Monday, January 23, 2012

Guest Post & Giveaway: Jenn LeBlanc - THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE

Hi Everyone and Happy Chinese New Year! Please help me welcome Jenn LeBlanc to AsianCocoa's Secret Garden today! Jenn is here promoting her serial novel, The Rake and the Recluse. It's a great story so be sure to check it out.

Hi Monique! Thank you for hosting me during the WICKED blog tour! We’ve been having so much fun chatting along the way, giving away lots of books and eventually even a Kindle Fire or Color Nook! (yay!) 

I was chatting up my friend Amy at the last Colorado Romance Writers meeting about my next blog post. When you have so many to write, it's difficult to come up with something new to say. It's also very important. I certainly don't want to bore anyone! 

Of course CRW is a group dedicated to the business of writing, so while talking business...a few things came up...

So now a quiz: What do the following items have in common? 

Riding pants
Saddle
Corset
Top hat
Great coat
Kilt
Broad sword (as well as a claymore, three daggers and a cutlass)
Bullets
Custom tooled leather gunslinger belt for a six shooter
More bullets
Rope
Male models (x6)
Riding crops
Airline tickets
Rental Car
Food
Bucket
Tarp
Fabric
Used jeans
Handcuffs
Leather straps
Dildos (those are for RomCon)
Camp stove 

I’ll tell you what they have in common: my taxes. These are all business write offs.

It’s exciting being a romance novelist and a photographer. For example, those tight riding pants and that riding crop? They’re on the cover of FREEDOM. Props for the studio. Not used for anything else, and those pants got a workout too. 

The custom made corset on FOUND? All the fabric and cording, rivets, grommets and even the tool written off. The rope on TAKEN, the ring on RUINATION, the gloves on SUBMISSION, all written off. 

But it can be more interesting than that. Saddles, chaps, weapons, people, a trip to California, gear...all these things can be found on my tax return. 
Saddle, grips, bullets, quick draw belt, model.
  California

It gets better though. I was chatting with my accountant about my marketing strategies, and mentioned that I had seen a spike in sales after Man Candy Monday on twitter (7-9 p.m. every Monday, just follow that hashtag and enjoy) He just kinda sat there and looked at me. Eventually he smiled. But explaining the list of write offs to him got interesting. Especially when we got to the receipt from the sex toy store. (riding crops are cheaper there, so are handcuffs.)

He really wasn’t prepared for me. But he is starting to enjoy our chats. He is impressed with how in tune I am with my audience. We usually meet at coffee shops, and he has started getting a table further and further into the corner. I really am not safe for public consumption. I have warned waitstaff to seat me away from children and families when I’m with other writers, or my editor, or clients. 

I’ve also learned to sit with my back toward a wall if I’m planning on working on my computer. Because you never know what will pop up on my computer screen.

I love my job, and the best part about it is that I love to share. With all of you. :)

So what do you think I should try to write off on my taxes next year? Let’s start a bucket list. See if we can make it more interesting! 


Where to find me: Twitter | Facebook | Author Site | Blog | Tumblr (NSFW)
And please come find me! I LOVE to chat with readers!

Blurb:

A woman out of time.
A man stifled by propriety.
A nemesis determined to take her away.
A brother to the rescue.

How will a powerful Duke deal with a woman who doesn't know her place? How will a woman used to the 21st century survive in time where she is considered property?

Francine Larrabee woke up on the wrong side of the century. She was fairly certain she went to sleep in her own comfy bed, but she doesn’t quite seem to be there now. Only adding to her problems is that she has no voice, is constantly being glowered at by a large, stunning man who is obsessed with propriety, and she is apparently betrothed to another horrid little man, determined to ruin her, and any other girls that get in his way.

How does she find herself in the past, when she couldn’t even find herself in her present? How does a self sufficient businesswoman survive in a time when women were still considered property for the whole of their lives and what is she going to do with this man who draws her to him so fiercely.



