Dear Author » Julie James

Julie James and the Art of Interviewing

Jane — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:00:43 +0000

I saw Julie James make a reference to interviewing different individuals for her books. It struck me as something I hadn’t heard of before even though I am sure that other authors have undertaken this task. You often see thanks to various individuals in the acknowledgments but I’ve never seen any one write about the interview process. Often readers forget that no matter what the genre is research is an important component of writing. I asked Julie James if she would write an article about her interviews and she agreed. You can find out more about Julie James books at her website: http://juliejames.com/

I remember being asked, after the release of my first two books, if it was fun to write about lawyers since I am a lawyer. In both of those books, the main characters were civil litigators at large firms, just as I had been. And in response to that question, I used to say, rather enthusiastically, “Yes! Because it means I don’t have to do any research!”

Well, that couldn’t last forever.

With my third book, Something About You, I decided to branch out into the world of criminal law. The book features a heroine who is an Assistant U.S. Attorney and a hero who’s an FBI agent. When it came time to write the first scene at the heroine’s workplace, I realized that I was kind of . . . well, faking it. In law school, I’d taken several criminal law/procedure courses, and afterward I’d clerked for a federal appellate judge, so I was familiar with the types of cases federal prosecutors handled. But I didn’t know the daily minutiae of that world as well as I had known the law firm environment depicted in my prior two books.

Luckily, a law school friend of mine is an Assistant U.S. Attorney, so I asked if I could interview him for the book. I think he’d braced himself for some sort of in-depth, investigative journalist-type interview, but instead I asked him questions like: “How many other lawyers do you share a secretary with?” and “When you meet with FBI agents, do you go to their office, or do they come to yours?” It was the little details I was after, those things that would make the scenes in my book feel more authentic.

On top of adding authenticity, I’ve found that doing interviews can inspire new ideas. For example, in A Lot Like Love, the heroine owns a wine store, so I asked the owner of my local wine shop if I could interview her and shadow her for a day. In addition to becoming more familiar with her daily routine and picking up great anecdotes, I learned that the store had a panic button underneath the main bar that connects directly to the police department—a detail I used in the climax of the book.

To date, the most substantial research I’ve done for a book was for my current release, About That Night. This is my third book set in the world of the Chicago FBI and U.S. Attorney offices, and when plotting the story it occurred to me how helpful it would be if I could actually see the offices I was writing about. Unfortunately, I didn’t know any FBI agents. So instead, I simply looked up the phone number for the Chicago field office and cold-called the Special Agent who handles media inquiries. I explained that I was a local author writing a series about Chicago FBI agents and asked if I could have a tour of the office. Of course, I fully expected him to say no, but figured there was no harm in asking.

He said yes.

Actually, his exact response was, “Sure! When do you want to come in?”

Emboldened after that, I called the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s office and asked if I could take a tour of their offices, too. The media rep there was more cautious at first, and asked several questions about what I wrote and what kind of information I was looking for, but in the end he very kindly agreed to give me a tour as well.

Now, this is the part where I could spend a long, long time talking about how incredibly gracious both the FBI and U.S. Attorney media representatives were during those tours—I saw the command room, toured a bank robbery floor, had an interview with the First Assistant U.S. Attorney (the second in command at the office), toured press rooms, met with division heads, and filled an entire notebook with everything I learned—but since this article is not titled “Julie James’s Ode to the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Offices—aka ‘It’s an Interview Room, Not an Interrogation Room,’” I’ll simply say this instead:

None of it would’ve happened if I hadn’t asked.

Just recently, for the book I’m currently writing, I interviewed the former General Counsel (now CEO) of a major restaurant/sports & entertainment corporation. I’d known that I was aiming high with that request, but figured, heck, it couldn’t hurt to ask. After all, the worst someone can tell you is no.

And shockingly, they might actually say yes.

I’ve refined my interview technique, and now I ask about more than just the environmental details. The heroine in About That Night is another Assistant U.S. Attorney, and since being a federal prosecutor is such a large part of who she is, I wanted to really get to know her world. So, I re-interviewed my AUSA friend, and also interviewed another AUSA who used to work at my former law firm. This time, I asked questions like, “What’s a really bad day for you?” “What’s a good day?” “What’s the moment in your career that you’re most proud of?” “What are some of the most memorable cases you’ve worked on?” I’d like to think that having a better understanding of my character’s environment, goals, and ambitions makes the world that I’ve created in the book seem all that more real.

Bottom line: no one will ever criticize your writing for getting something “too right.” Talking to someone who’s walked in the shoes of your characters can provide you with a wealth of information that will make your story that much richer. Generally speaking, I’ve found that people like talking to authors. And if they don’t?

The worst they can say is no.

What Jennie’s Been Reading

Jennie — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:00:37 +0000

Since last I wrote, I read and reviewed Patricia Gaffney’s Crooked Hearts. Here’s what else I’ve been reading:

The Great Famine: Ireland’s Agony 1845-1852 by Ciarán Ó Murchadha: Because apparently one book about innocent people starving to death just wasn’t enough for me. Actually, it wasn’t until I started this book that I realized I had inadvertently grabbed it just after finishing the book on the Siege of Leningrad. This is a well-written book, but too dry and scholarly for me. There are some human moments and personal anecdotes, but they are a bit too few and far between. At the same time some of the details are powerful enough that as a reader I was appalled at the neglect and cruelty forced upon the victims of the famine. The logic of the powers in England is a thing to behold, as when reports that potato crops would fail for a second year in a row prompted closure of relief measures, to avoid the poor becoming too “dependent” on aid. (Not a problem once they are dead of starvation or disease!) I saw some disturbing parallels between the callous attitudes shown by the privileged class in 19th century Britain and similar attitudes found in some quarters in the United States today.

