Robin Jeffrey's Blog, page 4

Behind the Scenes Sunday

Patreon Relaunch!

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 my refurbished Patreon — why I choose to relaunch, what’s different in Robin Jeffrey Patreon 2.0, and how you can help it succeed!

For those of you unfamiliar with my Patreon, I invite you to check out either my previous blog post about the launch or the page itself if you are so inclined. What you may not know is that this is actually the second time I’ve launched a Patreon account as a creator. The first time was back in 2022, which feels like several lifetimes ago — I had only one book released at the time of the first Patreon launch and was working full time at the library still.

Now, I have four books released, sold over fifteen hundred copies, have three books coming out this year and am writing full time! Given all this, it seemed like time to try and stick my toes back in the Patreon pond and see if I could make a more successful go of it.

What am I doing differently this time? Well, I’m able to devote a lot more focus and energy to the Patreon this time around, as well as offer more curated content. My hope is that this content will resonate with people and draw in more members! If you would like to be one of these members, I have some exciting news:

From now until the end of the month, any one who signs up for my Patreon at a $1 membership tier or above will be entered in to win a prize pack consisting of: One (1) Cadence Turing Mystery Print, five (5) microfiction capsules, and one (1) handwritten card from me!

It’s a $20 value, yours for the winning! Click on the image below to lend your support!

As always, if you’re interested in supporting me and my work, thank you: Hungry is the Night, my urban fantasy, is available on all major platforms, as are my classic murder mysteries with scifi twists, The Cadence Turing Mystery series!

Order Your Copies Now!

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The Check-In

Welcome to THE CHECK-IN, where you can get a sneak peek into my writing progress every week! Read on to find out what I’m working on and how things are progressing in my world.

Here’s the breakdown:

Lonely is the Night – Things are going…slowly… Very slowly. I have just been so inundated by administrative work with the small business part of being a full time author that I honestly, hand-to-God, haven’t had time to write. I’m hopeful (fingers crossed!) that in the next two weeks I’ll have some dedicated time to write. My goal for this project now is to have the draft finished by end of July. I really want to try and stick to that.

I never thought that the business part of being a writer would take more work than the actual writing – but you live and learn, I guess! I feel very thankful to have such supportive fans and family to keep me going and I have some very exciting things coming in the next few months that I can’t wait to tell you all about. Soon, y’all, soon!

LESSON OF THE WEEK: THE ONLY WAY OUT IS THROUGH!

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Behind the Scenes Sunday

Reading Slumps

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 my personal struggles with reading slumps and what I’m doing to try and climb out of my slump now that I’m in one.

The truth is, reading is more than a hobby for me – it’s literally part of my job. If I don’t read, my writing suffers. I need to read in order for me to continue to improve as an author, both on the craft side of things and on the business side of things (knowing what other books are out there and what their prose is like is enormously important when marketing your books!). So when I get into a reading slump, it’s more than annoying. It’s potentially catastrophic.

Unfortunately, I have found reading slumps to be much like other mental blocks or problems – the more I stress and think about it, the worse it becomes. The more I try to force the issue, force myself to read, or berate myself for not reading, the worse the slump gets. You can’t think your way out of a reading slump.

You have to feel your way out of it.

Sometimes getting out of a reading slump is about giving yourself permission to be in a slump. Don’t feel like reading? Can’t bring yourself to read? Don’t read for a little bit. Do something else. Find another outlet for your time and your mind. Try coming back to a book later.

Sometimes getting out of a reading slump is about reexamining what you’re reading and why. Are you reading books that don’t actually interest you that much? Would you rather be reading a graphic novel right now? Or a memoir? Or listening to an audiobook? What actually sounds intriguing? Listen to yourself and if absolutely nothing sounds even remotely interesting, go back to step one.

More often than not, though, I have found that getting out of a reading slump is as simple as setting more achievable reading goals for myself. So I can’t power through a book in a few days. That’s fine. Let’s read a chapter a day. Or three pages a day. Whatever sounds achievable. That will often work me out of my slump.

