Pembroke Sinclair's Blog, page 24

The Whole Collection

A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of the bat my mom knitted me on social media, and it got a lot of attention. I then posted a pic of the Baby Groot she made, and that went over pretty well too.
I thought I would share with you all of the creatures my mom has made me and my family over the years. They mean a lot to me, and I love that my mom makes them. Enjoy!


The sweet, sweet bat she made me. I was trying to figure out what to name it, and I decided on Ratu.
Adorable Baby Groot.
This is Lucinda the dragon. She sits on my bookshelf.

This is Pembroke the hedgehog. I've had him for a loooooong time. I've always wanted a pet hedgehog, but I don't really want/need another thing in my house to take care of or clean up after, so this was my mom's solutions to owning a pet. It works out well.

As many of you are aware, I'm a zombie fan, so my mom knitted me a zombie. This guy travels with me when I do my presentations. As you can see, he comes apart. He's part of a larger set where you can mix and match body parts with other zombies.
After I got my zombie, the boys wanted zombies of their own, but they wanted kitty zombies, so this is what my mom made.
I look forward to getting other creatures from my mom. They are so fun. Which one is your favorite?

Comfy Cozy Reading Weather Giveaway Hop

It's that time of year again when the weather gets questionable and the best thing to do is to curl up next to the fire with a good book.
If you're like me, that means a good story about the apocalypse. For this hop, I'm giving away a signed print version of Wucaii (open to U.S. shipping only). To be entered into the drawing, leave a comment telling me what you're looking forward to the most in 2017--and don't forget to leave me a way to contact you! The winner will be announced on the 16th. 

It has been 500 years since Aelana has been home, and a lot has changed in that time--including her. As a half-dragon, half-human hybrid, she has been traveling the universe destroying worlds. Both anxious and excited to return, she wonders what she will find. Her memories of home are filled with pain and loss, especially for her first and only love. She knows he won't be there, but will his memory? Will her anguish remain? What waits for Aelana on her home world? 
Find out in this exciting urban fantasy novel by Pembroke Sinclair.
Thanks for participating in the blog hop! Don't forget to check out the other blogs!

New Year, New Reads 99 cent Book Sale

Who’s looking for some great reads for 2017? Well, look no further than some 99-cent reads from a multitude of authors. I have a few discounted books, so check them out! If you received a new reader for Christmas, this is the perfect chance to fill it up!

Amazon is a bit particular about running discounts, so both Wucaii and The Appeal of Evil are available for 99 cents in the U.S., but Life After the Undead and Dealing with Devils are available for 99 cents in the U.K.


It has been 500 years since Aelana has been home, and a lot has changed in that time--including her. As a half-dragon, half-human hybrid, she has been traveling the universe destroying worlds. Both anxious and excited to return, she wonders what she will find. Her memories of home are filled with pain and loss, especially for her first and only love. She knows he won't be there, but will his memory? Will her anguish remain? 
What waits for Aelana on her home world? Find out in this exciting urban fantasy novel by Pembroke Sinclair.

Katie wants to invest her heart and soul in love, but she may lose both to Hell. 
Katie, a senior in high school, is torn between loving the "good" guy, her childhood friend Wes who makes promises he doesn't keep and abandons her when she needs him the most, and the "bad" guy, the new kid at school Josh who is also a real demon from Hell. Katie wants someone who pays attention to her and puts her first, but what is she willing to give up to find him? 
Find out in book one of this thrilling young adult paranormal romance by Pembroke Sinclair.

Dating a demon has its advantages, like helping deliver souls to Hell. Wait...what?
Katie's world has been turned upside down. She's fallen for Josh--despite the fact that he's a demon from Hell. Wes is finally out of her system and her life. Convinced she can change Josh, she sets out to make him a better person, only to find out things aren't as simple as she'd originally thought. For one thing, Josh has Katie help him deliver souls to Hell, and she kind of likes it. And to top it off, other more powerful demons are battling for her soul, and revelations from the past could change the course of her life forever. 
This is book two of the thrilling young adult paranormal romance by Pembroke Sinclair.