FREEDOM: The Rake and the Recluse: Part One
Part one brings Francine to the world of the Duke of Roxleigh, clashing worlds in first installment of the completely revised novel, with all new material.

Available now from these ebook retailers:

iBookstore for iThingys

FOUND : The Rake and The Recluse: Part Two

Part two finds Francine in the world of the Duke of Roxleigh. The clashing of worlds in first installment of the completely revised novel continues as Francine finds her footing, discovers secrets about her elusive host, and learns more about herself than she ever thought possible. 

Available now from these ebook retailers:

iBookstore for iThingys

TAKEN : The Rake And The Recluse : Part Three
Part THREE brings Francine and Gideon closer than they ever imagined possible, until the unimaginable tears them apart. What will Gideon do if he loses her, this time, forever?

Available now from these ebook retailers:


RUINATION: The Rake And The Recluse: Part Four
Part FOUR is full of revelations, celebrations, protestations and one surprise that will have you holding your breath for the final chapters. What has Perry done?

Coming January 31, 2012

SUBMISSION: The Rake And The Recluse: Part Five
Perry leaves Roxleigh House without a backward glance only to be tossed headlong into one of the most difficult trials of his life. How will he protect the very thing he is dedicated to pursuing? How will a man dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure survive a woman who refuses to relent, when he knows he cannot have her.

Coming February 14, 2012







RETRIBUTION: The Rake And The Recluse: Part Six
Perry must find the woman who has managed to capture his heart, then he must find a way to keep her. Someone else is on the hunt, someone from her past who doesn’t appreciate that she still lives and breaths.

Coming February 28, 2012


NOW it’s your turn, remember to answer the question to be entered to win the full six-part serial novel as it is released, and thank you for stopping by. You will ALSO be entered in the grand prize #WICKEDblog tour, which will be given away on March 1, 2012. Don”t forget to include your email address in your comment or you can’t be entered into the grand prize drawing.

Rules can be found HERE. A full list of all the posts in the tour can be found HERE.



Giveaway:

Jenn is giving away a digital copy of her six part serial novel, The Rake and the Recluse to one lucky reader!You will also be entered to win the grand prize of an Amazon Fire or Color Nook at the end of Jenn LeBlanc's tour.

To enter:

Answer Jenn's question from the post and include your email address. This giveaway is open to international readers.

Entry Deadline is Thursday, January 26th. Good luck! 

Here are my reviews of the first two parts of this serial novel:


29 comments:

  1. Next year you should order a bunch of male models, for studying of course, to walk about your house in their birthday suits for a week. Of course you have to write it off in your taxes it was for writing purposes..... Oh and if you want to invite me to stay with you that week I'd be more then willing!!

    brandon_savannah@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Savannah! That's BRILLIANT. I should just have a little convention for a few ladies at a resort with a bunch of male models waiting on us all hand and foot. We'll list it under sales promotion! PERFECT!!

      Jenn

      Delete
  2. Next year, you should hire a male escort for the week and write it off as a business expense. Saying he was your assistant or employee. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. An ESCORT!?! Wow I'm not sure I can handle that. I've seen that TV show Gigolos. I think I prefer models! LOL!

      Delete
  3. Wow! I like Tore's idea of an escort! I'm sure you'd be a lot nicer to him/creative with him than many people out there! :> Anyway, I was thinking along the lines of someone who would be good to teach people some "hands on" skills or relax them at a conventions. For instance, you could hire a masseuse to relax writers after a long session. Or, you could hire actual cowboys/ranch hands to show/explain proper techniques for roping, riding, etc. Artists would also benefit from their presence for sketching.

    Ann
    Kyreadinggirl@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ann! That is a great idea, REALLY! I love it. I do know some real cowboys...

      Delete
  4. I had to laugh at your business write offs. Your taxes would read better than most I'd say. You could try writing off lingerie. The really gorgeous, totally hot stuff.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I could easily do that, I just have to shoot it (and it has to be useable within my business parameters, so cover acceptable) that would be fun. Some of that stuff is just amazing. Good idea!!

