Robin Jeffrey's Blog, page 16
June 24, 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 wonderful queer positive, sex positive, and all around awesome comic called Sunstone written and drawn by Stjepan Sejic.
Billed as an erotic romantic comedy, which is just a fun series of words to get to type out, Sunstone follows the journey of two women in the BDSM scene. Whether or not BDSM is your scene, there’s a lot to love in this comic as it explores themes of love, trust, self-identity, grief, and just what it means to exist as an imperfect human being in an imperfect world. In fact, you don’t have to know anything about BDSM to get something out of this story. It started out as a serialized comic on DeviantArt and has since been collected in some truly beautiful editions.
You may be familiar with Stjepan Sejic’s work from his breakout hit Harleen from DC Comics, and if you thought his art was to die for in that book, you have got to pick up Sunstone. I think what I like about this series the most was how the more erotic scenes aren’t just there to titillate — they are really there to move the story forward and deepen our understanding of the characters and their relationships with each other. I think that’s what makes this story stand out amongst others.
If you’re interested in getting a taste of a novel that is full of love, in all its sadness and beauty and joy, 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 romance goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
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June 21, 2023
Werewolf Wednesday
Happy Werewolf Wednesday, everyone! This week I’d like to talk about a super fun, cozy mystery/fantasy series of which werewolves are just a fraction of the awesomeness: Gretchen S.B.’s Jas Bond book series!
Jas, a magicless son of a witch, has the pleasure (and he does seem to enjoy it, as much trouble as it causes him) of owning and running what is essentially a supernatural antique shop. This he does with considerable aplomb with the help from a handful of supernaturally inclined employees and his faithful rottweiler Bailey, who barks at the smell of magic. Naturally when you deal with objects that are powerful and occult, things can sometimes get messy — and things do for Jas as he time and again just tries to run a business but finds himself in the middle of a series of magical murders, thefts, and general skullduggery.
One of the many supporting characters in this series is Blake, Jas’ ex-college roommate, best friend, supernatural police detective, and werewolf. He has a fantastic relationship with Bailey (of course), a killer sense of smell, and is loyal to his friends above all else. I love the way S.B. has written werewolves into the rich world she’s created in this series. Werewolves are just one of many kinds of supernatural creatures who exist simultaneously in the world we humans know and love and in the supernatural world, and they seem to navigate this dual existence with grace. Blake never complains about his condition — it’s just part of who he is and makes him better at his job, if nothing else.
If you’re interested in more werewolf mayhem and magic, 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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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 an important editing trick that I feel everyone should employ — namely reading your own work out loud!
Editing is possibly the hardest and most rewarding part of crafting a compelling narrative. You’ve done all the work of putting words down onto paper, thousands of them, one after another, but now they have to make…sense. Hopefully they make a little sense already, but let me tell you, no one (and I mean NO ONE) writes a perfect first draft. There is always room for improvement and that’s where editing comes in.
So how do you start? A lot of people struggle with editing their own work, and it can certainly be a challenge to sit down and pick apart something you put your heart and soul into — even if you know it’s ultimately in the service of making it the best it can be. One trick to getting the distance from the work that you need in order to edit effectively is simply time: put the manuscript away for at least two or three weeks, if not longer, before you sit down to edit. Another trick, and one that I actually think is a lot of fun, is to read your work out loud — or have your work read to you.
Storytelling began as oral tradition, as tales around a campfire. Your story should sound just as good out loud as it does in your own head. If it doesn’t, that’s a sign that something needs to change. For a long time, I would literally sit at my desk and read my novel, word for word, out to myself. But I soon found an even better way. Microsoft Word has a handy feature in their “Review” ribbon called “Read Aloud”. The voice is a little robotic, sure, but it’ll read your work exactly as written. Which is great! You’ll catch things you would have missed otherwise, hear clunky sentences, be able to catch when the story is lagging, plus so much more.
If you’re interested in reading a carefully crafted and expertly editing novel that leaps off the page, 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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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 manga series that has been driving me crazy with how good it is: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku written and illustrated by Fujita.
