Hi! Thanks for having me back here at Jaunty Quills.

This month marks the release of my third paranormal, TO CRAVE A BLOOD MOON – all very exciting as the early reviews have been great and the reader feedback very heartening. Like most writers, I always bite my nails over that stuff. I would say this is the darkest of the three in my paranormal series and probably the most adventuresome with exotic locales and a deepening of the paranormal world I created with the first book.

When I first began the series with MARKED BY MOONLIGHT, I had no plans for future connected stories. I simply wrote a “lycan” (werewolf) book with plans and hopes to sell it … beyond that, who knew? When my brilliant editor bought it and asked, “what’s next?”, I suddenly had to look at the first book and see where I could take a second book. The first idea I tossed at her, my editor claimed was too similar to the first book, and correctly so. After further conversation with her, I finally understood the importance of building and layering my paranormal world and the stakes with each subsequent book. With that in mind I added hybrid lycans (dovenatus) to my second paranormal, and increased the stakes with world-wide threats … not simply threats to my h/h.

When I sat down to brainstorm my third paranormal, it took awhile to come up with a book that differed but also built on the first two books, ie, weaving in with the mythos that I’ve created. This is the tricky part in creating a paranormal series. You want to build off each book while not contradicting anything previously established in earlier books. Also, I never want to invent something totally from left field either. For instance, I’m not going to include vampires in my paranormal world as late as book three of four. At that point, it would just feel contrived.

Consequently, TO CRAVE A BLOOD MOON took even more brainstorming than my first two books. Since I already did lycans and dovenatus … what could be next? What kind of hero or heroine could I create that differed from the others? The result was a dovenatu hero and heroine who happens to be human but an empath. The idea of an empath came to me after watching some of those paranormal reality shows on A&E. After a little research on empaths (fascinating!!) I arrived at Ruby and Sebastian’s story. Here’s the summary:

A BITE TOO FAR…

Imprisoned and tortured by a lycan pack, half-breed Sebastian Santiago is determined not to break. But now they’ve come up with a cruel plan — starve Sebastian until he is half-mad with hunger, then force him to succumb to his werewolf instincts by giving him human prey to feed on.

Snatched from the streets of Istanbul, American tourist Ruby Deveraux has already seen the horror of her companions torn apart. Now she is thrown into a dark cell with a shadowy shape she can barely see. But Ruby is no ordinary woman. All her life she has been able to sense the emotions of others, and she knows instinctively that while Sebastian does not want to be her enemy, he is in the grip of sensations so dark and primitive that he can barely control them. But amid his surging feelings she can detect passion — passion for her as a woman. This, she realizes, may be her only hope. In the unrelenting dark, trapped in a hideous prison, can Ruby and Sebastian somehow forge a fragile alliance and break free from their deadly captors to seize a love neither dreamed possible?

Of course, having met the challenge of creating a new twist in book three, I’m facing the same issues with book four of the series, MY SOUL TO KEEP. Solution? My heroine is a dovenatu this time … and the hero? Well … let’s just say, he’s a dovenatu with a definite twist.

Thankfully, through no deliberation of my own (it’s lovely when those type of convenient flukes happen!) I introduced the existence of witches in the first book. Ever since, I’ve made it a point to reference witches, knowing it may come in handy. I’ve been able to link witches to demons … can you see where I’m going? Now I’ve opened up several more doors in my paranormal world. Turns out the hero in my fourth book will be a demon-slayer dovenatu. Hmm, say that five times fast! Anyway, it fits with the direction of the first three books, and maybe even more importantly, it keeps me from getting bored! Always important for a writer.

Well, I guess I’ve blathered on enough. Now it’s your turn. I would love to hear your thoughts on series and world-building.

Thank you, Jaunties, for having me here today!

Best to all,

Sharie/Sophie

The winner of a signed copy of one of my books is Teresa W.! Teresa, email me at sophie@sophiejordan.net with the title you’d like and your address.

Thanks to all who entered,
Sophie

Hello everyone – glad to be back here with the Jaunties. As you may know, I have a new book out this month – SURRENDER TO ME. YAY! I’ve decided to share a little bit of my STM “experience” with you today … and I’ll start by saying what a different book this was to write (at least among my historicals-I write contemporary paranormals that are about as different as you get!). Usually, I walk away from every book having learned something new about myself and my writing process, but that especially seems to be the case with this book. For starters, STM differed from my other historical in that:

A) My heroine is the pseudo-villainess from TOO WICKED TO TAME. I had a great deal of fun taking a previously unsympathetic character and making her sympathetic. Fun, but sure, a challenge.

