no, thatās pretty much why the previous versions of the GAN sucked. But I was in love with the story. After 17 years of tinkering with it, the characters were a part of me. And the magic system I created kicked ass, so I really wanted to do something with it instead of let it die a multi-rejection sort of death.
After I read a couple of terrific YA urban fantasies (including the fabulous upcoming EIGHTH GRADE BITES by Heather Brewer), I started thinking about whether the characters in the GAN would work better as high school students. And what if, instead of having the protagonists bamf to a Place Where There Is Magic, the characters were ALREADY in a place where there was magic ā and the magic was an evil thing? So I decided to make the world in the GAN a very dark reflection of our own reality. And boom: you have THE MAGIC BRIGADE. Currently on submission. Wish me luck!
5. Did you and Richelle Mead, the other Kensington succubus author, meet through your publisher? And how did you two get from meeting to blogging together on Magical Minxes?
I became aware of Richelle 90 minutes before I started querying literary agents about HELLāS BELLES. I was going through Publishers Marketplace to catch the latest deals…and there was SUCCUBUS BLUES, in all its three-book-deal glory, about a modern day succubus. I cried. Utter hysterics. Even chocolate couldnāt calm me down. Then I got busy and queried. Scored the agent and a three-book sale. Look at that: the market can support more than one succubus author! š Author Joe Konrath said at the June 2006 Backspace Conference that itās insane for authors not to support each other, because readers are not going to pick one author exclusively over another. I agree: most likely, people who read HELLāS BELLES will also read SUCCUBUS BLUES, and vice versa. So I emailed Richelle to introduce myself as the other Kensington Succubus Author. We exchanged emails, and I was thrilled to discover just how freaking cool Richelle is. Now sheās one of my closest friends, whom Iāve never met. (Love that Internet!) We joked for a while about how we should do a Kensington Succubus Diva tour. But the idea of Magical Minxes was all Richelle. Sheās brilliant. Richelle designed the siteās look and feel, and we worked together to come up with content ideas. Itās an evolving process (we recently added the amazing Caitlin Kittredge and her protagonist/cop/werewolf Luna to the Minxy mix) and it has its complications (Richelle is in Seattle; Iām in Upstate New York). But we love Magical Minxes.
6. You’re the fantasy editor for Wild Child Publishing. Are you one of those dreaded creatures, an infernal editor…an editor from Hell? And do you have an internal editor or an infernal editor?
Depends on how you define āinfernalā in this case. š Iāll push back with authors if I think a plot point doesnāt work, but I like to think that Iām flexible. (Then again, soās Jezebel. So maybe I really am an infernal creature.) As for editing my own work…yeah, my internal editor can be quite hellish.
7. Like me, you’re five feet tall (okay, I’m shorter, but what’s a quarter of an inch?). Which part of Hell do people who like to hold stuff over our heads, out of our reach go to?
Heh ā Iām actually four-foot-eleven and three-fourths. I round up. Back in the 1980s, I was at least three inches taller (letās hear it for Big Hair and Aqua Net). As for the Danglers who taunt us…Iād say theyāre just jealous of good things coming in small (er, short) packages, so Iād put them in Envy.
Jackie Kessler blogs as herself, and as Jezebel on Cat And Muse and Magical Minxes. Hell’s Belles releases January 1st.
Well, you all already know I liked this book.
What makes this book stand out for me is that Jezebel is not a human, and she in no way acts like one. She’s a succubus, and she likes being a succubus, even if she’s in a human guise.
Jackie has really cool worldbuilding. Cool enough that I’m V. jealous that I didn’t think of it first.
To be sure, there are flaws. It is a first book, and like many first books, I think it could have been paced better. At some points, Jezebel’s voice got on my nerves. Not her, since she didn’t do anything TSTL, just her voice.
Still, I really liked the ending. That’s more spoiler stuff. A lot of what I want to discuss is spoiler stuff, which I’ll take to the comments because I don’t know how to do the white-out code.
