P.J. Schnyder's Blog, page 3

PJ Pays It Forward at RT Booklover’s Convention

I attended my first RT Booklover’s Convention in Columbus OH 2010. Author and good friend, Dana Marie Bell, encouraged me to attend as an Aspiring Author to meet people in the industry and to pitch to agents or editors. As a n00b, the convention was incredibly intimidating and yet the people were so fun and so welcoming – I couldn’t help but have a great time.

Kelley Armstrong took time out of her busy con schedule to sit down with me and a couple of other aspiring authors. She let us each practice our pitches and gave us solid advice on how to pitch to agents or editors plus how we could improve our specific pitches. Most importantly, she gave us the chance to work through our nerves and hopefully go into our pitch sessions with a little more confidence.

PJ Schnyder

I’d like to pay it forward.

If you’re an aspiring author, planning to pitch at #RT14 in New Orleans, I’d be happy to sit down and listen to your pitch. I can give a few suggestions to tighten up your pitch if you’d like or I can just be a sounding board as you practice. Whatever you need.

I’ll be in the lobby of the convention hotel on Thursday morning from 7:30am to 9:00am having breakfast and ready to help out as many aspiring authors as I can. Just play Find the PJ or ping me on Twitter (@pjschnyder) to let me know you’re looking for me.

Pitch practice with PJ. It could be fun and I’d love to be of help.

 

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My current schedule for #RT14 (times or rooms subject to change):

Intergalactic Bar & Grille

Get ready for extraterrestrial fun and adventure! Compete in intergalactic games to win prizes for you and your starship team! Shoot hostiles to defend your team, meet friendly aliens and help them find their way home, touch the hearts of handsome heroes. Win free books and high-tech swag. Party with Captain Linnea Sinclair and her stellar-class starship crew in this all-new launch of the annual Intergalactic Bar & Grille. Goody bags for all and a special $200 grand-prize gift certificate to put toward the latest and greatest in ereader tech!

Event Date:

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 - 3:45pm to 4:45pm

Host(s):

Catherine Asaro Jenna Bennett Cathy Clamp (aka Cat Adams) Maria Hammarblad Stacey Kade Lydia Kang Isabo Kelly Melissa Landers (aka Macy Beckett) Janet Miller (aka Cricket Starr) Cindy Spencer Pape Katee Robert Vijaya Schartz PJ Schnyder Linnea Sinclair Sarah Zettel

Location:

3rd Floor

Room:

Salon D – (Mardi Gras Ballroom)

FANTASY: Breathing New Life Into It

You can’t blame a homogenous cast on using history or old rules as a model. The real world has always been wonderfully diverse. Fantasy worlds should be as well! Don’t stifle your creativity by sticking to old rules! Today you can have diversity of themes, characters, and stories that you might not find in old-style fantasy. Come listen to how these authors have done just that.

Event Date:

Thursday, May 15, 2014 - 10:00am to 11:00am

Moderator:

PJ Schnyder

Panelist(s):

Kristen Callihan Mary Robinette Kowal Mur Lafferty Sarah J. Maas Tamora Pierce

Location:

2nd Floor

Room:

Studio 4 – (Preservation Hall)

SCI-FI: It’s Not Easy Being Green: Writing Non-Human Characters

From fuzzies to ‘droids to the genetically-manipulated, from telepathic felines to sentient starships, science fiction is populated with decidedly NON-human characters. But how strange can we make these characters, and how much like us do they need to be? Top authors in SF reveal how to create the unbelievable and make them believable.

Event Date:

Thursday, May 15, 2014 - 11:15am to 12:15pm

Moderator:

Linnea Sinclair

Panelist(s):

Stacey Kade Lydia Kang Isabo Kelly Melissa Landers (aka Macy Beckett) PJ Schnyder Vijaya Schartz

Location:

2nd Floor

Room:

Studio 4 – (Preservation Hall)

Clockwork Carnivale Tea

Ladies and gentlemen, gather your goggles, cinch your corsets and join us for an afternoon of revelry and delight at Clockwork Carnivale. Enjoy tea and sweets while steampunk authors entertain you with mayhem, giveaways, a steampunk costume contest and more. There will be swag bags for the first 100.