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At Your Pleasure by Meredith Duran: I have really liked every Duran book I’ve read, and this was no exception. At the same time I think maybe it was…slightly forgettable? I don’t know; somehow I just feel like it hasn’t stayed with me the way a really good book should. But sometimes that has more to do with my mood or what’s going on in my life at the time I read a book. Anyway, I should be doing a review of this; maybe I’ll resolve my feelings about it through that.

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Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout: I wasn’t sure I would be interested in this book, Pulitzer Prize or no. It looked like it might be either too women’s fiction-y for me or too literary fiction-y for me. But my sister read it and liked it, and so I gave it a try. Set in small-town Maine, it’s not so much a novel as a collection of stories. Olive Kitteridge appears either as the main character or a minor character in all of them. Olive, a retired school teacher who is large, terse and often unlikeable, anchors the stories and serves as a sort of anchor in the community as well. Over the course of the book, I came to find her strangely loveable even when she wasn’t likeable. The other characters are interesting as well, usually in a quiet way – Strout’s strength is in insightful characterization, not flashy prose or plotting. I ended up liking this quite a bit.

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Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers: I grabbed this one on a whim; the elements that aren’t my usual cup of tea were made up for by elements that intrigued me. This is an alternate-history/fantasy hybrid featuring a heroine who is a sort of handmaiden/assassin for the saint of death (!). I’m about two-thirds of the way through, and it’s pretty good, though there’s a slight lack of sophistication to the writing that may be due to the fact that it’s at least nominally a YA book. Also, I would like to see the heroine become a bit more kickass. I plan to review this.

Amazon BN Sony Kobo

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte: I believe this was recommended to me in the comments after my review of the clusterfuck of insanity that was Wuthering Heights. Agnes Grey could not be more different. I’m about halfway through it, and so far it’s a very quiet tale about a young woman who leaves her family to work as a governess, which turns out to be a largely thankless task, at least in the case of the two families she ends up working for. Agnes has some interesting observations about human nature, though she’s occasionally a bit superior and even martryish in her detailing of how very mean everyone is to her. But she’s the classic sensible 19th century heroine: kind, down to earth, humble and devout. So far not a lot has happened, though the much-telegraphed romance between Agnes and a country pastor seems like it’s just about to get off the ground, if the two of them would stop acting like 7th graders at their first dance and actually talk to each other. So far, so good.

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North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell: It was the miniseries of this book that got me started as an Elizabeth Gaskell fan; I went on to watch and enjoy the miniseries of her Cranford and eventually the book version of that story. I’m finally getting around the reading this one, and I’m glad I started it. North and South is a more serious and complex than Cranford, but I’m enjoying it so far, and especially like the ambiguity of the characterizations (I’ve mentioned it before but somehow I’m always surprised when pre-modern novels have characters that aren’t black-and-white).

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A Tryst with Trouble by Alyssa Everett: I have a review of this that should run closer to the release date. I’ll just say this: meh.

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Her Husband’s Harlot by Grace Callaway: I actually bought this after reading Dabney’s review. It had its moments (the sex scenes were quite hot) but overall I thought it was pretty mediocre.

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About that Night by Julie James: I’m not a big reader of contemps, and this is only the second book I’ve read from this author (the other was the related Something About You). I kind of just fell into reading this; I opened it up and then couldn’t quite put it down. That sounds like a strong recommendation, but it’s probably just a reflection of the fact that I find contemporaries the most readable of romances; it’s pretty easy for me to fall into reading one. It’s a decent enough read but I’m not sure I understand the fuss about this author. But again, not a big reader of contemporaries, and I find that what makes them readable also makes them a bit forgettable and interchangeable, at least for me.

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Wow, that was a lot of books! I should do these more often.

Until next time,

Jennie

REVIEW: A Lot Like Love by Julie James

Jayne — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:00:41 +0000

Dear Ms. James,

I finally discovered you with the last book you wrote and got all excited when I noticed that Jane had already gotten your newest one, “A Lot Like Love” for us. Jane’s good about that. I can say that from the way I also enjoyed this one, it looks like we’re going to have a long and wonderful relationship. At least, I hope we will.

FBI agent Nick McCall senses Something Is Up when he gets called into his boss’s office but as long as he can get it done before flying out to New York for his mother’s “surprise” 60th birthday party, all will be good. Only when his boss starts sliding then twisting – and everyone knows twisting means bad – the sleeve on his Starbucks coffee, Nick braces himself. The deal is that Nick is supposed to use his undercover expertise to help the new guy, Huxley – who has sharper suits than Pallas’s partner, agent Wilkins, and who actually wears a sweater vest – with the case Huxley’s been working on for months namely to nail Xander Eckhart for money laundering.

