Jen Talty's Blog

I'm currently working on a couple of brand new series that are coming out in 2021. One of them is The Legacy Series. I've been sitting on this idea for a few years. These stories are more suspense than I've done in a long time. The themes are darker and the topics are ones that some might consider triggers.

The idea behind these books are the legacies our families leave behind.

Or the skeletons in the closet.

Or perhaps the secrets buried in the backyard.

The first book in the series is titled: Dark Legacy and it deals with sexual assault and rape.

Yes. It's still a romance. And No, I don't show this on the page. You couldn't do that in a romance, however, I these are real world situations and I'm not going to sugar coat in this series. My heroine had a harsh childhood, which resulted in her giving up a child when she a teenager. She's done her best to turn her life around and not allow the legacy that her parents left her with control her life.

But sometimes, those legacies have a way of reaching out from the past, and threatening our present. That's exactly what happens in Dark Legacy.

I will be touching more on Legacies and Brutal Truths in weeks to come. For now, here is the cover and you can pre-order your copy today!

Dark Legacy

https://amzn.to/3f6GcqJ

Apple Link

https://rb.gy/sidbip

Kobo Link

https://rb.gy/swgi8i

B&N Link

https://rb.gy/iggosoDark Legacy

[image error]What exactly is the book of your heart?

I’ve heard this term from the second I walked into RWA (Romance Writer’s of America). My first thought was: that’s the book I’m writing right now!

My second thought: It’s the book I’m going to write after this one is done.

My third thought: It was the first book I wrote.

My thought today? It’s ever book I write.

My very first book I ever wrote (IN TWO WEEKS) was re-written a good dozen times. The setting was always the same: The cottage house I grew up in on Lake George, NY on Cleverdale just down the road from the Sans Succi, a great little bar I hung out when I was older working at Camp Chingachgook. I’ve set a few books near and on Chingachgook, but I have yet to write a book about camp.

Don’t worry, it’s coming.

It took me years to write IN TWO WEEKS and in the process, I wrote a bunch of other books (including a historical that will NEVER see the light of day). With every new idea, the excitement bubbles out of me. My critique partner and one of my best writing friends, Casey Hagen always gets frustrated with me over beginnings because I LOVE them and they flow from me like a fire hydrant on crack. Casey, on the other hand, takes FOREVER to write her opening, but flies through the middle (and sex scenes) like they are nothing where I twiddle my thumbs and drool. It’s one of the many reasons we make for good critique partners.

I’ve been sitting on THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS for a few years now and it too has been re-written many times. It started out as a romantic horror novel. I have always had a fascination for things like Frankenstein, Dracula, Dexter…those characters who aren’t really you’re typical hero. But the more I wrote, the more I realized, this book was NOT a horror story. Deep down, it was about over coming tragedy and starting over.

Like the Butterfly.

But the Butterfly has so many different meanings.

If there is a book that is the one book of my heart (there isn’t because the next one, I will feel exactly the same way) than it is THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS.

Of corse, we have in the works: LEGACY OF LIES, TEE TIME, RESIDUAL MEMORY, MEMORY UPLOAD, and a few other BIG ideas that I can’t wait to share with you and they are all the book of my heart. All of these books I’ve been writing and rewriting while I write my novellas, waiting for the stories to completely reveal their true identities.

If you’re a writer: Do you have a book of your heart?

If your a reader: Do you have a read that is the read of your heart?

Tomorrow is the release day of THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS, but the paperback came out a little early and you can pre-order your copy now! Go for it.

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I’m a big believer in having a plan. I’m that person who sets the Thanksgiving table weeks in advance. I start talking to my husband about what to serve weeks in advance, two witch I get a shaking head as he walks away saying: “Talk to me the day before…”

In 2017 I worked on finishing the NY STATE TROOPER SERIES. While writing the 5th book, I got into a conversation about Kindle Worlds with Casey Hagen, who hooked me up with writing in a couple of these worlds, starting with my SARICH BROTHERS series. It then snowballed into a 2018 plan of writing 24 Novellas in various Kindle Worlds.

