Jade C. Jamison's Blog, page 31

Flash Forward Friday – Your First Peek at LOCKED AND LOADED

I sent Locked and Loaded off to my beta readers earlier this week.  I’ve received feedback from about half of them and am just waiting for the remainder to give me their thoughts.  Revision based on beta readings is one of the last things I do before submitting the final version to the publishing platforms, meaning it’s one of the last things I do to get it ready for you, my readers.  I want it to be as perfect as possible, the best story it can be, before you get your hands on it, and so that’s why I take this step.

Working with beta feedback can be tricky, because you can’t possibly make every single reader happy.  There’s just no way to do it.  But I have a handful of beta readers who each have their own “specialty” in addition to giving me their overall impression–and it’s that overall impression that I have to weigh heavily before deciding what kinds of changes to make.  If only one of them catches that I typed “to” when I meant “too,” that’s an immediate change I’ll make, but when it has to do with the story, I look for overall feedback.

But enough about that!  Just know that Bullet #6 is less than a month away from being in your hands, hearts, and minds, and Zane and Jennifer are ready for you to read their story!  Oh, yes, one last thing–I plan to set up pre-ordering for all remaining online sites that I can in the coming week, so you’ll be able to pre-order even if you don’t read on a Kindle.

And now, without further ado, is your first teaser from Locked and Loaded, the final book in the Bullet series!

~ ~ ~

“Oh, Zane, this place is amazing. Why haven’t I ever heard of it before?”

“I can tell you exactly why. Three reasons.” She raised her eyebrows as he raised his index finger. “One, it’s almost downtown, and I know you avoid downtown like the plague. If I recall, you said something about rather losing a limb than walk the Sixteenth Street Mall again.”

“I said that?”

“Yeah.”

“Well…maybe that was a little drastic.”

“Yeah, probably.” He lifted the bottle of Dos Equis and then said, “Two, it’s a little hole in the wall. It doesn’t advertise like some of the bigger restaurants—no billboards, no newspaper ads, shit like that.”

Jennifer nodded. “Okay, yeah. And what’s number three?”

Zane leaned over the table and whispered. “It’s kind of a dive.” Jennifer couldn’t help but giggle. “But in a good way.”

She laughed out loud at that. “Yeah, definitely.” She picked up a chip and dipped it in the warm queso next to Zane’s bottle. “The food is amazing so far.”

“Just wait.”

The waiter came by with a pitcher. “More water, señorita?”

“Please.” After the waiter was back on his way, she said to Zane, “I love it. I love the people and I even love that stupid TV in the corner.”

Zane glanced over. “Yeah, well…”

“No, seriously. They don’t have the sound on, but it somehow makes it feel like home in here, you know? Lights and movement, but the sounds are coming from the kitchen and some weird soundtrack.”

Zane breathed through his nose, putting on a look of mock horror and said, “What if it’s our soundtrack?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if this is our movie? A movie about our lives…and that’s the soundtrack?”

“Three things.”

Zane grinned. “What?”

“One…if this is our movie, it’s pretty damn boring. No car chases, no sex scenes, no snappy dialogue—”

“Says who? My dialogue’s plenty snappy.”

“Two, the soundtrack sucks.”

“Well, don’t be telling them that.”

“And…I don’t have a three. I guess just two.”

A smirk covered Zane’s face. “And we can take care of the sex scene later.”

~ ~ ~

Available for pre-order; release date is February 1, 2016.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lWuUIF

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1QleUNe

Throwback Thursday: BLIND (Nicki Sosebee #8)

When I first started the Nicki Sosebee series in 2011, I envisioned the books as sort of a Nancy Drew series for adults—where the main sleuth-like character behaved like an adult…with all the trappings. Nicki was free spirited and lighthearted and naïve—and she was so much fun to write. As I began penning the first book (Got the Life), I began envisioning the series as a whole, figuring out where it would go and what would happen, and even though I had a vague idea of where it would end, I had no idea that it would grow more serious and a little darker as I went. So, after writing the first six books quickly, writing that story as fast as I could because I knew what was going to happen, I took a short hiatus (and wrote MADversary), realizing with Nicki book seven (Innocent Bystander) that I was slowing down and that I had to…because the story was growing large. Really large. Much bigger than I’d initially envisioned. That was good, but it also meant that certain things had to work themselves out in my head, and I suspect that’s because I’m not much of an on-paper plotter. It has to move around in my head and play around in my subconscious before I can work with it on the keyboard.

