A long overdue update!

RELEASES MARCH 22 2011


LOOK!! New cover!!

RELEASES JULY 2011


Okay I am a naughty author. I've been slacking on my blogs again. Back to back deadlines have a way of doing that to a gal. Let's start with important information.

A. I am NOT hosting the Authors After Dark weekend this year. Stella has gone off on her own and is doing her own thing. I may or may not have something to do with it in the future, but that's all kind of up in the air. I am not on the list of attending authors and right now I am not certain if I am attending that convention. I can tell you this, she has great stuff planned at a tremendous looking venue. I am going to try to attend but I am already slated to attend RomCon in Denver and RT Booklovers Convention in LA. I am really trying to focus on conventions in areas I have never been before so my West Coast and Midwest/Mountain area readers have a chance to meet me and get their books signed by me. So if you are planning to attend the AAD Convention ONLY because of me, you might want to hold off. If I'm only a sliver of your considerations, then by all means, have at it. Stella throws a hell of a party and Larissa Ione is her Master of Ceremonies this year.

B. I am writing book six of the NIGHTWALKERS series as we speak. It IS Jasmine's story. It will be released in November 2011...but that's AFTER a novella in the NIGHTWALKER world is released in the October 2011 release of the anthology SUPERNATURAL with, once again, Larissa Ione. What's it about? Well, let me just say...did you ever wonder what happened that Samhain between Kane and Corrine? Well, your wondering will now be satisfied. :)

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*
If you've never read the NIGHTWALKERS or SHADOWDWELLERS series or are in the middle of them and don't want things given away (and your author hates it when you cheat, btw) everything in part C isn't for you! Skip this part! I promise not to say anything of interest to you!

C. I haven't decided on the title of the Jasmine story yet. I am still torn between titling it JASMINE and titling it after the male lead, keeping in tradition with the series. Those of you who follow me on Facebook know I've been tossing this back and forth with my editor/publisher. I'm sure they are going to want to do what they think SELLS best...or what will make it most readily apparent to my readers that this is 1. a NIGHTWALKER book and 2. Jasmine's story. We know you've been waiting for a long time for this story. And we know Jasmine is only part of what you've been waiting for. *SPOILERS* (I really mean it this time, if you are in the middle of the series, don't read this shit!) What about that bitch RUTH? What about Damien and Syreena, are they gonna be able to have kids?? And what ever happens to our prophesied children? And what about all that bad black magic? What about the unheard of idea of natural born witches being good? What happened when Valera did her magical mystery tour? Or has she even done it yet when this story begins? (Spoiler/sneak peek for those who HAVE read both those series) YES, it has happened already when this story picks up. I know, you're shocked. I NEVER give up information on my stories/universes. But hey, it's the Yuletide season. Consider it my gift to you. :)

D. My personal life. That's right, I'm about to talk about all that personal, hairy shit that's all about me. I am going to SHOW MY ASS (possibly even literally) so if you have a problem with that, don't read this part either! *eyeroll* I am officially all healed up from my circumferential abdominoplasty. And I look HAWT! I'm sorry, but I can't be humble. I have a flat belly! I weigh 142 lbs! Neither of those things have happened to me since I was 14 years old!! So maybe my tits are a little smaller than I expected (I call them tittles *thanks Peanut!*) but I'll take it! The next surgery, the thighplasty, is going to be in early January. I'd like to say the exact date, but the featherhead in charge of scheduling hasn't gotten back to me about it. I keep calling and she keeps swearing she's looking at my file right that second and waiting for the hospital to get back to her. Apparently everyone wants to schedule surgery before the end of the year because they don't want to pay a new deductible...yes but, I don't care about deductibles I am paying for this myself and I am not trying to get scheduled before the end of the year I want to do this AFTER the first of the year. (I do have a book to write after all) Then she pulls the babies with broken faces card on me. How they are the only surgeons who do emergent surgery on babies with broken faces and that bumps other surgeries. Well yes, that's great and, aww, those poor babies. But how does that affect your ability to schedule a surgery a month from now? A surgery you've been working on scheduling for the past three weeks? And why would you even bring up the babies if you weren't trying to keep me from going postal on you because you are aware that after three weeks of calls and waiting I have every right to go postal? After all, what kind of a bitch would i have to be to get mad now that you told me about the babies?? Well, I was nice because no, I'm not any kind of bitch who can get mad after hearing about the babies. But I mention it because I am very aware she was trying to play me and I chose to be nice in spite of that. Anyway...I'm sure I'll keep you posted.

