Jenny Kane: Coffee, cupcakes, chocolate and contemporary fiction / Jennifer Ash: Medieval crime with hints of Ellis Peters and Robin Hood

Author: Jenny Kane Page 107 of 108

Poetic Moment- The Winter King

Once upon a time, when the world was young, and I was happily digging away as an archaeologist, I used to write poetry- I even had some published under another name, another life ago!!

Every now and again I have a ‘poetry hit’, when my brain gives me no choice at all but to sit and write a poem. These moments are not that frequent these days, so when they happen I relish them.

Sometimes my poems are truly awful, but sometimes they are ok. I rarely share them- but my daughter liked this one and has badgered me to  be brave put it on my blog- and it does involved being brave. Somehow sharing poetry feels so much more personal then sharing a story. So do me a favour- if you think this is truly awful- don’t tell  me!!!

 

The Winter King

(copyright Jenny Kane 2013)

 

From out of the dark came the voice.

Raw and vulgar, a coarse frozen authority.

A chill sound echoing off the horizons edge.

Varnished in ice, a sharp cornered accent.

The Winter King sweeps across his domain.

 

Crystal claws etch the ground, the sky.

Trees; stark naked, shiver against his force,

As with gossamer silence, he creeps boldly forward.

Invading; remodelling each silvering panorama,

Embellishing his hold on the dark-white season.

 

Grey and ghostly, swathed as if in smoke,

The bleak glacial land is cold without barrier.

A frigid lustre shines hard against black waters.

Until it’s splintered, ice broken, shattered.

As the season Master throws his bolts of glass.

 

On snow battered chariots, he dominates the air.

His breath frozen before him, suspended in time.

Crackling against the fragile earth, all powerful,

Vengefully robbing the land of warmth and comfort,

Until he is defeated by the joyous dance of Spring.

 

*****

Keep warm out there,

Jenny x

 

 

 

 

A Very Potted History of Halloween and Trick-or-Treat

Popping my historian hat on today- here is a whirlwind mini guide to the history of Halloween and Trick or Treat…

Halloween

Every 31st October we celebrate the night of Halloween. Pumpkins are carved into jack-o-lanterns, white sheets are ripped in half and turned into ghost costumes, and children go trick-or-treating. These activities are a very modern, rather commercialised, take on a festival steeped in history.

Halloween has its earliest originals in Celtic times, beginning life as a ceremony known as Samhain (pronounced sah-win). A pagan festival that was both a celebration and a thank you to the spirit world that marked the end of the harvest.

Traditionally in Gaelic culture, Samhain was a time when records were made of the harvest stocks, and the local population prepared their land and homes for the trials of the winter to come.

The pagan Gaels believed that during Samhain, on 31st October, the boundaries between our world and the world of the dead thinned and then overlapped. They thought that the dead would return, bringing sickness to infect the living, and disease to damage the crops.

In order to keep these evils at bay, the Gaels dressed up in costumes with masks, mimicking the evil spirits. It was this tradition that is reflected in the dressing up outfits worn during Halloween in the modern century.

bonfire

Whilst wearing their evil spirits outfits, the pagans would light bonfires to keep the bad forces at bay. It has also been speculated that the fires attracted insects, and therefore bats, who would come to feast upon them- giving us another symbol of Halloween today. Historians believe that the pagans prayed into the bonfires for the souls of the dead stuck for eternity in purgatory, in the hope that they’d attain release.

Another name for Halloween is All Hallows Eve. This dates from 835AD, when the Roman Catholic Church made 1st November All Souls Day; a happy celebration to honour all of their saints. The word for saint in old English is ‘hallow’, and so, the night before All Souls Day, became All Hallows Eve- and then, in time, Halloween.

trick or treat

Although the celebration of Halloween can be traced back to the time of the pagan Gaels Samhain festival, the tradition of trick or treating has its origins much later.

In the medieval period it became popular to dress up and go from door to door on All Hallows Eve (or Hallowmas as it was beginning to be known). The poor would knock on doors and receive gifts of food in return for prayers to the souls of the dead to be made on All Souls Day.

In modern times, it is the USA that is most associated with the celebration of Halloween, where trick or treating has become a multi-million dollar industry. However, it wasn’t until the 1900’s that there is any recorded evidence of this annual practise. It was in Britain, Ireland, and across parts of Europe where reports of alms being given in return for prayers for the peace of the souls of the dead were first recorded. Even Shakespeare mentions the custom in his Italian based tale, The Two Gentleman of Verona (written in 1593) – “puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas.”

