Today we are so lucky to have Jaci Burton on the blog with us today. (*Fan Girl Squee* from MinnChica) Jaci is an accomplished author and has published with various epublishers: Samhain, Ellora’s Cave and Carina Press to name a few. She also has an ongoing series from Berkley and a new suspense series from MIRA. She’s touched on everything from sexy biker undercover agents to sports stars to everyday blue collar workers and even demon hunters.
Her newest release, Changing the Game, book 2 in the Play-by-Play series is out today! See MinnChica’s review here.
Jaci, welcome to The Book Pushers!
Jaci: Thank you so much for letting me guest here! I’m so excited. 🙂
Book Pushers: Can you give us a brief overview of Changing the Game?
Jaci: Chaging The Game is book 2 in my Play-by-Play series, and begins several months after the end of The Perfect Play. Elizabeth Darnell is avoiding Gavin Riley, afraid he’s going to fire her. But Gavin catches up to her, determined to have a serious talk with Liz. But when he takes her to his beach house in Florida, all that serious talk turns to something else entirely, resulting in a major change in the agent/player relationship they’ve had for the past five years.
Book Pushers: The Play-by-Play Series is one of Minn’s favorites. Can you give us a hint about what’s to come? How many books do you have planned?
Jaci: Thank you! I have to admit I’m having so much fun writing this series. I just turned in Taking A Shot, the hockey book and book three of the series. At this point there are least four books planned in this series. Maybe more. We’ll see how well the series does and go from there.
Book Pushers: What kind of research did you have to do with each sport you’ve written about?
Jaci: I love sports so much. There are some, like football and baseball, that I know a lot about, but when writing there’s always research involved to make sure terminology is accurate, that you have teams playing or doing preseason during the right time of year. And with brothers doing alternate sports like football and baseball, there’s overlap and timing issues. There are equipment and plays and sports lingo that have specific wording, so I do have to spend some time immersing myself in each sport. No hardship there. 😉
Book Pushers: Scores of your fans have proclaimed one of your covers as lickable, what input do you have with your book covers?
Jaci: I’m so appreciative of all the cover love! I do a cover discussion with my editor for each book. For this series, my input has consisted of – Please give me a hot sports guy. Have they delivered or what? I worship Berkley’s Art Department. They’ve created amazing covers for this series and I’m so grateful.
Book Pushers: You have a new romantic suspense series coming out from Harlequin’s MIRA line. What can you tell us about it?
Jaci: I’m so excited about this romantic suspense series! Thank you for asking about it. The first book—Heart of a Killer—releases in late October and is about a group of foster brothers and the one girl they all protect. They’re involved in a murder when they’re teens. There’s a coverup, but twelve years later the murder comes back to haunt them when a similar murder occurs, bringing them all back full circle to that night twelve years ago. I can’t wait for everyone to read the first book in my Killer series.
Book Pushers: Your Wild Riders series has been going strong and you’ve teamed up with Lora Leigh for two anthologies now. How many books do you have planned for the series?
Jaci: Actually, Riding The Night was planned as the last book in the series. All of my original Wild Riders stories have been told. But Lora asked me to do another anthology with her, so I created a new Wild Riders character, and the series lives on!
Book Pushers: What other projects do you have in the works that you can tell us about?
Jaci: I’m also doing a contemporary romance series for Carina Press-my Kent Brothers series. There are three brothers—Ethan, Wyatt and Brody. All She Wants For Christmas released last December. That was Ethan’s story. The next novella in that series—Wyatt’s story, will release this December. These are straight contemporary romances set in a small Missouri town. I hope you all check them out if you haven’t read them yet! (Minn reviewed All She Wants for Christmas last year here)
Book Pushers: Do you have a favorite genre to write in?
Jaci: I love contemporary romance. It’s my favorite genre to read in, so it’s one I love to write. I like to vary by writing in straight contemporary, erotic and romantic suspense, but I’ve stuck to contemporary for several years now.
Book Pushers: If Mick and Gavin had to pick their all time favorite sport icon, who would it be?