Seventeen-year-old Krista must quickly figure out how she's going to survive in the zombie-destroyed world. 
The one advantage humans have is that the zombies hate humid environments, so they're migrating west to escape its deteriorating effects. The survivors plan to construct a wall at North Platte to keep the undead out, and Krista has come to Nebraska to start a new life. 
Zombies aren’t the only creatures she has to be cautious of—the other survivors have a dark side. Krista must fight not only to live but also to defend everything she holds dear—her country, her freedom, and ultimately, those she loves. 
Join Krista in her quest to survive in this thrilling apocalyptic novel by Pembroke Sinclair.

Check out these other authors for more great books!

1. Patricia Lynne  7. Francis Mandewah  13. Neal Roberts  2. Tui Snider  8. Rochelle Campbell  14. Paige Warren  3. Christine Rains  9. Jemima Pett  15. Kenna McKay  4. Tyrean A Martinson  10. Mary Pax  16. Pembroke Sinclair  5. A.A. Chamberlynn  11. Diane Burton  17. Kandi J Wyatt  6. Connie B. Dowell  12. Jessica Coulter Smith  18. tara tyler  

To Give Free Books or Not to Give?

A while ago, I read a post from another author about free books. In it, this particular author was upset by the fact that they had sent out free books in the hopes of getting reviews but hadn’t yet received any. They were indignant that after making their book available, the reader couldn’t uphold their end of the bargain. The author vowed that they were never going to give away free books again.

I sympathized with the author. I had been there myself. To get our work out into the world so people can see it, we have to have reviews. But there are a lot of us unknown indie authors, so we have to solicit reviewers or pay review sites to read our books. It’s time consuming, frustrating, and it can get expensive. And that’s not even mentioning the fraudulent sites out there who just want to steal our money.

I also understood the amount of time and effort this author put into their work and the need to be recognized and paid for their creation. The vast majority of us authors have dreams of becoming the next Stephen King or J.K. Rowling. We have thoughts of being able to quit our day jobs and focus solely on writing. We fantasize about what the movie version of our book will look like. I know I do. However, those dreams come crashing down on us when we barely make enough from our book sales to buy a cup of coffee.

The debate on whether or not an author should give away free books is ongoing. As you can imagine, there are those who believe in free books for all, while others think it cheapens the field. Honestly, I understand both sides of the argument. Personally, I am more than happy to give my books away for free. Well, not always, but every once in a while. Although, it took me a while to reach this conclusion. Like the author at the beginning of this post, there was a time when I was never going to send out free books ever again!

Let me explain. Like the author at the beginning of this post, I would send my books out to readers or reviewers for free in exchange for a review, only to have them not post any reviews. Without said reviews, no one could find my books, so I wasn’t making any sales. No sales meant no money, and I blamed it on the fact that readers just wanted a free book.

However, as time went on and I got more books under my belt, I saw the value in giving books away—but it took me re-evaluating what success meant to me. I came to the conclusion a while ago that I will never be able to retire on my book earnings. And you know what? That’s okay. Just because I’m not going to be a millionaire doesn’t mean I’m going to stop writing. I write because I like to write. I really enjoy telling stories. And I really like when people read those stories.

And there’s nothing wrong with readers wanting free books. I’m a reader in addition to being an author, and I like free books.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy making royalties off the sales of my books, no matter how small they may be. It lets me know that my work has value and that people are willing to pay for it. I will continue to sell my books, with an occasional free giveaway. My point is that once in a while, it’s nice to treat people to a free book because it gets my work into the hands of readers who may not have thought about picking it up.

Do I expect a review out of it? Absolutely not. I’m terrible about leaving reviews for books—even ones I really enjoy. However, I’m really good at telling my friends and family about books that I enjoyed, and word of mouth is just as good at getting others to read as a review is—maybe even better. My hope is that readers do the same for my books.

When it comes down to it, it’s the author’s choice about whether they want to give their books away for free. Again, I totally understand why some don’t want to, and I don’t fault or blame them for making that decision. For me, though, I like to introduce new readers (heck, even old readers!) to my stories, and I think giving them a copy is the best way to do that.