This rates 4 out of 5.
Read it! This is an order! (I always wanted to say that)
Tamora Pierce is bugged, and very rightfully so, that people keep asking her why doesn’t she write more male heroes.
Janni Lee Simner on “But is this Right for Boys?”
I was going to rant, but I can’t remember what I was going to say. *yawns*
I found this recipe over at Delicious:Days, and I’m posting them at Elisa Adam’s Cookie Swap too.
4 egg whites
a pinch of salt
125g white sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cacao
1/2 tsp cinnamon
150g flour (1 1/4 cup for non-metric people)
Sift the flour, cinnamon and cocoa powder.
Whip the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks, add the sugar and continue whipping until stiff.
Fold in the flour mixture–do not overmix; this isn’t macarons we are talking about.
Fill your piping bag and pipe out shapes and what not. I’ve been sticking to straight sticks for ease of storage and writing time munchies.
Bake at 170C (340F) for 10-15 minutes. If you overbake, they become HARD, which makes them hard on your teeth. Underbaked makes them a little chewy, which isn’t a bad thing.
1. On a scale of one to ten, rank your current level of insanityāwhere ten is belongs-in-lunatic-asylum insaneāand tell us why.
My level of insanity stays at an even average of 7-8 pretty much most days. I simply have more to do than I have time. My days are highly intense, fast moving, action orientedājust like my books. It keeps the adrenaline flowing and maintains my productivity that way.
2. You’re currently writing for FOUR publishers! How do you keep up? And do you think you’d like to be able to slow down at some point? Or is it your natural writing pace? And if it is, I’ll be turning very, very green.
The funny thing is when I started in epublishing I put out 20 books in my first two years, so Iām actually writing at a slower pace now than I used to. And donāt ask me how I did those first two years. I have no earthly idea, because no way in hell could I do that now. But I wrote shorter books back then, and Iām writing more plot complex books now, so the book output is slower, plus the edits are more intense and thereās a lot more in the way of copyedits, promotion, revisions, juggling between publishing houses and the like than I ever had before. The pull on my time with things other than writing is more consuming than ever.
My writing pace hasnāt changed, though. I write every day. Some days a lot, some days a little. And in between I do all the other things and somehow try to fit in a little fun and have a life, too.
In 2007 I will release 6 books (scheduled so far, anyway), but several of those are single titles, which are the biggest books Iāve ever written. So it balances out, I guess. And they sure seemed like a lot of work to me! š
3. You’ve co-written books with your husband, Charlie. How did your marriage survive it? š Seriously, any tips for collaborating with other writers?
Charlie and I had fun writing together! We spend so much time together and heās heavily involved in my writing career anyway. He helps me with my plotlines and with editing my books, so writing together was a natural extension of that. Though he claims he isnāt a writer, he has the male POV down extremely well and handles that aspect of the story, while I do the female POV. I do all the typing because Iām faster, so I put down what he wants to say, then we both edit. Weāve done two books so far and Iād have to say the second book went way smoother than the first. Itās probably my favorite Elloraās Cave book.
As far as tips, Iād say patience is the number one thing when collaborating with another writer. Since Charlie works full time, he wasnāt always available when I was ready to move on our story. I had to wait. When writing with a partner, their schedule isnāt always going to match your schedule.
The second thing to remember is every writerās style is different. Everyone sees a scene, dialogue, setting and characterization differently. Willingness to compromise is essential. The end objective is the best book possible and both partners must agree to that.
4. Is there a romance subgenre you’ve not written in? Do you think you’ll write non-romance novels in the future, or is the Happy Ever After necessary for you? (by HEA, I mean the RWA definition)
Iāve never written a Historical, but I think Iāve dabbled in just about everything else.