They’ve got a plan to sneak bugs into Eckhart’s swanky restaurant to tape conversations between him and Roberto Martino’s people – all they need is an “in” to get them there. And the “in” is one hot Chicago socialite and wine store owner Jordan Rhodes. For the price of springing her twin brother Kyle, aka the “Twitter Terrorist” from jail 14 months early, Jordan will take Huxley with her to an exclusive wine tasting party during which the bugs will get planted.

Problem is, Huxley gets the flu and Nick gets the job of being Jordan’s date for the night. Since the two get along only about 18% of the time, it’ll be a test of Nick’s undercover skills and Jordan’s desire to see Kyle go free. And then things get worse when a jealous Eckhart puts a PI on Nick’s tail and the one night boyfriend act goes full time. Can Jordan and Nick keep the sarcastic quips to a minimum before morphing into not being able to keep their hands off each other long enough to close the case?

I liked a lot of things about this book. It’s funny, the plot isn’t over the top, Nick is such a guy and Jordan is more than strong enough to match him without being what I know a lot of readers don’t like – kickass. I also like that I can see the feelings growing between these two without Nick suddenly turning into an emo or Jordan becoming clingy. They remain the characters you start us out with even as they fall in love and we get to see them realize their attraction for each other, think about it, rearrange their new reality and act on it. Nick’s never going to enjoy “Dancing with the Stars” for itself and he’s always probably going to prefer bourbon to wine but hey, he can watch some sequins and spray tans if it gets him laid.

He’s also the man on the spot if a girl needs to have a slight breakdown after having a gun held to her head. But Jordan’s no wimp, as Nick points out to the men in her family, and she keeps her cool when it counts plus has a 10 foot tall sense of loyalty to those she loves. I love the way she doesn’t cut Nick any slack and remains fearless regardless of his “don’t fuck with me” face.

I do have some problems with the investigation side of the plot. Nick spouts off a lot of information about what’s just gone down before the investigation is closed and even tells Jordan a teensy bit about his next potential cases. Would this happen in real life? And while I’d love to believe that law enforcement could get his perfect cover into place within 24 hours, this is the government we’re talking about.

Still, I had a great time reading the book and loved watching yet another tough FBI agent meet his soul mate where he least expected her. Poor chief Davis must really fear he’s running a matchmaking agency rather than an FBI field office at this point. And though I’m excited about Jordan’s brother Kyle in the next book, when will we get Wilkin’s story? B

~Jayne

This book is published by an Agency publisher meaning that the publisher sets the digital book price and there are no discounts.

Best of 2010 Jayne

Jayne — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:00:20 +0000

In no particular order:

A Murderous Procession – Ariana Franklin
Something About You – Julie James
Quarterback Daddy – Linda Barrett
A Rather Charming Invitation – CA Belmond
Scarlett Fever – Maureen Johnson
The Night of Long Knives – Rebecca Cantrell
Suddenly a Bride – Kasey Michaels
Marrying the Royal Marine – Carla Kelly
Unspeakable – Laura Griffin
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – Helen Simonson, review to come

Honorable Mention -

A Bride After All – Kasey Michaels
Dark Road to Darjeeling – Deanna Raybourn
Christmas with her Boss – Marion Lennox
The Billionaire’s Handler – Jennifer Greene, review to come

REVIEW: Something About You by Julie James

Janine — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:00:44 +0000

Dear Ms. James,

Something About You begins with a hilarious scene in which Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde, wanting nothing more than a little sleep, overhears some raunchy sex from the hotel room next door to her own.

“Such a big, bad man! Right there, oh yeah-’right there, don't stop!”

The pillow over her heard did nothing to drown out the woman's voice. Cameron closed her eyes in a silent plea. Dear Mr. Big and Bad: Whatever the hell you're doing, don't you move from that spot until you get the job done. She hadn't prayed so hard for an orgasm since the first-’and last-’time she'd slept with Jim, the corporate wine buyer/artist who wanted to “find his way” but who didn't seem to have a clue how to find his way around the key parts of the female body.

What happens shortly afterward though, is no laughing matter. Cameron is awakened by the sound of the bed being slammed against the wall. She calls the hotel’s front desk to send someone to ask the couple next door to be quiet, and watches through the peephole to see, from the back only, a man in a hooded T-shirt leaving the neighboring room. Soon after that, hotel security guards arrive and discover a dead woman's body in the same room. What Cameron overheard was a murder.

The dead woman is a prostitute named Mandy Robards and a video camera found at the scene proves that Mandy recorded her encounters with an important client-’none other than a United States senator. It's not clear who killed Mandy or why, but due to the senator's involvement the FBI is brought in.

Two FBI agents arrive on the scene to question Cameron, and to her disbelief, one of them is Jack Pallas-’the same Jack Pallas who blames her for the fact that a case he risked his life working on was never brought to trial.

Three years earlier, Jack and Cameron worked together to bring mobster Roberto Martino to justice. Jack had spent the two years before that undercover in Martino's organization, until his cover was blown through no fault of his own. Jack barely escaped with his life, and wanted nothing more than to see justice served.

So did Cameron, who joined the U.S. Attorney's office after her father, a police officer, was gunned down in the line of duty. But Cameron's boss, U.S. Attorney Silas Briggs, decided not to prosecute and ordered her to break the news to Jack without telling him who made the decision.

Cameron, new to her position, felt she had to play ball, so when she broke the news to Jack, she told him it was she who'd decided not to bring charges against Martino. A furious Jack made some disparaging comments about Cameron to the media, and was preparing to apologize when he saw her coming out of his supervisor's office and learned that he was being transferred to Nebraska.

