Category: Risky Book Talk

Posts in which we talk about our own books

Happy Release Day! Not Proper Enough

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

Not Proper Enough

It’s release day for me. This time, book two of my Reforming the Scoundrels series. I hope you’ll join me in the fun and perhaps rush out to get your hands on the book!

Because of the way I write, I never know what’s going to happen for sure until I have the words on the page. I was nervous knowing, while I was writing the first book (Not Wicked Enough), that I was going to have to write this second one with some facts already established. Ack!! Things I can’t change when it’s their turn?

In Not Wicked Enough I wanted to keep some things vague as to Eugenia and Fenris so as not to write myself into trouble with them. But I couldn’t be so generic that they weren’t interesting. They also needed to serve the needs of Not Wicked Enough. That had to come first.

As I was writing Not Wicked Enough, I had (for me) a fairly definite idea of who Eugenia was, not a huge surprised since she’s my heroine’s best friend. She had a good amount of page time. But Fenris? In Not Wicked Enough, he wasn’t anyone’s friend. Nobody liked him. I knew he’d done something unforgivable. I just didn’t know what.

That’s right. I started writing Not Proper Enough under a wicked tight deadline and without knowing what my hero had done that was so awful. I knew it would work itself out, because, after 16 assorted books, stories and novellas, it just does. My writer’s brain is always hard at work for me. I just have to give it room and not panic for long.

About Not Proper Enough

The Marquess of Fenris has loved Lady Eugenia from the day he first set eyes on her. Five years ago, pride caused him to earn her enmity. Now she’s widowed, and he’s determined to make amends and win her heart. But with their near explosive attraction, can he resist his desire long enough to court her properly?

After the death of her beloved husband, Lady Eugenia Bryant has come to London to build a new life. Despite the gift of a medallion said to have the power to unite the wearer with her perfect match, Eugenia believes she won’t love again. And yet, amid the social whirl of chaperoning a young friend through her first Season, she finds a second chance at happiness.

Unfortunately, the Marquess of Fenris threatens her newfound peace. Eugenia dislikes the man, but the handsome and wealthy heir to a dukedom is more charming than he has a right to be. Constantly underfoot, the rogue disturbs her heart, alternately delighting and scandalizing her. And when their relationship takes a highly improper turn, Eugenia must decide if the wrong man isn’t the right one after all.

Read Chapter 1 of Not Proper Enough

Berkley Sensation
September, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-425-25097-6

What They’re Saying

I love how blunt this romance is too. It’s dirty and fierce. Eugenia almost revels in the fact that she hates him, yet can’t seem to shake him off. They take pleasure from each other, sometimes rough, sometimes drawing it out as long as they can. The romance in this book is so intense that you can’t help but feel the chemistry between these two. I feel like this is where Carolyn Jewel shines. Not just her amazing sexual relationship she builds for her characters, but their overall interactions. Their banter is so smart and fast. Humor, put downs, sarcasm, it all comes through so well. These are two mature people who have been through a lot in their life and watching them come to terms with each other is really a treat.

I found this book to be a clever, very sensual romance. Well done.
Mandi – Smexy Books Romance Reviews

With her engaging, complex characters, knowledge of the era and a sharp ear for dialogue, Jewel creates a nicely written, highly sensual and emotional love story.
RT Magazine

As always, Carolyn Jewel’s writing is polished and her characterizations delightful. With a story that is by turns very hot and very emotional, I found myself relishing the experience of reading this book.
Lynne Spencer, All About Romance

This was another delicious, detailed, smoldering romance from Carolyn Jewel.
Rogues Under the Covers

I highly recommend all historical romance lovers go out and pick up this book. You will not be disappointed.
Fiction Vixen

OH MY GOODNESS! What an awesome book! I loved every minute of it. Talk about a page turner that I couldn’t put down. First off, the story line was moving and shocking at the same time. Not Proper Enough kept me wanting more. To be honest it would be one of those books to re-read again. That right there says a lot. So, I hope that you all get a chance to check this book out when it comes out. Plus, you all want to know if Fenris is able to change Eugenia’s opinion of him.
The Cutest Blog on the Block

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I hope to have the file ready to go fairly soon!

Posted in Former Riskies, Risky Book Talk | Tagged books, Not Proper Enough, Promotion | 6 Replies

Cover Reveal! Other Stuff, too

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

On the ides of March, 2013, the three stories in the Midnight Scandals anthology with Yours Truly and authors Courtney Milan and Sherry Thomas will be available for individual sales.
Here is a the cover for One Starlit Night:

One Starlight Night

The amazing and talented Courtney Milan did the cover. The covers for the other two stories are similarly lovely (and work extremely well in the digital space.)

In other news, I am pulling together the information and resources for doing some audio books, starting with Lord Ruin.

For those of you who listen to audio books, any likes, dislikes, and/or secret wishes in re the same?

