Character Interview with Jackson Kade, hero from Whatever It Takes

Folks, I have guests and it's been so long since I've had visitors, especially one who is so darn good looking. Author JM Stewart has brought along the hero from her book.

 

Thanks for having us today, Vonnie!

 

Oh my, aren't you the cutest thing. I mean, you're cute too Joanne, but he is drop dead gorgeous with a capital "G." Tell us a bit about yourself—name, age, job, role in the story… 

Hey y’all. My name is Jackson Kade. I’m thirty-two, and I’m the CEO of an advertising agency. My role in this story? *winks* The hero, of course.  

How did you meet Becca?

Lord. I met that little firecracker in downtown Seattle. I passed her on the street, heading to my car after work one evening. She got herself in a right pickle. Someone was attempting to mug her, and I thought I’d rescue her. Can you imagine? Turned out, she didn’t need my help. Pretty sure I fell in love with her that night.  

What do you like the most about Becca?

Big heart. Big blue eyes. And Lord is she strong. Isn’t afraid to put me in my place. 

What’s the sexiest thing Becca’s done?

*winks* A gentleman does not kiss and tell.

 Is there anything she does that annoys you?

Yes. She insists on calling me on all my faults. 

What would you say Becca likes most about you?

 

You mean besides my charm and my good looks? All right, all right. You want serious. Fine. My sense of humor.

 

What do you like most about her?

Her laugh. On a rotten day, that sound can right my world again, and I live to make her laugh just to hear it.  

What is the most embarrassing thing your author has done to you?

*sits back, folds his arms and frowns* Well, the cast certainly wasn’t the most flatterin’.

 

 

 Is there anything you’d change in the story?

*rubs the back of his neck, looks uncomfortable.* Well, the divorce certainly wasn’t fun, but I suppose that’s my own damn fault.

 Now let’s have a little bit of fun. Let’s do some favorites: 

Favorite car?

Has been totaled, damn it. My Mercedes. I loved that car. Sleek, black and gorgeous.  

Favorite scent?

Becca, fresh out of a shower, hands down. 

Favorite movie?

Have to admit I’m rather fond of those Disney movies Allie likes to watch. ’Cause I get to watch ’em with my girl. *winks*

Favorite dish?

A good pulled pork sandwich. One of the few good memories I have of my childhood. My mother didn’t cook. She was “above” doing what she considered menial chores. Hired help to do it and insisted on fancy-schmancy dishes. *rolls his eyes* Our cook, Ida Mae, would make barbequed pulled pork sandwiches for me and have them waiting when I came home from school. I miss Ida Mae. She died a few years back.

Anything else you’d like to share before we go?

*grins* Don’t mess with Becca. She packs of a helluva punch. I should know. I’m still sore from roughhousing with her. 

*Laughing* That she does, Jackson. Thanks for coming along to meet Vonnie today.

 

 

 Blurb for Whatever It Takes:

She’s been dying to hear the words…

Walking away from her husband was the hardest thing Becca Morgan has ever done, even if it was the only way to save her heart from being broken by a loveless marriage. Still, when a terrible accident forces her to stay at her ex’s house, emotions she thought she’d buried for Jackson Kade long ago start coming to the surface—and, to her surprise, seem to be reciprocated…

 

…he just doesn’t know how to say.
 
Jackson Kade has never known love like he knew with Becca, but his cold upbringing left him unable to show her how deeply he feels. When Becca winds up under his roof once more, he knows it’s his only opportunity to prove his devotion—and passion. But old habits die hard, and even one mistake could shatter their last chance at love…

Excerpt:

“What are you afraid of, Jack?” She stiffened her spine and stood straighter. “That you might actually feel something?” 

As quickly as he’d shut her out, he pivoted and stalked across the deck toward her. She took a step back, but in a few long strides, he reached her, seized her waist, and dragged her against him. As her body hit his, a gasp escaped, but she could only stare at him, stunned. A war raged in the depths of his eyes. More emotion than she remembered seeing there in a long time. Desire, anger, pain, frustration, all fighting for supremacy. 

She braced her hands on his chest, to push him away, but his head dipped down, his lips brushing over hers, the barest of kisses. 

“Or else I may do something I’m pretty sure you’ll hate me for in the mornin’.” The low huskiness of his voice washed over her like a heated caress, sending shivers down her spine, and obliterating whatever defenses she’d manage to build against him. “The feel of your hands on me about drove me mad. Do you have any idea how aroused I am right now? I’m two seconds from picking you up and carrying you upstairs.”

