Jax's Artistic Journey...

I just got a new review for the Lotus Blossom Chronicles from Julie of Queue My Review and it's awesome!

Read the book review HERE!

It's still raining in the, ahem, Sunshine State...but I'm getting used to it since I'm indoors and the sounds of the rain can be comforting at times. Makes me more sleepy than inspired but I'm trying to make it work for me. Well, I'm going to be in Dallas next week for the Fourth of July festivities. I so need this vacation and I hope when I get back I'll be nice and refreshed. Can you believe half a year is over already?

Okay, I'm thinking up a good contest so I'll share when I figure it out...

Wall-E is my new favorite Pixar flick. This children's animation disguises itself in order to place a very important message to its audience. I hope that some day children who watch it could understand and appreciate what it means. I don't want to give anything away, but it is such an incredibly beautiful movie and focuses on an important topic very dear to my heart. It wasn't anything that I had expected based on the movie trailers but I highly recommend parents taking their kids to see this. It's heartwarming and the characters are so adorable you want to take them all home with you. My nephew was so excited about the movie that we went and bought him a voice activated Wall-E toy afterwards!

Florida's been raining every day it seems and as much as I love it, sometimes it can be a little jarring. Well, the heavens opened up and I witnessed thundering, lightning and winds that blew the trees around. Thankfully it wasn't anything more than a bad storm that lasted about 2-3 hours and now there is a slit of light through the clouds. So unpredictable this weather..one moment it is hot as the desert and the next it's flooding our pool. Can I use this as an analogy? I can certainly try. The heat is my writing hump and the rain that overfloweth is the sudden burst of inspiration to push me on...or am I drowning in it? Maybe I suck at analogies but I got a good laugh watching my 6-year old nephew dive under the pillows to hide from the storm, with his DS2, no less. Boys will be boys.

I'm on my last chapter and it's quite a challenge. Anyone who's ever done a proposal may agree with me that they have found comfort in chocolates! For me, I guzzle coffee and ate a full bag of Werther's caramel. I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I can grow to have one. Already the day is almost over and I need to finally write!

Good news, Feisty came out of the surgery with flying colors and now she is heavily medicated with drugs...well, at least she got out of writing for a few days. Lucky her!

Well, not that kind. My girlfriend Feisty is going through surgery today from a freak accident at Roller Derby. I'm wishing her well and wanted to send out healing vibes...

LOVE YOU FEISTY! GET WELL SOON!!!!

Hey folks! I have decided to be more interactive and have been tinkering with communication tools to reach my readers and friends. I hope I don't sound too dorky. Let me know what you think!

I'm referring to my website: http://www.jaxcassidy.com

Join my mailing list HERE

I woke up this morning and decided that I'm going to get a super-agent and a NY publishing contract by New Years 2009, even if it kills me. Well, not literally, but you know what I'm talking about...I think it's time to kick my writing career into high gear. After all, I've got 4 print books (soon to be 6 by next year) and 7 novellas under my belt. I think I'm warmed up enough to follow the path that my girlfriends have taken to international publication. 2008 started out very bizarre and exciting! I watched a lot of my close friends realize their writing dreams. Five friends landed 2-4 book deals as first time authors, and 4 of my pubbed friends got offered additional contracts, then there is one amazing friend who landed a screenwriting gig and waiting on a greenlight for her pilot. With the fantastic momentum, I hope to be the next up for something great. I have faith it's my time. I should have been looking for an agent sooner..well, I did have an agent that lasted a full month before I left him, but that really doesn't count. It felt good for two seconds. :) Well, I'm working hard this weekend to get my proposal done for my urban fantasy and I'm really close. I want to send it out in about a week or so. I have decided to get back on schedule and make myself more productive...I know, I should seriously be working on my book deadline, but I'll get it done...I always do.

I know writers go through this. I tend to go through this less than some of my friends but this has been a really rough patch and it seems like the hump is never ending. I go through spurts of writing and loving the flow and then BAM! All the creative ideas seem to have evaporated. With so much going on, I can't seem to focus on anything. Anyone got any ideas to keep the momentum going?

On a happy note....

I want to give a shot out to my friend Kelly Gay who just accepted her first sale! A two book deal with Pocket Books for her urban fantasy series! I knew you could do it! :) If not for her, I would have never pursued romance writing! Congratulations!

A certain poll came up today about romance and it upset a whole lot of romance readers and authors. Barbara Vey said it best..check out her BLOG

If you love romance and aren't afraid to say so, please VOTE, every voice counts! You just have to scroll all the way down to the mid-section of Danielle Steele's interview to get to it...

Romance certainly isn't bodice rippers any more and if anyone says otherwise, tell them to pick up one of my books! Or I can recommend a few excellent authors!