Why, you ask? Our goal, and I say our, because Casey and I have been supporting each other in this endeavor since the middle of 2017…anyway, our goal has been to gain readership.

For me, I was waiting to hear from a couple of publishers on two different books. One was rejected, and one needs to be rewritten. Working on it. In the mean time, I decided I enjoyed writing the novels and jumped in with two feet. I’m loving every second of it, however, yesterday I had my 4th release this month and while the books are only 1.99 and they are 20-35k words, so quick reads, I’m starting to think I’m overwhelming not just my current readers, but potentially new readers.

I’m going to finish out the schedule, because when I commit to something, I don’t like backing out, but in 2019, my novella schedule will be fewer books and I’ll be working on some other projects with the goal of getting that ever elusive tradition deal…

Here are some of my latests releases:

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I don’t know about you all, but I don’t do well when my plans change, especially when I’m not the one changing. And it’s the little things, like when we planned to go to the beach and it rained, so we then decide to go to the movies. It takes a few deep breaths and a slight attitude adjustment to get me to oh, okay, let’s go to the movies. I’m a very scheduled person. Every night before I go to bed, I have a plan. If that plan goes to shit, for about ten minutes it feels like the world is about to end. I passed this trait down to two of my children.

One of the strategies I’ve developed over the years is to try not to plan. LOL. It doesn’t work. I’m just THAT person who sets the Thanksgiving Table 2 weeks early. Yep. That’s me. I’m almost always 5 minutes early. If I think I’m going to be late, you will hear from long before I’m actually late (and then I’m still usually on time unless its like a five hour drive). I’m always the first one at the party. If you say it starts at 7pm, I’m ringing your doorbell at 7:02.

Now, Imagine a person like me being told renovations to their home were to be completed by January 1 and it’s now March 15th and you have moved into 3 temporary homes and your place still isn’t finished! My poor husband has been dealing with a lunatic. My only saving grace is the insane publishing schedule I set up for myself. The negative with that though, is I’m behind on things like blogging, just hanging out with friends, talking with friends who live far away, and letting the world know I have a release.

I have yet to miss a deadline. That’s because I’m THAT person who has a schedule and while its not so great for people around me sometimes, it is a good habit to have when you are self-employed and work from home. I get shit done!

I want to introduce you to a new series. I have a few, but this one I haven’t shared much at all (I suck at promotion for myself).

[image error]The reviews from readers Whiskey Wild have been really good so far, and that always makes me smile. I love hearing from readers and I read all the reviews. I learn a lot from both good and critical reviews. Anyway, Whiskey Wild is part of Mari Carr’s Kindle World: Wild Irish. Now, I’m not Irish, but I married an Irishmen. And another fun part is that the Pub the World is centered around is in Baltimore. My daughter lives in Baltimore and I prefer to write about places I’ve been.

The other fun part of this book was coming up with names. Our hero is JW Whiskey. His full name is Johnnie Walker Whiskey! He has two brothers and one sister, all also named after Whiskey.

This book is about healing broken hearts, starting over, and learning to trust again. It’s a feel good novella and I hope you’ll give it a chance.

[image error]And for fun, I’m giving away 1 copy of a different book in a different series, Burning Kiss, which also follows a similar theme, only this one is a reunion story. All youhave to do to enter is email me at jen @ jentalty dot com or comment on this blog.

And as a bonus, my good friend Casey Hagen will be giving away 1 copy of Shielding Nebraska, which is the first book in her Fierce Protector series. The second book is currently #1 (after kicking me out of that spot, lol) in Kindle Worlds Contemporary category on Kindle, so it is a must read!

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Happy Reading!

World building almost always gives me a headache, but it’s so much fun to watch it unfold.

I recently started the WITCHES AND WEREWOLVES series in Milly Taiden’s SASSY EVER AFTER Kindle World. My first novella, LADY SASS, kicks off the series.

In this world, I create a Royal Witch Coven. The series will follow the four sisters, who are all artists in some way, follow their dreams and in the process, find their mated werewolf. My wolves have predetermined soul-mates. This is known as fate.