Buy links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFFSZDE
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FFFSZDE
B&N: http://ow.ly/CZijn

iTunes: http://ow.ly/CZiko

Kobo: http://ow.ly/CZipW

 

Try it before you buy it!

The ENTIRE 1st chapter of WHATEVER IT TAKES can be read on Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/sample/read/9780698147997

Also available on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00FFFSZDE

Simply click "Look Inside!"

 

About the author:  JM writes passionate, heartfelt contemporary romance. She’s a wife, a mother, a spiritualist, and lover of puppies, and happily addicted to coffee and chocolate. She lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. She’s a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her obsession.

 You can find out more about JM or her books here: Website /Blog /Twitter /Facebook

Risking It All by JM Stewart

Risking It All

by JM Stewart

Series: A Morgan Family Romance, #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley Intermix

Release Date: September 16, 2014

Love requires a leap of faith...

She’s everything he wants…

For years, Kyle Morgan has hidden his true feelings from the gorgeous girl next door that he grew up loving and protecting. But when she shows up at his apartment in the middle of the night, desperately needing comfort and support, his iron will begins to waver…

…and the only thing he can’t bear to lose.

Kyle was always the big brother Cecelia Anton never had, but suddenly her goofy best friend has become a sexy man she can’t keep her thoughts—or hands—off of. As their deep connection melts into uncontrollable desire, Ceci is willing to put it all on the line for a shot at true love. Only Kyle is keeping a terrible secret about Ceci’s past that could destroy not only their lifelong friendship but their happily-ever-after…

For a moment, she stared, her eyes searching his, then she straightened her shoulders. “Why’d you kiss me?”

Panic curled through him, sending his pulse pounding into his rib cage. Damn. Why hadn’t he expected her to ask that? But he couldn’t answer it. To do so would be tempting fate. An intense need for distance seized him. Half afraid he’d lose his mind and do something else he’d regret, like pull her into his arms and show her why he’d kissed her, he shot to his feet.

He flashed her a smile he knew had to look as phony as it felt. “Headache’s better. Thanks.”

He didn’t wait for a response but strode toward the yard.

“I need to know, Kyle.”

His answer sat on the tip of his tongue, but the voice of reason sounded in his head. Don’t say it. Whatever you do, do not say it. Just keep walking.

Her soft footsteps sounded behind him. “You can’t just do something like that and walk away and expect me not to question it. You blow hot and cold, do you know that? I know desire when I see it, yet you just keep walking away.”

“Ever think maybe I wanted to kiss you?” The words left his mouth on a hoarse whisper, and God help him, a desperate need to see her eyes seized him. He turned to find her directly behind him. She stared for a fraction of a second too long, heat and curiosity blazed in her eyes. A heartbeat later, a light blush stole into her cheeks, but she didn't move, didn't say a word.

Everything inside of him ground to a halt, his mind twisting off in another direction. I’ll be damned. If ever he needed a confirmation, there it was. Whatever had happened between them was definitely not one-sided.

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA ~ Amazon AU

Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Google Play ~ Penguin

JM is the author of passionate, heartfelt contemporary romance. She’s a wife, a mother, a spiritualist, and lover of puppies, and happily addicted to coffee and chocolate. She lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband, two sons, and two very spoiled dogs. She’s a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her obsession.

Facebook Fan Page ~ Facebook Friend Page ~ Twitter ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

Google + ~ Pinterest ~ Website ~ Blog

eMail: authorjmstewart@gmail.com

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A Book Release Party and You're Invited

 

From 11 am to 11 pm -- Eastern Time

 

 

You're all invited!

 

Laughter, man candy, books, and prizes.

 

 

 

Guest Authors-

 

Laura Kaye

Kelly Moran

Terry Spear

JM Stewart

Amie Louellan

AJ Nuest

Lisa Olech

Sarah Grimm

Mackenzie Crowne

Maeve Grayson

and Me

 

 



Her Knight in Black Leather by JM Stewart

 

Her Knight in Black Leather is today’s Kindle Daily Deal!

 

That means for TODAY ONLY, January 23rd, it’s just 99 cents on Amazon!

 

Ladies, we all love a bargain. Right?

 

 Blurb:

Cat Edwards has spent her life playing the wallflower in an effort to escape the repressive weight of her mother’s tarnished name. Dragged to a bar by her best friend in an effort to forget a broken heart, the shy bookworm is determined to be someone else for the night, but quickly gets in over her head. She discovers chivalry isn’t dead after all when a mysterious stranger comes to her rescue. He’s wearing black leather and a mischievous smile that promises to be exactly what she needs. 

