Monday, December 29, 2008

Our favorite Books


Congratulations to Martha E, you are the winner of the women’s fiction duo by Elizabeth Flock and Karen White! I’ll be contacting you for your snail mail address (or you can email me on skully at skullybuzz dot com if you see this first) and mailing out your prize!

This week I’ve got a couple of historicals, A Lady’s Guide to Rakes by Kathryn Caskie and Lord of Seduction by Nicole Jordan. Historicals have always been my favorite, I still remember waiting with bated breath for Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss to come out and Laurie McBain’s Moonstruck Madness. So, post a comment, (you must type in your email address) and I’ll enter you in the drawing. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner on the next blog! Good luck! As we discussed in last week’s blog, I’ve got lots of writing goals for 2009, and I’ve made a big decision that I hope you will all be okay with. In order to make my goals, I need to cut back on a few other things. So, I’d like to start doing the blog every other week. I hope you all approve. So for January, I’ll be up on the 12th and Jan 26th. Oh, and I’ll be doing the “tote blog” on Jan 8th. You’ll still have lots of chances to win and I hope you’ll understand my decision.

Talking about my favorite historicals made me think about many of the books that I loved when I was younger, the ones that stuck in my mind, my collectibles. Unfortunately, when I moved out on my own I decided I couldn’t take them all with me, and really where was I going to keep them in my dinky apartment. So, poor Kathlesn and Laurie went to the thrift store (I would NEVER just throw them out). Of course, I now regret that. I actually comb thrift stores for those old books I loved. I have Kathleen’s Woodiwiss’s The Wolf and The Dove and The Flame and the Flower. I found Laurie McBain’s Tears of Gold, and it was autographed! There was Leigh Nichols’ Key to Midnight. I read that in college and it was one of the best romantic suspense novels I’ve ever read. And I didn’t realize that was Dean Koontz’s pseudonym until much later. Oh, and my favorite time travel was The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser. I have to admit that I’m leery of reading them again. Sometimes you love something because of the person you were when you read it. I have another of Marlys Millhiser’s books, an amnesia story called Michael’s Wife. I remember loving that book, and when I found it again, I read it rabidly. And I didn’t get the “kick.” If you’re a rabid reader, you’ll know what I mean by that. So sometimes, it’s just nice to collect them, to have them, and to remember how I felt when I read them the first time.

I’d love to hear what your favorite books were. And if you still have them. If you still read them again and again.

Happy New Year!

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, December 22, 2008

Goals for 2009

Congratulations to Rhonda, you are the winner of the Sci-Fi/Adventure duo by Liz Maverick and Susan Grant! Thanks for leaving your email, and I’ll be contacting you for your snail mail address.

This week I’ve got a women’s fiction duo, Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock and The Memory of Water by Karen White. I’m into reading women’s fiction now because I want to write one, so these two books have seen a little bit of bathtub time, but they’re still in great shape. So, post a comment, (you must type in your email address) and I’ll enter you in the drawing. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner next week! Good luck!

It’s almost Christmas, then my goodness, a new year! How can that be!? Time flies so fast. And I’ve been thinking about my goals for next year. Not resolutions (though I did write an anthology I really loved called Resolutions with Dee Knight, Leigh Wyndfield and Vanessa Hart) because resolutions always sound like something you’re going to break halfway through the new year. Or even in the first month. They always seem to be about kicking a bad habit, so most of them feel doomed from the start. So instead, I’m working on my 2009 goals. I just finished the first draft of Yours for the Night, my anthology about high-priced ladies of the night which will be out in Nov 2009. Yay! It’s due on Jan 31, so I have plenty of time for the rewrite and a read by my wonderful critique partners. I’ll have the proof of Fair Game to do, which arrive in stores June 2009. Then I’ve got the anthology story for the second corset book, Unbound, which I think will be out in Dec 2009. And finally, I’m going to write a women’s fiction! This will be under the Jennifer Skully name. I’ve missed writing as Jennifer. She needs to come out of the closet again, so to speak. The book is called Get What You Need, like the old Rolling Stones song. But in order to do all this, I’ve really got to cut back on the promotion time. There are days when I don’t get to my writing because I’ve got so much promotion stuff going on. Isn’t that sort of backwards, I’m a writer, not a promoter!

I’d love to hear what your goals are. We can all cheer each other on to accomplishing them!

Merry Christmas!

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, December 15, 2008

Fun things to do at Christmas!

Congratulations to Zara, you are the winner of the Pam Rosenthal duo! Thanks for leaving your email, and I’ll be contacting you for your snail mail address.

This week I’ve got a Sci-Fi adventure romance duo, Crimson Rogue by Liz Maverick and The Scarlet Empress by Susan Grant. Two great writers! So, post a comment, (you must type in your email address) and I’ll enter you in the drawing. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner next week! Good luck!