Now Jack is back from Nebraska and he has not forgiven Cameron for the bad decision he believes she made-’or for having him sent out of state in the wake of his unkind remarks to the press. But despite this, when Jack realizes that Cameron is all that stands between a U.S. senator and murder charges, and that the real killer is still at large and a danger to Cameron, he is determined to protect her.

While spending time questioning Cameron and seeing to her protection, Jack begins to have difficulty maintaining his animosity toward her. His partner, Wilkins, teases him about his jealousy and curiosity where Cameron is concerned.

Cameron, meanwhile, has never forgotten how much she liked and respected Jack before their falling out. And though her closest friends, Amy and Collin, are still angry with Jack for his public disparaging of Cameron three years before, Cameron herself is more forgiving.

But how can Jack and Cameron act on their attraction when Jack believes that Cameron decided against bringing to justice the mobster he worked so hard to take down? And what will happen when Mandy Robards' killer discovers that Cameron witnessed his escape from the scene of the crime?

Something About You is a charming, entertaining blend of romantic comedy and romantic suspense. It's not a whodunit, since we learn the killer's identity in the fourth chapter. Instead, it's a lighter story where the murder investigation serves as the way to throw two smart and lovable people together.

In her A- review, Jayne noted how much she appreciated the hero and heroine's intelligent behavior. I felt the same way. One thing that makes the romance convincing in this book is that it's founded on mutual respect and admiration; even from where they start off, with a big disagreement between them, it's clear that Cameron and Jack think highly of one another, and easy to understand why.

You have a gift for writing endearing characters. I love that although Cameron is successful and beautiful, she still has an underlying vulnerability that makes her easy to relate to. She also comes across as smart and capable, and it is evident why Jack begins to like her again even when he is reluctant to do so.

As for Jack, he too is easy to admire since he cares so much about his job and takes no chances with Cameron's safety even when he has a grudge against her.

The dialogue in this book really sparkles; not just the repartee between Cameron and Jack but also the banter between Jack, his partner, Sam Wilkins, and the Chicago Police Department officers guarding Cameron.

And speaking of secondary characters, Wilkins was adorable and I hope to see more of him and his teasing sense of humor in the future. Collin, Cameron's gay friend, was also a very lovable character. I appreciated that he didn't fit the stereotype and I loved the story of how he and Cameron became friends.

I thought the last third of the book, although still enjoyable, wasn’t quite as compelling as the first two thirds. The internal conflict (Jack believing that Cameron shut down the mob case) was resolved partway through the book and after that, there was only the external conflict with the killer, which made some of the romantic and sexual tension peter out early. The sex scenes, therefore, didn't fully hold my attention.

Also, I liked that this book had more introspection on the part of the characters than Practice Makes Perfect but I would have loved to have even more. For example, at one point Jack compares himself to Mandy Robards, the murdered prostitute, thinking that they both had jobs that required detachment. I really liked that and hoped that this would lead to more insight into Jack but instead it turned into a segue for him to think about how Cameron, unlike everyone else, gets under his skin, which is nothing new in romance.

And as long as I’m nitpicking, I thought there were some improbable happenings in this book. All of them involved the police or the FBI:

First, the fact that the cops and FBI agents in the story became aware of Jack and Cameron's romantic involvement made the situation feel a bit fantastical. Had Cameron and Jack kept their relationship secret, I would have found it more believable that Jack would remain assigned to the case in which Cameron was the witness.

Second, I thought it was a little far-fetched when Jack replaced Cameron's police protection. I can’t believe that only one agent would be guarding such an important witness around the clock (even when he needed to sleep) without any backup. It felt like a contrivance to give Jack and Cameron privacy.

A third thing that struck me as out of character for the FBI was that they did not investigate the prostitute’s video camera, which was bought at a store that sold spying equipment. I expect that even in a city the size of Chicago there wouldn't be many places that sell such equipment. Tracking down that store's customer list could have provided a clue about the killer's identity.

Despite this and despite a couple of other blunders the FBI and police made, I still felt Something About You was better-researched and more plausible than many contemporaries I read. Details like the heroine having a real career, being a child of divorced parents, having a sexual past that was a non-issue in the story, and the use of contemporary technology by various characters, all made this story feel current. The characters never felt like they were stuck in a time warp; this is a contemporary that actually feels contemporary.

Something else I enjoyed was the clever way you handled what a friend of mine calls “mental lusting.” Lust is a staple of romances and for this reason, it often feels clichéd, but here it felt fresh and funny, because of the way you used it to generate humor.

One example of that is this excerpt from a scene in which Cameron, riding behind Jack on his motorcycle, unconsciously slips into a fantasy and is brought up short when the ride ends.

They were just getting to the good part in her head–in her mind she had revised the scene from the other day when Jack and Wilkins came by to tell her about the surveillance, only this time it was only her and Jack (no clue how he actually got inside her house, useless details) and this time she had just stepped out of the shower (with perfect makeup and hair, of course) and he was waiting in her bedroom (an act that would be stalker-ish in real life but was necessary to advance the storyline) and he said some sly bit about was she going to be a cooperative witness and she said something equally sly back (she hadn’t come up with the exact line yet but at this point the dialogue became superfluous) and then she dropped her towel to the floor and walked over and without saying anything else they tumbled onto the bed and–

Pulled in front of her house.

