Book Blast & Interview: Going Under by@jeffekennedy

 

 

Going Under

Falling Under Trilogy

Book One

Jeffe Kennedy

Genre: Erotic Romance

Book Description:

Knowing all too well the damage online trolls can inflict, game designer Emily Bartwell takes privacy seriously. Living in solitude and working remotely under a male alias gives her a sense of security. The sexy writer renting the house next door ignites desires she’d forgotten she had, and when he invites her to play games of a very different sort, Em is ready and willing. Even if it means breaking all her own rules to abide by his.

Undercover tech reporter Fox Mullins is so close to the biggest scoop of his career: finding the elusive programmer Phoenix. An increasingly erotic adventure with his reserved but passionate new neighbor is the ideal way to heat up the chilly Pacific Northwest nights as he tracks the brilliant gamer.

At first Fox is happy to help Em explore her newly awakened kinky side, no holds barred, no strings attached. But as they push the limits of intimacy, both physical and emotional, Fox discovers he’s not the only one keeping secrets. And revealing hers may mean betraying the one woman who embodies everything he desires.

 

Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

I really wanted to be a zoo veterinarian for a long time, then I got talked into thinking about being a physician instead. I did the pre-med thing in college, then decided on being a research scientist instead and went to grad school for a PhD in neurophysiology. I only figured out I wanted to be a writer MUCH later!

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?

A long time back – in the late 90s, I think – I received a fellowship to a writers residency at the Ucross Foundation. (http://www.ucrossfoundation.org/residency-program/) That was the first time that anyone introduced me as a writer and everyone there only knew me as a writer and I was there only to write. It was an amazing experience.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

My first book was an essay collection called “Wyoming Trucks, True Love and the Weather Channel.” It didn’t take all that long, considering that I took my first writing class in ’96 and the book came out in early 2004. After that, I didn’t have another publication that wasn’t a short in a magazine until 2010 (Petals and Thorns) and my first novel (Rogue’s Pawn) was in 2012 – that felt like a very long time.

Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?

I do. I work from home for an environmental consulting firm based out of Boston. That’s the science degree coming in handy. I’m actually this very niche expert on drinking water.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

Going Under! About a woman who is a designer of role-playing games who assumes a secret identity to hide from misogynistic trolls and the investigative reporter determined to unmask her.

Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?

This one is from Carina Press. I also publish with Kensington currently and have pubbed with Loose Id and Ellora’s Cave in the past. I have a couple of self-published stories, too – ones where the rights reverted to me.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?

It depends on the length. I can write an ~80K novel in two months. One that’s ~128K like the one I just finished, the third book in my Twelve Kingdoms trilogy, took me three months.

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

Right now I’m writing mainly in fantasy, fantasy romance and erotic romance. I think I’ll keep down that path for a while.

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?

I have a dedicated office in my house with a hydraulic desk I can either sit at or walk on the treadmill as I work. I love to walk while drafting.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

Not by any stretch. If reviewers tag me, I’ll look. Though one gal tagged me with a SCATHING review and I wasn’t sure why! L For the most part, I think reviews are for readers and not really my business. Mostly I’ll skim the “biggies” or ones where I’m tagged, so I can quote or share them.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?

I almost always have the title first. Sometimes my publishers want to change it, but I almost always still think of the book by the name I first gave it.

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books? Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?

Names mean a lot to me and I usually choose by their meaning – either overt or more archaic/historical. Sometimes I use placeholders as I write, like [silent one], until I figure out what the name should be. That means I have to get to know the character better. In Book 2 of my Twelve Kingdoms series (The Tears of the Rose) I had the hero named [silent one] almost until the entire thing was drafted. It took me that long to figure out his history and story. With other characters, like Fox in Going Under, I knew his name first and found out more about him as it went along.

Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?

Definitely as I go along. I’m very much a write-for-discovery type of writer and I don’t feel like I make up characters. Instead they feel like real people who I get to know as I ride around in their heads for a while.

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")

No. I think morals get in the way of a good story. That said, I think my values come through.

Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?

I love them all! But I like eBooks because they don’t take up shelf space.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?

It depends on the book and the vision of the director. The one movie that I think improved on the book is “A Room with a View.” Seeing the movie actually helped me understand the book, which is saying something, I think. Worst? Too many to choose from!

Your favorite food is?

Can I pick wine?

Your favorite singer/group is?

So many! But I’ll say Pink.

Your favorite color is?

Green

 

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author with a writing career that spans decades. Her works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including Redbook.

Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion, and an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera, which released beginning January 2, 2014. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and a fifth, the highly anticipated erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, will release starting in July.

She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com, every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog, on Facebook, and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy. She is represented by Foreword Literary.

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