Jenny doesn't even try to fight her addiction to angels and sexy djinn. Her Out of the Bottle series is published with Carina Press and she's busily adding to it, typing with crossed fingers in the hope readers and Carina Press will want more passion, adventure and laughter.
Please make Jenny feel welcome!
Setting – Syria. The Mediterranean is a fascinating region. So much history. Who can resist the romantic ruins of a crusader castle?
Hero – Andrew, a guardian angel.
Heroine – Cali, a djinni, cursed to serve humanity.
Scene you would never cut – When Andrew and Cali meet:
“Smart-mouthed djinni.”
He grabbed her before her bangles could rattle out a protective charm. The world tilted as he slung her over his shoulder like a sack of grain or a moth-eaten carpet. Cali felt the insult keenly.
“Son of a she-camel.” She slammed her fist into his lower back.
His arm tightened around her thighs. His free hand gave her bottom a stinging slap.
“Bastard.” She wriggled and kicked and found herself suddenly free.
He’s thrown me over the friggin’—
Splash!
—cliff.
Something your hero or heroine would never do or say – Andrew would never risk someone else’s happiness to claim his own. More frivolously, he’d never eat haggis. I can’t imagine ever writing a hero who would!
What's one quirky thing about your heroine? Cali stores some of her magic in her gold bangles. I love gold bangles, although I don’t wear them. Being a fidgety sort of person I’d drive everyone crazy rattling around.
What do you think the readers will like about this book? Cali’s emotional journey. When you’ve been badly hurt, it takes a lot of courage to dare to love again. I’m so glad Andrew was strong enough to understand her pain and believe in her heart.
Book blurb –
She is the Bringer of Death. Cali, a djinni, has sworn to twist the wishes of humans so they die by their own greed and evil.
Her latest master is arms dealer David Saqr, a man Cali believes deserves the fate she has in store for him. But this time she finds herself up against Andrew, David’s guardian angel. He is a Protector of Life.
Andrew believes David can yet find redemption. He fights Cali for the man’s life, even as he tries to persuade her to give in to the sizzling attraction between them. He shows Cali another side of David, and invites her to trust again, to hope.
But centuries of being enslaved have hardened Cali’s heart—it’s going to take all of Andrew’s love to convince her to open it and let him in.
What's next for you? More angel and djinni stories. I’m addicted to my Out of the Bottle series—all the traditional romance of Arabia, but with modern tensions. But also (and I’m so excited about this) I have a steampunk novella coming out with Carina Press in December. “Support Your Local Suffragette” is set in Western Australia in 1895—Wild West with an Aussie twist. It was a blast to write. I never imagined I’d use (or misuse!) my history degree in quite this way.
About you...
Favorite movie of all time – “Enchanted April”, although “Shrek” is a strong rival and so is “Bringing Up Baby”.Favorite fairytale – “Beauty and the Beast” ever since I read Robin McKinley’s “Beauty” as a teenager.
Favorite story to disappear into – So many. It depends on my mood. But I would love, love, love to visit Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.
Favorite TV program – Pick one? *wails* I love documentaries and “Media Watch” and...oh okay, if I have to pick one, it’s “NCIS LA”.
First book you remember reading – I can’t remember the title, but this guy called Dick and a girl called Dora went walking with a dog called Spot. Soon after that, I became addicted to Enid Blyton.
Dog or cat person (or other) – Dog, definitely. Toby, my golden retriever, pops up quite often on my blog. But I do miss not having a cat.
Author (living or dead) you'd most like to meet – I had a chance once way back when I was at uni to meet Sir Terry Pratchett. I’m still kicking myself for being shy. I’d have liked to meet Margery Allingham and sit down to a good long gossip about the craft of writing.
A romantic retreat for you would be...Winter, cottage by the sea, roaring fire, no phones.
What do you do to unwind or relax? Read, an obvious answer for an author. I also like to drive, not too far, maybe an hour all up, just long enough to solve any plot problems in a current manuscript. Shopping is good, too *grins*.
What era would you like to time travel and visit? And why? I’d really like to see Palmyra in its heyday with Queen Zenobia getting ready to challenge the might of the Roman Empire. I wouldn’t want to stay around for the bloodshed and destruction, but I’d love to see the ancient world in living colour, so to speak.
What does love mean to you? Passionate commitment, whether to a person, profession or cause. Love means sharing something of yourself.
Jenny, thank you for joining me on my blog today, it's been a hoot having you here in the lead up to Halloween!
You can find Jenny at her website, on Twitter, Facebook, and indulging her love of pretty pictures on Tumblr.
Jenny's other books:
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Good morning ladies :)
ReplyDeleteI know the name but I've not read any of your books sorry Jenny :( and I've never read a book involving djinn either, but you have an angel in there and I LOVE angels.
The plot sounds really interesting and the 'scene you would never cut' had me smiling... a lot:)
Me thinks I need to take a look at your 'Out of The Bottle' series
Thanks for the great interview.
Cath
cbcowley@gmail.com
Hi Jenny. Your mention of Spot brought up some memories for me too. Really looking forward to your steampunk story!
ReplyDeleteActually now I'm waiting for the Suffragette! LOL. But the whole Out of the Bottle series sounds terrific and different, which is hard to do these days so kudos to you. Will definitely add this to my To Read List today!
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny,
ReplyDeleteI've yet to read your work, but hope to dig in soon =)
@Cath I love angels, too, though I admit mine are um...let's just say they don't fit the Catholic universe I grew up in. They're opinionated, passionate and even...gasp! sexy. I loved your comment--thank you :)
ReplyDelete@Coleen Clearly Spot was memorable. Now, didn't a little birdie (a phrase so twee I cringe even as I type it) mention you had a steampunk story coming out too? Tell us!
@Veronica I've got to kick myself. I used the old working title, "Support Your Local Suffragette". Clearly Carina Press aren't the James Garner fans I am. They asked for a rename and I came up with "Wanted: One Scoundrel". But I still love the old movie, "Support Your Local Sheriff". I adore the fact he's on his way to Australia.
Kylie, thank you heaps for letting me visit on Halloween :) Now, the only thing left is for none of the neighbourhood kids to visit this eve, and I get to eat all the Freddo frogs!
@Mel Thanks! "Identity Shift" is on my kindle (with Helen's lovely cover). As soon as I can steal a free hour, I'm going to gobble it up. I adore shifters :)
ReplyDeleteI love how you use history of different places, Jenny. Syria and then a steampunk Australia. Oh btw - by the Suffograte story - do you mean Wanted: One Scoundrel or is there another story coming out that I've missed news on?
ReplyDelete@Eleni you know the range of settings I use is just an excuse to research! I had a lovely time virtual travelling to Syria ... but so sad now to see the situation there on the news.
ReplyDeleteOn brighter news, "Support Your Local Suffragette" is "Wanted: One Scoundrel". I'm hoping (all fingers and toes crossed) Carina Press accepts a second steampunk novella, "Courting Trouble". I've discovered I love twisting Australian history with steampunk.
I love a good cover and Jenny, THREE WISHES is a good one. Did you have much input into it?
ReplyDeleteThe cover is gorgeous and I love it to pieces, but it's the exact opposite of what I imagined. I was thinking white and blue Mediterranean. Thank heavens (or perhaps thank the djinns!) that the cover artist, Spin Studio, listened to my rundown of the story and characters rather than to my attempt to be a graphic artist :)
ReplyDelete