Author Jane Kindred on Romance, Orgies, & The Devil's Garden

Based on what Jane is about to blog about, I feel a little bad saying I'm currently one of those friends at the RWA "orgy", but alas, that's where I am. Though I promise I am not scantily clad and I'm profusely cursing the stupid heels I had to buy.

So without further ado, here is Jane...

When All Your Romance Writing Friends are off Having an Orgy Without You

Perhaps they’re not having an orgy, exactly, but it’s what I prefer to think. I mean, if everyone’s going to have fun without me, at the very least I should be allowed to imagine them all doing terrible, wonderful things to one another. After all, they’re not here to defend themselves, and I’m forced to live vicariously.

This week (if you’ve been here under this rock with me and didn’t know) is the annual Romance Writers of America Conference in New York City, where hordes of high-heel wearing, half-dressed women descend upon Manhattan. (I’m only guessing based on the tweets I’ve been seeing for months with pictures of shoes and dresses. Like I said, I get to make up what’s going on there, since none of them are here to defend themselves.) I understand there’s even a big, girl-filled dance floor at the infamous Harlequin party. Probably nothing like the all-girl dances I’ve been to, but what the heck, I’ll just imagine it is. What happens at the RWA Harlequin Black and White Ball stays at the RWA Harlequin Black and White Ball.

Right, um, where was I?

Oh, yes, so here I am slaving away at blog posts and novel revisions while everyone else is off having fun. So why am I not at RWA? Well, for one thing, it’s bloody expensive. For another, I’m not exactly a romance writer. My debut novella The Devil’s Garden is just out from Carina Press. Uh, yes, that’s Harlequin’s digital imprint. But I’m not a romance writer. I swear. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! It’s just that I feel compelled to explain when people hear I’m being published by Harlequin. I don’t want anyone to be disappointed when they pick up my novella expecting a typical romance hero and heroine with an HEA. (That’s Happily Ever After, for those of you who, like me, have been living here under this acronym-deficient rock.)

There is a touch of a romance thread in the novella, and an HEA of sorts, and even a tiny bit of very soft-heat erotica, but The Devil’s Garden is a traditional fantasy. And there is nothing typical about my hero and heroine. Or is it heroine and heroine? Or hero and hero? Well, it all depends. It’s neither and both. If I explain, I’ll have to give away spoilers.

What I can tell you is that the main character, temple courtesan Ume Sky, is also on occasion street urchin Cillian Rede. (That’s Cillian with a hard “C”, as in Cillian Murphy.)

*pic no longer available

Damn, look at those eyes. Can he be my B.O.W? (That’s Boyfriend of the Week for those of you who just fell into Roni’s blog out of the back of a turnip truck with me. Which reminds me, what is it with turnips being maligned, anyway? Well, there’s a Google search for that.) Are you getting the impression that I’m easily distracted? No comment. It’s been a long week. Plus, all my friends are off bumping and grinding in high heels and slutty dresses in the Manhattan heat without me.

At any rate, despite my illegitimacy as a romance writer, I grew up on gothic romances by Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, and Phyllis A. Whitney. Not exactly the steamy stuff, but it left me with a love of intrigue mixed with mysterious, hot-headed gentlemen in fabulous coats and gutsy, conflicted heroines in gorgeous dresses. And I think you’ll find quite a bit of that seeped into The Devil’s Garden.

In The Devil’s Garden, appearances can be deceiving…

Ume Sky enjoys her place of honor as temple courtesan for the reigning Meer of In’La—until an assignation with a client ends in violence. Her elite status stripped away, Ume is forced to return to a life on the streets as Cillian Rede, the boy she used to be.

Cillian finds temporary harbor with dockhand Cree Sylva, where fear keeps him from revealing his former identity, but as the two become lovers, Cillian learns Cree is not without secrets.

When Cillian has the opportunity to regain his position through a liaison with the Meer himself, he is torn between his feelings for Cree and his need to live as Ume. But there’s even more at stake when Ume finds herself entangled in a plot to rid the Delta of divine rule…

The Devil’s Garden is available now from Carina Press.