So, it’s my mom’s birthday today. Yesterday my sister and I took her to a tearoom for luncheon. This place is way back in the boonies of the Santa Cruz Mountains and it’s actually part of a nursery. We had to drive two miles down this little winding gravel road to get there. When we arrived, they’d decorated this lovely old farmhouse, and the tearoom was toasty warm. We toodled around the Christmas shop, then we all filed in for the luncheon. We had some delicious tea brew, the name of which I can’t remember, then a freshly baked roll, creamed vegetable soup, chicken Givenche (okay, don’t ask me to spell that) with Madera sauce, garlic mashed potatoes topped with yams. I was totally full then, but dessert was this to-die-for chocolate decadence. Wow. I brought half of it home for my hubby to eat. My mom was tickled pink (as the British say). She can’t wait to call her sisters in England and Norway to tell them every little detail. Then, to top it off, she made English pancakes for dinner when we got home! I know, it’s her birthday, but no one makes pancakes like my mom, not even me! The photo is from our trip to Newport this summer. I'll download yesterday's picture sometime and let you see one of those, too! 'Cause if Mom knew I was posting the photo of her in a bathing suit, she'd disown me. But doesn't she look cute! Like a little gnome. She's only about 4'10".

So what are some of the fun things you’ve found to do at Christmastime? My sister thought up this one, so you know I have to top her for Mom’s birthday next year! I need ideas!

My Unlaced Pals and I are doing some blogs this week, too, with giveaways. So be sure and stop by for chances to win autographed copies of Unlaced. Tomorrow, Tuesday, I’ll be with my wonderful agent Lucienne Diver and on Wednesday we’ll be at Bam’s Blog. And today, Monday, check us out on Book Binge where we're doing excerpts and another giveaway!

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, December 8, 2008

And the winner is... (I updated since this morning, promise!)



Tiramisu392! That's Vic Wurgler. I'll be sending you an email, Vic! But if you read this first, you can email me on skully@skullybuzz.com. Congratulations! And thanks to everyone for stopping by all the blogs and sharing all your stories. It was such fun reading them all!





Okay, I'm so totally lazy that I'm going to write up my real Monday blog later in the day and post it. I had a couple of book signings this weekend in Capitola and Monterey, plus attended another author's signing, so lots of driving. And I've got so much to catch up and not enough hours to do it, plus I've got PT this morning and I've got to buy Superfeet at the Mall, and take some almond rocha to the bookstore girls at Borders in Capitola because I forgot to bring it with me on Saturday, then my husband wants his Tylonol PM... Whew, even writing that exhausts me, and don't you just love knowing every little nauseating detail of what I'm doing today!!!! LOL!!! So, after I get back from doing all that stuff, I'm going to write up the real blog. Promise!

And here's my afternoon addition to Monday's blog! I'm so lazy that I'm simply going to tell you about this weeks prize! I've got two books by the wonderful Pam Rosenthal. She's in my local RWA chapter and I've got The Slightest Provocation and one of her anthologies, Strangers in the Night. Please post and leave me your email, I'll add you to my newsletter so you know the latest happenings, and I'll choose the winner of these two wonderful books next Monday!

I got the Superfeet and really, they're super!

BTW, I saw my first copy of Unlaced at the book signings. It's gorgeous! I hadn't held the real book in my hand before. It was so cool!

Jasmine

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Meet the authors of UNLACED!


Unlaced is in stores! It’s really been an honor working with these ladies. In fact, we’re going to do it again with another anthology, too. And to celebrate, we’ve all gotten together to share a few secrets about ourselves. The theme is “firsts” since this is our first anthology together.

Here’s how it works. We’ve each answered four questions and we’ll each post the answers to one of those questions on our individual blogs. So you can trip around to all the blogs, , , and me, and learn fun things about us. Jaci Burton will tell you about our first kisses, I’ll reveal our first dates, learn about our first loves with Joey Hill and our first break-ups with Denise Rossetti.

My question that I asked everyone was about their first date. Here’s what we all had to say.

Jaci
I remember my first date all too clearly. I was in high school and it was a blind date that my friend set up for me. The guy was okay looking. Kind of quiet. We went to the movies. I remember his pants were partially unzipped. I so wanted to tell him but I was too embarrassed for him. Heh.
And he was a movie talker, which drove me crazy. All during the movie he made comments and these weird little sounds like mumbling escaped his lips. The guy was definitely...odd. And he really didn't talk 'to' me at all. Maybe he was shy, but he was definitely weird. Afterward my friends left and the guy drove me home. He walked me to my front door and waited expectantly...for a kiss I assume. I thanked him for the date and said goodnight. And told him his fly was open.

Jasmine
My first date was with David. I was 16 and that’s when my parents allowed me to date. Unfortunately, my first date with David was my last date with him. He was a nice guy, but you know girls want those bad boys (see my answer to the first kiss question on Jaci’s blog!). When my mother invited him in for a bit after the matinee movie (hm, can’t remember the movie now or maybe I don’t want to totally date myself), he wouldn’t leave. We had to invite him to dinner, then dessert, then to watch TV with the family, then the news. Embarrassingly, I finally had to ask him to go home. What did he think, that my mom was going to invite him to spend the night!?

