Monday, June 17, 2013

Blog Tour: BEING ME by LISA RENÉE JONES - Q&A + GIVEAWAY (US/Canada)


FROM STORAGE LOCKER TO
BESTSELLER LIST
LISA RENÉE JONES COLLABORATES WITH STORAGETREASURES.COM
- CO-FOUNDED BY A&E STORAGE WARS STARS DAN AND LAURA DOTSON -
TO PRESENT INSIDE OUT NOVELLA

Lisa Renée Jones's INSIDE OUT series debuted in the Amazon top 40 within the first 10 days of release. Who knew that a small, musty journal forgotten in a storage locker would be the inspiration for a bestselling series of books, TV buzz, and legions of fans counting the days until the next installment? Jones is a powerhouse literary entrepreneur. Her TALL, DARK & DEADLY series spent 10 weeks on the USA Today bestseller list and 8 weeks on the New York Times and sold 300,000 copies. Jones released IF I WERE YOU, the first book of INSIDE OUT series, herself for 10 days before Gallery/Simon & Schuster took it over. The reception by fans was overwhelming.

Now Jones is teaming up with StorageTreasures.com, co-founded by Dan and Laura Dotson, stars of the A&E's Storage Wars, to present the exclusive thrilling and chilling  serialized mystery BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: An Inside Out Novella. Each exciting installment will appear once a week through June and July 2013 on the storage and auction omnibus site and draw fans into the INSIDE OUT world.

The eagerly awaited second installment of the INSIDE OUT series, BEING ME, was released June 11, 2013 by Gallery Books. It's the continuing story of Sara McMillan, an ordinary school teacher with an uneventful life whose surprise acquisition of a storage unit key leads her to discover the journals of a woman she never met. Riveted by the journal writer's erotic adventures, Sara begins to obsess until she takes steps that lead her to living out the other woman's life. But the writer's path is dark and the men Sara meets are darker still - can she solve the riddle of what happened to the writer before she meets the same fate? 


NOW OPTIONED TO STARZ FOR TV!!! Check it out on Goodreads and Amazon 


Q&A With LISA RENÉE JONES 

  1. Throughout your career so far, you’ve written a wide range of genres, from paranormal romance to erotic thrillers. Which has been your favorite to write and what inspires you to jump around?
I love suspense and it's where I started. Opportunity lead me other places but my heart is always in a good sexy mystery. 

  1. Your latest series, The Inside Out Trilogy, begins with a character who discovers a woman’s “lost journals” in an old storage unit she purchases. How have your real-life experiences buying storage units inspired you to write this story?
My fiancée found a journal when we were buying and selling storage units and it inspired the idea. He got absorbed in the journal and insisted I write a sexy mystery involving a journal found in a storage unit. It took me years to listen to him but he never stopped pushing me. By the time I wrote INSIDE OUT  had been developing the idea so long, that it made the fictional world and characters felt very real to me. 

  1. Before publishing your books, you owned your own staffing agency, which was named Entrepreneur Magazine’s #7 growing women-owned business (1998) and recognized by the Austin Business Journal and Dallas Women Magazine. How has your experience in the business world helped shape your female characters?
It helped me understand the dynamics of personalities and relationships. It also  exposed me to some of the good and bad sides of people and situations I do not think I would have known existed otherwise. 

  1. In your opinion, what ingredients are needed to make up a good erotic thriller?
Well, great sex is a must. And not the same sex. And not sex just for sex. If I Were You didn't have a ton of sex because the characters weren't ready. I wasn't going to make them have sex to make sex scenes appear on pages. And a good mystery is a true mystery. It's woven into the story with subtle little clues. For me, it also has to be deeply rooted in something one or more characters have some emotional attachment to.

  1. What’s up next for you and your writing career?
I have a new series Escaping Reality, another sexy mystery, out in July. A novella coming up with Random House and more books in the INSIDE OUT series. There will be 5 Inside Out books and a spinoff series. Books 4 and 5 are highly focused on the man who did not get Sara. And you will know what the spinoff series is by the end of Revealing Us. You will have no question.

