Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Leading Her to Heaven Now Available in PRINT!

LEADING HER TO HEAVEN

Kayleigh Jamison

Tease Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-934678-44-2 (electronic)

ISBN: 978-1-934678-45-9 (print)

www.teasepublishingllc.com

www.kayleighjamison.com

http://allromanceebooks.com/product-leadinghertoheaven-5588-144.html

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ISBN=9781934678459



Cover Image


As the eldest daughter of an English earl, Lady Susanna Cavendish has led a sheltered life of privilege and leisure. She has been taught that her northern cousins, the Scots, are barbaric heathens with no regard for culture or civilization.

Notorious warrior Blair Ruthven is laird of the fiercest clan in Scotland. Born into a society rife with blood feuds and an engrained hatred for the English, Blair learns at an early age that trust and love do little more than damn and disappoint.

Forced into marriage by feuding kings in order to forge a political union between their countries, Blair and Susanna must learn to find peace between themselves as they battle ages-old prejudices – and vie for one another’s hearts.

If you are looking for a lyrical voice, superb characters that draw you in, and fascinating out of the ordinary historical adventure with an erotic twist, I cannot recommend Kayleigh Jamison enough.

-Emma Wildes, #1 bestselling author and 2007 Eppie winner

"Jamison carries us through a range of emotions throughout the story, at times inciting laughter and at other times bringing us to tears with the depth of these characters' commitment and sacrifice." -Jennifer, C2KS, 5 Klovers


"This book is a hot and exciting ride!" -Regina, Coffee Time Romance, 5 Cups


"Kayleigh Jamison takes the reader back in time for a fun-filled action adventure…" -Angelica, Erotic Escapades, 4 Stars


"This reader would highly recommend LEADING HER TO HEAVEN for those who enjoy their romances set in Scotland. The author pulls the reader into her story from the get-go. With a charming lead couple, great supporting characters, and an action-packed storyline – this was an all-around winner!" -Susan, Love Romances, 4 Hearts


"...Leading Her To Heaven is sensual, well written, and as a historical romance, one of the best books I have read in a long time." -Talia, Joyfully Reviewed


"Page after page gripped my imagination, and vivid scenes opened up in my minds eye. EXCELLENT!" -Cranberry Kisses, Cocktail Review, 4 Flutes

“I absolutely loved it!” -Brenda, TRS, 5 Hearts

“Exciting action and thrilling suspense joins with the passion of romance to make LEADING HER TO HEAVEN a book a highly recommend.” -Anita, Romance Junkies, 4 Blue Ribbons

http://allromanceebooks.com/product-leadinghertoheaven-5588-144.html

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ISBN=9781934678459

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Got Yaoi?




For those of my readers unfamiliar with the term, yaoi is m/m fiction, but it's more than that. Originating in Japan, yaoi is gaining popularity with English readers, and now some have begun to write it, earning the classification of "Western Yaoi."

The two participants in a yaoi relationship are often referred to as seme ("attacker") and ukemartial arts, they have apparently been used in a sexual context for centuries and do not carry any degrading connotations. Seme derives from the Japanese verb semeru (“to attack”) and uke from the Japanese verb ukeru (“to receive”). Though gay males are often referred to in English as "tops" or "bottoms," seme and uke are more nearly analogous to "pitcher" and "catcher." ("receiver").

The seme is often depicted as the stereotypical male of anime and manga culture: restrained, physically powerful, and/or protective. The seme generally has a stronger chin, shorter hair, smaller eyes, and a more stereotypically masculine demeanor than the uke. The seme usually pursues the uke. The uke usually has softer, youthful features with bigger eyes and a smaller build.[4] He is usually less experienced with romance or sex and his interactions with the seme often make for his first homosexual experience. The storyline where an uke is reluctant to have anal sex with a seme is considered to be similar to the reader's reluctance to have sex whilst still a virgin.

(taken from Wikipedia)

I've stated time and again that I am not a big fan of m/m erotica (yes, it's a fluid thing). But there is one new book that I have enjoyed parts of greatly, though I haven't yet read the entire thing: Katrina Strauss' Blue Ruin 1: Some Kind of Stranger, now available from Loose ID.