Joey
My first date was with my first love (see my blog for description of him/circumstances under which we met). I remember certain portions of that first date so vividly. I’d finished helping my friend with all the moving and babysitting chores, had found something semi-decent to wear (since I’d only brought moving clothes to her house at the beach, that turned out to be a pair of the 80’s style gym shorts and a blousy white shirt tied at my waist – no kidding), and so I went down the steps of the beach stairs in the dark to wait for him, too nervous to wait inside. When he pulled up on a motorcycle (yeah, Jaci!), he didn’t see me at first, and when he did, he gave me this beautiful smile, and reached out to take my hand. On that first date, we probably got something to eat, but what I remember most is he took me on a motorcycle ride on a deserted long road where I could hold onto his waist and drop my head back and feel the ocean wind (and have the thrilling excuse of holding onto him at the same time). We also went for a walk on the beach where he picked me up and carried me through tidal pools (he was over 6 feet, and I was a little over 5 feet). At the end of the night, I’m sure he may have kissed me, but what I remember most about that night was the feeling – think Jasmine may have described it best – a giddy, ethereal, it-doesn’t-get-better-than-this feeling. I was shivery and happy and teary all at once.

Denise
My mother thought Gary the Hopeful was taking me to the pictures, but no, first he took me parking, where he taught me how to kiss.
I still find it hard to believe how stupid he was if he thought I'd fall for it, but then he took me back to his house--his parents were away--and plied me with red wine. I can still see his beady little eyes gleaming at me. Ah, hope springs eternal. These days, I could probably drink him under the table, but at sixteen, I didn't like any kind of wine, let alone a rough red. I sipped distastefully, feeling oh-so-bored.
On the other hand, I was so naïve, I had no idea I could have been in real trouble. Fortunately, he was a fundamentally decent boy and after a while his face fell, he heaved a sigh that came from his boots and drove me home. Where to add insult to injury, he fell over the empty milk bottles my mother had left out on the steps for the milkman, a clatter that echoed through the whole sleeping suburb. Poor guy.

So, anyone care to share one of their “firsts?”

Let’s add some fun by having some giveaways, too! For everyone who posts on my blog, you’ll be entered into a drawing for an autographed copy of my book Open Invitation. Please leave me your email so that I know how to contact you. I’ll also add you to my mailing list for updates on releases and contests. I’ll choose the winner next Monday, Dec 8th! And check out the new excerpt of Undone, my story in Unlaced!

The other girls will be giving away fun prizes, too, so be sure to check out their blogs and Q&A! Jaci is offering a copy of Holiday Seduction, Joey has Unlaced for you, and Denise is giving away a copy of her Avon anthology, A Red Hot New Year.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, December 1, 2008

And the winner of last week's blog is...


Thanks everyone for stopping by last week. This is just a quickie to announce the blog winner. Congratulations to Karen Theisen, you have won Jami Alden and Karin Tabke's Italian Stallions. Thanks for leaving your email, and I’ll be contacting you for your snail mail address.

The week’s real blog (where I’m offering a prize!) will begin on Wednesday, Dec 3rd. My special guests will be the authors of Unlaced! So please stop by and leave your comments starting Wednesday.

Thanks! And Unlaced is out tomorrow!

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, November 24, 2008

The Men and Women Who Rescue Us

Congratulations to Virginia, you are the winner of Candace HavensLike A Charm. Thanks for leaving your email, and I’ll be contacting you for your snail mail address.

This week I’ve got an autographed copy of Jami Alden and Karin Tabke's Italian Stallions. Jami and Karin are in my local San Francisco RWA chapter. So, post a comment, you must type in your email address, and I’ll enter you in the drawing. If you don’t leave your e-mail on your post, I’ll assume you don’t want to be entered. I’m doing this because I have trouble hearing back from winners who don’t leave their e-mail address. So please make it easy on me! I’ll announce the winner next week!

Remember I went down to Palm Springs last week? We drove, and we were caught in a horrific traffic jam because they’d closed the main freeway into LA due to an out-of-control brush fire. It took us 4 hours to get around what would normally have been a 20 minute stretch of highway. On the way home, we passed through the devastated area. The mobile home park where 500 trailers were destroyed was a wasteland. The fire had jumped the freeway, and the hills were burned. But what I found amazing was the number of structures that weren’t destroyed. The fire literally burned up to doorsteps, the earth scorched, the grass cinders, the tree trunks kissed with black soot, their leaves sucked dry of life. And yet the houses and businesses were unharmed. The work of firefighters to hold back the flames and save those structures took my breath away. I feel for those who lost their homes in the mobile park, but without the courage and dedication of those men and women on the fire line, the devastation could have been so much worse. My measly 4 hours of traffic was nothing in comparison. Living in a place where forest fires are always a great fear, my thanks to these brave people.

Unlaced is out in stores next Tuesday!!!! I ‘m so excited.

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, November 17, 2008

Scrambling for writing ideas!

Congratulations to Quilting Reader, you are the winner of that very special duo of Teresa Medeiros books! Please e-mail me on skully@skullybuzz.com with your snail mail address. I am in Palm Springs right now and the books are at home, so I’ll have to mail next week!

This week I’ve got Candace Haven's Like A Charm. I also met Candace at RWA this summer, we were seated next to each other at the Berkley signing and she generously signed a copy of her book. You know the drill, post a comment, you must type in your email address, and I’ll enter you in the drawing for the two books. Now, if you don’t leave your e-mail on your post, I’ll assume you don’t want to be entered. I’m doing this because I have trouble hearing back from winners who don’t leave their e-mail address. So please make it easy on me! I’ll announce the winner of Candace’s book next week!