I wrote Nicki #8, Blind, after spending my summer first writing Everything But (Tangled Web #2) and Then Kiss Me (which was actually a rewrite of a book I’d written years earlier). Blind took me longer to write than I’d initially anticipated because, once more, the story was bigger than I’d planned. I also did a bit of a “collaboration,” chatting with guys in one of my favorite indie bands (one from my town), arranging to have Nicki “interview” them in the book, so that was fun, but it took a bit of time to put together.

Blind was published November 28, 2012, and I wouldn’t publish another Nicki book until March 10, 2014 (Fake). The next books will be released this year as the story has finally solidified in my mind, and Nicki readers are thrilled that the end is finally nigh!

Blurb:

Nicki is angry. Now that she’s seen what the people in power will do to keep their control, she knows she has to play it safe. She’s threatened to topple their thrones and they’re feeling nervous. But she’s also feeling guilty about the murder of a prostitute whom she thinks she was responsible for, so she makes it her mission to help all the women of the night working in Winchester. And she does it the only way she knows how—by reporting what she’s learned. And with Sean behind her, she knows she can do anything she’s set her mind to.

Chapter Six from Blind (November 2012)

Nicki hadn’t been able to get out of T what his contingency plan was, and shortly thereafter he announced that her time was up. He’d told her not to call him again but then wrote down his phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to her anyway…probably hoping she’d give in and ask what his price was after all.

She wasn’t stupid, though. She had a feeling T was just as greedy as any of them and that he had a different supplier in mind, someone who would increase his profit by a large margin…not that one hundred K a year was anything to sneeze at.

She decided to swing by the Winchester Tribune office to talk to her editor, Neal Black. He had an open door policy with his staff. If they needed him, he was typically available. She loved her job there, even though she was just a freelancer who was offered the occasional job. For the most part, she found her own news, and Neal seemed to like that about her. He had taken her under his wing, though, and helped her with whatever she needed. But more than that, he’d helped forge her into a solid newspaper writer, teaching her the tricks of the trade and the demands of the field. Her nose for news, though, was something she’d been born with. Even though she hadn’t followed politics and news much before she’d started working for the Tribune, she was a natural for sniffing out topics that were important to their readers.

When she got there, she walked through the writer pool and noticed how quiet it was. It was Friday, and even though the news never stopped, the full-time reporters were feeling tired about this time. They were finishing up their stories so they could enjoy the weekend. The weekend staff was much like Nicki in that they worked more at home or in the field than at the Tribune building. The regular staff had community contacts they’d call and did much of their work in their cubicles, but that wasn’t to say they did all their work there, especially on Friday when they had leftover shit they had to get done.

That meant she’d have Neal all to herself…or so she’d thought. She noticed he was on the phone, but he waved her in, one of his gestures she was familiar with. She sat in one of the chairs across from his desk and waited for him to get off the phone. What he was discussing didn’t sound news related, but she couldn’t quite get a grasp on what his conversation was about. When he hung up, he said, “If they don’t get this damned heating system fixed, it’s going to be hard getting the paper out.”

That’s when she noticed…it was damned cold in there. That explained why no one had been in the writer pool, even though she thought she’d figured out the reason. She hadn’t come in through the front, so she didn’t know if there were any employees working reception. She couldn’t help but notice, though, that Neal had a jacket on. “What happened?”

“It’s an old building, Nicki. We had some guys working on it yesterday and they said it was fixed. It’s not, though, and I think it’s going to take an act of congress to get them back here before Monday.”

Nicki smiled. “You could write a headline about their shoddy service.”