December is in Full Swing

It’s here, friends. We can’t get out of it now. December is upon us, and with that, Christmas is right around the corner. This is a great time to curl up with some cocoa, a blanket, and watch some holiday movies.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you’re not going to settle for any holiday film. Oh, no. It has to be special. It has to be horror.

But don’t fret! There are tons of Christmas horror movies out there to keep you satisfied. Here’s a few.

A Christmas Horror Story

Krampus

Gremlins

Black Christmas - the original is linked, but the remake isn’t terrible.

Rare Exports (I still haven’t seen this one yet, but it’s on the top of my list!)

Jack Frost

And sooooo many more. Have you seen any of these? Which are your favorites? Do you have any Christmas horror movie recommendations?

Looking at the Bright Side

Friends, I’m going to be honest, this past month as been a real challenge. I’ve been trying to rediscover my confidence and keep the depression from debilitating me. I’ve sent out so many resumes, I feel like I’m holding my own ticker tape parade.

The job application process reminds me a lot of the publishing process. Three-fourths of the time, I don’t get any response from the places I email. If I’m lucky, I’ll get an automated message that says they’ve received my information, but that’s usually all.

One place I applied to sent me an incredibly passive-aggressive email. I had been on the fence about whether or not I was actually going to apply. I found the posting on a job board site, and it raised several questions in my mind. I went to the company website to find the answers, but they weren’t there. I decided that I would shoot an email to their address. All I wanted to know was if they had a minimum/maximum amount of work they expected to be done every week, how I would get paid, how I would choose my assignments, and a question about a stipulation they had in their contract (which was mentioned in the job posting).

What I got back was mind boggling.

The person basically commented that if I had sent in my resume, and if it had looked promising, they would have sent me a document that answered all my questions. They then said that they didn’t understand what I was asking with my minimum and maximum question, so they weren’t even going to bother trying to answer it.

The tone of the email irritated me, and if they were just going to say things like that, why would they waste time emailing me at all? I emailed back, apologized for forgetting to include my resume, and included it then. I’m fully aware it was a moot point, but still. As you can imagine, I’ve heard nothing back. But at this point, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

For another company I applied to, I made it to the second round, and they sent me an email with information about the next steps I needed to take. In those steps, it mentioned that I had to pay $50 for a background check. Now, I knew a background check was involved, it said so in the job post, but I was confused as to why I had to pay for it. The company is reputable, I Googled them and did my due diligence, so I figured I would send an email and ask.

A week later, I received an email asking if I was still interested in the position because they had not received a response from me. This one came from a person (I assumed because it had a name in the Sent From line, as opposed to a generic HR email), so I responded and re-asked my question. A week later, I received a response that my account had been deactivated because of lack of activity.

This whole process has been so frustrating. I’m fully aware that we are in December and that Christmas is right around the corner, so I’m sure most companies don’t want to hire anyone right now. They want to be able to spend time with their families, but if they can get everything in place, they can start looking at new hires after the New Year.

I know I need to be patient, and I’m doing my best. One of the things that is helping me keep my head above water is thinking about all the good things that are happening right now.

One of those is being able to spend time with my boys. They have asked me several times to join them for lunch at school, and I’ve had the time to go. I know that won’t last for long, so I’m taking advantage of the opportunity while I can.

I get to be totally immersed and involved with their sports. My mind isn’t wandering to how much work I have to do when I get home. I just get to be with them. Which also means I have time to veg out and watch TV with them at night.

I’ve had time to write. This has been instrumental in helping me feel better. When I get super frustrated, I get to maim, kill, and devour people in my story. It really aids in reducing stress. I’m on Chapter 8 of the second book in my new young adult zombie novel, and I’m really enjoying where the story is going. It feels so good to be creative.

I’ve been in contact with the publisher about the cover for Humanity’s Hope. I’m not exactly sure what I want, but working together, I think we’re going to come up with something amazing. I can’t wait to see what it is.

