Please welcome author Jasmine Haynes to my blog. She has decided to grace us with a wonderful interview and excerpt of one of her books. She is going to have a give away a PDF copy of Revenge Sex to one lucky person, so please leave your name and your email address along with a comment and stop by and follow her on her blog/website @ www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com from April 2-15. Now on to the interview and an excerpt from Submitting to the Boss.
Bio:
Jasmine Haynes, Rita Finalist for Somebody’s Lover, plus two-time Holt Medallion and National Readers Choice Award winner, is the author of over 30 classy, erotic romance tales. Look for her West Coast series, starting with Revenge Sex. Of course, she’s also the author of the award-winning Max Starr psychic mystery series. And don’t miss her writing as Jennifer Skully, KOD Daphne award-winning author, bringing you poignant tales peopled with hilarious characters that will make you laugh and make you cry.
Nikki: Welcome Jasmine and thank you for visiting me here on this blog and at my review blog (http://www.epicallyromanticbyebonydreams.blogspot.com) for this month of April!
Interview:
Thanks so much for having me on your blog! I had such fun answering your questions. And here they are!
How long does it take you to write a book?
A full-length novel, including revision and editing time, takes four to five months to write. Novellas, of course, are much faster, I can write one in about six to eight weeks. For a novella, there’s usually no subplot, so it takes a lot less time, and the most important thing is the emotion.
When did you write your first book and how old were you?
I wrote my first book in high school. I was 17. I took a creative writing class, and we were supposed to write two short stories. I asked the teacher if I could write a novel instead and turn in chapters. She was delighted! It was a gothic romance, which is what I loved reading. And it was all handwritten!
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I’m a big walker. I live in mountain foothills, and there’s a nearby state park where I can hike. I’m also close to the beach, so it’s always fun to walk down there, too. My mother is a great walker as well, and I visit her every other week, where we take a nice walk (at her speed), and play lots of cards. She loves card games. And of course, I enjoy my movies and TV shows in the evening! We just finished watching Game of Thrones and The Killing, both of which I loved.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I’ve published over 30 books. Fool’s Gold (under my pseudonym Jennifer Skully and recently reissued as an ebook) is my favorite. It’s a romantic comedy with a mystery thrown in, and the little town the story takes place in, Goldstone, was patterned after the town where my brother-in-law lives. It’s sort of a derelict place, but there are so many fun and interesting characters living there. I loved writing about that little town. And some of the background in the story comes from stories my brother-in-law told me, like the outhouse excavating and the Twinkie caper. You’ll have to read it to find out more! The first book in the “Cottonmouth series”, as I call it, is She’s Gotta Be Mine. Brax, the sheriff, is a major character in the first story, then gets his own story in Fool’s Gold. Readers can learn more about Cottonmouth at www.jenniferskully.com
Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
I have three suggestions for new writers. First, take classes and learn your craft. There are a ton of online writing seminars out there to choose from. Second, find a good critique group or partner. Another eye is always good for pointing out flaws we can’t see ourselves. And third, finish the story. Don’t endlessly rewrite. I’ve seen a lot of writers who can’t get past the first few chapters because they keep rewriting them. BTW, I know you don’t have that problem, Nikki!
Which of your characters is your favorite?
Ladybird Long in the Max Starr series is my favorite character. She is my hero Detective Witt Long’s mother. I enjoyed writing her because she is so opposite to him. She’s ditzy and flightly, and she talks to her husband’s ghost. She first appears in the series in book 3, Desperate to the Max. And meeting her gives my heroine Max totally new insight to Witt. She loves how he treats his mother: slightly embarrassed but very loving. The series starts with Dead to the Max and there are currently five books. The love story between Detective Witt Long and Max spans all five books in the series, and in my opinion, it’s heartwrenching. The series is chock full of psychics, ghosts, visions, murder, and romance! Readers can learn more about the Max Starr series at www.jbskully.com
Have you ever been surprised by a controversy among fans or reviewers – for example, you created a character without thinking too much about what people would think of him, and found some readers loved him and some hated him?
LOL, funny you should ask! The biggest controversy I ever had was on Kinky Neighbors, the story I did as a free read on my blog, but it’s also available as an ebook on all the major Internet retailers. I totally did not expect readers to get so into the characters, especially the bad girl, Cat. They had all sorts of things they wanted me to do to Cat to make her pay. I really enjoyed the discussion. And luckily, it appeared readers were pleased with what I did in the end. However, I’ve had many requests for a sequel so people can find out what happens to the characters, and here’s a little secret I’m going to reveal to you and your blog readers first! I’m planning a sequel, the length of a short story, I think. I’ll call it Kinky Neighbors: Cat and Logan’s Comeuppance!
Tell us about your newest release.
