P.J. Schnyder's Blog, page 6

Heart’s Sentinel and Evie’s Gift Limited Release

My very first published paranormal romance, Heart’s Sentinel, is currently “out of print” and not available for purchase.

But! Oh yes, there is a Limited Edition electronic format that will be going out to some very special Backers of the Ministry Initiative Kickstarter as part of their rewards. This kickstarter project ran over the summer and I wanted to contribute something special to the reward levels.

And so, not only was Heart’s Sentinel brought back as a limited edition, but it was given a completely new cover. Some of you might recognize the cover model as Len Gunn, Mr. Romance 2011. I’m very happy with the way this cover turned out and I hope my readers are too.

Heart’s Sentinel is Book 1 of the Terra’s Guardians series and I’ve been asked whether I plan to write more in this series.

My answer: I very much hope so. I have ideas for several more novels and a few novellas too. I have to fulfill my current contracts, though, so the Terra’s Guardians series will be dormant for a bit longer.

In addition to Heart’s Sentinel I also offered my steampunk holiday short, Evie’s Gift. This will be a Limited Edition electronic format as well and also has a brand new cover! This little steampunk adventure was so much fun, I hope my readers will be patient because Evie is definitely coming back in a full length novel. I’m just not sure exactly when.

For now, I hope some of the Backers of the Ministry Initiative Kickstarter will enjoy these limited edition releases, exclusive to those who pledged for very specific rewards. It’s been an honor to be a part of the Ministry Initiative and I’m even more grateful for the adventure of bringing these two titles back for this special purpose.

August Hiatus Ends

I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus this month. I’ll be returning to a somewhat regular posting schedule in September.

I thought I’d end the month with a happy dance, though.

Bite Me, Book 1 of the London Undead series, is a finalist in the NJRW Golden Leaf Contest for the novella category!

I am blown away to be in such fine company as fellow MRW members: Christi Barth and Stephanie Dray. It’s an honor to have become a finalist and I look forward to seeing any one of us bring home the award.

Available at Carina Press NOW

and Amazon.com NOW

and Barnes & Noble NOW

and All Romance eBooks NOW

Also available on Audible.com as audio:NOW

Picking Up Skills

If you follow me on Twitter ( @pjschnyder) you might see me retweet certain things with the very short comment, “Learn!”

It tends to be that simple because I’m trying to preserve as much of the original tweet as possible and it might have been long. It is also concise and exactly the recommendation I seek to give. Always learn. Always be open to learning. And don’t wait to learn, do it now. Be a sponge. Don’t tell the world it’s too hard – take the time you need to absorb even if it’s more of a struggle than it seems to be for other people. And yes, it might earn you the same nickname as mine: Font of Random Information

There are those who set things aside to learn another day, when they’ve reached a point in whatever path they’re traveling. “I’ll learn it then,” they say or, “That’s something I won’t need until I reach that milestone.” Or sometimes they wail, “How was I supposed to know?”

See, my problem with that is once you reach the key time when you need those skills, you’re wasting time on a learning curve struggling to acquire them in a rush. It might get so hectic, panic sets in or for some, I’ve seen despair. If those people are lucky, someone is around with the knowledge or skills to save them. Less lucky and more expensive, there’s always paying someone to do it if they can afford it. Overall though, Murphy’s Law comes into effect and a savior is either not available or not affordable.

I dislike finding myself up a yucky creek without an oar.

I’ve picked up a lot of skill sets in my time and I’m continually looking to improve the ones I have and pick up new ones. Even if I don’t need those skills now, you never know when they’ll come in handy. And so I take classes, pick up reference books, and research on the internet. I attend panels and workshops at conventions because even if I’m presenting there’s other people there I could learn from and expand my knowledge. I’m out there, a sponge, actively absorbing whatever I can when I can and tucking it away for when I might need it.

So please don’t tell me I “just know all the things.” Please don’t tell me, “It just comes easier to you.” And please don’t give me dirty looks when I send you LMGTFY links the third or fourth or fifth time you ask me stuff. Because that’s how I learned and teaching you to fish is feeding you for a lifetime. We are all busy, we are all challenged in our lives, and we are all struggling. I don’t have more time than you. In fact, I have less than most are willing to believe.

