I've been working on my historical story this past week. I hesitate to say too much about it because I'm still not sure if I can do this. I'm still in love with the idea of the story and the characters are starting to really grow on me too. I find it slow going, though, because there are still so many details that I need to research. I find myself wishing for an expert in this time period to be standing beside me with all the answers to my questions. Don't think it's going to be that easy though! I'm about 12,000 words in, so it's a good start.

I'm also doing a workshop right now on pacing, through Romance U, with Mary Buckham. I've already learned a lot and we're just into the first week. I'm doing my homework and then applying what I've learned to my WIP, also to other stories that I have sitting finished. They can always be better, and I know that my WIP is already better for taking this course. I hope the rest of the workshop is just as good. I always love to learn more and find ways to improve my writing.

What a week! I got 2 more reviews for Power Struggle:

Fallen Angel Reviews  5 ANGELS and a RECOMMENDED READ
Bella said: "I cannot begin to tell you how much I loved Power Struggle! I loved the dynamic between Tori and Dev. ... Power Struggle is a thoroughly emotionally engaging, scorchingly sexy, deliciously kinky story and highly recommended to all readers, especially those yearning for a great BDSM read."

And from Book Binge:
Judith said: "Ms Jamieson has given the readers a very romantic story of two people who are exceptional at what they do, but who are floundering in their personal lives. They are multi-faceted individuals and therefore they are intriguing. Neither one is "easy" or uncomplicated. Their relationship would have been a challenge without the BDSM ingredients. But the reader sees two characters who value one another, are most definitely aware of the deeper connection between them, and who are willing to work at finding a way to be in one another's life long term...This is the kind of story that makes for good reading, in my opinion. There's lots to consider in this novel--lots in the back story and lots to consider about the merits of the BDSM lifestyle and how a personal relationship can affect its place in someone's life."

And I also got a review for Conference Call, which has been out for a while now, but what an awesome review!

Whipped Cream gave Conference Call 5 CHERRIES!

Honeysuckle said: "This little novella was such a fun read. Ms. Jamieson tapped into a real life common man’s (and woman in this case) fantasy and made it sizzle. Her character building is strong and the plot, while simple, is well developed. Both Kenzie and Noah were such “real” people with relatable insecurities and desires. I couldn’t put Conference Call down and I think you’ll enjoy this quick read as well. It’s sweet, it’s sensual, it’s a can’t miss!!

Do you want to laugh like there's no tomorrow, read like you've just gotten new reading glasses and get a little nookie in the process?

The Nine Naughty Novelists invite you to stop by our blog (http://www.ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com/) every Thursday starting September 9th to read our steamy western paranormal category multi-part romance mashup, The Zillionaire Vampire Cowboy’s Secret Werewolf Babies (set in beautiful, bucolic Bloodsuck, TX).

Every blog comment you post (one comment per chapter), and every tweet/retweet using the #bloodsuck hashtag (tweets/retweets are unlimited, check blog for details) enters you in our contest and puts you in the running to win a free nook.

So come early, come often. Welcome to Bloodsuck. Have some wine.

I finished Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale. This story just grabbed me and pulled me along, I loved it. So emotionally intense. What a hero. What a heroine. It impresses me that her characters are always so different thought her heroes do often seem to be quite tortured.

I'm now reading Corralled by Lorelei James. I've read all her Samhain books and now this one! It's just as hot as her Rough Riders books, too.

I have quite a lengthy list of books to read now thanks to the Sony store suddenly making all the books I want available to me here in Canada! I went on quite a little spending spree the other day. Check back to see what I bought!

I've had a great week! In some ways it doesn't feel like I've accomplished a whole lot, but in others, it does!

I did get some writing done on a couple of WIPs. I started on my historical and wrote 4000 words, then realized I had started at the wrong place. Did a bit more research and thought out my new opening. Haven't written it yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Also did some work on a finished story that needed some revisions. I've changed the characters, planned out a different ending and a few other things that needed to be added, and I'm working my way through those changes.

But a lot of this week was spent working on "non writing" things - if you haven't been by the Nine Naughty Novelists blog recently, you need to check it out! We've finally unveiled our "Soopersekrit Project" which is: THE ZILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE COWBOY'S SECRET WEREWOLF BABIES.

We`ve been planning to do a serial story ever since we started this group and in the last few months have had a number of brainstorming sessions which have been fall-off-your-chair funny! What a great group of writers these naughty novelists are! We`ve had so much fun and now it`s almost time to unleash our wild creativity on the world. This Thursday (September 9) we`ll debut our story at our blog.

This week was busy planning our promotion stragegy and I worked on the trailer for the story, which you can see here. We`re having a great contest along with the story, too, so be sure to check at the NNN blog on Wednesday for the contest details and then Thursday for the first installment! It`s going to be so much fun!