Jaci: Ohhhh, tricky question! Good one. For Mick, he’d have to say Joe Montana, who he thinks is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game (I believe he and Tara discuss this in The Perfect Play.) For Gavin, it’s probably Albert Pujols from the St Louis Cardinals. And of course just because I was born and raised in St Louis and think Pujols is a master at first base has no bearing on Gavin’s decision making here. But Gavin also worships Lou Gehrig.
Book Pushers: If a bar brawl were to break out between the heros of the Play-by-Play Series and the Wild Riders Series, who would win?
Jaci: You want me to choose between my guys? No can do. My Wild Riders boys are from the streets. They’re tough as nails. But my Riley’s aren’t pussies, either. I’m going to call it even.
Book Pushers: Once said fight was over, what would the heroines say to their men?
Jaci: The heroines would call all the guys dumbasses, then take them home, clean their wounds and jump their bones. Come on—fighting is hot.
Thanks so much again to Jaci for being here today! She has offered one lucky commenter a signed copy of The Perfect Play. Leave a comment to be entered, open international. Ends August 8th. Good Luck!
The covers are so hot! Thanks for great contest!
Congratulations on the new book! It looks like an exciting story and the covers are great.
I really, really want to tack this cover up on my wall! Sexy doesn’t even come close to this guy! Whew! Thanks so much for an awesome interview and giveaway – I can’t wait to read this book 🙂
jwitt33 at live dot com
Congratulations on the series. Every review of these books has been great (not to mention the covers!).
congrats on the new book. I can’t wait to read it!
I love the covers in this series! Thanks for the giveaway!
jcross719 at yahoo dot com
Congrats on the new release! Loved the interview, you have def. been blessed by the cover Gods! Can’t wait for more Play by Play and your upcoming Killers series! Thanks for the
giveaway =)
folksohana at gmail dot com
I love books featuring athletes since I’m a big sports fan. I’m sure the research for these was lots of fun.
jen at delux dot com
I am an avid reader and would love to read your book.
Congrats on the release! Really looking forward to read this myself! Thanks for the giveaway!
chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com
congrats ont eh books
i love sports and sport books whoo
so damn hot and congrats no teh great reviews
I would love to read The Perfect Play, it sounds amazing. And yeah, those covers are incredible 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway (serieously, what is more awesome than a signed copy?).
jessicamariesutton(At)msn(dot)com
Sounds like an amazing series! Cant wait to read it. Thanks for the giveaway!
Great interview. Love the covers for the Play-by-Play series.
I absolutely love your books. I’m new to your stories, but love the new series. I read Changing the Game in about 10 hrs. I couldn’t put it down.
Now I’m impatiently(: waiting for Taking a Shot. I love hockey. Thanks so much for sharing your stories w/ us.
OMG!! =)) I LOVE YOUR BOOKS SO MUCH! I LOVE SPORTS JUST LIKE U AND WHEN U COMBINE THAT WITH ROMANCE BY MY FAVORITE AUTHOR IS A WINNER FOR ME!!;)
I CAN’T WAIT 4 THE NEXT BOOK WHICH HAS HOCKEY IN IT.. HOCKEY’S MY FAVORITE SPORT!!:D
Lickable is definitely the right word for your covers! Yum! 😉 I have to say, sports romances are some of my favorites. There’s a definite shortage of basketball player romances though – it seems like the heroes always play football, baseball or hockey. Any thoughts on that? I know you’re out of Rileys after Book 3, but maybe we can get a basketball hottie in the future? 😉
Its nice being a female sports fan reading the play by play books. There aren’t a whole lot of romance books with sports settings. This sports girl thanks you!!
I’D LOVE TO HAVE THIS BOOK! I PLAN TO GIVE IT TO A VERY DEAR FRIEND OF MINE AS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT IF I WIN!
SHE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY!!! SHE IS A HUGE FAN!!:D
Love your books so much. I am really looking forward to this one. It is on my birthday wish list.
musicalfrog at comcast.net