Interview and Giveaway with Jayne Rylon

Maidens, today we have with us the wonderful Jayne Rylon.  She's the author of some pretty amazing series that you shouldn't miss, like the Powertools, Compass Brothers, Red Light among others.  Please help us give her a warm welcome to UTC!  And we had a chance to catch up with Jayne Rylon and ask her what she does under the covers, here's what she had to say...

Samhain is releasing NORTHERN EXPOSURE and SOUTHERN COMFORT in one print book called LOVE'S COMPASS in September. For a newbie that hasn't had the chance to read the series yet, what can you tell us about it? 

It's hot!!! LOL Okay, that's a safe bet for any of my books. The Compass Brothers is a great series that has an overarching family theme to the four books in addition to the smoking hot individual stories of each brother. I am proud of what Mari and I were able to produce together.

The POWERTOOLS series came about from a dare. What is your favorite thing about writing these now? 

Yes! Damn those International Heat authors. They challenged me to write a book with FIVE guys. And I'm so glad they did. I like the variety that comes from a larger group and the way I can have the characters interact. There's something for everyone I think! That's what I like best.

HAMMER IT HOME is coming out next month. What can readers expect from it? 

This is the final (sort of) Powertools book. It's a little different because there's no central hero/heroine. The book bounces between couples introduced in the earlier books sort of like a soap opera based around the Crew. There is a little more drama and emotional stuff in this one as I said goodbye (sort of) to some of my favorite characters. But I think that you'll be happy with what's coming next. The Crew will definitely cameo in my next series, Hot Rods, coming from Samhain next year. Two of the guys are introduced in detail in this book (you might remember them as the ice fishing friends from Nailed to the Wall) and they learn a lot when they walk in on the crew one day... A whole new way of thinking to take back to their garage and the gang of mechanics there.

Is there a particular couple that is close to your heart from of the books you've written? 

All my characters are special to me but I think Star and Rick from the Red Light series are two of my favorites. I think Star is the essence of the culture I saw in Amsterdam on my research trips and it's a city I really loved to visit. So for me, these books are partially a really interesting memento of my travels.

Do you have a funny or interesting story about any type of research you've had to do to write a book?

Ummm, yes. But maybe we should save the really good ones for in person discussions :) Come find me at my next conference or book signing and we can chat! I will say though, that I've been to every place I've ever written about in a book. I like to incorporate my travels in books. Shifting Gears in China is one of my favorite examples of that. Amsterdam and the Red Light series are too.

You are also working on another anthology with Lorelei James and Jess Dee, to follow THREE'S COMPANY. Anything you can share with us about that? 

I'm so thrilled Lorelei rounded up the gang for another go. Well, she's a bit of a party pooper and dared me (see this is a theme, everyone knows I can't resist a dare) to write a straight m/f a little more mainstream than most of my current releases. The anthology is called Two to Tango and all three books are m/f. My story is Where There's Smoke and I really love the way it turned out. It's a more traditional romance with a little mystery/suspense subplot. It starts with the heroine rescuing her elderly next door neighbor from a house fire. There is a lot of my home town in this one so it was really fun. My parent's neighbor's house caught on fire last summer and when I was back there for Christmas the whole thing sparked some great inspiration ideas. Almost all of the characters are named after my parent's neighbors and people I know (shhh, don't tell them) and the heroine's house is essentially the one I grew up in. So, there you have some trivia :)

Can you give us a peek into the day of a writer? Do you write every day? If so, for how long? 

Well, that's a good question. I'd like to know myself since I'm not a full time writer yet! For me... I wake up at 5:30, try to answer any emails from overnight then write 1000 words before I head off to my job where I'm a manager of corporate finance (bo-ring!). By the time I get home... well, I'm lucky to eat dinner with my husband before I zip upstairs, haul out my laptop and dig in. I usually do some fan interaction stuff (this is code for I play I facebook and twitter for a bit) and do other promotion work or attend to the business of writing (contracts, etc). Around 8 or 9PM depending on how late I got in from work, I'll usually start writing again. There are a lot of nights that I write late into the night when my husband is sleeping next to me. It's not uncommon to have nights where I put my laptop on the nightstand and crash long after midnight and get up again at 5:30 the next morning. On the weekends, I try to write a minimum of 5K per day. Essentially I work about 18 hours a day, every day. I watch VERY little tv. Like... one hour every month or so (although So you think you can dance tempts me but I DVR it and fast forward to just the dancing). So... yes, I try to write every day. I have to if I'm going to make my deadlines. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dreaming of the day when I have just one job though!

