Author Guest Post
Jackie's Top Five Hardest Things About Writing
1. Finishing the book. You have a great idea, adore your characters, have a wonderful set up and the first three chapters flow beautifully. And then you hit a snag you didn't envisage. And you find you hate your idea, loathe your characters, wish you'd never thought of your set up and the first three chapters are terrible. You want to bin the book. Unfortunately you have a deadline and a contract to fulfill. Which means you have to finish the damn book. This is, believe me, very hard indeed.
2. Convincing your family that yes, writing is a job. You work from home which means you're apparently 'around'. Available to be phoned and interrupted by people because, well, you're at home, aren't you? And that means you should have plenty of time to go do the shopping, take the cat to the vet, see your kid's teacher etc and write 5 thousand words. All before the kids get home from school. And do you really have to work over the weekend? When you have a deadline and unexpected revisions then yes, you really do!
3. Switching off. I never have problems sitting down to write because I love it. What I have problems with is turning off my writer brain. It's constantly turning over the latest character flaw or the latest plot problem and sometimes it's hard when you've been writing, to come back to the real world.
4. People asking you 'so you romance, huh? Do you try all that stuff at home?' Usually followed by an embarrassed giggle. And in answer to that question, firstly, that's none of your business and secondly, so I see you're a surgeon. Do you try out all your operations on your friends and family first? ;-)
5. Criticism. It can be the hardest thing but also the most amazing thing. When someone hates your book you want to cover yourself in sackcloth and ashes and Never Write Again. But when they love it…you spend the next couple of days walking on air and thinking you're the most amazing thing since sliced bread.
So for those of you interested in writing – still want to try it? ;-)
About The Author
She lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr Jax, two kids, two cats and some guppies (possibly dead guppies by the time you read this). When she's not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.
AUTHOR WEBSITE
GOODREADS
Talking Dirty With The Player by Jackie Ashenden ~ Virtual Book Tour Page: Goddess Fish Promotions
Book Review
Talking Dirty With The Player by Jackie Ashenden
Book 2: Talking Dirty Series
Publisher: Entangled - Indulgence
Publication Date: August 12, 2013
Format: e-Book - 219 pages / Kindle - 467 KB / Nook - 3 MB
ISBN: 1622661761
ASIN: B00DXJOD8A
Genre: Contemporary Romance
BUY THE BOOK: Talking Dirty With The Player
BUY THE SERIES: Talking Dirty Series
Book 1: Talking Dirty With The CEO
Book 2: Talking Dirty With The Player
Book 3: Talking Dirty With The Boss (publication date: Nov 2013)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Book Description:
Book Excerpt:
Setup: Caleb is getting his photo taken by Judith for a bachelor calendar. He pre-empted her photographer instructions, whipped his shirt off, and is now lying down on the chaise lounge in her studio, feeling very pleased with himself.
Caleb’s grin widened. “Cat got your tongue, babycakes? Or are you merely stunned by my magnificence?”
“Actually, I’m stunned by your apparent inability to listen.” And now she even sounded like a freaking “Abs of Steele” groupie. All breathless and teenage. Great. Folding her arms, she kept her gaze firmly on his face. “You didn’t hear the whole ‘let’s discuss this first’ part of the conversation?”
“What’s to discuss?” He made a sweeping flourish down his body with his free hand. “This can speak for itself.”
Oh God, could the man be any more full of himself? “Seriously? Sure it speaks for itself. It’s saying ‘I’m a gigolo for hire.’”
“It’s a sexy calendar. I’m doing sexy.”
No doubt about it. And she wasn’t going to give his giant, inflatable ego any more air than it already had. “It’s not sexy, Caleb. It’s boring.”
Caleb’s grin widened. “Cat got your tongue, babycakes? Or are you merely stunned by my magnificence?”
“Actually, I’m stunned by your apparent inability to listen.” And now she even sounded like a freaking “Abs of Steele” groupie. All breathless and teenage. Great. Folding her arms, she kept her gaze firmly on his face. “You didn’t hear the whole ‘let’s discuss this first’ part of the conversation?”
“What’s to discuss?” He made a sweeping flourish down his body with his free hand. “This can speak for itself.”
Oh God, could the man be any more full of himself? “Seriously? Sure it speaks for itself. It’s saying ‘I’m a gigolo for hire.’”
“It’s a sexy calendar. I’m doing sexy.”