I wonāt ever write a romance that doesnāt have a HEA. Iām writing heavy erotic for Berkley HEAT, but my editor is more than happy to let me write my Happily Ever Afters into whatever type of story I submit, which makes ME Happily Ever After *g*
5. Surviving Demon Island is your debut NY pubbed book. Do you think publishing in NY might, at some point, mean toning down some of the wilder sex scenes?
Not really. Language use, definitely, because erotic romance goes a little more hard core in some of the language terms than mainstream does. But the heat in the scene, no. Itās funny because when I wrote the first draft for Surviving Demon Island, I deliberately toned down the sex scenes thinking, āokay, this is NY, I canāt write hot like Iām used toā. My editor came back during revisions and saidā¦.āuh, whereās the heat?ā lol. She told me to heat it back up. So I did, and I couldnāt be happier with the result. I hope the readers are too, because I think the love scenes in Surviving Demon Island are smokinā hot and yet fun, without crossing the line into erotic.
Did that makes sense to anyone but me? *g*
6. Has moving from e-publishing to print as well lead to a change in the way you approach book promotion?
Yes, because Iām trying to reach a broader audience now. With my NY books being distributed as mass market paperbacks, I have to reach a new readership. The genres are different too, especially Surviving Demon Island being paranormal romance instead of erotic romance. I hope to reach new readers so my promotion is gearing up to introduce my books and my writing in a whole new way. Itās fun, exciting and a little scary. Kind of like being the new kid in school again. š
7. What do you bribe the muse with?
Naps *g*
Jaci has a gorgeous website, and she’s currently hosting Twelve Days of Demon Island on her blog. Surviving Demon Island will be in a bookstore near you very soon.
I’m slightly puzzled by this part of Dear Author’s post on Marketing Do’s and Don’ts:
Bad Marketing: Blogging. The Lipstick Chronicles is a very strange blog. It reads more like a bunch of personal journals than a blog about an authorās work or maybe that is the focus of the blog – personal journal entries. I think it is a strange way of marketing. Sarah Strohmeyer of the Bubbles fame wrote an entry where she describes giving her husband a blowjob. Ugh. That is just not a vision I want to have while reading a Strohmeyer book. I kind of think of authors like my parents. They are completely asexual beings else I would not be able to read a sex scene that they wrote.
Isn’t that what blogs are meant to be? Personal journals?
I understand if you don’t want to read about authors giving blowjobs. I do see that it might make some people uncomfortable, and while it doesn’t push my limits, I see that it does push others. Me, I put it on the same level as reading sex scenes written by other people.
Take Jill Shalvis. Her blog is a personal journal, and is one heckuva funny one. I always look forward to her posts. And she gets at least 30-40 comments per post.
But it’s the paragraph that comes before this that I take Much Issue with:
Good Marketing: Blogging that includes information about your books. When the next book is out. What you are currently working on. What motivates you. Where you write. Look at the questions asked of an author in an interview or the questions readers ask authors at the Romantic Times Ask an Author, if you are looking for blog content inspiration.
Maybe it’s because I write. IMHO, I think writing’s all about hard work. BICHOK (Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard). There is no mystique to it.
So really, there’s only so much about the writing part of things you can write about. I’m an unpubbed, but I do know that when I yanked my writing stuff off this blog (mostly anyway) to my LJ, my stats rose. There are other variables involved, including the fact that moving the writing stuff elsewhere meant that I needed to come up with more non-writing related content, but I do think that it helped a great deal.
Likewise, there’s only so many posts you can write saying “My latest book’s out! Go buy it!”
That’s not real content, IMHO, and I don’t stick with blogs like that for long. I can just sign up for your mailing list and find out when your next book’s coming out.
I interview authors for my blog (Melissa, your questions are coming, I swear!). I make it a point to ask something different from the norm. At least, I try. Should I stop? Life would be easier for me if I could.
But that leads back to my point: Content should be original. Sticking to Dear Author’s parameters means that content will quickly start being reused, and no longer be original.
I honestly did think that this would be the last Aisling Grey book I picked up.