I’m a dreamer. Instead of thinking about the day as I fall asleep, I make up stories. Maybe they have something to do with a news story I saw, or an article on the Internet. Or it could be just someone I saw at the grocery store who sparked my interest. In other words, they come from anywhere! But sometimes, I get a book contract before I even have a story. That’s what happened with Unlaced. My editor asked me if I wanted to be a part of an anthology about corsets. YES! I said. Then I hung up and panicked. What do I write!!?? I had no guideline except that the story had to include a corset. It just so happened that my husband had set up his pseudo photography studio in the dining room so we could take an updated author photo. As we were taking the photos, I’m continuing with the annoying refrain “but honey, I don’t know what to write!” He gave me a look that only a husband can give you and said, “why don’t you write about an amateur photographer who takes erotic photos of a woman in a corset...and go from there.” Wow. That was it. My brain starting working on that scenario. And the moral of the story is that sometimes our ideas come from the most unexpected sources, like my husband! If we hadn’t been setting up for the author photo, the story in Unlaced might very well be something entirely different! And I did dedicate the story to my husband, the idea man!

And here’s the author photo that my husband took. I think he did as good a job as any professional photographer! All right, we did do some airbrushing with Photoshop. But why does my nose look so big? You know, I didn’t think I had a big nose. What’s up with that?

BTW, Amazon still has Unlaced on sale at a great preorder price.

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, November 10, 2008

Heroines, do they have to grow older as we do?

Congratulations to Tami C, you are the winner of the two books by Pamela and Cherry! I think there has to be something said for psychic thoughts. You professed a huge desire for the books, Tami, and lo and behold, you won. Just to tell everyone how I pick the winners, I write everyone’s name on a bit of paper, fold them up, then toss all the papers in the air and pick one out of the pile when they all land. So, see, there must have been something psychic going on!

This week I’ve got a very special duo of books, autographed copies by Teresa Medeiros, One Night of Scandal and Yours Until Dawn. At the last RWA conference, she was kind enough to sign both for me. I absolutely adore her books. You know the drill, post a comment, you must type in your email address, and I’ll enter you in the drawing for the two books. I’ll announce the winner next week!

I’ve just come off writing The Fortune Hunter trilogy where all my heroines were around 30. I did love writing them all, I enjoyed getting into their heads, and there was a lot of me in them from when I was a working as an accountant in a corportate environment. I sort of relived many of the challenges I faced back then. But now I’m really looking forward to exploring the lives and psyches of some older heroines, mid-thirties to mid-forties. Part of it, I’m sure, is that I’m older (not going to tell you how much older!) so I have a harder time relating to a thirty-year-old. In my story in Unlaced, the anthology I’ve got coming out in December with Jaci Burton, Joey Hill and Denise Rossetti, I wrote a May-December romance. Margo is in her mid-forties and Dirk is 12 years younger. You know, women don’t stop enjoying sex just because they turn 40. In fact, maybe they even start enjoying it more! And wow, wouldn’t I love having my own Dirk! Except of course, I’ve got my very own Viking God. Aside from how hot I found Dirk, one of the reasons I like writing older heroines is for that very purpose, to show that older women can be just as desirable, seductive, and sensual. Sexual life doesn’t end after the big 4-0!

So what are some of your favorite fantasies? May-December? Couples with a history, finding each other again after years apart (that’s Jaci’s story in the anthology)? Best friends falling in love?

BTW, Amazon has Unlaced on sale right now at a really good preorder price.

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, November 3, 2008

Freaks and Geeks!

We’ll get to the freaks and geeks part in a minute. First, congratulations to Robyn L, you are the winner of Rose Lerma’s Flower of Passion! I’ll be emailing you for your snail mail address to send out the book.

This week I’ve got another special offering from last week’s book signing. Win a matched set, autographed copies of Pamela Britton’s On the Move and Cherry Adair’s Night Fall. You know the drill, post a comment along with your email address, and I’ll enter you in the drawing for the two books. I’ll announce the winner next Monday!

Okay, now for the freaks and geeks part. That would be me and my husband. Who is the freak and who is the geek, I’m not exactly sure. Maybe it’s interchangeable. We were listening to a Suzie Ormand audio book and one of the things she said was that you could tell how a person valued money if they bothered to pick up a penny off the street. My husband and I thought, heck, we wanted to be seen as people who valued money, so we started picking up coins we saw, not just the silver stuff but all the pennies, too. Of course, people always laughed at us whenever they caught us doing it. We finally filled a huge jar after about six years and just set about counting everything we’d found. And we had a lot of fun counting it, too. The amazing total was $332! Of that, the pennies we collected came to $54! Here’s a picture of my hubby with our booty.

So, are we freaks or geeks or what?! And do you pick up a penny off the street?

And now for the big question, can you guess what we're watching on TV?

Another reminder, for those of you who are writers, the Silicon Valley chapter of RWA is having the Gotcha Contest. Finalists go to editors! Dead to the Max won the Gotcha way back when! You have until November 12th to enter.

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, October 27, 2008

Old Friends and Good Times!