Christmas is really hard this year. As some of you know, I have a foster daughter named Bianca. She stays with me every summer and every Christmas vacation. As a result of her behaviors this summer, I decided not to have her come this Christmas. I guess it's an effort to teach her a lesson. That she can't use people who love her for money. That the value of our relationship has nothing to do with toys and expensive bullshit. Perhaps it's my own fault. I spoiled her. I wanted to give her everything I never had when I was a kid...so she didn't appreciate any of it because it came so easy. Suddenly it was an expectation. It was almost like you could hear her saying, 'Yo bitch, cough it up and get me that.' It fact, 'Get me that.' was said more than once. The 'Yo bitch' was almost implied.

Anyway, she isn't coming. I will send her a few things, but nothing like the lush cornucopia of gifts she is used to. But it sucks.It feels like I've cut off my nose to spite my face. IT really sucks that there's not going to be a kid here to get excited with, to bake cookies with, to wake up to stuffed stockings with, to act goofy with...to drink hot cocoa with. I'm kinda all alone. No, not kinda. Exactly all alone. Money doesn't mean shit. I'd rather be poor with a Charlie Brown tree and a little girl who loves me hugging me around my neck telling me she loves me.

So Christmas sucks this year.

In other news, I hired a fan girl to be my new assistant. Her name is Natalie and she is all about the Jacki Frank universes. LOL. Well...she cheats on me with Stephanie Meyer and Sherrilyn Kenyon, but that's okay. I cheat on me too. Heh.

Hey you know how they say sugar will kill you? Well sugar is going to kill me. I worked hard to get skinny, but I've been sneaking a lot of candy lately. Now, I take some heavy duty meds at night and they make me fall asleep mid sentence or mid-Mafia Wars. The other night I was sneaking from my stash of Good N Plentys and apparently fell asleep mid chew. A couple of hours later I wake up and start coughing my head off. Apparently I aspirated some candy. Yes, I breathed in a Good N Plenty. All day yesterday, through yoga class and cooking dinner, every time I coughed I tasted licorice. My sister and I had this image of me going to the E.R. and trying to explain this...or them taking an X-ray of my lungs and trying to figure out what that capsule shaped thing was in the right lung...my housekeeper Donna was not amused by the idea of finding my dead in bed from an act of candy stupidity.

SO I mean it this time...as soon as I eat all the rest f this candy...I'm not buying any more. Well, no more Good N Plenty for a while that's for sure. My therapist says I am a sugar addict. That I need to twelve step it. She's right. I admit it. That's the first step. The next one...isn;t the next one 'Eat all the candy in the house'?

Ack.

Anyway. Enough of all that. I have to get back to work. Laters all!
Hugs and Kitties
Jacki

DRINK OF ME

Tuesday was the release of my new stand alone title DRINK OF ME. And please, let me clarify 'stand alone'. That means it is fully intended to be a one off title. There are no cliffhangers, nothing unresolved. Everyone will be completely satisfied from one cover to the next. Of course, I know you people...you're all gonna fall in love with this group of guys and you're going to start pestering me for more books and to make a series out of it. Well...I have learned to never saw never, so let's just say 'not at this time' and leave it at that, shall we? Heh. But really, don't you remember the good old days of non-series titles? Authors had to make up completely new worlds in every book they wrote? I kind of like that option in my repertoire. I like my series too, don't get me wrong. Where would the world be without NIGHTWALKERS and SHADOWDWELLERS??? But I think we all have room in us for the variety of the classic one off story.

DRINK OF ME takes place in an alternate world and alternate universe where things are very different, pre-industrial, and far from being unified and diplomatic. But I bring you into the world of the Sánge who are looked on universally as the scourge of their peers. Their strange practices make them feared and reviled. But you will see something very different from what those others see and I think the Sánge might just grow on you. :)

Here's your blurb:

DRINK ME


In a world where emotion can be a deadly weapon, one slight, battered runaway holds the key to a dark and twisted enigma…

Drink of me, she whispers, her silver eyes trusting, pleading. What female dares speak such words to one of the Sánge? His people are scorned by every race for their fierce sensuality, their fearful rituals. And as Prime, Reule is the most telepathically gifted of them all.

But nothing has prepared him for the intensity of emotion radiating from the outlander rescued by his Pack. Terrified, tormented, but beautiful beyond measure, Mystique shatters his legendary control. As she reaches for him in the steamy heat of the healing baths, he knows this blind need can have but one end…
In blood, in knowledge, in ecstasy.

