Here's just a tiny peek at what Merrylee over at Two Lips Reviews had to say about Taking Liberty:
"Taking Libertycaptivates the reader with a little bit of everything — action, adventure, suspense, great space battles, love, passion and a truly psychotic military dictator who rates a 10 on the really icky scale...I absolutely loved this book!...I’ll certainly be following this talented new author’s career in anticipation of more fantastic gems like Taking Liberty. I highly recommend you read this absolutely wonderful book! It will have you laughing and weeping and enjoying every minute of it!"--Merrylee, Two Lips Reviews Read the entire review here
To say I'm thrilled beyond reason is an understatement.
I'm going to be featured in The Blackraven's erotic cafe today. Stop by for your chance to win an ebook and to find out a little more about how my mind ticks. I promise its not as scary as it sounds! Here's the link http://theblackraveneroticcafe.blogspot.com/
As I wrote on my blogpost on Samhain's website, this book was six years in the making. I just didn't know it until four months ago.
So here's my question for any authors out there. Do you have any books(published or not) that started out as something completely different from the end product? If so, what was the catalyst that changed the book's direction?
They spent what felt like hours combing the nearby terrain for remains from the Starflight Folly. Other than a few stray pieces of twisted metal, nothing useful cropped up. Certainly nothing that would get them off the godforsaken planet.
Rini used the toe of her boot to clear sand away from a strip of metal protruding from the ground. Satisfied she’d uncovered most of it, she stooped and pried the object from the desert’s tenacious grasp. She buffed the metal with the hem of Lucus’s shirt to get a better look at the symbol etched on the corroded surface. “This looks like one of the symbols from the rock.”
Lucus stopped poking through a stack of charred cactus husks and strode to her. She handed him the metal piece for inspection. “Yep. This is probably from the Starflight’s masthead. Used to be captains would fly their ships with their crew’s names and rankings displayed. Not sure why the practice isn’t kept up.”
She stared at the shadow of day-old beard gracing Lucus’s jawbone and became seriously irked when her nipples tightened at the idea of being teased by the dark bristles. “How is it you’re fluent in ancient Illonican?” she demanded in hopes of distracting her aggravating hormones.
He gave the metal strip a final look before tossing it on top the burnt cacti. “When I first started trading, I did business with this grizzled farmer on Orrik who used to be a professor of languages.” A grin overtook his rugged features. “GuessCal needed a change of pace from harvesting melons all day because he’d toss lecture books at me every chance he got.”
“Hmm, wish I’d known Cal when I was busting my hump trying to keep my grade point average steady at the ranger academy.”
A teasing hint of challenge danced in Lucus’s eyes. “The girl who graduated top honors had trouble keeping up her grades?”
“Just in languages and anthropology.” She batted away a persistent army of gnats trying to roost in her hair. The damn things were a nuisance, particularly when she already felt sticky and grimy.
Lucus’s palm suddenly squashed against her forehead. She gave him a double blink and one corner of his mouth quirked. “One of the gnats snuck by you.”
“Um…thanks.”
“Anytime.”
The heat of his skin continued seeping into her and she began to wonder if he’d forgotten where he’d plastered his hand. But then an intense look crept into his expression and she had no doubt he knew exactly what he was doing. His face inching closer, he snuck his hand along her cheek. She licked her lips. “Before this goes any further, I think we should both remember we don’t like each other.”
“I like you fine.”
His lips brushed just to the side of hers and she released a shaky breath. “You said the same thing about your brother.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have this overwhelming urge to lick my brother’s nipples.”
“I should hope not, because that would be majorly twist—” Lucus’s mouth swallowed the remainder of her sentence. His tongue coaxed its way inside and she had trouble remembering why kissing him back was an incredibly lousy idea. Her hands crept under his shirt and roved over the damp skin above his rib cage. Talk about unfair. Here she felt like a gross, sweat-soaked dishrag, yet Lucus’s body was a slick and delicious yummy treat.
His lips trailed to the underside of her jaw and she gasped, blinking against the overhead glare of the sun. “What are we doing?”
Lucus’s chuckle vibrated against her neck. “If you have to ask, I’m severely out of practice.” His teeth scraped the sensitive hollow beneath her earlobe.
“This…” She swallowed and tried again. “This is a residual effect of our close call with death.”
“Mm, you think?” His tongue traced the shell of her ear, making her shiver.
“Yes. I mean between the near drowning in the cell and crashing, it’s a miracle we haven’t ripped each other’s clothes off.” Oh man, why the hell did I say that?
“Excellent point. Maybe we should do something about it.” His fingers swept to the buttons on her shirt and flicked the first one from its hole.
She should stop him. She should really, really stop him.
Eventually.
He made quick work releasing three more buttons. Her shirt gaped open and his hand slid inside, molding perfectly over one breast. His thumb rasped the cotton and lace covering her nipple. Gasping, she arched into him. Warm, firm lips resettled over hers with a groan. The sound rumbled through her, striking a match to her already inflamed senses.
His tongue glided over hers. She tasted desire and hot, aroused male. Dizzy from the sensory overload, she curved a hand around the nape of Lucus’s neck, the ends of his dark brown hair tickling her knuckles.
She pulled back slightly, the oxygen leaving her lungs in staccato bursts. “You and I. Bad idea.”
“The worst.” He pushed her tank top upward until it was anchored beneath her armpits. Dipping beneath her bra cup, he caressed one traitorously eager nipple.
“You need to stop doing that.” Even as she forced the wispy words from her mouth, she leaned into him, effectively offering more of her breast to fondle.
“Yeah, I should.” Lowering his head, he eased the lace away and circled her nipple with the tip of his tongue. The touch might have been feather-soft but it sparked a lightning-bolt reaction throughout every nerve receptor in her body. His teeth enclosed her nipple before he suctioned the bud inside the warm, wet cavern of his mouth.
“Oh God.” Her knees started to give and he caught her tight against him. So tight, there was no mistaking the solid nudge of his erection against her belly. I want that. Much as she debated telling her inner slut to shut up, she couldn’t deny the truth in those three embarrassing words.
The upcoming November 24th release of Taking Liberty is fast approaching, so I decided to hold an ARC contest. If you're interested in getting your hands on a fun and sexy space opera adventure, visit http://www.jodiredford.com/Contest.html for details on how to enter.
I'm really dragging this morning after not getting home until one thirty last night. The DH and I went to see The Cult at the Fillmore. The guys still sound awesome and it was a lot of fun getting to people watch. Although I have to say, the couple standing in front of us spent more time with their tongues down each others' throats then watching the show. Not that I have anything against public displays of affection, but when you're height challenged like I am and two kissy-facers are blocking the view, I'm going to get annoyed. Other than that, the night was amazing.
Now onto other great news. I just came across a review for Lover Enslaved from IReadRomance. Yay, what a great start to the weekend! Here's a link if you'd care to read the review. http://www.ireadromance.com/wordpress/?p=2085
Okay, I admit it. I gave serious thought to doing Nano this year. The idea of being able to produce 50,000 words this month was majorly appealing, particularly since I'm trying to wrap up my current WIP within the next few weeks. I could have used the momentum of Nano to get that done and get a decent chunk of the next project started as well. But then I remembered one important factoid.
My internal editor. Never. Shuts. Up.
Seriously, I've tried to muffle it, ignore it, even slap it in a pair of cement shoes and drown it in Lake Michigan. Nada. But you know what? I'm okay with it. I've learned that sometimes having the IE on all the time isn't necessarily a bad thing. Usually it means way fewer revisions for me, and less crater-sized plot holes that I can't dig my way out of later. Usually it doesn't disrupt my creative flow to the point I can't write, so I really can't complain too much. Bottom line, my IE and I have a wary truce. It tries not to block me and I try not to call it the souless spawn of Lucifer.
So this year, yet again, I'll cheer from the sidelines for my fellow friends and writers who are Nanoing away. Good luck to you all!
This time of year gives me a perfect excuse to indulge in one of my guilty pleasures - scary movies. I admit it, I love any opportunity to keep myself awake at night, jumping at anything that resembles a ghostly moan or the shuffling tread of a flesh-hungry zombie. So, in no particular order here are a few of the flicks on my annual viewing list:
Gary Oldman as Dracula. Could it get any better?
My all time favorite werewolf movie.
Zombies. Enough said.
More zombies.
Vampires run amok in a Alaska. Probably my fav vampire flick of all time.
Not scary but good campy fun.
The classic that launched an entire franchise.
Creepy with some great dark humor.
Probably one of my fav movies of all time. Period. A writer slowly losing his mind. Yep, can totally relate.
If you've got some must watch scary flicks to recommend, I'd love to hear about them.
I'm participating in a really fun Halloween contest with twelve other authors. Below are all the details, so come and have an awesome time at our week long Trick or Treat party!
Sam Cheever is sponsoring her third annual Trick or Treating Bash on a street near you!The street is inexplicably filled with some of your favorite Romantic Fantasy/Paranormal/Horror Authors and they will be waiting by the door with tricks and treats for you.The lucky winner gets a Halloween Bag with a Kindle e-reader in it, books, t-shirts, assorted candy, and other wonderful prizes from the Authors who live on Sam’s street.To play visit Sam’s Halloween Contest page at www.samcheever.com .
Only one trip down the street per contestant and you must be at least 18 to play!
Come and join the fun and play for a chance to win a Kindle and a bag of goodies. You might be surprised to learn who lives on Sam’s street!
Whoo Hoo! I just found out Lover Enslaved received four hearts from Night Owl Romance Reviews. Here's just a snippet of what Elf had to say:
"Lover Enslaved by Jodi Redford is an enjoyable tale that melds elements of a spicy romance between star-crossed lovers with the machinations employed by acquisition engineers (thieves) combined with a sprinkling of magic and irreverent non-human assistance. Several of the secondary characters seem worthy of their own stories and the rune itself is almost certain to engender even more tales as it performs its duties."
Click here if you'd like to read the entire review.
Without question, autumn is my favorite of the seasons. It helps that here in Michigan, autumn comes with gorgeous changing of the leaves and the obligatory visit to a cider mill. Mmm... hot donuts and fresh cider. Picture me doing the Homer Simpson drool. This time of year also brings out my instinctual urge to hibernate. Seriously, I'm already shuddering thinking about the six months of winter lurking around the bend.
That brings me to my least favorite season. Winter.
Honestly, if it lasted a week or so--say from right before Christmas up until New Years--I would be a happy camper. Maybe if I enjoyed winter sports I'd be okay with all that white stuff coming down from the skies. But unfortunately, skiing means getting out in the cold. And possibly breaking a body part. Two of my least favorite activities. I've tried snowmobiling. Lets just say my favorite part of the whole thing was coming back to the cabin and polishing off a bottle of mulled wine. Winter does have a few advantages though. The bulky sweaters help hide those few extra pounds I've packed on thanks to the yummy cider mill donuts. Plus its not hard to convince myself to stay in and get my writing done.
So how about you? What's your favorite season of the year?
I've come to realize that it's impossible for me to write a book without reaching some point in the process--typically the middle or so--and having the ole muse decide she wants to create at least a couple(or five) more books in this world. Now, this would all be hunky dory if I knew it from the start and plotted accordingly, but my muse is like the obnoxious drunk who stumbles in twenty minutes before the bartender announces last call. For those wondering, usually she's partial to mojitos. With a tequila chaser. Any who... All this naturally got me to wondering how many other authors fall into their series by default, or are disciplined enough to (gasp and shudder!) outline their entire series before writing a single word. I can definitely see the benefit in knowing everything up front, but at the same time, so much of the story magic comes when I'm racing headfirst into the unknown, right along with my characters. So for now, I'll stick to trusting my muse. She hasn't yet backed me into a plot hole that I couldn't climb out of.
Not to mention she knows how to make a mean mojito.
I've been slowly putting together the soundtrack for my WIP, and I've gotta say, this book has probably some of the most varied yet vastly inspiring scene tracks I've ever stumbled on.
For instance, this song pretty much inspired me to write the book in the first place:
With this song, lets just say it's inspired some smokin' love scenes. Sorry, couldn't resist.
And this one. Well, I've always loved this song and when I heard Anberlin's new cover of it, it immediately tickled my muse.
So how about you? Does music inspire you to write, or is more a distraction? Inquiring minds would love to know...
Wow, what a great start to my Saturday morning! I received an email from the funny and fabulous Estefanie at Night Time Romance Reviews with a link to the review she did for Lover Enslaved. If you get a chance, check it out and the other reviews she has posted on her site.
Got my cover for Taking Liberty, and let me tell you, it is freakin' awesome. I can't post it until Samhain signs off on it so you better believe I'll be stalking their coming soon pages to see when it shows up. Speaking of which, TL is already on the coming soon calendar. Whoo Hoo!
My sister sent me this clip. Hilarious. Love, love, love Eddie Izzard. Warning, there are a lot of F bombs dropped, so don't watch if that sort of thing offends you.
Okay, thought I should make it official. I have a new release coming soon from Samhain Publishing.
Yaaayy!!! Whoo Hoo!! (Insert foot stomping and various gleeful dance moves that both excite and terrify my poor dog.) I don't have a cover for the book yet but when I do you can bet your hot diggity I'll be adding some more interpretive dance moves to the ole repertoire.
In the meantime, here's the blurb and warning for Taking Liberty.
From zero to naked at warp speed…
Rini Campell’s one shot at keeping her field agent position with the United Galaxies’ repo department means bringing in the spaceship Liberty. Piece of cake. Except she didn’t count on the pilot still being on board. Or being buck naked.
Lucus Granger doesn’t have time to deal with a pain-in-the-ass repo agent. Not when he’s minutes away from dropping off a cargo haul for the psychotic alien dictator of Aquatica. Though he figures it’s just about the stupidest bargain he’s ever made, he allows Rini to tag along for the flight.
Big mistake.
Stranded in enemy territory, they find themselves fighting a battle on two fronts. Against a creepy dictator who’d as soon drown them as look at them. And against a blazing attraction hotter than the godforsaken planet itself. For these two wary hearts, love could bloom in the desert...if it doesn’t kill them first.
Warning: A feisty heroine and yummy hero getting sweaty in the desert. Squid aliens who bring new meaning to the word slimy. Oh, and some close encounters of the sexy kind.
No, I'm not dunking them in large vats of boiling oil or feeding them to salivating alligators. Yet. This torture has more to do with emotional turmoil. Love in particular.
See, I've reached the big black moment in my current work in progress and its painful. Usually I enjoy ripping my character's hearts out (metaphorically of course) until they cry for mercy. But with this particular hero and heroine its different. I've already made them crash a spaceship, battle alien squids, and eat SPAM (the processed ham, not junk email). How much more can these two take?
Okay, lots. Let's face it, I'm evil that way.
So how about you? As a writer, do you look forward to torturing your characters or does it leave a bad taste in your mouth (kind of like that piece of SPAM)? And as a reader, do you feel shafted if the author goes too easy on the characters?
Magic plays a large roll in Lover Enslaved and the Thieves of Aurion series, so it got me thinking. If I could have any magical ability, what would it be?
The ability to teleport to any place I want? Cool, think of all the money I'd be saving on gas. Or how about the ability to communicate with animals? Finally I'd know what my dog really thinks about me. Plus, it'd come in handy the next time I'm trekking through the woods and overhear a couple of bears exchanging their favorite honey barbecued hiker recipes.
Clearly, the possibilities are endless.
So how about you? What would your magical ability be? Leave your answer in the comment section or email me at jodiredford@jodiredford.com and you'll be entered for the chance to win an ebook copy of Lover Enslaved and your very own mini fairy house.
Isn't it cute? The house stands about 4" tall (perfect height for keeping a certain sprite from stuffing her rear-end inside)and is signed on the bottom by the artist.
I'll randomly draw a name around 8 pm Eastern time, so be sure to check back and see if you're a winner.
Well today’s the day. The big day I’ve been waiting for just about forever—the release of my debut novel, Lover Enslaved. I mulled over how best to write an interesting, bland-free introductory post and decided I’d leave the hard work for the obnoxious loveable sprite who plays a vital role in the book. After some heavy begging and an eventual bribe of shirtless cabana boys, I finally talked her into it.
Disclaimer: The above author claims no responsibility for the shameless self plugging sure to ensue from the guest poster. Furthermore, no amount of cajoling or week long temper tantrums will coerce said author into writing a spin off series involving a super hero sprite who roams the planet handing out fashion citations.
From the desk of Piper—super hero sprite (Hah, like I was going to let that opportunity slip by).
When the human asked me to pen some sparkling repartee for her blog thingymajig I was flattered and almost forgave her giving me a minor role in the book. Really, we all know I should have been the heroine. So Mara has legs up to here and boobs out to there, but can she yodel the Aurion national anthem? Okay, maybe she can. Moving on…
This brings us to Dash. In all honesty, if I were sixty inches taller, I’d get me some of that. Hello, look at those muscles. Let’s just say my wings are all aquiver. But I digress. Um, what was I talking about? Oh yes, the story. Well, Mara and Dash are thrust together and forced to do the evil Queen Nalia’s bidding. Yadda yadda, pooh pooh pooh, I save the day. Yep, that’s it in a nutshell.
Fine, if you want to know more, take a gander below.
P.S.—I’m still waiting on the cabana boys.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sometimes love is the only prize worth stealing...
Thieves of Aurion, Book 1
Mara Sheppard has no love for the Fae, but to free her brother from prison, she’ll do whatever the treacherous Queen Nalia asks. Even kidnap Dashael Rhyder, a womanizing thief.
She should have known the deal would go sour.
It’s almost too easy to bait and trap Dashael. Resisting his potent Fae allure isn’t. Especially since Nalia’s unexpected demand for a missing, magical rune means Mara will have to hold strong far longer than she’d planned.
Dashael’s best shot at escaping? Seduce her. If he can survive a few dozen of his closest enemies out for blood and the queen’s scheme to make him her personal stud…he might just make it.
Then his game of seduction trips over a snag named Mara, and he falls. Hard. For a commitment-phobic thief, love might as well be a prison sentence. Yet the idea of losing her makes him miserable.
Mara can’t deny that her enemy has stolen her heart. But their love is about to be tested by a lifetime of secrets. The risk may not be worth it. Especially if a life together means death for one of them.
Warning: Contains one or more of the following: Hot, sexy thieves, pain-in-the-butt sprites, handcuffs, intriguing new uses for a silk bed curtain, and scorching, shake-the-ceiling-tiles sex.
Yes, it's true. My body despises me. With a capital D. For some insane reason, I thought I could pull weeds for eight hours today. You see, I had no problem doing something like that. Ten years ago. Yep, there's the source of my little problem. Age. As if the size six jeans hanging in my closet aren't enough torment. But that's a gripe for another day. Instead, I'm going to self-medicate myself with chocolate. Lucky me, I found this great recipe from Cooks.com
Besides, who needs to fit into size six jeans anyway?
CHERRY FUDGE BROWNIES
1 box fudge brownie mix 1 can cherry pie filling 1 sm. jar marshmallow cream
Mix fudge brownie mix by directions on box. Pour into pan. Place cherry pie filling in drops on top of brownie mix. Place a drop of marshmallow cream beside cherries. Swirl marshmallow cream through brownie mix by pulling a knife through batter. Bake until brownies are done by directions on box.