“Believe me, I’ve considered it.” Neal blew air into his hands. “What can I do for you, kiddo?”

“I just wanted to tell you I’m going to try to interview more prostitutes that were connected with Montgomery’s ring. I re-interviewed one of my contacts from before and he tried to assure me that my article had nothing to do with Miranda Cosby’s death. I don’t believe it, though.”

“But you can’t beat yourself up about it either. I wish I could offer you words that would make you feel better, but time will help more than anything I could say.” Nicki nodded. “I’m glad you’re here, because I have something I need to talk with you about.”

Nicki took a deep breath. She hadn’t expected him to say that. Did he have an assignment for her or maybe a new lead? “What’s that?”

“I wanted to let you know about that guy who tried breaking into your roommate’s apartment earlier in the month.”

Nicki hadn’t known what to expect from him, but it hadn’t been that. It took her a couple of seconds to switch gear. “Oh…you mean that skinny meth guy whose friend got away?”

“Yeah. Well, I think you know they let him out on bail, right?” Nicki nodded. She had tried to get Sean to press charges or to pester the cops into telling him what the guy said, but Sean told her they wouldn’t tell him anything. The police were no friends of Sean, and Nicki knew it. “He was found this morning in one of the parks.”

Nicki knew what that meant. “Dead?”

Neal nodded. “Died of an overdose.”

“Meth?”

“Nope…heroin.”

“Heroin?” Nicki knew she wasn’t any kind of expert when it came to drug use, but the guy had clearly been a tweaker, completely strung out on meth. He’d been skinny as a blade of grass, jumpy and edgy, grinding his teeth, his face full of sores. She remembered that much about him. He was a meth user; of that, she had no doubts in her mind. So to have Neal tell her he had OD’d on heroin…it just didn’t add up. “Seriously?”

He nodded. “Yeah. The tourniquet was still wrapped around his upper arm, an empty syringe still sticking out of his arm.”

Nicki took a deep breath. “That just doesn’t feel right.”

Neal leaned forward. “I didn’t think so either. But we can’t prove anything, at least not yet.”

“What are the police doing about it?”

Neal shook his head. “Not sure. They’ll probably handle it a lot like they did that prostitute you interviewed. The guy’s trash, so good riddance. One less problem off the streets.” He saw the look on Nicki’s face. “I don’t know that you’ll be getting to the bottom of it, kiddo.”

“I know. I know. I just…it just…” She let out a long breath of air. “Doesn’t it feel like murder to you? I mean…the guy didn’t look like a junkie. He was a tweaker, Neal, if I’ve ever seen one.”

“You’re thinking whoever killed the prostitute killed this guy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…how’d you know?”

Neal smiled. “Great minds think alike.”

“It makes sense. I’m convinced they killed Mercedes because she was talking. Well, what about this guy? He and his unknown friend botched getting to me, possibly twice, if they were the same guys who’d been trying to break into my old apartment. And this guy got caught and was probably going to talk. I really don’t know what the fu—I mean what the hell the cops were doing. There was no trial scheduled but he was out on bond…” Neal stared her down. Nicki could tell he was hoping she’d connect the dots, but she couldn’t. “What?”

His voice dropped. “Did you ever think they let him out so he’d get taken out of their misery?”

“You mean…someone made sure he got out so they could ensure he could never talk?”

“Something like that. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Nicki thought about it, but she didn’t like it…not one bit. She had known there were dirty cops on the force, but somehow something like this made them seem more sinister. And she still wasn’t sure how the whole justice system worked. Did they need a judge to okay it? “I guess it does, but…”

“Not very tasteful, I know. Bottom line, Nicki: don’t stop watching your back. I can’t emphasize that enough. We don’t know all the players, and we only have an idea of the forces we’re dealing with. I’ll back you, but I’ll also caution you when I think we should back off.” Neal had done that before, so Nicki wouldn’t be surprised if he did, and now, she realized, it was probably to keep her safe as well as keep the paper’s reputation intact. “‘Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you’.”