What about you all? Do any of you have trips and tricks for defeating the dreaded slump? Let’s chat about it in the comments!

As always, if you’re interested in supporting me and my work, thank you: Hungry is the Night, my urban fantasy, is available on all major platforms, as are my classic murder mysteries with scifi twists, The Cadence Turing Mystery series!

Order Your Copies Now!

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Join Me on Patreon!

Join Me on Patreon!

As an author, I am constantly creating and innovating, working hard to craft lasting connections between readers. At last, I’m giving folks a chance to not just get a host of amazing perks – but to help me as I pursue my dreams. Join my Patreon today and I promise you, every dollar of your support will go directly into my writing – into paying cover artists, hiring freelance editors, buying ISBNS, paying for writer’s conferences, covering contest submission fees, creating audiobook editions, and ultimately putting more of my work into your hands.

Patron’s at every tier get exclusive Patreon posts about my writing and my world, early access to cover reveals, blog posts, newsletter content, and the chance to vote in polls!

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Patron’s at every tier also get access to a Patreon-only microfiction story every month. Here’s a sample of a previous Patreon-only microfiction story called “Move On”:

Ghosts don’t do much talking as a rule; they’re too self-absorbed. That’s why they walk through walls. They’re too busy dwelling on their own problems to notice that the hotel has been remodeled since they died in it in 1850.

Being a medium can get pretty damn lonely. It’s like being at a party by yourself. You can see everyone else mingling and drinking the punch, but nobody’ll talk to you. It’s like being invisible.

That’s why I killed myself.

Well, that’s one of the reasons. It wasn’t exactly a hard decision to come to. No family, no job, no place to live; and a whole load of used-to-be-people wandering around in my head who wouldn’t even ask me how I was doing. I figured, if I was dead too, maybe they wouldn’t be so shy. Now I realize it wasn’t shyness; it was goddamn condescension.

Folks who join at the $8 level will receive a Patreon-only short story of the spicy variety once a quarter. Here’s a brief sample of some of the spice you can expect:

Their lips touched, and the world started to dissipate like it often did. It was strange how intoxicating the taste of her skin was, even after all this time. With a soft sigh she allowed herself to slump down beside him, sliding the fruit on the other side of him; but not before picking out on particularly large one and placing between her lips. She leaned towards him and without missing a beat, his lips again met hers; closing around the exposed end of the voluptuous fruit, juice seeping out from their lips only to be recaptured by roving tongues.

Finally, folks who join at the $15 level will receive a commissioned Flash Fiction story on a topic of their choice every month. Here’s a brief sample of a previously commissioned Flash Fiction story:

The mermaid smiled up at him, her teeth a row of razor sharp daggers. “Aren’t you going to help me come aboard?”

“No, I don’t think I am,” replied Jacoby.

The mermaid’s smile disappeared. Her lips pursed into a pout and her scaly arms lifted out of the water towards the rim of the boat. “Oh, please?”

“Now, we’ll have none of that.” Jacoby brandished his oar. “I don’t want no trouble, little miss.”

The mermaid drew her arms back with a splash. She glared up at Jacoby, frowning. “Drat. You’ve done this before.”

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Craft Course: Write Distinctive Dialogue

Join me on June 6th, 2024 from 1pm to 4pm live and in person at the BARN Makerspace on Bainbridge Island to learn to craft dialogue that builds characters, moves plots forward, and keeps your readers turning pages.

Many writers struggle with dialogue, but it can be one of the most memorable and useful parts of your work. Learn tricks for crafting great dialogue. You’ll leave the class:

Understanding the importance of dialogue in writing projects.With tools to create dialogue that captures readers’ imaginations while supporting the plot of your writing.Able to write dialogue confidently and with ease.

Though beginners are welcome, course material and exercises will be aimed at intermediate and advanced writers.

Sign up today!

