Friday, June 10, 2011

Developing Relationships: Author Jayne Ann Krentz

Meet Jayne Ann Krentz
Jayne Ann Castle was born on March 28, 1948 in Borrego Springs, California. Her mother, Alberta Castle, raised her with her two brothers, Stephen and James. In 1970, she obtained a B.A in History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and later she obtained a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University, where she met Frank Krentz, an engineer. After her graduation, they married and moved to the Virgin Islands. She worked in the Duke University library system, where she began to write her first romance novels. The marriage moved to Seattle, Washington, where they continue living.

Now, Jayne Ann Castle Krentz with her seven pennames is considered a pillar in the contemporary romance genre. For some years, she only uses three pennames for each of three different periods from time: "Jayne Ann Krentz" (her married name) from the present, "Jayne Castle" (her birth name) from the future and her most famous penname: "Amanda Quick" from the past. She is famous for her work ethic, beginning her writing by 7 am six days a week. Her heroins never are damsels in hardships, they are often heroes. Her novels also contain mystery or paranormal elements.

Enthusiastic of the romantic genre, she has always defended its importance. To help educate the public about the romantic genre she became the editor and a contributor to Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, a non-fiction essay collection that won the prestigious Susan Koppelman Award for Feminist Studies. She established the Castle Humanities Fund at UCSC's University Library to allow the library to purchase additional books and has given money to 15 Seattle-area elementary schools to enhance their library budgets. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Writers Programs at the University of Washington extension program.


Jayne Ann Krentz has also written under several other names, i.e. Stephanie James, Amanda Glass, Jayne Taylor, Jayne Castle, and Jayne Bentley. Writing historicals as Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz delivers exciting adventure, witty, exhilerating dialogue, and quirky heroes and heroines.

Jayne Ann Krentz captures the ups and downs of developing relationships in her contemporary novels, "SOFT FOCUS", "FLASH", "TRUST ME", "ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY", and one of my keeper favorites, "WILDEST HEARTS".
SOFT FOCUS
In her hardcover Putnam debut, bestselling author Krentz weaves a dramatic tale of romantic suspense while exploring the relationship betweeen corporate turnaround expert Jack Fairfax and financial wiz Elizabeth Cabot. Although the reunited lovers get off to a rocky start, they enter into an unbreakable contract to fund Jack's business venture. Jack is brillant at salvaging small family owned businesses which are at the brink of disaster. The couple finds themselves at odds over the hostile takeover where Jack reputely destroyed Elizabeth's long-time family friend. Their business venture is jeopardized when a technician is murdered and Soft Focus, a ground-breaking new optical crystal, disappears, along with its inventor, without a trace. To protect their investment, the passionate rivals work together to find the crystal. Laced with mystery, suspense, and passionate romance, Soft Focus is straight out of today's headlines. It's a must read.


TRUST ME
Stoic Sam Stark has just been stranded at the altar for the second time. A virtual human computer when it comes to emotions, Sam shrugs off the event and moves to settle the catering bill with Desdemona Wainwright. Sam is a solitary,self-made man, brilliant, logical, and self-repressed. Desdemona is warm, liquid, and emotional. They develop a business relationship which quickly blossoms into a torrid love affair. While Stark and Desdemona are in the middle of a heavy romance, family concerns from both sides interfere, and a murder mystery needs to be solved. Trust Me is filled with great fun, tingling suspense and charming characters. Krentz shifts romance into the computer age. It's definitely worth reading.



ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY
Unconventional Molly Abberwick, trustee of her late father's scientific foundation, is mad enough to fire her new consultant, Dr. Harry Trevelyn. A brilliant expert on new inventions, the handsome hero irritates Molly with his preposterous insistence that they have an affair--and that it could be planned, predicted, and run like a science project. Molly has a lot on her mind as her troubles escalate into violence and a mysterious stalker threatens her life. She turns to Harry's sixth sense for help and discovers the magic of love. Bright, sexy romance with just the right touch of mystery and the paranormal- best-selling author Jayne Ann Krentz absolutely, positively has another hit in this sparkling love story.




FLASH
Business dynamo Olivia Chantry creates promotional flash for her clients through her Seattle-based company, Light Fantastic. Her success almost made up for her crumbled marriage, leaving her wedded to her career instead of a mate. When Olivia inherits 49 percent of Glow, Inc., her uncles high tech lighting firm, she finds herself going head to head with her new partner, Jasper Sloan. A venture capitalist, deal maker and self-made millionaire, Sloan is well prepared for their feisty business dealings, but not for the sexual energy crackling between them. Olivia and Sloan discover a blackmailer uncovering secrets inside the company. Extortion turns to murder and their survival depends on the union of their minds and hearts, as they fight to stay alive.



WILDEST HEARTS
Annie Lyncroft has an outrageous scheme to save her missing brother's hot electronics company from the sharks who think he's not coming back. She proposes a marriage of convenience to Oliver Rain, the richest and possibly most dangerous man in the Pacific Northwest. To her surprise, Oliver actually says yes. Annie dreamily envisions a few platonic weeks of helping him become a sensitive New Age guy. Oliver has a different plan; his cold, gorgeous eyes have been watching Annie, and he sees his chance to seduce the beautiful schemer.Love is the wild card that teaches these two strong-willed opposites a lesson in the passionate territory of the heart.

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