P.J. Schnyder's Blog, page 20
June 26, 2011
Guest Post: Lucienne Diver on Love Triangles
Love triangles are hot. Just ask Janet Evanovich or Laurell K. Hamilton or any number of great and bestselling authors out there. I'll admit it, I'm a bit fan. I eat them up with a spoon.
So, did I set out to write a love triangle into Bad Blood? You bet your bippy. Very hot Italian stallion cop with thick dark hair half-falling into his face, tan skin, meltingly intense blue eyes (think Russell Crowe back when we all still loved him) vs. Apollo, Greek god humanized by his loss of worship who had a flirtation with the adult film industry before moving into "legitimate" filmmaking and management—golden hair, Mediterranean blue (aqua) eyes, even deeper tan, sculpted everything (think Daniel Craig coming out of the water in Casino Royale). Whew! Hot flash. Sorry. Please forgive.
I thought I knew when I set out to write the Latter-Day Olympians series who my heroine, Tori, would end up with. I did. But my early favorite…let's just say it's not so clear-cut for me anymore. Just like Tori, I'm drawn to both "men," a much more dangerous proposition in the one case than the other. (Do you remember your Greek mythology and what often happens to those who tarry with gods? Turned into flowers, trees, monsters…corpses.) As a writer, I'm not sure I should know exactly where things are going, because I need to share in my character's angst to express it. And, let's be honest, I like to live a little vicariously, being an old (happily) married lady and all.
That's the best thing about fiction—getting to experience the chills and thrills without suffering the actual slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. (I may have stolen this last bit from Shakespeare.) I prefer to keep my drama firmly in my fiction, but there the bigger the better. Yeah, I know, that's what she said.
Links for Bad Blood, first novel of the Latter-Day Olympians, releasing digitally tomorrow, June 28th!
June 23, 2011
Reader Appreciation Giveaway
I recently learned Red's Wolf sold over 1000 copies in one month. O.O
Blown away. That's pretty much the only way I can describe my reaction.
Less than a year ago, Decadent Publishing released my very first book. Heart's Sentinel is the 1st in the Terra's Guardians series and has since released not only in eBook but also in Print. Red's Wolf was released shortly thereafter as the 2nd book in the series. Both have brought me so far in the last year and I wanted to thank my readers for being so incredibly awesome by doing a fun giveaway and I hope you'll all pop in for a chance to win. 
super stealthy ninja kitty not included...
Without further ado, here's my Thank You Giveaway:
- choice of any one ebook title from my back list: Heart's Sentinel, Red's Wolf or Evie's Gift
- free ecopy of Hunting Kat, to be released July 4th
- signed cover flats for all of my ebook series
- signed Hunting Kat bookmark
- XL Ladies' Tshirt for the Terra's Guardians series
- Demonlover's hot Man Candy Calendar for 2011, signed by Brand Will. 
(for the man candy lovers)
- and an exclusive signed bookmark of Ian Daviau, Fitness Model and Consultant who recently competed in the 2011 Model Universe competition (why hello there!)
To enter is simple, leave a comment on this post by July 1st. Hope you'll enjoy the giveaway!
June 17, 2011
Hunting Kat, coming soon…and in Audio!
Click to Subscribe
My first newsletter shot out across the internetz about a week ago. Subscribers learned first some of the great news I've been celebrating. Trust me when I say my newsletter will be the way to go for sneak peeks, latest news and even exclusive contests. I promise not to spam, but I'm thinking the newsletter will go out twice a year or no more frequent than quarterly, depending on how much news is developing. (It's been a busy year!)
Hunting Kat is coming soon – releasing from Carina Press on July 4th. It's my first title with Carina and I'm extremely excited to be a part of the Carina family. Hunting Kat is also my first published sci-fi romance, with a different flavor and completely different world built as compared to my Terra's Guardians series or the steampunk world of Evie's Gift. The cover speaks for itself, and isn't it a fantastic cover? XD
I'm super excited to say that Audible.com has also chosen Hunting Kat to go to audio book format. This will be my first book to become available as an audio book. I'm looking forward to learning a bit about the process and am curious as to whether the narrator will be contacting me with any questions about the story. Personally, I hope my mom will enjoy Hunting Kat as audio because she used to listen to audio books frequently during her long commutes to work before her retirement. Now that she's retired to Thailand, I think she still likes to listen to audio books as she relaxes in the afternoons with my grandmother. She reads too, but there's something about listening to a story – a different feel and flavor, a different experience.