B) The book takes place in Scotland (no ballrooms in sight!). Very different for me, and yes, a bit more research came into play for me.

C) The hero is an American and not my usually titled lord.

D) My heroine is the “tough nut”. Usually my hero is the aloof I-ain’t-gonna-fall-in-love/trust-and-you-can’t-make-me type. But this time, Astrid is the one most resistant to love and change. Don’t get me wrong, my hero is still sexy and strong and borderline domineering with obstacles to overcome, but in this book, Astrid is my alpha girl.

It has become a goal of mine to write “different” books and not keep recycling the same plots and characters. This becomes a bigger challenge as I write more books (and still tend to like the same plotlines and character archetypes), but when I write something fresh, I’m always left with a sense of accomplishment in that I’ve brought something new to the table, or “shelf” so to speak.

Now, for a little teaser, I’ll say that I tried to go in a different direction in my next historical, too. Here’s a brief summary of SINS OF A WICKED DUKE:

She works to live …

Lord Dominic Hale, the Duke of Damon, better known as the Demon Duke for his life of debauchery and excess, cares only to forget the tragedies of his childhood. Like any nobleman, he never looks too closely at the servants in his employ, and yet the new footman is … peculiar. Once he discovers that his new footman is a woman – and a fetching bit of baggage at that! – Dominic vows to punish the chit for her deception, and what better way than making the prickly Fallon his next conquest? Only he never expects his heart could be the price.

No cover yet … but I can’t wait to see it. I’ve loved all my covers. I’ll post it as soon as I can. SINS OF A WICKED DUKE releases next April. And, of course, one of today’s commenters will receive a signed copy of SURRENDER TO ME (or any book from my backlist – you decide).

Thanks for having me here; I hope I brightened at least a little bit of your Monday.

Happy reading,
Sophie

Hello, everyone! I’m baaaaccck! And, as you can see, especially chipper today. My fifth historical for Avon is done and in the mail! Yipee!! I’m always thrilled to deliver a book, but I must say that there is something special about THIS book, sorry, still untitled. I’m always riddled with doubts when I deliver a manuscript and that’s just typical for my neurotic writer-self, but I feel pretty comfortable with what I’m handing in and think Sophie Jordan fans are going to be in for a real treat with the final product when it releases next Spring. Once I have a title, I’ll divulge more and give you all the info. Meanwhile, the other reason I’m so excited is that …

Only two weeks until SURRENDER TO ME hits shelves! Whoop!

SURRENDER TO ME stars Astrid of TOO WICKED TO TAME. You may recall she was that book’s villainess — well, kinda, I never really thought she was all that bad, and I guess my choosing her to be the heroine is my way of redeeming her. Hey, everyone has their own version of events. In SURRENDER TO ME, you get to see why she did everything she did in TOO WICKED TO TAME. Of course, it is a stand alone book, so if you haven’t read TOO WICKED TO TAME, you can still read SURRENDER TO ME and be fine. I just think the reading experience will be enhanced by getting to meet Astrid first in TWTT. Here’s the blurb, in case you haven’t read it yet:

She had lost nearly everything . . .
When tragedy left her penniless and alone, Lady Astrid Derring did whatever it took to survive. She dismissed half her staff, borrowed gowns, and subsisted on cucumber sandwiches from the galas she attended. She endured the wagging tongues of the ton and the indecent proposals from noblemen who deemed her ripe for the plucking. Finally, she has found a way to escape this shame and restore her good name. But it will require a perilous journey to Scotland, where she will come face-to-face with danger … and a sinfully handsome rogue who may be the greatest threat of all.

Any gentleman would lend his hand to a lady in distress, but handsome, rough-hewn Griffin Shaw is no gentleman, and Astrid is far from safe in his company. Accompanying her through the Highlands is a small price to pay for luring her into his bed. Entranced by her boldness, enchanted with her beauty, he is determined to thaw her cold heart. However, he soon finds himself wanting more than a brief affair with the proper lady. Nothing less than the total surrender of her heart will satisfy him.

I have updated my website (surprise, surprise!) where you can learn more about SURRENDER TO ME (oh, and there’s a brand new spanking contest posted there, too, so be sure to enter), but I’ll share my character inspiration pictures for my heroine and hero here:

The actress in this picture is Poppy Montgomery and she’s perfect for Astrid – blond with sultry dark eyes. Like Astrid, I feel she has a certain aloof duchess-ness. The hero … need I say more? He’s actor Thomas Jane. Very sexy and rugged and a Scotsman! Like my hero. A nice mug to greet you all with on this Monday morning, wouldn’t you say? Post back and tell me what you think!