ABOUT LISA LISA RENÉE JONES
The author of more than 30 best-selling novels, Jones has impressive roots in the business world as the owner and CEO of a multi-state staffing agency that was consistently recognized by the The Austin Business Journal and Dallas Women magazine and grossed up to $ 16 million in sales. In 1998  her company was listed seventh in a list of fastest growing women-owned businesses by Enterpreneur magazine. She has brought this aptitude to the business of marketing her novels to create a smashing success using social media. Her publishing career began in 2007 and has grown to encompass her successful self-publishing career as well as more than 30 books with Simon & Schuster, Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, NAL, Berkley and Elloras Cave. To know more about her, please visit her website.

GIVEAWAY!

Lisa is generously offering a copy of IF I WERE YOU  and BEING ME (book #1 and #2 in the INSIDE OUT series) to a lucky reader of this blog.  Leave a comment about Lisa's books or this interview for a chance to win. Open to US and Canada residents. Don't forget to add your email address at the end of your comment. Thank you and good luck!

49 comments:

  1. Love Lisa Renee Jones and her 'Inside Out' trilogy!
    Looking forward to the 'Escaping Reality' series...


    adacquel@gmail.com
    twitter.com/Amanda__CD

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  2. VERY intriguing story! I am so glad it's being adapted into a tv show. Thank you for stopping by, Amanda! Best of luck :)

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  3. I've wanted to read these from the first moment I saw the covers. I can hardly wait for the television show to air.

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  4. Those covers are gorgeous, aren't they Yvonne? So sweet of you to say hi :) Good luck!

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  5. I would love to read your books. I have heard them compared to FIFTY SHADES OF GREY and would like to see if this is true.

    carolynvaldez51@yahoo.com

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    1. I hope you win so you'll find out :) Thank you for checking in and best of luck!

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  6. Wow I would love to win this series.Love Lisa Renee Jones and her Inside Out trilogy. I enjoyed this interview. Please pick me *fingers crossed*
    KristineLR23(AT)gmail(dot)com

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  7. I would love to win this. I love the covers and know they would be a great read.

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  8. I forgot to add email. jtagee@bham.rr.com

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    1. Thank you for entering the contest! Good luck :)

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  9. I recently discovered Lisa and have been dying to read any & all of her books!! The Inside Out Series sounds awesome!!


    nmc69@sbcglobal.net

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    1. I hope you'll be able to sink your teeth in her backlist and new titles as well this summer :) Thank you for stopping by and good luck!

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  10. Awesome giveaway!! Can't wait to read them :) mandi.m81@gmail.com

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    1. Good luck, Amanda! Nice of you to stop by and enter the contest :)

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  11. Beautiful covers! I would love to win!
    lorimitchell257@yahoo.com

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    1. Those covers are gorgeous indeed, Lori! Good luck :)

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  12. Thanks for the great interview and blurb on the books. It is always great to meet new and old authors. Marie Lisk melisk1966@yahoo.com

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    1. I personally think Lisa is an incredible woman. Thank you for checking in, Marie. Best of luck :)

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  13. Great interview questions, it's good to see some different questions instead of the standard who what when where why. I think the better the questions the more thoughtful and honest the answers are you can really tell that here. Thanks for the great interview and a chance to win

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Crystal! Lisa is such a fabulous author AND a very smart business woman. Love her! Please, let me have your email address to contact you in case you win :)

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  14. ME ME ME ( I know I sound like I am begging and yes I am a grown adult but I am LoL) if I win these I am sending these to my Mom.. I am not able to ship my Kindle to her because she thinks anything electronic is Cheating.

    I love LISA RENÉE JONES and her books and I know my Mom would love to read her stuff..

    Taramac1978@gmail.com

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    1. Tara, I simply love your enthusiasm :)Best of luck!!!

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  15. ME ME ME ( I know I sound like I am begging and yes I am a grown adult but I am LoL) if I win these I am sending these to my Mom.. I am not able to ship my Kindle to her because she thinks anything electronic is Cheating ( she is very old school)


    I adore LISA RENÉE JONES Books and she rocks and I would love to bring my Mom into my world a little.

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  16. I would love to win them I've been reading Lisa renee books for a while now in hook

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    1. Thank you for stopping by :) Please visit again and kindly add your email address.

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  17. New to the scene, but your books come highly recommended by Anna Coy. I look forward to reading your series, and meeting you at Book Bash, Orlando! Kudos to women owned industry :) Kelli
    Kelli.lipe@yahoo.com

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, Kelli! Such a smart woman Lisa :) Good luck with the giveaway!