Hunting Kat has a pretty strong first line and I can't wait to hear someone read it out loud. LOL.
photo courtesy of Jodi Meadows
Chester wants you to read Hunting Kat, then listen to it. He is, after all, an Important supporting character. And really, can you deny the cuteness?
Plus, Chester read my newsletter already and there's another announcement in there. Have you seen it? *happy dance*
June 9, 2011
A Picture is Worth
My little brother's wedding was this week. There's something wonderful about being there to share his and his fiancee's special day. Plus, we were tucked away in the Colorado mountains and the writer in me can't ever pass up such scope for the imagination.
I recently retweeted some great advice from @IanWrites and @Dannigrrl5:
"Dear #writers, carry a camera with you at all times, we see the world differently, start capturing it."
Great advice.
I always have a camera with me. Photography is a hobby of mine and my main camera is a Nikon D80. It's a nice camera balancing cost with quality for a beginner hobbyist like me.
But you don't have to have a big digital SLR to capture what you see when you're out and about. I carry a tiny little Nikon Coolpix for the quick snapshot when I want to travel light. Cons, amusement parks, whatever…sometimes a big camera isn't convenient but you want to remember the fun of the day.
Other times, you might not even expect to SEE anything. Maybe you're just on your every day commute and a random scene unfolds in front of you. Happens to writers all the time and you never know what will inspire you. A lot of cell phones have a camera phone and I've been known to whip out my Blackberry and capture that moment.
For example, I was on the way to the grocery store to pick up a few things with the PJ Mommy when this elk just walked on by. Not kidding. Laying down, this fellow was taller than me.
I pulled over, hopped out of the car, and very carefully stalked him for a picture. The grand boy let me get within a dozen paces of him and the PJ Mommy had a few more grey hairs watching me do it.
The important thing here is it can be incredibly helpful to preserve the visual inspiration when a story idea comes to you. It could be a building, a quiet shady spot in the middle of a bustling city, an interesting life moment of an absolute stranger.
For those of us with a whole lot of life going on, it could be a chunk of time before we can sit down and give words to the inspiration and a photo can help preserve the idea that otherwise might have faded with time. There's also the saying: Pics or it didn't happen. 
June 3, 2011
Revision Blitz
I've been delighted to receive questions about my Terra's Guardian series over at Decadent Publishing. The most frequently asked question is my favorite:
When is the next book going to be available?
Wow. I'm so thankful to the readers who have enjoyed my books and are looking forward to the next. Awesome to know people want to read the next installment in your series. Pressure too – will they like where I take the world and the characters?
The manuscript for the next book in the series, Full Disclosure, was drafted a while ago. Here's my confession. When I opened it up to do revisions, it wasn't good enough. I literally went through and trashed half the manuscript.
What now?
I'm revisiting the major plot points and taking a closer look at the secondary story arcs. It means a lot to me to make each book in the Terra's Guardians series even better than the last. Rewriting the manuscript for better quality is taking a little more time than I'd like but I think it will be worth it. I hope my readers will think so too.
I'm working on it!
May 26, 2011
Working hard and playing hard at SPWF 2011
Arriving at the Steampunk Worlds Fair was an interesting adventure. For the first time, I attended a con as an official guest – a literary guest. I had a nifty packet to pick up and a badge with a pretty ribbon identifying me as a guest/performer.
Okay for those who know me in the day job, I've picked up a badge with a speaker's ribbon numerous times. But the day job conferences are completely different from something like the Steampunk Worlds Fair. For one thing, the day job conference normal state of dress is business suits and stiff white collars. Not so with SPWF, oh no. Fabulous steampunk fashion overflowed from the hotel and out into the parking lot.
photo nabbed from Lia Habel
My panel kicked off first thing in the morning on Saturday, a 10:00am discussion on Mixing Genres in Steampunk Literature with several other authors: Stella Price, OM Grey, Clay and Susan Griffith, and CJ Henderson. Clay Griffith stepped up to the plate to moderate and did an excellent job, posing questions and handling answers with relaxed expertise. Every author had a chance to speak and at no time did I feel overwhelmed or intimidated. Instead, we all were at ease and jovial, cracking a few jokes and engaging the audience. I felt lucky to have the chance to be me, on a panel, meeting authors and readers.
