Tag: Nicki Elson

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What I Do and Why I Do It

Jennifer Lane

Thank you to my friendly, funny critique partner Nicki Elson for tagging me to answer four writerly questions! (That’s her gorgeous self, on the left.) Nicki is the author of 80’s romp Three Daves and sexy angel story Divine Temptation. And I’m really stoked for the upcoming release of her hilarious chick lit, tentatively titled Vibrizzio (a buzzing Italian lover hehe).

Onto the questions…

What am I working on?

I’m nearing the finish line of writing Blocked, a college volleyball romance. Spike! The story features a forbidden romance between the offspring of candidates for US President: Lucia Ramirez, daughter of the Republican nominee, and Dane Monroe, son of the Democratic nominee.  Lucia and Dane are freakishly tall scholarship volleyball players who think the opponent’s political philosophy is FAIL. But they can’t deny their attraction to each other.

Swimmer Matt Grevers, who’s 6’8″, inspired the character of Dane Monroe:

Yummy.


How does my writing differ from others in its genre?

As a psychologist, I like to bring a psycho element to romance by including mental health diagnoses and therapy scenes. In Blocked, I gave Lucia an eating disorder and Dane an alcohol problem. (Tee hee.) Naturally, I threw them into some much needed therapy with a sport psychologist.

Why do I write what I do?

I write romance because of all the feels. It makes my heart skip when characters kiss! And I write stories of healing and redemption because I love to witness them every day. I want to inspire readers to overcome emotional pain in order to reach new heights.

How does my writing process work?

Recently I’ve relied less on an outline, instead letting the characters lead the way. It’s so helpful to share each chapter with critique partners…making writing more social is motivational for me. My one complaint about my process: it’s SLOW. Waah. I wish it could go faster.

And now I get to tag four authors so they can tell us what they do and why they do it. I tag:

***Darcia Helle***

***Elisa Dane***

***Matthew Alan***

***Lisette Brodey***


Please stop by next week (6/4) for the Insecure Writers Support Group. I need your advice for self-publishing!

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The #GrownAssMan Tour: Celebrating Real Men

Jennifer Lane

Tired of angsty, premature boys? Want a real MAN? Become a fan of a grown-ass man, and join us for the tour!


Visit the Omnific Publishing blog to enter the grand giveaway HERE. You can win a $50 gift card plus a great ebook collection! You can also enter my giveaway at the end of the post.

These Omnific authors, led by Nicki Elson, love grown up men.

Amber Belldene, author of the Blood Vine Series
Autumn Markus, author of The Art of Appreciation
Feather Stone, author of The Guardian’s Wildchild
Jennifer Lane, author of the CONduct Series
Julianna Keyes, author of Just Once
Nicki Elson, author of Divine Temptation 
Rachel Brimble, author of 16 Marsden Place

Check out their posts extolling the virtues of the scrumptious adult men they love to write, and you can download their grown up adventures for only $.99 – $2.99.

My grown-ass man is Grant Madsen from The Conduct Series (With Good Behavior only $.99, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior). He’s a thirty-year-old ex Navy lieutenant whose Mafia family forced him to commit a crime, landing him in prison for two years. You’d think his family would cut him a break after that misfortune, but once Grant is on parole, they continue pursuing him. Good thing he meets gorgeous fellow parolee Sophie Taylor. She gives Grant a reason to keep fighting.

Grant Madsen

Grant is a beta hero. Packed inside his tall, lean body is a nature that’s thoughtful, gentle, and kind. He doesn’t try to dominate women, but knows how to respect and honor them. He struggles with self doubt as a result of physical abuse by his father. But don’t threaten Grant or his love Sophie. He will come at you with everything he’s got.

Grant’s expressive character leads me to honor the vulnerability of men in my post:


Grown-Ass Men Have Feelings Too

Feelings, whoa-oh-oh feelings…

How do you feel when you see a man cry? Some people feel uncomfortable, and perhaps judge him as weak. “What a wuss!” some might say. “He’s not following the stoic man code.”

