Jade Lee's Blog, page 18

Did I Do That?

I decided to try a new publishing venture. Guess what it is:

I’m finally putting my strip tease act on video and uploading it to Youtube. And uh, sorry that the G string broke from the force of my gyrations. I gotta lose some weight, ya know?
No I’m not! Between two pennames and my life of playing PvZ2 and petting my cat, I’m much too busy.
Poetry. I’m publishing minimalist poems like this:

Awake.

Coffee.

Blah.

Chocolate!

4. I’m putting my books onto audio.

Answer: #4 . (Let me know if you thought answer 1 was TMI.) This is not my first foray into audio. A few of my Kathy Lyons books are in audio, and the newest historical 50 WAYS TO RUIN A RAKE by Jade Lee was just released, too! Woo hoo! But those were done by the publisher, not me. This time, I’m actually involved in picking the reader, the distribution venues and more.

It’s an exciting thing to do. There’s a lot involved that I never expected. The first book to go into production was my very first published historical RULES FOR A LADY. This is a book I wrote nearly 20 years ago back when I knew nothing about publishing. It’s about a young girl with a secret and her hot guardian. There’s no sex because I was writing traditional Regencies back then, so it’s about the attraction and the banter. So guess what I thought when I started listening to the audio file.

OMG, they’re British. I picked a British reader with a British accent, and she reads making it sound as if it really did take place in England. Which is perfect! I was so happy I did a little dance when I started listening.
Hey, this is an interesting book. I wonder who wrote it
That’s not at all how I’d write it today. I’d have to add a pig or a turkey or something, just to liven things up.
There’s such sweet innocence in this book. I can’t ever have been this young.

Answer: #1. Although there’s a bit of every answer in my reaction. Mostly, I was startled by how delightfully fun the book is. Looking back, I remember struggling over every word. But what ended up on the page made me smile. There’s an overriding exuberance in RULES FOR A LADY that I struggle to find in some of my later works. It’s just fun and I’m so pleased that I managed it!

I’ll let you know when the audio is finished and available. And in the meantime, you can pick up the audio book for 50 WAYS TO RUIN A RAKE. Get it through your favorite retailer using the links below.

You can also pre-order THE PLAYER NEXT DOOR by my alter ego, Kathy Lyons, that will be out in a few weeks.

Read on!

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Published on July 06, 2015 10:22

Did I Do That?

I decided to try a new publishing venture. Guess […]

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Published on July 06, 2015 04:00

Cleaning Experiment OVER!

I’ve just finished my mystical cleaning experiment. Among the treasures I found was a box of Tuna Helper with a 2009 expiration date. It’s a wonder it didn’t crawl away on its own!

The idea was to clear out 27 items a day for 9 days to open up opportunities/space for something awesome to happen. If you miss a day, then you have to start over. Today is day 9 and the experiment is over. Guess what I’ve realized so far:

I have nothing left in my house. I’ve stripped away all the clutter and am now living a minimalist life with two outfits plus my laptop.
Tossing 27 items a day barely makes a dent. Maybe if I did it every day for a year then I’d notice a change.
I focused primarily on cleaning out my kids’ clutter and didn’t touch my own. Their rooms look amazing, plus it was easy since they don’t live here anymore. I got $77 out of their crayon coin bank.
I did a little bit in almost every room in the house. Result: I feel a little better, but I really ought to do this for a lot longer than 9 days.

Answer: 4. There is so much clutter in my house that it was easy to find stuff everywhere to get rid of. I really felt like I did a lot of work, but it doesn’t look like it. There’s just so much stuff that I need to toss. My kids haven’t lived at home for years, so I’ve cleared up a lot of their stuff. I threw out food and make up that had expired, that took several days. And I tossed way more than 27 items each day. I did all those things so I could avoid facing the clutter in my office. Who knew I had so much stuff? Stuff that should have been tossed or given away years ago.

There were a few bittersweet moments. Guess which ones (and it can be more than one).

I found a jade pendant that my mom bought for my daughter when I was pregnant. I was so touched by that memory that I started crying.
The pile of dead electronics. Cords, clips, and corroded batteries the pile was stunning even as I waxed nostalgic over the cassette tape player.
Photos. I now have three huge plastic bins of photographs that I’m not sure what to do with. Someday I may put them in an album, but maybe I should digitize them. Still was wonderful looking at those old pictures.
The pile of old software. Remember Living Books? My kids loved them! I sang 40 dancing bananas all afternoon. [Here’s the wikilink: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Books_series]

Answer: All of the above. Shocking huh? Imagine what I might find if I kept cleaning?

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Published on June 29, 2015 10:32