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  18. I have not had a chance to pick up this series, but I hear very good things about it. The covers look amazing. Thanks for sharing!

    gaby891 AT YAHOO DOT DOM

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  19. I have not had a chance to pick up this series, but I have heard very good things. The covers look amazing! Thanks for sharing!


    gaby891 AT YAHOO DOT COM

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  20. Thanks for the great interview and great giveaway! Conquering the romance industry one delicious book at a time! LOL aarnoldrizzo@gmail.com

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  21. Loved "If I Were YOU"...Very personal journals describing a world of erotic Dom/Sub relations that Rebecca is not sure herself she wants to be part of, but for the need of HIM.

    After reading Lisa's 4 journals before "Being Me" was released it was hard to dedide who "The Master" was.
    Being Me was a great and steamy read and finally The Master was revealed along with startling other facts I was NOT expecting!
    Look forward to "Revealing Us" and the machco and hot Chris Merit. Great Job, Lisa, love that the Blake Walker was included in "Being Me", I love The Walker Brothers too!

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  22. I just followed the link from Lisa's FB page and discovered I'd already posted but I forgot to add my email...so this is a second post to add my email jefferson.yvonne(at)gmail(dot)com. I work at a library that loans out Nook ereaders and I've asked if we can get the entire Inside Out series....books and journals....added to one of them.

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  23. What an awesome giveaway!!! Lisa Renee Jones comes highly recommended by my sister, and I haven't gotten to it just yet... but plan to!!

    bridgette1985@gmail(dot)com

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  24. I love this series! Would love to win! Angela0922@ymail.com

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  25. I have been recommended by a friend that this series is very good, and I disagree. This series is amazing! I love the way that Lisa writes. It is very captivating and you don't get bored with the series at all. ~Jade

    silent_othello_fan@yahoo.com

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  26. Glad to hear the backstory behind the books. Fingers crossed I win!

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  27. Love this series! Hope I win:)
    nikkisbargain3@yahoo.com

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  28. I soo Loved the First book and I'M waiting on the second one to come to the library but im soo excited to read it thou.. xxmirelaxx7@yahoo.com

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  29. I have heard so many good things about these books! I would love to win!! pathomas1999@yahoo.com

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  30. Oh dear, hope I'm not too late to leave a comment! :(

    Thanks for sharing the interview with Lisa! Loved it! ♥ ♥ ♥ I would love so badly to win a print copy of If I Were You and Being Me because I’m a big fan of Lisa’s books and I especially love love LOVE the Inside Out series the most! I have read If I Were You, all four of Rebecca’s Journals and Being Me on Kindle and I’m obsessed with these books, characters and their mystery/secrets/story! You know how people say too much of anything is no good? I beg to differ! I’m so crazy about these books I’ve re-read them multiple times, highlighted clues/fav quotes and even made notes. The last time I’ve been so hooked on something like this was Twin Peaks TV series (Off-topic: for some reason, the name Twin Peaks always sound dirty! Haha!) and it’s an addiction, but it’s a good one! There are no harmful side effects (unlike taking drugs for example) and it’s healthy because, well, how should I put it… I get lucky with my significant other half? ;) Ermm, yea, the books are extremely smexy/hot/sizzling/scorching/panty-melting and *squeezes thighs together* totally gets my lady parts excited *blush* Anyways, I totally have it bad for Chris and I’m really envious of Sara. I know it’s just fiction, but if I can’t have Chris in reality, can I please have a consolation prize and have a “piece” of him in the form of paperbacks? At least I could “hold” him in his “physical” form (instead of my Kindle) Pretty pretty please? :D

    Oh, I have a confession to make… I’m not proud of it, because I’m a single-man type of lady, but I secretly have developed a thing for Bossman (Mark Compton, gawd… why are all their names such a turn-on?) I enjoyed seeing that softer, wittier and maybe even loving side of him in Being Me. I love Chris, but I think I might love Mark too if we get to see his true self, which he doesn’t show. And hence I’m totally looking forward to reading The Master Undone to find out who the real Mark is and what makes him lick, no, sorry, I meant, TICK! #FreudianSlip

    So to sum it up, here are the reasons again:

    1) Major fan girl of Lisa’s books and writing
    2) Love the Inside Out series and am obsessed/addicted/hooked beyond help!
    3) Totally and hopelessly crazy about Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris… gawd, I love you Chris!
    4) Starting vicious cycle and starting to fall fo Mark, Mark, Mark, Mark… Oh Master.
    5) Did I mention that my photoshop skills have improved too? :) I’m a total noob at it, but I’ve been trying to create some picture quotes and I think the hours I’ve put in has helped! It’s really not that great, but you can check it out here:

    https://twitter.com/tess_halim/status/345728153580347392
    https://twitter.com/tess_halim/status/345181863763120128
    https://twitter.com/tess_halim/status/345179252523692033

    Thanks so much for the awesome giveaway! :D Keeping fingers and toes crossed and am praying that you’ll grant my dream come true and tide my obsession with these beautiful paperbacks until The Master Undone and Revealing Us is released!

