Jae's Blog, page 43

Looking for beta readers

I’m in the middle of getting my latest novel, True Nature, ready for the editor, and I’m looking for one or two people who would be willing to beta read for me.

True Nature is a paranormal romance novel taking place in my shape-shifter universe. You don’t necessarily need to have read Second Nature, since True Nature is featuring new main characters.

Here’s a description of the story:

When wolf-shifter Kelsey Yates discovers that fourteen-year-old shape-shifter Danny Harding is living with a human adoptive mother, she is sent on a secret mission to protect the pup and get him away from the human.

Successful CEO Rue Harding has no idea that the private teacher she hires for her deaf son isn’t really there to teach him history and algebra—or that Danny and Kelsey are not what they seem to be.

But when Danny runs away from home and gets lost in New York City, Kelsey and Rue have to work together to find him before his first transformation sets in and reveals the shape-shifter’s secret existence to the world.

I’m looking for someone who can tell me what is and isn’t working plotwise, where the story is dragging or not making sense, and where scenes need to be extended in order for readers to fully enjoy the novel. Also, being able to point out spelling and grammar mistakes is a plus.

I’m working on a deadline, so I’m looking for people who have enough time to beta read a 130,000-word novel within about three weeks. I prefer to have my beta readers use MS Word’s track changes and/or the comment feature.

While I can’t offer payment, I usually sent a free e-book and a signed paperback of the novel to my beta readers once its published.

The first half of the novel is ready to be beta read, so if you’re interested, please let me know via my e-mail address jae_s1978@ yahoo.de (delete the space after the @)

Filed under: True Nature

Writing hours in June

I spent most of June with my shape-shifters. Fictional ones, of course. I finished the last revisions of Second Nature, wrote a new short story for Natural Family Disasters (a shape-shifter anthology), and started revising True Nature, the sequel or rather spin-off to Second Nature.

I put that manuscript aside when I had the idea for a short story in summer 2011… One year later, that short story had turned into a full-blown novel titled Something in the Wine. So it’s been two years since I last looked at True Nature and can now take a more objective look at the manuscript. I still like the story and the characters very much. There’s a lot of work ahead of me, but it’s worth it.

So here are my numbers for June:

Writing


Editing


Research




January


46 hours
14 hours
–


February


44 hours
19 hours
–




March


82 hours
15 hours
–


April


71 hours
4 hours
–


May


105 hours
5 hours
25 hours


June


135 hours
10 hours
–




TOTAL
483 hours
67 hours
25 hours

Check back next month to see the hours for July. I hope to be a lot further along with True Nature this time next month, and I will also start editing two great manuscripts. More about that soon.

Filed under: Jae's writing process, True Nature Tagged: True Nature, writing hours

The Morning After

Just in time for the beginning of summer here in Germany, my publisher released my short story The Morning After as a single. It has been previously published in the anthology Connected Hearts, but we thought we’d make it available to readers who don’t want to buy the whole anthology.

The story has about 10,300 words, so it’s not too short.

The cover makes me want a Piña Colada and a loooong vacation at the beach

Here’s a short description of the story:

After a friend sets her up on a blind date from hell, Amanda has enough of dating. A spur-of-the-moment decision to attend an Anti-Valentine’s Day party leads to an unexpected encounter. She wakes up to a hangover and a surprising complication…

The Morning After is available as a DRM-free e-book from Amazon and Smashwords.

I hope you enjoy the story and your weekend!

Jae

Filed under: News Tagged: Jae, lesbian fiction, short story, The Morning After

Walking the Labyrinth

Many years ago, long before I first started writing in English, I read Coming Home by Lois Cloarec Hart. It was actually one of the first lesbian romances I read. To this day, it’s still one of my favorites. I was so impressed by this heart-felt novel that I sent Lois an e-mail, practically begging her for a sequel or maybe a “spin-off” featuring my two favorite minor characters, Dana and Lee.

This year, I was honored to have Lois as a fellow Ylva author and even more honored to edit her newest book, Walking the Labyrinth, a novel that is told from Lee’s point of view. So I got my sequel in a very unexpected way.

Gaëlle, the novel’s other main character, would probably say that the universe works in miraculous ways.

I’m not sure what I expected when I first started reading Walking the Labyrinth, but probably something entirely different. What I got was another surprise—but in a very good way.

Most of the time, the main characters in lesbian romances are twenty-somethings. The main characters in Walking the Labyrinth are in their sixties. And it’s so much more than just a romance novel. It’s a story about love, loss, and spirituality.

If that sounds a bit too “hooey” (as Lee would say) for you, give this novel a chance anyway. I promise it’s worth it.

Filed under: lesbian fiction, Ylva Publishing Tagged: Lois Cloarec Hart, Walking the Labyrinth

Writing hours in May

Another month is over–and what a month it was! I spent a lot of time revising Second Nature, which will be published in July. I’m almost finished with the novel now.

In the evenings, I got started on the research for a historical fiction novel taking place in San Francisco in 1906. That’s my idea of a relaxing evening

Here are the numbers for May:

 
Writing


Editing


Research




January


46 hours
14 hours
–


February


44 hours
19 hours
–




March


82 hours
15 hours
–


April


71 hours
4 hours
–


May


105 hours
5 hours
25 hours


TOTAL
348 hours
57 hours
25 hours

Check back next month to see the hours for June. I hope to write a new short story this month and to get started on the second draft of True Nature.