On a more personal note, I had my circumferential abdominoplasty...also known as getting sawed in half...lol...well, almost. I came through super well and I look awesome!! I will post pictures after the hairiest scars are a little more healed. I have before and after...I have to get the courage up to show my flabby ass on here. LOL. Now all that's left is the thigh-plasty which rumor has it is even more difficult than getting sawed in half, and then my arms. I will then have the body of a 20 year old. Too bad my knees and ankles are already shot to shit. OTherwise I might go jogging in sexy shorts in the park or something I've always seen slender women do. Hah! Someone told me I'm too skinny! My GF tells me to go eat a fucking sandwich. :P I am eating Halloween chocolate unfortunately so I might just have a problem. *ulp* I wish I was allowed to exercise to burn it off, but the doctor says that's a no no for a little while longer.

Oh GREAT NEWS!! I am being published in the UK at last at last!! They will be printing BOOK SIX of the NIGHTWALKERS series in tandem with the US! Then they are going to go back and release UK versions of the series. :) I will keep you posted on the covers.

Anyway, that's it. I am constantly on Facebook holding giveaways and contests and such. Join my fan page and you will have a chance! Although I make you work for it with sneaky trivia. :)

Hugs and kitties
Jacki

Debut of my first JAX book, THE BID

So yesterday was the debut of my first JAX book, an erotica paranormal/ fantasy/ futuristic romance called THE BID published under the Aphrodisia line at Kensington Publications. I really love this story. It's kind of a twist on the kidnapped and sold into slavery idea. It's also pretty steamy. I didn't really see why it might not fly in mass market format...I mean Rapture and the short story in Nocturnal both burned up the pages. But I like the idea of freeing myself up in future books from the conventional relationship format. There's lots of sexy possibilities in a non-standard relationship. But be assured, I'm all about the romance and the love and the happily ever after. No matter what you will always find that in my books.

We have established a JAX fan page on Facebook and you never know what I'll be giving away so it might be a good idea for you to sign up. Plus it can keep you up to date on all thing erotic from me.

The Authors After Dark 2010 event was a wild success. Don't take my word for it though. Go to the Authors After Dark blog and see for yourself. Stella Price has posted a blog and there are great pictures at Larissas Bookish Life, and other blogger sites. I have a few of my own but I am going to post them on Monday (ideally), the day before my surgery.

That's the other thing going on in my life. I am having my circumferential abdominoplasty on Tuesday. Also known as a lower body lift. Also known as a big ouch. I had hoped to have my second Three Worlds book done before then and am still working to reach that goal, but we will have to see how it turns out. So if you are wondering why I have been so quiet lately, there is your answer. Deadline!!!

I hired a new assistant. His name is George. So far so good. He seems to be fairly competent, which is a huge compliment coming from me. Lol. So if I haven't answered your emails there is hope for me yet! I do try my best, but since I have such a crappy memory... It goes something like this. Read email. Come up with reply in head. Go to hit reply button. Dust mote catches my attention. Have sudden urge to see how much rainfall they had in Belize. Ten days Later....

Such is life in Jacki's brain. Ah well. I shudder to think of how many awesome ideas were lost or don't end up in my books because of those damn random dust motes.

But they do fall in such a pretty way....

Guest Blogger and Bookmate Kate Douglas visits!

Kate Douglas was kind enough to send me a few words about our co-release, NOCTURNAL, which is hitting the shelves TODAY!!! Thought I would share with all of you!

Hi Jacki—many apologies for sending this so late—I had planned to write it earlier this evening when I suddenly realized I had to be at a scheduled Aphrodisia Authors chat, and after the chat I started working on a proposal for a new series and had one of those OB-CRS moments, aka old broad can’t remember shit...

Anyway, today is the day! Nocturnal started popping up in stores a week ago, but it’s not officially on the shelves until today, and I’m really excited to see this one out and about. First, it’s very cool to share a spot with you—while we’ve both written for different imprints at Kensington, it appears we’re both guilty of crossing over to test the waters in a new sub-genre. Congratulations on your new Aphrodisia title coming out next month! I’m really looking forward to seeing just what kind of trouble Jax can get you into. Sometimes those alter egos can REALLY raise a ruckus!

For me, the switch was in the opposite direction when I sold The DemonSlayers series for the Zebra imprint. Still sexy, but not as over-the-top as my Wolf Tales, and really a lot of fun. The first book, DemonFire, released in February—a day I celebrated by running my truck into the side of a mountain and just about totaling the poor baby out. Mountain one...pickup zero. I’ve decided I’d much rather celebrate the release of my new books without any personal carnage or damage to expensive machinery. Therefore, I stayed home the day HellFire released last week. Much less costly that way! Today I intend to do the same. I’ll do my chatting about Crystal Dreams, my story in Nocturnal, online, thank you very much.

