Aloha to Jenna Sutton and ALL THE RIGHT PLACES

Ready for a visit to San Francisco?  Jenna Sutton will take you to the City by the Bay in her new series, Riley O'Brien & Company, and her new title, ALL THE RIGHT PLACES. Jenna joins me for a cozy chat ...

Kim:  When it is not raining in Texas, what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of the Lone Star State?

Jenna:  I love the sight of the bluebonnets when they bloom – a lush blanket of bluish-purple with little specs of white. They’re just lovely, and though it sounds ridiculous, it makes me a little sad when I see people sitting in fields of bluebonnets for family photos because all I can think is that they’re totally smashing those lovely blooms. As for my favorite sound, I’m not really sure. I live in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Texas; it’s very urban and it’s surrounded by train tracks so I hear train horns all day. They pretty much mask any other noise. And my favorite smell is definitely the scent of the air right after a thunderstorm. We have certainly had plenty of those over the past several weeks, and I know most Texans are glad for sunny skies again.   

Kim:  I was so happy to read on your bio page that you enjoyed the short lived TV series FOREVER along with the more successful GOOD WIFE.  What draws you into a TV drama?   As a novelist, do you analyze the script?

Jenna:  I’m so annoyed with ABC for cancelling FOREVER. In my opinion, it was one of the best shows on TV. It was so multi-layered and complex with several mystery threads and such likable, admirable characters. It’s the characters that really draw me into a TV show, and I’ve been told that it’s the characterization that makes my novels stand out. For me, I don’t have to like the characters, but I do need to understand their motivation and their behavior, which is why I like the GOOD WIFE so much. I have a tendency to analyze the storyline and the script, and I didn’t do this before I started writing books. Unfortunately, that means TV is a little less fun for me now. In fact, my husband and I were watching a movie last night about cyber-terrorism, and I mused that a particular structure would be an excellent target (one that hadn’t shown up in the movie yet), and about an hour later, that particular structure ended up being the bad guy’s target. TV and movies have become a little predictable to me, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve started to enjoy sports so much, football in particular. The outcome is unpredictable.

Kim:  What have you learned from a journalism career that you can apply to romance writing?

Jenna:  I wish I could tell you that journalism gave me such a thick skin that bad reviews roll off me like water off a duck. But that wouldn’t be true. Journalistic writing is factual and not as subjective as fiction, so the criticism feels different. But my journalism experience definitely gave me a lot of skills that I use as a novelist, and the most valuable skills are outlining and being able to meet deadlines. When I start a new book, I outline it from beginning to end and really flesh out each chapter. I already know how the story is going to end before I even open up a Word document to type the first word. As a journalist, you have pages to fill, and you don’t have the luxury of writer’s block or “not feeling it” that day. As a result, I’m very comfortable with the deadlines in book publishing.   

Kim:  Tell us about ALL THE RIGHT PLACES - what inspired it?

Jenna:  Strangely enough, a bumper sticker inspired ALL THE RIGHT PLACES and the entire Riley O’Brien & Co. series. My husband and I were coming back from a shopping trip, and as we sat at a stop light, I noticed the bumper sticker on the car in front of us. It advocated breast cancer awareness, and it said: Save the Tatas.

I pointed out the bumper sticker to my husband, and he pointed out that there are a lot of words for breasts. And then he oh-so-helpfully proceeded to name them all: boobs, hooters, jugs, melons, rack, tits… oh, the list just goes on and on.

And then I started thinking that there were a lot of words for butt, too: ass, backporch, badonkadonk, booty, caboose, derrière… again, so many words, so little time.

That thought led me to another – listing the synonyms for butt would be a fun beginning to a romance novel. But who would be thinking about butts all the time? And then it came to me – someone who was involved in the clothing business.

And the most popular clothing for butts? Jeans.

That’s how I came up with the idea for a denim empire like Riley O’Brien & Co. I wanted the company to have a rich history, and I could imagine all kinds of challenges and conflict as the company is passed from one generation to the next.

The hero of All the Right Places is Quinn O’Brien, and he’s the heir apparent for this multibillion-dollar company. The women’s division isn’t performing well, and he needs to solve that problem. Up-and-coming designer Amelia Winger may be the solution, but she a problem for Quinn, who struggles to keep things professional between them when all he wants to do is get her naked. 

Kim:  What's next for Jenna Sutton?

Jenna:  I’ve written three full-length Riley O’Brien & Co. novels. The second one, COMING APART AT THE SEAMS, is scheduled for publication on Dec. 1, 2015. The third in the series, HANGING BY A THREAD, will come out in spring 2016. In addition, I’ve written two Riley O’Brien & Co. novellas, but I don’t have any specifics on when they’ll be published.

And I’ve also started a new series that I’m really excited about. I don’t want to share too much about it, but similar to the Riley O’Brien & Co. series, the new series is based on a family business. I’m about a third of the way finished with the first book in which my hero and heroine meet in a hotel bar and have a one-night stand (something that is out of character for both of them). They think they’ll never see each other again. They also think it will be easy to forget what happened in that hotel room. They’re wrong, on both counts.

Mahalo, Jenna, for butting, er, joining us at SOS Aloha!  A little more about Jenna ...