Derek Graves's desire for the perfect sexual "prisoner" has left him with a dark reputation and a string of jilted lovers. He needs a partner who wants the pleasure and the pain he can give. After his search lands him on the wrong end of the fantasy at the hands of ruthless predator, Derek returns to his accustomed hunting ground of Blue Ruin with one purpose in mind: revenge.

He gets it, but he also ends up rescuing the predator's next intended victim, a homeless blue-haired waif who is just Derek's type. He brings the incoherent young man home, needing to find out what he saw, and ensure he won't tell anyone. The scenario couldn't be more perfect to service Derek's dominant fantasies --

Shane "Blue" McGowan wakes up groggy, blindfolded, and chained to a stranger's bed. Upon finding himself in luxurious surroundings, the cunning Blue realizes two things: he has no desire to return to a life on the streets, and his handsome captor stirs strange and unfulfilled longings in him.

Manipulating the terms of his own "imprisonment," Blue swings a place to stay in exchange for his silence about a second stranger left beaten and unconscious behind Blue Ruin. To sweeten the deal, Blue agrees to become Derek's submissive. But as their relationship progresses, Derek finds himself wondering whether Blue is truly at Derek's mercy, or is Derek at his?

Some Good From the Bad


Out of the ashes of the Cassie Edwards plagiarism shitstorm that rocked Romancelandia emerges a new, perhaps surprising truth.

Romance loves black footed ferrets.

And since I'm a sucker for any animal, I pitched in and adopted my very own. Clover here participates in a plague vaccination program. And isn't she adorable?



Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Oh My!


The Rites Awards results are in, and I received Honorable Mention in both categories, Best Historical Author and Best Historical Romance Novel for Leading Her to Heaven. Honorable Mention means I came in second to Emma Wildes, who happens to be one of my favorite authors, so color me tickled pink!

To add to the great news, I found out today that Leading Her to Heaven has been nominated for a Sensual Award over at eCata Sensual Romance. Do go cast your vote.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Plagiarism Continues to Marr the Face of Romance

But this time, folks, we're not talking about a small e-published author and a fanfiction writer. Not that Amanda's case against JJ Massa is therefore any less important or should be given any less credence. I came out publicly in support of Amanda, and my opinion has not changed. But this time the industry has taken notice and yesterday the Associated Press jumped into the fray.


This time the allegations are against Cassie Edwards. I could summarize the chain of events here, but, to quote (QUOTE, as in provide citations and indications that the words are not mine) from Lewis Carroll, it's best to "Start at the beginning...continue on until the end, then stop."

Head on over to Smart Bitches, where SB Candy first broke the story. Follow the links from there, read the half dozen posts on the subject, and draw your own conclusions.

The Bitches and Jane over at Dear Author have eloquently stated everything that I could wish to say on the subject, so I won't waste time reiterating what they've already said.

I was disturbed by Ms. Edwards' quote to the AP:

A popular romance novelist alleged to have lifted work from other texts acknowledged that she sometimes "takes" her material "from reference books," but added that she didn't know she was supposed to credit her sources.

"When you write historical romances, you're not asked to do that," Cassie Edwards told The Associated Press, speaking earlier this week from her home in Mattoon, Ill.

A poster over at Smart Bitches has come to Ms. Edwards' defense, stating that when any of us have written "a hundred novels, or even one," we'll have cause to criticize her.

Well, I haven't written a hundred novels, but I have written three. I have published 6 works of varying lengths in the last two years, with almost as many slated for release or composition in 2008. And, like Ms. Edwards, I write historical romance. So I know a thing or two about research, and writing. Throw in two years of law school, with a self-imposed focus on entertainment law and copyright. Add a splash of my best friend being plagiarized by another author, and I know a thing or two about plagiarism also.

I do copious amounts of research for my novels. (Whether I always get everything 100% is another story!) The more I write about a certain time period, the less I am required to do for each subsequent book, naturally, because I learn the bulk of what I need to know the first time around. I take great pride in my at-time obsessive research - Katrina Strauss can tell you about the time I spent half a day researching Ancient Roman dress or the afternoon I spent reading up on pencils in Regency England. In addition to the online resources I use, I have an entire shelf in my office filled with books on everything from Scots Gaelic (used for Leading Her to Heaven) to Gypsy law (for Svetkavista).

