Jennifer Apodaca's Blog, page 75

Friday Five

Hey guys! It’s Friday again, can you believe it? Time to dive into Friday Five, here’s mine:

Maggie’s mad at me for posting this pic of her on my FB. But she’s the one who refuses to let me take pictures, so…
Savaged Devotion is out, and thank you to all who bought it! So far, I’ve had really nice feedback, and just love my readers. Seriously, you guys have been so amazing and I appreciate each of you!
I’m setting up a sale for next month, plus planning other promo next year and it’s getting a little confusing because I’m doing different things with different books. So I set up a sale in a publication for January, and realized I put in the wrong title, but I couldn’t get in to fix it. So I emailed them and they asked me if it was just the title or if anything I sent was wrong. I assured them it was just the title. They kindly fixed it, and all was good. That is until I woke up at 5am in a panic, suddenly wondering if it was possible that I sent the wrong book cover afterall. Because I’m compulsive, I emailed them again and asked them to double check the cover. To their credit, they were gracious and did check, but you know they wanted to smack me for being totally annoying. Hell, I wanted to smack myself.  Sigh.
I really want to do a lot more to give back to readers and writers with articles, podcasts and ways to support the goals and success of others. But. I. Am. Overwhelmed. Yet I want to do it, so I’m thinking that if I keep researching and learning, I’ll figure out a way to implement some of all of this in the first half of next year. Maybe…LOLOL!
It’s hard to find jeans that fit!! Possibly because I’m one cookie away from all stretch pants, all the time.

Not sure what this weekend will bring. I’m clutching my to do list, and my wine glass, trying to figure it out. Now I’d love to hear five random things about your week! I hope you all have a great weekend.

P.S., Can you believe next Thursday is Thanksgiving???? The holidays are here!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Wednesday Hunk

Yesterday was one of those days where I ran around and felt like I got nothing accomplished. I pretty much hit nuclear frustration level. So today I need a  hunk to provide some cheerful motivation:

 

What do you think, will he do?

The post Wednesday Hunk first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

The weekend was pretty good, although my brain is spinning in so many directions, I’m a little dizzy and easily distracted. For a lot of you, this isn’t exactly Breaking News, but SAVAGED DEVOTION is out in digital form! We’re working on the print edition, and it should be on Amazon soon.

 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Apple Books

Kobo

Google Play

 

 

I also have an excerpt from SAVAGED DEVOTION up today on the Slice of Orange Blog (hopefully that link works, it wasn’t live when I set up this blog, so I couldn’t check it.

 

I’m so happy to have completed this trilogy and send it out into the world. We need more love that can conquer life’s challenges and thrive. And I believe that choosing to love someone means being all in, and fighting for that love. Justice and Liza took a few knocks and have some scars to show for it, but they came back stronger than ever in SAVAGED DEVOTION. I truly hope readers will enjoy their love story.

As for my weekend, on Friday we took Maggie to see Biker Witch and Biker Hubby. Of course I didn’t get pictures, but Maggie had a great time. We did too, but Maggie stole the show with her silly energetic charm. Honestly, she’s a goofball. Biker Witch and Biker Hubby keep dog treats there for all their four legged friends, and Maggie thinks they the bomb.

Otherwise, I cleaned, set up step one in a long range marketing plan that will begin next month, and sketched out the rest of the plan. I got my newsletter set up and scheduled (I hope) to go out first thing in the morning today. And Sunday morning, I poured coffee and jumped on my laptop, planning to write a new opening scene for Eli in Primal Magic, but then I started reading the scene I wrote a while ago for him, and I got hooked. I was surprised and pleased, so I should be able to move right into the next scene.

I’m making time to write today!

So that was my weekend, how was yours?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF! Okay, let’s jump into sharing five random things around our week:

The big news is I think I have SAVAGED DEVOTION uploaded at all the sites, except for the print version which is coming later. I’ll send out a newsletter Monday, and put links here on the blog then.
I did my plot chat with Marianne, and it was awesome. I can’t wait to get back to writing Primal Magic. I have a better feel for what I need to do. One plot problem is still bugging me, but that’s how it goes when you’re deeper in a series, and I need to stay as true as I can to the world rules and plot points already laid down in the previous books. I’m more confident I’ll figure it out.
I bought a 2021 planner, but now I’m afraid to open it. I mean…2020 was full of mean twists, ugly turns and grim predictions. I feel like the new calendar is just daring me to write down my plans so the Trolls of the Universe can find new ways to blow them up.
I got a new hat for walking Maggie on the foggy mornings:
I’m going to see Biker Witch today, and Maggie has a special invitation as well. She’s thrilled, and also, she’s so spoiled. Otherwise, my weekend will be quiet, I think. I need to get my newsletter set up, I’m behind on cleaning, and, you know, the usual life stuff.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Making Mistakes Is Rarely Fatal

So yesterday, my formatters sent me all my electronic files for SAVAGED DEVOTION, and I checked each one and approved them. My formatter uploaded the Apple file to publish in a few days (I can’t as I don’t have a Mac), and the remaining files are in my book folder waiting for me to upload to the other retailers. So far so good.