Nicki recognized it, even though Neal’s sensibilities had grammatically corrected it. “Ah…Kurt Cobain.”

Neal chuckled. “No. Joseph Heller.” She recognized the name. “Catch-22. I highly recommend it.”

She nodded. “I’ll add it to my to be read list.”

“It’s one of my favorites.” He cleared his throat. “In the meantime, take it to heart. Stay safe. Be careful.”

Nicki nodded. She loved Neal, but she hated how nervous she’d been feeling every time she left his office lately. Still, she supposed, being paranoid was better than being dead. A lot better.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1oooHjz

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1094TLA

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1uwl6Hs

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1EagVTI

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1zoZa2X

 

Food for Thought

Something people ask me about a lot is why I’m vegan or they’ll ask questions about my lifestyle and eating choices. I usually don’t mind, because most people are genuinely interested and just want to know more, because it’s something they’re not familiar with. Other people, though, immediately go on the defense, seeming to think I will begin judging them for their food choices (I don’t), while still others—as either a smart ass or a dick—will proceed to tell me how wrong I am and why (like they are physicians or experts in nutrition). To this day, I find it amazing that people would judge me for something that doesn’t directly affect them.

But lots of friends and acquaintances express a sincere curiosity about it and—if you’re still reading—you might be one of them…so I’ll tell you a little more, but I’ll try to keep it short.

First, a vegan is, yes, a vegetarian, but we’re vegetarians who neither eat nor use any animal products—no meat (that includes fish and poultry), dairy, eggs, honey, or other foods with “hidden” animal products (for instance, a lot of people don’t know that regular white table sugar is often processed through “bone char filters” that use animal bone to refine and “bleach” the sugar). We also don’t wear leather, wool, silk, angora, etc., and we try our best to use products that are vegan. Some of us extend that to products that are cruelty free as well, but that’s a little different and is probably a discussion for another time!

Why I made the choice to go vegan. I have not been vegan or even vegetarian my whole life. In fact, I come from a carnivorous family and upbringing. Not only did my father come from a family that raised animals for food (cows, pigs, and chickens—and, yes, I watched cows get branded and neutered and I helped butcher chickens in my youth), but they were huge on hunting and fishing (yes, I did my share of those too). My family has a deep respect for animals in that regard, and one thing I always admired about my parents was their ethic that you only kill what you plan to eat and then, when you do, you use every part of that animal that you can—none of it must go to waste.

After leaving home as an adult, I toyed with vegetarianism, but only because I worked in restaurants and grew tired of much of the food after a time. Vegetables had never bored me, and I’d been the one kid in our extended family who’d actually loved asparagus, broccoli, and spinach. Other veggies I had to acquire a taste for, but I was the one who’d eat the veggies on her plate first.

Anyway (so much for keeping this short!), I also started smoking after I left home too and, even though I quit off and on, I was a regular smoker for a very long time (I’ll come back to this in a moment). It doesn’t matter all the stupid reasons why I did; just know that I did—a dumb life choice, but I’ve made a few of them. My hubby smoked too and we were generally unhealthy, even though part of why I smoked was to keep from gaining weight. So, quite a while back, my husband did some research and decided to follow the Atkins’ diet. If you’re not familiar with it, just know that when you read it, you might be shocked, because a lot of what the diet proposes is quite counterintuitive to much nutrition advice we’ve been taught growing up, but Atkins’ science seems sound when you read it and glance through all his research. Well, although the kids and I didn’t need to lose weight, I read the book and, unfortunately, didn’t do enough independent research on my own. The proof, though, seemed to be how much weight my husband lost. It was unbelievable, and it happened quickly. I didn’t lose a single pound (I didn’t need to anyway), but I did realize that I felt just plain bad on that diet—sluggish, lethargic, and very unsatisfied eating wise. Needless to say, I didn’t stick with it. One mere cup of vegetables a day was sheer madness to me.