Thanks to all of you who stopped by the blog last week and got your download of Dead to the Max. I hope you all enjoy. If you asked for it and didn't receive it, email me at skully[at]skullybuzz[dot]com, as I did send to all who asked. Heck, it you missed Max last week, feel free to post on the October 20th blog (include your email please) and say “I want Max, I want Max!” I’ll send you a download, too! Everyone gets one! Let’s keep this going!!!!

This week I’ve got a very special offering. The book I’m giving away is Flower of Passion by my great friend Rose Lerma. I love this story. I read it way back in its infancy when Rose and I were in a critique group together. I also read Seducing Annie, another wonderful book. So, you know the rules by now, post a comment along with your email address, and I’ll enter you in the drawing for Rose’s book. I’ll announce the winner next Monday! Now you all must go over to Rose’s Site and read the tag line Flower of Passion. It’s wonderful!

And that’s what this week’s blog is all about, wonderful friends, wonderful critique groups. Rose Lerma, Pamela Britton, Cherry Adair, and I met over 10 years ago and finally had our first signing on October 18th, all now published. See, it can happen, where there’s determination and hard work. It was a long haul with lots of rejection and disappointment, but we all made it! I think our experiences toughened us up, made us more resolved to succeed, no matter what. I’ve attached a couple of photos for your enjoyment.

Now I’m going to have Rose say a word or two.

“OMG, Jen, I'm still flying high from our reunion. The 4 of us hadn't been together since we all moved away from the San Francisco east bay. And the icing on the cake was that we all had published books to sign! You're so right, determination & hard work paid off, but I'd also add encouragement from your critique partners to that success recipe. Love ya all!”

We’d love to hear about your experiences with a group of friends who stood by you and helped you succeed. Please do share with us.

And for those of you who are writers, the Silicon Valley chapter of RWA is having the Gotcha Contest. Finalists go to editors! Dead to the Max won the Gotcha way back when! You have until November 12th to enter.

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, October 20, 2008

A free download of Dead to the Max to EVERYONE!


The winner of a download of Burning Bridges from my wonderful friend Anne Krist is Phyllis. You’ve got a real prize here, Phyllis, you’re going to love Burning Bridges. So please email me at skully [at] skullybuzz [dot] com to claim your download. Since I don’t have your email address, please let me know within 24 hours.

This week, as promised, I’m doing something a little different. I’m giving away a pdf download of Dead to the Max by JB Skully. In case you didn’t know, that’s me! Yet another multiple. This is the first Max Starr book, and there’s five total in the series which you can get through LiquidSilverBooks. Look under "Titles by Author". You’ll find an excerpt over there, too. Now here’s the thing. I’m going to give a download to ANYONE who posts on the blog this week. All you must do is put your email address in the comment. I’ll add you to my newsletter if you’re not already a member, but also, this is the only way I can send Dead to the Max to you, by email, so if you don’t leave your address, I won’t be sending that free copy. If you’re worried about those web crawlie thingies that get your address, just type it in like I did my address in the first paragraph.

I love the Max Starr series, and I would love to introduce a new generation of e-book readers to Max and Witt and Cameron. As I was writing the series, I fell deeply in love with Witt. Max gets involved in a series of killings and Witt’s the detective who investigates her, tries to protect her, and falls for her. Okay, I fell in love with Witt’s mom, too. You know how I always talk about my mom, well, she’s a lot like Witt’s mom. Of course, there’s Cameron, too, Max’s husband. Cameron is the man of Max’s dreams, but there’s one small problem, he was murdered a couple of years ago. Max still talks to him. And he talks back. He’s the ghost that just can’t go to his final rest. And really, how can Max choose between the love of her life and the man of her dreams?

So, leave a comment and your email and give Max a try!

I also promised some news about Show and Tell! My local radio station is going to read Show and Tell aloud on the air! Yes, the whole thing!!!! Okay, they’re going to have to do some bleeping, but every day at 6:35 am, they’re going to read a minute of it. Every day for about 3 months! Wow.

And for those of you who are writers, the Silicon Valley chapter of RWA is having the GotchaContest. Finalists go to editors! Dead to the Max won the Gotcha way back when!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Gremlins in the Machine

The winner of Carrie’s Answer from the wonderful duo, Violet Summers is Kim Sutton! Congratulations, Kim. I’ll be having the Violets get in touch with you for the transfer. You’re going to love it. This weekend I did get to start Daniel’s Surrender, the third book in the Worthington Group series. Wow! I’m 3/4s through, and...WOW! I’m loving it.

This week as our prize for commenting on the blog, we have Burning Bridges by AnneKrist. Burning Bridges is a wonderful book that I had the pleasure reading in its infancy. Anne also writes as Dee S. Knight. On being a winner, remember, if I don’t hear from you within 24 hours of my posting the winner on the blog, I’ll have to choose another, so be sure to check back next Monday. If you put your email in your blog comment (hint, hint!), then you’re set! Plus you’ll get my newsletter telling you about new releases and contests, and I know you want that!!

