Josee Renard, Kate Austin, and…Charles Dickens?

Kate Austin and Josee Renard are one and the same person – sort of. At least they share the same body, though they can’t always guarantee the same mind. Kate writes women’s fiction with a dash of magic realism, Josee writes erotica with more than a dash of romance. This means that each of them gets the best of both worlds. But, because Kate/Josee doesn’t want you to be as confused as she is some days, she’s going to write this blog as Josee, mostly because – right now – Josee is doing something THAT’S ABSOLUTELY FANTASTICALLY FUN! And oh yeah, she’s the one who got the invite.

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Jules and Mercy have been friends since grade school; sex-mates since high school. They started and run Part Time Lovers, a website catering to anyone who wants sex and wants it now—Jules and Mercy are partners in every way. But this week Jules is lusting after a barista who isn’t available.

Mercy sets him up with Jeanne, who needs to remember how sexy she truly is, and Jules is fascinated by her. They spent an erotic, enchanting night together while Jules forgets the barista and Jeanne remembers her younger, sexier self.

 

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By the time you read this blog, I will have – magically – become Charles Dicken, or at least a Dickens write-a-like.

And I love it.

If you’re thinking Tiny Tim or Little Nell or David Copperfield or Miss Havisham, stop right now (although Little Nell might put you on the right track). One of the things I most admire about Dickens is his ability to write to deadlines – especially when he was writing those complicated, multi-character, multi-plotline stories like The Old Curiosity Shop. He wrote and published a chapter a week, the final chapter of which kept people waiting in lines at shops and on the docks in New York to find out what had happened to Little Nell.

My Dickens moment – or year, more accurately – is this. I’ve written a serial, just like Dickens and The Old Curiosity Shop. It’s coming out in a slightly more modern form, e-publishing rather than in a weekly paper, but it’s coming out one linked story after another. It was an interesting process because, unlike Dickens, I wanted readers to be able to pick up one story and enjoy it on its own, but I also wanted the stories to be connected.

Although the stories are initially being e-pubbed, they’ll come out as a print book, hopefully early next year.

So in order to ensure that they actually turned out to be a serial rather than just a bunch of stories with the same title, I connected them in several ways:  through Stevie Wonder song titles, through the Part Time Lovers website, through the setting (Vancouver)  and the long-time friends who run it – Jules and Mercy.

The first story in Part Time Lovers – That’s What Friends are For – is available on August 10, the second one – Treat Myself – on August 24. Then September 7 – Kiss Lonely Goodbye – and 21 – Superstition – a break during October, and then one a week until the beginning of December.

I’ve had a terrific time writing these stories – I love Jules and Mercy and the relationship they’ve had since grade school. I love writing about places in Vancouver. I love being able to continue Jules and Mercy’ stories. And I love the fact that I’m able to write about all kinds of different people in the 10 stories. It makes me want to write another serial next year – I just have to think about a place to start, a connection that will link them all together but allow me the freedom to write different stories each time.

Any ideas?

Here’s the website’s homepage and there’s a contest at the bottom to win a copy of one of my books. Enjoy!

 

Welcome to Part Time Lovers

            This is your invitation to play, to experiment, to fulfill your deepest, darkest fantasy or get down and dirty – and then walk away. No regrets, no recriminations, no rules.

We  want  you to make the rules for your encounter. There are no forms to complete, no wish lists, no compatibility tests. Just jump right in. Part Time Lovers is about hooking up with the right person for right now.

We know your desires change—maybe even from one day to the next—because ours do. We created this Website to accommodate every single one of your desires.

This week you might want a quick fuck; next week that high school fantasy or the hot vampire you just read about in your favorite book. Part Time Lovers is the place for you to find your dream lover.

So come on in. Someone is waiting for you.

            Mercy and Jules

 

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A big thank you to Josee for joining us today!

To find out more information about Josee and her backlist, please visit www.joseerenard.com. And for a chance to win a digital copy of Treat Myself (release date 8/24), you just have to answer a simple question. What is your favorite Stevie Wonder song title?