      Jenn

      Delete
  5. Jenn, what good are a saddle and riding crop without a HORSE?!? You NEED a horse for your pictures to be accurate and in context. Then, you must feed him, exercise him, keep him healthy and in a safe, comfy pasture. Heck, now you can write off the whole RANCH!!!

    Love it,

    Laura
    heartoftexasbooks[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh ho ho Laura! Let's just make it a dude ranch with those hot cowboys where romance readers can come hang out and listen to sexy stories by campfire while those afore mentioned cowboys give back rubs!! I am LIKING the way you think. Yes I am.

      :)

      Delete
  6. Geez your tax receipts = my wish list lol

    how about accommodations overnight in a castle? You know for research?

    MichelleKCanada @AnotherLookBook
    another_look_book_reviews at hotmail dot ca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooo Michelle that's another good one. I definitely need to research a beautiful castle...in, say, Scotland. I think I might need to do that soon. I've never been to one of course so to be authentic it MUST be done.

      Good add to the bucket list.

      Delete
  7. I just have to tell you all how much I enjoy sneaking peeks at Jenn's computer screen at CRW meetings. Yippee kiy eye ay! (Plus, she knows I get mad when she doesn't share her H-A-W-T pics with me). Hey, does this mean you can write ME off on your taxes next year?
    Congrats on the amazing serial. I just finished the first one, and can hardly wait to get my dirty-girl hands on the next few.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!! You are so funny. Yes I share. You won't believe what's on my computer screen right now. Should I tease? Maybe I will....we shot some video. O_o uh oh. Stock just went up right? Stay tuned because I'll be releasing that video SOON.

      *muah*

      Delete
  8. How about some massage oils, we like to see models with glistening skin, the more skin, the better! I bet you have some interesting stories to tell and please do tell ;)

    Eva
    evitap67(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh beautiful skin, absolutely. Good call, very important. And yes I have stories, the best of which I'm not allowed to share because it's like Vegas, what happens in studio...

      Delete
  9. Have you own meeting with a group full of male models. Make it last like a weekend conference. Have them audition...make then do ANYTHING you want;) then write it off as work related expense. You just HAD to go on that 'Business trip' LOL
    thanks for the giveaway!!
    Samantha
    samanthadacier @gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! The best part of working with models is they do exactly what I tell them to. "on your knees!" boom.

      Jenn

      Delete
  10. Haha love everyones ideas.. hm... how bout writing off a trip round the world cause you know your studying other cultures for your books! And while your at it study all the men from these places. :)
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh Jenn can I be you when I grow up. Your stories are so great. I hope I finally get to meet you one day and we can talk about super dirty and inappropriate things together. =) Quick question, what do your daughters think of everything?

    iqb99@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well the oldest ones love it, the youngest has very little idea. I mean, the oldest two assist in my studio, do hanging out with models? Yeah, what high school girl would refuse!!?

      I've a feeling we'll meet this year. It will happen. :)

      Delete
    2. I hope it happens! That's cool that they love it. You never know with teens, they can love it or be embarrassed by every little thing.

      Delete
  12. You can own and operate your own horse stable. You'll not only need horses but studs to train them and care for them!! Lots of manly help to be found in a stable.

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the stable (of menfolk) is the most popular answer on here! Perhaps it's a sign?

      Delete
  13. Ooh! Lots of sexy lingerie, I would think. Should be right at the top of your list. Bath oils for luxurious long hours in bath tub would be another requirement. I love all your business write-offs! *grin*

    Sarah

    sarahDOTsetarATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are good! I do need to shoot a bath. It would work out well :)

      Delete
  14. Several trips out to California because you're setting your future book by the ocean. That is all. Plus you get a bouncer for free. Okay, not totally free because you'd be paying me in ogling time. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by my blog! I appreciate all of your comments.

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