Do you have any new projects you are currently working on? 

Oh yeah! There is so much new stuff in the hopper it's not even funny. I can't wait to get working on them all. Thank you to everyone who has supported my books and made it possible to keep telling stories. So... for the rest of this year, we already talked about Hammer it Home out next month. Then in October is Where There's Smoke. December will be the release of Healing Touch, the sequel to Dream Machine, my very first book! I can't wait to go back to that world. Dream Machine was a device bondage book with a medical theme. I'm thinking the next in the Play Doctor series will be the same. Then next year will be chock full of goodies. I have at least six books I can talk about now... Three of the Hot Rods will be out next year: King Cobra, Mustang Sally and Super Nova will all feature hot mechanics and their even hotter cars. Plus group play will be a heavy component. This is where the Crew will be coming to visit. Plus Mari and I are writing more Compass books! The first two of the set of four Compass Girls books will be out next year too. Mari is kicking it off with Seth's daughter in February in a book called Winter's Thaw and I'll follow is Silas and Sam's daughter in Hope Spings. Also, last but not least, the fourth Men in Blue book, Spread Your Wings will be out in 2013 too. It will be Jambrea, Matt and Clint's story so get ready for a hot cop menage! I'm trying to sneak in a few other things but... you know... that whole day job thing... :)

You write some steamy sex scenes! Do you ever find yourself looking over your shoulder as you write one out because you know it's "too sexy"? Have you ever had had to cut down or remove certain parts of a love scene? If so, can I read the original? 

Hmmm... nope. Can't say as I ever have that problem. Maybe I should have some kind of filter but... no. The only time I get really squeamish is when my mom asks to read my books. (The answer is still no mom). I think partly because I write at night in the dark (or in the morning in the dark) it's just me and the words. I sort of forget other people are going to read them until it's too late and they're out there. Oopsy!

We are asking authors participating in Burning Up July to share a favorite drink recipe with readers. Do you have one you'd like to share? 

I am allergic to alcohol... so, I drink Shirley Temples. Seven up and grenadine please.

What authors are on your must buy list? Suzanne Brockmann, Cindy Gerard, Cara McKenna, Sandra Brown, Elizabeth Lowell, Lora Leigh, Jaci Burton, Jambrea Jo Jones and far to many others to list them all.
What was the last movie you watched? I don't really get to do that right now... maybe when I'm down to one job. I think it was Slumdog Millionaire so that should tell you something :)
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Travel, SCUBA/snorkel, take pictures, drive fast, eat cotton candy.
What is the last book you read? Downstroke by Desiree Holt
Morning person or Night Owl? Both! I hate to sleep. Feel like I'm wasting my time.

Jayne, thank you so much for taking the time to answer all our nosy questions, and we will hunt you down at the next conference to hear the naughty research stories!

HAMMER IT HOME EXCERPT

POWERTOOLS Book 6
Copyright © 2012 Jayne Rylon
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication 

She expected Joe to take the fork to the right, which led to the private cabin where their friends lived and most of the crew’s interludes took place. Instead, he veered left. Toward the cute bungalows the crew had recently expanded on in response to the initial success of Kay’s venture.

Several of them hadn’t even opened to guests yet.

Morgan didn’t ask where they were going. She trusted Joe to take her where she needed to be. As long as he was by her side, it didn’t much matter where they ended up. Good thing her faith in him thrived. The truck slowed in the middle of nowhere until they rolled to a stop in the center of the rustic road.

When he removed a strip of black silk from his back pocket, she knew what he expected. Her lashes rested against her cheeks as she closed her eyes, leaning toward her husband.

“Sweet girl.” He fastened the fabric around her head tight enough that she couldn’t peek even if she’d tried to open her eyes, yet loose enough to be comfortable.

“For now.” The hint of naughty she added to her response had the desired effect.

Joe’s voice turned husky. “I like you spicy too.”

The anticipated kiss she craved never arrived. The truck started off down the road. She threw her hand out, searching for the handle on the door or the edge of the seat. Joe’s fingers landed high on her thigh. “I’ve got you.”

