• 819 and counting …

    7 Comments

    Finished The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt.

    One thing a proper English lady should never, ever do is fall in love with her servant. But that’s exactly what happens to Lady Georgina Maitland, who becomes rather attached to her land steward (i.e. servant) Harry Pye.

    Georgina is a wonderful character — warm, bubbly, and just a tad scatterbrained. Harry comes off as a bit gruff in comparision. My one real quibble with the book is the fact I didn’t like Harry that much. I thought he ran roughshod over Georgina too many times and didn’t treat her well in certain places.

    Most historical romances focus on the upper crust of society and give little thought to servants. Sometimes, I get tired of reading abouts dukes and lords and ladies. (Surely, there was a servant somewhere who had a grand love story. The human race would not have survived otherwise.) So, I really liked the change of pace in this book. 

    I also liked the bit of whimsy Hoyt added by having Georgina tell Harry a fairy tale about an enchanted leopard prince who wins the hand of a beautiful princess.

    So, thumbs up.

    Up next: Surviving Demon Island by Jaci Burton.

    What about you? What have you read recently? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    Writing something new … opinions wanted …

    5 Comments

    So, if you look at the previous post, you’ll see Number 10 — Write something new that’s not a Bigtime book.

    As much as I love paranormals and fantasy (and as many ideas as I have for them), I do worry about the market collapsing. It seems like everybody’s doing paranormal or urban fantasy these days. I’d like to write something else to get a toe-hold in another market, just in case paranormals go belly up. To further establish myself. To move closer to being a full-time writer. And to really stretch myself and my writing.

    What would you, as a reader, like to see from me (or from the publishing world in general)?  Another paranormal like the Bigtime series? A straight, modern-day romantic comedy? Some wacky, off-the-wall fantasy?

    I have some ideas …

    1) A Southern-fried romantic comedy. Barbecue joints! Quirky characters! Iced tea!

    2) A fairy-tale romantic suspense. Yep, you read that right. It would be set in a fairy tale-type world, with some modern touches (trains, electricity, etc.)

    3) An urban fantasy about an assassin who gets double-crossed.

    Right now, I’m leaning toward the rom-com … if I can come up with a story that works.

    What about you? Any of these sound good? Bad? Indifferent? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    A look ahead …

    2 Comments

    So, here are some writing-related things I need to get done this fall. I’m going to give myself a deadline of Oct. 31. We’ll see how that goes …

    1) Take my first draft of Bigtime 5, aka Fangirl, and write a better, longer second draft. Something that actually makes senses and reads like a real book. 🙄

    2) Finish and send the paranormal spy book, Live and Let Spy, to the agent.

    3) Set up local book signings in November for Hot Mama.

    4) Contact my local media about Hot Mama and set up some interviews.

    5) Finish tweaking the Web site and add new art for Hot Mama release in November.

    6) Do the copy edits/page proofs for Bigtime 3, aka Jinx (although I probably won’t get these until November or later).

    7) Get bookmarks made for Jinx.

    8) Start thinking about Bigtime 6, aka Superstar. It’ll be about Kelly Caleb, the TV reporter for the Superhero News Network.

    9) Contact folks about blogging in November for Hot Mama release.

    10) Write something new that’s not a Bigtime book. (More on this to come).

    What about you? What sort of writing-related things do you hope to get accomplished this fall? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    Some hot bookmarks …

    I can’t remember if I posted this or not, but I have Hot Mama bookmarks to give away! Who-hoo!

    The bookmarks are very, very nice. They’re oversized, and the color absolutely rocks. They look even better than the Karma Girl bookmarks.

    As always, these are free to readers. If you want some bookmarks, send me an e-mail at jennifer@jenniferestep.com to learn how to get them.

    Happy reading! 😎

  • ·

    A look back …

    Summer is almost over. I can’t believe it’s almost September already. Where did the time go? Shaking head.

    Back in June, I posted about some things I needed to do this summer. I thought I’d give myself and you guys an update and measure my progress. So, here’s my list, along with whether or not I finished the projects.

    1) Finish page proofs for Hot Mama. 

    Done. I got a couple of Hot Mama ARCs in the mail last week. Who-hoo! 😎

    2) Finish up Bigtime 4, aka Nightingale.

    Done. Mostly. I sent it to the agent, who liked it. (Yeah!) Right now, I’m working on some minor revisions for her, which I plan to finish by Sept. 1, if not before.  

    3) Write a rough draft of Bigtime 5, aka Fangirl.

    Done, but it’s really, really short, and it really, really sucks. It needs some serious tinkering.

    4) Finish up my paranormal spy book, aka Live and Let Spy.

    Almost there. I’ve printed out the final draft. I need to read through it and do some minor editing before I sent it to the agent, and see what she thinks about it.

    5) Write a rough draft of the second spy book, You Only Spy Twice.

    Done, but like Fangirl, it’s really, really short, and it really, really sucks (all my first drafts do). But at least I have an idea of where I’m going and now I know that I can make a series out of this.

    6) Update the Web site with Hot Mama extras, new contests, photos, etc.

    Done. Mostly. I need to fix some typos and tweak a few things. I’m also waiting for some more art elements and Easter eggs from my Web site guru.

    7) Get bookmarks made for Hot Mama.

    Done. As always, these are free to readers. If you want some, send me an e-mail at jennifer@jenniferestep.com.

    8) Update my pitch letters and promo materials for Karma Girl and Hot Mama.

    Done. Mostly. I need to edit the letters and promo stuff for typos, but I went ahead and sent the info to my publicist at Berkley.

    9) Dazzle everyone with my wit and brilliance at RWA Nationals.

    Well, I went to RWA. Whether I dazzled anyone is debatable. 🙄

    10) Get my head examined for thinking I can get all this accomplished in three months. :cool:

    This one still stands.

    Overall, I didn’t do too bad. Now, I need to make my list for fall … 😀

    What about you? Did you accomplish your summer writing goals? Inquiring minds want to know …