No doubt about it. And she wasn’t going to give his giant, inflatable ego any more air than it already had. “It’s not sexy, Caleb. It’s boring.”
My Book Review:
Talking Dirty With The Player is a sassy second chance love story set in Auckland, New Zealand, that follows the journey of Judith Dalton and Caleb Steele as they come to terms with their long-denied feelings for each other. Eight years ago Judith and Caleb spent the night together, she gave him her heart only to have him break it by telling her that he doesn't do relationships, and that his rugby career was more important. Fast forward eight years to Judith's brother Joe's wedding ... Caleb is back in town after spending time in the UK playing rugby, he is Joseph's best friend and best man ... Judith is determined not to let her long-held attraction for Caleb show, even if he is still tempting as ever. Their relationship is mixed with attraction, hurt, pain and insecurity, it is an emotional story about a couple who are afraid to take a risk on love.
This was such a fun story to read, it had a great mixture of humor, drama, tension, chemistry and romance. I loved Judith and Caleb's witty banter and sexual chemistry, you can't help but smile at the way they try to deny their attraction and true feelings for each other. They are both feisty and hardheaded, their sizzling chemistry and flirting were entertaining, and their romance was emotional as their inner-struggle to define their relationship finally leads them to acknowledge and share their feelings for each other, it simply melts the heart!
Talking Dirty With The Player is a sexy and entertaining read that will leave a smile of satisfaction on your face. This is the second book in the Talking Dirty series and can be a stand alone read, but I would recommend that you read the books in sequential order as one story flows into the next, and you don't want to miss out on all the sizzling romance that is featured in each book.
RATING: 4 STARS ****
Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway
Win A Digital Copy Of
Talking With The CEO
&
A $50 Amazon Gift Card
Author Jackie Ashenden will be awarding a digital copy of Talking Dirty to the CEO and a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/08/nbtm-tour-talking-dirty-with-player-by.html
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The excerpt made me laugh. "I'm doing sexy." I can picture it.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Mary, thanks for visiting my blog. This was such a fun book to read, the sexy banter between Judith and Caleb kept me laughing, and their beneath the surface attraction kept me turning the pages. :)
DeleteHe's a bit full himself huh? It was great having Judith take him down a peg or two. :-)
DeleteI loved that Caleb was a cocky bad-boy player and Judith was a sassy and snarky strong woman, their banter and attraction made for a very entertaining story that kept me laughing. :)
DeleteAww, thank you!
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the opportunity to host the virtual book tour event. :)
DeleteLoved the review. It makes this story sound awesome. Loved the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteHi MomJane, thank you for visiting and your kind comment, I appreciate it. This was a sexy & entertaining story, if you loved the excerpt, you'll love the story! :)
Delete*waves to MomJane*
DeleteThanks for having me, Kathleeen, and for the awesome review. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie! I loved Talking Dirty With The Player, it was a really fun and sexy book that I went and downloaded Talking Dirty With The CEO so I could backtrack and read Joseph and Christie's story. lol I look forward to reading Talking Dirty With The Boss when it is published. Thank you for the opportunity to host your virtual book tour event. :)
DeleteOh, that makes me happy! Thanks so much Kathleen! The Boss should be out in December hopefully.
DeleteThanks for sharing your review and the giveaway. Sounds like a really good book and I am looking forward to reading it. Congrats on the completion of the tour. evamillien at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteHi Eva! Thank you for stopping by and posting your kind comments. :)
DeleteAnd thanks from me too, Eva!
DeleteVery nice review, Kathleen! You've changed the look of your blog recently, haven't you? I like it.
ReplyDeleteJackie...I like your 5 hardest things about writing. I find that even the librarians I know who are writing articles have the same #1 problem--finishing it! Sometimes, you just need to finish the manuscript and let it go.
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Hey Catherine Lee, how ya been? Nope I haven't changed the blog, this is the sister blog to Jersey Girl Book Reviews. This blog is dedicated to steamy romance and erotica genres. Thank you for visiting with Jackie today! :)
DeleteHi Catherine and thanks! Yeah, finishing it is tough. I think if you're sick of the sight of it, it's definitely time to send it. :-)
DeleteSounds like a great read!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
Hi Natasha, and thanks! :-)
DeleteHi Natasha, thank you for stopping by! This is a fun read, good luck in the contest! :)
Delete