I have a different reaction to men crying: I applaud them for bravely facing their emotions. You see, we all experience feelings (even men!) — we just vary in how we express them. We socialize boys not to cry or show any vulnerability, and they learn quickly how to “be a man”. 

But as a therapist, I’ve witnessed quite a few boys and men cry as they heal from emotional pain. Experiencing these feelings doesn’t kill them or weaken them. Instead, men seem to grow stronger from the freedom to explore the gamut of feelings inside of them. Emotion precedes change, and crying can be a wonderful relief for both genders.

In his book Real Boys, author William Pollack outlines the narrow range of qualities we accept in the male gender: tough, stoic, unemotional, athletic, strong. 

But what about the boys who don’t like to play sports? What about the ones who show tenderness and caring? They get called cruel names, and try to stuff down their true natures to fit in.

When boys become men, they feel ill-equipped to manage relationships. If their partners ask how they’re feeling, they may have no idea. They want to run the hell out of there.

My inspiration for Grant Madsen was actor Wentworth Miller, who portrays convincing emotion in his characters, possibly related to his own pain from trying to fit in as a gay man in a straight world. I find him damn sexy when he cries!


How do you feel about men crying? What are your thoughts about men expressing feelings?

Leave a comment with your email address, and you can enter my giveaway for a $10 Amazon gift card and The Conduct Series bookmarks.

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Author Celebration! #IWSG

Jennifer Lane

While all of us get mired in insecurities now and then, I think there’s a lot to celebrate about being an author, like NEW RELEASES.

Our own Ninja Captain and creator of IWSG Alex J. Cavanaugh launched book three in his Cassa series: Cassa Storm!


We’re proud of him for finishing his first series–what an accomplishment. Buy it HERE.

I love how my pub sister Nicki Elson challenges herself with new writing projects, like this zombie fairytale Hans & Greta, coming soon! Great job, Nicki.


Another talented pub sister Carol Oates designed that creepy cover. Well done, Carol!

Finally, I read a wonderful author blog post last month that I wanted to link to for the Insecure Writers Support Group, but alas, I can’t find it now. The gist of the message was that your book might not be a best-seller…it might not receive critical acclaim…but it is YOUR story, and therefore it is important.

We write books the way only we know how — each novel is a unique creation to celebrate. Sometimes we get wrapped up in comparing ourselves to others, instead of appreciating our special author voice and the opportunity to share that story with the world.

Speaking of unique, Nicki, Carol, and I have our leading men engaged in a Book Boyfriend SMACKDOWN (don’t ask). If you have extra time *laughs* and want to vote for our guys, please hop over to Love Between the Sheets HERE.

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IWSG: Nicki Elson’s Divine Temptation

Jennifer Lane

The more insecure you are, the more you the devil can tempt you (or something like that).

Welcome to June’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group, started by Alex Cavanaugh! Author Nicki Elson introduced me to IWSG and has helped me with quite a few of my own insecurities through her warmth and support.

When I discovered Nicki wrote a paranormal romance, I was nervous. One of my insecurities is that I seem to be one of the few readers who’s not into paranormal.

But happily, I LOVED Nicki’s book Divine Temptation! A book about angels and demons seems more spiritual and less paranormal to me, I guess. And I do enjoy romance novels.

Hop over to Nicki’s BLOG where I interview her about her insecurities, and stick around to read my review of her fantastic novel!

Divine TemptationDivine Temptation by Nicki Elson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deep and Affirming

Nicki Elson, author of the fun and flirty college romp Three Daves, heads in a different direction for this adult spiritual romance. I loved the realistic characters, the suspense, and the deep questions this novel provokes.

Maggie Brock is reeling after her husband Carl divorced her. Together they have a daughter Kirsten and a son Liam, and Maggie has to figure out how to proceed as a single mother. She takes a job as administrative assistant at her Catholic church, and tries to tolerate Carl’s new girlfriend establishing a relationship with her children.

Nightly dreams of an angel visiting her bedroom intrigue her, until she awakes one night and realizes this male angel is real. Quiet, lean, and handsome, he invites Maggie to give him a name: Evan. It’s not clear why God sent Evan to protect Maggie, but it is clear she is in some sort of danger. Eek!

