Maintaining the lines between corporate existence and being
an Erotic novelist.
I started writing in the summer of 2006. At that time I worked for the Department of
Defense as a management analyst. Shortly
thereafter, I left and started working as a Sr. Financial Analyst for
LimitedBrands, the corporate headquarters of brands like Victoria Secret and
Bath and Body Works. By the I exited
corporate America last week, to pursue my dream of being a full time author, I
was the Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis for Lane Bryant. As both my corporate career and my writing
career flourished, I made choices along the way about how much to share with my
employers about my “second job”.
In the beginning, I didn’t even mention it. Writing was a hobby to start. I was an avid reader and my husband made an
offhanded comment one day, asking if I’d ever considered writing
something. The next day I started
writing Dream Machine. I’d taken
creative writing in high school and my undergraduate degree was in photography
with a minor in English as I’d considered photojournalism. But I’d never planned to write fiction for
fun.
Until that day. By
the end of the year I’d finished Dream Machine and submitted it to a contest to
get some unbiased feedback. From there
it was requested by one of the judges, an editor for Samhain, who ended up
rejecting the manuscript but gave me invaluable feedback on my writing. I wrote another book, Picture Perfect, and
sold that to Cobblestone Press in 2007.
So, I started talking to friends and people about the fact that I had
gotten published. Still, I never mentioned
my pen name. Ever.
During my time with Limitedbrands, I kept my identity a
secret. Back then, people didn’t
generally understand digital first publishing anyway and due to the sexual
content of my books I didn’t feel comfortable allowing that to influence
people’s opinions of my business acumen and work. Although honestly, I’ve used everything I
learned in my jobs in corporate retail environments to build my own brand and run
my own business. Because the reality is
that writing books is only a small part of what it takes to be a successful
author.
At the tail end of my time working with that company I hit
the NYT Bestseller list. I think by then
most everyone I worked with knew I wrote.
I was taking time off to travel to conferences and book signings plus
the validity of hitting major bestseller lists made me feel more comfortable
sharing about my “little hobby”. And
when I was approached by Lane Bryant, I was very open. I told them upfront in my interview that I
had another career and that it was significant in my life. I told them what I wrote before I was hired,
“Yes, it’s like 50 Shades, but probably dirtier.”
And when I decided recently to walk away from corporate
America, I think everyone was clear that I wasn’t running away from something I
disliked… I’m very fortunate to have had two careers, which I enjoyed, going
and gaining momentum at the same time.
But that I was running toward my dream.
Because if I can dedicate my entire focus, time and energy to this
pursuit, I have to be able to do better at it, right?
In the end, I guess everyone has to make their own decisions
but I think a lot of the backlash I worried about along the way might have been
colored by my own insecurities. As I
felt more confident, I shared more and in general people’s reactions were
always highly favorable, supportive and shocked (which was fun!). I’m thinking of having a “retirement” party
in a few weeks and inviting people from all the various parts of my life. How bizarre it would be to see them all mingling
together J
Blurb:
Nothing’s sexier than seven men with hot rods.
Hot Rods, Book 1
After Eli’s mother died, his father honored her life’s
mission as a social worker by taking in several kids from the wrong side of the
tracks. Not all of them stuck, but those who did became Eli’s quasi family.
Their bonds, forged in fires set by their personal demons,
are unbreakable—or so Eli wants to believe. Especially since he and Alanso, his
best friend and head mechanic, witnessed the overpowering allure of polyamory
while visiting the Powertools crew.
Much as Eli would like to deepen the relationships among his
foster brothers and sister in the Hot Rods Restoration Team, he’s hesitant to
risk everything on a quick romp behind a stack of tires.
But when Eli catches Alanso exploring their mutual fantasy
at a known hookup spot in a public park, all bets are off. And Eli must decide
if it’s time to jump in full throttle—and trust his instincts to guide him
through the night. If the pair can dodge the potholes in their own
relationship, maybe they can race together toward the unconventional
arrangement with Mustang Sally they both desire.
Warning: Fasten your seatbelts, this is going to be a wild
(and naughty) ride!
Buy Links:
Prize Information:
Jayne is giving away a prize pack that will include a
variety of items including T-shirt, print copy of Pick Your Pleasure, flavored
lube, autographed cover flats, playing cards, keychain, etc. The rafflecopter
code for this is below. I have set it up so readers can comment daily to have
more chances to win.
Rafflecopter HTML:
Schedule HTML:
4/22
4/23
4/24
4/25
4/26
Contact Jayne Rylon:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayne.rylon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayneRylon
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Jayne-Rylon/e/B002VTCILM
Email: contact@jaynerylon.com
Website: http://jaynerylon.com/