In a recent discussion on Twitter Robin said that the difference between a C+ and a B- is whether a book is written with flair. Despite its aforementioned flaws, Something About You has flair in spades and for this reason I give it a strong B.

Sincerely,

Janine Ballard

Sony | Kobo

This is published by Berkley, one of the Agency 5, but is pre-April 1 release and thus available at Amazon.

Save the Contemporary Winners

Jane — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:47:22 +0000

Check out the “Save the Contemporary” website for a list of winners in the Save the Contemporary campaign. Thanks so much for participating and for those that didn’t win, check out the book. It’s fun and entertaining.

Dear Author Recommends for March

Jayne — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:00:41 +0000

You can get a discount on some of the recommended reads at Books on Board.

Dark Angel/Lord Carew’s Bride by Mary Balogh. Recommended by Janine, Jennie and Jayne

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin. Recommended by Jia and Jan

No Souvenirs by K.A. Mitchell. Recommended by Joan/Sarah F

What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss. Recommended by Jane and Janet

| Karina Bliss’ Website | eHarlequin.comin print | eHarlequin.com in ebook |

Something About You by Julie James. Recommended by Jayne, Janet and Jane (and part of our Save the Contemporary campaign)’

Naked Edge by Pamela Clare. Recommended by Jane, Jaclyn and Janet

And Falling, Fly by Skyler White. Recommended by Jane and Shuzluva

Bride for Jericho Bravo by Christine Rimmer. Recommended by Jane

| Christine Rimmer’s Website | eHarlequin.com in print | eHarlequin.com in ebook format |

Let me know if my links are dead/wrong/misleading. I did so many of them that I am sure I messed up somewhere. Thanks!

Save the Contemporary: Something About You by Julie James

Jane — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:00:03 +0000

We do this once in awhile, it’s impossible to predict, and we only fire up the site for books we really, truly dance-down-the-hall love and enjoy. It’s Save the Contemporary Time!

Jane, Jayne, and Sarah (better known as “Jarah”) all loved Julie James’ “Something About You,” which goes on sale today. You can read Sarah’s review here, or Jayne’s review at Dear Author, or you can get busy and win some fun stuff.

Berkley is giving away 20 copies of the book so leave a comment in the next 24 hours over at Save the Contemporary (DO NOT COMMENT HERE TO ENTER) and you’ll be entered to win.

But wait, there’s more: as usual, we have a grand prize for those who help us spread the word and save the contemporary.

Tweet this entry or email it using the links above, or talk about the book under hashtag #stc and you’re entered to win. Blog about it on your site, and let us know at sbjcontestsATgmail.com, and you’re entered to win, too. Easy, right?

The prize: An 8G iPod Touch and a bottle of Stags' Leap Petit Syrah – a wine featured in the book. The iPod Touch will be provided by Sarah and Jane, and the wine, if shipping alcohol to your location is possible under state or federal law, will be provided by Julie James. Neither Sarah nor Jane are being compensated for hosting this campaign except that we got to read this really awesome book and hope you’ll give it a try.

The contest ends Friday 5 March and winners will be announced Monday 8 March.

Spread the word, save the contemporary, and help us celebrate this awesome, awesome book!

Fictionwise (eReader/epub) | Books on Board (epub/PDF)

REVIEW: Something About You by Julie James

Jayne — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:00:38 +0000

Dear Ms. James,

How do I like this book? Let me count the ways. I do like contemporaries and even the occasional romantic suspense but rarely do they combine as well as you’ve done with “Something About You.” And wow, even the cover model kinda looks like she’s wearing the dress you described. And how often does that happen?!

I’m going to be mega lazy after a hard day at work and just borrow your blurb.

FATE HAS THROWN TWO SWORN ENEMIES. . .

Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends in bloodshed. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago-’and nearly ruining his career-

. . .INTO EACH OTHER'S ARMS

Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it's no joke: the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes-’and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension-

Jane said the book was good but she didn’t say how good. It’s great. Lessee, a heroine who is smart, acts smart and when she’s told she needs to be under protective custody, she doesn’t fight it with the same old stupid plotting I’ve seen with this kind of novel. She doesn’t think it’s fun to escape her police escort, she agrees to have them come along for a bridal party at a nightclub and ends up telling them all about her friends and the wedding she’s going to be in. They like her and she likes them. She’s good at her job and follows her professional principles even when she has to come to Jack’s rescue. And even after he loses control and tells the world she had her head up her ass during a previous case. Bliss.

And then there’s the hero who is portrayed as being as sinfully delicious as a double fudge chocolate cake with chocolate chips on top. And whipped cream. Jack’s initially not thrilled to have Cameron back in his life – just as she’s not too thrilled with him, but he takes her protection and her involvement in the case seriously and treats her with professionalism. He explains why she needs to be under protective custody instead of just strong arming her then he’s willing to protect her at any cost. Bliss, bliss.

The dialogue is fantastic. Smart, snappy, funny yet realistic. I can’t count the number of times I laughed while reading the book. The scene of the two CPD officers and the two FBI men talking about Cameron’s dating life is a sceam.

"So- for some reason we thought you were the guys assigned to Ms. Lynde's surveillance. Guess we were mistaken?"

