Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where can I find your books?
In any retail bookstore (independents, Borders, Barnes&Noble, Waldenbooks, Books A Million, and others). Also Walmart, grocery stores, drug stores, and some airport stores carry my books when they're first released.
All books are also available online from Amazon, B&N.com, Powells Books, Books A Million, and others. You can also order directly from Dorchester at www.dorchesterpub.com (search for Jennifer Ashley under authors).
2. Why do you write under so many pseudonyms?
This mostly happened by accident. Before I was published, I wrote many different things in many different genres. I wasn't certain what I'd be good at or what I'd love to write once I got into it, so I tried fantasy/sf, romance, mystery, mainstream. I figured something would get pubished. I never dreamed so much would!
I sold my first romances and the mystery series nearly on top of each other to two different publishers. They asked that I do different names for each; thus the mystery series was published under the name Ashley Gardner and the romances as Jennifer Ashley.
Later I ventured into romantic erotica, mostly because I wanted to see whether I could write it. I'm always up for a challenge! I decided to take another pseudonym, because frankly, I wasn't certain I'd be successful, and didn't want my failure to pull down my other names! To my surprise, Allyson James is doing rather well, and so I am using that pseudonym not only at Ellora's Cave, but for the Berkley romances I've signed to do.
Using pseudonyms is a good idea when you write diverse genres and styles--for instance, my mysteries are rather dark and gritty, while the romances are lighthearted and emotional. Likewise, Jennifer Ashley writes hot, but Allyson James is volcanic!
3. Will there be more vampire stories based on the novella in Just One Sip?
I hope so! I am working on a slew of things right now, but stay tuned.
4. What are the books in the Penelope & Prince Charming series?
The first paranormal historical book is Penelope and Prince Charming, followed by The Mad, Bad Duke, and then a third about the Highlander, Egan MacDonald (Highlander Ever After), who appears in the first two books. The connection in this series is that all the stories involve Nvengarians, volatile, passionate people from a tiny country in the Balkans. Each book is loosely based around a fairy tale (very loosely):
Penelope and Prince Charming -- Cinderella
The Mad, Bad Duke -- Beauty and the Beast
Highlander Ever After -- Snow White (and the Seven Highlanders)
5. What is the Immortals series?
The Immortals is a series I dreamed up long ago and pitched to Dorchester as a continuity series. It involves five Immortal warriors who long ago were called upon to protect people from the forces of death-magic (vampires, demons, and other baddies). It's been a long time since they were Called to save the world, and they've become bad boys, wiling away their time doing whatever they want. But now one of their number has gone rogue and a group of witches called the Circle of Light have to find them.
The first book, The Calling (by Jennifer Ashley) is about the oldest brother, Adrian, and the witch who needs him. This book sets up the story arc, which continues with The Darkening by Robin T. Popp and The Awakening by Joy Nash, with the grande finale, The Gathering, by Jennifer Ashley. We have werewolves, vamps, Sidhe, demons galore, and other fun stuff. The series will continue in 2008 with Jennifer, Joy, and Robin writing three more books plus an anthology.
The Calling -- May 2007
The Darkening -- June 2007
The Awakening -- Aug 2007
The Gathering -- Sep 2007
The Redeeming (Jennifer Ashley) -- Sept. 2008
The Crossing (Joy Nash) -- Oct. 2008
Title TBA (Robin Popp) -- Nov. 2008
Immortals Anthollgy (Title TBA) (Jennifer Ashley, Joy Nash and Robin Popp) -- early 2009
6. What are the books in the Pirate series?
There are three Regency Pirate romances (in publication order): The Pirate Next Door, The Pirate Hunter, and The Care and Feeding of Pirates. I have more in my head, which will come down the pipeline soon.
7. Do I have to read the Pirate series in order?
No. While The Pirate Next Door and The Pirate Hunter are closely linked, The Care and Feeding of Pirates is more of a stand-alone.
The hero of Care and Feeding, Christopher Raine, does not appear in the other two books, nor do any of the incidents described in it. The link is Honoria Ardmore, who appears briefly in The Pirate Hunter. I hadn't planned to write another Pirate book before I wrote Care & Feeding, but I wanted Honoria to have a happy ending!
8. What is your Regency mystery series?
The Regency mysteries are written under the pseudonym of Ashley Gardner. In it, an ex-cavalry officer, Captain Gabriel Lacey, returns to London from the Peninsular War and finds himself caught up in investigating crimes.
Captain Lacey is a romance hero that I put into a mystery world. The books are darker than the romances; I contrast the decadence of the Regency world to the poverty and the problems of the time.
The books are published by Berkley and appear in the following order:
9. In the Regency mysteries, will Captain Lacey find romance?
Yes! A romance develops from book 3 onwards and will arc through the rest of the series.
10. Is Perils of the Heart part of a series?
At this point, Perils of the Heart is a stand-alone book. I wrote it to fulfill a one-book contract, and it is not connected to the other Pirate stories in any way. However--I do plan to someday write a story about Lord Rudolph, a secondary character in Perils.
11. How did you get published?
Hard work, persistence, and luck. I had actually given up ever being a romance writer after I sent in Perils of the Heart. It was about my seventh historical romance, and I was tired of rejections. So, I started shopping the Regency mystery series, and fortunately, interested an agent in it. He in turn interested a publisher (Berkley), who contracted me for three books.
At about the same time, the submission that I had forgotten about (Perils of the Heart) sparked interest at Dorchester, and they offered to buy it. After that, I wrote The Pirate Next Door, which Dorchester bought, offering a three-book contract. That contract became the Pirate series. And then things went from there.
So the hard work came with writing many books beforehand, the persistence was sending out queries to agents and submitting stories even when thought I didn't have the ghost of a chance. The luck was--well luck!
12. After you got published, did you sell all those manuscripts tucked away in your "drawer?"
No. Everything that's out now I wrote after I contracted Perils of the Heart and the first mystery. My first mss. were learning tools, and the writing is not strong enough, in my opinion, for publication. (There is a reason those mss. got rejected!)
One or two story ideas (particularly the ms. that finaled in the Golden Heart) might make it if I rewrote the books, but the rest will remain in the drawer. :-)
What I've learned is that getting just anything you write published is not a good idea--it should be only your very best work.
13. I want to be a writer and have my novel published. Do you have any advice?
There are scores of books out there to help you. A good one is Donald Maass's The Career Novelist. That will give you the basics of how to go about getting and staying published.
There are many books on craft--go to the Writer's Digest web site and browse their books. You might also want to look at magazines such as Writer's Digest, The Writer, or Poets and Writers. Browse your bookstore and library shelves for books on specific genres like romance, mysteries, horror, and fantasy.
Join a local writer's group. There you will meet people who can become critique partners, and you'll have the chance to listen to published authors and other professionals in the business speak.
Look at my "Tips for Writers" page www.jennifersromances.com/writerstips for some notes on launching your career and finding and contacting an agent.
14. I have a question that's not answered here!
E-mail me at jenniferashley@cox.net, and I'll be happy to answer it for you!