Touring with Jackie Kessler

We're welcoming author Jackie Kessler today, author of HOTTER THAN HELL: Book 3 in the Hell on Earth series (Kensington/Zebra, August 5, 2008), as she journeys on her Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour. Hello, Jackie!!

Hi, Marilyn. Thank you so much for touring me!

You're so welcome! It's great having you here :). In HELL'S BELLES and THE ROAD TO HELL, you brought readers into an unforgettable Underworld populated by alluring demons and sexy devils. Now you've got Daunuan's story--the most irresistible incubus of all. New readers want to know about your book. Can you tell us the basic premise? HOTTER THAN HELL is the third book in the Hell on Earth series. Unlike the first two, this one is in the incubus Daunuan’s POV. (Pronounced “Don Juan.” Sort of.) Daun gets a promotion in Hell, but for him to actually become the Prince of Lust, he needs to get a woman meant for Heaven to sin big enough for her to be damned to Hell. In other words, he’s got to seduce her. Problem is, she’s completely impervious to his devilish charm. And there’s also the small matter of the rogue demons hell-bent on destroying him. Whoopsie…

Whoopsie is right! You can't be too careful when it comes to rogue demons... What's one scene from this story you loved writing and why did it excite you? There’s one scene in which Daun nearly does something unforgivable. And as I was writing it, I was like, No, Daun, don’t do it! Don’t do it! And he didn’t. It was close, but he didn’t. Heh. I sound completely insane. But sometimes, it feels like the characters are doing it all by themselves, and I’m just transcribing it.

I know what you mean. Our book characters can feel so real to us--it's one of those "special gifts" (or, more likely, "curses" :-) of being a writer. Did you use any musical references in your novel? If so, do they play a significant role? Music plays a major role in all the HELL books—but in HOTTER THAN HELL, Mozart himself actually plays an important role, along with his music. Lately, my favorite groups include Breaking Benjamin, Nickelback, Depeche Mode, Matchbox Twenty, Finger Eleven, and Godsmack.

My favorite classical musician is Mozart and I'm a HUGE, HUGE Matchbox Twenty fan (finally saw them in concert this year!!), so I know I'll love the HOTTER THAN HELL soundtrack. What's your Writer Fantasy--i.e., to see your book make into a feature film, to be on the New York Times bestseller list for 40 consecutive weeks, etc.? To quit the day job and be a full-time, name-brand writer. And to have the first book I ever wrote get sold. Okay, I wouldn’t say no to a fabulous movie deal, either…

Would your high school friends be surprised to discover you'd become a novelist? Hee. I’m actually going to my 20-year high school reunion this Saturday. I’ll let you know. (Oh, you are SO much braver than I am! I'd love to hear about it...)

What's one piece of writing advice you've found valuable on your journey to publication? To paraphrase author Cindy Procter-King (Head Over Heels), there are three things you need to get published: talent, persistence, and timing. While it’s difficult to write to the market, you absolutely can hone your craft and develop a thick skin. Write. No matter what, write. And never be daunted.

This is excellent advice. Thanks for visiting, Jackie, and congrats on the big release this week!!