Then today, I began checking the draft of the print version and right there on the copyright pages was a Big Ugly Obvious Mistake. It had the wrong year.  This is entirely my fault. I sent the wrong information and I missed the error in every file I checked until the very last one. But hey, at least I caught it…eventually.

I hate making mistakes, and worse, I hate causing others extra work to fix it. So it’s not a great feeling, but it’s rarely fatal. It’s just a mistake. In fact, I can guarantee that despite two different editors who worked on this book, some errors will get through in the published versions. Typos and other things slip through all our best efforts.

I want a perfect book, but that’s an impossible standard. And it’s exactly the kind of thinking that freezes me creatively. The truth is readers don’t usually love books for their error free perfection, but they adore them for their characters and story. Readers are wonderfully forgiving of authors being fallible if they write a compelling story.

Mistakes are Rarely Fatal.

What I try to do when I make a mistake is this:

First, own the mistake. All mistakes in the books are mine. All of them.
When it causes my team extra work, I try to always claim the mistake, ask them to fix it and to charge me. My editors, formatter and cover artists are valuable professionals and work as hard as I do. And they deserve to make a living as much as I do.
Let it go. It’s okay to be fallible.
Believe in myself and my ability to create imperfectly wonderful stories

So that’s my thought for the day. Happy Wednesday!

The post Making Mistakes Is Rarely Fatal first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Round Up

This weekend blew by in a blur. After a hot week; cold, wind and rain arrived to confuse us here in Southern California. On Saturday, we went out to see Middle Son, and we must have passed four different accidents–one looked really bad–on the way. Rain and So Cal traffic is not a good mix. But we had a great time at Middle Son’s, and I got to see my two grandpuppies, Jett and Hazel. I played with them while Maggie convinced Middle Son and his wife that she need all their attention.

Sunday Turbo and his parents came over for another marathon day of fun. Maggie is worn out from two days of visiting and playing. It’s really cute when Turbo plays food truck, and he brings Maggie snacks like pretend tacos and ice cream. Maggie actually plays along eating it. You’d have to see it to believe it. Turbo loves playing food truck with her.

Family time was great, but work time was scarce. There’s so many things I’m trying to do, I’m pretty sure I’m throwing way too many balls in the air then running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to catch them But I’m energized and trying! I wrote some tag lines, designed some promo graphics, got half way through setting up ARC’s (copies for reviewers) on Bookfunnel, had my son and daughter-in-law teach me a little about Zoom, and tell me what I’m going to need for better quality video and audio…a whole list of stuff.

Then my supercharged, marketing savvy Middle Son suggested I start a podcast, and CPA boy thought it was a great idea too. At least they believe I can figure it out and do it as opposed to thinking I can’t???? LOLOL! I’ve put that idea in the research and ponder file to wait its turn.

In addition to the flurry of energy going into SAVAGED DEVOTION’S publication, I reached out to my friend and sometimes critique partner, Marianne, to help me work out some backstory and plot issues in PRIMAL MAGIC. She’s awesome at this, and I’m excited to have our phone session on Wednesday. For a long time I didn’t reach out and ask for help because I felt I had to prove to myself that I could write a finish a book again first. Now it’s time to get off my self imposed island. We all need to remember to ask for help when we need it.

So that was my weekend, how was yours?

 

The post Weekend Round Up first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Late Friday Five

Sorry for being late, I had my website updated yesterday, then my link to get into the dashboard errored out. Long story short, all I had to do was delete my bookmark and redo it, and here I am!

A quick message here from me to you: I know times are stressful right now. Emotions are running high here in the U.S.. I’m asking that each of you remember to take care of yourselves. Stress like this makes us ill, and can ruin valued relationships. Please, because no matter what your political leanings, I care about each of you. Your health and happiness are important to me.  You. Matter. These days, Wizard and I look at each other and say, “The sun will rise tomorrow.” We do what we can control, and try to let go of the rest that we can’t control.

So let’s jump right into Friday Five!