If you’re a romance novel reader who’s been interested in manga, but not sure where to start, Wotakoi is the perfect introduction to the medium. The characters are almost painfully relatable to anyone who operates outside of societies set “norms” (and to be honest, who doesn’t these days?) and the relationships built within it’s pages are swoon worthy while being incredible realistic. I have never rooted for so many different kinds of coupes to get together as I have while reading Wotakoi.
The art is fantastic, and any otaku terms you may be unfamiliar with are defined in the books’ notes (which are extensive and extremely helpful!). I truly think manga may represent some of the best romance writing that is happening in the world at this moment — I know that sounds superlative, but I stand by it! If you’re looking for romance storylines that will grab you from word one, that will get your heart racing and your eyes watering with sweet, sweet tears, I don’t think you can do better than some romcom manga.
If you’re interested in getting a taste of a novel that is full of love, in all its sadness and beauty and joy, 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 romance 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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Werewolf Wednesday
Happy Werewolf Wednesday, everyone! This week I’d like to talk about a funky favorite of mine – namely the infinitely watchable music video for Fatboy Slim’s song Wonderful Night.
Fatboy Slim rarely fails to deliver in the music video department (their entry for their song Weapon of Choice has become the stuff of legend) and I would argue that Wonderful Night is another solid offering from this English musician, DJ, and record producer. The video starts with a playful homage to classic musicals, featuring men in tuxes and top hats dancing through a colorful, classy cityscape. Everything changes when the full moon peeks its head out from behind the clouds and one of the dancers transforms into a werewolf! The tone of the video shifts and we watch this tux-wearing werewolf go on a complete bender, tearing his way through the city drinking, partying, and occasionally ripping arms off people.
I think this is a great little werewolf story that hits on many classic werewolf tropes, especially the idea that werewolves represent the wild side of all of us. As much as we may try to dress him up, he’s always there, waiting for the opportunity to cut loose. And you know what? It’s damn fun when he does! I think that’s the main idea I draw from this music video: it’s okay to be a little wild sometimes.
If you’re interested in more werewolf mayhem and magic, 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!
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 character creation – why it’s so important and how I personally go about creating memorable, fully realized, and realistic characters regardless of the genre story I’m writing.
Without characters a story is nothing but setting. Characters, their desires, their flaws, their fears, their conflicts with each other, all drive the story forward. Characters are plot. Characters are not subservient to the plot, they create the plot by the very nature of their being. Plot could not exist without them and by virtue of them existing, plot should exist.
So how do you start? How do you create a character that people will want to follow for one short story or a whole series of novels? I wish there was an easy answer to this question, but the truth is, it takes a lot of work, a lot of trial and error, practice and most of all, listening and watching. We are all surrounded by people every day and these can and should be your inspiration for your characters. Am I saying you should create characters based off of people you know? Absolutely not. But it’s okay to take a quirk from one person, a pattern of speech from another, a fear from a third, and so forth and so on until you have someone completely unique but also very very real.
If you’re interested in falling in love with a whole cast of richly drawn characters, 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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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 one of my favorite poets, especially when it comes to love poems, Pablo Neruda.
Few poets have managed to capture the public’s imagination and become synonymous with a genre of poetry the way Pablo Neruda has. He is without a doubt the definitive writer of romantic poetry of the 20th century and with good reason. The Chilean poet did far more than write about sensual liaisons, however – he wrote about feelings of isolation, of loneliness and regret, of a human being’s place in the universe, and yes, about how love relates to all of these things.
When diving into Neruda’s work, it can be frustrating to find so little of it translated into English – but for me I took that as an encouragement to improve my Spanish as much as I possibly could! The Neruda collections I love the most are the ones that have his work printed side by side, in both languages, so I can compare and contrast the translation to the original language in which it was written. In poetry (and in poetry about love, especially) the right or wrong word can make all the difference. One of my favorite poems of Neruda’s is undoubtedly “Tonight I Can Write (The Saddest Lines)”.