I think I have ghosts in the house. I was doing my hair in the bathroom, and suddenly I heard water running in the pipes. I searched all over the house, listened to the toilets, and I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Then I stepped out into the garage, and the washing machine had turned on all by itself and was filling with water. There weren’t any clothes in it. And it was on the rinse cycle! How did it do that?! The garage door was open so I’m thinking some stalker sneaked in and turned it on. But the dog didn’t bark. And really, what stalker is going to start my washing machine? I’m confounded. Of course, so I didn’t waste the water, I filled the tub with clothes and washed them. I still can’t figure it out. But, I know exactly the book I can use it in! I’m working on a Jennifer Skully WIP where my heroine’s house actually has a life of its own. So see, everything can be used in a book, absolutely everything!

But really, how do you think my washing machine turned on all by itself?

Jasmine and Jennifer
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

PS Next week I’ll have some news about Show and Tell to share! At least I hope I will. And don't forget! The week of the 20th, I'll be giving away a download of Dead to the Max to everyone who leaves me their email on their comment!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Sneak Peek! Fair Game Cover!

Congratulations! The winner of a Leigh Wyndfield download is Rita Hogan. Rita, you’re in for a great treat if you haven’t already tried one of Leigh’s books. I’ll be having Leigh get in touch with you for the transfer.

This week as our prize for commenting on the blog, we have Carrie’s Answer from the wonderful duo, Violet Summers. You can check out all their books on their site. I adored the hot, hot Carrie’s Answer and the second in the trilogy, Meredith’s Awakening. I’m saving Daniel’s Surrender as my reward for finishing the first story in my Courtesans trilogy. And don’t miss the Violets’ upcoming Sinful Treats. Originally due out today, it’ll be coming to LiquidSilver in the next couple of weeks. On being a winner, remember, if I don’t hear from you within 24 hours of my posting the winner on the blog, I’ll have to choose another, so be sure to check back next Monday. If you put your email in your blog comment (hint, hint!), then you’re set! Plus you’ll get my newsletter telling you about new releases and contests, and I know you want that!!

I’ve got good news and bad news. First, I got the cover for Fair Game. First there was Faith in The Fortune Hunter, then Trinity in Show and Tell and finally, Josie’s story in Fair Game. And she is a wild one, let me tell you. Fair Game will be a Berkley Heat release, meaning it’s going to be hot, hotter, hottest. I really don’t think I can let Mom read this one! And Berkley has given me a wonderful new cover look. I haven’t posted it on the site yet, so this is the first time you all get to see it. I love it. Now for the bad news. The original release date was April 2009, but I just heard it won’t be out until June 2009. Boohoo.

So, what do you all think of the cover!? If you love it, feel free to say so. If you hate it, feel free to lie and say you love it! I’m all for telling little white lies to save my feelings!

Jasmine and Jennifer
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

PS I’m preparing you now. The giveaway the week of October 20th will be a download of Dead to the Max, the first book in the Max Starr series. Don’t miss that blog! Because I’ll be giving it to ANYONE who posts (but you MUST leave your email address).

Monday, September 29, 2008

Alert! Hazardous Mocha Addiction!



Congratulations! The winners of the T-Shirt and the Tote from RAW are Jessica and Sue! Woohoo! Please email me on skully @ skullybuzz .com (without the spaces) with your snailmail address. I’m putting up a couple more RAW pictures which I got from Jennifer Ray. The mermaid made her own costume! Sorry, but I didn't get her name. And the lovely damsels are Shirley Daamsgard (left) and Mary Wine (right). Mary is a costumer, and she wore a real corset and bustle! Another RAW WOW moment!

This week we have a book from my wonderful critique partner, Leigh Wyndfield. You can check out all her books on her site. Yes, Leigh is my critique partner, but I’m not biased. I adore all her books so it’s hard for me to pick a favorite. She’s giving away a download of one book. If you win, I’ll put you in touch with her and you guys can decide which one. Anything you pick will be a treat. Remember, if I don’t hear from you in 24 hours, I’ll have to choose another winner, so be sure to check back next Monday. If you put your email in your blog comment (hint, hint!), then you’re set! Plus you’ll get my newsletter telling you about new releases and contests, I know you want that!!

Now, to my addiction. I had my physical and of course, my doctor ordered all those tests for cholesterol, etc. Before having the blood test I had to fast, and I wanted to combine the trip with another appointment at 2 pm. So that meant nothing but water until 2 in the afternoon. I thought sure fine okay. Oh! My! God! That also meant no morning mocha! Do you know what it’s like to wake up to the scent of chocolate and coffee and not be able to have any? Yes, my husband made his mocha but I couldn’t have any. I was literally drooling. I couldn’t concentrate all morning. I kept thinking about 2 o’clock and my mocha. At 10:45, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I went to the lab early, had the tests done, then ah, a blessed mocha. Thank God the doctors’ clinic where I go has a mocha stand. Whew! So I didn’t even have to drive to get it. However, I did bring my Alphasmart, so while I was waiting the next two hours for my 2 o’clock appointment, I got a lot of uninterrupted writing done. Conclusion? I’m a complete and utter mocha addict. But so is my husband. He keeps buying mocha machines at the Salvation Army just in case ours breaks down (because they’re so cheap, honey, and they have all the parts). We have two in the cubby over the fridge, two at the bottom of the pantry, two in my office cupboard, and the last one he bought, I had to stash in the linen closet. I told him no more mocha machines! So instead, he came home with a mixer to make cookies. Which I did, and now we’re addicted to cranberry white chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies.