I’m this close to having the biography done. After inputting a few more edits and getting another proof of the book, that baby will be done. It feels great to know that it will soon be out in the world.

Yes, times have been tough lately and I’m in a dark place, but there are shards of light trying to break in. I’m doing my best to let that light in and focus on the good things.

Anxiety and Horror Movies

I live with anxiety. In a nutshell, what that means is that randomly my brain decides I need to get anxious about something. It can be the most mundane thing in the world (for example, I’ve had panic attacks while standing in line at Walmart to pay for my groceries), but my brain turns it into a crisis. There are varying degrees of anxiousness, from an electric feeling to nervousness to full-blown panic. And I have no control over when these feelings hit.

Here are some examples of my anxiety:

My family and I used to live in a house on a fairly busy street. The boys’ bedrooms were at the front of the house, and every winter I had visions of someone losing control on the icy streets and slamming into the front of the house while my boys slept.

My friend and I had the opportunity to go to the AWP conference a few years ago when it was in Seattle. We were sharing a hotel room, and it was on the 27th floor. When we entered, my friend went to look out the window, and I told her to get away from it. I had visions of the glass falling out and her being sucked to her death. (For some reason, in my anxiety-induced fantasy, there was a pressure difference between the hotel room and outside.)

I never go into any building without knowing where the exits and bathrooms are—you just never know when you’re going to need one or the other.

I also have anxiety dreams.

One time, I had a dream that my youngest son had been bitten by a zombie. Before he turned, we decided to give him the best day ever—whatever he wanted to do, he could do. When his time was up, I had to take him out into the yard to deal with him. I’m sure you can imagine the anguish I was going through.

When the boys were still babies, I had a dream that I had taken them to Walmart. I set the carrier on the ground next to my car while I loaded the groceries in the back, and my oldest decided he was going to take that moment to run around the parking lot. I chased after him, and while I was trying to catch him, a monster truck pulled into the parking space next to my car and ran over my other son.
These few examples just scratch the surface of what my brain comes up with. Sure, I can tell myself that everything is going to be all right and that it’s only in my brain, but when my body releases the adrenaline and other chemicals, all I can do is ride the wave until they subside.
Anxiety isn’t logical, and I spend a lot of my day having a horror movie play inside my head. It’s stressful to think that I have little control over what my own brain does. So, with all of this happening, why in the world would I want to be a horror author or watch horror movies? You’d think I got enough scary stuff on my own.

The answer to that is actually quite simple: control.

While I can’t control my brain going to the worst-case scenario in most situations, I can control what I watch. I know that a horror movie is supposed to be scary. I know that there are going to be jumps and scary creatures. I know that what I see on the screen is fake.

When it comes to horror, I get to pick what I watch. I’m a huge fan of creature features, slasher films, and zombie flicks, so they’re top on my list. There’s a comfort in knowing that these movies are predictable. Even though they still might cause me to jump, I know it’s coming. I can’t say the same about my anxiety. I have no idea when it’s going to strike.

Horror movies help me deal with my emotions. They don’t stop the anxiety from happening, but if I’m going to be anxious, I at least want to have some control over it. That’s also why I write horror. It gives me a chance to project my unnatural and illogical fears onto the page and have someone overcome the ordeal.

Anxiety is hard to live with. It can be debilitating. It can make me feel out of control—especially of my own mind. But when I get the chance, I like to take that control back and be anxious, panicky, and afraid on my own terms.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For all of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I hope you have a wonderfully amazing day!

Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday, right after Halloween. I love celebrating food. I mean, seriously, what can be better? Aside from spending time with friends and family and reflecting on everything that we’re thankful for.

I know it can be hard to see the bright side when things have been so bleak, and I’m fully aware that the holidays can be a stressful time. But I encourage all of you to take a moment—no matter how brief—and think of one thing that you’re happy for. Maybe it’s just getting out of bed—it doesn’t matter—some days that’s an accomplishment all in itself, and I’m proud of you for taking that step.

After you think of that one thing, try to think of another. Then, go stuff yourself full of turkey and all the other wonderful foods and have a fantastic day!