If you’re interested in getting a taste of a novel that is full of love, in all its sadness and beauty and joy, 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 romance 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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Werewolf Wednesday
Happy Werewolf Wednesday, everyone! This week I’d like to talk about a werewolf story that is near and dear to my scifi loving heart: the season two, episode two offering from Doctor Who, a beauty of a television episode called Tooth and Claw.
In an attempt to take his traveling companion Rose (played by Billie Piper) back to 1979, the Tenth Doctor (played by David Tennant) instead goes a little bit farther than intended to 1879. The pair end up in Scotland, on the road that goes to Balmoral Castle and who should they happen to come across on that road by Queen Victoria herself, forced to travel by road by a deliberate tree felled on the train line. Posing as the Queen’s protector, the Doctor and Rose join the traveling party and come to spend the night at the Torchwood Estate, where a wicked plot against the Queen is brewing, involving godless monks, mistletoe, and, what else? A werewolf. Or, as the Doctor later explains, an alien being that fell to Earth and inhabited multiple generations of hosts.
Po-tay-toh, po-tah-toh.
I love when scifi can’t resist the allure of the magical and fantastical and this episode is a werewolf story at it’s finest: we have brave men torn to shreds, stories of children of the local villages being sacrificed to the beast, the threat of transmission of the curse by the slightest scratch or bite – it’s awesome, pure Universal Monster Movie fun and shouldn’t be missed by any werewolf aficionados. I always enjoy watching this episode, especially around Halloween. The special effects used to render the werewolf are quite good too, certainly by Doctor Who standards. It’s a terrifying beast that is hard to look away from!
If you’re interested in another fresh twist on werewolf lore, I’ve got great news for you: my werewolf book 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 4, 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 writing in public – why it works for some writers, why it doesn’t for others and my personal feelings on sitting down and scribbling wherever you damn well please.
It’s no secret – writing can be extremely lonely. Do it on your own long enough and you run the risk of totally isolating yourself from the people and places you love. I’ve written before on this blog about the importance of having a “room of one’s own” in which to write and I stand by that – but sometimes that room can feel more like a punishment than a pleasure.
The solution? Occasionally writing out in public.
I’m of the opinion that learning how to/getting used to writing in public is a necessary skill for anyone looking to up their game and get serious about their craft, simply because it widens the amount you are able to write. If you can only write when you’re alone, you’ll find it difficult to get much work done in our increasingly crowded world.
It isn’t always easy – you have to practice and some people will never truly be comfortable emptying their brain out onto the page with other people around. But you will be a happier writer and a more productive one if you can, at least on occasion, trick yourself into tuning out the rest of the world and getting stories down on paper even in the midst of a crowd.
If you’re interested in getting a taste of a novel that I spent a good deal of time writing in public, 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 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 3, 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 has just recently made it onto my To Be Read shelf: Susie Bright’s How to Write a Dirty Story.
Let me explain.
I was wandering through the shelves at my nearest Half Priced Books when I stumbled across this gem just outside of the literature section. There’s a few shelves there that hold a collection of what I think of as “Writer How-To’s”. Stephen King’s On Writing can be found there, as can Bird by Bird, Writing Down the Bones, and countless other classics. I always look in this section because I’m always anxious to improve my craft, always looking for good advice, and am generally hopeful that I can simply read more and write better.
As a first time romance author, Bright’s book practically jumped off the shelf at me. Now, I am very well aware that not all romance novels need to be explicit or erotic in nature. I would be the first person to point that out. But many of them do have “spicy” scenes, and, in perfect candor I tell you, reader, the romance I have written and the romances I intend to write most certainly do as well.
An unapologetic intellectual, I often feel the best way to learn how to do something well is to study how to do the something, preferably under the tutelage of experts. This book promises a thorough examination of how to write dirty and how to write it well from a master of the genre herself. I’m looking forward to digging into this book, seeing what nuggets of wisdom I can glean and how I can make my next spicy scene truly sizzle.
If you’re interested in getting a taste of my first foray into the romance genre, 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 wolfy goodness for you to enjoy!
Don’t wait! Preorder today!Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!
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