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Bad Behavior Excerpt

As I head into a day filled with psychotherapy clients, I decided to share a brief excerpt from Bad Behavior (The Conduct Series #2).

In an unconventional move, Sophie and Grant’s parole officer ordered the naughty parolees into couples counseling sessions with psychologist Dr. Hunter Hayes. Here, they process a lovers’ spat after Sophie falsely accused Grant of betraying her:


“So what have we learned here today, people?” Hunter asked. “This isn’t the first time one of you has been so upset that you’ve left your partner feeling rejected and panicked. What did you learn?”
Sophie sniffled again. “We need to communicate,” she said quietly.
“What was that?” Hunter mocked, dramatically drawing his cupped palm to his ear. “What did you say?”
“We need to communicate!” Sophie shouted, earning a chuckle from Grant.

Yes, good communication is essential for any relationship. Too bad it’s so damn tough!

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BLURBS!

Why do authors complain about writing summaries of their novels for the book jacket?
Because it’s TOUGH. Waaaah!

A good blurb captures the voice of the novel. It entices the reader without giving too much away.

We’re starting to edit my fourth novel On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3), and we need the book blurb for a press release.

Here was my first effort at writing the blurb:

On Best Behavior is the third and final book in The Conduct Series—romantic suspense with a psychological twist. Following a pardon by the Governor of Illinois, ex-cons Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen are free to pursue their love. But planning a wedding is never easy, especially when the Russian Mafia want you dead.
Grant fights the forces that have hurt his loved ones by working undercover for the FBI to infiltrate the Russian Mafia in Chicago. Sophie dives into swimming with Grant’s nephew Ben, and into a career as a psychology professor. This time it’s Ben’s turn to heal through therapy sessions with Dr. Hunter Hayes.
Too bad the Russians aren’t their only threat. Grant’s father Enzo Barberi discovers it was Grant who thwarted his plan to break out of prison. Enzo possesses an overdeveloped sense of vengeance and ****. It’s unclear who will kill Grant first—the Russians or his Italian family—until Sophie scrambles to save her fiancé. Can love win over evil?


The good news is that blurb writing does get easier with practice. The bad news is that this blurb felt disjointed. So I turned to my trusty editor Jessica Royer Ocken for help. Her first suggestion was to eliminate the clause represented by **** because it gave too much away. Whoops!

Here is what Jessica came up with, which I like much better:

Following a pardon by the Governor of Illinois, ex-cons Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen are finally free to pursue their love and the life that lies ahead for them. But planning a wedding is never easy—especially when the Russian Mafia wants you dead.
Nevertheless, On Best Behavior—the third and final book in The Conduct Series—finds our favorite couple moving forward, despite the odds. Grant now fights the forces that have hurt his loved ones by working undercover for the FBI, and he has infiltrated the Russian Mafia in Chicago. Sophie dives into swimming with Grant’s nephew, Ben, and into her career as a psychology professor. Thankfully, now it’s Ben’s turn to heal through therapy sessions with Dr. Hunter Hayes.
With so many things going right for Grant and Sophie, it’s too bad the Russians aren’t their only threat. When Grant’s father, Enzo Barberi, discovers his own son thwarted his plan to break out of prison, his overdeveloped sense of vengeance flares to life. As Sophie scrambles to save her fiancé, it’s impossible to say who will kill Grant first—the Russians or his Italian family. Can love triumph over evil? Are hard work and a pledge to be on best behavior ever enough? 
Once again, author Jennifer Lane brings a harrowing tale of romantic suspense with a psychological twist, and it’s sure to leave readers breathless. 

Authors, how difficult do YOU find the blurb writing process? Readers, what types of blurbs are your favorite?
Nocover-blank-133x176   And soon we’ll work on a book cover, too. 🙂
On Best Behavior

by
Jennifer Lane

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Happy Times

Happy March to you! It’s still cold in Ohio, but I’m hoping the spring thaw happens soon. I planted some bulbs in the front of my condo last fall and I’m curious if they’ll appear. (My thumb isn’t exactly green.)

Now to share a few happy events in my writing career:

1) I’m under contract for my fourth novel with Omnific Publishing! On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3) will be the third and final novel in my romantic suspense trilogy, which tracks the journey of two ex-cons falling in love and running from the Mafia. It feels wonderful to finish a series.

