Tell us about your upcoming release and what you hope readers will enjoy about it.
THE DRAGON EARL (in stores now!) was conceived as Jet Li in the Regency. Yup. I just really wanted a martial arts guy running around kicking butt in the Regency. But it morphed into something a bit different and, I hope, more exciting. I’ll give you the opening scene, and see if it tickles your fancy.
Evelyn Stanton is at the altar of a big, dark Norman church. She’s marrying Christopher, a future earl, when down the aisle comes a monk in saffron robes. He’s waving his arms and saying, “I’m sorry. So sorry. I know I’m late, but I got here as fast as I could. Are you Evelyn? Great. We can get married now.” You guessed it, he’s the long lost Earl and the man she’s supposed to be marrying. Bald guy, orange robes, fights in a really strange way.
So our hero not only has to explain where he’s been, what he’s been doing (in a Chinese temple learning all sorts of cool things!) but he’s also got to reclaim the title, find out who killed his family and declared him dead, and—oh yeah—fall in love with his fiancé. Cool, huh? Gawd, I love this book!
If you could have one special super or magical power, what would it be?
Hmmm…lots of good choices here. But truthfully, I’d pick Total Focus. The ability to do whatever I’m doing 100% without needless thoughts straying in. It would, of course, be coupled with the need to NOT sleep…ever. So I guess that’s kind of like total endurance too. But think of it…imagine what anyone could accomplish if they had complete focus. Never needed to rest, never had stupid thoughts about laundry, food, whatever kicking in breaking concentration. Plus, have you ever had someone devote their entire attention to you? OMG, that’s an amazing experience! To be the full center of their attention for however long you have it? Wow, that’s a heady thing!
Truthfully, I don’t know if that’s a magic power, but I aspire to it. I could get so much more done if I wasn’t constantly pulled off in other directions or had the desperate need to play solitaire right away! Total focus, 100% attention without deviation. Wow, would I be amazing!
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Eat chocolate and drink coffee. Seriously, these days, I’m always working. And if I’m not, it’s because I’m falling asleep. Ergo…coffee and chocolate. What more could a girl want? But okay, my other love is playing racquetball. I used to be nationally ranked, trained at the Olympic Training Center, was actually pretty good until my knees gave out. Now I’m too fat and slow to be what I used to be. But I’m working on it! Of course step 1 for that would be to give up chocolate, and that’s just not happening. So…I guess I have to drop competitive racquetball and say that when I’m not working…I’m going for the chocolate.
Bad boy/girl or perfect gentleman/woman to write about?
Actually, my favorite is flaky heroine with the only man who understands her. My heroines have something they long for, something they need. And sometimes, they’re rather quirky in their perspectives on the world. The hero is the only man who “gets” her and that’s an amazing feeling. After all, don’t we all have something that we secretly want? A hidden secret we don’t want exposed—even to ourselves? Or a deep-seated desire that we think no one else has? Wow, that seems so simplistic when I write it out here, and I’m known for the more complicated books, but it’s how I see my stories. A man who is the only one who “gets” the woman. And the reverse. Then we as reader get to learn their secrets, expose those hidden desires, and live their fulfillment. That’s what I try to do in all my stories!
If you could visit any time and place, where and when would it
The secret places of my children’s minds. Truly, I just don’t understand them. And I would really like to. So…I’d like to slip inside their brains and hang out there until I figure them out. Why exactly is it that they can’t manage to put their socks in the laundry? What are they thinking when they say, “yeah, all my homework is done,” when in reality, they’ve barely cracked a book? They don’t seem to be lying. They just kinda forgot about all the stuff they’ve got to do. Which means they’re thinking about something else. Something so compelling that it has nothing to do with school or housework or the daily movement of our lives. So…what exactly ARE they thinking about? I remember having a very rich fantasy life as a teen (and no, it wasn’t all about sex!). It was there where no one else knew or even guessed. I would love to know what that is for my children. Unfortunately, I think I might be terrified of what I found in there, so maybe not knowing is better!
If you could be a shapeshifter, what form would you take and why?
Cat. Would love to be a cat with their silent movements, feline grace and quickness, and the ability to sleep upside down with legs sprawled every which way. I know that last bit sounds like a dog, but my cats do it! Everything about cats are awesome…except for the licking their own butt part. I’d skip that part and be one of the big cats that like jumping around in water. Yeah….a cat that takes baths. Wouldn’t that be cool?
Where are you published?
On Earth. Okay, okay, I’m getting silly here. (Clearly, I’m due for more chocolate). I’m published through Dorchester books in the Leisure Books line and the Love Spell line. Dragonborn – my fantasy romance is through Love Spell. (Dragons! Thwarted lovers! Magic! What more could you want?) My historical romances are in the Leisure line. You can look at www.dorchesterpub.com Oh yeah, and I also write for Blaze. In fact, I’m helping to launch their historical blazes. The Concubine will be released in Feb 2009 and it’s about the time in 1851 when the Emperor of China selected his brides. He got to pick his empress, 4 favored concubines, and 2 levels of harems below that. Yes, it’s reality-show China time, and it really happened. Well, maybe not exactly like I wrote it, but there really was a call for all the eligible women in China to apply to become Empress!
Where can readers reach you?
My website is: www.jadeleeauthor.com. Or they can just email me at: jade@jadeleeauthor.com
What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?
My stories are different from standard romance fare. There is still thwarted love and the Happily Ever After, but something is always unusual about my books. It could be that whole Jet Li in the Regency concept (The Dragon Earl). It could be a dragon hunter that falls for the last dragon queen (Dragonborn). Or it could simply be historicals set in China (my tigress series of books). I try very hard to make Jade Lee books different from the typical romance fare. Hopefully, that’s a good thing and you’ll give it a shot!