So, what’s your addiction?

Jasmine and Jennifer
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

RAW was WOW!!!!



Congratulations! The winner of Carolyn Jewel’s My Wicked Enemy is Cathy. Please email me on skully@skullybuzz.com with your snailmail address. Remember, if I don’t hear from you in 24 hours, I’ll have to choose another winner. So (hint, hint!) if you give me your email in advance on the comment you leave, then you’re set! Plus you’ll get my newsletter telling you about new releases and contests, I know you want that!!

As the title says, RAW was fantastic. I met so many readers, and yes, many of them had even read my books! We started on Thursday night with a nice dinner in the restaurant for those who arrived early. I met Jennifer Ray for the first time. She was wonderful, introducing me around. She’s got a review site, http://www.wildonbooks.com/ and she’s been so good to me in her reviews. Jennifer, it was great meeting you! Most people arrived on Saturday, and we had a fun pajama party that night. I was a dancing fool! My husband asked me if I was drunk, but I swear I wasn’t, even if we did get two free drinks every night! Saturday was the book signing for attendees. I got to sit next to Lora Leigh! Thanks for everyone who stopped by and had me sign books for them. I think this is the best signing I’ve ever had!!!! Thank you all, smooches!

And that night, we had the masquerade ball. The costumes were fantastic. Okay, I don’t have a bunch of pictures. As we were driving to the airport at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, my husband asked me if I’d packed the camera. Hm. Gee, honey, I so wished you’d asked me that BEFORE we left home! The pictures I’m attaching are courtesy of Crystal Adkins. She’s got a great review blog http://bookreviewsbycrystal.blogspot.com/ and that’s how we met on line. Crystal took care of me the whole time at RAW. I couldn’t have made it through without her (because actually I’m an introvert as well as a dancing fool). She hung out with me, took all the pictures I asked her to, and kept me sane. Although she couldn’t stop me from doing that funky chicken dance on Friday night. BTW, I was too tired and sore to dance on Saturday. And also the stockings kept falling down. I’m attaching a couple of photos. Crystal and I are in the top picture, she wore such a cool Vampire Queen costume. And here some wonderful new friends I met at RAW, Lora, Jessica, (me), Crystal, Lauren and Loretta. You guys are great! BTW, Loretta and Lauren came all the way from England!

Crystal helped me out by having my RAW t-shirt and RAW tote bag autographed by all the authors at the signing. So, for this week’s giveaway, let’s have two winners, one for the t-shirt, the other for the tote. I’ll get back to giving away books next week. Post a comment to enter and don’t forget to give me your email!

Jasmine and Jennifer
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, September 15, 2008

Our favorite movies!


Congratulations! The winner of Bella Andre’s Game For Anything is Tetewa. You’re going to love this book! Please email me on skully@skullybuzz.com with your snailmail address. The name of my first winner from two weeks ago was Carol Gowett, and she should have received her copy of TL Schaefer’s Saints of Midland by now!

I’m going to do it differently this week. I don’t know who many of my commenters are. Sometimes the profile is a first name, sometimes not a name at all. When I have a winner, I don’t know how to contact you unless you come back to the blog. I hope you all will, but if not, then I’m stuck. Starting next time, my winner has 24 hours from the time I post the blog to get back to me. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll chose another winner. So if you leave your name and email address on your comment, you’ll be sure not to miss out. Plus, I’ll add you to my newsletter so you can hear all about new releases and contests on the site.

On to this week’s book. I’ve got an autographed copy of Carolyn Jewel’s My Wicked Enemy. It’s got a wicked hot cover. You can check it out on her site Carolyn Jewel

The topic this week is favorite movies. So here goes on my top five.

1) Laura, 1944, starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. It’s a wonderful mystery, a great love story, and the song is a classic. I first saw it when I was an impressionable sixteen and I’ll never forget Dana Andrews falling in love with Laura’s portrait. Laura, by the way, has been murdered. In Sex and the Serial Killer, it was one of Bobby’s favorite movies, too. Hmm, all my heroines seem to like the classics. Wonder why? Laura is also one of my hubby’s favorites, too. I, of course, introduced him to the movie.

2) Leave Her to Heaven, 1945, starring Gene Tierney and Cornel Wilde. This time Gene Tierney plays an evil bitch. She is so cold, so bad, so manipulative. And she does it all so very, very well. Mom and I watched it againb during her recovery!

3) Pitch Black, 2000, Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell. Hah! You thought I was going to pick all classics. But no. I love this movie for its redemption theme. And Vin Diesel’s bald head. The monsters are scary, and when the lights go out...ooh. And then there’s Vin Diesel’s bald head. Okay, I think he’s hot, which adds to the movie for me, but I still love this flick for Radha Mitchell’s character arc. But you know I like bald guys, especially if you've read Twin Peaks.