SAVAGED DEVOTION is at the formatters and I should get the files back to review this weekend. Man, I’m desperately trying to get back up to speed on everything, and worried like usual. But I’m also excited, I love this trilogy. I took some risks to give the characters the story they wanted.
I have the first chapter excerpt of SAVAGED DEVOTION on my website now here
Today is Wizard and my actual anniversary. We went out to another dinner last night at Flemmings Prime Steakhouse. We had planned to do that before our son invited us to dinner last weekend, so I thought we’d just do something at home. But Wizard surprised me and made the reservations for last night (easier to get in on a Thursday night than a Friday). It was a wonderful night sitting outside in a balmy evening talking and sharing a meal, good wine and a molten chocolate lava cake for dessert.
Eli and Savi from Primal Magic are bugging me even though I can’t work on them this week. I blame Savi, if she had just been the sweet, somewhat angelic witch I originally planned, things would be moving along. But I wrote her scene and was like, Holy Crap, now what? Eli is even less happy and off sulking somewhere. On the other hand, this is how I alway work, LOL.
Sunday, Wizard is going out to middle son’s house in the morning to give him a hand with something. Turbo and his parents are coming out a bit later and staying until Turbo’s ready for bed. It will be a marathon day, LOL.

So that’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours. I hope everyone has a good weekend.

The post Late Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Maggie Doesn’t Get It

The struggle has been real for Maggie this week

Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Roundup

Happy November!

Let’s kick things off with a snake in the pool. Wizard caught sight of it swimming around. Both of us were surprised it’d survived any length of time since Wizard had just put acid in the pool. Silly snake. He was small, and I kept my freak out small in response Wizard removed the snake to another location and warned him to stay away.

Saturday, I got my copy edits back for SAVAGED DEVOTION, the final book in The Savaged Illusions Trilogy. They were light edits, so I got those done pretty quick. Now I’m doing a final proofread (after two rounds of editing with two different professional editors), and I’m trying to do it slowly enough to catch things that has slipped by us. Then I must send this book to formatting and let it go. This is my last pass, no matter what the perfectionist in my head says

Saturday night was Halloween. It’s Maggie’s favorite night. After the first group of kids, she was so happy, she was deer-hopping. She doesn’t bark, just runs to the door and wiggles all over as if she can’t contain all her joy. If it’s one of the neighbor kids she knows, she’s even more thrilled, and usually manages to get them to pet her and tell her she’s cute. But this, the Year of Covid Misery That Won’t End, we only had three groups of kids, less than ten in total. Maggie was so bummed. Of course, I totally get why parents are being cautious.

I’m writing this blog before we go to dinner with CPA Boy and Special K to the steakhouse so I haven’t found out how Turbo’s Halloween went yet. But I know he had a little party with his cousins, so I’m sure he had a blast.

So how was your Halloween? Are you adjusting to the time change? And did you have a good weekend?

Friday Five

Happy Almost Halloween! Time to share fiver random things about our week:

It’s hot again. I’m not a fan. Since it had cooled off, Maggie and I were walking twice a day, but yesterday we could only do once.
I have played the spin game all danged week. This is my pattern, and totally my fault for giving in. So I ran into a character arc wall on Eli, and I spun off in search of magic to find the answer. But ultimately the only way to find the answer is to keep working at it until Eli tells me. Oh well, today is a new day and I will do the butt in chair thing and fight to make Eli cooperate. He’s mad at me (I know why), but he’s going to have to get over it and trust me.
This week we drained the pool to change the water since it’s been over a decade. Behind me in the pic is a puddle of dirty water from washing down the sides after we had huge winds. Now we’re refilling it, then Wizard will treat it to get out some discoloration, and after that, he’ll put in salt and chemically balance the water. This wasn’t strictly necessary but Mr. Perfectionist wanted to do it as it’s good for the pool to completely change out the water. It sure is weird seeing the pool empty.
We got a new bed yesterday. In good news it arrived earlier than expected, about 7:45 a.m. I’d just gotten home from waking Maggie, and Wizard and I had 10 minutes to marathon move around mattresses. We’ve have three beds, and between moving things around, washing everything that was in the rooms, plus waiting for a couple things to arrive from Amazon then washing those, followed by remaking and reassembling the rooms turned into an all day event and a gazillion trips up and down the stairs. So…good exercise I guess???? I’m happy about the new bed. It’s something we’ve been talking about doing for two years, and finally got it done
This weekend CPA Boy and Special K are taking us to their favorite nice restaurant that is Covid careful. We’re looking forward to it! This will be Wizard’s first time, and my second, to eat out since this whole Covid thing started.

So that’s my five, now it’s your turn to share yours! I hope everyone in the path of the hurricane and storms is safe and well, and you all have a great weekend!