Complicating matters is the arrival of a prissy, suspicious priest to oversee the workings of the church, aka the Monsignor. Maggie gets bad vibes from him. Is he the malevolent force Evan is supposed to thwart? When Maggie runs into the monsignor and he questions her, she keeps Evan secret.

For all she knew, the monsignor would attempt to incarcerate Evan E.T. style to study him.

Ha! Maggie struggles with her attraction to Evan, knowing God would disapprove of her getting it on with one of His angels. I have a little crush on Evan too, I must admit. Poor Maggie!

Evan provides this heavenly advice: “Stop trying to control what you feel and just feel it. Trust.”

Meanwhile, ex-husband Carl woos Maggie back into bed. I wonder how common it is for divorced couples to sneak sex again? That happened in a recent read Blue Shoe but I enjoyed Divine Temptation far more than Blue Shoe. Maggie and Carl’s sexy reunion leads her to think that maybe they can make it work again, until Carl bursts her bubble. Their ensuing argument is painful to read:

“You know what?” Maggie fumed. “Thank you, Carl. Thank you for reminding me of all the reasons we didn’t work. You’re absolutely right—we’re so much better apart. Because you never ever did anything wrong. Ever. I t was just mean old Maggie telling you things were wrong. I just made it up in my crazy, little mind, but really, you were perfect in every way.”

I love the shades of grey in the characters. Maggie’s no saint–she’s just trying to do her best–which makes her imminently likable. I’m impressed how Evan comes across as both sweet and powerful, matching my view of divinity. Kirsten is a whiny pre-teen who pushes the limits like a teenager but needs those limits like a child, and Liam adores video games like Mario Bros. Maggie’s friend Sharon is direct and funny. Even Father Tom and the Monsignor have their obvious faults.

The plot twists and turns, leading to a creepy showdown between good and evil. This is one of my favorite quotes from the story:

“You might not believe in the devil, but do you believe evil lurks in this world?”

Wow, that gets to me. I view God as a loving force, and at times I question the presence of hell and the devil. But I have witnessed evil in this world–no question.

You can tell how much this angel story affected me. I encourage you to let Maggie and Evan into your heart as well!

View all my reviews

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Birthday Bash with Splash: Day Five

Jennifer Lane

Thank you to divine author Nicki Elson for coining the title above!

Well, the party’s almost over. *cries* My gratitude extends to all the lovely bloggers who hosted and to all of the awesome guests for the Streamline Book Birthday Bash. I hope you win a copy of Streamline!

Here are today’s hosts, and you can enter the giveaway at any of their blogs:

Friday 3/29

Actin’ Up With Books blog

Author Trisha Wolfe’s YA Bound blog

My Bookish Fairy Tale blog

Author Nicki Elson’s Not-So-Deep-Thoughts blog

A special shout-out to Ava from Book Nerds Anonymous for casting these actors in the lead roles for Streamline. I love both of her choices!

    and  

Leo                                    Audrey

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Nicki Elson’s Divine Temptation

Jennifer Lane

It’s a special day for my pub sister and friend Nicki Elson–the release of her novel Divine Temptation!

Isn’t that cover divine? I loved Nicki’s first novel, Three Daves, a sexy 80’s college romp (see my review).  Check out the blurb for Divine Temptation:

Maggie Brock has everything under control. Even her divorce, though painful at the time, only registers as a minor blip in her carefully constructed universe. Her life in Prairie Oaks has once again returned to a smooth, predictable pace…until an angel shows up in her bedroom.


The angel is just as bewildered as Maggie about why he’s been sent to her, but their unsuccessful efforts to gain understanding of the mystery fade to the background as their relationship grows. Soon, Maggie’s biggest problem becomes the angel himself, as her feelings for him develop into something less than saintly.


While Maggie struggles to keep her desires pure, a nefarious being lurks in the shadows of Prairie Oaks, watching and waiting for the opportunity to fulfill his ambiguous purpose. Preying on her conflicted emotions, the demon manipulates her at every opportunity, but the one to deliver Maggie directly into his hands is the last person she’d expect.



Get it HERE.

