Roberta's Blog

I’m no expert in paranormal romance, but doesn’t this sound like irresistible beach reading? From my girlfriends’ cybercircuit tour, please meet Jackie Kessler, author of HOTTER THAN HELL. 

In HELL’S BELLES and THE ROAD TO HELL, Jackie Kessler brought readers into an unforgettable Underworld populated by alluring demons and sexy devils. Now Daunuan, the most irresistible incubus of all, is facing one Hell of a challenge…
So whose soul do you have to damn to get a promotion around here?
Daunuan was never the ambitious type. There’s so much to love about his job just the way it is—mind-blowing sexual prowess, the power to seduce any human, excellent dental plan. But now Pan, the King of Lust, has offered to make Daun his right-hand incubus—a position other demons would give their left horn for. All he has to do is entice a soul destined for heaven into a damnable act of lust. Should take, oh, seven minutes, tops.
Then he meets his target, Virginia Reed. She’s cute. Funny. Smart. Unfathomably resistant to his charms. He can’t understand it. But Daun has centuries of seduction to his credit. He’s the best there is. Sooner or later he’ll transform this polar icecap of a female into a pool of molten desire, and every instinct tells him she’ll be worth the effort.
Meanwhile, he has to deal with a plague of rogue demons Hell-bent on taking him down, sent by an unknown enemy with a serious grudge. And one other problem: the dawning realization that he’s falling in love—that unholiest of four-letter words—with the woman he’s about to doom for all eternity…

And here are the questions special to this blog–you’ll love the answers, keep reading!

ROBERTA: Dr. Rebecca Butterman, the protagonist in my advice column mysteries, is a clinical psychologist (like me.) If your protagonist made an appointment to talk to Dr. Butterman, what would that first session be like? What deep dark secret or problem would she be there to discuss and how much of it would she tell?

JACKIE: Hooboy. Daun is a demon, and he’s an incubus, so he’s got sex on his mind all the time. He’s also sort of in love with someone, but he would never admit this to himself. Knowing Daun, he’d seduce Dr. Butterman and call it a day.

ROBERTA: At the times you fall victim to writers block, what’s most likely to be going on in your life? What gets you out of the woods and back on the writing path?
JACKIE: Whenever I fall prey to writer’s block, it’s almost always because the scene I’m working on isn’t right. Either there’s a plot point that’s gone astray, or the characters are doing something uncharacteristic, or the novel has gone in a direction that doesn’t best serve the story overall. The only thing that works for me is to figure out what went wrong, untangle it, and keep going.

Sometimes, I get into arguments with my characters. Seriously. Like in HOTTER THAN HELL, there was a scene in which Daun was supposed to visit Jesse at the strip club where she works so that he could get some information from her. But Daun insisted on watching Jesse dance first. I didn’t want to bother with that—we’ve already had two books in which Jesse dances, enough with the dancing already. But Daun insisted, and he wouldn’t let me write a damn thing until I agreed to have Jesse dance first. And it wound up being a great scene.

Do I sound insane yet?

ROBERTA: Not insane, but a lot of fun! If you were magically transformed into your protagonist for a day, what would you most look forward to experiencing? And what might you dread?
JACKIE: If I became a demon, I’d probably go to Washington and wreak a little havoc, just for fun. And then avoid all the consequences. Sort of like Washington.

HOTTER THAN HELL: Book 3 in the Hell on Earth series by Jackie Kessler (Kensington/Zebra Books, August 5, 2008)

Jackie Kessler is the author of the Hell on Earth series, published by Kensington/Zebra Books. She has two spin-off Hell stories as well: one, “When Hell Comes Calling,” will appear in the LILITH UNBOUND anthology (Popcorn Press, 2008) edited by bestselling author Elaine Cunningham. The other story is an erotic novella, “Hell Is Where the Heart Is,” to appear in the upcoming RED HOT VALENTINE’S DAY anthology (Avon Red, January 2009). Jackie is also the co-author of BLACK & WHITE, a dystopian superhero novel about two superpowered women—once best friends, now on opposite sides of the law—who must join forces to fight the Big Bad Evil (bwahahahahaha). BLACK & WHITE will be published by Bantam Spectra in July 2009.

For more about Jackie, please visit her website

“Jackie Kessler is firmly on my list of favorite authors. Hotter Than Hell is edgy and filled with hot temptation–in the form of an incubus so sexy, daring, and delicious that you’ll be offering him your own soul. Fast paced and clever, Kessler’s writing shines.”
— Cheyenne McCray, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow Magic
“Kessler has outdone herself by giving readers a glorious book three of her deliciously sinful series, Hell on Earth. Daunuan’s sexy supernatural antics make sparks fly, and if you’re not careful you’ll singe your fingers as the pages speed by. It’s packed with quirky characters, a spicy, fast-paced plot and witty dialogue. Be prepared for a demonic treat that’s hotter than hell.”
— Romantic Times, 4.5 stars (top pick for August 2008)
“Sexy and bold”
—Publishers Weekly