Sneak look into THE DRAGON EARL:
CHAPTER 1
A Chinese monk was walking up the aisle of her wedding. Evelyn blinked to make the apparition go away, but there he was, bright yellow robes billowing out behind him as he strode the length of the Norman church. Right toward her.
Evelyn hadn’t heard the commotion at first. She’d been waiting breathlessly for her moment to say, “I do.” But a minute beyond “Dearly beloved,” her bridesmaid sister had giggled nervously. Maddie often giggled inappropriately, so Evelyn ignored it. Moments later she’d heard at least four whispers, two creaks from the pews, and one gasp. The final blow came when the Reverend Smythe-Jones faltered. His words stumbled and his mouth fell slack. That had been too much. She’d had to see what was behind her no matter that it was her wedding and brides did not turn around in the middle of their ceremonies. So she’d turned her back on cleric and future-husband, shot a warning look at her sister Madeline, then glared all the interruptions into silence.
That’s when she’d seen him: the Chinaman. There were three of them actually–two men and a boy–but the first seemed to dominate, with his ground-eating stride and his bright yellow robe.
This simply would not do. Evelyn shifted her gaze to her father and arched her brow. She could already see the Earl of Warhaven, her fiancé Christopher’s father, rising to his feet on the other side of the aisle. But the Earl was choleric in temperament; he’d likely make a bad scene worse. Thankfully, her father felt the same. He would get to the disruption before her future father-in-law. It would only take a moment.
Except, it did not take a moment. Her father had barely found his feet before the Chinaman reached the front pew. Evelyn expected that the twin forms of both fathers would at least make the man pause, but they didn’t. He neatly and almost magically sidestepped them. One moment both fathers blocked the man’s path; the next moment, he had somehow left them behind and was continuing up to the dais.
And still, all Evelyn could do was stare. The man wore yellow robes that wrapped him from head to foot. At her wedding?
“Now see here!” Christopher exclaimed as he stepped forward, his outrage a palpable force. He sounded just like an indignant future earl should, and Evelyn felt the tension in her shoulders ease a bit. Christopher would handle this disturbance.
Except, the Chinaman completely ignored him. He bowed once respectfully to the Reverend then threw back his cowl to focus on her.
“My God, you’re white!” she gasped. And he was. Bald as a billiard ball, but with bright blue eyes, a Roman nose and ruddy, stubbled skin. If he hadn’t obviously been in robust health, she would have thought he resembled Christopher’s great grandfather before the poor man died at the age of ninety-eight.
The white Chinaman arched an eyebrow at her. It was an aristocratic expression and completely at odds with his clothing. Then he spoke in a commanding voice that was strangely accented. “You are Evelyn Stanton? Of twenty-four years age today?”
Evelyn swallowed and forcibly reminded herself that she would one day be a Countess. Lifting her chin, she responded as haughtily as possible. “I am, and you, sir, belong outside.” She should turn her back on him, she decided. It was the best way, according to Christopher’s mother, to appear regal without actually being crass.
But before she could even start to move, his arm shot out. He grabbed her elbow and held her fast. She squeaked in alarm, but fortunately Christopher intervened. He’d been too slow to prevent the Chinaman from touching her, but managed to grab hold of the man’s rather massive biceps clearly outlined by the folds of his robe. And there they stood: Christopher holding the bizarre Chinaman who held her.
“Release her, sirrah,” Christopher growled.
Again the Chinaman ignored her fiancé, and he boldly scanned Evelyn from head to toe. From the tight compression of his lips, he was none too pleased with what he saw. “You are to wed the Earl of Warhaven on this date? In this church?”
“Yes!” she snapped. “Now go away!” She glanced over his shoulder–no easy feat given his height–in the hopes that the fathers would be able to help. But what she saw made her grimace with disgust. Trust the men to be having a furious whispered debate with two other gentlemen while completely ignoring the Chinamen interrupting her wedding. What was going on?
Meanwhile, Christopher leaned forward and spoke clearly and directly into the Chinaman’s face. “If you have something to say to my wife, you can do so after the ceremony.” He jerked his head sideways at his groomsmen. “These are my brothers. They will escort you outside where you will await our pleasure.”
The Chinaman’s gaze abruptly sharpened, but not on Christopher or his bristling brothers. Instead, he pinned the Reverend Smythe-Jones with his intense stare. “The ceremony is accomplished? They are wed?”
Was there a note of hope in his voice?
“Er…no…n-not yet,” stammered the cleric. ”We’d just begun.” Then the Reverend abruptly straightened and peered down his bulbous nose. “If you would please leave the altar area, I will proceed.”
“Then I am in time.” The Chinaman’s tone was almost dull, but still clearly heard. He turned to Christopher, and with every word, his voice became clearer and more authoritative. “You are not wed. And she is promised to the Earl.”
“Sirrah–”
“And now I am here.” He turned to look at the Reverend. “You may marry us. I am the Earl of Warhaven.”
The rest of the chapter is on my website as well as a Sexy Snippet which excerpts a love scene. So…you can read more about Evelyn’s wedding there or of course…go buy The Dragon Earl in bookstores everywhere…right now!
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Hey there Jade,
Thank you for being in the spotlight and I just read Dragonborn. What a story!!! I loved it! What inspired you to write this latest story? It sounds very action packed and Jet Li is awesome. LOL I love the cover. Very sexy!
Raine D.
Hi Jade, so glad I caught your blog. Your cover is definitely awesome, and I loved the excerpt. I’m betting Dragonborn will be a top seller.