Although Halloween is known to have been celebrated in America from c.1910, and many thousands of Halloween postcards were produced from around the 1920’s showing children celebrating, none of them show the act of trick-or-treating.

The term “trick or treat” doesn’t appear in America until 1934, and it wasn’t until after the end of post-war sugar rationing, that trick-or-treating began to become popular.

By 1952, however, the tradition was firmly established, and in that year Walt Disney even included it in one of his cartoons, the appropriately entitled “Trick or Treat.”

So there you are guys- a very simple guide to Halloween.

Happy pumpkin carving folks!!

Jenny xx

A Very Fitting Title

A Very Fitting Title

With the exception of spending time my family and friends, there is nothing I like more than curling up with a large cup of coffee and a good book. These days however, I’m more likely to be seen bent over a desk (with a large coffee within grabbing distance), with a story manuscript of my own before me, than enjoying the labours of someone else.

KayJayBee-27

It was my non-stop coffee drinking lifestyle that that influenced part of the plotline of my contemporary romance novel- the title alone gives that away! Another Cup of Coffee.

I have always found it a challenge to come up with good titles for my books. It is really difficult to come up with a short snappy sentence or phrase that both entices the reader to pick up a book, and also encapsulates the plot. Occasionally, I come up with a title first- think it sounds great, and so start a story based on that original thought, only to find my plot moves on so far that the original idea, that is no longer suitable, and a new title needs to be found!

This was the case with Another Cup of Coffee. Originally it was entitled ‘Coffee Stops’- the affectionate name my Mum and I have always given our habit of having lots of coffee breaks, in as many cafes as possible, whenever we go anywhere. However, there is just too much else going on in my novel for that title to work.

It was my wonderful editor at Accent Press, Greg, who suggested Another Cup of Coffee – and it was perfect!

Another Cup of Coffee is a well chosen title for two reasons. First, all of the main characters find life best faced over a steaming cup of caffeine! Especially Kit- an erotica writer, who can only write in cafe’s with coffee to hand- rather like a certain Kay Jaybee, who I know fairly well!!

Mike and Mech- coffee

The second reason Another Cup of Coffee is such a perfect title, revolves around Jack. Always hopeless at expressing his feelings, Jack uses song lyrics to help him get his point across. This is a habit picked up on by his friends- until someone (I’m not ruining the novel by telling you who!!!) begins quoting “Another Cup of Coffee” by Mike and the Mechanics at Amy…with very good reason (and not just because she loves coffee…)

 

 

 

You can buy Another Cup of Coffee as an eBook or a paperback from –

Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377605533&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee

Amazon US – http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377605667&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee+jenny+kane

Happy Reading,

Jenny xx

 

Twenty Questions With Jenny Kane

Jenny KaneI have been neglecting this blog a little this week, and thought I should put that right! So, I asked a friend to pretend she didn’t know me, and ask me 20 quick-fire questions she thought my readers might want to know the answers to! Yes- I know that’s a little bit mad- but I’m a writer- insanity is only ever inches away!!

 

  1. 1.Why have you neglected this blog this week?

The other me- Kay Jaybee– has had a new novel released this week- I’ve been concentrating on promoting that. (The Retreat- Part 2 of The Perfect Submissive Trilogy)

  1. 2. Are you more like Kay or Jenny in real life?

Jenny

  1.  Do you love coffee as much as the characters in Another Cup of Coffee?

Even more than they do!

  1. How do you take it?

Black- nothing added- Americano for preference

coffee cups

  1. 5. How many cups do you drink a day?

Too many

  1. 6. Do you really write in cafes and coffee shops like JK Rowling?

I really do.

  1. 7.What is your favourite hot drink – apart from coffee?

Coffee is the only hot drink I like- I HATE tea, and I’m allergic to milk, so can’t have hot chocolate, latte etc

  1. Favourite colour?

Purple

  1. Boots, trainers, or heels?

Boots – I am not sporty, and I’d break my neck in heels. I am very clumsy!

  1. Are the characters in Another Cup of Coffee based on real people?

Some of them are.

  1. Which ones?

My lips are sealed.

  1. Spoil sport- give us a clue?

I knew three of them at University- although I obviously wrote exaggerated versions of them- and they are all still my friends and totally lovely.

  1. What did you study at University?

I did an Archaeology degree, and then a Medieval History  PhD.

  1. Ohhh-  like Amy did…?

Yes- just like Amy did- well, the archaeology bit anyway- I think I can guess the next question!