Jenna Sutton spent most of her career as an award-winning journalist covering business-related topics including healthcare, commercial real estate, retail, and technology. Nowadays she writes about hot, lovable guys and the smart, sexy women who make them crazy. It’s the culmination of a lifelong dream, and she feels so lucky to be able to do it. Jenna has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Texas Christian University and a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University. She and her husband live in a 103-year-old house in Texas.

Visit Jenna’s website at jennasutton.com or connect with her at facebook.com/jennasuttonauthor or @jsuttonauthor.

I am currently reading - and enjoying - ALL THE RIGHT PLACES:  

The first in a brand new contemporary romance series starring the men and women who are determined to keep the billion-dollar denim dynasty, Riley O’Brien & Co, on top, but aren’t about to let success stand in the way of love… 

Amelia Winger is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a successful designer. So when she gets a gig designing accessories for denim empire Riley O’Brien & Co., it’s a dream come true. Amelia can handle the demanding job, but she isn’t quite prepared for sexy CEO Quinn O’Brien. She’s doing her best to keep things professional, but the attraction sparking between them makes it personal. And so does the secret project she’s working on behind his back…

Quinn’s not interested in the new accessories, but he is interested in the woman designing them. Amelia is smart, sexy, and talented, and he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her since they met. Mixing business and pleasure isn’t wise, but that doesn’t stop him from coming up with excuses to spend time with her. He thinks he understands the risk he’s taking when he gets involved with Amelia. But he doesn’t know he’s risking a lot more than his heart.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

I am giving away a print copy of ALL THE RIGHT PLACES to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about jeans - love 'em or loathe 'em?  I used to love 'em ... loved my Jordache and Gloria Vanderbilts from high school.  But I've grown a little too wide for designer jeans now.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 20, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 21.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Jenna offers an excerpt for ALL THE RIGHT PLACES ... 

Quinn checked his phone again to make sure he hadn’t missed a text from Teagan. She was running late, which was understandable given the crowd of people who had come out this Saturday to enjoy the annual chocolate festival in Ghirardelli Square.

His sister had stopped by his office yesterday after his unsatisfying meeting with Sam Sullivan. Although he’d been in a bad mood, he had said yes when she asked him to attend the festival with her.

He moved closer to the stop sign so he wouldn’t block the pedestrian traffic. Looking up and down the street, he tried to spot Teagan’s dark head.

A black four-door sedan pulled up to the curb, catching his attention. The driver came around to open the door, and Quinn immediately recognized the red head that poked out of the car, along with the curvy body that followed.

He let out a low groan, although he couldn’t say whether it was one of pleasure or dismay. Had Teagan invited Amelia to join them?

He watched intently for his sister to emerge from the car, but once Amelia was safely on the sidewalk, the driver closed the door and handed a business card to her.

Although Quinn and Amelia hadn’t parted on good terms, he was happy to see her. A jolt shot through his body, almost as if he’d gulped a double espresso.

He couldn’t help but smile at the sight she made as she stood on her tiptoes looking for someone. She was just so damn cute. She’d clearly dressed for comfort rather than style, and she looked like a tourist.

She had pulled her curly hair back into a messy ponytail, and she wore a pair of khaki cargo pants that hugged her round ass and red Converse tennis shoes. Her leather backpack pulled her navy blue T-shirt tight across her chest, emphasizing the curves of her breasts.

Amelia had yet to spot him. She continued her scan, and he tensed as her gaze brushed past him. He knew the exact moment her brain communicated with her eyes because her head jerked back to him, and her eyes widened.

He raised his hand in a casual wave, and she slowly walked toward him. Stopping right in front of him, she looked up. They stared at each other for a few moments before she spoke.

“Hi,” Amelia finally said, her voice low.

“Juice,” he acknowledged.

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m surprised to see you. I was supposed to meet Teagan here.”

Her voice was faintly accusing, and it pissed him off. He didn’t have to trick women into spending time with him.

“I’m surprised to see you, too,” he replied in an unfriendly tone. “She asked me to meet her here, too.”

His phone chimed to let him know he had a text message, and he heard Amelia’s phone vibrate at the same time. His message was from Teagan. It read: “Change of plans. Not coming. Make sure Amelia has fun. You’re welcome.”

What a manipulator! He didn’t know whether he wanted to hug his conniving little sister or shake her until her teeth rattled.

He looked at Amelia, who had pulled her phone out of her pocket to read her own message. As she reviewed it, her plump lips turned down in a frown. He was pretty sure he had an idea what her message said. They’d been duped by a master.

“Bad news?” he asked innocently.

She raised her eyes to his. “Teagan’s not coming.”

“I know. I just got the same message.”

She immediately pulled out the card the driver had given her, clearly intending to ask him to come and get her. He placed his hand on her forearm to stop her.

“Wait a second.”

She jerked away from him. “What?” she asked rudely.

“Stay. Spend the day with me.”

Shaking her head, she opened her mouth. He rushed to speak before she could say no.

“I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

Her russet eyebrows shot up. “What about your mouth?”

Her question shocked a laugh out of him. “That, too. You don’t need to worry. My mouth will be too busy eating chocolate to bother you.”

She harrumphed, the sound making him smile. After several seconds, she tucked her phone and the driver’s card back into her pocket.

“Okay.”

He gave an internal sigh of relief. She was his, for a few hours, at least.