Hopefully, I was as pleasant to be on a panel with as I found my fellow authors to be. ( )
The rest of the day passed in a blur. My favorite workshop turned out to be the Ladies' Bartitsu taught by Mark P. Donnelly, allowing me an introduction to Victorian Ladies' self-defense techniques including the use of parasol and taking the restrictions of corset or dress into consideration.
photo nabbed from KB
In no time at all, and a change of costume later, it was time for our book signing. Due to some unfortunate challenges in terms of convention space, we had some confusion regarding set up. Fortunately, all of us were willing to lift and carry, rearrange furniture and generally stay cheerful. I had Heart's Sentinel by my side to sign and various promo for Evie's Gift as well as the soon to be released Hunting Kat.
Shortly thereafter, Leanna Renee Hieber gave a reading. I've had the pleasure of doing a reading with her in the past and still love to listen to the way she makes her story come alive when she reads.
Professional responsibilities completed, we partied into the wee hours. Work hard, play hard, my friends, and that we did. Prof Donnelly started it with a glass of port and after drinking enough rum later in the evening to make me consider putting together a pirate outfit, AL Davroe and I closed out the evening with more port. Thank goodness Stella was there to laugh at my tipsy self. 
May 20, 2011
Play "Find the PJ": Steampunk Worlds Fair
~ photo by PJ Schnyder
I'm a literary guest at the Steampunk Worlds Fair this weekend in Somerset, NJ. 
This will be my first con as an official guest, featured on the website and officially on the program. I'll be speaking on a panel, doing a book signing, and involved in random mayhem throughout the weekend. Authors Stella Price, Leanna Renee Hieber and A.I. Davroe will also be in attendance and I imagine we'll cause quite the kerfuffle. There will possibly be a brief appearance by Robert C. Roman too! I've even been contacted by a couple of photographers and asked to pose for some on site photo shoots at the event.
Note: To date, I've only done photoshoots with one photographer, the awesome J.R.Blackwell. Otherwise, I tend to tell photographers they are welcome to play find the PJ at events such as Steampunk Worlds Fair in order to capture me in photos. It's not because I don't want to, but I'm not a professional model and I am focusing on my writing career. This is my compromise.
My official schedule:
Sat: 10:00am Mixing Genres in Steampunk Literature
Sat: 4:30pm Authors of SPWF 2011 Book Signing
In addition to my official activities, I'll be doing my best to attend all three of the Bartitsu workshops this weekend. As a mixed martial artist, I am insanely curious and eager to get an introduction.
Hope to see you there!
May 15, 2011
What to do when your wolf brings you a rabbit…
Red's Wolf cover art
I've got a funny little guest post over at the Para-Posse:
http://paraposse.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-to-do-when-your-wolf-brings-you.html
What WOULD you do if your wolf brought you a rabbit?
May 12, 2011
Visit the Library Eternal
Come, visit me in the Library Eternal. I'll be posting there about twice a month, sharing my love of all things steampunk, Victorian and otherwise fantastic.
Today, I'm sharing the inspiration behind one of my characters from Evie's Gift.
May 10, 2011
Winner Announcements
I wanted to take a moment to give congrats to the following winners of some of my recent giveaways!
June Manning is the winner of my giveaway over at Jojo's Book Corner and won an ecopy of Heart's Sentinel or Red's Wolf. Winner's choice!
Judy Cox is the winner of my Spring Blog Carnival giveaway and won ecopies of both Heart's Sentinel and Red's Wolf, as well as a sneak peek at a draft excerpt from Full Disclosure.
Leanne is the winner of my bonus giveaway for subscribing to my newsletter and won an ecopy of Evie's Gift.
Thank you to everyone for entering the giveaways and I hope the winners enjoy their prizes!