It’s also Day Two of the Streamline Book Birthday Bash. Head over to these blogs for reviews, interviews, and giveaways.

Tuesday 3/26
Paulette’s Papers blog
Author Cherie Colyer’s blog
Mich’s Book Reviews blog 
Author Kelsey Ketch’s Book Nook blog 
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Back From the Future Blog Hop

Jennifer Lane

I love my pub sister Nicki Elson. She’s joining Suz and M Pax to host this fun blog hop!


We’re heading to the year 2023, back from the future style:


You’re up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven’t brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you … from you.

You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox — sent from ten years in the future — and it’s filled with items you have sent yourself.

What’s in it?

What’s in my time capsule, from the year 2023?

1) A swimsuit from the future. You think Speedo’s material is “fast-skin” now? Just wait!


2) A photo of the man I marry at age 50 (once I’m ready to settle down). If he has eyes similar to Wentworth Miller’s, I wouldn’t complain!


3) A treatment that cures obesity, to improve health and decrease bullying:


4) A copy of my New Adult romance novel (which I’ve yet to write) that really connects with readers:


What’s in YOUR time capsule? Check out what these bloggers have to say:

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Look! The Next Best Thing!

Jennifer Lane

Author Darcia Helle sure is creating a lot of work for me on the blog. 😉 First she tagged me for The Next Best Thing Blog Challenge. Then she tagged me AGAIN for the U Got the Look Blog Challenge.

Both challenges involve my work-in-progress On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3).

Author Gail Baugniet started The Next Best Thing HERE. The rules are:

Answer 10 questions about my current WIP (Work-In-Progress)

What is the working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I decided to follow Gail by posting my answer to one question a week, with the hope of finishing the manuscript in ten weeks.

Sadly the past two weeks have been epic FAIL for me and I’ve forgotten to post my answers among all the giveaways I’ve been hosting. (And another giveaway starts tomorrow–stay tuned).  So, I’m answering three questions today to catch up.

4) Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Actor Wentworth Miller is my absolute celebrity crush–he’s an easy pick to play Grant Madsen. I can’t remember this actress’s name but I can totally see her as Sophie Taylor.

Thanks to Julie from A Tale of Many Reviews for framing these photos!

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Planning a wedding is never easy, especially when the Russian Mafia want you dead.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Neither–it will be published (I hope!) by Omnific Publishing, a small publisher I lurve.

And now onto U Got the Look!

The Look is a writing prompt, a game, another tagging event. This is how U Got “The Look” works: you take your current manuscript, search for the word “look”, and post the surrounding paragraphs. Lastly, you tag 5 blogging authors who you think will be a good choice for the game.

(I use the word “look” approximately 20,000 times in each manuscript so this should be no problem.)

Sophie looked into his worried blue eyes and reached for his hand. “Grant, I have absolutely no qualms about marrying you. I’d do it today if we could.”
“Then let’s just go to the courthouse right now.”
She grimaced. “You know I’d love that, but my dad would kill me. No, we’ll do it this summer, like we planned. We’ll do the big church wedding.” She turned back to the door.
He tugged at her hand, drawing her to face him again. “Sophie, talk to me.”
“It’s just…” She sighed. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Pastor Tom, and…do you know anyone whose marriage is actually happy, Grant? We love each other, but who’s to say we won’t turn out like our parents?”
He flinched. “There’s no way we could be as bad as my parents.”
“But they were in love once too, right? Your dad even sang to your mom at their wedding.”
“I guess you could say they were in love once, before my father showed his true colors.” His eyes darkened. “But Sophie, we’re different from them. I’m not an alcoholic, for one thing.”
Her lips curled into a faint smile. Their psychologist Hunter’s insistence that Grant was not his father had finally gotten through to him. “You’re not a child abuser either.”
“Though Ben sure tempts me sometimes.”
Sophie’s grin widened. Grant joking about the trials of helping to parent his nephew, instead of freezing up at the mere mention of child abuse, definitely indicated his progress in counseling.

 
And now I tag 5 author friends to get the “look”. No worries if you’ve already participated.

And finally, please join us on the Omnific Publishing Author, Author Blog Bounce! Instructions are HERE.