The Jennifer Blake Newsletter, October 2011

Greetings:

The newsflash for this month is that SEDUCED BY GRACE, final book of the Graces Trilogy, was released on September 27, so is now officially “gracing” the book racks along with Books 1 & 2, BY HIS MAJESTY’S GRACE and BY GRACE POSSESSED. Reviews continue to be gratifying. Harriet Klausner, well-known for hundreds of reviews for Genre-Go-Round.com and Amazon.com said: “The final Graces medieval romance is an engaging historical that combines love, honor and intrigue into an exhilarating thriller. The lead couple is delightful…Jennifer Blake is three for three as she provides another charming fascinating late fifteenth century tale.”

When SEDUCED BY GRACE made its official debut, I was in Colorado for the autumn turning of the aspens. It was an RV trip with my husband, my brother-in-law and his wife—Jerry and I in our Navion motor home, Eddie and LaDell with their 5th wheel rig. The weather was wonderful, a great escape from the heat of Louisiana. As for the leaves, we could not have caught them more perfectly if Mother Nature herself had planned our trip. The mountains were on fire with bright yellow and spots of orange and vermillion against the dark green of fir and spruce. We spent a while in Taos, New Mexico then went northward to the Buena Vista–Leadville area of Colorado. After several days of driving winding roads while “ohhing and ahhing” at the grand golden vistas, we then went south again to Antonito where we had reservations on the Cumbres-Toltec narrow gauge railway, a train pulled by one of the few coal-powered steam locomotives left in the country. This was an all-day trip over the mountains to Chama, New Mexico past deep canyons and over high, winding passes alive with color. At one point, it began to rain—then to sleet! From Antonito we went west to the Four Corners area where we visited the Anasazi Heritage Center near Cortez and the ancient pueblo ruins of Hovenweep. Photos from this trip (I took 475!) will be posted on Facebook as soon as I can get that done, and a few will accompany this news letter when it’s posted to Jennifer’s Journal, the blog on my web site.

Meanwhile, a blog post about how I came to create a Scots hero in a kilt for Graces Book 2, BY GRACE POSSESSED, is now available. You can access this and a story excerpt on the RT Book Reviews web site at: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/authors-spotlight-52. Also, Eye on Romance (http://www.eyeonromance.com) will be doing a special promotion for SEDUCED BY GRACE beginning tomorrow, one which includes an e-card with review quotes, a “Sizzling Scene” excerpt, and a Romance Preview featuring five days of excerpts, or the complete Chapter 1, delivered to your email box. You can still sign up for these goodies if you hurry. Just click to receive the Eye on Romance newsletter.

In other news, I’ve agreed to be part of the 30-year retrospective for the romance industry at the RT Book Reviews Chicago conference in April of next year. For the event, I’ll be appearing on a panel about the history of the romance novel with Roseanne Bittner, Patricia Rice, Mary Balogh and Kathryn Falk. I’ll also participate in an “Author Chat” session with Loretta Chase and Mary Balogh, answering any and all questions from readers in the audience.

Between following the trilogy through the publication process, packing for travel, traveling, and then unpacking, I’ve done little new work this month—or this summer, for that matter. The urge is growing, however, and I’ll begin soon. With a little luck, I’ll have something new to report on that front next month.

With warmest wishes for all the color and cool glory of fall wherever you are,

Jennifer Blake

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