Robin Jeffrey's Blog, page 15
July 16, 2023
Behind the Scenes Sunday
Let’s take a peek at the cogs inside the machine and talk about why I write and how I write on Behind the Scenes Sunday! Today I’d like to talk about some tips and tricks that I’ve learned the hard way when it comes to writing a series of books rather than a stand alone novel.
No plan? No problem!Want to write a trilogy? Great! Go for it! Start today, start right now! But Robin! I hear you cry. I don’t have a plan for each book! I barely have a plan for book one!
I give you my planless blessing.
Maybe it’s because I started my writing life as a pantser, but I’m of the opinion that not only is having a detailed plan when writing highly overrated, it can actually be detrimental to the process of creation. Books are living, breathing creatures, that will change and evolve as you write and rewrite them. If you have a plan for books one through three, you better be prepared to throw that plan out the window and come up with something new by the time book one is actually finished, because I can almost guarantee you Book One won’t go the way you thought it would.
Let characters change.Are you worried that you’re going to be rehashing the same plot from book to book? A good way to avoid this is to remember to let your characters change and remain changed. Each time you write a book, even if it’s with a character from a previous book, they are NOT the same character you’ve written before, simply by virtue of everything you put them through in the previous book. Keep that in mind and fresh, new conflict should be easier to find.
Build a Series BibleA Series Bible is a collection of information (presented however you want – as a pinterest board, whiteboard, GoogleDoc, or binder) that helps organize all the relevant information about the world you’ve created for your series. Anything you might refer to again should be included here, such as character descriptions, motivations, settings, magic rules, music you’ve used for inspiration – really it can be as extensive as you like, as long as it’s helpful! And trust me: it will be helpful.
If you’re interested in starting a new fabulous book series, then look no further: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of wolfy goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
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July 15, 2023
Saturday in the Stacks
Saturday is the perfect time to wander through the stacks (that’s librarian-speak for “bookshelves”) and talk about books and the people who write them. Pull up a comfy chair and settle in, because today I want to chat about a book that just recently landed on my TBR list and which I am highly anticipating sinking my teeth into: TJ Klune’s Wolf Song.
TJ Klune somewhat exploded on the literary scene in 2020 with the publication of his fantasy book The House in the Cerulean Sea. But before he published that (and many other fine fantasy and romance books which feature and champion LGBTQIA+ characters and storylines) he published the Green Creek series, the first of which is Wolf Song.
Oh yeah. It’s a werewolf romance series, y’all. And you know that is my jam. This series has the added plus of being an LGBTQIA+ romance series which is just spectacular.
Now, I’m going to be completely candid here: I own three TJ Klune books, including Wolf Song. I have not yet read any of them. But my partner has read all but Wolf Song and he can’t say enough good things about Klune’s writing. As I understand it, Klune has a unique gift for crafting characters for which readers can’t help but empathize with and root for. I can’t wait to see how that works with a werewolf character – or characters!
If you’re interested in adding something else werewolf and romance to your ever growing TBR piles, I’ve got great news for you: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of fiction for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
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Werewolf Wednesday
Happy Werewolf Wednesday, everyone! The release day for my paranormal romance Hungry is the Night creeps ever closer, and continuing this week, I’d like to introduce you to another member of my book’s colorful cast of characters. This week we’re spotlighting a human woman without whom the events of the book simply would not take place: Lily Donovan.
When things got too much for me with the Nameless,
I knew there would always be a place for me at Lily’s.
Over the years, we became as close as any sisters. I told
Lily everything about the Nameless, more than any
human should have known. It was Lily who had convinced me to finally get out. It was Lily who had
pulled money out of her savings to help me. It was Lily
alone with whom I had trusted my plans.
Plans that had now taken a significant detour.