When his terminally ill father suffers a setback, Michael Brant returns to the town he swore ten years ago he’d never return to. He’s come back this time determined to make peace with the past, but being home brings up memories he doesn’t want to remember anymore. His first night in town, he’s captured by a damsel in distress. Cat’s beauty is made all the more alluring when he realizes she has no idea who he is. He can’t resist spending a single night in her arms. With her, he’s only a man, disconnected from his family’s name and the past that haunts him here.  

As the town erupts with the news of his return, Michael’s dark past comes back to haunt him, putting Cat in danger. Someone is threatening her life and the life of her family. Desperate to keep history from repeating itself, Michael offers her his family’s name in order to keep her safe. When the lie spirals beyond their control, can they stop their hearts from becoming entangled as well?

Excerpt:

“What did you need from me last night, Cat?” His hot breath teased her neck, the sensitive skin below her earlobe, and images invaded her mind. Of his mouth latching on there, leaving his mark. The possessive look in his eyes when he plunged inside her body, claimed her as his. How simultaneously wrong and right it felt to be claimed that way. They were strangers, yet deep down, she couldn’t deny she gave him a piece of herself last night.

“I wanted the fantasy. You were a little wild, a little dangerous. A Harley-riding bad boy in black leather with a wicked gleam in your eye who challenged anyone to try to judge you.”

 A faint chuckle sounded behind her, so infectious one corner of her mouth curled in response.

 “You were everything I wanted to be and exactly the type of man I never go for.”

 “Is that why you took that ride with me? Spent the night with me? Because I’m different?”

 She hesitated, her heart stalling in her chest, then shook her head. She spent the night with him because the façade intrigued her. The unexplainable pull between them and the uninhibited desire in his eyes sucked her in. The tenderness of his touch overwhelmed her. He overwhelmed her.

“No. I did it because I felt safe with you.” Safe to fulfill a fantasy without fear of it getting out of control, without fear she’d find out he really was every bit as dangerous as he appeared. And though she couldn’t explain how she knew, she’d bet every last cent she had that the only thing truly dangerous about Michael Brant were his discerning eyes.

“That’s exactly what I needed from you. The anonymity. You were the only person in this town who didn’t seem to know who I was, who hadn’t already formed an opinion of me. Over the years, I’ve convinced myself I didn’t care what people thought, but I came back expecting judgment. There are people here who aren’t fond of me. And with you, for one night, I was just a man. I had no name, no obligations, no expectations.”

He shifted closer, his body brushing her back, his heat seeping into her skin.

“I needed you.” His breath against her sensitive skin made her shiver. “I was just … me. I wasn’t

sure I wanted to know if you’d ever heard of me, what you thought of Michael Brant.”

His hands slid onto her arms, his touch light and hesitant, as if he couldn’t resist but wanted to give her room to object. When she didn’t — couldn’t — those hands skimmed along her forearms, over the backs of her wrists, awakening every nerve ending along the way and setting the tiny hairs to standing on end.

 About the Author:

 

JM writes sweet and heartwarming contemporary romance with a touch of passion. She’s a wife, a mother, a spiritualist, and lover of puppies, and happily addicted to coffee and chocolate. She lives in the Great Rainy Northwest with her husband of sixteen years and their two sons. She’s a hopeless romantic who believe everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her passion.

 

99 cent buy link on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00AWWZVBE

 

Buy links elsewhere (my apologies. I don’t mean to exclude anybody, but Kindle Daily Deal is an Amazon exclusive sale and I have no control over pricing):

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Kobo

All Romance ebooks

Crimson Romance

Second Nomination for Blog of the Year Award -- by Vonnie Davis

No sooner had I gotten over the excitment of receiving my first nominatin for Blog of the Year Award, than I received my second. Oh my! I'm "curl my toes" happy! I’m honored to receive this blogging award from talented writer and friend, Mackenzie Crowne. Thank you, Mac, for thinking of Vintage Vonnie--and me. Hugs, darlin'. 

 

 

Mac and I met online via the yahoo loops for authors with The Wild Rose Press. She has a personality I describe as sunshine in a jar of honey. She’s fun, caring and very, very talented. She's also a breast cancer survivor and author of an intensely personal and inspiring memoir, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR NIPPLE.