  1. So  are you Amy?

I am a little tiny bit, but only a little bit. I am more like Kit- but not too much!!!

  1. You feature Kew Gardens in the book, have you been there, or did you just research in on Google?

I’ve been there a few times. I really like just wondering around the various greenhouses- and sitting in the cafe of course!

  1. Jack and Rob run a bookshop in Another Cup of Coffee, is that based on a real place?

No, that I invented.

  1. What would you say always surprises people when they meet you?

That I wear hearing aids. I am 80% deaf.

  1. Do  you prefer being Kay Jaybee- Queen of BDSM Kink- or Jenny Kane- Writer of  book chocolate?

I love being both of them – it is wonderful to be able to create such different styles of work, and thus- hopefully- make more people happy when they read! (Well- that’s the plan!)

  1. What is Jenny going to do next?

I’m writing a Christmas spin off from Another Cup of Coffee– a novella length piece, which should hopefully get to you all in time for this year’s festive season.

 

I hope my answers made you smile! I am certainly smiling- for Another Cup of Coffee is still selling really well!

If you fancy seeing what all the fuss is about- then you can order your copy of Another Cup of Coffee here…

 

Amazon UK- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377605533&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee

 

Amazon US – http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377605667&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee+jenny+kane

 

Thanks for dropping by!

 

Jenny xx

 

Peeping Through My Fingers

When my first romance novel, Another Cup of Coffee, came out three weeks ago I had a secret wish- I wished (well, I hoped), that the Kindle version would hit the top 50,000, and the paperback would hit the top 100,000 books in the Amazon charts.

Not high aims you might think; but there are  hundreds of thousands of books in the Amazon chart to try and sell against. This massive competition, combined with the fact that this is my debut novel in this genre, made me wonder if perhaps I was actually aiming too high.

ACOC- cover

It has been with some surprise- and no little amount of delight –  that I’ve peeped through my fingers, and nervously watched Another Cup of Coffee climb the charts, a few places at a time. Sometimes it goes up a bit, sometimes it goes down- and when, at the end of last week ,the paperback book got into the top 50,ooo an the Kindle version hit the top thousands- well, I just couldn’t look any more!

My husband told me the Kindle version had reached no. 454 this am!!! It may well have gone down a bit by now- I don’t dare look!!! The charts are updated at frequent intervals, so where a book is during one hour, might not be the same place as you’ll find it in the next hour!!

What I have been brave enough to check out however, is the Amazon UK Kindle romance chart- and major EEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK- Another Cup of Coffee is in the top 100!!! At no.96!!! Chuffed to bits!!

 

Coffee smile

So- forgive me for this blog- it feels a bit like I’m simply showing off- but I promise you I’m not. I’m merely full of shock and pleasure!!! I have no idea how long this good run of sales will last, and I’m bracing myself for the run of bad reviews (the genuine ones, and the ones fuelled by sour grapes), that always follows a run of good reports- but I just wanted to say thank you for all your support in the meantime!!

If you haven’t found Another Cup of Coffee yet, and you fancy a read, you can find the Kindle version here-

ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE- OUT IN PAPERBACK IN UK AND USA!!!

Yippee!!!!!

Full Cover 2

I’m happy dancing- which is silly of me really, because I’m slopping my coffee everywhere- but who cares, because my very first romance novel is out in PAPERBACK today!!!  I can’t wait to get my copy!!!

If you fancy a read- here’s the links-

Amazon UK- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379575729&sr=1-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee

Amazon.com- http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379588203&sr=1-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee+jenny+kane

Barnes and Noble USA- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/another-cup-of-coffee-jenny-kane/1116530067?ean=9781783751129

 

And of course- if you like life in Kindle- then you can also buy Another Cup of Coffee in eBook form- just follow the Amazon links above for the e-options!!!  (It will also be available on ITunes soon)

Thanks so much for your support everyone- happy reading!!

Jenny x

ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE- OUT IN PAPERBACK NOW!!!

AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK!!!!

I’m delighted to announce that you can NOW buy Another Cup of Coffee– my very first contemporary romance in paperback, as well as for your Kindle!! (US only- released in UK any day now!! So watch this space!!)

ACOC- cover

I know we live in a world of eBooks, eReaders and iBooks- and they are indeed fantastic things- but for me, you can’t beat the aroma of a new book; or the feel of fresh pages beneath your fingers.

Reading will always be a tactile, if not sensual, experience for me. So to see- and feel- my work in “real” book form always gives me the biggest smile ever!! Plus of course- there isn’t that embarrassing moment when you find yourself trying to turn the page of your Kindle….