Now, witches can alter fate with spells and whatnot, but they are forbidden to use black magic. They are not allowed to use it to harm another being or for their own personal betterment. They can cast protection spells, to keep them safe from those who seek them harm, but they can’t mess with fate.

So, what happens when someone breaks the rules?

[image error]Lady Sass deals with exactly that.

One Oscar-winning werewolf from the wrong side of the tracks

One princess witch actress

One make or break film

A romance so dangerous it has the potential to destroy everything

 

 

This week I traveled to Iceland with my daughter. What an epic trip! We saw all sorts of beautiful waterfalls and relaxed in hot springs, but the one thing she wanted to see was the Northern Lights, which aren’t always easy to find, even if they are out.

Lucky for us on night #2, while driving back from the Golden Circle we got a glimpse! At first, it was just a whitish stream across the sky. Oddly, when we took a picture, it showed GREEN! We were like fist pump, saw the Northern Lights.

The clouds began to shift and covered the lights, but we decided to keep driving, looking to see them one more time and OMG, did we see them. At first, again, just a white streak across the starry sky. Then, all of a sudden, the sky started to dance!

Here are some images.

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[image error]I recommend a trip to Iceland. Amazing!

While in Iceland, the second book in the Fire Protection Specialists series in Susan Stokers Special Forces: Operation Alpha came out. The title is BURNING KISS. I hope you enjoy!

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I can’t believe its been over ten years since I first met Laura Benedict in the hotel lobby at the 2007 Thrillerfest Conference. I was in line to register and Laura was standing in front of me. Now, I might be an introvert, but no one has ever called me shy. We had a nice little chat and next thing I know, we’re having dinner in the hotel restaurant. Since that night, Laura and have been good friends. She’s been a great support to me through my entire publishing career.

Besides adoring Laura as a person, I absolutely LOVE her writing. She has a style that is unique and a voice that is so powerful that I can never put her books down. When people ask me what writer do I aspire to be like, I always have to say Laura, so when Laura asked me if I might be interested in submitting an idea for the Trouble Series, I jumped at it!

Please welcome Laura Benedict to the house!

Tell me about your latest book.

SMALL TOWN TROUBLE[image error] is my first cozy mystery novel. Up to now, I’ve only written mystery and surreal short stories and suspense novels with a supernatural twist. It was so much fun to explore the lighter side of mystery.

Trouble, the black cat detective, barely has his paws in the bluegrass before the saucy stepmother of his friend Erin Walsh is kidnapped. But before he can help Erin solve that mystery, one of Erin’s closest friends is also murdered. Noah Daly, the handsome son of the man ultimately responsible for Erin’s mother’s death, wants to help Erin find some answers—and get to know her better. But is Noah involved in the latest tragedies surrounding Erin? Only Trouble can sort it all out, and help Erin discover the truth.

SMALL TOWN TROUBLE is book 5 in the Familiar Legacy Series. Each book in the series is written by a different author.

What is your writing routine like?

I’ve always dreamed about being one of those writers who gets up at the crack of dawn and writes a chapter before breakfast. **cue raucous laughter of my entire family** After nearly three decades of writing, it hasn’t happened, so I should probably give up on it, don’t you think?

After a slow morning of hot tea, reading the news, and breakfast after a workout, I’m ready to sit down around 11:00. I work until 1:00 or so, break for lunch, and work until it’s time to fix dinner. Around deadline times, I also work after dinner, sometimes until way too late at night. Just last week, my husband got up at 6:30 to find the dishwasher still running because I had started it at 3:00 a.m.!

Where is your favorite place to write?

 My very favorite place to write is at a quiet beachside café when it’s about 75 degrees, the sun is shining, and there’s unlimited espresso, shortbread cookies, and cheese. But since I live in Southern Illinois, nowhere near a beach, I usually settle for my extremely comfortable home office, which is filled with family pictures, artwork, and books.

Which of the characters from SMALL TOWN TROUBLE would you like to drink a bottle of wine with?

Definitely Shelby Rae, Erin’s stepmother. She’s a little bitchy and narcissistic, and narcissists love to tell stories about themselves. You never know what’s true and what’s not, and they’re never, ever dull.

Who is the last writer you met and went all fangirl over, and when?

