Deborah Jackson's Blog, page 3

Returning to My Writing Roots

A touch of nostalgia for the New Year. And a note to you, the reader: I am paying attention . . .

Not only am I once again reading the works of my old favourite authors, with new installments in the Egypt series (Wilbur Smith) and the Thomas Covenant series (Stephen R. Donaldson), but 2015 is the year I will finish the longest story I've ever written. Now that the first draft is complete, I've quickly realized it's merely a beginning.Yes, perhaps an epic sci-fi fantasy is in the works.

No matt...

ARCs Have Arrived

These were just delivered, in time for the Goodreads Giveaway. It's always exciting to see your lengthy labor finally in print. This one in particular, because it went through a complete transformation over the years.

Goodreads Giveaway

Here it is. Enter to win a signed ARC (advanced reading copy) of Mosaic. First ARCs arrived yesterday.

.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660;...

Pre-Order of Mosaic Available

Mosaic is out, sort of. The release date is December 6, 2014, and you can pre-order Kindle, iBooks, Kobo or Smashwords eBook copies. The print copies will be available on the release date, but I will be holding a Giveaway on Goodreads for anyone who's interested in ARCs (advanced reading copies) of the print book, in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to review the novel on the bookstore sites or Goodreads, I would be happy to send you a copy, assuming I have some extra copies a...

Mosaic -- Excerpts

 *
Almost there . . . The manuscript is in the hands of the designer, as noted above. Here are a few excerpts, fragments, if you will.

And so the nightmare begins . . . 

Did your parents ever tell you a sweet bedtime story that your busy little brain turned into a nightmare the instant you fell asleep? Did Cinderella ever become ten feet tall and ca...<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>

New Release in the Works

Hi there. Yes, it’s been ages since I updated you on my current and future projects but, inevitably, I’ve run into some delays. I can only work as fast as my team—referring to my editor, cover artist and typesetter. They’re amazing, so I’m not really complaining.

So . . . finally we’re getting closer to completion.
Mosaic has a cover, and you will find the blurb and some information here. You can also read Chapter O...<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>

Junk Food

<!--[if gte mso 9]>

The African Tree

There once stood this beautiful tree in our neighbourhood. It had a long slender trunk and limbs near the top that stretched sideways, as if it were gripping the air on either side with elasticized arms. We called it ‘the African Tree’, because it resembled an acacia and grew in the middle of a fluttering field of grass. I pictured a drowsy lion sprawled under its branches, slapping flies away from its chest with a flick of its tail. I imagined buzzards peering through the leaves with greedy...

The Zombie Apocalypse Has Already Begun

There’s been quite a few zombie movies released lately, and more to come. The other day I read this, regarding why we’re so obsessed with zombies and apocalyptic themes.
Essentially Professor Wilson is saying there are various complex reasons we like the ghoulish zombie epics.
An excuse to cast off blame, monsters awaken the Cain within us, zombies represent overcoming death, etc., etc. ...<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>

Welcome

Welcome to my new and (hopefully) improved blog. This is the place where I will share excerpts of my latest works, new photo adventures, the occasional opinion piece, and the odd technological or scientific breakthrough that inspires me. For example, NASA just released this video on the journey to Mars. Could anything be more inspiring? Since my next book is partially set on Mars, I follow all these developments with enthusiasmbordering on obsession. There is nothing more adventurous than