Hungry is the night by Robin jeffrey
Name: Lily Donovan
Eye Color: Brown (oak)
Hair Color: Black
Height: 5’6”
Age: 50 years old
Personal Style: When required, she can be seen wearing gold-rimmed half moon reading glasses. On the whole her style leans towards the practical. She wears a lot of comfortable clothes, long sleeves and pants, almost always in darker colors, since blood shows easier on anything light. Lily keeps her hair shaved close to the scalp. She likes to wear simple, large jewelry when not at work.
Werewolf or Human: Human.
Notable Traits: Lily is the center around which a large extended family pivots, just as she is one of the centers around which the werewolf den The Nameless pivots. She believes in taking care of those who have put their trust in her and she will move heaven and earth to help those she cares about, even if doing so puts herself at risk.
People Often Say they are: Fearless. Loving. Sensible. Indispensable.
If you’re interested in learning more about Lily, I’ve got great news: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of wolfy goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
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Behind the Scenes Sunday
Let’s take a peek at the cogs inside the machine and talk about why I write and how I write on Behind the Scenes Sunday! Today I’d like to talk about something that almost all professional writers have to learn to do: writing to deadlines!
Whether your under contract or freelancing, people are going to want to know (and will need to know) when they can expect your work to be completed. As a hybrid author, learning to work to deadlines has been a big learning curve for me. When I’m self-publishing my work, the only timeline I’m working from is my own. The only person who is affected if I get a bit behind in my work is me. But when you’re work is being published by a small press, a journal, or the big five, your work is part of a vast machine, and if you don’t get it in by the appointed time, the consequences for others (and yourself) are very real!
Talk about pressure!
But it doesn’t have to drive you crazy. What it comes down to is being realistic about the rate at which you work, being disciplined about doing that work, and planning for things to go wrong.
Be realistic about the rate at which you work. How many words do you actually write a day? Don’t say you can finish a 70k book in a month if you struggle to write more than five hundred words a day! You will make yourself miserable AND you will miss your deadline. There’s nothing wrong with writing five hundred words a day — you just have to plan accordingly.Be disciplined about doing the work. Remember, there are real consequences to missing these deadlines. Life happens (and we’ll talk about that in the next list item) and sometimes being late is unavoidable. But you should never be late because you simply didn’t have the self-control to do the work you said you were going to do. Plan for things to go wrong. You will get sick. You will feel like not working some days. You’re car will break down. Things will come up to get in the way of you and completing your deadline. So plan in cushion time to your deadline. Never schedule your work so tight that there is no room for things to go wrong.If you’re interested in seeing what it looks like when a writing deadline is met successfully, I have great news: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of wolfy goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
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Saturday in the Stacks
Saturday is the perfect time to wander through the stacks (that’s librarian-speak for “bookshelves”) and talk about books and the people who write them. Pull up a comfy chair and settle in, because today I want to chat about a particular section of my TBR that I don’t think I’m going to ever be able to conquer (and why I’m okay with that): my seemingly endless backlog of back issues.
Back issues, for those of you who may be unfamiliar with the term, refers to those comic books that have come before the current issue on the stands. I, quite embarrassingly, have BOXES of back issues that I’m reading through going back to 2018. 2018, folks. That’s five years, FIVE YEARS, of back issues.
And before you even ask, yes, I am still getting current issues.
Madness, I hear you cry! A sisyphean task of epic proportions! Torture! You’ll never catch up! I don’t immediately disagree. The chances that I’ll ever ‘catch up’ to my current issues are small to say the least. But I keep chipping away at the pile, even as I add more to it, because, honestly, I find it fun! It’s comforting to know that I always have comics to read, even when I may not feel like reading anything else. I enjoy the variety of stories my back issues collection presents me with and, as I like to joke, it just means I can never die because I’ll always have one more issue I’ll need to finish reading.