Last September at Bouchercon in Toronto, mystery writer Louise Penny was the Guest of Honor. She was mobbed most of the time, but I was with a writer she knew well, and we all stopped in a hallway in the hotel’s convention center. I made an absolute ass of myself and asked for a photo with her. She was super gracious and kind. I’m still over the moon about it and don’t even care that I was probably gabbling like an idiot. I adore her work.

Milk or Dark Chocolate?

Definitely dark, but milk will do in a pinch.

What would you call your autobiography?

She Wasn’t Good, But She Had Good Intentions.

What’s Your Next Book?

Oh, I’m glad you asked! Next February I have a straight suspense novel coming out with Mulholland Books called THE STRANGER INSIDE. It’s about a woman who comes home from a trip to find the locks on her house changed and a strange man living inside.

Oh, that sounds so creepy and delightful at that same time! Thanks for coming Laura!

You can check out all the books in the Trouble Series on Amazon.

To learn more about Carolyn Haines, the creator, please visit her website.

Check out the Familiar Legacy Blog and all the authors!

[image error]Laura Benedict is the Edgar- and ITW Thriller Award- nominated author of seven novels of suspense, including the forthcoming The Stranger Inside (February 2019). On the lighter side of mystery, Laura wrote Small Town Trouble, a cozy crime novel, for the Familiar Legacy series. Her Bliss House gothic trilogy includes: The Abandoned Heart, Charlotte’s Story (Booklist starred review), and Bliss House. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and in numerous anthologies like Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers, and St. Louis Noir. A native of Cincinnati, she lives in Southern Illinois with her family.

 

I have an insane publishing schedule for 2018. If I were to sit down and think of the books I have coming out (some already written) and how many I have to write, I’d pull all my hair out and anyone who knows me, knows I’m obsessed with my hair.

When people look at what I published last year and what is scheduled for this year, they all ask: How do you write so fast?

The next question is: And produce quality work?

First, I need to qualify the majority of the books coming out in 2018 are Novellas ranging from 25k words to 40k words compared to my 60-80k work novels. Also, when writing novellas, I’m focusing only on one plot line, no subplots, and essentially the only characters I’m developing are the hero and heroine.

I think the biggest reason I can write so fast is that I plot out a series of novellas. For example, the Witches and Werewolves series inside the Sassy Ever After Kindle World created by Milly Taiden, will have four books. The covers have already been created, which means I have titles: Lady Sass, All That Sass, Neon Sass, and Painting Sass. I have a theme in this series, besides witches and their werewolves and that is its all set in the entertainment business. Lady Sass is about a model and a photographer. All That Sass is about an actress and a producer. Neon Sass is about a singer and a guitarist. And finally, Painting Sass is about a painter and a princess.

While I’m writing one book, I’m keeping a notebook full of ideas about the other books as they come to me. Also, I often write the series at once, even if a book isn’t due till the end of the year because its all fresh in my mind.

But I think the reason I can write so fast is that it’s my job, my hobby, and its also how I deal with stress sometimes. I spend the majority of my day writing, talking, or thinking about my characters. If I’m watching TV or a Movie, I’m analyzing story. If I’m out grocery shopping, I’m thinking (which often means shopping takes forever!). Of course, I’m also an empty nester, so that helps.

But mostly, have my critique partner, Casey Hagen who I’d be lost without her. She gives me a kick in the ass when I need it. She listens to me babble about nothing for 2 hours until the light bulb goes off and we’ve just plotted two of my boos! Casey and I brutally honest with each other, so our critiques are not for the weak at heart. We say exactly what we think. But we also encourage each other and help each other through crazy ass deadlines.

[image error]I’m really excited about another Kindle Series also created by Milly Taiden: Paranormal Dating Agency and my series in the world is: Twilight Crossing. The first book comes out February 9, 2018.

A burnt-out warewolf cop…

An innocent human teacher…

Two weeks of passion…

Chaz Ferguson has sat on the Twilight Crossing Council for the last ten years, policing the paranormal world, making sure that injustices to humans as well as paranormal creatures are punished to the fullest extent of the law. There is nothing he loves more than his job. So, when he’s forced to take a vacation, he has no idea what to do with his time. Hi mother along with his boss, set him up with an appointment with Gerri Wilder at the Paranormal Dating Agency, telling him it will change his life.

