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Happy Monday! Please check out our Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop at the end of this post.

The time has come. I’ve waited long enough to purchase an e-reader, and I wanted to pick your brain about which e-reader you like the best. The big three that I’m aware of are the Kindle, the Nook, and the Sony E-Reader. Any more I should know about? What are the pros and cons of each one?

You’d have to be living in a cave not to know about Amazon’s Kindle. The library of e-books is extensive, and my novel With Good Behavior has been available on Kindle since its release date HERE

However, I don’t think Kindle is for me since you can’t read PDF’s or library books on it.

Barnes & Noble’s Nook is more appealing to me. From what I understand, there may be fewer e-books available but they seem to be less pricey and you can read non-proprietary books in PDF formats. And, I’m very excited that Omnific Publishing just made With Good Behavior available for the Nook HERE!

I don’t know as much about Sony’s E-Reader but I’ve heard good things from customers.

I’m leaning toward buying the Nook and curling up into a nook in my condo to read e-books galore! But I want to hear your opinion before I lay down the cash. Do you own an e-reader? If not, do you plan to buy one and which one looks most appealing to you? If you own one, how do you feel about your purchase? (typical psychologist “How do you feel” question 🙂

Finally, did you buy the Wi-Fi or 3G version? Pros/Cons?

Thank you! Jennifer Lane

It’s time for Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop.

It’s a tricky business, choosing names for your protagonists and other characters in your novel. I’m guessing it might be akin to choosing a name for your child. After all, our characters sort of feel like our children, don’t they? And just like with baby names, people have wildly varying reactions based on personal preferences and knowing individuals with that name in their lives.

Personally I’m not a big fan of naming one’s son after the father since I believe it might interfere with the son’s identity development. And when my sister named her middle son Dylan James, I blanched when she told me that they’d call him “D.J.”, thinking that name sounded straight out of the TV show Roseanne! (Now that I know and love my nephew Dylan, I’d be fine with the name D.J., by the way).

How did you go about choosing your character names? Did you base it on your favorite names–names you’d like to use for your children someday? (George Costanza wanting to name his daughter “Seven” comes to mind!) Or did you try to infuse meaning into the names?

For my debut novel With Good Behavior, I did a combination of the above. I tried to be thoughtful in choosing the surname of my story’s depraved crime family: Barberi. And for the son of the most vicious, psychotic character associated with that family, I picked the surname Madsen. (Plus, I love the actress Virginia Madsen and needed a Scandinavian name for the storyline).

For my protagonists I simply chose names that I liked: Sophie and Grant. Imagine my surprise when astute reviewer Ana Josefina Borge told me that she loved how the meanings of their names translated into their character strengths (Sophie = wisdom, Grant = great, tall, a gift). I was tempted to pretend that I’d intended that all along but I did fess up that it was a happy accident. 😉

I’m currently reading Seers of Light by Jennifer DeLucy (and thoroughly enjoying it!) and one of her character names caught my eye: Christian Wright. At first I thought this character would be a total goody-two-shoes, but as I get to know Christian, I’m finding that he is very much a multi-faceted character. It seems her sequel Whispers of Light will explore his layers even more in depth.

How did you choose your character names? What are some of your favorite names?

It’s Monday, time for the Meet an Author Monday Blog-Hop! A great chance to meet new authors.

Today I interviewed Nicki Elson, author of the college love-romp Three Daves. See my 4 star review below!

Jennifer Lane (JL): How much did you enjoy your college experience? How did real life translate into fiction?

Nicki Elson (NE): Let’s see…a lot! College is not like any other time of life. It’s that perfect combination of freedom without total responsibility. I think a part of me will always yearn for those days, and that’s what got me to sit down and write this story.

I attended Eastern Illinois University, and anyone who went there, particularly in the 80s, will recognize the campus, the bars, Jimmy Johns. Most buildings and businesses were given fictional names in my story, but the physical descriptions are heavily influenced by my alma mater. The overall story line is original and not in any way autobiographical, buuut there are most definitely bits and pieces of reality scattered throughout—for example, I saw Wang Chung in Daytona in ’87 and once invented a game called Dial-a-Drink. It’s like this, if Three Daves is a delicious smoothie, then my real life experiences are the strawberries—they flavor the story but the end result is something completely different.

JL: (And that strawberry smoothie was delicious.) I think I read on your website about your mother’s horrified reaction to realizing there would be sex scenes in your book. Thankfully my parents have chosen not to discuss the sex scenes I’ve written. Totally awkward! Any advice about dealing with the aftermath of writing intimate romantic scenes?

NE: Ah yes, the inspiration behind my first ever blog post: Should I Have Faded to Black? So, I guess my first bit of advice is to write a blog post to make yourself feel better! Hehe. Actually, the first step is before the book is ever published—make sure you feel good about what’s in there and that it’s justified. People are all going to have their own opinions, and they are entitled to them, but if you know what you wrote was right for the story you wanted to tell, then the negative feedback won’t sting so much.