Happy Monday, everyone! And Jaunties, thanks for having me here again.

Sophie

That’s right. It’s just about that time. About every six weeks or so DH jets it for work … destination often some really cool places. Today, for instance, he’s headed to L.A. Since he gets to go to places like that for work, I figure I’m entitled to a little guilt-free fun while he’s gone. Especially since he always manages to squeeze in a little fun when he’s away, too. Also, for those who don’t know, like me, DH works from home. We see each other day in and day out. And while we enjoy the arrangement – I mean how many couples get to work from home together? – it’s no hardship when he leaves town. It’s healthy to have a little time apart now and then.

My daughter sees it as a treat, too. She gets to sleep in Mommy’s bed … and well … shhhhh… but if the food’s not too messy, we eat in the living room.

Today’s agenda? After the daughter’s gymnastics, it’s off for Mexican food with a girlfriend and her daughter and – if she’s free – my cp, Tera Lynn Childs. This place has great margaritas, and, perhaps best of all, a sandbox for the girls. The baby can be passed around between me and my gal pals. When I get home, it’s throw kids in the tub, then bed. Then, because DH is out of town, and I have no distractions, it’s uninterrupted writing – which is hugely important right now since I have a book due in July. Actually, even with all the “playing” going on, I get quite a bit of writing done when DH leaves. When the daughter’s at preschool or the baby is napping (which is quite a bit), I work instead of chat it up with DH – remember, he’s hanging about the house with me?

The rest of the week will consist of little to no cooking – which translates to little or no dishes. The laundry, well, it can wait, too. I either eat out with friends (of course, it’s always at the restaurants I love but DH doesn’t!) or a sandwich/leftovers will do nicely for dinner. Somewhere in the week, there will be a run to Barnes N Noble and coffee with some writer friends. Oh, and I manage to watch a movie (either with a friend or by myself) that DH never wants to see. It’s either a romance-ish type period piece – you know, I’ve never seen North and South – that could be a possibility. Or a scary movie (I like scary movies, but not gore-fests. There’s just a difference, you know?!). DH is a big baby when it comes to those. Harry Potter is about as scary as he can handle, and even then I hold his hand. I’ve been itching to see Thirty Days of Nights. Yes, it looks terrifying, but the paranormal writer/reader in me is intrigued at its premise!

What about you? What do you like to do when “the cat’s away”?

Hugs,

Sophie

Hi, everyone! Glad to be back this Tuesday morning before I head out for the Romantic Times Convention in Pittsburgh.

As entertained as I was reading everyone else’s “day in the life”, I thought I would keep with the theme and add my own entry of “A Day in The Life of Sophie Jordan (Sharie Kohler)”. Of course, as a full time writer/mom, my days vary. However, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with my daughter at preschool, run fairly steady.

So here’s a “tame” M/W/F for me:

7:00am: Like clock work, I hear the baby through the monitor and I’m up …

7:00-7:30: I change the baby’s diaper, feed him his bottle, then breakfast (he’s eating food now) while DH showers. Finished with that, I deposit the baby in his ultra saucer.

7:30: I wake up the “newbie” five-year-old. Even though she had a full night’s sleep, this is a major feat. Five minutes of hugs, kisses, back rubs/scratching accompanied with an overly cheerful pep-talk about the day ahead of her. Then, finally, Mommy gets tough and threatens to dump a glass of water over her head. The threat does the trick and she’s up.

7:35: After much negotiating, breakfast is delivered to one groggy five-year-old. She’s so not a morning person – just like her Mommy.

7:40: I move into the bedroom (passing DH on the way) and dress for the gym. DH packs a lunch for the five-year-old, urging her to eat faster.

7:50: I check on everyone’s progress in the kitchen before moving into the five-year-old’s bedroom and selecting her day’s outfit.

7:55: Back in the kitchen, I join DH in urging the daughter to eat her food – stop playing with it! – drink your milk, get your hair out of your bowl, etc … This is usually when I grab a quick bite, too.

8:05: We move the daughter out of the kitchen and onto teeth, hair, clothes, shoes.

8:25-8:30: I pack up daughter’s lunch and bag and put baby in carrier. DH takes both and heads to preschool.

8:40: I leave for gym.

9:00: Run 1-2 miles on treadmill.

9:30: Do Lift class. Usually cp and Young Adult author Tera Lynn Childs joins me.

10:30: Class ends. Chat with TCL for a few minutes and leave gym.

10:45: Starbucks stop for me and DH.