Filed under: Jae's writing process Tagged: writing hours

Join me on Facebook

I’m finally on Facebook.

On my fanpage, I’ll post updates on my latest writing projects and other interesting news. I already have my shiny new banner up on my Facebook page, so head over there and check it out.

Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/JaeAuthor

Have a nice week everyone!

Filed under: News Tagged: Facebook

Writing hours in April

April is over already, and once again, it was a busy month for me. I spent most of last week at an editing seminar, which is part of my endeavor to earn a certificate in editing.

We wrapped up editing Lois Cloarec Hart’s Walking the Labyrinth in April. I look forward to seeing this wonderful novel published in June.

I had a new novel out in April (the second, expanded edition of Backwards to Oregon), one new anthology (Beyond the Trail), and a short story (Seduction for Beginners, a short sequel to Something in the Wine).

I also did a lot of writing or rather rewriting this last month. I mainly worked on revising Second Nature. These are really extensive revisions, but my beta readers tell me they like the new version better.

Here are the numbers for April:

Writing


Editing




January


46 hours
14 hours


February


44 hours
19 hours


March


82 hours
15 hours


April


71 hours
 4 hours


TOTAL
243 hours
52 hours

Check back soon for more news on my writing and editing projects.

Filed under: Backwards to Oregon, Second Nature, Something in the Wine Tagged: Beyond the Trail, editing, Seduction for Beginners, Something in the WIne, writing time

Seduction for Beginners

When I published my novel Something in the Wine last year, a lot of readers asked for a sequel.

For one thing, unlike my other novels, Something in the Wine doesn’t include a love scene. I didn’t feel that Annie and Drew were at a point in their relationship where they would make love, so I ended the book before that milestone in their relationship happened. Some readers seemed disappointed, but others thanked me for not making Annie and Drew jump into bed too fast.

Since I still wanted to give readers a chance to see how the relationship between Annie and Drew progresses, I wrote the mini sequel Seduction for Beginners. The short story has been previously published in the anthology Connected Hearts, and now we’re also making it available as a single short story.

You can buy the short story as a DRM-free e-book at Amazon. It will soon also be available from Smashwords.

I hope you enjoy the story, even if you haven’t read Something in the Wine.

Jae

Filed under: Something in the Wine Tagged: Jae, lesbian fiction, Seduction for Beginners, short story, Something in the WIne

Beyond the Trail is available!

When my novel Backwards to Oregon was first published, I got a lot of feedback mails with readers asking me if I would ever write a sequel. Back then, I said no. Well, I should have listened to the saying “never say never.” Not only did I write a sequel (Hidden Truths, which will be republished by Ylva Publishing some time in the future), but I also wrote a number of short stories about Luke and Nora.

There were so many interesting facets of the characters’ lives that I couldn’t explore in Backwards to Oregon. How and why did Luke start disguising herself as a man? How did Nora come to work in Tess’s brothel? Will Tess find love too, or is she destined to spend her life alone? What happened to the Hamiltons after they reached Oregon? How will growing up with Luke as a “father” affect Amy and Nattie?

I put together an anthology that answers all these questions. Beyond the Trail includes the revised versions of five short stories that have been previously published and one completely new short story, “Swept Away.”

Here’s a description of the stories:

The Blue Hour: When her mother dies, twelve-year-old Lucinda Hamilton decides to start a new life—as a boy.
Grasping at Straws: No one knows that Tess Swenson, madam of a brothel, also owns a livery stable and a number of other businesses. On one of her secret inspections, she makes a surprising discovery.
A Rooster’s Job: The Hamiltons hoped to build a home in the idyllic Willamette Valley with mild winters, but now they’re snowed in and their rooster isn’t doing such a great job either.
The Art of Pretending: Tess finds out that someone is stealing her money. She suspects Frankie, a woman who reminds her of Luke. But nothing is as it seems.
The Christmas Oak: Luke sets out to bring home a Christmas tree—but she finds something else.
Swept Away: The greatest flood in the history of Oregon sweeps away houses, barns, and animals in the Willamette Valley. At the same time, fourteen-year-old Amy is swept away by her feelings for her best friend.

The anthology is available as a DRM-free e-book from Amazon and will soon be available at Smashwords and other online bookstores too. We’ll also release it as a paperback.

I hope you enjoy Beyond the Trail!

Jae

Filed under: Backwards to Oregon Tagged: anthology, Beyond the Trail, historical fiction, Jae, lesbian romance

Backwards to Oregon as a paperback

The revised and expanded edition of Backwards to Oregon is now available as a paperback. I really like the background the designer created for the backcover. If you click on it, you’ll see that it’s actually a map of the Oregon Territory.

If you’d like to order your copy, head over to Amazon. Or even better, go to my publisher’s blog. Ylva Publishing is running a giveaway for many e-books and some paperbacks, also including a signed copy of Backwards to Oregon. If you leave a comment on Ylva’s blog before midnight, you’ll be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Filed under: Backwards to Oregon Tagged: Backwards to Oregon, book giveaway, Jae, lesbian fiction, paperback