4) Jane Eyre, 1983, Timothy Dalton. Timothy Dalton as Mr. Rochester, ooh-la-la. You probably think I only like movies with the hot guys, but there are other qualities to this miniseries which aired on PBS. I loved this version because I really felt the chemistry between them. You saw him come out of his shell and learn to laugh. This is the best version and believe me, I’ve seen many different ones and read the book as well.

5) The Omega Man, 1971, Charlton Heston. This was the second version made of Matheson’s book, I am Legend. The first was with Vincent Price, and though I love Vincent (he’s in both Laura and Leave Her to Heaven), that was not a good movie. I also didn’t like the Will Smith version because the creatures were too inhuman. All right, I didn’t like the book either! But Omega Man I loved because the ghouls were organized, they had a charismatic, intelligent leader. Like a cult. That made them scarier, because they had this single minded goal of killing Charlton Heston and they were relentless. They believed they were in the right and he was the evil thing. Anthony Zerbe as their leader Mathias was chilling.

I showed you mine, now you show me yours! What are some of your favorite movies?

One note, I’ll be attending Lora Leigh’s Reader Appreciation Weekend next week. I will therefore be posting my new blog (and this week’s winner) on Tuesday, 9/23. And I’ll tell you all about RAW!

Jasmine and Jennifer
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, September 8, 2008

Old Folks, ya gotta love 'em!


Thanks so much, everyone, for stopping by my first blog! And I have my first winner! Clynsg, congratulations! You’ve won an autographed copy of TL Schaefer’s The Saints of Midland. Please send an email to skully@skullybuzz.com with your snail mail address and I’ll send your book right off.

For my next offering, I’ve got an autographed copy of Bella Andre’s Game for Anything. This is another hot, sexy read from this wonderful author, and of course, she’s a friend of mine, too. You can check out the book at Bella Andre. So post a comment for a chance to win, and I’ll make the announcement next Monday!

I’m going to try my best to answer your posts on a timely basis, but I’m actually staying with my mom in her “old folks” home. Their Internet access is limited, and I have to wait in line to use a computer. No wi-fi! Oh my God. But it’s a cool place where she lives. My mom has her own apartment, and she’s very self-sufficient even at 82 (God forbid I should say 83 even though she’ll be 83 in December). Except she had an operation on her foot last week, and she’s not supposed to be walking. So I’m fetching and carrying, making her bed, doing dishes, cooking. And watching lots of movies with her! But you know, it’s hit me that she won’t be around forever. When you’re young, you think Mom and Dad will always be there. Even though I lost my dad to lung cancer a few years ago, I still wanted to think of Mom being there forever. I’m starting to realize that forever might be ten years, or five years, or a year. So I’m trying to get down here as often as possible and spend quality time because I don’t want her to be gone with me whimpering, “Gosh, I wish I’d gone down to visit her more often.”

I know it’s not Mother’s or Father’s Day, but let’s talk it up about how we can appreciate our parents! I do love amusing stories about elderly people. You’ll find lots of old folks in my Jennifer Skully books, I love adding octogenarians. My favorite was Grandma Blue in Sheer Dynamite. And in the Max series which I write as JB Skully, there’s Witt’s mother, Ladybird. God, she was amusing! And there were hints of my own mom in Ladybird.

Jasmine and Jennifer
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Monday, September 1, 2008

And the Jasmine Files begin!!!


Yes, this is the inaugural blog for the Jasmine files!

First, as I promised on my website, I’m giving away a book to one lucky blog poster. Which means you should post a comment or I won’t know you’re out there! Second, I’ll choose the winner and post his or her name on next week’s blog. Yeah, I’m going to try to blog once a week (and give away a book once a week!). Unless I run out of things to say. I won’t, however, run out of books. And you know writers never stop wanting to blab. But we’ll see how it goes. That means you have all week to post a comment and get into the drawing. And this week (yeah, I know you’ve been waiting to hear about the book!!) I’m giving away a copy of TL Schaefer’s The Saints of Midland. I love Terri (she’s one of my critique partners) and I love this book. Her voice...wow, that’s all I can say. She autographed it, too! You can check out the book on her site http://www.tlschaefer.com/SaintsofMidland.htm. Mrs. Giggles loved the book! Don’t miss my regular monthly contest on http://www.skullybuzz.com/contest.html and please note that Leigh’s website is http://www.leighwyndfield.com/. There’s a little oops in there that I hope to have fixed next week.

Okay, so why I’m here today. I’m starting a new series. This one is going to be a Berkley Heat, so that obviously means it’s going to be hotter! I’m going to be writing two anthologies, creating a glitzy, sensual world of powerful people and the courtesans they’ll pay anything to have. Of course, what I write is all fantasy, and I was wondering about what I thought might be a fairly universal fantasy for women, that of being paid for sex. I’m not talking about the poor women on the streets who are victimized, strung out on drugs, living a nightmare. I’m thinking of the fantasy world of high class and high prices. So, do you think this is a universal fantasy (meaning it’s shared by a lot of women) or am I totally whacked? What do you think are some other universal fantasies? And having a fantasy doesn’t mean acting out the fantasy. That’s why it’s called a “fantasy”! It’s just the secret thing that occasionally crosses your mind.

I’d love to hear what you think! So let’s talk it up!

Jasmine and Jennifer
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
 

Customized Blog by Author Designs