Showing posts with label Programmed For Power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Programmed For Power. Show all posts

A New Book Contract!

There’s nothing more exciting for an author than to sign a new book contract. It’s always a thrill to find a publisher who loves your characters and story just as much as you do!

I’ve just signed a contract with LooseId for my sci-fi romance The Edge of Time, which is tentatively scheduled for release in November.

I’m about to start the editing process, which is always nerve-wracking for an author, especially when you’re working with a new editor you’ve never dealt with before. How many changes will she want? Will I be able to make them to her satisfaction? Does her vision for the story match my vision?

But I know how this process works. As much as I love the world and the characters I’ve created, an editor always seems to improve the story. Her feedback is valuable. An extra pair of eyes can sometimes see things an author can’t, and an editor’s insight often affords an opportunity to make the story even stronger.

So… game on! I’m ready to go.

The name of the book will likely change, too, and I’m okay with that, as long as I have some say in the final title. As I said, I’ve done this before.  

Every new book is a learning experience, a chance to improve my writing skills, an opportunity to reach new readers. A career in publishing can have its lows (rejections), but it can also have its highs. Like this one! Authors are in this for the long haul, and I’m looking forward to the next step in my journey.

Wish me luck!

Jenna



I Have Itchy Feet

Fans of this blog, know that I can’t stay home for long. It's my curse. I have the travel bug, and when I get the urge to splurge, it's usually on a plane ticket. 

Which is how I ended up in Italy last month. Southern Italy, to be exact. Naples, Capri, Pompeii, Positano (on the Amalfi coast) and Salerno.

Italy was rainy and cold (maybe that’s why I got such a great deal on the plane ticket) but it was still amazing.

Take Pompeii, for instance. It was buried under lava by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. but it has been excavated to such an amazing extent that you can still see perfectly preserved amphorae (clay jugs) where wine and oil were stored in buildings:
  


And this amazing mural that adorned the wall of someone's home. Can you believe this is almost 2,000 years old??


One of the most interesting parts of the city was these stepping stones, which helped keep people’s feet dry when crossing flooded roads (and to avoid all the refuse people threw into the street). The stones are placed wide enough so that a wagon going down the street can pass in between them! Clever, and eminently practical:

  
Of course, Pompeii is (unfortunately) also known for all the lava-covered dead bodies of the people who were not able to flee the eruption in time. Very sad:


The Isle of Capri was very picturesque. On the one sunny day there, I was able to take a tiny boat into the Blue Grotto and see the amazing color of the Gulf of Naples reflected up into the cave. Can’t do this if you’re claustrophobic, though – you literally have to lie down in the tiny rowboat to squeeze into the mouth of the cave!


Despite all the things I did in Naples, Pompeii, and Capri, the tiny village of Positano on the Amalfi Coast was definitely the most picturesque part of my trip. Positano is built vertically up a mountainside…


And the view down to the sea is amazing…


The one lane streets are One Way, which makes driving and walking difficult…


But it makes the streets very quaint…


As well as the picture postcard-perfect apartments…


But going up and down stairs all day every day to get anywhere was KILLER… Stairs to go to lunch, stairs to go to the beach, stairs to go shopping. Heck, 111 steps just to get to breakfast!


But at least the stairs helped me work off some of the calories of all the delicious meals I had…


So now I’m home again, and dreaming of my next adventure. Any suggestions?

Jenna





A Sad Day For Publishing

This is not “new” news, but Samhain Publishing is closing its doors.

I had two releases with Samhain – The Initiation Of Isabella and the Binding Ties anthology. In fact, Samhain was the first publisher of a Jenna Ives title.


I loved working with Samhain – my editor was great, the royalties were always on time, and everyone in the company was super professional. I am very sad to see them shut down operations.

With Samhain’s closing, two out of the three publishers I write for have gone under. It’s a challenging time to be an author, and even more challenging to be a successful one. I believe that’s why so many of us writers have eagerly embraced self-publishing.

My first attempt at self-publishing was the sexy fairy tale Snow White And Her Seven Lovers.




This story sold wildly well, possibly because I timed it to come out when Kristen Stewart and Liam Hemsworth and Charlize Theron released “Snow White and the Huntsman” in theaters. In fact, I just did another blast of publicity for the release of “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” (Liam Hemsworth, Charlize Theron and Emily Blunt) and got another nice uptick in sales.

My next self-pub release was Programmed To Please, a slightly-futuristic romance featuring a police agent who goes undercover as a sex robot in order to bring down the planet’s most notorious arms manufacturer.



This story has also sold very well, and I’m hoping the two sequels, Programmed To Protect and Programmed For Power do as well.