If you’re interested in adding something new to your ever growing TBR piles, I’ve got great news for you: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of fiction for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
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Werewolf Wednesday
Happy Werewolf Wednesday, everyone! We are officially less than two months out from the release of my very own wolfy book, Hungry is the Night! Continuing this week, I’m introducing you to my book’s colorful cast of characters to give y’all a little sneak peek into the world of the The Night series. We’re keeping this train rolling with another one of the book’s supporting characters, Sylvia Laurent.
At the desk stood a young woman, blonde, her hair
pulled back in a tight, professional bun. Around her neck
hung several strings of pink and white pearls, which
matched the pink and white dress suit that clung to her
every curve. She looked up when I entered, a bored
expression giving way to a raucous grin.
Hungry is the night by Robin jeffrey
Name: Sylvia Laurent
Eye Color: Green (forest)
Hair Color: Platinum blonde
Height: 5’6”
Age: Appears about 30 years old, is actually closer to 170 years old.
Personal Style: Always impeccably dressed in the latest fashions, Sylvia would look just as at home in front of a camera modeling as she does behind a desk working for the Nameless. She favors bold, statement making outfits and make-up, but always within the bounds of propriety and good taste.
Werewolf or Human: Werewolf.
If Werewolf – Bitten or Born?: Born.
If Werewolf – Den Affiliation?: The Nameless – the Seattle den.
Notable Traits: She has been part of the front-facing team for the werewolf den for decades, and as such is smooth-talking, good at telling people what they want to hear and presenting the way they’d expect. She wears her emotions on her sleeves, but keeps her true intentions to herself, though her loyalty to the den is beyond question.
People Often Say they are: Cutting. Bright. Calculating. Gorgeous.
If you’re interested in learning more about Sylvia, I’ve got great news: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of wolfy goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
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Behind the Scenes Sunday
Let’s take a peek at the cogs inside the machine and talk about why I write and how I write on Behind the Scenes Sunday! Today I’d like to talk about one of my favorite parts of the publishing process — the act of dedicating books.
The dedication page is probably the first page I flip to in any book I pick up. Here are just a few of my all time favorite dedications:
“In the vastness of space and immensity of time, it is my joy to spend a planet and an epoch with Annie.”
Cosmos, by Carl Sagan
“To all those who lead monotonous lives, in the hope that they may experience at second hand the delights and dangers of adventure.”
The Secret Adversary, by Agatha Christie
“You know how it is. You pick up a book, flip to the dedication, and find that, once again, the author has dedicated a book to someone else and not to you.
Not this time.
Because we haven’t yet met/have only a glancing acquaintance/are just crazy about each other/haven’t seen each other in much too long/are in some way related/will never meet, but will, I trust, despite that, always think fondly of each other!
This one’s for you.
With you know what, and you probably know why.”
Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
Dedications have been included in written works as far back as classical antiquity. I am proud to carry on that tradition. In fact, one of my greatest joys as an author has been getting to pen my own dedications to those who are closest to me.
If you’re interested in seeing who my latest book is dedicated to, I have great news: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of wolfy goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
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Saturday in the Stacks
Saturday is the perfect time to wander through the stacks (that’s librarian-speak for “bookshelves”) and talk about books and the people who write them. Pull up a comfy chair and settle in, because today I want to chat about a book that has found me at the perfect time: right when I needed some inspiration and motivation to keep moving forward in my writing journey, I have started reading Haruki Murakami’s Novelist as a Vocation.
I was first introduced to Murakami by my sister, who was a huge fan of all his work, but most particularly his book The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. In the spirit of full transparency, I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle on her recommendation and it (so far) is my least favorite Murakami. But I think it says a lot about his writing that even though the work didn’t connect with me on one level, I was deeply intrigued by his writing style, by his prose, so much so that I did want to read more. Kafka on the Shore was the next book of Murakami’s I ventured into and that one was a home run for me. I’ve been an avid fan of this one-of-a-kind writer ever since.
