Fiona Jayde stops by

Fiona Jayde is a space pilot, a ninth degree black belt in three styles of martial arts, a computer hacker, a mountain climber, a jazz singer, a weight lifter, a superspy with a talent for languages, and an evil genius.

All in her own head.
In life, she is an author of kickass, action packed, steamy romances, possesses a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and blue belt in Aikido, a web developer, scared to death of heights, loves jazz piano, can bench-press about 20 pounds — with effort, speaks English and Russian fluently, and when not plotting murder and mayhem enjoys steamy romance novels, sexy spy thrillers, murky mysteries and movies where things frequently blow up.


1. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?
I'm an avid plotter. I plot and I outline and I plot some more. It doesn't seem to matter much however, because my characters invariably take over, do something crazy and brilliant and I have to go back to the old plotting board to figure out why the hell they did it. (I'm very much in touch with my muse. If she says "do something" a character must do it. Otherwise she'll sulk for weeks and I'll be writing trash. Its a give and take type of a relationship)

2. What drew you to the subject of Pas De Deux?

I love the idea of a Ballerina being a heroine- the rigorous discipline, the sacrifices, the pain and pleasure of making something look effortless and natural and easy. What goes on behind the scenes?


3. What was the name of the first novel you wrote? Did you try to publish it?

The first novella I ever wrote (and finished) was GrimJustin:DeBriefed. I did try to publish it- and it was also my first rejection. I learned that it's important to read a publishers guidelines : if they ask for 30K+ submissions, and one sends them something considerably less, they will likely not accept it:) Luckily for me, I came across Changeling Press who do accept shorter length stories and I went on to have an entire series starting with that novella.

4. What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?

I would say my strength is very action oriented stories - kickass heroines, bad ass heroes, high adventure. I'm like a kid in terms of my entertainment preferences - I like martial arts and car chases and things blowing up... I'd say that translates into an exciting pace for my readers (I hope!)

5. What do you consider your weakness and what strategies do you use to overcome it?
I think my strength of high action is also my weakness in terms of writing plausible human emotions. There's all this plot and explosions and car chases, but how do my characters feel? Scared/excited/worried about the puppy they left home? I feel like I've recently grown as an author because now instead of focusing so much on plot, I tend to focus on my character motivations and emotions just as much.

6. What three things would you want with you on a desert island?

Hmm.. My Kindle with a solar charger (what do you mean they don't have those yet?)

A notebook and pen - because I'd still be jotting down ideas!
And, not to call my hubby a thing, but I'd want him along. Seriously. For all the sappy romantic silly reasons you guys can think of :)

7. What place that you haven’t visited would you like to go?

I'd want to see Japan. The big cities and the small villages. I'm fascinated with Japan.

8. What other time period besides your own would you like to experience?

Actually I would love to be in the Roaring Twenties, in the jazz age and mobsters and private investigators... Maybe it could black and white, and really feel like a film noir?

9. What would you like to learn to do that you haven’t?

Okay this is really silly, but I always said that if I had the guts to do it, I would like to go to Japan and study to be a Ninja. I'm too old and too bitchy and too set in my ways... but it would be so incredibly cool! The art of stealth has always fascinated me. And I know there are some schools here that teach Ninjitsu here in the US, but somehow it's not the same.

10. What do you do when you are not writing?

When not writing, I am usually plotting something (even if its a strategy to beat hubby at our next Wii tournament of Ninja Turtles), or playing piano or fiddling with something on the computer. Sometimes I even do something wild and crazy and clean the kitchen. Or attempt to cook.

Book Blurb:

One wrong move, and she could be dancing on her grave…
Two years after an injury put her dancing career on hold, Lynnrina Kovaleva is determined to reclaim her place on the stage. On the eve of her comeback production, she takes the edge off her nerves with a one-night stand in the strong arms of celebrity bodyguard Mateo Rivera.
Ex-cop Mateo is celebrating one hell of an anniversary: eight months since he was declared unfit for duty. When a delicate beauty boldly propositions him in a bar, he chooses to lose himself in her body rather than lose his mind to alcohol. This choice comes back to haunt him when he’s hired to protect a prima ballerina who’s been receiving threats.
Despite her shock at seeing him again, Lynn must not allow their intense attraction—or any creepy fan letters—to undermine her performance. Mateo can’t reconcile this coldly focused dancer with the passionate woman who seduced him. Yet he sees fire under the ice, pain hidden by the smooth mask of perfection.
The vivid memory of their entwined bodies wars with the job at hand, but he must keep Lynn safe—regardless of the cost. The most difficult challenge, however, will be keeping his hands to himself.