While I wasn’t bored with the last one, I did feel that I was getting series fatigue.
I’m honestly not sure how long I can stand the Aisling and Drake back-and-forth, but I keep telling myself at least they are monogamous. Right? But it’s annoying.
And Jim the demon annoys the hell out of me.
Maybe I won’t be getting the next one after all.
This rates 3 out of 5.
(Yeah yeah yeah, I know what I said, but you can blame the smart people at Dear Author for it)
Why not? Why even start one in the first place?
Okay, I’m in the minority here. Every writer I know likes series–can I just add here that I don’t know why some of my fellow unpubs bother to write the second book in the series before selling the first one?
Back to the topic. Jane at Dear Author talks about the NeverEnding Story:
I get frustrated at the end of book one when nothing is finalized. We await closure or become so disinterested that we provide our own closure. I found after reading Magic Study by Maria Snyder that I have no desire to buy the final entry in the āstudyā series in hardcover. Iāll probably wait for the paperback or get it from the library. Too many questions are left unanswered which actually makes me more disinterested than anticipatory.
A book, whether a part of a series or not, has to have a beginning, a middle and an ending. And no, saying The End on the last page is not an ending.
I believe it is the author’s prerogative to do so if they so wish, but if I know it’s going to be a series, I automatically invest less in the book. That’s definitely not something any author wants.
Leaving a book open-ended doesn’t make me frustrated or eager for the next book if I didn’t like the first book. If I wanted to know that badly, yet didn’t really want to read the book, I know a lot of readers who read the same kind of books I do. I figure one of them will read it.
And it does make me wonder: Why? Are you so insecure that you leave it open-ended to make readers want the book?
I don’t write series, I don’t intend to and I don’t know to end a book that will make other people want to read the next one.
But there are authors who succeed. Nora Roberts, to name just one. Which means that other authors can to.
Sasha (thanks Jane for the link) brings up the issue of authors saying “You must buy Book 1 With No Ending of the Very Boring Series in the next 4 weeks or you won’t be getting Book 2 Still With No Ending.”
I don’t know what it says about my opinion of my fellow human beings, except that I expect it and don’t care.
I’m a huge Alison Tyler fan. She hooked me first with her blog, and then with the fabulous short stories in her anthology Exposed–I’ve not finished with it as I’m rationing the short stories.
Because I’m being lazy, but think you really should get this book, you get the backcover blurb:
Jessica Taylor is an LA girl through and through: ambitious, stylish and a big fan of old Hollywood movies. What she wants more than anything is to become an ace reporter. Her editor Dashiell Cooper holds that key, but what he wants most of all is her. Jessica is starry-eyed but not as easily pinned down as the cynical Cooper would like. He uses a whole repertoire of charmer’s tricks to try and seduce her, but she challenges him at every turn, finding her pleasure playing X-rated games with sultry-looking guys who look like James Dean. What transpires is a game of kinky cat and mouse set in the hush-hush world of LA gossip columns and glamorous parties. Can Jessica get what she wants without giving in to Cooper’s lustful obsessions?
It’s what I call a dirty-girl romance. If you’re looking for something fun, naughty and very very very hot, this is for you.
This rates 5 out of 5.
Maybe I should make this a regular feature.
The first succubi story I read was not Richelle‘s or Jackie‘s.
It was Eileen Wilks‘ Originally Human in the Cravings anthology, which I bought in my bid to assuage my need for more Lupi books, though of course I enjoyed it anyway.
And now we have more succubi books!
This is only going to be a short “why you should get them” post. The full review will go up in December for Hell’s Belles and March next year for Succubus Blues.
I think I’m the first to do a comparison, at least online. Correct me if I’m wrong though.
They are very different books, despite the outward similarities. In some areas, both Richelle and Jackie took almost perfectly opposite approaches.
In terms of voice, Jezebel, who stars in Hell’s Belles, has a slightly chick-lit flavor, IMHO. She is very exuberant, enjoying her new life on Earth despite being on the run. She is what she is, a succubus, though over the course of the book, you slowly see just how well she fits on Earth.