* * *

Jane Kindred began writing fantasy at age 12 in the wayback of a Plymouth Fury—which, as far as she recalls, never killed anyone…who didn’t have it coming. She spent her formative years ruining her eyes reading romance novels in the Tucson sun and watching Star Trek marathons in the dark. Although she was repeatedly urged to learn a marketable skill, she received a B.A. in Creative Writing anyway from the University of Arizona.

She now writes to the sound of San Francisco foghorns while two cats slowly but surely edge her off the side of the bed.

You can find Jane on Twitter: @JaneKindred
on Facebook: www.facebook.com/somewherebetweenheavenandhell
or on her website: www.janekindred.com

The Hubs Speaks: What It's Like Being Married to an Erotic Romance Author

Hubs is singing to me, not yelling, for the record. :)

When people find out I'm an erotic romance author, I often get the the same few questions. One, of course, is the giggling "do you do your own research?" question. The second is typically what does your husband (or family) think? 

Well, I can tell you my family is very supportive of me and my writing (even though I have forbade the male members of my family to read my book when it comes out.) But anyway, I figured instead of doing a post about what my husband thinks, I'd let him have him own blog post today.

So I gave him a few questions to tackle and let him have at it. 

Take it away, babe...

What’s it like being married to an erotic romance writer?  What’s the best thing? What’s the worst?

It rocks!!!  There are lots of benefits for me as your husband.  Hard to list THE BEST THING so here are a few.  

-Creating your stories, while always bound to a deadline and a lot of work, is fun.  Fun jobs make fun people.  

-Our “how was your day” conversations have to be cooler than most couples, right?  “My day was ok.  I researched insert sexually explicit subject for a scene I’m working on.  Did you know…..”

-Having your wife reside in an erotically charged creative zone constantly has good benefits ;-)

-The very best thing for me?  Your dreams are coming true.  All the rest is icing.

The Worst???

Deadlines and social media can be consuming.  Sometimes I have to remind you the computer has an off switch.  However, you do a great job balancing your life between family and your career.

How do you feel about your trampy wife’s Boyfriends of the Week and naughty Tumblr pics?

Is this a loaded question?  Here goes…

-B.O.W.

The average Tuesday used to be pretty predictable for me.  B.O.W. has totally changed that.  Now, Tuesday is one of my most anticipated days, every week.  Who is my lovely wife publicly lusting over this week?  So many options, it’s always such a guessing game.  Once I open the page I am usually dazed for a moment.  Then the natural guy reflex kicks in and I begin to ridicule the boyfriends in some way.  A couple of examples:

“That Eduardo guy must have really liked the movie Zoolander because all I’m getting here is Blue Steel”

“I wonder if Jared Leto needs a booster seat at his dining room table to prevent making a mess when he eats a meal?”

“Nikki Sixx is awesome and would totally kick the sh** out of all these other wannabe’s (I could have a boy crush on him but would never admit it). :)

In all seriousness, even though I may torment you a bit about this subject, I know it’s harmless.  You have a different list you keep and I’m the only one on it.  You girls are pretty funny with your crushes though, just saying.

-TUMBLR PICS

I’m proud that you feel comfortable to share images that inspire your creativity and art.  Most of the black and whites of couples are worthy of being framed and hung in (cool people’s) bedrooms.  They are beautiful.  Good job.

Do you read her work? Is that a hard thing to do? What did you think the first time you read one of her romances?

Yes, I do read her work.  To be honest, I thought I was going to need therapy just to crack the first one open.  It is a HUGE leap of faith, regardless how secure you are inside of your relationship, to read your spouse’s work in this genre.  It’s impossible not to link your own relationship characteristics (physical and emotional) to the characters in every way.  