It’s not about the time you have, it’s about using it.

Family reactions to my little sister’s pregnancy

PJ Mommy: “Be warn! Breeding dragons in Dragon City is a very serious matter. Lets wait and see what we’ll get from this. Can’t wait until hatching time.”

Lil Bro: “killed a pig in your honor…i took a bite out of its heart too”

PJ Daddy: *huh*

PJ:

“Going to need to work on your defense skills and spacial awareness.  People like to randomly come up and pat your belly.”

^ Lil sis response: “Noooooo!”

…

later, I asked the family:

“Are all our passports up to date? She might actually need us there in person…”

RWA Annual Conference – #RWA13

This will be my first year attending the Romance Writers of America Annual Conference. I’m overwhelmed just looking over the schedule. o.O

This conference is a bit different from the other conventions I’ve attended through the year in that the focus is on education and improvement of my craft as well as professional networking. I’d still love to meet new readers, of course! But to be honest, not as many readers go to this as industry colleagues. I’m looking forward to growing as a writer and having my growth reflect in the quality of my writing.

First time or no, I’m on panel. Woah. o.o

For anyone wanting to play Find the PJ, here are my official scheduled events:

Wednesday



5:30pm – 7:30pm
“Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing


Thursday



8:30am – 9:30am
Spotlight on Carina Press


Friday



4:30pm – 5:30pm
Don’t Just Put Gears on It: Writing and Selling Steampunk (CRAFT)

I also plan to attend quite a few workshops, sessions, and panels as a learner. You may see me popping in and out as I do my best to become familiar with #RWA13 on the fly. I’m absolutely open to meeting new people so please do wave me down and say Hello.

Bite Me Blog Tour Finale

This week, we wrapped up the blog tour celebrating the release of Bite Me, Book 1 of the London Undead series! First up, I was a guest at Simply Ali with:

And on Wednesday, we ended with an epic Twitter Chat with the Joyfully Reviewed bunnies.

Missed it? That’s okay, we captured it via Storify for you and wow, were there some good questions about Bite Me and some sneak peeks into the future books of the London Undead series!

[View the story "Twitter Party with Joyfully Reviewed " on Storify]

Storify: Twitter Party with Joyfully Reviewed

Bite Me Blog Tour Highlights

The blog tour to celebrate the release of Bite Me is in full swing. There’s chances to win a Bite Me themed prize pack  and every one of the spots has different insights into the behind-the-scenes fun of the London Undead series. Some of them are guest posts by me and others are fun Google Giggle Hangouts. If you haven’t stopped by, please pop in and take a look!

That’s What I’m Talking About

The Book Tart

Wicked Little Pixie

Smexybooks

Monica Burns on FB

The blog tour isn’t over yet. Check in at Simply Ali and Joyfully Reviewed next week for two more fun spots!

Sourdough Monkey Bread Stuffed with Cream Cheese Spiked with Bourbon

Yeah, it was one of those kind of weekends. There was a need to celebrate. So I took my sourdough recipe for bread, pondered monkey balls and then decided to kick it up several notches in all sorts of ways.

 

Ingredients

Dough:

2 cups sourdough starter

1 egg

1 teaspoons salt

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar (can substitute honey or agave)

3-4 cups flour (I used 2 cups wheat, 1 cup plus any extra needed all-purpose white)

Filling:

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

Coating:

8 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 Tablespoon rum, bourbon or whiskey

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Make Dough: Combine sourdough starter and egg, melted butter and sugar. Gradually add 3 cups flour and mix until combined plus salt. Add more flour as necessary to form a dough that will clean the sides of the bowl. Amounts will vary depending on altitude and humidity. Continue mixing/kneading in the bowl for a few minutes, until evenly combined and tacky but not sticky. (I use a Kitchenaid mixer with dough hook for this step.)

First Rise: Cover bowl and let rise until doubled or overnight.

Prepare Pans: Generously butter your baking dish(es). Sprinkle with extra brown sugar.

Prepare Coating: Melt butter in a bowl (optional: add bourbon, rum or whiskey). Set aside. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in another small bowl.