11:00: Arrive home, take DH his coffee while he’s on a business call in the office. Check email, write (currently I’m working on copy edits for SURRENDER TO ME, a new book proposal, and an untitled historical due this July).

11:15-11:30: Baby wakes! Change diaper and give him bottle.

12:00: Eat lunch with baby and DH (if he’s not on a call).

12:30: Drag saucer into bathroom, put baby in it and take a shower.

1:00: Play with baby. Work on laundry. Write if I can grab a moment or two. Check email again.

2:00: Change diaper and load up baby in carrier to pick up daughter.

2:30: Unload baby into stroller and go inside school to pick up daughter at her classroom.

2:50: Time for quick errands (ie, gas, store or post office)

3:30: Arrive home. Change diaper, give baby a bottle and put down for nap.

4:00: Leave with daughter for her lesson (gymnastics, swimming … it’s always something). Usually I leave baby sleeping and signal the DH (if he’s on a call) that he needs to listen for the little guy.

5:30: Arrive home. Usually DH has dinner going.

6:00-6:30: Family eats dinner. I eat a bite, baby eats a bite, I eat a bite, baby eats a bite …

7:00: DH and I double team the kids. One bathes the five-year old and readies her for bed. The other gives the baby his bedtime bottle and changes him for bed.

7:30-8:00: Baby goes to bed.

8:00: Five-year gets book and tucked into bed.

8:15: Double-team on the dishes.

8:30: I may need to make baby food. If not, I work on laundry and watch a little television with the DH.

9:30: Write. And mother calls around now to ask why I haven’t called today.

12:00-1:00 AM: Put away the alphasmart or laptop.

Then I lie in bed, thinking about all I didn’t get done before I finally fall asleep.

And that’s a standard Monday – I’m lucky to have a DH not afraid to pull his load. This mother of two and full-time writer gig would get a bit hairy otherwise. It’s very cool for us both to work from home. Honestly, I love it. And believe it or not, we don’t get on each other’s nerves. Anymore than before, at least! LOL! Seriously, it has made us closer and strengthened our marriage. When I have to speak to a group, do a bookclub, go to a writers meeting, etc., we can always work it in with our flexible schedules. Of course, DH travels about one week out of every five or six. Er, not too fun to have him gone! I truly feel like a single mom that week. If something comes up I beg help from my mother-in-law or TLC.

Thanks for stopping by. Look for a website update soon and learn all about my August release, SURRENDER TO ME, whose final copy edits are going out the door today! YAY!

Hugs,
Sophie/Sharie

Okay, we just came out of Oscar season , so I’m going to talk about someone that I’m convinced will one day be taking one of those Golden statutes home. This kid – ok, he’s not really a kid anymore – is an amazing actor! I first noticed him on Disney’s EVEN STEVENS.

I noticed him because he stood out so much from the rest of the cast – and he was maybe nine! ten years old at the time. I kept thinking that he was so funny. There aren’t many children capable of delivering humor in such a dry, age-wise manner. There was just something so compelling about him. Oh, he wasn’t all comedian. He could pull off the drama, too. Talk about range! I was glued to the screen whenever he came on. Even way back then, I said to myself, “Gosh, I hope this kid gets a break and moves out of the pond into the big pool.” And tada…

Notice the bottom type? The NEXT TOM HANKS? Hmmm….

Not only has the little boy grown up … he is receiving the critical acclaim I always hoped he would get. Is it weird to feel like a proud mama?! I mean, how many people saw him in EVEN STEVENS and said that kid has superstar potential? Ok, enough patting myself on the back.;)

I saw him in DISTURBIA the other night – ok movie, but I had to watch it since it was an updated version of REAR WINDOW (who could do better than Hitchcock, right?). Shia is in it!! DH just looked at me blankly as I proclaimed this, hopping excitedly on the couch. Still, despite the movie’s flaws, Shia gave a great performance.

So, can you guess my reaction when I learned he was cast in the new Indiana Jones movie? I can’t think of anyone better to play Indiana Jones’s love child! BTW, check out this photo of “Indy and son”!

Can’t wait to see it!!

Hugs,

Sophie

Hey, everyone! At the kind invitation of the Jaunty Quills, I’ll be blogging here once or twice a month … sometimes I’ll talk writing, but probably more often than not I’ll simply share the chaotic ramblings of my neurotic mind. So here I go …

One of my many goals is to get in shape. I know, not too original, but it’s something I seriously need to do. After the birth of my son in September, I feel like such an out-of-shape slug. My primary focus is to get healthy – course I wouldn’t mind looking better, too. Honestly, some days my body just feels too old and tired for a thirty-something-year-old woman. So …enough is enough.