Event Date:

Thursday, May 15, 2014 - 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Host(s):

Leigh Bardugo Robin Bridges Meljean Brook Karina Cooper Christine D’Abo Delilah S. Dawson Seleste deLaney (aka Julie Particka) Delphine Dryden Colleen Gleason (aka Joss Ware) Suzanne Lazear Cindy Spencer Pape Diana Peterfreund Deborah Schneider PJ Schnyder Jessica Spotswood

Location:

2nd Floor

Room:

Gallery 5

Author Tools: Day One

Big thanks to Angela James (@angelajames) for tweeting about some of the top apps for iPad, iPhone and Mac being available for free for a limited time–a while ago. Without the heads up, I never would have tried Day One.

For any writing research trip, it’s important to take note of particular details. There are times when I stop in my tracks and just stare because something about the time, the place, the way the light hits a particular object, inspires plot bunnies. But then I’m left with an image… and my notes on what that image inspired might be disjointed or I might not get the chance to put them together until much later.

Enter the use of Day One (http://dayoneapp.com), an app I have on my iPad now, intended as a simple journal platform. I use it to document my research trips. Handy for tax records in case of audits, possibly, but I’m not an expert in that. What I found useful was the journal like interface and the way it made it easy for me to sort of talk to myself about what ideas I had when I saw what I’d captured in the photograph.

My first test run of Day One was last summer on a research trip in London. I was scouting locations for my London Undead series, verifying certain details for Sing for the Dead and choosing new places for Survive to Dawn. For me, it’s not just about seeing something. It’s about the sounds in the area, the smells, and what would it be like in the circumstances of my story.

I’ve been using it ever since and working on a new series having to do with objects of myth and magic. It is a Super Sekrit Project.

Tweetables:

.@PJSchnyder shares her thoughts on using Day One as an author tool. http://pjschnyder.com/blog/2014/04/07...

Do you keep research notes when you travel? @PJSchnyder shares her tips on using Day One as an author http://pjschnyder.com/blog/2014/04/07...

Over the Rainbow Bridge

Rest in Peace, Kaiser

Sometimes a pet comes into your life. One you need every bit as much as they need you.

Kaiser was more than a pet and companion. He was a partner.

He stood guard in my darkest hours, offered reassurance and kept me safe. And he coaxed me out into the daylight when I would have hidden away and given up.

He’d mug grown men for their beer, but a small child waving a cupcake under his nose was safe from him.

 

And he was my forever friend. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think of him. And when I say I did everything I could for him, I did that and possibly more than some think I should have.

Between me and Kaiser now, there is only the Rainbow Bridge. He’s gone.

May there be lots of wrapping paper.

What’s the Impression?

As con season is kicking off for many, I see a lot of status updates and tweets about packing. Lists are being made, costumes are being ordered and assembled. Accessories are being discussed and omg, the SHOES.

Depending on the convention or the conference, dress code is different. Even in a single convention dress code changes from day to evening. And a surprise to me is the amount of defensiveness I see about what people are choosing to pack.

Writing is my business so what I wear to work is jeans and a t-shirt (or shorts and a t-shirt or pajamas).

Personally, I tend to view business casual as a level of professional wear a step above this. Slacks or skirts, nice collared shirts or blouses. You could walk into a corporate high-rise and blend fairly easily with the people on the main floors. If the definition of business casual changed depending on your job, I think fewer restaurants and formal events would use it as a description of dress code.

 People are going to judge me on the quality of my work (or writing) so my appearance doesn’t matter.

It’s my understanding that readers go to conventions to meet the authors. And humans are visual creatures. The old rule of thumb used to be that an impression is made within the first 7 seconds of visual contact (or thereabouts – I might be wrong on the number of seconds). In today’s super fast information world, an impression is made or lost within maybe 2 seconds. And it’s not just positive or negative impression, it’s memorable or forgettable in the way people skim through a Twitter feed and pick what tweets to pay attention to.

