The Many Genres of Jennifer Ashley

Thanks so much for inviting me to guest blog today!

 

Two things to talk about: 1) My new release Mate Claimed and 2) a question I get asked a lot: “Why do you write so many genres?” Well, I’ll tell you. 🙂

 

First, Mate Claimed, Book 4 in the Shifters Unbound series is out!

If you’re new to the Shifter series, Shifters Unbound is a paranormal romance series about shape-shifters who have revealed themselves to the world, only to be rounded up and made to live in Shiftertowns and wear shock collars to control their violence. Or so humans think. The Shifters know who’s really in charge.

 

In Mate Claimed, Eric Warden, the leader of his Shiftertown must round up half-Shifter half-human Iona who’s been passing for human all her life. She’s resistant, not wanting to reveal her Shifter side to the world, but her Shifter instincts are making her crazy, and Eric fears she’ll go feral if he doesn’t bring her in. Iona want wants to resist him, fearing repercussions against her family for hiding the fact that she’s Shifter, but her mating hunger is high, and she can’t ignore Eric’s call.

 

This is a hot book, and I had a blast writing it.

 

Second: I write several genres—romance, mystery, fantasy—and several subgenres within romance: paranormal, historical, futuristic, erotic.

 

I get asked why?. To me, writing the same thing all the time would quickly grow tiresome, and the books would reflect that. Either I have ADD, or I love to explore different sides of my imagination.

 

I currently am working on five series (and have several backlist series too)

 

1. Shifters Unbound—Paranormal / Shapeshifter romance

 

I enjoy writing shapeshifters, because I like exploring what life is like as a shapeshifter. These guys are big, hot, and sexy, and yet vulnerable to the rules that try to control them.

 

I love writing about the Shifter families and clans and dynamics within the families and the Shifter society. I have two groups of Shifters going—the Austin Shifters, led by the Morrisseys, and the Las Vegas Shifters, led by Eric and his family. I go back and forth as I write the main novels and shorter tie-in novels.

 

New Release: Hard Mated (August 2012), and Mate Claimed (October 2012)

 

2. Mackenzies—Historical / Scottish / Victorian

Who doesn’t love a sexy man in a kilt? The Mackenzies series revolves around a highly dysfunctional family of Scottish brothers, their ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies.

 

My Scottish series is a little different because it’s set in the Victorian age, not the age of clan wars. The Scottish men fall in love with women who wear lush bustle dresses of the late Victorian era, and are into photography, horseracing, and that new, fascinating invention, the motorcar.

 

The Mackenzie men are rich, decadent, and fiercely Scottish, wearing their kilts everywhere and not bothering to hide their Highland accents.

 

I love the research into the late Victorian age, which wasn’t much different from our own, and into Scottish history after Culloden.

 

Next release: The Seduction of Elliot McBride (January 1, 2012)

 

3. Stormwalker – Urban Fantasy w/ some romance

 

The Stormwalker series, which I write as Allyson James, is contemporary fantasy set in rural Arizona, in and around the Navajo Nation.

 

Half-Navajo Janet Begay is a Stormwalker—meaning she can gather the forces of storms that sweep across the desert and channel them to make amazing magic.

 

She has a boyfriend, Mick, a biker and a shape-shifter, who aids her on her adventures and helps her ease back down from her wild storm magic in the sexiest way possible.

 

I love writing this series, which is set in my own backyard, the deserts of the southwest. I incorporate some Navajo and Hopi legend into the stories, and include Coyote, the trickster god, who is a handful.

 

I also wanted to write an ongoing couple who are a couple—not a “will they or won’t they?” or “will she choose him or him?” kind of story. I wanted a couple who have been through their ups and downs (and still going through some), but who have a solid relationship that’s not going to be torn apart, despite anyone’s best efforts.

 

The series is ongoing, following Janet and Mick in their adventures. There is fast-paced action adventure, and a continuing romance arc with Janet and Mick.

 

Latest release: Nightwalker (September 2012)

 

4. Tales of the Shareem – Erotic / Futuristic romance / Extremely hot!

 

The Shareem are men genetically engineered for one purpose—to pleasure women. They were invented on a planet (Bor Narga) on which sex is now taboo—children are created outside the body, and men and women aspire to pursue intellectual and artistic pursuits rather than emotional and bodily pleasures.

 

The Shareem had been created before this culture change, and now they’re more or less outlawed, allowed to live only if they get inoculated against all sexual diseases and conceiving children.

 

Does that slow down our heroes? No! They are a group of sexy, fun-loving guys who find ways to fulfill their (and their lucky lady’s) bodily pleasures, while dodging the patrollers, who don’t want to let them have any fun.

 

But underneath it all, they’re looking for love and that special lady who will love them for themselves.

 

I love these guys. In this series, there are no inhibitions—the sex is hot stuff. When I say erotic, I mean it! And Rees, Rio, Aiden, Ky, Calder, Braden, Justin, and others to come, are sweethearts. 🙂

 

The latest release is Tales of the Shareem: Justin, which I pubbed myself, but the backlist is all available from Ellora’s Cave and via Amazon, B&N, and All Romance Ebooks.

 

5. Captain Lacey Regency mysteries – Mystery / Regency-set / some romance

 

Ah, Captain Lacey. I started writing his books more than ten years ago. He’s a burned-out, injured cavalry officer from the Napoleonic War, whose gentleman father lost every penny, leaving Gabriel Lacey with a rundown house in Norfolk and nothing more.

 

Lacey returns to London and stumbles across a crime—the disappearance of a respectable young woman. That case draws him into the world of crime-solving, where he crosses paths with the wealthiest dandy in London (Lucius Grenville), a man who rules the criminal underworld (James Denis), an enthusiastic Bow Street Runner (Pomeroy), a viscountess with an acerbic tongue (Lady Breckenridge), and many others.

 

Using only his wits, Lacey battles the criminals of London and outsmarts them when he can. There is also an ongoing romantic arc with Lady Breckenridge.

 

I love this series! Captain Lacey is like my best friend. Also, I enjoy researching and writing about criminal investigation long before fingerprinting, DNA testing, or any modern forensics. Evidence gathering was very basic.

 

This is not a lighthearted, frothy Regency series, but a look at both sides of the Regency, from the ballrooms to the backstreets.

 

The latest release is A Death in Norfolk. I’m working on more, and the entire backlist, plus shorter offerings can be found at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sony, Kobo, and Smashwords.

 

 

So that’s what I write! Each series lets me explore a different facet of the world, of history, of my imagination. (It also explains why I’m so busy.)

 

I hope I can offer something for everyone.

 

Now for the giveaway. A backlist book from any of my series! Winner’s choice. Leave a comment to tell me what is your favorite reading genre.

 

Best,

 

Jennifer Ashley

 

Visit www.jenifersromance.com for more information or click on any of the above covers.