 

Here are the paperback links for you-

Amazon UK- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377605533&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee

Amazon US – http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377605667&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee+jenny+kane

And if you are a Kindle fan- you can find Another Cup of Coffee at AllRomance, as well as…

I am also pleased to say, that it won’t be long before Another Cup of Coffee is also available on iTunes.

Before I go, I’d just like to say thank you – although my first novel as Jenny Kane hasn’t been out very long, it is already doing well- and as a consequence, I’ve already been asked to write another novel!! So thanks guys!

Happy Reading,

Jenny xx

 

Strangers on a Train

Okay- so I’ve been a little misleading with the title of the blog. It should really read ‘Strangers on a Platform’- but somehow that doesn’t have the same ring to it- it’s less dramatic somehow!!
Anyway, I digress!!
I’m writing this on a train. A train that’s very delayed due to a combination of failed signals and carriage malfunction. I admit the moment I saw I was to be a hostage to the tiny rather chilled waiting room at Westbury station my heart sank. However, never one to be dismayed for long, I soon struck with conversation with my fellow hostages, most of whom held either paperbacks or kindles.

westbury station

You can see where I’m going with this can’t you!

Always one for a bit of free marketing, and always curious- okay, nosy- about what sorts of reading matter folk favour- I was soon chatting away about the benefits of reading Dexter over Grisham, King over Barker, Fforde over Trollope and Pratchett over just about anyone. The discussion was lively and good natured, and soon the time was flying by, as some lively chap asked if I’d read Fifty Shades of Grey, and I did my very best not to groan.

It was at this point that further time was added to our delay, and the kiosk lady announced we’d all have time for another cup of coffee should we want one….cue my chance to recommend my own book. Who’d have thought my title could be so user friendly!! As you can imagine, I grasped my chance to endorse a certain Jenny Kane.

It’s always weird talking about myself in the third person, as if the story I’m recommending was written by a stranger- and yet, if I’m honest, there is a small kick to be gained when people scribble down the title of your work to try sometime when they aren’t doing it just to be polite because you’ve just told them you wrote it! And, to me, who hates pushing herself forward, it is so much easier to market my work if it doesn’t feel as if I’m showing off!!

ACOC- cover

So, I thought I’d write this little blog to say thank you to those lovely chatty, fellow train-waiters, at Westbury, and to apologise for my subterfuge!!  I hope, if you do read Another Cup of Coffee you thoroughly enjoy it!!

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

EARLY PAPERBACK RELEASE!!!! Another Cup of Coffee Anyone??

YIPPEE!!!!!!  The paperback release of Another Cup of Coffee has been bought forward to 16th Sept in the UK, and 19th Sept in the US!!!

Although I have been writing for some time, and have had 16 solo erotic novels, anthologies and novellas published before, this novel feels like a major first for me!

I love writing as Kay, and the erotica world has been very kind to me- but I must confess to feeling quite different about Another Cup of Coffee– partly because the story is based on a decision I had to make once upon a time (I tell you about that another day if you are very good), and partly because of the marketing issue- it is just so easy to tell people about my new novel!!

KayJayBee-27

When you write erotica, you are preaching to the converted- to a small group of the population who love the genre. With romance, on some level, there is always the chance your work will appeal to everybody.

I love writing erotica- and it is a genre I really believe in- but forget 50 Shades- I’m talking real erotica, which is full of well crafted, well thought out, sexy stories. Some are mysteries, some thrillers, some crime based, others romantic, some emotional journeys- just like in any other branch of fiction.

The thing is though, in erotica you have to second guess people all the time. You can’t just stick up a poster up in a café or library advertising erotica for fear of offending, you can’t drop it in to conversation with people you don’t know well for the same reason- everything you say has to be judged on instinct. And to be honest- I’m okay with that- it is difficult and often frustrating, but I really don’t want to offend people – although to be honest, I don’t think  actually would if people stopped to read some, rather than assume they know what it’s going to be like.

Anyway- that’s an argument for Kay’s site- today I’m simply enjoying how lovely it is to be able to say, ‘I’ve written a novel called Another Cup of Coffee, can I put up a poster, can I read in the library, can I launch it at a National Trust house….” and not have to wonder what response I’ll get! It is a very freeing feeling!!

coffee and cake

So I’m raising a coffee to my first novel as Jenny- to all the lovely people who have bought it already, and the lovely reviews it’s already received- who knows, if I sell enough paperback and Kindle copies, I might get it in some bookshops!!