If you’re going there to meet and network, why would you want to blend in? Why would you want to make it hard for shy readers to spot you? Or why would you want agents, editors, and fellow authors to look at you and either file you in the impressed category or the So Not Impressed category? What if, because you blend in so well with the tourists, people don’t even realize you are there for their con except for the badge you’re wearing?

If I’d worn a suit, I’d never have gotten hired for this job.

This is a fair point. No rule is hard and fast and sometimes it’s not wise to go business casual. At some cons, it’s much more of a fit to wear your corset on the outside of your clothes, hike up your skirts and sport goggles on your head (this goes for either gender :P). It IS wise to be sensitive to the dress code of the convention and not only blend, but stand out in a good way.

Often, it is better to be over dressed and roll up your sleeves than to be under dressed and dismissed from people’s minds.

I can’t afford to buy clothes I’ll only wear to one of these conventions.

Everyone has to decide their own priorities and also their own budget. But I encourage those with specific goals to invest in what will help you achieve that goal.

If you can afford a corset for your costume to attend a steampunk or sci-fi convention, you can afford a business casual outfit to invest in making a professional impression for your authoring career.

Of course, these are my reactions to those defenses and not anything a person needs to follow. But I ask you to consider. If you’re defensive, perhaps it’s because you’re already on the fence about your choices anyway.

Maybe.

Sometimes life…

There’s a whole lot of life going on behind-the-scenes for me. I prefer not to get into details. But it’s important to me to make things happen despite all those unseen challenges.

Writing my stories is the core of what I do here. I put time and energy into extras too, like my blog here and PJ’s airport hijinx on Twitter and my FB author page and also my vlog: PJ at Random. Those are for you, my readers, to enjoy. Mostly to while away the time in between the stories I’m writing. See how there’s still stories at the core of what I do? Yeah.

I’m currently focused on the Triton Experiment series to bring you at least two more novels following Fighting Kat. Novels take a lot more time than short stories or novellas and I’m putting a lot into overarching plot in addition to the arcs contained within the individual novels.

So when writing seems to be slowing down or requires more attention, I need to pull back on some of the extras in order to maintain the core. First thing you might have noticed is me blogging less. Mostly because for each new book release, I do an avalanche of guest blogs. I’m hoping you’ll all enjoy those and not miss the weekly blogs here quite as much. Also, I get the impression you all enjoy the Twitter, FB and PJatR interaction more, so this is the extra that will slip just a bit with hopefully the least impact. I plan to still blog here occasionally but more of a once a month sort of rhythm as opposed to weekly.

All in all, I want to be accessible. I want to have fun things for you all to enjoy between release dates. But I also want to continue to write enjoyable, solid stories for you.And so we’re going to be rearranging some of the things I spend my time on to ensure I keep myself focused. I hope you’ll all stay along with me for the ride.

In the meantime, here’s the latest PJatR in case you haven’t seen it yet. I’m talking about airplane hijinx and whiskey snow shakes. Plus, there’s a special guest message from my deployed boyfriend, Matt (@itsOrD).

Awkward Nostalgia

In researching for my current work in progress, I struggled through several days unsure of how I wanted to begin. Oh I had the premise, even the synopsis written out. But it’s not the same as beginning. The writing wasn’t easy and it didn’t flow. I found myself deleting sentences, rewriting them, then taking the scene in a completely different direction.

Why couldn’t I get this WIP rolling? What was I missing? I refused to even blog, thinking I needed to focus on getting these first chapters written.

And then I took a close look at the situation my characters were facing. My heroine was returning to a place she’d left behind long ago. Hell, I even had her returning with all sorts of sentiments along the lines of “I’d rather die first” and “Over my dead body” with her own special twist. She’s rather determined not to look back. In a lot of ways, so am I. If there’s anything I want to leave behind, it’s all the drama of high school behavior. Truthfully though, even as adults we behave that way and label it “high school” ignoring how many years it’s been since.