                        


But self-publishing is a lot of work! You have to be your own editor, cover artist, formatter, marketer and social media guru. Gone are the days when a writer could just write a good story and a publisher would do the rest. Frankly, this new world order can be exhausting.

But… it is what it is. We adapt. A writer writes. I would never stop writing, not even if only my friends and family read what I write.

I’m just sad today, because five minutes ago I sent Samhain an email asking for rights reversion for The Initiation of Isabella and Binding Ties. And, professionals that they are, I got an immediate response from Samhain’s Amanda Brashear saying they will get right on it.

Why does a company like that have to go out of business?

Sigh,

Jenna



Why Do I Write? Let Me Count The Ways...

I guess I was destined to be a writer. I’ve always been a great reader, and I believe that’s the best foundation for becoming an author. You can learn so much about writing just by osmosis from reading good books!

There are 688 fiction books in my house (yep, I just counted them). They're in the room I affectionately refer to as 'the library.' Plus, there's another 462 non-fiction books (including biographies, reference books, travel guides, etc) in the family room.

Don’t believe me?

Half of the bookcase in the library
The non-fiction titles in the family room

There are books in nearly every room of my house. Here’s a shot of part of the 3-shelf bookcase of reference works I keep on hand in my office for research for some of my stories…

Reference books
















And here’s the growing To Be Read pile sitting by the side of my bed…

To Be Read pile
















And let’s not even count the e-books waiting on my Kindle and iPad! So many books… so little time [sigh].

Is it any wonder I became a writer? Louisa May Alcott once said, “She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain.” NOT! If anything, reading has expanded my brain, letting me learn about amazing places, historical events, and allowing me to escape into adventures I would never be able to experience in my real life.

I’d rather offer my own quotes:

-Romance authors have the write stuff

-Who needs a man when you can have a book between the covers?

-Buy a book, and a tree lives forever!

-I have the need to read.

-If romance is the spice of life, marinade me in it!

-A good book is better than a bad man, no contest.

But I’ll leave you today with my favorite romance author quote of all…

“…and they lived happily ever after!”

Until next month,

Jenna



Not Your Usual Christmas Tree

I love Christmas. I really do. Really. I mean it. Yeah.

But... it can be a lot of work!

So this year, hubby presented me with this:
















And... it became the whole inspiration for our Christmas tree! For the first time in years, I actually enjoyed decorating it (then again, maybe the wine helped)…









































































Yes, I had a good time drinking... er, I mean decorating... the tree this year. I can see this theme becoming an annual tradition!

How about you? Any special tree-decorating traditions? Cocoa? Christmas carols playing in the background? 

Jenna
www.jennaives.com


NEW RELEASE - Programmed For Power

I’m thrilled to announce the release of Programmed For Power, book #3 in my slightly-futuristic erotic romance series, The Tau Cetus Chronicles. Fans had been asking me to write Theus’ story, so I did, and it’s probably my favorite of the series so far.


Here’s the blurb:

>>As the powerful premier of war-torn Tau Cetus, Theus presides over an uneasy post-apocalyptic peace. Many plot against him, including a traitor on his own High Council as well as one rogue woman who dared to steal a precious keepsake from his past. Capturing Leora Smith offers Theus a chance at personal revenge, but she awakens emotions in him he thought long dead. Even so, it takes an assassination attempt to spur Theus to reassess a future with either this prisoner who makes his blood run hot or the cold Beautiful Doll robotic lover who’s the perfect match for his lifeless existence.<<

This is a completely different sort of romance triangle, trust me!

In book one of the series, Programmed To Please, very human police agent Jai Turner goes undercover as a Beautiful Doll sex robot to take down the planet’s most notorious weapons manufacturer, Marque Callex. But neither Jai nor Marque are what they seem, and their week together has consequences neither expect.

In book two, Jai’s police partner Leith Wyatt actually DOES fall in love with a Beautiful Doll sex robot, but discovers that Ginger has somehow achieved sentience. Together they help save Tau Cetus from a coup attempt against the ruling High Council.