I remember thinking midway through Wanderlust (my first) I needed to take a year off of work to hit the gym, learn to sing, learn to play electric guitar, and get some tattoos.  Ok, that’s a slight exaggeration.  I could have pulled that off in a couple of weeks.  Seriously though, it was a good lesson for me to separate the fantasy away from my own reality and enjoy the book for the awesomeness that it was.  By the midpoint of the book I couldn’t read it fast enough.  It was absolutely fascinating that I was married to the person who created it.  Then, a few months later, I got to read Crash Into You which was much more, uh, well, just much more.  I was over it.  I ate the book like junk food.  How awesome to read through a chapter or two and then go out and have the author walk you through the thought process to generate it?  Or give her a high five for a great plot twist?  So cool.  

What would you recommend to other spouses if their significant other is entering into this business?

 Don’t set any expectations about anything and keep a very open mind.

If this were your blog, who would be your first Girlfriend of the Week?

Ok, so here’s the part that could get me in trouble maybe.   My honest answer is…..You.  I’m kinda crazy for you.

However, if I had to post someone else?  Let’s see.

I have to scratch Carrie Underwood off the top of the list.  Besides being blonde she recently recorded a Motley Crue song which sent her to hyper-awesome status.  Unfortunately she’s been given the Hollywood treatment, lost too much weight, and works out so much, I think she could kick my ass.  Sorry Carrie.

(*What hubs really said was a guy could get his skull crushed between those thighs, lol.*)

So I’ll go with another American Idol alumni.  Katharine McPhee.  Now, it has to be early Katharine McPhee.  Natural looking and kind of all american.  Blonde Katharine McPhee who became a real diva is not invited to join.  I love blondes, but it doesn't apply in this case.  

So there you have it. My husband is the real rockstar in my life and no hero in any of my books or boyfriend of the week could ever come close to being as awesome (and lick-able) as he is. I'm a lucky girl.

Feel free to throw out any questions to the hubs. He'll be stopping by to respond to comments if needed. And how does your significant other or family feel about your writing? Would your guy put up with my boyfriends of the week? What's the most embarrassing or inappropriate question anyone's ever asked you about your writing?

Netflix: A Scary Accurate Look Inside My Brain

For those of you who have followed me for a while on my writing blog (that tab up there that says "For Writers"), you probably know that I didn't start out writing erotic romance. The first book I wrote when I got back into writing was *gasp* a young adult.

I know. I've made quite a jump. And for the record one of my beta readers on that YA did say...this is uh, pretty sexy for YA. Lol. It really wasn't--compared to what I've read in other YA books. But she did get me to thinking. So the next book I wrote was a sexy (though not erotic) adult romance about a rockstar. Really, I just wanted to write about a rockstar. Yum.

Then when I realized I liked writing the steamier stuff, the next idea that came to me begged to be an erotic romance. So I wrote CRASH INTO YOU.

And I love writing erotic romance, so I plan to continue to do that. But my crazy subconscious constantly nudges my brain with ideas that (though always romantic) would crossover into other genres. Like the thought of a romantic horror makes many go WTF, but I'm like--ooh, romantic horror. That sounds fun.

So when I went on my Netflix this morning and looked at the categories it suggests for me based on my tastes, I had to laugh. This is such a good example of why I can't seem to keep my toes dipped in only one pool.

Netflix's Recommendations For Me:

• Romantic First-Love Comedies

• Goofy TV Shows from the 1980s

• Coming of Age Dramas Based on Contemporary Literature

• Scary Suspenseful College Movies

• Cult Serial Killer Horror Movies

• Dark Mysteries About Marriage

• Inspiring High School Inspirational & Social Documentaries

• Raunchy Dysfunctional Family TV Comedies

• Sentimental Sports Movies Based on Real Life

• Critically Acclaimed Suspenseful Psychological Movies

• Steamy Dramas

• Controversial Biographical Fight the System Movies

*contemplates* So I'm a hopeless romantic and a tree-hugging liberal who likes to laugh at dysfuctional families and who enjoys seeing people run from deranged killers while occasionally taking in a football game. Yeah, this explains so much. 

Say a prayer for my husband (and agent). ;)

So if you have Netflix, what does yours recommend for you? Do you have trouble sticking to one genre for writing? Do you try to stay in a single genre or do you just follow your story ideas?