A few weeks ago I posted a couple of reviews for Power Struggle. Since then I got this lovely review from reviewer Jolene at Night Owl Reviews, who made it a NOR TOP PICK!

"Power Struggle by Kelly Jamieson was my first time reading the BDSM genre of books. I really enjoyed taking a walk on the wild side and being a voyeur into a lifestyle that I know nothing about. Power Struggle was a well-written story of Dev, a young (hot!) doctor and Tori, the Vice President of her company.Power Struggle was a wonderful book and a great read for a lazy day."

Thank you Jolene and I'm glad you enjoyed Power Struggle.

And I also received this week a lovely email from a reader who said "This is a wonderful novel...While there was definitely some hot scenes (real hot!), I think the beauty of this book was the depth of characterization, and its honest and realistic development of the plot... This is a well-developed, perfectly paced novel with BDSM that was tastefully delivered (that even the faint-hearted could appreciate) but ultimately, a beautiful love story that truly resonated with me. I hope there is a sequel but really - I don't think she can top this one."

Thank you so much! It means a lot to hear from readers.

photo by sexy jane photography
 
Today I'm at Passionate Reads and I'm cooking naked! I'm in the kitchen whipping up a dark, seductive treat with chef Bond from Nara Malone's Dungeon Gourmet.  He got me all hot and flustered in the kitchen! Come see what we're making!

Last time I posted I was debating between Erin McCarthy's Hot Finish and Kristan Higgins' Too Good to be True. Well, I read them both, and loved them both. Erin's one of my favourite authors and I really loved this story. Suz and Ryder have a lot of chemistry and it was great to read their HEA.

I wasn't sure about Too Good to be True. It's written in first person point of view, which I tend not to like, mainly because in a romance I love getting inside the hero's head and knowing how hot he is for the heroine. But I did like this book, a lot, despite the first person POV and despite the bedroom door being closed firmly in my face when they got there. There was nice sexual tension and the characters were all really endearing, even (or maybe especially, because I am a dog lover!) her little dog.

I've also been reading The Pearl by Anonymous, which is Victoria erotica. This is research. :-)

And I read Tough Customer by Sandra Brown. She tells such a great story but I kinda figured this one out (I say that's a yay for me, because her twists are usually pretty darn twisted). I really enjoyed it, but maybe because of reading and writing romance, I did feel that the romance part of the story was underdeveloped. It was wonderful seeing Dodge with the love of his life and knowing his story, but the story between Berry and Ski seemed a little unrealistic - it just happened too fast. They barely even talked and they were in love. Still enjoyed the story , though!

And right now I'm reading Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale. WOW! This story is quite different from others of hers I've read, SUPER hot, and I'm loving it!

Well, trying now to get back on blogging track, let's see what I've been working on for the last two weeks!

I last mentioned some doubts about what to work on next and that I was giving some thought to various projects I have started. And in this case, thinking was good! I read a couple of good books, thought a lot about my projects, and had a little epiphany!  I knew exactly what I needed to do to fix up some of the manuscripts my agent had said were too short. So I went back to Crush, the one that seemed most promising, and did more work on it. I brought in a secondary character and began her story. I thought about her story and the right man for her and got that idea sketched out and MAN! I want to tell that story! It's stuck in my head now! I fleshed out some other minor secondary characters as well as the setting, and the book is now 81,000 words and I like the changes.

And I thought about my WIP about the chef. I stopped working on it, thinking that it's not likely going to sell, but when I had my epiphany above, I kept thinking about it, too, and what I could do to make it better. I have all these ideas, so I've jotted them down, though I haven't actually gone back to writing it yet.

I have another story sketched out, too. If you've read  Power Struggle, which came out a few weeks ago with Ellora's Cave, you'll know Gabe, the mentor Dom and Tori's play partner until she meets Dev. I'd had the idea that he should have his own story, but I got a little bit stuck. (One of the reviewers who reviewed the book even said she hopes Gabe has his own story!) And in that rush of creativity and ideas, I knew what his story should be. And oh MAN, do I ever want to tell that story!

I also have my historical story that I've been researching that I really want to get started on. I have set a deadline for this because of an upcoming trip that I will be able to do in-depth research for this story so I really need to have a first draft done by then. So I've gotten started on it, but it's so hard when I have all these other characters and their stories floating in my head, needing to get out. There aren't enough hours in the day to do it all, and it's a wonderful, awful feeling to have all this stuff inside me that I need to get out and not enought time to do it all. It's wonderful when I remember those times when I feel stuck, like I'll never have another good idea agan, but awful that I can't do it fast enough.

I need to learn patience. Patience. I'll get there.

I realized today that it has been one full week since I blogged. And what would the reason for that be, you ask? Did I become deathly ill? Suffer a severe injury, perhaps with head trauma? A death in the family? My dog ran away?

No. I forgot.