I’ve started a new novella series called the “West Coast” series. I’ve created a small company in Silicon Valley, peopled with hot, powerful men and sexy ladies, and there’s a lot of naughty hijinx going on. It’s what I call a “hot-wifing” series in that some of the heroines in the stories have multiple partners with their boyfriend’s or husband’s permission. The first story is Revenge Sex, about a sex triangle. For my romance fans, there is always a happily-ever-after, even if it isn’t strictly traditional. Revenge Sex came out in December, and in March, I released the second book, Submitting to the Boss. I have at least 2 more stories planned in the series, but of course, that could always grow! Readers can learn more about the West Coast series on my website, www.jasminehaynes.com
What can the readers expect from you in the near future?
I’ve got some reissues planned. My two stories from Twin Peaks have never been offered in ebook format. So I’ve gotten the rights back for those two and will be releasing them as the Prescott Twins: Double the Pleasure and Skin Deep. These are actually my first two stories that were published, and I really enjoyed writing about twin sisters whose personalities are polar opposites. They’ll be available at the beginning of May and the beginning of June.
I’m also going to start a new paranormal series. I absolutely adored an old book called The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, and I’ve have always wanted to write about reincarnation. So I’m going to write the Haunted series: Twisted by Love, Haunted by Love, and Possessed by Love. Readers can expect something more along the lines of my Max Starr series, with a bit of paranormal, a dash of romance, and a big mystery!
Where can we find your book(s)?
My books are available at all the major Internet retailers, and of course, the books I write for Berkley Heat are in bookstores now. Readers can visit my website to learn more about my books, www.jasminehaynes.com, www.jenniferskully.com, and www.jbskully.com. I also do free reads on my blog and I love new readers: www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com. I will be giving away a PDF copy of the first West Coast book, Revenge Sex, to one randomly selected commenter on my blog from April 2 to April 15. And I’ll do the same here for commenters on your blog, randomly select one winner. So readers have two chances to win!
Now here’s the promised excerpt of Submitting to the Boss!
West Coast, Jasmine’s new series about sexy hot wives and the men who love them.
In Revenge Sex (Book 1), Ruby Williams broke a few too many rules. In Submitting to the Boss (Book 2), she’s about to get her comeuppance.
A woman who still needs to learn her lesson, and a man oh so willing to train her…
Ruby Williams completely underestimated her live-in lover. She thought she had him wrapped around her little finger, and she could do anything she wanted without any consequences. Now she’s just another dumped woman bemoaning her fate.
Then her boss, West Coast Manufacturing’s CEO Holt Montgomery, calls her into his office and gives her the punishment she so richly deserves.
Holt is determined to show Ruby the error of her ways with his own special brand of dominance and submission. Her sexuality now belongs to him, and he’ll give her permission as to when, where, how, and with whom she’ll use it. From voyeurism to exhibitionism to more than one man at a time, with a little tying up and a lot of spanking, Ruby discovers she likes following a man’s rules. But she still won’t let a man have the upper hand.
Can their naughty affair move from just sex with the boss to something more lasting? Or will Ruby learn her lessons a little too late?
Drop by Jasmine’s blog, www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com to read the first chapter of Submitting to the Boss. Then here’s a brand new excerpt! But be warned, it’s explicit!
West Coast Series, Book 2
Copyright 2012 Jasmine Haynes
Never in his four-year history with Ruby Williams had Holt witnessed that deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes. It wasn’t Ruby’s style. If you looked up self-assured woman in the dictionary, there’d be a picture of Ruby right beside it.
More gorgeous than a forty-year-old woman had a right to be, with dark hair falling past her shoulders, deep brown, very knowing eyes, and long legs that made a man dream of running his hands up them to the hem of her short skirt, Ruby had no doubt of her sex appeal. She was efficient yet never cowed, sexy in her choice of clothing—some might even say halfway to being slutty—but always professional in her dealings him and any visitors to his office, be they subordinates, vendors, auditors, or customers. She was his gateway.
Yet after four years, she was about to become more.
Holt folded his arms over his chest and regarded her with a steady gaze. “Stand up,” he ordered.
She was elegantly tall, and he especially enjoyed her spiked heels, which put her on eye level with him as she rose from the chair. A creamy vee of cleavage was bared above the jacket of her less-than-staid suit. Her full breasts were a mouthwatering sight, and her lips were painted a ruby red to match her name. At the moment, however, they were minus their usual seductive smile.
“What’s this all about, Holt?”
“Pull the blinds.”
She glanced over her shoulder. The window view was of the lawn, a few shrubs, West Coast’s monument sign, and the road curving around to the freeway. It was unlikely that anyone would glance in his window, but his plan called for the privacy of closed blinds.
“But Holt—”
He cut her off with a look. “By not obeying immediately, you’ll make the punishment worse.”