Well, there’s nothing like a little stomach flu to kick start one’s diet plans. For almost a week, I couldn’t even look at food without feeling queasy. Appetite back again, I’m eating right and determined to keep it up. I’ve even started back at the gym … and posting here is declaring to the world that I’m serious about getting healthy. You heard it here, folks. Sophie’s getting in shape.

Even DH, who is fit as far as I’m concerned, is getting on the band wagon with me. Of course, he really doesn’t need to lose weight – I know, sickening, right? He just wants to get “mean” and “ripped”. I’m trying to be supportive of his goal, but part of me is thinking, “Puh-lease!!” You’re at your goal weight already. Do you really need to look like Brad Pitt? Because I just want to reach goal weight! No one said anything about bouncing a nickel off my bottom! It reminds me of those commercials with the cartoon husband and wife who do the same thing to drop weight and the husband keeps losing weight while the wife doesn’t. Preaching to the choir, girl!

Which leads me to yesterday…

DH joined a boot camp. You know, one of those four week fitness courses that meet three times a week. Like I said, DH is in pretty good shape. He already works out several times a week, but just in case, he joined a beginners’ level boot camp. I was thinking a course like this might be good for me, too. Beginner to me implies that it wouldn’t be too strenuous. You know what I mean … some cardio but nothing to make me cry or puke my guts up. So I thought I might like to do this course next. Hey, I watch Biggest Loser and XWeighted (both great shows!) – they’ve inspired me into thinking I can handle at least a little pain.

WRONG.

When I came home yesterday it was to find the man I married sprawled face down on the living room rug, all the lights in the house turned off. The dogs were circling him and I thought he was dead. After a few moans and whimpers from his inert, 6 feet 1″, 190lbs form, I gathered he was not. Apparently, he came close though. So now I’m thinking “no” on the alleged beginners’ boot camp. I’ll continue to work out on my own and wish DH the best in claiming his Brad Pitt physique. Hey, I can enjoy that, too, after all.

What about any of you? I know Shana keeps in pretty good shape. Any of the rest of you vowing to get healthier in ’08?

Hello all! I’m subbing in for Robyn, who graciously invited me to guest blog here with the Quills today. As you can imagine, I’ve been counting the days lately. Only less a month to my debut, ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT. If you haven’t checked out my website, feel free to wander over. It’s www.sophiejordan.net. I have a new contest up as well as an excerpt.

Now, onto today’s blog. Unrequited Love. I love books with this theme. When love begins this way it’s so one-sided and seems so hopeless … it just makes my heart bleed. It’s so much more gratifying when a couple gets together against such an unlikely start. I prefer for the person suffering unrequited love to be the heroine. Always have. I don’t want to read about some beautiful girl blind to the fact that this great hunk of a guy is in love with her. I wouldn’t like her very much. Now, a guy being blind? That’s believable. =)

Seriously, I was that girl in high school that was always the “friend”. The “gal pal”. My best friend throughout high school was a guy — one of the hottest guys in school, to be exact. I was … well, I was just me. My theme song throughout high school was that Vanessa William’s song “Save The Best For Last”. I would bawl whenever she got to this part:

“All of the nights you came to me
When some silly girl had set you free
You wondered how you’d make it through
I wondered what was wrong with you
‘Cause how could you give your love to someone else
And share your dreams with me”

That was my life precisely. Oh, the agony!! I scripted “our romance” in my head a thousand times. You know how it goe … some dramatic event would lead him to realize he loved me. All the good stuff, you know. Who knows? Maybe this led me to writing. Want a HEA? No sweat. Write one.

Fortunately, I now have my own real life HEA … and I also get to write them for a living. What more could a girl want? But I don’t think any theme will ever be sweeter than unrequited love for me (unrequited on the heroine’s side, that is).

As a matter of fact, I think this is why I loved Julia Quinn’s new book so much. Lucy was the “friend”, the “pal”. She fell for Gregory first and she had to watch him moon over her best friend. Now that’s a girl I can relate to!

In ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT, both my hero and heroine are pretty opposed to “loving” each other — for different reasons — but the hero is the most “elusive”. The heroine comes around first of course and realizes she’s in love with him. However, I’m writing a series proposal right now and the heroine in book #1 suffers from unrequited love for the hero. And they grew up together as close friends. Ah, think of all the life experience I have. I knew all that heartbreak enriched me somehow. =) I’m so anxious to start this book. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been this excited to start a book since … well, I don’t know when.

So, what about you? Is unrequited love a favored theme? Does it matter who harbors the tendre? The hero or heroine?

Chat back!
Sophie