Sneak peek of under the covers

SEDUCE ME hit stores July 28th and so far I’m getting great feedback from reviewers and readers alike. I normally reveal my Under the Covers feature on my website, but I wanted my blog friends to get a sneak peek at the behind the scenes.

Seduce Me is the launch book for my Legend Hunters series, an idea I had about a hero-centered series of treasure hunters and would-be archaeologists. They are the men of Solomon’s, a gentleman’s club devoted to those who chase myths. And when I was brainstorming the series and coming up with the myths I wanted to write about, the first idea I had was, of course, Pandora’s Box. I’ve always been interested in Greek mythology and this one in particular is fascinating. And it’s always had sexy connotations evoking the very image of forbidden fruit. So when it came time to write the first book in the series, Pandora was the way to go.
I certainly took some literary license with the story though and came up with my own mythology equipped with a curse. Have to keep those characters up to their necks in danger. Speaking of characters, let’s meet my inspiration behind my cast.

Heroine: Esme Worthington Inspiration – English actress Eva Green who you might remember as the Bond girl in Casino Royale. I needed a picture that captured Esme’s sassiness, but girlish beauty.

Hero: Fielding Grey Inspiration – Paul Blackthorne. This shot captured the intensity of Fielding yet you catch a glimpse of the pain he’s carrying. Love those eyes!

Villain: David Grey aka “The Raven”

Inspiration – Alan Rickman. Because who else do you go to for a truly nasty villain who actually has some sex appeal. When I wrote the Raven’s dialogue I could hear Rickman’s methodical cadence in my head. He was a perfect fit!

And here was my inspiration for The Raven's two goons:

Thatcher (L) and Waters (R)

Being a big fan of movies, especially action adventure movies I wanted to capture that feel in the Legend Hunters books. So within the pages of Seduce Me hopefully you’ll feel whisked away on a grand adventure and when you close the book you’ll reach for your phone to call Steven Spielberg and say, “hey Steve, have I got a story for you!”

So what are your favorite action adventure movies? Could you watch The Mummy and The Goonies and Indiana Jones over and over again? And how do you feel about authors revealing their character inspiration? Does it ruin your own mental picture of the characters?

*this blog content originally posted on www.JauntyQuills.com

Before Harry Potter

Remember that great teacher you had in third grade who made knowledge come alive for you? I think the special books of your childhood can be like that, too. Maybe they're stories you discover at a sensitive time of your life. Maybe they're answers to emotional questions or triggers to complex thought. Maybe you're caught up in the lyrical quality of the writing, the historical context, or the way the book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Maybe they're inspirational. Or maybe they're just a rollicking good time.

Whatever it is, there's no question that our favorite books as children can wield a great influence over the rest of our lives, especially if we're writers.

So with that in mind, here's the list of my five favorite childhood reads:


HALF MAGIC by Edward Eager

The troop of siblings and friends tromping through Edward Eager's books had a retro feel and down-to-earth reality as they bickered and experimented and reasoned their way through adventures by whatever magic talisman they'd discovered this time. I spent hours imagining what wishes I'd make with such a talisman.





JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH by Roald Dahl

It was thrilling to watch James break free of his sheltered life into a world that rivaled Oz and Wonderland. I especially liked all the anthropomorphic animals (though I'm sure I didn't know that word then!).







THE HARDY BOYS by Franklin W. Dixon (actually 17 different men and women!)

I didn't care for Nancy Drew, but Frank and Joe were so clever and playful, I used to wish they were my older brothers. The vocabulary was very adult, and the stories were exciting and full of cliffhangers.




A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle

This book had everything...fellowship, adventure, great love, crushing fear, hard-won triumph. Best of all, the heroes of the story were nerds like me.








THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS by Howard Pyle

The nobility and honor of the real and magical characters in this four-book series--Arthur, Guinevere, Launcelot, Galahad, Gawaine, Merlin, Pellinore, Tristram, Nymue...were inspiring. I used to sigh over the dramatic pen-and-ink drawings, too. I'm sure these books are what fired my affection for knights in shining armor.

So how about you? What were your favorite childhood books?



Sarah McKerrigan...
Stories to keep you up all night!
LADY DANGER - Riding to the rescue April 2006
CAPTIVE HEART - Coming for you October 2006
KNIGHT'S PRIZE - Stealing your heart April 2007
DANGER'S KISS - Flirting with trouble May 2008

On Procrastination

I am the Queen of Procrastination. There are so many ways to do it! Perhaps worst of all, much of this procrastination can be done in the name of “promo” or “research,” making it so easy to rationalize the time that’s sunk (er, I mean, spent). And that time commitment can be absolutely enormous! In fact, I think between promotion and research, I could make “procrastination” a full-time job!

First and foremost, I know my number one priority is to write the best book I can. But once that book is written, I need to promote it. I need to research the next one. I need to continually work on improving my craft.

Here are some of the ways I engage in “productive procrastination”:

(1) Researching and Improving Writing Skills

*reading fiction

*reading non-fiction

*browsing google books

*conferences

*Romance Writers of America monthly local chapter meetings

*Specialty groups (mainly historical) chat lists

*Keeping apprised of the state of romance and of technology in publishing

*Critique groups – returning critiques and beta reads that others have done for me

*Mentoring new writers

(2) Social Groups and Promotion

*Group blogs (I’m a member of the Dangerous Women group along with several other Forever authors)

*Guest blogging (how can I say no?)

*Interviews

*Appearances and book signings

*Reader chat groups (for Dangerous Women and others)

*Twitter (you can find me here on Twitter!)

*Facebook (you can find me here on Facebook!)

*Emailing readers

*Snail mailing readers

*Coming up with new ideas for contests and managing them (I'm running a great contest for writers right now over on my Dawn Halliday site!)

*Responding to blogs

*Updating my website, keeping it fresh and current

*Writing groups-the social aspect

*Writing newsletters

All of this is important, right? I do think, in this day and age, most of it is necessary. And sometimes it can be a really fun diversion from the comparative loneliness of writing. But as a writer with a young family, it can be an incredible challenge at times to balance it all. I’m definitely trying, but sometimes I think there needs to be two of me to get it all done!

What are some of the ways YOU procrastinate?

Jennifer
www.jenniferhaymore.com

My TV debut.

Sorry I'm late posting this blog, but I was busy with my television debut. Ho-hum. No big deal....

HA! Who am I kidding? It was the most fun I've had in ages. Well, maybe not fun, exactly. Let's just say, I'm relieved it's over. Here's what happened...

I arrived at the local Philadelphia NBC station at the appointed time. (Okay, I was 20 minutes early and had to sit in the car a bit. Hey, I was anxious.)

I was properly attired. (Except that they told me not to put on make-up. When I got there, another "guest" was in FULL make-up. She said, "Oh, I'd NEVER let anyone else do my make-up. And sometimes they run late, and they can't make you up at all." Oooops...)

I was calm and collected. (...while I frantically tried to look cool slathering myself with make-up in a tiny mirror in the "green room.)

Soon, it was my turn to go on. (OH MY GOD SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!)

I had an thrilling and informative interview with the host. ( I don't remember a single thing I said. Please, God, tell me I didn't curse.)

I went home to watch myself with my lovely, supportive family. (My son pointed out that my bra strap had been showing the whole time.)

Have you ever been on TV? Do you ever buy books because you've seen authors on TV? Can you bring me a tall, stiff drink? Here's the show: