Interivew with Jenna Jaxon

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Jenna Jaxon to the blog today to chat about her new book Only Scandal Will Do.

Jenna, can you please share with us a little about yourself

I’m Jenna Jaxon, newly minted (at least I feel newly minted) romance author.  I live with my family in a small town in Virginia and teach at a local university.  I’ve always had a thing for cats and at the moment have three. I’m an only child who swore I’d have more than one child, which is how I ended up with two daughters. J

Website / Facebook

Have you always wanted to be an author?

I’ve always liked to write (my first story was written in 3rd grade), but I never had the drive to pursue a career in writing.  Especially after being introduced to theatre in 10th grade.  That then became where my passion lay–until recently.

Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Some of my favorite authors in romance are Jo Beverley, Lisa Kleypas, Kathleen Woodiwiss, and Mary Balogh.  In other genres, Stephen King, John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell, and Phillipa Gregory.  Of the above listed authors, I’d say Beverley has been the most influential, followed closely by King.  She gave me a love for the 18th century, and Stephen King’s characters have fascinated me ever since I began to read him.  He writes them as though he’s inside their skin, which I’ve tried to accomplish in my work as well.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre? Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I started writing historical romance after reading Kathleen Woodiwiss’s final book, Everlasting.  I ‘d read a couple of her other works years before and loved them, then when I picked this one up, I just felt as though I had something within me that had to be expressed in the same way.  I said to myself, “I can write something like this.” Sat down at the computer and proceeded to write a medieval romance.

I’ve written in another sub-genre, erotic romance, but don’t think I’d write in another genre.  Some of my historical romance may stray into what would technically be called “historical fiction,’ but I still think of it as romance.

What are some of your writing rituals?

I usually have to write whenever and wherever I can, so I don’t have certain things I must have to write.  The closest thing I have to a ritual is in the mornings I turn on the computer, open my emails and various other sites in a particular order, and then open up my document and begin to write.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

My latest historical release, Only Scandal Will Do, is a romance set in Georgian England.  Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam is kidnapped and sold at an auction to a masked man for his evening’s pleasure.  He doesn’t believe her story, seduces to the point of ruin before she wounds him and escapes.  When the man, Duncan Ferrers, Marquess of Dalbury, awakens and find out she’s really the sister of a peer, he attempts to find her and marry her before the scandal erupts around them.  Lady Katarina has other ideas and leads him on a merry chase throughout most of the book.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

Several things coalesced into the idea for the story.  A question arose in my mind while reading a Mary Balogh novel, a random fact intrigued me–about the last peer to be hanged for murder, and the wild nature of the time period (discovered through Jo Beverley’s novels) all came together to create this story.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Currently, I’m working on the second book in the House of Pleasure series (of which Scandal is the first).  It’s called Only Marriage Will Do.  I’m also editing the first book of my medieval trilogy, Time Enough to Love, Book 1:  Betrothal and putting finishing touches on a Victorian romance, As Long As You’re Mine.

What would you be if you were not an author?

Bored. LOL  No, actually I love my day job, which is teaching theatre at a local university.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

The one I’m dying to start but won’t let myself contemplate is the 4th book in the Outlander series.  When I read those books, the rest of the world can go hang.  I have to read them straight through.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

There is a book trailer for Only Scandal Will Do that’s on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdak1uQCpcA.  It will give you a very good idea of the book’s style and content.  I love it, but then I’m biased. LOL

And thank you so much for having me here today on Books & Kisses.  You questions were so much fun. J

Author Links:

Blog:  http://jennajaxon.wordpress.com/

FB:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Jaxon/146857578723570

Twitter:  @Jenna_Jaxon

Only Scandal Will Do

by Jenna Jaxon

Buy Links:

Amazon |Lyrical Press | ARe | iTunes

Kidnapped and sold at auction in a London brothel, Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam squelches an undeniable attraction to the masked stranger who purchased her, pits her wits against him, and escapes him and the scandal that would ruin her life.

Unable to resist temptation in a London brothel, Duncan Ferrers, Marquess of Dalbury, purchases a fiery beauty. She claims she’s a lady, but how can she be? No lady of his acquaintance in polite society is anything like her.

Then he discovers she is who she says, and that this latest romp has compromised her reputation. He knows how that is. One more scandal and he’ll be cast out of London society, but he needs a wife who’ll provide an heir to carry on his illustrious family’s name. He seeks out Katarina, intending only to scotch the scandal, but instead finds his heart ensnared.

He’s betting their future he’ll capture her heart, but does he have what it takes to win the wager?

WARNING: A blade-wielding heroine who crosses swords with a master of sensuality.