And in Programmed For Power, a lot of fan favorites are back in supporting roles, which I hope will make readers happy. As powerful as he is, the premier Theus comes to discover that his fate rests in the strength of one woman’s love.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Keira, my dark one…”
Theus watched as his words woke the Beautiful Doll sex robot from her hibernation mode. Her eyes opened, she moved from behind the partially folded screen in the corner of his office, and then walked slowly toward him.            
She was beautiful. Hair black as midnight, dramatic blue starburst eyes, and a body tailored to meet Theus’ exact physical preferences. She was naked beneath a sheer silk sarong, the diaphanous wrap leaving little to the imagination but just enough to incite a man’s fantasies. She was the perfect female, designed to fulfill his every sexual need.
So then why was he frowning as she came to a halt in front of his desk?
Because she reminded him of her creator, Anson Carron. Theus’ enemy.
As premier for the last decade, Theus and his High Council had fought to keep the peace on Tau Cetus in the aftermath of the Great War, a conflict which had wiped out nearly half the planet’s population. There were still troublesome areas of Tau Cetus that weren’t under the Council’s control, but for the most part, the planet was at peace.
No thanks to Anson Carron.
Three times Carron had challenged the Council. First, he’d stolen highly-regulated weapons and sold them to rogue regulators bent on fomenting insurrection. Next, he’d attempted to kill the Council’s weapons manufacturer and right-hand man, Marque Callex, in order to assume his position of power. And most recently, Carron had tried to assassinate the five members of the High Council and take control of the planet for himself.
And yet, with all those treasonable offenses, none struck as close to home as Carron’s theft of a particular diamond a year ago. That crime was personal.
Theus set his jaw, his rage at the theft still fresh even after all these months.
Anson Carron was now dead. After taking the robot manufacturer into custody in the wake of his failed assassination attempt, Theus had successfully tortured out of him the missing diamond’s location. Then, with the Council’s backing, Theus had ordered Anson Carron’s execution for his crimes.
And just a moment ago, he’d dispatched two of his best agents to recover the stolen gem.
 “You called, Theus?”
The bell-like voice of the Beautiful Doll pulled Theus from his troubled thoughts. Keira was one of only two left of her kind. Anson Carron had agreed to convert all the rest of his Beautiful Dolls into robot soldiers and put them under the command of the High Council. It was a way to save his neck after the botched shooting of Theus’ weapons manufacturer, Marque Callex, last year. But even long before that, four years ago to be exact, Carron had gifted Theus with Keira in an effort to curry favor.
Beautiful Dolls were sex experts, legendary for their skill, programmed with an almost infinite number of ways to please. Anson Carron had run a highly profitable business with his Dolls, addicting men and women to sex with his clever male and female robots.         
He should have stayed a simple purveyor of prostitution; he should never have reached for more power than that.
Theus swiveled in his chair and reached to unbuckle his belt. “Come around my desk, Keira. I’d like fellatio two.”
The Doll paused, tilting her head. “You’ve requested fellatio or fellatio two 92% of the time I’ve been with you, Theus.”
Theus’ hands paused in their work, and he arched an eyebrow in surprise. “It’s probably because the suction of your nineteen miles-per-hour mouth can reduce even the most potent man to mush.”
“92% fellatio, 1% missionary, 1% doggie-style, 1% ride ‘em cowboy, 1% split the bamboo, 1% padlock, 1% pair of tongs, 1%—”
“Enough.” Theus frowned. Was he really so predictable? There’d been a time when – like any normal man – he’d been eager to try out every sexual position a Beautiful Doll was capable of, but obviously those days were gone. Hell, it wasn’t the Doll’s fault. He could still recall Keira’s trick of tightening her body while he was inside of her, squeezing the very orgasm out of him. Or pistoning him like a jackhammer while riding his cock. She was an amazing piece of technology, but these days, he only used her when he needed physical release or a distraction from work. The excitement was gone.
“Come here.”
The Doll dutifully walked around his desk and sank gracefully to her knees. Theus finished unzipping his trousers and reached for himself.
“Let me do it, Theus.”
Theus closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Maybe it would help if he imagined that the rubbery-like feel of Keira’s artificial fingers belonged to someone else. But who? There was no one Theus could even fantasize about.
Well, there was one. But that had been long ago. A precious memory, kept tucked in his heart.
From the day Theus had been named premier of Tau Cetus’ High Council, his life had become too dangerous to let in a real woman. That’s why Keira was perfect for him. No one could harm her. No one could threaten her hoping to get to him.
The ruler and his robot were the perfect pair.
If only Theus could be happier about the arrangement.
Luckily, when Keira’s mouth closed around him with her vice-like grip, his mind went blank and his body took over.


What do you think? Sound like an interesting start? Leave a comment, and I’ll pick one lucky winner at random to win an e-copy of Programmed For Power.

Jenna

THE END is not the end

I’m about to type THE END on my third and final book of The Tau Cetus Chronicles. This one is called Programmed For Power, and it centers on Theus, Tau Cetus’ powerful and intimidating premier, and Leora, the woman whose love tames him. Hopefully I will have it finished by the end of the month, because I’ll be in New York City for this year’s Romance Writers of America conference July 22 – 26.

But along with the satisfaction of finishing a book, comes the anxiety of thinking about the next one. For the past three years, I’ve been working on this trilogy, so the writing went from police agent Jai Turner’s story to Beautiful Doll sexbot Ginger’s story, and now to premier Theus’ story. But what do I do next?