Don't ask how. I think it might be old age but I don't want to go there.

I was out of town on Monday with no internet access, but that's no excuse because I can schedule posts ahead of time. Then I was mixed up this week because of having a day off on Monday and I thought today was Tuesday. Then I realized it was Wednesday and I should have blogged and then I realized I missed Monday, and Friday last week too!

Shame on me, but I will be better from now on.

Well Erin McCarthy won out over Kristan Higgins, sorry Kristan. Right now I'm reading Hot Finish. Not going to spoil anything for anyone else yet to read it, but I totally see what's coming. I'll let you know next week if I'm right. :-) I find it interesting that the story lacks a big conflict - yet it is still enjoyable. Erin's writing is amusing.

I also picked up a few non-fiction books from the library but I can't really say I'm "reading" them since they're mostly pictures :-) English Women's Clothing in the 19th Century; Victorian to Vamp: Women's Clothing 1900-1929; History of Women's Costume; and History of Men's Costume. Fun!

In the midst of all the doubts and uncertainties and rejections, nothing picks up an author faster than a couple of good reviews! My latest release Power Struggle came out August 6 and it's already had two awesome reviews!

Lea at The Blackravens Reviews gave Power Struggle 5 Ravens: "Kelly Jamieson’s new book, Power Struggle, is fabulous. It is an exciting and sensuous love story as well as a remarkable narrative about the importance of being honest with yourself about what you want and need in order to be happy in a relationship."

And Wendy at Happy Ever After Reviews gave Power Struggle 5  Tea Cups: "Let me begin by saying, WOW! Loved this book! It takes you into the lives of two people raised to take care of people, but who are willing to go out of their comfort zone to please each other...I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about BDSM. It was artfully written. Great Job, Kelly!"

Thank you ladies. Thank you very much.

Once again, my progress has ground to a screeching halt. There are a couple of reasons. I got the galley to proofread for my upcoming print release of Love 2 Love U. This is a print anthology Samhain Publishing is putting out of my three stories, Love Me, Love Me More and 2 Hot 2 Handle. Last chance to review and make sure there are no typos. I also have to work on a marketing plan for it. Yikes.

But the biggest reason was that I got lost in the publishing business, yet again. I've had some conversations with my agent recently about what New York publishers are looking for and it's not what I'm writing, unfortunately. Seems there's a pretty narrow window of what they want right now. Perhaps this is always true, but this is my first experience of it. I do know that the publishing market is very tight right now with the big publishers struggling financially. Anyway one of my books isn't "sellable" because there are two other authors who already have a series out like that. Which made me question whether my WIP will be sellable, too, becasue it's about a chef. I know there are other series out there about chefs.
I waver back and forth between "why finish what won't sell" and "just write the damn book and see what happens."

So instead of writing I'm proofreading and thinking about things.

Hey everyone! Today I'm doing something new and hopefully fun! If you read my book Lost and Found and would like to chat about it, come on by my Facebook page today. (If you haven't read it:  Spoiler alert!) I'm going to throw out some discussion questions and you can ask me questions about the book, too.

Here's the blurb of the story:
To find happiness, first you have to find yourself.

Krissa has always been the responsible one. Driven to fulfill her mother’s abandoned dreams, to make her husband Derek happy. She’s brought that single-minded determination to the one dream she has for herself—a child. Except she and Derek can’t conceive, and Derek refuses to consider using a stranger’s sperm. The result? Guilt that her desperation is causing their marital rift.

The last thing they need is a long-term houseguest, but Derek’s best friend Nate, a nomadic photographer recovering from a career-threatening eye disorder, has nowhere else to go.

Nate thought his friends’ home would be a temporary haven from the grief that has dogged his heels since his wife died. Instead he’s in the middle of a marriage in meltdown. Soon their friendship develops an underlying hum of forbidden sexual tension. When Krissa proposes a wild idea—that Nate be their sperm donor—Derek has an even wilder proposal: bypass the fertility clinic and accept Nate’s donation straight from the source.

At first, Krissa believes she’s on the fast track to having her dream. But it quickly becomes clear that when the heart gets involved—and secrets are revealed—the simplest of arrangements can become entangled beyond belief. Or repair…

Warning: This title contains a man who’s lost, the woman he finds, sizzling ménage sex, tender romantic sex, love lost and love found.

AND - I'm a guest today at Tracy Cooper-Posey's blog where she asks me some very tough questions! Leave a comment for a chance to win a book from my back list!

Before I talk about the books I read this week I want to mention one of my books - Lost and Found. I'm going to hold a book chat about Lost and Found this Friday, August 13 (Lucky Friday!!) on my Facebook page . This will be for anyone who's read the book (since there will be spoilers you might want to miss it if you haven't read it yet!). I always like to talk about books after I've read them, especially if it was one that made me think about it, so I thought this might be fun. I'm going to post some questions for discussion and you can ask me questions about the book or the characters, too. Hope to see you there!