No, I don't cite my sources. That would certainly be absurd. Depending upon how heavily I rely on a certain source, I will credit it in either the Acknowledgments or my author's note (I love author's notes!). What I do not do is copy passages, verbatim, from references sources and place them in my own work. If you've read Candy's evidence over at Smart Bitches, you'll see that's exactly what Ms. Edwards did.

Typically, I don't use anything so significantly as to justify citing - for "Unspeakable," to give an example, I consulted about a dozen sources to learn about pencils in Regency England. Were they used frequently? What were they made of? What were they called? Would it make sense for my heroine to have them? When I was satisfied, I did indeed give Emma a pencil. Hours of research funneled into this:

On impulse, Emma grabbed a sheet of writing paper and a pencil from her desk as she passed by it, and shoved them into the pocket of her cloak.

That's really it. The result of my research on Roman dress? It was used here:

The man stood some paces away, leaning casually against a tree, one foot propped in front of the other. He was a warrior, dressed for battle in golds, reds, and silvers, and by the finery of his armor, someone of great import. Tight golden ringlets peeked out from beneath his galea, a silver helmet trimmed in gold, which framed the wide square of his jaw and cleft chin. He had a slender, aquiline nose, thin, defined lips, and deep set blue eyes below thick, golden brows.

His breastplate was made of the same silver and gold as his galea, and on each breast were great black horses, rearing up on hind legs, flame and smoke curling from their nostrils. Affixed to the left side of his balteus, which appeared to be made of cast brass, and overlain with silver, was a large gladius, its hilt made entirely of gold, the steel blade etched with intricate patterns. His paenula, fastened around his shoulders with a gold, jewel-encrusted fibula the size of an apple, draped his shoulders and brushed the ground, made of fabric far too delicate to have been wool, the color a deep, rich red the likes of which Rhea had never seen before. His tunic was obstructed by thick leather pteruges, hanging from his waist to his knees. Below that his legs were bare – tanned and muscular, raw power bunched in the clearly defined ridges of his calves.

Even his caligae were elaborately crafted, strips of gold affixed to the leather wrappings around his feet and ankles, they sparkled in the dying light. His figure inspired fear and…something else, that Rhea could not quite define.

And I don't begrudge it one bit. It's a necessary part of my craft, and truth be told, I enjoy research almost as much as I enjoy crafting and composing stories in my head. I'm not going to speculate as to why Cassie Edwards did what she did. It could, indeed, have been ignorance (though I find that justification requires her to be stupid, or to think we are), but the entire affair is disappointing.

Romance writers are already discredited as hacks by authors of other genres, and some readers (had an interesting discussion with my sister over the holiday about romance novels, what they are and what they aren't, but that's another post entirely). In some ways, historical romance authors have an even tougher battle. Miss one single detail, and there will be someone, somewhere, who will catch it and bring it to your attention. You'll be accused of sloppy research or no research at all. I've experienced it, and it sucks. Spend too much time on the little details, and you bore your readers. Don't spend enough, and you haven't built a believable foundation for your characters' story.

Case in point. January Magazine has had this to say about the issue: "A publishing tale this sordid could only spring from romance." It's foolishly untrue, of course, but it's been said all the same.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Release Date News

Stella just showed me the wrap cover for Leading Her to Heaven.



How made of awesome is that?

The publisher and I chatted, and they gave me the option of releasing the print of Leading Her to Heaven next month, and Svetkavista in March. Typically, Tease sends books to print three months after their electronic release, but Leading is doing so well that they gave me the option of sending it a month early. I decided to go for it. So, adjust your calendars, Leading is now coming out February 15, and Svetkavista March 15.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

New Year News

Hi everyone,
I was thrilled to learn today that I have been nominated for Best Historical Author in the 2007 Rites Awards. And to make things every sweeter, Leading Her to Heaven is also nominated for Best Historical Novel.


The nominees are chosen by the reviewers, but the winners are chosen by you, my darlings. If you have a moment, stop by their Yahoo! Group and cast your vote. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RoRRChatters/polls
Have you forgotten that Leading Her to Heaven is available now in ebook through ARe? Well, not everyone has, apparently, since it was the #1 selling title for Tease Publishing in December. Don't cry in your soup, though, you can still go get your copy.

Waiting for the print version? No worries, you can have it in your hot little hands starting March 15th.

Happy New Year,
Kayleigh