Would I ever go back to high school? Nope. No. Uh uh.

I didn’t have a bad high school experience. It was awkward and I made a lot of blunders I’d rather not think about, but it wasn’t the torture a lot of geeks or nerds remember. I didn’t quite fit in and I wasn’t part of the popular crowd. Instead, I managed to go through high school so far under the radar that no one remembered me at my first high school reunion. Not kidding.

I was singularly forgettable.

I doubt I’d ever go to another one of my high school reunions. No one I wish to reconnect with and nothing to prove to a bunch of people who don’t care anyway. But I do need to face those memories and how they make me feel in order to get this novel started. It’s important for my character’s development, digging into her past and making her face it. She was running without admitting it. And if she could have gone to the far reaches of the universe without facing those people from her past again, she would.

Looking back might be heart-warming, but it’s bitter too. Because we built the Castle of Dreams together and then we all walked away.

Celebrating Fighting Kat!

Fighting Kat, the next book in the Triton Experiment series, releases on Monday!

*tosses confetti*

Seriously, I have been wanting this series to continue for a long time now and I am over the moon about this release.

To celebrate, I’m going on a blog tour beginning Monday. Visit each blog for interviews, guest posts, and fun behind-the-scenes tidbits about my writing process and Fighting Kat. Plus, enter to win a Triton Experiment series gift package.

Monday, January 13, 2014
M.J. Schiller, Romance Author {Character Interview}
Kristy Centeno {Author Interview}
 
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Joyfully Reviewed {Author Interview & Review}
The Galaxy Express {Guest Post}
 
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Simply Ali {Guest Post}
Cathie Dunn Writes {Guest Post}
 
Thursday, January 16, 2014
What Readers Want {Guest Post}
 
Friday, January 17, 2014
Finding Fantastical Books {Guest Post}
 
Monday, January 20, 2014
For Whom The Books Toll {Character Interview}
Jessica E. Subject, Author {Guest Post}
 
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Authors’ Cafe {Guest Post}
 
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Paranormal Dimensions {Guest Post & Review}
 
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Team Tynga’s Reviews {Guest Post & Review}
 
Friday, January 24, 2014
Booklover Sue {Author Interview}
 
Monday, January 27, 2014
Sexy Between the Covers – Melissa Keir {Guest Post}
 
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Paranormal Realms {Guest Post}
 
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Amberkatze’s Book Blog {Guest Post}
 
Thursday, January 30, 2014
The Realm of Fantasy and Fiction {Guest Post}
 
Friday, January 31, 2014
Open Book Society {Guest Post & Review}  

What’s Coming in 2014

Taking a bird’s-eye view of the year is fun for me. Looking out into the future toward what you know is going to happen and then at the end of the year, looking back at all the unplanned shenanigans that went on in-addition-to or in-place-of, is always interesting.

So, what’s planned for my 2014?

Fighting Kat releases on January 13. That’s less than 2 weeks away. I’m really looking forward to this continuation of the Triton Experiment series!

Survive to Dawn releases in April. This is the close of the London Undead series. I’ve had a great time writing in this world and hope to come back to it again someday with new projects.

The Ministry Initiative RPG releases by first quarter 2014. It’s been an incredible learning experience working on this steampunk role playing game and I’m looking forward to seeing it out in the world.

That’s a lot of releases packed into the beginning of the year and I am super happy, if a tiny bit overwhelmed.

What’s in the works?

I’ve been invited back to the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences to write (and podcast) a short story for Tales from the Archives Volume 3. Looking forward to returning to the Ministry and the steampunk genre.

Super sekrit project. This, I mention in order to be transparent that I’m working on something. I do not, however, have any idea of whether it will see publication or when if it does. Let’s hope, shall we?

Let’s play Find the PJ

I’m scheduled to attend several cons this year, though I am scaling back on my travel for many reasons. Please check my Events page for the most up to date list of events I’ll be attending.