Posted in Former Riskies, Reading, Risky Book Talk | Tagged Audio Books, Cover Reveal, One Starlit Night | 6 Replies

Multipart Thingee

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

Craziness reigns at Jewel Central.

I’m working on The Next Historical and I’m in that “This is so painfully bad, why did I EVER think I could write anything?” phase, plus it’s just really hard, this writing business.

My hero and heroine are currently alone in a bedroom and ALL THEY DO IS TALK!!! I keep muttering “shut up, would you?” at the monitor and they keep talking. This happened in Not Proper Enough, and I thought I was going to end up with the World’s Talkiest Romance. I imagined reviewers saying ALL they do is TALK! but actually, by the time it was out there in the world there were a few complaints about too much sex. So, I must have gotten through the talking part. Cross your fingers that Lucy and Thrale will end up smoking hot.

Art

Today I ended up chatting with a really gifted artist, and though illustration and writing are very different, it turns out there are things in common about being a creative sort. Here’s a link to his website: Ricky Watts. The link goes to his illustrations. I bought two prints. Any guesses about which ones? One hint – Poultry is big in my town. BWAHAHAHAHAHA! You’re on your own as to the other.

Challenges in common: procrastination. I did not tell him it is my belief I can out-procrastinate anyone and besides, he had walls full of art that said his procrastination problem is not as severe as mine.

Getting in the zone. Very familiar (but not as familiar as it ought to be, you talkie hero and heroine!). When you come out the end, it can feel like someone else did all that work. I know a lot of writers feel that way. I’m surprised, for some reason, that it happens to artists too.

I do enjoy meeting creative sorts.

Nachos, Spinich Salad, Sweet Potato Fries

Does that sound like dinner? It was! For me, our own Janet Mullaney, and Pam Rosenthal. Janet was all the way in my part of California this weekend. I was supposed to see them in Berkeley on Saturday, but the Evil Day Job was particularly evil and by Friday I’d had too many nights of <5 hours sleep. I slept until 11:00 AM Saturday, long past our meeting. Goodness. Janet and Pam drove to my town Sunday instead and we shared the meal noted and talked about writing and publishing and writing and it was really lovely to see them both.

To Be Read, and Wished-I-Hadn’t-Read

My digital TBR is getting out of control. But that doesn’t stop me from buying more books. I have Meljean Brook’s Guardian Demon in my Kindle and part of me doesn’t want to read it because then it will be over and I won’t have it to look forward to with such delicious anticipation. I love that series. I love her writing. I do know I have to save the book for when I have a block of time, hopefully this coming weekend.

I did read a book that someone in an RWA workshop (I have the conference on audio and am listening to workshops) said was edgy and risky so I bought it immediately and by about 1/3 of the way through I knew exactly what would happen next and I was in fact right every time. That, my friends, is not edgy or risky. It can’t be if I know what will happen, why it happens, and don’t even care. This book had nearly 900 Amazon reviews and most of them are raving. The author was consistently mistaken about the difference between your and you’re. I was skimming by the middle in case I was wrong about what would happen but I wasn’t so I dnf’d.

What’s in your TBR and any books in your Wished You Hadn’t Read pile?

Well. I think this is a blog bost! I need to get back to Lucy and Thrale and see if I can get them to stop talking.

Posted in Former Riskies, Reading, Risky Book Talk | Tagged art, Conversation, Dinner, Giant Chickens | 2 Replies

More Wine And Walnuts and Pie

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

Mr. Ephraim Hardcastle, Dry Salter and leading Old Fogey of the Regency has endeared himself to me. Assuming this isn’t really some impoverished, scandal-ridden fellow writing under an assumed identity, ala William Ireland, I have a fondness for the fellow. I worry about that because he says he’s 80 but his buddies many years older. Maybe he meant relatively many years.

I haven’t figured out yet why this book is titled Wine and Walnuts, but he’s also giving writing advice. Except let me back off a bit and say I find his remarks about First Person interesting. I suppose there’s a conceit there, the 3rd person thing.

Now, having said this much, I will endeavour to show how this marvellous faculty had birth —call me Egotist, if it be your pleasure, for I am of the old school, and save a world of circumlocution, (being too old now to alter) by persisting to pen my sage observations in the first person— I myself I, hating congenially with my ancient friends *, Baron M ***** s, and Mr. C * * * e, among the other ten thousand innovations, those of Him and We, as though in this mincing age every man must mince the matter of propria persona, and worry his brains to stand before the world after all, another Tom Fool, his own amanuensis, by writing as though mister some-one-else sat at his elbow and prompted every line. Well, gentle reader, I will endeavour to show thee how this faculty arose in my mind, how far it* has been indulged (if it have bounds), what have been its concomitants, and what an unceasing source of happiness it has been from early infancy to the present moment — and what a solace midst a multitude of cares; for its interest has “grown with my growth, strengthened with my strength,” and I may add, has lengthened, through God’s goodness, with my thread of life.*

Among these is that innovation, which has banished pies from table. The sterling Mr. *** who has outlived all his family, resides with a worthy matron who keeps a boarding-house; she is a little romantic, and he a little fastidious— “Will you take a bit of tart?” asks the good lady every day.—“No, Madam,” invariably answers the guest. “but I will take a bit of pie.” This is all in good part, and the recurrence, I verily believe, contributes to lengthen his days. I know not two worthier souls than he and the Baron; and both, my seniors by many years, read without spectacles.