"Nope, you got it right," Kamin said. "We do the night shift. Nice girl. We talk a lot on the way to the gym."

"Oh. Then I guess Agent Wilkins and I are just curious why you two are here instead of with her."

Kamin waved this off. "It's cool. We did a switcheroo with another cop, see?"

"A switcheroo- right. Remind me again how that works?" Jack asked.

"It's because she's got this big date tonight," Kamin explained.

Jack cocked his head. "A date?"

Phelps chimed in. "Yeah, you know-’with Max-the-investment-banker-she-met-on-the-Bloomingdales-escalator."

"I must've missed that one."

"Oh, it's a great story," Kamin assured him. "She crashed into him coming off the escalator and when her shopping bag spilled open, he told her he liked her shoes."

"Ah- the Meet Cute," Wilkins said with a grin.

Jack threw him a sharp look. "What did you just say?"

"You know, the Meet Cute." Wilkins explained. "In romantic comedies, that's what they call the moment when the man and woman ï¬rst meet." He rubbed his chin, thinking this over. "I don't know, Jack- if she's had her Meet Cute with another man that does not bode well for you."

Then, there’s when they’re standing outside Cameron’s house and exchanging information, and awe, at the bachelorette party game going on inside.

"What do you think the pink bags are for?" Wilkins asked. His voice was ï¬lled with wonder.

Phelps stood next to him, similarly wide-eyed and awestruck. "It's a game. Each girl buys a pair of underwear, something she would normally wear herself. The bride has to guess who brought which pair. If the bride guesses wrong, she has to do a shot. If she guesses right, the other girl drinks."

"Cameron was afraid Amy would think the game was tacky, but the cousins insisted, see?" Kamin said.

Jack glanced over. "You guys sure are getting into all this."

Phelps grinned. "When a girl like Cameron talks about underwear, you listen."

"How about you, Jack? Could you do it?" Wilkins asked.

"Do what?"

"Twenty pairs of underwear. Think you could ï¬gure out which pair belongs to Cameron?"

Jack had been interrogated at knife-point, gun-point, pretty much at all-points a man could think of, but hell if a question had ever made him squirm as much as that one.

Because now he was thinking about her underwear.

"I don't see why I'd have any particular insight into that," he answered grufï¬‚y. "Think you could ï¬gure it out?"

"No, but I didn't try to kiss her three nights ago," Wilkins said.

Jack glared at Kamin and Phelps. "You two tell all sorts of tales, don't you?" He nodded to Wilkins. "We should get going."

Wilkins shook his head. "No way. We came to show Cameron those photographs, and that's what we're going to do."

Jack pointed to the house. "You can't seriously be thinking about going in there."

Wilkins's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh, I'm going in all right. And you are, too, partner."

"You thought that going into a purse was sacrosanct? Inï¬ltrating a bachelorette party is way beyond that."

Wilkins rubbed his hands together eagerly. "I know. And I'll never have an excuse like this again."

"You're an FBI agent, Sam," Jack reminded him.

"I'm also a single man, Jack. And inside that house are twenty gorgeous women who are drinking and showing off their panties. It's a no-brainer." He pushed off the car and headed toward the house.

The heroine’s Gay best friend isn’t a stereotypical Gay Best Friend. Thank you for no mention of “Project Runway,” interior decorating (at least in relation to Collin), or squeally moments. The plot just seemed to flow and I didn’t notice your authorial hand jerking the characters’ strings to get them to move as you want them to. Bliss, bliss, bliss.

The villain isn’t a serial killer! So his POV of course doesn’t lovingly detail how much he likes to kill people. Sure, he did commit murder and does need to go down, but I can almost understand the situation in which he found himself and what made him kill. What’s the saying? Everyone could kill under the right circumstances. Then he stays a professional and methodically tries to cover his tracks. It was almost fun to watch him delve into why the crime didn’t have the outcome he’d expected. Still blissful.

Let me mention again how much I enjoy watching Cameron and Jack work this case. Despite a rocky start…

Before he could call her bluff, Cameron grabbed her purse and headed for the door. The hell with her stuff, she'd get it later. "It was nice catching up with you, Agent Pallas. I'm glad to see those three years in Nebraska didn't make you any less of an asshole."

She threw open the door and nearly ran into a man standing in the doorway. He wore a well-cut gray suit and tie, appeared younger than Jack, and was African American.

He ï¬‚ashed Cameron a knock-out smile while precariously balancing three Starbucks cups in his hands. "Thanks for getting the door. What'd I miss?"

"I'm storming out. And I just called Agent Pallas an asshole."

"Sounds like good times. Coffee?" He held the Starbucks out to her. "I'm Agent Wilkins."

…they quickly start meshing together. They listen to each other, respect each other professionally – now, mull over the other person’s ideas and suggestions and when someone higher on the food chain than the killer is contemplated, there’s no immediate dismissal that “this couldn’t possibly be right.” Cameron does do one slightly silly thing which no one would think might bring a killer to her house one day and because she didn’t go out once and try and track down and bring in the killer, I’ll forgive it. She also ends up doing something Jack calls “fucking brilliant” to aid in capturing the killer. I’m almost in a haze of bliss.

I did end up marking the book down slightly because I just felt the ending kept on going and going. The last chapter felt tacked on and was somewhat of an anticlimax but other than that, this is one book I can totally recommend. A-

~Jayne

This book is the subject of a new Save the Contemporary campaign. Come back tomorrow to hear about the details to win a new iTouch and a bottle of Stags’ Leap Petit Syrah which is a wine featured in the book.