As for what I'm reading, this past week I finished Naked by Megan Hart. Loved this story. Finally Alex gets his story. No spoilers, but if the ending of Tempted (and Everything Changes) broke your heart, read this one. 

I also read My Three Lords by Juniper Bell. This was a fun and sexy historical romance. I enjoyed Alicia's innocence and the three different lords, all so unique.

And I read Lessons in Love by Kate Davies. This story took me back to reading  Harlequin romances, a Cinderella fairy tale where she ends up with the prince. It was really sweet!

I haven't decided what to start next. I downloaded Too Good to be True, by Kristan Higgins (RITA winner - I wanted to see what a RITA winner looks like. I honestly don't think I've ever read one. Most of the books that final in that contest are not ones I would usually read). But I also have Erin McCarthy's latest Hot Finish, and she's one of my favourite authors! Decisions, decisions...

After last week's technological disaster, I had a pretty productive week! I wrote 4000 words a day, several days in a row and dayum, this baby is over half done! Then I had a little slow down as I realized that my hero's back story isn't sufficently heartbreaking. I need more motivation for him. So I got doing some research and brainstorming as opposed to actual writing. Which is okay, because that's all part of the process, right? Then things got busy with an all day chat on Friday with the Nine Naughty Novelists and an out-of-town weekend visiting family, and the progress came to a screeching halt.

AND tomorrow it's back to the day job so I'm not expecting any more 4000 word days for a while! Actually I can be pretty productive in evenings if I have the chance, but now I've been away from the manuscript it takes a while to get back into it - I need to reread most recent writing, get back into my character's headspace.

Power Struggle is out today!
 
Here's a teaser snippet but I'm posting more excerpts and talking about the book all day today with the Nine Naughty Novelists at the Latte Lounge at Coffee Time Romance, so come on by - I'm also giving away a copy of Power Struggle there!

In the dark bedroom, she paused to admire Dev stretched out in her bed, taking up nearly the whole damn thing he was so big, on his stomach, arms beneath the pillow, head turned away from her. The sheets were around his waist, exposing his broad muscular back and powerful shoulders, and her eyes roamed lower to the curve of his ass beneath the sheet. Dear god, he had a nice ass, firm and round… She took a breath and moved farther into the room to set the mugs on the table beside the bed.

She sat on the edge of the bed and stroked a hand down the center of his warm satiny back, and he shifted and murmured, then rolled over. Sleep-heavy eyes flickered open to look at her and she smiled down at him and reached out to push some hair back, then trailed her fingers down his cheek, shoulder and came to rest on his chest.

“Morning,” she said, her heart squeezing a little at having him here like this, after he’d satisfied her so incredibly last night.

He smiled back at her, slow and slumberous, and he reached for her hand and lifted it to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to her wrist, his eyes closed. As she slowly drew her hand back, completely charmed and melted, he opened his eyes and his gaze focused on her wrist.

His eyebrows jerked together and lowered over his eyes. His fingers tightened on hers and he lifted her arm higher until it was directly in front of his vision. “Jesus Christ, Tori,” he whispered.

Her gaze followed his to the faint bruises just above her wrists, paused then lifted to his horrified eyes. Her stomach plummeted.
“It’s okay, Dev,” she said quickly. “Really.”
“It’s fucking not okay!” He released her and pushed himself to sitting, shoving both hands into his hair and holding his head. “Look at you! I fucking bruised you, for Chrissake!”
“I know. It’s okay. I like it.”

“You…what?” He stared at her, aghast.

Wednesday already! A long weekend always messes me up.

In the last week I read two books by fellow authors from Nine Naughty Novelists - Edge of Heaven by PG Forte, and Just Like That by Erin Nicholas.

Edge of Heaven is such a unique story, set in Limbo. I can honestly say I've never read a story with that kind of setting! I loved the two characters in this story, loved the story, it made me laugh and made me cry (damn you PG!)

Just Like That was another awesome story! I loved how these two characters find themselves, and find each other. Really great character development, Erin!

And right now I'm reading Naked by Megan Hart. If you read my blog, you'll know she is one of my favourite authors and I've been waiting soooooo long for this story! I think Tempted is my favourite book by Megan, and Naked is Alex's story. I am so in love with him. I had to force myself to stop reading this morning so I can get some writing of my own done!

My wonderful Samhain editor Tera Kleinfelter alerted me to this review today for Lost and Found, from Joyfully Reviewed:

"Lost and Found stayed with me for hours after I finished reading. Nate and Krissa just worked for me and I wanted their happy ever after in the worst way! Kelly Jamieson now has a permanent place on my keeper shelf and I can’t wait to see what she writes next."

Thank you to reviewer Talia at Joyfully Reviewed!