“Well—” Obviously on the verge of arguing, she stopped herself this time. She actually bit her lip momentarily before realizing what she was doing. Ruby wasn’t a lip-biter or a hand-wringer. “So I’m supposed to just do whatever you tell me to”—she raised a brow—“then everything will be the way it was?”
He allowed long seconds to pass before he answered. First he unbuttoned his suit jacket. Ruby’s gaze fell below his waist. Her eyes widened. He’d been making plans, and planning had made him hard.
“Nothing will be the way it was,” he said. “Everything has changed. Close the blinds. Now.”
Ruby swallowed. She had the long, beautiful neck of a swan. He imagined touching his tongue to the hollow of her throat, tasting her. Those were the kind of thoughts that made him harder still.
Ruby took a step back, toward the bank of windows behind the sofa, as if she were afraid to turn her back on him. Finally she pivoted, skirted the coffee table, and leaned with one knee on the sofa to reach the pull. The blinds snapped closed. It wouldn’t be dark for another three hours, but the shades bathed the room in shadow.
He shoved the chair she’d been sitting in back beneath the conference table, then stood in the center of his office. “Come here,” he demanded.
Ruby had never taken orders from anyone, not even him. His management style was in the form of polite requests that, nevertheless, didn’t take no for an answer. For the most part, his subordinates followed those requests. The few times someone hadn’t—suffice it to say, there was only one chance per customer. The next time he made a request, they jumped. Ruby had never been a problem, but his requests had never been out of line.
Tonight, however, they were going way over the line. And he wasn’t allowing her to say no.
Ruby knew it, too. She stood in front of him, a foot and a half between them. He could smell her perfume, something light and a little sweet, definitely exotic. And he could scent her. Musky, warm, all woman.
“You will do everything I say without question.”
Ruby blinked, and her lips parted.
He sensed an argument and ruthlessly shut it down. “There will be severe consequences for every infraction.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to fire me?”
“I will never fire you. There are other things worse than that. Undo your jacket.”
A pulse beat at her throat, but her bravado hadn’t completely deserted her. “I don’t have anything on under it except my bra.”
He gave her a steady look. “I know. I’ve always known exactly what you have under there.” He let that sink in.
Her eyes flitted across his face, assessing, analyzing, wondering. Then she slowly raised her fingers to the buttons of her jacket. It was short-waisted, cream-colored, fitted, and hugged her large breasts. Her fingertips were the same ruby red as her lipstick. There was nothing like red nails wrapped around a man’s flesh.
She did what he’d ordered and no more. The lapels hung open slightly, giving him only a glimpse of the lavender lingerie beneath.
“Take it off,” he said, recognizing the huskiness in his own voice. It was his turn to swallow, his throat suddenly dry with anticipation.
Ruby slid her nails up the jacket’s lapels, then slipped under, pushing it off her shoulders and shrugging it down her arms until it fell to the carpet. Her nipples were tight beads beneath the lavender lace. Underwire plumped her breasts, held them high, a hint of dusky aureole peaking above the cup.
His mouth watered.
It wasn’t polite to entertain serious sexual fantasies about your friend’s lover. Unless you were invited. Clay had never invited him, and Holt was a stickler for propriety.
But Ruby had cheated, and Clay had left her. They’d been together for three years, and though their relationship had ended, Holt still didn’t poach on another man’s territory. So he’d briefly outlined his plans and requested Clay’s permission to carry out Ruby’s punishment. That was all they’d talked about, no gory or explicit details, very little explanation, and no rehashing of the relationship.
Permission granted. Ruby was now his.
Bra and skirt, he wondered. Or bra and panties? “Take off your skirt, but leave the heels.”
Ruby didn’t protest this time, reaching behind, unzipping. The skirt dropped to the carpet, pooling around her shoes. She stepped out of it.
And stole his breath.
Minuscule thong panties cut high on the hip, a barely there thatch of trimmed hair showing through the lavender lace, which matched her bra. Her stomach was flat, her hips rounded, her thighs beckoning a man to slip between them.
He reached out, tracing a finger along her collarbone until the tip touched the strap of her brassiere. He slid it off her shoulder. She looked elegantly debauched.
“Perfect,” he murmured. Though he was supposed to be the one in charge, he found himself mesmerized. Ruby was extraordinary. He almost lost focus.
He brought his gaze back to hers and met the knowing look in her eyes. Ruby knew her own power. She needed to learn that his was greater.
He stepped aside, pointed. “Bend over, elbows on my desk,” he instructed.
Her brows knit with a question, but she was smarter than to ask it.
“Now,” he emphasized.
She stepped forward, leaned over, and assumed the position, ass in the air.
Jesus. Ruby’s ass in her short skirts was delectable, but framed by the thong, the creamy globes were mouthwatering.
Moving in on her, Holt cupped his hand and slapped her sweet tush hard, fingers in a downward slant that connected with the warmth of her pussy.
Ruby squealed.
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