Chaz doesn’t necessarily want to change his life.

But he is tired of the rat race and wouldn’t mind a warm female body, even if for only short period of time.

Daphne Jade hasn’t had good luck with men her entire life. She has a tendency to attract the whackos of this world. When she takes a date arranged by Gerri Wilder, she has no idea she’d be dating someone from out of this world. The paranormal realm was something she’d been sheltered from. She’d never met a werewolf, much less one being her soul-mate.

 

 

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I’ve always said the New Years is like a new day, so what’s the big deal? Obviously, I’m not into News Years Resolutions. To be frank, other than spending time with family, I’m not much into the holiday season, which is a birthday party on crack. Really, its one party after the other. I spent from the 22nd of December to the 30th in a perpetual state of “Party like its 1999”.

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Ha! I knew a guy in HS who had a red corvette with a license plate that said 1999. Of course, the year I graduated from HS we were 15 years from the turn of the century, which at 17 is literally almost a lifetime away!

But I digress.

 

The topic is News Years Resolutions.

I don’t make them because every day is a fresh start. The moment you peel your eyes open and let the sun filter through your retina, you have the opportunity to stay the same, or be different. Every day is an opportunity to be the beginning of something spectacular. And even if it’s just another day where nothing special happens, or nothing bad happens, it was still a fresh start.

And since major Resolutions can be daunting and weigh heavily on our minds, why not focus on daily resolutions. Or better yet, daily goals. Today, I will do this or not do that. Simple right.

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Ha! It’s called a planner! And I just cracked opened my new one.

Today’s resolutions or goals? I’ve got editing to do, this blog post, and watch at least 2 episodes of Mindhunter!

Peace!

We all look back over our lives and sometimes wonder what if?  I honestly try not to do this because one change in my past could take me to a place much worse than any place I’ve seen. Even the tiniest of change of something that might seem so inconsequential has the potential to change not only your surroundings, but the person you are and all the life lessons that brought you to this one place. As much as Time Travel fascinates me, and I LOVE watching time travel shows and movies, its such a mind fuck and going down that rabbit hole is a kind of hell I don’t want to do. I have to do it with my characters, I don’t need to do it with myself!

I think as we approach the end of the year, we think, shit, I should have done this, or I shouldn’t have done that. Did you know should is between shit and syphilis in the dictionary? So really, don’t should on yourself.

That said, as a writer, I spend most of time thinking about what if? Just about every book idea I’ve ever had started with some kind of a what if statement.

What if the woman you’re hired to find turns out to be working an undercover op in a human trafficking ring?

When I wrote that book, Her Last Hope, my hero could have walked away after he did what he’d been hired to do, but instead, he stayed to help the heroine AND he called on his brothers for help. Had he made a different decision, he might not have fallen in love and changed his life and who knows where he might have ended up. Maybe he would have been blissfully content with his life. Maybe not. His backstory, what brought him to working with the OMEGA TEAM, is all necessary as well. Had he not lost his first wife, he might not have ever joined the Army with his brother. Had his brother not pulled him into the OMEGA TEAM, he might not have ever met Leandra.

When I write, I toss a million what if’s at my characters. What if they get shot? What if someone kidnaps their kid? What if their beloved grandfather died? What if someone tried to rape them? What if were in a car accident? What if they were being stalked? What if they lost their job? Got caught stealing? Got arrested for doing something stupid? And sometimes all this happens in one book! LOL.

But that’s the point! All the things I toss at my characters, where they are forced to act, make a decision, are all the things in life that we deal with that bring us to this point in time.

Takle a look around. Where are you today as we near the end of 2017? Geez, since we hit the 21st century, I feel like I’m living in a futuristic world. I think that’s just because the book 1984 profoundly impacted me when I read it in a media class in HS in…you guessed it…1984.

But I’ve digressed.

Not even sure I know the point of this ramble other than its the end of one year, and the beginning of a new one.

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