The Movie That Made Me a Romance Writer

If not for this movie, I would not have grown up to be a romance writer. Seriously. Dirty Dancing laid the foundation for my hopeless romantic self. I was eight when it came out, but I probably didn't see it until it was on video. (And let's not talk about the inappropriateness of a nine year old watching this. I didn't "get" the adult themes. I just got the luuurve and the dancing.)

So while I'm in revision hell today, you can enjoy my favorite love scene ever...

Grr, it won't let me embed it. *sigh* It's been one of those days. Click here to see the scene in all its glory.

What's your favorite movie love scene?  Hmm, maybe I can make this a regular feature and put up some ones you recommend. :)

What To Read If You've Never Read...Erotic Romance

So I've done an occasional feature on here where I pick books that are "gateway" books into a subgenre of erotic romance. (To see the posts, here's the one on BDSM and the one on menage.)

However, I realized that many of you may have never tried an erotic romance at all and could be a bit intimidated to start with something that has a BDSM or menage theme. There is erotic romance out there that is simply a great romantic story with super steamy love scenes--no alternative sexual practices required, lol.

So today I'm picking a few books that I think are good choices if you've never read erotic romance, but want to give it a shot. And if you are a fan of erotic romance and  haven't read these, get to it! Great books.

Liberating Lacey by Anne Calhoun

Blurb (from Ellora's Cave website): 

Newly divorced Lacey Meyers wasted too many years yawning through sex in the missionary position. Now she’s looking for a hookup with a man who can make her shatter. What she gets is a hot younger cop with handcuffs…and he’s not afraid to use them.

Hunter Anderson knows the score—though classy, successful women like Lacey might play with guys like him, at the end of the evening, they walk. But when one night leads to another and then another, he finds himself getting too attached to a woman he can’t have.

Lacey knows Hunter—gorgeous, hard-edged and eight years younger—won’t want anything permanent. No matter how hot and daring he makes her first public sex, quickie, backseat encounter and secret fantasy role-play, she can’t mistake adventurous sex for emotional involvement.

They both know it’s got to end, and soon, or someone’s going to get hurt. But can either of them go back to life without the other?

(You can also read an excerpt over at the site.)

Riding on Instinct by Jaci Burton

 

 Blurb (from Amazon):

Department of Justice agent Shadoe Grayson is out to prove she's no rookie, and eagerly accepts her first undercover assignment at a strip club in New Orleans. Working with the Wild Riders, a government agency of bad boy bikers, her goal is to expose a corrupt DEA agent. All she has to do is learn to strip like a pro.

Standing in Shadoe's way is arrogant and smokin' hot Spencer King, her new partner and one of the Wild Riders. Spence thinks she looks more like a schoolteacher than a stripper, and doubts her ability to do the job. But when he mockingly challenges Shadoe to strip just for him, he finds out there's more to the surprisingly sexy agent than by-the book rules and Government Issue pantsuits...

Deeper by Megan Hart

Blurb (from Amazon):

Twenty years ago she had her whole life spread out before her. She was Bess Walsh, a fresh-scrubbed, middle-class student ready to conquer the design world. And she was taken. Absolutely and completely.

But not by Andy, her well-groomed, intellectual boyfriend who had hinted more than once about a ring. No. During that hot summer as a waitress and living on the beach, she met Nick, the moody, dark-haired, local bad boy. He was, to put it mildly, not someone she could take home to Daddy.

Instead, Nick became her dirty little secret— a fervent sexual accomplice who knew how to ignite an all-consuming obsession she had no idea she carried deep within her.

Bess had always wondered what happened to Nick after that summer, after their promise to meet again. And now, back at the beach house and taking a break from responsibility, from marriage, from life, she discovers his heartbreaking fate—and why he never came back for her. Suddenly Nick's name is on her lips…his hands on her thighs…dark hair and eyes called back from the swirling gray of purgatory's depths.

Dead, alive, or something in between, they can't stop their hunger.

She wouldn't dare.

Any of you erotic romance readers have other recommendations for someone who may not have read anything erotic before? What was the book that hooked you on erotic romance? And if you've never read any erotic, do any of these blurbs intrigue you?