Dazzled and Diamonds!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year and Santa got you all you deserve! I must have been a very good girl this year, as I received the very best present in the world. My two newest nephews were finally brought home to New Zealand from Tsunami-ravaged Samoa. It's been a hard road for all the family, waiting and praying, writing letters and waiting again. But finally they are here! They are amazing, as are their new parents, and I so look forward to all the time we have together in the future. I've felt truly blessed this year...

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Congratulations to Vonnie Davis for winning Rachel Lynne's "A Ring of Lies"

I must admit to being a little green Vonnie! Enjoy : )

Come say hi to Jennifer Schmidlin, tell me what number in the Jewel of the Night series "Dazzled" is - and be in to win an e-copy of her fabulous story! You'll be sorry if you miss the opportunity to win!

(Hint - check out The Wild Rose Press site as some have been missed on this blog!)

In the meantime, here is a peak behind the scenes of what went into the making of Dazzled. Enjoy!

Jennifer - welcome to Novel Natterings. Could you tell us how long it took you to write Dazzled, and what attracted you to the series originally?
I gave myself a little over three months to write Dazzled. The more I thought about the series the more intrigued I became. It hounded me for weeks before I actually sat down and began writing.

How was it writing for a series and how did you come up with your plot?
I enjoyed writing Dazzled because it gave me specific guidelines to follow as well as a creation deadline. I work better under pressure. I'm not a plotter, but after I figured out what I wanted to do with the jewel, everything naturally fell into place. This is actually my second series book. I did not intentionally write my first novel with a series in mind, but The Wild Rose Press added it to their Men in Uniform line.

Was the writing journey smooth and were there any snags along the way, particularly because of the tighter deadline?
This journey started out smooth, but hit some rough terrain along the way. My editor loved the first three chapters, which inspired me to keep going. However, half way through the book she informed me she was moving on to pursue a teaching career. Thankfully, she stuck with me until the end, and made Dazzled her final project.

Do you have a favourite character? (please excuse the Kiwi spelling!) : )
My favorite character is Gerty, the hero's mother who resides in a nursing home. She's a feisty lady, who sadly, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I love her interaction with the heroine, Josie, and how baffled she makes her at times.

Blurb:
Magic? Death by fornication?

Josie Melbourne is not a superstitious woman, but when she is given a blue, heart shaped hunk of glass from a ninety-two year old woman, her life drastically changes. Is it coincidental that moments after she receives the gift, she seduces the elderly woman's son? And in a bathroom of all places?

Travis Bramble has loved Josie for months, but she barely tolerates his presence. A prudish demeanor often accompanied her to the rest-home during visiting hours, but the evening she rubs her cute little behind against his groin, things begin changing…for his benefit.

Excerpt:
“Hi, Gerty, where’s mom?”
“Shush. They'll hear you, child.”
Not again! Josie pulled a chair beside Gerty and sat down. In case she needed to make a quick exit, she left her coat on. “Gerty?” She lowered her voice. “Gerty, I want to apologize for what happened yesterday with Travis. You know…” she nudged her head toward the bathroom. “In there. My behavior was inappropriate.”
Slowly, Gerty turned her head and looked into Josie’s eyes. A big, toothless grin formed across her mouth. “You don't need to apologize.” She patted Josie’s hand. “I understand, child. It was the jewel.”
“What jewel? You mean the heart?”
“Yes. I told you it’s magical. It made you do those things to my son.”
Josie understood Gerty’s superstitions, but she refused to play along today. She opened her purse and removed the heart from the bottom. Why was it so warm when it'd been sitting in cold leather? “I can't keep this.” Maybe it does have special powers. No, it doesn't. Carefully, she took Gerty’s frail hand and placed the piece in the center of her palm. Think about it, Josie. What if it did? Let’s just take for instance, you hated Travis, but you seduced him almost the instant you dropped it in your pocket. Stop it! It’s a little piece of glass. Got it! “It belongs to you. Pass it onto your son. It should stay in your family.”
Gerty scowled. “I told you, men cannot possess the gem. Bad things will happen.”
“Like?”
The elder woman moved closer, took hold of Josie’s arm with a firm grip, and whispered, “It turns them into animals. They have their way with women and can't stop. They've been known to fornicate themselves to death.”

Buy Link: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=172_196&products_id=4352