“I know.”

“Almost there.” He crooned to her in soft, steady murmurs, never letting her forget he sat by her side. “I see lights now. And there’s the crew. They’re waiting for you.”

“For us.”

“True, for us.” After a quick squeeze, his hand abandoned her leg long enough to unfasten her seatbelt. “Go with Dave. I’m right behind you.”

Before she could respond, the truck door opened. Huge hands engulfed her waist. She floated into their grasp. “You look really nice tonight, Morgan.”

Thank goodness she hadn’t worn a dress with a short skirt or she’d be flashing her butt to the entire forest. Not that the eight people she couldn’t see but knew were there hadn’t gotten an eyeful of every inch of her already. Soon they’d be doing a whole lot more than looking too.

Dave’s boots thudded on what sounded like wooden treads as they ascended together. The new buildings had adorable porches complete with swings. That must be where they were. She hadn’t observed the progress personally, though Joe had told her the crew had decided to take a couple weeks off before starting their next project to help Kay out.

Someone cursed softly. A subtle creak made her sure they’d opened a door for her and Dave. “So sexy, Morgan.”

“Thank you, James.”

“I’m going to set you down.” Dave murmured to her as he lowered her feet to the floor. He braced her shoulders. Scuffles and whispers surrounded her as her friends all assembled as they saw fit. “Joe’s got you now.”

The big man’s hand swapped out for her husband’s familiar grasp. Dotted kisses at her temple had her sighing while he worked the knot on her blindfold loose. A steady white noise piqued her curiosity. What could that be? “Tonight is special. For all of us. We wanted you to know how much. Live in the moment, Mo. Take what we’re giving.”

He whipped the silk from her, letting it slither to the floor unnoticed.

Blinking against the sudden light, she tried to focus. When she did, a sheen of tears immediately turned the flickering candles into glittering sparkles, dazzling her. She reached out. Joe held one hand while Dave collected the other.

“You did all this for me?” The whisper cut through the hush of her eight best friends, who awaited her reaction. Behind the naked, oiled men who stood shoulder to shoulder and their wives—adorned in gossamer togas that hid the bare essentials, proclaiming their intent to sit the festivities out—sheer panels of iridescent fabric draped from exposed wooden rafters.

Zillions of tiny clear lights, like the ones hugging their tree at Christmas, hung behind the soft falls. She felt as though she’d taken up residence in an enchanted snow globe, or maybe a cloud way, way out in some ethereal paradise on the edge of the universe. Romance blossomed in every nook and cranny of the space. Pale silk flowers, warm vanilla candles on wrought-iron stands and the largest canopied bed she’d ever seen were just a few of the details bombarding her senses.

“We did it for both you and Joe.” Kate smiled from her post with a fluffy white towel draped over her forearm. What the heck?

The guys stepped aside, chiseled bodies parting like a fleshy curtain at a beefcake ballet. Behind them, a waterfall trickled from what could have been a loft. A rivulet bounced next to vines that looked as real as the ones Kayla had cultivated in the gardens outside. Maybe they were.

Splashes drew her eye from expertly crafted faux stone to faux stone until droplets rained into an elaborate whirlpool fashioned from river rock on the outside and something natural yet smooth-looking in the basin. A gradual slope led up to the dais supporting the magical indoor pond. Lush greenery surrounded the pool. She suspected the window on the other side would grant glorious views of the lake if it were daytime.

A fireplace made from the same cut stone chased away any chill emanating from the glass.

“Whoa.” Nothing more elaborate formed in her mind.

Awestruck, she allowed Joe to manipulate her, stripping her sweater over her head and freeing her from her lacey bra before she’d recovered. Next he slid her skirt from her hips, then lifted her from the puddle of gorgeous fabric. He swiped her shoes from her feet and patted her bare butt. No need to remove underwear. She hadn’t bothered with panties.

“Nice touch, Mo.”

She grinned over her shoulder at her husband. “Glad you approve.”

“Now run along and play.” A gentle shove inspired her to put one foot in front of the other, heading in the direction of the crew.

Available August 14, 2012
Pre-Order: Amazon | Samhain

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Ms. Rylon is will be sending one lucky maiden a power tools tshirt and other goodies 

 

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