Life Changes in the Blink of an Eye

For the past few months, I’ve been struggling to find time to do anything besides work. Then, like that, I have nothing but time. I’m not going to go into details, but I’ll say that my position wasn’t a good fit for me, so I no longer have it.

The past week has been challenging for me. I go through the range of emotions on a daily basis—from anger to sadness to hurt to annoyed to worried to acceptance—sometimes in multiple cycles. I’m trying to stay optimistic and look at the bright side, but it’s been difficult to do. I worry about how we’re going to pay the bills. I worry about whether my kids are going to have a good holiday season. I worry if I’ll ever find work again.

One of the things I’ve done to try and cope with the situation is look at it like a rejection. As an author, I’m used to getting rejections. I’m used to people telling me no. While it’s distressing for a while, it usually motivates me to pick myself up and move on. I can mourn the rejection and be upset by it, but it doesn’t define me. It’s not who I am, and it drives me to prove that I can be so much better.

It helps looking at it from this perspective, but my self-confidence and self-worth have been shaken. My pride has been wounded.

It’s only been a week, so maybe I need to take more time to nurse the hurt and lick my wounds. I’m not one to sit around and do nothing, but there’s only so much I can do right now—there’s only so many jobs I can apply for. I’m doing what I can and hoping for the best. If you want to send some good juju my way, I’ll happily take it.

So far, I’ve gotten up every morning and worked out, then showered and got on the computer. I’m trying to keep a schedule so I don’t fall into a funk. I feel like I should take this time to clean parts of my house that never get cleaned, but I’m working up to that.

Since I have so much time on my hands, I’ve been able to get through edits for Humanity’s Hope and get those sent back to the editor. It felt good to do something productive. Perhaps I can use that momentum to make up for the last few months and get some more writing done. Perhaps this is a good time to look into marketing and PR.

Above all else, I need to keep my head up and realize that this doesn’t define me. Rejection of any sort doesn’t define me; it only makes me stronger and more determined. Sure, it’s tough and I might cry every so often, but I can’t give up.

“Everything Happens for a Reason”

I’ve never been a fan of this saying. It always felt so passive to me. Like I was resolving myself to whatever had happened or was going to happen.

But I think I was looking at it wrong.

Unfortunately, things happen in life that we don’t have any control over. We can’t stop the sun from rising and setting, and bad and good things will occur on a daily basis. But we don’t have to watch it happen passively. We have a choice in how we act and react to the situation. In the end, we might not be able to change anything, but we can do what is best for us.

I’m not talking about the election in this post. While I know that will be the focus of the next few days (weeks or perhaps even months), my focus is on a much smaller, more selfish scale. I can’t change what happened with the presidency. The only thing I can do anything about is my own life.

Life is tough. It throws us curve balls and tests our will. It pushes us down over and over and over again. But the true test is whether we get back up. Sometimes, the fight isn’t worth it. We don’t always have to be able to face the challenge. Sometimes we don’t have the energy or the means. And that’s okay. We’re not going to win every battle. The older I get, the more I realize that it’s important to pick my battles and do what I can to make a difference in my life.

I try to be the best person I can be and instill those values in my kids. I try to make my small part of the world what I want it to be. Right now, my goal is to be happy. It’s been a long road full of bumps and detours and the world crashing down on me, but now I have an opportunity to change. I think this is where the above saying comes into play. I think this is my sign to be spurred into action. It’s my chance to find something better and rediscover what it means for me to be happy. Will it be easy? No. Will there be challenges and worries and stress along the way? Of course. But I’m going to do what I can.



On a lighter note, I’ve been working on edits to Humanity’s Hope. The other day, I was at the point with corrections where I was like, “This isn’t half bad. Maybe I’m not a terrible writer!” It’s helps to have an amazing editor make suggestions on how the book can be better.

I don’t know when the book will be out—more than likely it won’t be before the end of the year—but I’m getting that much closer. I’m working toward the end. It’s a great feeling, and it helps me feel accomplished.