With Good Behavior (The Conduct Series #1) and Bad Behavior (The Conduct Series #2)

I can almost visualize the cover for On Best Behavior, and I can’t wait to see what my publisher creates. If you want to add On Best Behavior to your Goodreads TBR shelf, go HERE.

2) I’ll be a featured author at the New Adult Sleepover Weekend. One of my sisters lives near Hilton Head, so the Savannah, Georgia location is perfect for me.

This gathering of authors and readers will take place 12/6/13, hosted by Stella Price and Damaris from Good Choice Reading. Check HERE for more info.

I look forward to discussing my mature YA/NA novel Streamline with readers.

3) Streamline‘s turning one year old. Stay tuned next week for the Book Birthday Bash, with over 20 blogs signed up March 25-29. Details are HERE.

Finally, I meet with my tax preparer today. Gathering bundles of paperwork crap isn’t so happy, but getting a return will be! Have you done your taxes yet?

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Follower Love Giveaway Hop

I looooove my followers! To celebrate YOU, I’m jumping on the Follower Love Giveaway Hop, hosted by the illustrious Kathy at I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Nicole at The Reader’s Antidote.

Want an iTunes gift card or a Jennifer Lane ebook of your choice? Just enter using the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveawayShow some love to these participating blogs!

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Seriously Series Reading Challenge

Sufferin’ Succotash, it’s the Seriously Series Reading Challenge!
(read the above with a lisp)

Thank you to Amanda at On a Book Bender and Kelly at Reading the Paranormal for hosting this challenge! I participated in their Summer Series 2012 Challenge, and this this is an expanded version.
I just finished writing my first and only romantic suspense trilogy — The Conduct Series — and I’m a huge fan of series, from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series to Paullina Simon’s The Bronze Horseman Series to Stephanie Perkins YA Series.
For this challenge, I’ll focus on two categories:
1) Series started before 2013
2) Series started during 2013
My goal is 1-6 series in each (gotta leave time for two careers!), putting me in the Semi-Serious distinction.
Want to join us? Visit Kelly HERE.
And now it’s time to bounce on the Omnific Author Blog Bounce! Join us at Omnific.

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Bad Boy Rehab Hop Giveaway

Bad Boy Rehab Hop

January 10 – January 17, 2013
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Book Hookup
We tried giving up Bad Boys for our New Year’s Resolution…..
but try to make me go to rehab and I said no no no. 
Bad Boy (n.) person
1. A guy who has many characteristics of a naughty, naughty boy.
OMG let the drooling begin.
2. A heartbreaker with a five o’clock shadow.
Rawrrrrrr!
3. Independent and willful. Does what he wants when he wants. Never follow trends, they follow him.
4. Someone that’s not looking for trouble, but there’s a serious sense of danger about him.
We love danger!

Usable Note: A bad boy is a gorgeous man with MANY layers and is INSANELY irresistible to women.
 *raises hands*… YES PLEASE!

While I’m at the age where good boys tend to hold more appeal, I definitely understand the allure of a man who’s strong, willful, risky, and HAWT. 

The heroine of my romantic suspense series, psychologist Sophie Taylor, falls for such a bad man — Logan Barberi. He’s a tall, brooding, Italian; a gambling addict who seems to possess many secrets, including a criminal background. Bad boy’s got issues. And whoops, Logan is Sophie’s psychotherapy client so she DEFINITELY shouldn’t be falling for him. But how can she resist?

I’m giving away two ebooks of my novel With Good Behavior (The Conduct Series #1) so you can get to know Logan better. The handcuffs on the cover say it all.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the bad boys across the blogoverse!

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Best of 2012 Giveaway

Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer blog is at it again hosting another awesome giveaway…

The Best of 2012 Giveaway, featuring our favorite reads of 2012.

Because I write both YA and adult books, I’ve chosen my favorite from each genre.

Favorite YA Book: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Any book that makes me cry is A-OK with me, and this book elicited so many tears!

Here’s my REVIEW of Pushing the Limits.

Favorite Adult Book: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The twists in this thriller are jaw-dropping. I love how Gillian Flynn manipulates the reader.

Here’s my REVIEW of Gone Girl.

To enter, simply complete the Rafflecopter form. Hop over to all participating blogs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Look! The Next Best Thing!

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.