My current project is another stand-alone novel set in urban San Diego, near the border. This area doesn’t have the spectacular waves of La Jolla (Crash Into Me) or the stark beauty of the desert (Set the Dark on Fire) but it’s gritty and exciting, a fine setting for romantic suspense. I’m in the process of trying to score a visit to the San Ysidro port of entry, a border crossing I’ve passed through many times on the way to or from Baja California, but never studied closely.

Research, for me, always starts with setting. I like to visit actual places in San Diego, and take pictures. I also surf the net and read books and watch movies.

SIN NOMBRE is a film I saw last year, and it was my favorite of 2009. I was actually researching gangs for The Edge of Night, but this movie is also about immigration, so it’s a good source for my current project, as well. A girl and her father travel all the way from Honduras on a quest to enter the U.S. The journey is incredibly dangerous and grueling. Along the way, they meet a boy who is running for his life, having double-crossed a gang leader.

This is a fast-paced, tender-hearted movie and I highly recommend it.

BORDER is a more recent library rental. I was expecting a documentary-style SIN NOMBRE, and I sure didn’t get it. This is a conservative take on immigration, from the point of view of landowner volunteers (”minutemen”) who have guarded the border with rifles. There are a lot of tears for the good old USA, which is getting ruined by too-needy immigrants and a too-soft government.

Although I don’t agree with the politics of this film, it’s very informative about border issues, and offers a fascinating view of America. My husband enjoyed both movies, which is interesting to note because his mother was born in Mexico and he has many family members on both sides of the border.

Hope you enjoyed this slice of my writing life! And now you know how romance authors do their research.

Although m/m/f (two men + female) isn’t my “thing,” I decided to try Lauren Dane’s Laid Bare. Dane is a favorite among romance bloggers for good reason. She’s an excellent writer. The sex scenes in this book are sizzling, the characters are great, and the emotional quotient is very high. I really enjoyed the relationship between Erin and Todd. These reunited lovers definitely work out their kinks!

My problems were as follows:

Erin’s back story was too painful for me to read. I can’t say it wasn’t handled well, just that I felt so uncomfortable I had to skip over it.

Ben didn’t add much to the relationship. Todd and Erin are great together, and just learning to please each other. While I enjoyed the voyeurism, I wasn’t on board when Ben joined in. Todd and Ben also share a few intimacies, not my fantasy.

Erin says the two men look “pretty together” or something like that. When the three of them negotiate the sexual relationship, Erin warns (twice, I think) that the men can have her, and each other, but no other women. These details bothered me in a small, unexplainable way.

If you’re okay with m/m/f, I think you’ll like this book. My nitpicks are mostly due to my disinterest in this type of ménage.

Moving on to a ménage that worked a little better for me: Kirsten Saell’s Bound by Steel. I’m much more into f/f/m. I’ve posted a few guest reviews on LVLM, a site dedicated to girl-on-girl romance and erotica. Saell is a frequent visitor there.

When I bought this ebook, I didn’t realize it wasn’t the first in the series. I wish I’d started with Crossing Swords, because I felt like I missed out on the introduction to these characters. In Bound by Steel, the heroine and hero are already together, living on a rural farm with a scarred female servant. Kaela is recovering from a brutal attack several months prior. She hears the couple in bed one night and peeks in, wondering how any woman could enjoy intercourse.

The hero is a former assassin and his wife, Lianon, is some kind of ex-warrior. These two hooked up in Crossing Swords, after Lianon’s female lover was murdered. Lianon is attracted to men and women equally. In Bound by Steel, she wants to give Kaela some sexual healing.

Confused? I hope not, because it’s all pretty clear, despite my not having read the previous book. It’s interesting to note that Gil, the hero, is reluctant to bring Kaela into their bed. He’s madly in love with Lianon and doesn’t want to lose her. After assuring Gil she could never love him less, Lianon begins a gentle seduction of Kaela.

The scenes between Kaela and Lianon are hot. Gil doesn’t join in right away, but when he does, OMG. This is very steamy stuff, and Saell handles the emotional connections with skill. A later encounter between Gil and Kaela—without Lianon—is incredibly tender. I felt totally invested in the threesome relationship, even when only two of the three were together.

In Laid Bare, I wasn’t sure what Ben added to the relationship. The triad in Bound by Steel was more convincing for me. Kaela warms to a woman’s touch because she’s been harmed by men. Lianon is happy with Gil, but she needs Kaela also. And Gil, who hesitates at first, relishes his new role as their lover, and steps up to the plate in every way. If you think you might like f/f/m, I highly recommend this author.

Have you ever read a ménage romance? Did you like it? Why or why not?

Sometimes I feel like I’m standing still, watching the world rush by. Many romance authors are more prolific than I am. I’d love to have a new book out every few months. It would be fabulous to write for multiple publishing houses, in multiple subgenres and multiple formats. Novellas, anthologies, single-titles. Digital, trade, mass market.

Why don’t I do all that?