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Podcast Alert – BLUSH PODCAST feat. Robin Jeffrey

Blush Podcast, Season 1 Episode 33

It’s getting hot and hairy today! Come check me out on the fabulous Blush Podcast, where this week I’m talking about my very own spicy werewolf book, Hungry is the Night. I chat with hosts Kelly and Penny about my inspirations for the book, we have some fun with a special Blush questionnaire, and some steamy scenes are read out loud. It’s not to be missed!

As always, if you’re interested in supporting me and my work, thank you: Hungry is the Night, my paranormal romance, is available on all major platforms, as are my classic murder mysteries with scifi twists, The Cadence Turing Mystery series!

Order Your Copies Now!

Join my Newsletter!

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U District Street Fair – LAST DAY!

LAST DAY TO VISIT ME AT U DISTRICT STREET FAIR 2024!

Come to the U District Street Fair on “the Ave” in Seattle today & find me at the Author Event Network booth (Booths 713 & 715), where I will be signing and selling all of my books. Readers Unite! Whether mystery, science fiction, romance, or the paranormal is your jam, I have something for you. Come find me at the street fair!

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The Check-In

Welcome to THE CHECK-IN, where you can get a sneak peek into my writing progress every week! Read on to find out what I’m working on and how things are progressing in my world.

Here’s the breakdown:

Lonely is the Night – Incremental progress on this draft. At this point, I think I’m aiming to have it done by the end of June, beginning of July. We’ll see though, I could have a major writing breakthrough and just crank it all out in the next few weeks! But with all the events I have coming up, I doubt that somehow.

I seriously considered not posting a Check-In this week, or posting something else in it’s stead, but I want to be honest and transparent with y’all about what being a full-time writer in this day and age is like. And the truth is, sometimes you get so busy with the business-side of being a writer you lose out on the opportunity to, you know: WRITE. It’s all for the good, everything I do is pushing me closer to my goals, but it does get frustrating when it feels like I’m being pulled in so many different directions at once. There are days when I wish things were simpler. When I wish it was just me and the work. But real life is a lot more complicated than that. It’s also a helluva a lot more interesting and fun that way, on the bright side!

LESSON OF THE WEEK: IT’S OKAY TO BE PULLED IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS – AS LONG AS YOU STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF.

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The Check-In

Welcome to THE CHECK-IN, where you can get a sneak peek into my writing progress every week! Read on to find out what I’m working on and how things are progressing in my world.

Here’s the breakdown:

Lonely is the Night – I keep making slow but steady progress on this draft. I wish it were faster, and I know I can’t just sit here wishing, I have to make it happen — all the power rests with me. But I’ve just go so many other things going on right now. Events, classes, social media content, plus I’m trying to keep a good work/life balance besides (prioritizing my mental health and the upkeep of my the interpersonal relationships that mean the most to me). The good news is that all of the draft is pretty much plotted out. It’s just a matter of getting written! I CAN DO IT.

Slow as it has been going, and as much as that does frustrate me, I have to say I’m still proud of myself that I’ve been as consistent with the writing as I have been. As I said above, I’ve had a lot going on lately and the fact that I’ve kept on writing my thousand words a day — well that’s not nothing. This book will get done. It might not have been as soon as I would’ve liked, but it WILL happen. I have faith and I have the conviction to see it through.

LESSON OF THE WEEK: WRITING IS ALWAYS HARD. BUT IT IS ALWAYS WORTH IT.

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LAST CHANCE! Class Starts Tomorrow

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Is it possible to tell a compelling story in 100 words or less? Absolutely! Microfiction, short stories that are told in 100 words or less, employs editing skills as much as writing, picking the right word, the right moments, and the right punctuation to tell a story as quickly as possible. In this course, we will explore the elements of microfiction and how to become comfortable with creating these bite-sized wonders yourself, for submission to journals and contests around the world!Syllabus

Course Goals: By the end of the course, students will

Feel empowered to write their own microfiction and submit it to contests/for publicationUnderstand the elements of microfictionBe expert microfiction editorsHave several microfiction pieces completedSign up today!

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