Almost. I just finished writing Chapter One of GHOSTHUNTER. The first manuscript was totally trashed and I gave my heroine an overhaul to fit the mood of the story. It's always sad to have to start over but I feel that it would only make it stronger. At least it was a good learning experience and my writing now reflects my growth. Sure, I've got a head full of ideas and I feel this story just needed to be told. It's all in the timing. I hope to write a Free Read as a way to introduce the Ghosthunter Universe when I have some free time. Paranormal was my beginning and now I am returning to my roots. World building is so difficult but I know this world inside and out and the added Chinese mythology flavor only makes it more incredible. I've basically twisted a lot of the elements and I created many new concepts which makes this story so intriguing, even to me. I love the Gods and the warriors. My hero is soooo sexy, too! Can't be motivated without some sort of inpiration. Well, back to writing....

Hey all you Jax lovers in Florida...I'm doing another Book Signing this Saturday....come by and support me! :)

Event Date: Saturday, June 14, 2008
Time: 1:00-3:00 PM
Location: Borders, Oviedo
8285 Red Bug Lake Rd.

Moving Along...

My content edits are DONE! Woohoo! But I can't be too happy because there is one last round of edits before I can relax...just when you thought editing was over...NOT! Anyhoo, I can finally refocus on my last deadline project until a brief hiatus. Now that I'm starting a new full-time job, it's going to be a bit like the old days where sleep will no longer exist in my world. Between this 9 to 5 and all my freelance, I'm going to miss working in my PJs and making up my own daily schedule. I better take advantage of getting all my stuff done this weekend. Maybe I'll go watch the Incredible Hulk. Who can resist Edward Norton? Hubba hubba. There's just something so awesomely sexy about him and I can't really explain it..but Gerry will always be my first love :P

My fellow Diva has got a book released...go check it out! :)


A cult of sex faeries start taking men hostage…including Claire’s boyfriend.

Book Two of the Curtain Torn Series

When Myrna Terrence’s husband is abducted from her dream by fairies, she asks Claire for help. Claire investigates and discovers other married men of Four Corners have been kidnapped. Men who share enough similarities to suggest the kidnappings may be related.

She learns the abductions are the work of The Aeval, a cult of sex faeries whose mission is to ensure women are pleasured by their husbands. Dell decides he and Claire should go under cover—under the covers. By pretending to be a married couple who are having trouble in bed, they hope to lure The Aeval to them.

The plan works almost too well. They don’t have to fake the chemistry between them, nor the resulting frustration when they stop themselves from going too far. The Aeval take the bait, and Claire must confront a goddess, the truth, and her fears about Dell in an effort to save his life.

But if she succeeds, those same truths may be what sends him out of her life forever.

Warning: this title contains the following: hot nekkid men with wings, regular nudity, and prolonged sexual tension followed—finally—by explicit sex. And the faeries who punish husbands for not “pleasing” their wives are entirely fictional (sorry!).

Excerpt available...here

And you can buy it here

What can I say...I've been in a bit of a writer's slump...since I don't believe in writer's block...I can only blame it on all the years of workaholism catching up on me. That being said, I did manage to finish the first leg of my content edits and need to finish the little technical details before sending it off to my editor.

However, I did have a great weekend with some friends who traveled quite a distance to visit. My friend Babe flew all the way from Tasmania, Australia and is now staying with Kristen for another few days. My friend Maggie flew down from Oregon for the weekend and we had a smashing time! There was eating, drinking, a bit of partying, swimming in the pool at night and lots of juicy gossip and brainstorming. It's fun to get a bunch of writers together and when there's plenty of booze and food you're almost always guaranteed FUN. We even had two awesome authors at the party: Lara Santiago and Roxanne St. Claire.

After the weekend it got me a bit pumped up about writing again...I promised myself I would get all my deadline priorities out of the way and then I can start on the writing I've really been wanting to do. Just another day and I'll be done with edits!!!!

Now run out and watch KUNG FU PANDA! I took my nieces and nephews opening day and it was soooooo AWESOME! I loved the writing, the animation, the cast, etc...it was really well done and I have to admit, I'm a big kid at heart so it was a nice treat. I haven't been to the movies in ages but I would recommend this to kids and adults alike!

I've finally picked up my manuscript after a few days of a personal break and as I work on content edits, my mind decided to run off in new directions. I started brainstorming on a new story idea that I'm going to do a proposal on...of course, it's a contemporary and set in Paris. I've been kicking around the idea for a little while and even wrote the first chapter, but I'm going to really tighten the storyline by doing a strong outline. What better way than to be inspired by none other than Booth, himself. David Boreanaz just a great source of research... :) To me, he always manages to choose roles that makes him the embodiment of any romance book hero. Masculine, sexy, funny, sensitive, and romantic in his own manly way...Of course, I can't start on this right away until after I send my edits to my Editor. Unfortunately, I hate editing and it'll take a few days....wish me luck...