REVIEW: Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

Jane — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:09:17 +0000

Dear Ms. James:

I was reluctant to read this book despite hearing accolades of support from other readers. Mostly I resisted because I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to read a romance about two lawyers, particularly two lawyers vying for a coveted partnership position at a BigLaw firm. I didn’t think I would be able to suspend my disbelief to enjoy the story. After some urging, though, I sat down to read it and I was glad that I did.

Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson are lawyers with different backgrounds but the same goal in mind: partnership at their national Chicago based lawfirm. Payton is a litigation associate and J.D. works in class actions. There are approximately 4 weeks left until the partnership decision is made when Payton and J.D. are informed that because of the tightening economy, only one person will be making partner. In Biglaw, you either move up or out so in four weeks one of them will be humiliated and have to be looking for another position.

Payton & J.D. have been competing, subtly, ever since they began 8 years ago in the same associate class. Payton looks upon J.D.’s background of white male privilege with disgust. J.D. believes that as a white male he’s being discriminated against particularly when a firm email is sent out stating the firm’s new intention to grow the female partnership (there is only one at this point).

The saying that there’s a thin line between love and hate echoes loudly between Payton & J.D. Even though they hadn’t recognized it before, the increased competition brings them into close contact with each other when a class action discrimination suit is being shopped around to different firms and the two are forced to work as a team for the first time.

But right when the two are starting to recognize their feelings for one another, Payton learns of a past betrayal of J.D. and it doesn’t look like she can get beyond that. Even if she does, the partnership looms large.

In the beginning, I thought that I was going to hate J.D. The way in which he was portrayed, no matter the intense pressure of his Circuit Court Judge father, grated on me (as I think you intended). But I grew to like J.D. That he was super competitive in everything from squash to impressing the partners rang true, but underneath J.D. was a decent guy who was slightly hapless when it came to Payton. I laughed reading the reasons why Payton and J.D. became mortal enemies at the firm and the hijinks that ensued in the competition between the two.

The chemistry between the two was evident from the very beginning and it wasn’t surprising that everyone around them had their own ideas to the outcome. There are some great comedic moments from the pranks that J.D. and Payton pull on each other, to the office pool, to J.D.’s near constant need for advice from his friend, Taylor.

Payton is a great character. She’s a fierce, no nonsense kind of woman who clearly deserves her position in life. As a reader, I wanted her to get the partnership and I want her to get J.D. but it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. I liked that she was able to overcome her hormonal attraction to J.D. when she was genuinely upset with him (and for good reason).

There were a couple of areas that I thought were a little overdone. J.D. and Payton are the exact antithesis of each other except for their fierce competitive natures. She’s a vegan and a democrat with a hippie mother. He’s a republican voting, Bentley driving, high rise living son of a federal appellate judge and society mother. While they didn’t interact as caricatures, I felt the descriptions of them, at times, were heavy handed. I couldn’t help but wonder if you were channeling Adam’s Rib at times.

Additionally, I wondered about the level of detail of the lawyerly things in the story. There were discussions of the Executive Committee, courtroom scenes, and client pitches. These were all very authentic but I wondered if it wasn’t too meta. Overall, though, I really enjoyed the story and there were times I had to cover my mouth to prevent my laughter from waking up my sleeping husband.

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market from an independent bookseller or ebook format from the Sony Store and other etailers.

REVIEW: Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James

Jane — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:00:46 +0000

Dear Ms. James:

Ordinarily I don’t read books that where the protagonists are lawyers, particularly trial lawyers because so few people ever get it right. When I read the blurb for this book, I admit to mentally groaning but I couldn’t help myself from opening it up, just to take a peek. I ended up reading the whole thing.

Taylor Donovan is a the hottest young trial lawyer for a big Chicago law firm not Sidley & Austin, of course, but some fictional big Chicago law firm named Gray & Dallas. I got the Austin/Dallas thing, but wasn’t quite sure as to the Sidley/Gray connection. Taylor’s specialty is employment law defense (think sexual harassment suits) and she’s on loan from Chicago to the LA office for a big thirty million dollar sexual harassment case. Her senior partner wants her to take on another, but special, assignment. As Taylor’s sole goal is to make partner, she’s willing to do just about anything.

Anything turns out to be the tutor for Jason Andrews who, besides being “Just the Sexiest Man Alive”, is starting to film a legal drama. He wants some pointers on “how real lawyers act in the courtroom. You know, demeanor, where to stand, those kinds of things.” Taylor really isn’t interested in this but knows the importance of pleasing the senior partner.

Unfortunately, Jason Andrews is kind of an asshole. He’s a movie star, after all, is used to everyone currying his favor. Due to Andrews’ bad behavior, Taylor has no interest in currying anything and uses her opportunity to show him that he isn’t worth her time. She walks out on him, repeatedly. While this makes for good scenes and sets up Taylor as an intriguing female to Jason, it really doesn’t fit with her desire to be partner more than anything. I found it odd that she never seriously questioned that her behavior with Andrews could have had a negative impact on her partnership status, particularly when it becomes clear that her status at the firm is dependent on how happy Jason Andrews is (who I kept referring to as Julie Andrews in my head).