Prepare Filling: Cut cream cheese into 1/2 inch cubes. Roll in Sugar/Cinnamon mixture. Set aside. Save the rest of the sugar/cinnamon mixture to roll dough in later.

Assemble:

Divide the dough into pieces roughly the size of ping pong balls, either by pinching pieces off one by one, pressing the dough into a rectangle and cutting it crosswise with a knife or bench scraper, or forming a long rope and snipping pieces off with scissors.

Flatten each piece of dough. Place a cream cheese cube inside. Wrap the dough around cream cheese and pinch the edges to seal pocket.

Roll each pocket into a ball between the palms of your hands, dip it in the spiked butter, roll it in the sugar & spice mixture, and the place them in the prepared pan(s) just barely touching each other or with a little space between them.

*Note: If you like raisins or pecans, you can sprinkle these liberally between layers.

Second Rise: Cover the pans and let rise 4-8 hours, or until doubled in size again.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 350F for 15-20 minutes.

Uncover the risen dough. Bake for 15-50 minutes, depending on the size of your pan.

*Note: Smaller portions/more surface area = less baking time, larger vessel/less surface area = more baking time. Top of loaf will be dark brown and loaf will sound hollow when tapped lightly.

Allow to cool in the pans, on a rack if desired, for 5-10 minutes. Gently cut around the edges of the pan(s) with a knife to loosen from sides and then invert onto a serving plate. Allow to cool another 5-10 minutes.

Countdown to Series Launch: Bite Me release on Monday!

We’re in the final few days to the release of Bite Me, Book 1 of the London Undead series. I can’t begin to express how excited I am! To celebrate, I’ve arranged a series of events. The first is “Behind the Scenes of the London Undead series with PJ Schnyder & Mallory Braus” – a Live Streamed Google+ Hangout in which Mallory and I will answer questions gathered from the readers and fans of my author page on FaceBook and my Street Team. Join us on Google+ Hangouts on Sunday, June 23rd at 9:00 pm Eastern Time. http://bit.ly/LondonUndead

Then, starting on my release day, I’ve got a blog tour kicking off with guest posts, interviews, and shenanigans over the next couple of weeks. Stop by each of the blogs on the scheduled day to find out something new or zany about Bite Me and the London Undead series.

I’m also doing a giveaway for the blog tour: a prize pack of Bite Me themed items including a spiral-bound notebook, signed cover flat, signed bookmark, and 1Gb USB flash drive pre-loaded with an e-copy of Bite Me.

Hope you’ll be able to join in on the fun over the next few weeks. And if you have the chance to read Bite Me, your honest opinions are always appreciated as reviews on sites like Goodreads, Amazon or Barns & Noble.

Milestones: PAN status

Every career is a journey, with milestones along the way to help measure progress and mark the high points when you look back to see how far you’ve come.

When I first started writing, I didn’t set out to write romance. I set out to write stories of sci-fi and urban fantasy.  As I learned my writing craft and took a clear look at the nature of the stories I was writing, I came to understand that the genre I wrote best in was romance. My characters, the focus of my stories, everything about my stories defined them as romance and the sub-genres therein. From there, it was about writing my stories, building my author brand, and learning more about my genre.

Romance is a really big genre.

A few years later, with several published stories under my belt, I can officially say that I’ve been confirmed with the Romance Writers of America’s PAN (Published Author Network) status. This status has the following requirement according the the RWA official site:

 

Any RWA General or Honorary member in good standing who has earned at least: (1) $1,000 in the form of an advance on a single Eligible Novel* or Eligible Novella** (“Option One”); or (2) $1,000 in the form of royalties or a combination of advance plus royalties on a single published Eligible Novel* or Eligible Novella** (“Option Two”); or (3) $5,000 in the form of earnings for a Self-Published novel or novella (“Option Three”) that meets the definition of Romance Fiction shall be eligible for membership in PAN.

Turns out, I qualified back in 2011 but didn’t complete my application until now. I have the Maryland Romance Writers to thank for educating me about PAN and what it took to apply for it and be confirmed.

It’s a pretty nifty milestone.