Novelist as a Vocation is a collection of non-fiction essays Murakami has written about his experiences and perceptions of being a professional author. As someone who is themselves beginning to embark on this weird and wonderful journey of novelist as a vocation, this book was like a lightning bolt — it felt like Murakami was speaking just to me, telling me everything I needed to hear and answering all my questions. I felt seen in a way I desperately needed to be, and felt so much less alone.
If you have a writer in your life, you have got to get them this book. They will thank you for it, I guarantee it.
If you’re interested in getting supporting me in my journey of novelist as a vocation, then look no further: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of fiction for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
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Werewolf Wednesday
Happy Werewolf Wednesday, everyone! We are officially less than two months out from the release of my very own wolfy book, Hungry is the Night! Starting this week, I’m going to introduce you to my book’s colorful cast of characters to give y’all a little sneak peek into the world of the The Night series. We’re starting with one of the book’s supporting characters, Kassandra Arnaud.
A low ‘ahem’ drew our attention, and we looked up into the brown eyes of the head of Nameless Security. The blonde lowered her strong chin, one hand falling to rest on the butt of her handgun. “Ma’am.” The woman addressed Grace, pressing her free hand to her chest. “I don’t know if you remember me, my name is—”
“Of course I remember you, Kassandra.” Grace swallowed hard, and I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. It had been Kassandra who had discovered me sneaking into the house all those years ago. She had handed me over to Mama. She had been the one who had restrained Grace, forced her to watch me beaten bloody. The woman’s face and scent wasn’t one either of us was likely to forget.
Hungry is the night by Robin jeffrey
Name: Kassandra Arnaud
Eye Color: Brown (bronze)
Hair Color: Light blonde
Height: 5’11”
Age: Appears about 35 years old, is actually closer to 200 years old.
Personal Style: She wears her long blonde hair down her back in a thick dutch braid, which is the only thing about her that doesn’t conform to strict tactical efficiencies. Tall and muscular, she long ago learned that her physical presence alone could be used to intimidate and has been putting that knowledge to use in service of the Nameless ever since. Her clothes are utilitarian and almost always black, even when she’s not in her security kit.
Werewolf or Human: Werewolf.
If Werewolf – Bitten or Born?: Born.
If Werewolf – Den Affiliation?: The Nameless – the Seattle den.
Notable Traits: Practical to a fault, what Kassandra lacks in imagination she makes up for in pure determination. She doesn’t suffer fools, and doesn’t see why anyone else should either. She would die for the Nameless and has put herself in harm’s way to protect the den and the den leaders more times than she can count.
People Often Say they are: Loyal. Unstoppable. Stern. Intelligent.
If you’re interested in learning more about Kassandra, I’ve got great news: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of wolfy goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
Thanks! Processing… Success! You're now subscribed. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.June 25, 2023
Behind the Scenes Sunday
Let’s take a peek at the cogs inside the machine and talk about why I write and how I write on Behind the Scenes Sunday! Today I’d like to talk about the idea of making money of what you write — so much money that it becomes your job full time. Sound like a fantasy? Well for some it’s the reality, but it’s not an easy road.
If you’re goal is to support yourself with your writing, you need to be prepared for a long, hard road. It’s not impossible — I know many authors who write full time and are able to live comfortably off their income. But they work hard to keep that money coming in and the words flowing out. If this is your end goal (as it is mine) you need to be patient, diligent, and ready to combat naysayers, disappointment, and rejection.
It’s important to set realistic goals for yourself and celebrate when you achieve them. If you start down the path of the professional author and you aren’t making money off your writing in the first year, or the first five years, or the first ten years, it is okay. This business is half determination and half luck. Persevere and I truly do believe that it will pay off. You have to show up for luck to find you, after all.
If you’re interested in supporting me on my journey to becoming a full-time author, I have the perfect way for you to do so: Hungry is the Night is now available for preorder on all major ebook platforms! Visit the link here to order your copy in advance and, if you send a copy of your receipt to rsjromance@gmail.com, I will send you back an exclusive excerpt of the book! Three full chapters of wolfy goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
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