A few years later, we quit smoking. YAY!!! And gained some weight. BOO!!! But my lungs were thrilled, even if my waistline wasn’t. Then my researching hubby wanted to once again find an eating plan that would help him reach his goals, and vegetarianism seemed quite promising. In his research, he came across the PETA website that had a thirty-day vegan challenge. Of course, I agreed to do it, and I enthusiastically bought a vegetarian cookbook and planned a month of menus. The cookbook lacked a lot in terms of taste, but we powered through. I decided near the end of the month that I could never remain a vegan because I loved cheese too much.

At the end of the month, the rest of my family went back to their regular diets, but that was the day I became a full-fledged vegetarian.

For a year and a half, I remained a vegetarian only, and I reaped so many health benefits, I had no desire to go back. I felt so much better. I didn’t lose as much weight as I would have liked, but I did lose some. I felt so good, though. I’d been experiencing acid reflux for about a year before we did the PETA challenge, and that just went away. And my skin feels amazing. Most vague tummy troubles disappeared for good. After a while, I finally gave up dairy and eggs too and felt even better, and I didn’t miss them as much as I’d thought I would. Is my health perfect? Hell, no. Not even close…but had I continued smoking and eating the way I had been, I think I would be in shitty shape today. I will never go back.

I don’t (typically) broadcast my eating choices nowadays, but when I’m asked, I tell. For instance, next week I have a “thing” at the college where I teach off and on, and I made sure to remind them today that I’m vegan…otherwise, it’ll be like a few years ago where the only thing there that I was able to eat was…potato chips. Yeah. Not even a frigging salad. So there are times where I do have to mention it, but I don’t talk much about it anymore, because it always leads to questions. When people are sincere and really want to know, I welcome the questions…but the smart asses kind of deflate the balloon, if you catch my drift, and so it’s just better not to say anything if I can help it.

So what do I eat anyway? This is one of the questions I’m asked the most. I understand why. I grew up eating what I call meat-centric meals where, for the most part, you choose your entrée first (some type of meat dish) and then plan around it. So, if you’re going to have steak tonight, you might choose to have a baked potato, salad, and broccoli to go with. Or if you’re going to have lasagna, you’ll have salad and garlic bread. Beef tacos? Ham and cheese sandwich? Chicken noodle soup? Hamburger Helper? Yes, meat first and then everything else falls into place around it. So I’ll admit…it was hard for me at first. When you eat that way growing up and then cook that way—not just for you but for your family—it’s hard to wrap your mind around a different mindset. At first, I did a lot of substituting…you know, veggie burgers instead of hamburgers, spaghetti without the meatballs, that kind of thing. At some point, though, I switched the way I eat, and I can’t really explain it, but there’s usually a green on my plate (think lettuce), a veggie (that could be anything), a grain (like rice), a legume (maybe black beans), and some fruit, but sometimes my dinner will be something I’m craving, like a veggie pizza or something.

But I used to get the question, “Well, if you don’t eat meat or dairy or eggs, what do you eat?” My smart ass reply would be, “Everything else!” My serious answer, though, is anything that is grown from the ground is fair game, and once you’re able to change your perspective, it’s not as hard to imagine what you can eat or what you want to eat…and, for someone like me who really does love her veggies, that’s an awesome choice.

Okay, sorry. I rambled on for a lot longer than I’d planned. I’m going to try to do one of these blog posts either weekly or monthly. My thought is that my readers don’t want me to necessarily talk about my books all the damn time…you might actually want to know more about me. So…there you go. Anything else you want to know, just ask!

Book Club Questions for Tangled Web

Book clubs—whether online or in person—are amazing, and they are a great way to connect with the book you’ve just read. You can gain a deeper understanding and stronger emotional connection to the themes in the book through discussion, but reading it and then discussing it with other book lovers will often open your eyes to things you’ve missed. Some of my favorite novels I’ve dissected that way, and I love them all the more because I’ve studied them with fellow book lovers.

Sometimes, though, it’s hard to figure out where to begin those talks. Coffee’s great, but it doesn’t always fuel you with ideas! A lot of times, my best group discussions started with a simple question or two. To help you out, I’m going to each week give you a list of Book Club questions for one of my books, so if your group decides to tackle one of my books, the hardest part—the questions—is already done for you!