I think every writer has experienced those nightmare moments of, “Crap! What if I never have another idea for a book?!?” That’s the time wise authors take a week or two off in order to refill their creative well. It can be as simple as doing something mindless. Not thinking about writing at all. In fact, give yourself permission to NOT think. Maybe you like to knit or garden or your passion is tennis. In my case, I’m an insatiable reader, so I just might give my brain a break for a month or so and enjoy what other authors have written. “Grey” by EL James is on the top of my TBR pile J

And while I’m not thinking about thinking, who knows? An idea can come from anywhere. We all have countless areas of our lives that can inspire us or spark a great story plot: a difficult boss, a yoga class, an annoying sister, a school car pool, a monthly book club meeting. Can you create a composite character from the best or worst people you know? Sometimes that’s all it takes for your creative juices to start flowing.

In fact, writing this is helping to ease my own anxiety about my next story. While in New York, I’m going to see at least four different girlfriends I haven’t seen since I moved to Florida, and that’s not counting the 2,000 people who have signed up for the RWA conference. There must be some good stories there, right? Or maybe I’ll just walk the streets of New York in my free time and eavesdrop on people’s conversations. You never know what might spark an idea!

Wow, I guess the possibilities are endless. I’ll let you know next month what I come up with!

How about you? Any tips or tricks for jump-starting story ideas? I’d love to hear your advice.

Jenna



Life Happens

Writing is not a full time occupation, at least not for most authors. Most of us don’t have that luxury. We have to juggle day jobs, our own families, sometimes elderly parents, outside commitments or events, all while trying to steal a few precious minutes to work on our books. (Usually it’s in the dead of night when everyone else is asleep.)

Can you tell I need to vent today?

Sometimes writing is just impossible. I came close to strangling my husband last weekend when he said to me, ‘Hey honey, we don’t have to be at my boss’s annual BBQ bash for an hour yet. Go write.’

IT’S NOT THAT EASY!

The muse can’t be summoned at your whim. An author needs time to unwind from real life, block out the world and looming life deadlines (like that mandatory BBQ bash) and get into the “zone” of writing the story. I need to submerse myself in my fictional world, enter that magical door and look around. That’s the ‘Oh yeah, I remember this!’ moment when we can finally start to write.
That moment doesn’t come easily.

Just now, my husband ran out the door saying, ‘I’m going to see my dad. Be back in an hour. Then we really have to start working on our income taxes.’

Crap! Instead of screaming, I sat down to write. But then I realized I had this blog to finish (another deadline) before I could concentrate on my latest futuristic romance, Programmed For Power, book three in my Tau Cetus Chronicles.  So I guess Theus, the powerful premier of Tau Cetus, will just have to wait.

And I don’t like to make him wait.

Sometimes I fantasize about divorce. Having all my time be my own. Having time to write, to do what I want to do, not what everyone else needs me to do.

Then I realize that fiction might be my passion, but family is my priority.

And that’s as it should be.

Still, sometimes I’m reminded of that old saying, “Sometimes I just sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.”

Oh, for the luxury of just being able to sit and do nothing!!!

Nah, I’d probably be bored out of my mind.

Sigh. Life happens. But I guess that’s what makes it so interesting.

Until next month,
Jenna



Help Me Name My Character

My slightly-futuristic erotic series, the Tau Cetus Chronicles, has been very successful.

The first book, Programmed To Please… about a very human police agent named Jai Turner who goes undercover as a Beautiful Doll sex robot to bring down the planet’s most notorious weapons manufacturer… has been my best-selling book to date.

The second in the series, Programmed To Protect, features Jai’s police agent partner, Leith Wyatt, who actually does fall in love with a Beautiful Doll sex robot. I’ve gotten some wonderful feedback from readers who say the relationship between these two characters is completely believable.

I’m now working on the third book, called Programmed For Power. It centers on Tau Cetus’ dark and dangerous premier, a man named Theus. He’s been a secondary – but very important – character in the first two books, and now it’s time for his story.

But I need to give him a first name.

Authors know that character names are very important to the story, and a strong character needs a strong name. In the world I’ve created, the characters have somewhat common last names, but unique-ish first names. Chavis Smith. Talis Rainey. Titus Veraine. Celis Jaqan.

So I need a distinct and powerful first name for the premier of Tau Cetus. I’ve been playing with a few:

Olid Theus
Kehde Theus
Severin Theus
Tryon Theus
Riggin Theus
Berrien Theus
Wythe Theus

What do you think? I’d love to get some votes, or even some suggestions!  This book will be released by the end of the year and will be the final story of this series, so I’d like to leave readers with a name they’ll remember long after they’ve closed the book.

I’d love to hear your opinions!

Thanks,
Jenna