Translation:

I’m too old to change. I’m giving you my advice in the first person. In fact, my buddies Baron M and Mr. C, also hate third person, among about 10 bazillion other things. [Insert eye roll here] Those youngsters today make everything more complicated and they couldn’t find themselves if they were alone in a closet. They can’t write “I did this!” Oh, no. They have to get all fancy, and say, “He did that.” As if we’re going to believe there’s someone sitting beside him telling him what to write. So, look, I’m just going to tell it to you straight.

*Nobody eats pies anymore. What’s the hell is up with that? Who needs those fancy tarts? I’m telling you, in my day, we had pie for dinner, and we were better for it. All my friends ate pie, just like I did, and none of need to wear glasses today! And we’re old!

You go Ephraim, with your pie and first person and not needing glasses. I agree with you. More pie!

Posted in Former Riskies, Regency, Risky Book Talk | Tagged Cranky old men, Pie | 2 Replies

Miscellaneous Nuts

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

From that nut, Ephraim Hardcastle of Walnuts and Wine

It is yet a maxim with some remnants of the old school of curmudgeon ledger-men, that to buy a picture is to “hang your money on the wall.” The same narrow notions applied to books — “What, lock your money up in calfskins!”

Editorial note: 1820: Calfskin. 2013: my iPad. I wonder what Mr. Hardcastle would say about that?

The stock of literature, with those who accumulated stock, besides the Holy Bible, usually consisted of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, the same lively writer’s Holy War, Fox’s Book of Martyrs, the Old Whole Duty of Man, a mutilated Baker’s Chronicle, some odd volumes of Jacob Tonson’s duodecimo Spectator, and Herman Moll’s Geography, commonly with torn maps, the Tale of a Tub, Milton’s Paradise Lost (never read), Culpepper’s Herbal, or Every Man his own Physician (the good lady’s book, under lock and key), the Complete Letter Writer, belonging to Miss, with Robinson Crusoe, Robin Hood’s Garland, and the Seven Champions of Christendom, the property of Jem and Jack.

Yes, gentle reader, reading has made a wonderful revolution in manners: every pretty miss can name the stars; and Newton, Descartes, and Tycho Brahe, are known to have been neither Egyptian, Roman, nor Greek; and the boys and girls may account for an eclipse, without being checked by papa with, “Such things are presumptuous, child.” In short, your magazinists and reviewists, your essayists and journalists, have brought your book-makers into vogue, until, such are the fruits of this scribbling era, “we philosophers, poets, and wits,” as a learned friend of mine has said, “no longer make a stir as heretofore in a party, like unto a stone, that, thrown into quiet water, maketh a disturbed circle from bank to bank:”—-no, “we make our entrance and our exit much like other harmless folks:” and this! in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and twenty! —” So runs the world away.”

All-righty! Reading is GOOD for you. Even if it does mean pretty girls can name the stars.

He says that almost like it’s a bad thing. Or so ironically cute. Look at the pretty girl, naming the stars like she’s not going to be popping ’em out like kittens pretty soon.

I have my curmudgeonly moments, and this is one of them.

Watch this Segue

I feel it’s only appropriate to follow that with this, taken from the front matter of an 1825 book on boxing, since, it turns out The Next Historical requires that I know something about Regency era boxing:

THE KNIGHT, THE DAEMON, AND THE ROBBER CHIEF.
A Romance. Price 6s.

THE ACTOR’S BUDGET.
In Two elegant Volumes, 12mo. Price 12s. Boards
By W. OXBERRY,
Of the Drury-Lane Company of Comedians.

In a few Days will be Published.

THE EVE OF SAN MARCO.
A Romance. In Three Volumes, Price 18s. Boards.

THE SPRITE AND THE LADY; OR, REMEMBER TWELVE!!
In Four Volumes, Price 1L. 1s. Boards.
By W. G. Thomas, Esq.

And so, we see that Romance is cheap. Alas, THE KNIGHT, THE DAEMON, AND THE ROBBER CHIEF, while listed in several Circulating Library catalogs, does not seem to be in Google Books. I found The Actor’s Budget. My God. That’s all I’ll say. The Eve of San Marco isn’t in Google books and neither is The Sprite and the Lady and the 12 whatever’s we ought not to forget. It’s MUCH more expensive that the daemon book. Interesting that it doesn’t say it’s in boards. Wonder why not? It’s their LEAD title!