My mom’s reaction was to be expected, and I don’t blame her in the least. I think I could’ve prepared her a little better before she actually read it. As a result, I think I overly prepare other people. What I’ve heard quite a few times is that the level of detail I get into is nothing compared to a lot of what’s out there, but then they stop and say, “I’m a little surprised you wrote it.” That cracks me up because I’m a little surprised too! But the story required a certain level of intimate detail (for reasons I explain in my blog post), and not one bit of it was gratuitous.

JL: Music is an important part of this story. What are some of your current favorite artists or songs?

NE: Confession: I honestly do still listen to a lot of 80s new wave. It’s great music! But I promise that I did move on in the 90s to Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cranberries, and Pearl Jam, and even though I don’t listed to a lot of new stuff, current bands I enjoy are Dropkick Murphys, Rammstein, and Stone Sour. And I’ll have you know that Madness is still recording new songs and they rock!

JL: What was your journey to publication like?

NE: It was…it was one of those times in my life where God was being very patient with me and then finally had to clunk me over the head with it. I wrote Three Daves a few years ago, simply because I was gripped by the story and wanted to read it, so I wrote it. I did a bit of research into getting published and learned about literary agents and query letters and all that and sent out a few queries—I think twelve. And I hated every minute of that process. It felt like work, and sales is not my forte, but that’s exactly what you have to be gifted at—selling your novel in a one page letter. I revised that letter so many times, but apparently all versions sucked because I didn’t have any luck. And I get it, the agents get so much sent to them and have to think strictly from a marketing point of view. Unknown authors are a big risk, and my story didn’t fall neatly into any pre-packaged category. But that process was killing the joy of writing for me, so I stopped pursuing publication.

I turned back to on-line writing, fanfiction and original, because that’s what I enjoyed doing—writing and sharing my stories. While doing that I entered and won an original fiction contest with my short story, Impressionism 101, and I suppose that’s what caught the attention of Elizabeth Harper, owner of Omnific Publishing. One day I got this amazing e-mail from her telling me that she was starting her own publishing company and that she’d like to see some more of my original work! I read that e-mail about five times trying to believe it was real. She liked what I sent her for Three Daves and after a whirlwind of editing and polishing and cover design and video trailers etc., etc., etc., here we are.

JL: Do you still wear banana clips, leg warmers, o-rings, or ribbon barrettes? 😀

NE: Oh you’re real funny! That would be a resounding NO! But hey, 80s fashions are making a comeback—I’ve seen the legwarmers, so give me about six months and I just may be sporting pair of those. 😉

Thank you for the interview, Nicki, and for the wonderful ride back in time with Three Daves. I loved your book!

Please join us for our Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop.

Cali Cheer Mom (Lisa Sanchez) has all the details (and a lovely review of my novel on 9/28) on her blog.

Three Daves by Nicki Elson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun and Insightful 80’s Romance!

Omnific Publishing released Three Daves in February of 2010, and I recently had the pleasure of reading the novel. Three Daves features Jen, a college student at Central Illinois University, and her travails with three men named Dave. The first sentence draws the reader right in: “Jennifer Whitney was the last American virgin.”

Wow, I really identified with Jen. Not only does she share my name (and doesn’t like to be called Jenny), but she has the same self-doubts I had in college: wanting more experience in bed while feeling nervous about getting said experience, being known as a good girl (Gigi) but drinking too much on occasion, relying on friends and frantically trying to figure out how to resolve conflicts when there are spats, working hard at school, and taking an eternity to realize that this guy is “the one”.

I really thought that Nicki Elson showed a realistic portrayal of college. Sure, we grow intellectually at college, but personal development seems to matter the most during these years. The formation of Jen’s identity was subtle yet strong, aided by the Three Daves along the way. She starts off as a chameleon but grows into a confident young woman who is not afraid to be herself. In terms of which Dave she chose at the end, I was very satisfied. (He was my choice too!)

Here are some of my favorite 80’s references in the book.

* “Cool beans”. I STILL use this phrase!
* Wang Chung playing at Daytona Beach for Spring Break. I must admit that my very first concert was Wang Chung when I went to little sibs’ weekend at Miami University to visit my sister. “Dance Hall Days” is a great song!
* David making Jen cassette tape mixes. Ah, the days of cassett tapes. And such great music . . . “Boys Don’t Cry” by the Cure, “Red Red Wine” by UB40, and bands like the B52’s and Echo & the Bunnymen.
* Perms and banana clips. *snorts*

Overall, a great read!

Stay tuned for my interview with author Nicki Elson tomorrow, when we will discuss 80’s fashion and the fine art of writing sex scenes, hubba hubba.

View all my reviews

My first book signing was a blast! Twenty-seven friends visited (including pals from book club, swimming, and work) and bought almost every book. House Wine was a great location to host the event.

Thank you to Cindy, Sonja, Sharon, Mitch, Shannon, Brian, Beth, Susan, Eric, Joe, Jennifer, Janelle, Colby, Sue, Patty, Lisa, Jan, Jim, Marcie, Sherri, Sherry, Kris, Eileen, Lynne, Barb, and Nicole for attending.