If you've never visited Mac's blog, you should. http://mackenziecrowne.com/wp/ Mac loves having guests, just as I do. She also details her journey as a writer with amazement and her awesome positive outlook on life. Mac and I share a complex relationship. At times I am her sistah in The Garden of incredible Roses and, at other times, I am her editor at Still Moments Publishing--and she still speaks to me. In addition, we are fellow-grandmas...ah, now there's a sweet connection.

This award is unlike other awards that you can only add to your blog once. This award can be updated with additional stars. For every time your blog is nominated, you get to add an additional star. How cool is that?

There are a total of “6” stars to collect. Which means that you can check out your favorite blogs—and even if they have already been given the award by someone else—you can still make your opinion count and pass it on to them again and help them (or me) reach the maximum of “6” stars.

The rules of the award are simple:

1. Select the blogs you think deserve the 2012 Blog of the Year Award.

2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen—there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required and present them with this award.

3. Please include a link back to this page: Blog of the Year Award. http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-rewards/blog-of-the-year-award/ and include these rules in your post. (Please don’t alter the rules or the badge!)

4. Let the blogs(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the rules with them.

5. You can now join our Facebook page – click the link here. ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award (http://www.facebook.com/groups/BlogoftheYear/) and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience.

 

 

And now it’s my turn and a thrill to pay this honor forward by giving the award to the following bloggers. Their award will have one star, but no doubt will recieve more as time goes on. They are:

 

http://jm-stewart.blogspot.com/ Joanne Stewart is one of the most supportive authors I know. Anytime I put out a call for a place to blog, she's almost always the first to respond. Gotta love a gal like that! She's also moving her career ahead with bigger publishers. I love watching her progress. Don't we all love seeing the "good guys...er...gals" succeed? I know I do. She is soooo deserving of her successes. Her stories draw you into a world of emotion and struggle and hope. Awesomeness.

 

http://rakesroguesandromance.com/ I don't know Nancy S. Goodman that well. In fact, I can't recall how I stumbled upon her blog, but I'm so glad I did. She does the best interviews, and I love reading her progress in this often crazy publishing world. Anytime she blogs, I'm right there, even if I don't have the time to leave a comment.

 

http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/ Here's the author I want to be when I grow up. No one writes deep emotion like Sarah Grimm. Golly, she's phenomenal. Every time I read one of her books, I sigh with envy...deep, pea-green envy. She's had me to her blog several times to post and promote. Talent galore there, folks, talent galore. 

HOW'S YOUR OPENING HOOK?

I love a story that reaches out in the first paragraph and wraps its hand around my throat. One that grabs my attention from the get-go and laughs or threatens, “Hang on, girl, I’m gonna take you on a fantastic ride.”

Isn’t that what we want from a book as readers? To be swept away from the pile of laundry, the dirty toilet or the five pounds that somehow sneaked onto our bathroom scales? To be reminded of those push-and-pull moments of initial attraction to a man. To be swept away to some exotic place or another era? To be pulled into a dangerous situation? To be snatched by the writer onto an emotional ride from laughter to tears to anger or fear? If these statements are true, then we as writers must work hard at providing those moments for our readers.

But before we can attract the reader to the plot of our stories, we have to snare their attention from the initial words under the words: Chapter One.

To grab the reader, a writer needs a good hook.

If an agent or editor isn’t hooked immediately, she’ll reject the manuscript. Sometimes this happens after reading the first five pages, but more often, the rejection comes after the first page, or worse the FIRST paragraph. So, as writers, we must have a great hook. Something startling, or charming, or amusing that makes our reader want to read on. A paragraph or two that dares the reader to walk away. This is rarely easy.

Still, with a critical eye and a gazillion rewrites, we can do it. Forget the fluff. In the past, it was more acceptable to ground the reader with a setting or show the reader what the character’s life was like in the past. Now, more and more editors and agents are asking—no, demanding—the writer start with the inciting incident and then go back and fill in the details.

Start your story at the inciting incident—the moment where your character’s life changes, either for the better or the worse.

Let’s take a look at some examples. In Storm’s Interlude, I started with a bizarre scene:

Someone swaggered out of the moonlit night toward Rachel. Exhausted from a long day of driving, she braked and blinked. Either she was hallucinating or her sugar levels had plummeted. Maybe that accounted for the male mirage, albeit a very magnificent male mirage, trekking toward her. She peered once more into the hot July night at the image illuminated by her headlights. Sure enough, there he was, cresting the hill on foot—a naked man wearing nothing but a black cowboy hat, a pair of boots and a go-to-hell sneer.