Georgina, the star of Succubus Blues, on the other hand has always lived on Earth, and she has for centuries now. In her day-to-day routine, she lives like a human woman. She has a dayjob, bunch of pals she drinks/parties with, etc. Except that she is also an immortal shapeshifter who steals/claims souls for Hell.
Hell’s Belles has a red cover and Succubus Blues has a, you guessed it, a blue cover. I think that the colors represent the respective personalities very well.
You actually go to Hell (I mean that in a fictional sort of way, not in a rude, fuck off and die sort of way) in Hell’s Belles. I really like Jackie’s concept of Hell, by the way. In fact, I like it so much, I am JEALOUS. Big time.
On the other hand, you delve more deeply into Georgina’s psyche, by taking a trip into her past. I do feel that it’s a bit more character-driven than Hell’s Belles (this is an observation, not a complaint). You see Georgina interacting more with other people, whereas Jezebel’s a bit self-absorbed and tends to observe people rather than really interacting with them–though I do put this down to her ‘new’ to Earth.
I liked both books equally, or almost equally, but which one I prefer more will depend on what day it is, and definitely recommend reserving at your favorite indie bookstore.
Also, it’s EVIL to leave excerpts at the back for books that won’t be out for a year or more!
PS Angie? š Nanananananana!
I cannot believe I went out shopping with women who can buy 110 dollars worth of tupperware.Ā Worse, it’s 11 identical sets of tupperware.
The women involved are my two older cousins on my dad’s side and one aunt and my mother.
I am officially afraid of them.
I DID NOT abet them, whatever my cousins-in-law say. Grrr.
I can’t believe the younger of the older cousins brought her toddlers along to a warehouse sale. I am still recovering–I bet the kids are sleeping already.
But I’ve been shopping twice this week.
I bought a brown dress on Wednesday. Well, the tag said it was a “shirt dress” whatever that means. I’ve a feeling it’s one of those long t-shirts that are in fashion right now that people wear with tights. But I’m really short and it’s just long enough for me to wear as a dress–a dress my parents would let me out of the house in without batting an eyelid, no less. Go on, laugh at me tall people, but we short people are mean and sneaky so watch your back!
Speaking of tights, I bought a pair of brown tights today. Coincidence, but they match with the dress and look great together–and I have just the pair of shoes for them. ^.^ I’ve been looking for them anyway, because it’s one of my wardrobe rules:
If I have it in black, I need it in brown too.Ā
See, most of my wardrobe is made of those two colors, so if I have one each, then I can mix and match easily.
I’m thinking of adding to that rule, but I’m not sure whether the third color should be purple (I refuse to wear purple tights though, that’s just WRONG), green (I do have fab green shoes that fit perfectly) or blue (less likely because the other two colors look better on me). You may vote, and I will take your advice with a pinch of salt. š
PS I’ll talk about the succubi books I’ve read tomorrow. It does alliterate with Sunday, after all.
1. On a scale of one to ten, rank your current level of insanityāwhere ten is belongs-in-lunatic-asylum insaneāand tell us why.
If I’d answered this a couple of weeks ago, I would’ve said 20. But now I can happily say 5. I just sent off a manuscript and am looking ahead with great joy to the first real break I’ve had in a long long time. My brain will still be cooking on the ideas I’ve got coming up, but there’s no immediate rush to produce, and that helps reduce the drooling and staring off into space! I can do web work, and the things around the house I’ve put off too long, and all the while stories will be simmering. Can’t wait to see what comes out in the end!
2. Is designing websites in anyway similar to writing, from a creative point of view, for you? And do you think that being an author too helps you in designing author websites?