Romantic Times Book Lover’s Convention in New Orleans, LA
Lori Foster’s Reader & Author Get Together in West Chester, OH (tentative)
Balticon in Maryland (tentative)
Frederick Book Festival in Frederick, MD
Baltimore Book Festival in Baltimore, MD (tentative)
Hallowread in Ellicott City, MD

I’m sure there will be additions and changes as the year advances. Things move forward, we move forward. I hope you’ll join me for the journey.

Learning from Amusement Parks

As a writer, there’s so much I can learn from amusement parks. After all, I will never outgrow the magic of Disney. I’ve ridden the park attractions over and over again. Year after year, I find myself returning eagerly to go through the parks and ride the rides yet again. Why doesn’t it ever get old?

Yesterday, at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, I got in line for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It was a familiar ride, one I’ve ridden several times before over the years. But the new Interactive Queue fascinated me. Playing in Rabbit’s Garden, the touch screen technology of the Hunny Wall, and more…

It’s the same ride, but my experience of it was new and exceedingly enjoyable.

Another go-to ride for me has been the Haunted Mansion. The experience over the years hasn’t gotten old with all the things to see throughout the ride. Not scary, really, but spooky fun. Again, the new Interactive Queue gave me a completely refreshed experience of the ride. Seriously, I need to go back because the line moved too fast for me to play with it all. I was having too much fun running hesitant fingertips over books on the Secret Library. I missed doing more than looking over the Musical Crypt, Sepulcher of the Sea Captain, and the Tomb of the Posthumous Poetess. I also wish I’d gone back to experience the ride–and the new Interactive Queue– at night.

Not too long ago, at least in my perception, the Haunted Mansion ride itself had been refreshed. Certain scenes along the ride had been added and others had been updated. Similarly, the Pirates of the Caribbean (one of my absolute must-rides!) was updated to include cameos by Captain Jack Sparrow and others from the movies. I’m particularly fond of the mermaid’s song.

These rides have been around for decades. And yet, they remain not only popular but repeat-experiences for many.

Writers do something similar with tropes. It’s the same fundamental story, told in a completely new way and presented with twists or spins to make the experience fresh and enjoyable. Readers know the trope, as visitors to theme parks might know the ride, and there’s a level of expectation. How the writer takes them for the ride is what will draw the readers back to read again and again.

Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop 2013!

Wow! The year has gone by in a blur of crazed activity, exciting new book releases, and challenging projects. The holiday season rushed right up and I need to catch my breath, only there’s no time. O.O

I’ve done the Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop again this year, with a fantastic line up of sponsor authors to present a nifty Grand Prize. Plus individual giveaways at various stops on the hop too.

I’m super happy to be in such great company and it reminds me that I’ve made lots of new friends throughout the year as well as had the chance to work with some incredible people.

 

So what do I like to do during the holiday season? Well, lately I’ve had some cravings for my favorite holiday treats like eggnog spiked with a warm hit of brandy. I love holiday inspired cupcakes and fresh baked cookies. And this year, I’ve been tempted by a quite a few slow-cooker recipes for hearty comfort foods. Pinterest, Foodgawker, and TasteSpotting have been my DOOM.

For my readers, I’ve had quite an exciting year. The London Undead series launched in June with Bite Me, which won the NJRW Golden Leaf a few months later. The second book in the series, Sing for the Dead, just released last month. You can also pick these titles up right now, on sale at Audible.com for $2.57!

Plus, I’m very excited to continue the Triton Experiment series with Fighting Kat releasing next month!

So to celebrate, I’m giving away this “Bundle Up” prize package including books by awesome authors plus a special print copy of Heart’s Sentinel (out of print) and a limited print run copy of Bite Me (not available for sale) as well as a Fighting Kat mug & Hunting Kat spiral notebook. Just enter to win following the directions in the Rafflecopter below.

Also, don’t forget to go to the Contests page to enter to win the Grand Prize of the blog hop and visit the other stops on the hop!

a Rafflecopter giveaway