Of course, it isn’t as though I can snap my fingers and make magic happen. There is the pesky problem of supplying the product. Although I push myself to stay busy writing, one or two books a year has been my limit.

I was “faster” when I first started, for several reasons. I didn’t know I was writing crap, and ignorance is bliss! My revisions were pretty easy, as I couldn’t find the flaws in my own work. I also had a lot of blind enthusiasm and clueless fervor.

In 2005, I wrote books 1 and 2, a romantic suspense and a Regency. Both unpublished.

In 2006, I wrote books 3, 4, and 5. Crash Into Me, Dangerous to Touch, and a category romance, unpublished.

In 2007, I had a newborn and a toddler to take care of. I only managed to write most of book 6, Set the Dark on Fire, and do light revisions on Crash and Dangerous.

In 2008, I put my girls in daycare and preschool part-time. This is the only year I made enough money writing to justify that expense. It’s also my least successful year, by my standards. I did more work on Crash Into Me and Set the Dark on Fire. My only new project, book 7, was not accepted.

In 2009, I rewrote book 7 completely. Again, it was not accepted for publication. After much moping about and feeling sorry for myself, I wrote book 8, The Edge of Night.

In 2010, so far I’ve revised The Edge of Night and book 7. I hope to start book 9 as soon as possible, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good news about book 7.

Looking back, I feel pretty happy about where I am. I’m a fulltime stay-at-home mom and a part time author. I’ve had three books published, two of which appeared in Cosmo. That’s not too shabby! I’d like to write more, better, and faster (wouldn’t we all?) but I’m okay with slow and steady, at least until both of my daughters are in school.

So, that’s where I am. Where are you? Hanging in there, writing up a storm, struggling to break out?

But I’m turning my frown upside down, because I love contemporary romance, and I’m so excited for Julie James. I met her at RWA San Francisco, before she debuted, and she’s a real sweetheart. Her first book is in my TBR stack and I’m going to crack it open the INSTANT I finish this revision. Almost done!

For more details, visit Save the Contemporary, and Win Some Stuff

Big congrats to Julie James, queen of awesome covers and smart, sexy contemporaries.

I’m not quite as familiar with erotic romance. I haven’t found my go-to author. If the story is mostly sex, I often feel less invested in the romance. But I like the explicitness and straightforward-ness, so I continue to try new books and authors.

I’d heard great things about Beth Kery’s Wicked Burn. I read it, thought it was hot, felt no connection with the characters. I went ahead and bought Paradise Rules, mostly because I love the cover:

I could stare at that for hours. Okay, several prolonged moments.

I’ll be honest, this one started out rocky for me. I didn’t like the heroine. She was all pissy about having a nice vacation in Hawaii. Oh, so horrible! The hero was a typical manslut jerk, yuck. Other than OMFG bedroom antics, these two didn’t have much going for them.

Then a transformation occurred. I started to understand why Lana hates Hawaii. Jason’s character began to reveal a lot more than tan lines. All of these insights and emotional developments happened during the sex scenes, which was very sneaky of Ms. Kery! She must know I don’t skim those.

Although I didn’t like these two characters, as individuals, I fell in love with them as a couple. I also really appreciated the multicultural aspects and Hawaiian setting. For me, this was a very successful, very erotic romance. A little slice of paradise.

But now I’m behind on my revision, and I really need to get into gear. For the next two weeks, I’ll be blogging less and avoiding Twitter. See you soon!

Read my guest review at Loving Venus, Loving Mars.

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m feeling a little under the weather, so I’m glad we celebrated last weekend. It’s kind of a special holiday for my husband and I because we started dating around this time of year. Our first kiss was the day before V-day, 1994. I was seventeen!

Have a great one!!

First we watched The Perfect Getaway. I love movies about pretty people having trouble in paradise, but this one was a disappointment.

Good acting, gorgeous scenery (Hawaii looked nice, too), and lots of action made it watchable. The plot just didn’t work for me.

Next was Paranormal Activity! I almost wouldn’t let my husband rent this. I used to love scary movies, but nowadays I prefer to sleep peacefully. My imagination is wild enough on its own, thanks very much.

In the interest of heavy snuggling, I allowed it. And–it wasn’t that scary. I’m a huge fan of The Blair Witch Project, and I totally admire low budget, no-frills flicks. The problem wasn’t lack of special effects, but my inability to suspend disbelief. What kind of crazy woman sleeps on the vulnerable side of the bed, near an open door? And continues to do so, when there’s a freaky presence coming down the hall at night?

Not. Ever. Happening.

Her boyfriend, who was very protective, never offered to take this spot. It didn’t make sense. I still enjoyed the movie, but it failed on many levels for me.

I should have seen The Hurt Locker! Next time.

All About Romance has named SET THE DARK ON FIRE a Buried Treasure of 2009! Check out their other top picks and read the B+ review.

Not to be outdone, CRASH INTO ME found some review love at Alpha Heroes.

So great to see my books here and there! It’s also nice to be thought of as a buried treasure. Lots of hidden delights inside!!

XOXO
Jill