Web design seems to be a marriage of writing and the accounting I did for so long at the day job. One of those is pure left-brained, one pure right, and web design is in the middle. There are a lot of numerical checks and balances (graphic sizing, font points, etc) in web design, but there’s also the creative side (colors, layout, etc), so it works as a bridge. I think the fact that I write helps in that there are things I always include (such as the obvious ISBN) that I’ve seen missing in a lot of other designer’s sites. And I’ve done enough surveys on my own blog to know what most readers want that many authors don’t include!
3. I’ve read some of your single titles for Brava, and one of your gIRL-gEAR Blazes. They are hot, but for me, it is your heroines that truly make the books. Have you ever thought of branching out into books like Julie Leto’s Marisela Morales series? Which, by the way, is a gorgeous site.
The gIRL-gEAR books are the only ones I’ve done that center on heroines. When Blaze first launched, it was touted as being very “Sex in the City” and I took that to heart. That said, I think readers prefer hero-centered series. At least in my experience. I do make sure to give my heroes heroines who are worthy and not doormats, but I’m not sure I have it in me to write an ongoing heroine. I’m too much a hero-author! (And thanks re: the Marisela site!)
4. On your blog, you’ve commented on the fact that you read a lot outside the romance genre, and why. Can you name some characters from outside the genre that you think would make great romance heroes or heroines?
A lot of the characters from my favorite authors do have romances in their stories, but the romance is not the focus of the books. There’s Lisa Gardner’s Pierce Quincy and Rainie Conner whose relationship has been ongoing, as has that of Jane Rizzoli and Gabriel Dean. I love Harry Bosch in Michael Connelly’s books, and would love to see him meet his match with a romance heroine. I’ve only read the first of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, but I totally saw Jack as a romance hero!
5. You’ve written the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Erotic Romance. I don’t even write romance, but I’m looking forward to its release. What, in your opinion, is the most common mistake writers have in approaching erotic romance?
Probably that there doesn’t have to be a real story behind the sex. That the sex is enough to carry the book. It’s not. An erotic romance is still a romance is still a novel. And a novel needs not only characters, but something happening. A lot of that is the sexual relationship, but that can’t be all there is.
6. What do you think of erotic romances that, to put it euphemistically, take a walk on the very wild side? A little BDSM, a little polyamory and a couple of orgies, for instance. Do you think you’ll be writing one for us?
I’m actually a very vanilla sex writer. The sex I write is rarely about anything but the romance – no need for domination or submission, no experimentation for psychological or emotional needs. I’ve written what for me is envelope-pushing, but I’ve always ended up cutting it because it feels forced, and not real for my characters. I applaude authors who pull it off well because I’ve discovered it’s not in my author DNA to do.
7. Sadly, we have come to the end of the Smithson Group series. It is sad even though I’ve yet to read all the books in the series. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. What’s up next?
There are still several spin-off stories in the works. April ’07 is THE PERFECT STRANGER, the story of Hank Smithson’s helicopter pilot Jackson Briggs. Following that is a story for Simon Baptiste who plays a role in both DEEP BREATH and BEYOND A SHADOW. I think Finn McClain (from DEEP BREATH) will have the book after Simon’s, but what’s to come beyond that, I’m not sure. I have another SG-5 operative (Gideon Martel) who is mentioned briefly in a couple of books, and there is a secondary character in THE PERFECT STRANGER who might get a story. Who knows!
Alison Kent writes, blogs, designs. Her latest release is Beyond A Shadow.
Beyond A Shadow is an SG-5 book, and technically is the last in the series, though Alison‘s said that there will be several spin-off novels.
For Ezra, this is the end of his mission, the end of a long, difficult road.
Contrast that with Alexa, a woman who is breaking free of her shell to start a new journey. Ezra is both the catalyst and her journey.
I love Ezra, especially his voice. Read just one scene in his POV and you know so much about his character. It’s absolutely great characterization. And I adored his scenes with Emmy Moore, when I usually dislike children in my romances.
This is definitely one of my top romances of 2006.
This rates 5 out of 5.
PS This is an ARC from Alison.
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