Kindle-

Paperback-

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

 

EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT 3 – Another Cup of Coffee

Welcome back! Here’s the third and final taster from by brand new novel, Another Cup of Coffee!

We’ve had a snippet featuring Amy, and one about Jack, so today it’s time to feature Kit! And here, she asks Jack, about Amy- his only other proper ex-girlfriend…

****

‘Amy doesn’t know about you either.’ Jack had tried small talk, but it hadn’t worked, so he dived back into the fray between mouthfuls of cake.

Kit sounded exhausted, ‘What does she know?’

‘Very little.’ Jack tried to take her hand, but she moved it out of reach, ‘Kit,’ he sounded almost pleading now, ‘you did know I had girlfriends at university.’

‘I did, but until our last discussion, I was under the impression they were of the snog-em, shag-em, leave-em variety. That for you, loving a woman was totally out of the question. Period.’

‘That’s mostly true.’ Now it was Jack’s turn to sound tired.

‘But not her.’

‘No, not Amy, but so what?’ Jack was getting fed up with this now. He wasn’t used to having to justify his actions. ‘You must have been in love with someone other than Phil surely, otherwise how did you know that you loved him?’

coffee and cake

Kit swallowed. The cake she’d eaten suddenly transmogrified to lead in her stomach. In ten years she’d never given herself away. The truth was now dangerously near exposure; it could change everything. She’d probably freak Jack out so much she’d never see him again, and as the past two weeks had shown her, that as a permanent prospect, was something she didn’t like at all. She daren’t even contemplate how Phil would react if he found out she’d felt. So she simply said, ‘I’d have said.’

Jack watched Kit, his growing temper dying as quickly as it had risen as realisation dawned. He knew he’d been stupid, now it seemed he’d been blind as well. Yet she hadn’t said it. Why not? Choosing his words carefully he said, ‘I don’t want a life without you in it.’

Kit acknowledged his words with an inclination of her head, but ignored the obvious response, saying instead, ‘Have you seen Amy yet, since she’s come south I mean?’

Jack took the change of tack gratefully, ‘No. I don’t know where she’s living.’

‘I do.’

‘What?’ Jack abruptly lent forward again, ‘How on earth do you know that? Rob hasn’t told you has he?’

‘Rob knows?’ Kit frowned as she spoke.

‘Yes, but he’s not saying. Apparently she’ll find me when she’s ready. Very bloody mysterious.’

Good for her, Kit experienced an unexpected second of respect for her unknown protagonist. ‘Phil knows too. Although he has no idea he knows of course.’

‘Phil? How on earth…?’

‘She’s renting room through Home Hunters.’

‘Small world.’ Jack let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

‘Isn’t it.’

Letting silence fill the gap between them for a moment, Jack rubbed the tension from his forehead before saying, ‘You and Amy have quite a lot in common.’

Kit didn’t want to hear it, and certainly wasn’t sure if she liked that fact or not, as the tone of her voice clearly indicated. A nuance completely lost on Jack. ‘Really.’

‘Sure,’ Jack attempted to move closer to her, but Kit lent back. ‘You both fidget when you’re nervous or uncertain about something. You’re both kind and generous. And you’re both far too good for me. You both let me get away with murder.’

Kit grunted a begrudging response, ‘That bit sounds right anyway.’

Jack was warming to his theme; the more he thought about it, the more similarities there were. ‘You like the same types of music, neither of you care much about clothes beyond comfort, and despite your angelic faces, you’re both dirty beggars in the bedroom.’

Kit stared at him in disbelief, ‘A thought too far Jack. Much too far.’ Kit scowled, ‘At least now I know why you were attracted to me; I was just like her.’

Jack’s mouth dropped open. He’d walked straight into that one. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, I liked you for you, but you’re right, I went too far with the comparisons. I was trying to help. Sorry.’ Jack began to shred the napkin he’d absentmindedly been playing with into haphazard strips.

Kit watched him carefully, unable to prevent a tiny smile hitting the corner of her lips, ‘Amy and I aren’t the only ones who fidget when we’re uncertain then.’

‘Well, I have a fair bit to be uncertain about right now.’…

****

ACOC- cover

So where can Kit and Jack go from here…and what about Amy??? If you want to find out, you can buy Another Cup of Coffee from…

Amazon UK- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Of-Coffee-ebook/dp/B00EVYZC7M/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377952210&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee+jenny+kane

Happy reading,
Jenny xx

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