The most shocking result of the evening is that Joe is reading my book! I guess Ohio U. grads really can read. Thank goodness my friends didn’t force me to read aloud passages from the sex chapters, like they were threatening to do. *blushes*

Here are some photos from the event:

I’m still smiling from that very fun evening.

Please stop back to the blog on 9/22/10 when I will be joining the Fall Giveaway. To celebrate upcoming Halloween, I’ll be giving away two vampire books to a winning US resident: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris and The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas.

It’s Monday so you know what THAT means: Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop!

Authors, please join our hop by copying & pasting the button above and the code below to your blog.
Readers, please hop on over to each blog and consider following and leaving a comment!

Here’s a reminder to those in central Ohio about the book signing on Friday, September 17th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at House Wine in Worthington.

I’m really looking forward to hosting my first book signing! I’m also anticipating tasting some varied wines. I wonder if my Jennifer Lane signature will become less legible as the evening wears on? 😉

It’s time for a very important blog post about hair. More specifically, ROMANTIC HERO HAIR. Head hair, facial hair, chest hair . . . I want to hear your thoughts about all of it.

I’m four chapters into writing my current work-in-progress, titled Twin Sacrifice, and my protagonist has luscious long black locks, in a ponytail. Go ahead, you can laugh. (I did.) Long hair on guys tends to make me giggle, but I went for it because his girlish mane is integral to the plot. Now maybe you didn’t laugh, and you actually like the Fabio look on your romantic hero. If so, tell me why, you freak! (I won’t judge, really.)

What kind of hair do you prefer for romantic heroes? I’m a big fan of short, neat, black or dark-brown hair. However, if the hero is delicious in so many other ways, I’m willing to relax my standards. Jamie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series comes to mind. Jamie is a tall eighteenth century Scot with flowing long red hair and intense blue eyes. I typically don’t go for redheads in real life, but Jamie is a tremendous fictional character and oh so fine.

Onto facial hair . . . what’s your favorite look? I love a clean-shaven man wearing a subtle masculine aftershave.

And finally, chest hair: yea or nay? Although I’m not a fan of a forest growing on the guy’s chest, I don’t think I’m quite as picky on this hair “style”. As a former college swimmer, I had the pleasure of ogling some beautiful pectoral muscles that had been smoothly shaved (along with the rest of their bodies). The smooth look was quite nice, but I’ll also take a man with some manly chest hair.

And now we proceed from hero hair to hopping . . .

Authors and Readers! Please join our Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop. Here are INSTRUCTIONS.

Happy Monday to you! This Monday is even happier than usual for me, since it’s a holiday. In addition to our Monday Blog Hop, today I’m interviewing Susan Kaye Quinn, author of the Young Adult romance Life, Liberty, and Pursuit (see post below for my review of this lovely story).

1. What draws you to writing Young Adult novels?
The YA genre is so exciting right now, because it’s wide open – including everything from romance to dystopias. I enjoy writing YA because the characters are discovering who they are and where they fit in the world. I think YA encapsulates a lot of the feelings that people struggle with at any age, but with a fresh perspective because the characters are experiencing it for the first time. And there is so much conflict inherent in coming-of-age stories, they make for great story-telling. Many adults enjoy reading YA (including me!) because of the amazing stories.

(JL note: Don’t know what a dystopia is? I didn’t either. Learn about them here).

2. I understand that you’re currently working on a Middle Grade novel. How is that coming along?
My middle grade science fiction novel, Byrne Risk, is complete! I just finished up the final edits and the manuscript is currently out to agents and an editor I met at the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators) conference this summer. It feels really good to have another novel wrapped up, and I’m keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that it will find a home with a publisher.

3. We’ve already discussed our love of men in uniform *winks*. I loved the added authenticity of David’s Navy experience in Life, Liberty, and Pursuit. Will you tell us about your research for that storyline?
My dad worked for the Navy as a civilian for most of his career, so you could say the Navy’s always been woven into my life. But the research for Life, Liberty, and Pursuit came mostly from the internet, including following a young sailor’s blog about his time in boot camp. Our men and women in service are young and online a lot, just like their civilian peers. One of the most enjoyable parts of this story was making the Navy recruit experience come alive for David and Clayton.

4. To what extent did you know what Eliza was going to choose at the beginning of the story?
I thought I knew how the story was going to end, but it turns out I was completely wrong. This story was very much a “seat of the pants” experience, and I didn’t realize what the ending was going to be until I wrote it! Sometimes I have to write something the wrong way first, and then write it the way it really needs to be. I think it’s part of my writing process in fleshing out the world of my characters.

5. How does your family view your writing?
My husband is amazingly supportive of my writing, even if it perplexes him (he’s an engineer). My kids love that I write stories, but they want me to write more middle grade! In fact, they keep supplying me with plots and characters and insisting that I get started on the stories they want to read. Unfortunately for them, I like to write teen stories as well. I’m deep into a young adult paranormal novel right now, but I’ve promised I’ll write them another middle grade novel when I’m finished.

Thank you for the interview, Sue. Please check out an excerpt and video trailer of her novel Life, Liberty, and Pursuit!

Would you like to network your blog and introduce your work to new readers? Please join us for the blog hop! Find instructions here.