This was such a fun story to write. The muse really smiled on me and I wrote the entire thing in about three days. Once I had my heroine—Marigold Moonbeam Schwartz—the entire story fell into place. Wish they were all that easy! Mari is a straight-laced banker who’s just lost her job and is headed home to Evergreen from San Francisco. It has NOT been a good week. Besides getting laid-off, she’s caught her live-in boyfriend sacked up with another woman, discovered he’s spent most of her money, and now she’s got to take care of her mother’s crystal shop while her father recuperates from surgery.

Mari has a rather uncomfortable relationship with her parents—they’re old hippies who, she thinks, have smoked one too many joints. Her mother believes she’s a witch, and Mari doesn’t swallow any of that garbage—until she’s attacked by demons and rescued by a seven foot tall Lemurian warrior wielding a crystal sword. Life sort of takes a big flip-flop just shy of reality after Darius saves her life, but Mari definitely rolls with the punches, even though she’s in as much danger of losing her heart as she is of losing her life.

Finding out Mom and Dad aren’t so crazy after all is the least of her discoveries—finding out she’s a more powerful witch than dear old Mom is a hell of a shocker. If you’re at all interested in reading a bit, I’ve got the first chapter posted at http://www.katedouglas.com/home.htm Just click on the cover. If you go to www.katedouglas.com/eroticromance, you’ll find excerpts of my Wolf Tales and Sexy Beast stories, but over 18 only, please.

The series so far is DemonFire, HellFire and then Nocturnal/Crystal Dreams. StarFire releases in April 2011.
And thank you, Jacki, for letting me get a word in on your blog. It’s much appreciated.

Kate Douglas

www.facebook.com/katedouglas.authorpage
www.twitter.com/wolftales

And thank you Kate for coming to visit!

In other news, I'm in desperate need of an assistant. I need to organize my emails, blogs, guest appearances, a mailing list etc. Someone who can work the online scene, tell me where to go and when to go there, etc. I just can't keep track of it all anymore. Holding contests, mailing books out after people win them, mailing ARCs to reviewers, chasing down pirates...HELP! The problem is, how exactly does one find someone to do these things? As we all know I SUCK at choosing people to clean my own home (finally landed a gem! TG!!) I am apparently a poor judge of character. So, I need help, but I don't trust myself to find anyone good.

*Looks around for her funny white coat with the 360 degree arms*
Hugs and Kitties
Jacki

NOCTURNAL!!

It's more than the way I live my life, it's the name of my latest release!! You all have been hounding me for new Jacki Frank, well I am going to overwhelm you with it! I have three books coming out in three consecutive months! ROCK ON! And then in February Ballentine releases the first in my new Three Worlds series, a fun scifi/fantasy romance with elite buffed out soldiers (HOORAH!!) and exotic aliens with extraordinary powers.

But that's then. Let's start with the now.



I am so thrilled to be sharing this anthology with the wickedly naughty Kate Douglas. She can write sex and lust and the paranormal like nobody's business. I also get to meet the adorable Jess Haines at my Authors After Dark event (only 16 days away!!) We'll be signing copies of the book together at the Harmon Meadow Holiday Inn on Saturday in New Jersey and the signing is open to everyone so PLEASE come and visit with me. I'd be very excited to meet you.

But let's talk about my story in this anthology.

Amara has been taken...stolen from her normal life because no one would miss her...because she would make the perfect lab rat. She is held captive, experimented on, tormented with captivity and the fear of the unknown. What are they going to do to her next? Then, the day she meets a fresh lab rat, a sexy beast of a cop, they are taken away for the experiment to end all experiments. When they come out on the other side of it they find themselves drawn to each other with animalistic need so ferocious it cannot be denied. The question is, where will the savagery end? Will they end up tearing each other apart?

This book releases September 7th. (officially anyway)

Then there's my new JAX book. I've been talking about it for ages and I am delighted to say RT Book Reviews gave THE BID four stars! WOOT!


Isn't this the hottest cover EVER? I can't get over how right Aphrodisia did me with this cover. I have never had such a perfect depiction of my characters before. It was like the artist was right in my head. Let me know if you agree when it comes out. This book releases September 28th.

Then there's DRINK OF ME.


This book release October 26th.
I thought I'd share the first few pages with you cuz you're all so awesome.