Imagine the number of rewrites to get that paragraph just the way I wanted it. Let’s take a look at a few more opening hooks. In my opinion, opening hooks should speak to us, make us shudder or smile, make us identify with the heroine or simply ask questions that make us want to read on to find the answers. Here are some that captured my attention right away. Openings that made me want to read on for a variety of reasons.

Chase Paladin slammed on the brakes and prayed. Momentum, and the heavy livestock trailer he was towing, sent his pickup careening toward the red sports car idling in the middle of Route 66.

With tires smoking, he rocked to a stop inches from its rear bumper. He peeled his fingers from the steering wheel and spared a glance for Bo, who had slid off the seat onto the floor of the truck. The hound shook himself.   

-- Jannine Gallant’s Nothing But Trouble. (Don’t you love the visuals she’s thrown in with just the right word choice, like “peeled his fingers”? This tells me I’m in for an excellent read.)

“Reese, if you weren’t dead, I swear, I’d kill you!” D’Anne Palmer stomped from her mosquito-infested campsite toward the Laundromat. “Damn it!” she cursed, smacking a super-sized, bloodsucking pest feasting on her neck.  -- Lynne Marshall’s One for the Road

(I love reading about a woman pissed, which she clearly is. So, now, I have to read on to find out why she’s angry. And who is this dead man?)

“Kyle, I’m pregnant.”  

(Three words and I’m hooked. Oh, well done!)

-- JM Stewart’s Staking His Claim




“What the hell did ye find wrong with that one? She’s a well-bred lass with a tempting dowry, and ye’re a blind man if ye missed those breasts.”  -- Maeve Grayson’s The Highlander’s Fury (If I’m smiling, I’m hooked…and the author most definitely has me smiling.) 

She’d read somewhere that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, but Samantha McNead knew better than that—in certain men the stomach was aiming just a bit too high.

Wade O’Riley was one of them. 

(Haven’t we all felt that way about a man, or twenty, in our time. She’s hooked me because already I’m identifying with the heroine.)

-- Jill Shalvis’s Slow Heat

“You look like you’ve been hit by a truck.”

(Oh, really? And why? What’s happened?)

Mackenzie Crowne’s That Dating Thing

 “I need a wife, Carter, and I needed her yesterday.” Riding in the back of the town car en route to a Starbucks, of all places, Blake Harrison glanced at his watch for the tenth time that hour.  

Catherine Bybee’s Wife by Wednesday (Can’t you feel his annoyance? If the reader can make me feel what the character’s feeling, I’m hers for the duration of the book.)

Sometimes the hook comes in a set of carefully arranged lines.

The Change

Waikato Hospital, New Zealand

The lights dimmed and the humming intensified, echoing in her blood.

Radiation snaked out from the machine like tentacles and struck deep. As if she’d gone down a hill too fast, Jenna’s stomach lurched. She gasped aloud as internal organs stretched and shifted and her heart beat frantically in her chest. She fought the urge to vomit and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Why did everyone say x-rays were a piece of cake?

LaVerne Clark’s Affinity (I was hooked by this point and there was more to the paragraph. I had to know what the author meant by the first line: The Change.)

To me, the variety and power of an opening hook are endless. In a book I recently contracted, Rain is a Love Song, this is my opening paragraph.

It wasn’t the hardened man who eased his motorcycle to the curb that snagged Gwen Morningstar’s attention. Nor was it the wide spread of his shoulders or the way his black jeans hugged his muscled thighs like a pair of lover’s hands. For sure, it wasn’t the long scar on his right cheek or the small silver cross that dangled from his ear. No, it was his pristine-white angel wings that dragged on the pavement.

In my current WIP, Jazzbeat of Surrender, I am floundering with my opening. Big time. I have rewritten it, moved paragraphs, deleted, tweaked, freaked and still don’t like it. But as Hemingway said, writing is rewriting.

These hives were going to kill her. For reasons she kept secret, weddings and anything associated with romantic love made Simone Reynard’s skin crawl. While most women sighed and cried at weddings, she suffered the annoying itch of hives.

Her gaze swept over her sister’s yard, lavishly decorated for the outdoor wedding reception. She scratched at her chin, thankful concerns about the weather proved fruitless; the fall day was gorgeous, although slightly cool. Thank goodness her maman and Gwen, the other bride, decided on a double ceremony. She’d only have to go through this misery once.

I’ll get eventually. I guess.

What about you? Do you have trouble with your opening hooks?

*** Oh, to all you talented writers that I mentioned and shared your opening hooks, Blogger's Label feature only allowed me so many characters, so I could not include the titles of your referenced work. Sorry.