AUTHOR INTERVIEW—JADE LEE

Today I'm excited to welcome romance author, Jade Lee, to Over Coffee. Jade’s latest title, 50 Ways to Ruin a Rake, is out  and marks the beginning of her hilarious new Rakes & Rogues series. To celebrate her new release, Jade is here for a mini-interview.

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• What piece of writing advice sticks with you to this day?
  It’s a marathon not a sprint. A little bit every day. In the end, it’ll grow up to be a career. 

• What has been your biggest adventure to date?

Writing funny. It’s a ton harder than I ever thought. But I’m loving the exploration.

• Which one of your characters do you relate to the most?

Flaky heroine with the long suffering hero who (a) GETS her and (b) translates her to the world and the world to her. That would be my husband and me. And a piece of that is in every book I write. 

• Speaking of writing funny, you mention on your blog that 50 Ways to Ruin a Rake is the funniest book you've ever written. Why?

• There’s an escaped turkey in the book. 
• The turkey fights in a duel. Or a melee depending on if you count the turkey as a combatant. Which you should. 
• Everyone in the book has a plan. EVERYONE. And their plans go horribly awry. 
• Because I was focused on joy when I wrote the book.  That’s been my new mantra.  

• Wait a minute. A turkey fights a duel?

There is an escaped turkey who gets in the middle of a duel/melee, but that’s just a small piece of the book. In truth, the main thing is that the whole romp is about people with PLANS. And those plans just don’t work out how they expect. At all. And yes, this is the year of JOY for me. Everything is about being soul-deep happy. It’s not all perfect, but it’s working for me. And this book is one of the results.

                                                                                                                                                                 

Mellie Smithson has a plan…

  

Mellie Smithson is trapped in the country with no suitors and no prospects on the horizon except, perhaps, the exasperating—although admittedly handsome—guest of her father. Unwilling to settle, Mellie will do anything to escape to London... 

  

Trevor Anaedsley has a problem…

  

Trevor Anaedsley’s grandfather has cut off his funds until he gets engaged. Beset by creditors, Trevor escapes to the country—ostensibly to visit his old tutor Mr. Smithson—where he meets Smithson’s lovely daughter Mellie. The obvious solution is suddenly before him—but will this fake engagement go as Trevor and Mellie plan? 

Or will they find that even the best laid plans often go awry?  EXCERPT

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USA Today bestselling author Jade Lee has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you, Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. An author of more than thirty romance novels and winner of dozens of industry awards, Lee lives in Champaign, Illinois. 

MOMENTS THAT MAKE YOU SMILE

Remember, you can have a dozen rejections on a book but only need one offer. Dawn Ryder

My guest is Dawn Ryder. She’s a bestselling author of many historical romances (under a different name and we've had the pleasure of her visits before) and now has also taken up the challenge of writing erotic romance. Check out her website to see the lists of both erotic romance and her historical selections. 

My blog shares the journey writers face on the road to and beyond publication. It’s a rocky road sometimes filled with good and bad. Dawn's topic is things that make a writer smile. These are important things for a writer to remember—not just the hard work of being a writer—but what excites you and makes you smile.

Thanks for having me over. A lot of writers talk about the hard moments, I love to discuss the moments that make you smile.

• That moment when you decide to write a book. 

For me it came after an idea got lodged in my head. It had been there for a few months, a charter forming, growing, becoming something I was obsessed with telling her tale. Until one night, I turned off the television and opened up a blank word processing file.

• Finishing that first book. 

Oh my. It was a major triumph. Plenty of times, I wanted to get up and find something else to do. But I realized I was making excuses for the fact that my book project was harder than I’d expected it to be. I had on those rose colored glasses that made me believe that the life of any author was one of leisure. But I did it. Because quitters never win and I needed to finish my heroines tale.

• Writing the first scene that made me cry. 

It was a moment I still recall vividly. That part of the book, when the dark moment was overwhelming and I was so deeply involved in my story, it cut me deep.

• The first time I submitted my book. 

My little baby, sent off into cyber space. Sure, I loved it but the sheer uncertainly of letting strangers read it was like a tsunami looming over me.

• My first contract offer. 

Yup! I sold that book. Did I receive rejections? Sure did. But what I want to recall is when I opened an email with a contract offer. Remember, you can have a dozen rejections on a book but only need one offer.

Out of Bounds represents Dawn Ryder, my naughty inner child. She steps over lines just because they are there. Writing this erotic romance was a challenge and a hoot!

                                                                                                                                                     

Power may be best when it’s shared…

He’s used to dominating…

Tarak Nektosha is a self-made man, against all odds. He accomplished that by making sure he’s the one in charge, both in the boardroom and in the bedroom.

She’s taking her power back…

Sabra Donovan has ambition to spare and energy to burn. So what if her last lover was a disappointment? She’s never going to be anyone’s plaything ever again.

Sabra’s outstanding performance at a corporate photo op attracts Tarak’s attention, and the lines begin to blur. What happens when the one on top surrenders and the one used to obeying begins to call the shots? Excerpt

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Books A Million | IndieBound | Indigo

                                                                                                                                                         

Dawn Ryder is the erotic romance pen name of a bestselling author of historical romances. She has been publishing her stories for over 8 years to a growing and appreciative audience. She is commercially published in mass market and trade paper, and digi-first published with trade paper releases. She is hugely committed to her career as an author, as well as to other authors and to her readership. She resides in Southern California. You can find Dawn: Website and Facebook