Sorrow.
It beat at him like a relentless drum, throbbing through his mind and vibrating into his soul until he felt it burning in his body as though it were his own. Stunned by the intensity of the intrusion, Reule actually hesitated several moments, distracting himself at the worst possible time. He felt the purity of the devastating emotion shuddering through him. Too pure, and too disturbing, Reule realized very quickly as he flung up well-practiced and powerful mental barricades, the imposing walls blotting out most of the wild despair that had stained his concentration.
Careless of him to let something like that intrude on such a crucial moment. Lines of disconcertion etched themselves into his forehead and around his mouth. The source of that unsettling intrusion was a mystery. It tempted him. But that, he realized, might very well be the point. It could be intentional bait.
Reule dismissed the idea straight away, confident he could tell the difference between deception and honesty, and while he’d never felt such a scope of sadness before in his life, it had been brutally honest. Pushing it all away to focus back on his goal of the moment, he lifted his head and sought the scents of the others, marking their positions in silence as they kept their mental communication minimalized. Their prey would sense their approach if they picked up on the power of their pursuers’ thoughts flinging back and forth along telepathic channels between them.
Reule marked the identifications and locations of the other males of the Pack. Rye, to the north along the stone wall in the underbrush. Darcio, to his rear by several yards, low against the trunk of a thick and ancient oak. Delano, of course, on point ahead of them and moving slowly along the perimeter of the hostile territory they sought to enter. Reule focused next on the house settled deep in the darkness, concentrating until his vision altered to pierce the veil of the brick walls, outlining the greenish-white blobs of movement that indicated life in one form or another. It was easy to differentiate their target; seated centrally and surrounded by others like bees buzzing over their precious queen. All of this activity took place on the second floor.
Reule turned his attention to Delano, watching the sleek speed the male used to breech the property line. In concert, the rest of the Pack moved forward, their senses sharply attuned to the rhythm it would take to succeed at their task. He could have closed his eyes and still known that Rye leapt the stone wall with ease, and that Darcio kept every step timed to match perfectly with his own as Reule advanced.
Each member of the Pack neared the structure with caution. Reule crouched low on the balls of his feet, sharply alert, and he became as still and invisible as shadows. His stillness was timed perfectly. His target came through the near door, so close he nearly tripped over Reule. When the unfortunate crossed in front of him, Reule struck with the speed of a cobra. His fangs exploded into full, glorious length as he attacked, but they wouldn’t taste of this repugnant creature. He could control the impulse, sparing himself the disgust of such an experience.
Instead, it was his extending claws that struck, and even that was conservative. Reule grabbed his victim over his mouth, jerking his head back and puncturing his shoulder with needle sharp nails right through his shirt, the cotton fabric no protection from the invasion. Reule’s muscles flexed as his prey struggled and fought, but they both knew it was a fruitless effort. Once the paralytic tipping his nails broke beyond the skin, it was only a matter of time. Still, Reule held him to keep him quiet until the drug took effect, using his mental power to stifle his victim’s so he could raise no alarms. When the male finally became deadweight in his hold, he released him. The body of his enemy dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks, thudding sickly as bone impacted earth. Reule kicked him away in contempt. The toxin wouldn’t kill him, but if Reule didn’t like what he found when he entered the house, he’d be back to finish the job.
Reule straightened and eased towards the door. He was vigilant for other stragglers as he sought for the heat and motion of others. They were all upstairs in that central room, and now Reule understood why. He heard shouts of laughter and cajoling, cheering and jeering, and he suddenly realized why there were insufficient guards staged to protect the place. He snarled low in loathing and the sound was echoed by his Shadow, Darcio. The others didn’t respond, but they felt Reule’s rage and he felt their agreeing emotion.
And that opened him up to the sorrow once more.
It slammed into him, stronger than before; a devastating sadness that stole his breath away and nearly stopped his heart. Chills rushed up under his flesh until it crawled with agonizing emotional response. Never, in all his many years, had he felt anything like it. He’d shared thoughts and emotions with his Pack for all of his existence, and never had they, his family, been able to project such powerful emotion into him. If he couldn’t feel such things from his family, who could force it upon him? More, what caused such agony? He was the most powerful, the most sensitive when it came to sensing these things, but surely one of his caste had felt deep, abiding pain before! What made this so incredibly intense to him? How did it invade him so easily in spite of his skill and power to resist such things?
Reule tried to shake off the sensations even as he fell back unsteadily against a near wall. Darcio leapt forward, instantly at his side when he sensed his distress. Reule quickly fended off his friend’s concern, recovering and pushing the alien anguish hard away from himself so he could project confidence and strength to the Pack. They were being distracted in dangerous territory and he’d be responsible if any of them were injured because of it. Reule silently realigned their attention with a powerful emanation and he felt them draw back to target swiftly. Only Darcio, who had seen him falter physically, hesitated. Reule ignored his concern and reached for the door.

I hope that puts me on your MUST BUY list. ;)
Hugs and Kitties
Jacki Frank