Taylor’s seeming indifference to Jason’s magnetism peaks his interest because women fall over themselves to get to him, not away from him. While not deliberate on Taylor’s part, it’s the best way to attract someone like Jason. He loves a challenge. The more time that they spend together, the more that their attraction to each other simmers until Jason and Taylor find themselves a couple.

There is a super human aspect to Taylor that I found unreal. Not only is she the best litigator in the entire worldwide firm of Gray & Dallas but nothing, absolutely nothing, phased her. (which actually is the trait of a good trial lawyer) But she had an answer for everything and everyone. She was able to coach and deal with Jason Andrews on one hand and prepare for a thirty million dollar lawsuit on the other. Having been there, I can say that I barely have time to remember to shower, let alone be engaged in another type of high stress negotiation.

She was seemingly unmoved by being courted first by Andrews and then the next sexiest man alive, another actor who secretly and constantly feels in competition with Jason. I kept thinking that even the best trial lawyer, particularly a young female one, might have a pause or two if she found herself dating George Clooney on one hand and Brad Pitt on the other. Instead, Taylor takes all this blithely in stride. Admittedly, I am superimposing my own experiences and feelings onto this story and those who don’t identify with Taylor might not care about the details I am describing. It’s probably a reason I should stay away from lawyer books. On the other hand, the description of Taylor’s lawyering and the courtroom related scenes (including the coaching scenes with Jason) were very accurate and I enjoyed that quite a bit. I also wonder, conversely, whether a non lawyer would find those detailed scenes as interesting as I.

Taylor rolled her eyes disdainfully. “You’re way too confident.”

“Do you know that the average American woman between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five has seen each of my movies six times?”

Taylor scoffed at this. “Who told you that bullshit statistic?”

“Okay then, how many times have you thrown down ten dollars to see me on the big screen?”

“Not six.”

“How many times?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, trying to think of a way to lawyer herself out of the question.

Jason’s eyes widened at her gesture. “Oh, I’m sorry, Ms. Donovan, but your answers need to be audible for the court reporter.”

Like, the “audible for the court reporter” thing is hilarious to me because lawyers have to remind witnesses about every fifteen minutes that they can’t shake their heads or go uh huh or mmmhhmm because the court reporter can’t transcribe actions or inaudible responses. Would non lawyers think that’s as funny as me? But even beyond the court room scenes, the dialogue is humorous:

The point, Jeremiah, is that this is not how things were supposed to go tonight.”

Jeremy reached out and solemnly put his hand on the Sexiest Man Alive’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Jason. But maybe she’s just not that into you.”

It was a joke, but Jason’s face suddenly filled with worry. “Do you really think that could be it?”

Despite the fact that he generally enjoyed any fun that could be had at Jason’s expense, Jeremy felt a little bad seeing the look of concern on his friend’s face.

“No, I actually don’t think that’s it,” he said reassuringly. “But I also don’t think she’s going to admit how she feels.”

The words seemed to reinvigorate Jason. “Well, too bad for her.” He ignored the look Jeremy gave him. “Hey-’don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed this game of hard to get that she’s played. It’s been like three weeks of foreplay.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. The comment wasn’t even worth responding to.

“But it’s time for things to start moving along, to where she and I both know this is headed,” Jason continued, fully confident.

“And I suppose, Evil Genius, that you have just the plan to accomplish this?” Jeremy paused when he saw the sly smile on Jason’s face. “You actually do have a plan, don’t you?”

“I do,” Jason said proudly.

“Do I even dare to ask what this plan might be?”

“Every woman’s weakness,” Jason told him. “Jealousy.” He folded his arms and leaned back against the balcony ledge. “Let her see me with someone else, and then we’ll see how stubborn she is.”

Jeremy waved this off. “Taylor’s hardly the type to get into some catfight for you.”

“That’s not what I’m looking for,” Jason said. Then he paused, as if suddenly getting the visual. “As hot as that might be-”

As for Jason, he’s incorrigible. He’s rude, self centered, and fairly shallow. While he falls in love with the tart Taylor, he doesn’t change much as a character. At least, he’s not shown to change. Instead, we are told he’s a better person just for loving Taylor and because he’s had the same best friend since high school. I guess I saw that he was loyal, good with a quip, but not very deep. This might be intentional as the story is definitely more lighthearted than angsty.

I’m a big fan of the straight contemporary novel and this one has alot of the features that I think readers of contemporaries look for such as great dialogue exchanges and contemporary situations. The Hollywood aspect might hold people back as some believe that actors (and athletes) can never be faithful. That’s not a theme of this book and each reader will have to check their own suspension reflex. For me, it was a quick and breezy read that didn’t evoke many tears, but did generate alot of smiles. The reason for the B- was the lack of emotional connection I had to the characters and the superhuman characterization of Taylor. I think if the characters had been less perfect, more flawed, I would have enjoyed it more. B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market on October7, 2008, from Amazon or Powells. No ebook format link available yet.

Which Book Has the Best Title?

Jane — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:00:40 +0000

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

We know that there is alot of stock photography used in cover art today leading to very similar cover images:

Is it less damaging if the recycling is in the titles?

Two books. One Title. Both Contemporaries. Released one week apart. Oops. Possibly worse?

Diana Holquist’s RITA Nominee published last year featuring movie star hero v. Julie James’ October debut featuring movie star hero.