    Tess xx (a.k.a Mrs. Merit)

    tess_halim (at) hotmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh dear, hope I'm not too late to leave a comment! :(

    Thanks for sharing the interview with Lisa! Loved it! ♥ ♥ ♥ I would like to win a print copy of If I Were You and Being Me because I’m a big fan of Lisa’s books and I especially love love LOVE the Inside Out series the most! I have read If I Were You, all four of Rebecca’s Journals and Being Me on Kindle and I’m obsessed with these books, characters and their mystery/secrets/story! You know how people say too much of anything is no good? I beg to differ! I’m so crazy about these books I’ve re-read them multiple times, highlighted clues/fav quotes and even made notes. The last time I’ve been so hooked on something like this was Twin Peaks TV series (Off-topic: for some reason, the name Twin Peaks always sound dirty! Haha!) and it’s an addiction, but it’s a good one! There are no harmful side effects (unlike taking drugs for example) and it’s healthy because, well, how should I put it… I get lucky with my significant other half? ;) Ermm, yea, the books are extremely smexy/hot/sizzling/scorching/panty-melting and *squeezes thighs together* totally gets my lady parts excited *blush* Anyways, I totally have it bad for Chris and I’m really envious of Sara. I know it’s just fiction, but if I can’t have Chris in reality, can I please have a consolation prize and have a “piece” of him in the form of paperbacks? At least I could “hold” him in his “physical” form (instead of my Kindle) Pretty pretty please? :D

    Oh, I have a confession to make… I’m not proud of it, because I’m a single-man type of lady, but I secretly have developed a thing for Bossman (Mark Compton, gawd… why are all their names such a turn-on?) I enjoyed seeing that softer, wittier and maybe even loving side of him in Being Me. I love Chris, but I think I might love Mark too if we get to see his true self, which he doesn’t show. And hence I’m totally looking forward to reading The Master Undone to find out who the real Mark is and what makes him lick, no, sorry, I meant, TICK! #FreudianSlip

    So to sum it up, here are the reasons again:

    1) Major fan girl of Lisa’s books and writing
    2) Love the Inside Out series and am obsessed/addicted/hooked beyond help!
    3) Totally and hopelessly crazy about Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris… gawd, I love you Chris!
    4) Starting vicious cycle and starting to fall fo Mark, Mark, Mark, Mark… Oh Master.
    5) Did I mention that my photoshop skills have improved too? :) I’m a total noob at it, but I’ve been trying to create some picture quotes and I think the hours I’ve put in has helped! It’s really not that great, but you can check it out here:

    https://twitter.com/tess_halim/status/345728153580347392
    https://twitter.com/tess_halim/status/345181863763120128
    https://twitter.com/tess_halim/status/345179252523692033

    Thanks so much for the awesome giveaway! :D Keeping fingers and toes crossed and am praying that you’ll grant my dream come true and tide my obsession with these beautiful paperbacks until The Master Undone and Revealing Us is released!

    Tess xx (a.k.a Mrs. Merit)

    tess_halim (at) hotmail (dot) com

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    Replies
    1. Tess, thank you for this wonderful message! It's not too late to enter the contest and I really hope you'll win :) I checked the pictures on your twitter and they are WOWZA!!!!!

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  32. Love the interview! I love mystery and sexy scenes as well. Lisa's Inside out series sound very interesting and right up my alley!

    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    mj(dot)emma64(at)gmail(dot)com

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  33. I am so behind the times as I've not picked up this series yet. Every day that goes by I add more and more books to my tbr list.....I will though!
    Thanks so much,
    Sebrina_Cassity at yahoo dot com

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  34. I love to read and appreciate the giveaway so much. Thanks!!!

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  35. Oh dear I forgot to leave my email. jtagee@bham.rr.com

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