If you’ve never been in a book club, I recommend the experience at least once, because you get to hear perspectives on a book that you might never have thought yourself. You won’t always agree with your fellow readers, but they will make you think—which is part of why we read anyway!

Without further ado, this week’s book is Tangled Web. Before the questions, here’s the book blurb as a refresher:

Katie Logan has had a secret crush on her best friend Johnny Church since high school, but he’s never looked at her the same way. So when Johnny—now a famous rock-and-roll guitarist—comes home to visit, Katie can’t bring herself to tell him she’s engaged to be married. She should have, though, because she soon discovers that maybe the attraction is mutual…

Oh! One last thing…if you have not read the book, you probably shouldn’t read the questions because some of them will contain spoilers.

Questions

Two themes in the book are infidelity and inevitability. Cheating is always a difficult issue to grapple with, but in Tangled Web, there is the added idea that, perhaps, Johnny and Katie making love is inevitable. Some love stories feel that way, as though the characters belong together, and it is just a matter of time before they realize and accept it. Did it feel as though Johnny and Katie’s slip was meant to happen? What could they have done to avoid it? How could Katie have better handled telling her fiancé Grant?

If Katie had told Johnny about Grant before he kissed her, do you think he would have held himself back? Why didn’t Katie tell Johnny?

A lot of readers dislike the way the story is told, with past and present intermingled. Did you find that distracting or did the history of the characters enrich their present? Would the story have been okay without the history?

Would other characters in the story have hurt or helped it? For example, how would Katie’s mother change the dynamic of the story?

There has been a gap of time in between parts one and two. What kinds of changes do Katie and Johnny undergo in the interim?

Whether or not you agree with what Katie and Johnny did, do their characters seem real and believable?

Does any character in the book remind you of yourself?

If you could change the ending, what would you do differently?

If you could ask Jade one question about this book, what would it be?

~ ~ ~

Friends, if you do use these questions for a book club reading, I’d love to know how it went. If you all came up with other questions, I’d love to hear them! Happy reading!

 

 

Dear Crabby – What’s a Lovesick Girl Supposed to Do?

Dear Crabby is a weekly column featuring the loveable but cantankerous Crabby, full of relationship advice for the lovesick. Let’s read what advice she has today for our poor reader.

Dear Crabby:

I play lead guitar in a girl band, and our album will be releasing very soon—so I definitely need my identity to be kept secret. Anyway, my boyfriend just dumped me, but I’m not heartbroken over it. See, there’s this guy I’ve been pining over. You might call him an “older man,” because he considers himself that way, even though there is crazy sexual chemistry between us. See, I’m seventeen and he’s twenty-one. He acts like that’s such a dealbreaker. I’m not exactly innocent, and I’d like for us to be an official couple, because there’s no denying we like each other. A lot.

The problem is he’s worried about the age gap. I tried to tell him it’s just like a senior dating a freshman. Yeah, there’s a bit of an age difference, but it’s accepted if the couple really likes each other, right? Okay, so it doesn’t happen that often, I know, but I’m not immature. In fact, my parents are letting me, along with the other girls in the band, go on tour to promote our album while we do our school on the road. If my parents trust me to be an adult, why can’t the man of my dreams? He instead tells me he wants to wait until I turn eighteen, and he gives me a variety of reasons why he wants to wait, but they’re all lame.

How do I break down his walls so he dates me now?

-Suffering at Seventeen

 

Dear Suffering:

I don’t understand why you’re in such a hurry to become a slut. Too many girls your age want to grow up way too fast, and why? Do you really want to experience the woes of accidental pregnancy and STDs so soon? What exactly is the thrill of all that?

Your wannabe boyfriend is exactly right. What’s one year of waiting for you to mature? Depending on what’s up with this guy, you might be glad you waited. Instead, though, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that he’s maybe a keeper. There are plenty of pervs out there who would have been more than happy to take you up on your offer of underage (and willing) delights. Be grateful that this young man has chosen to protect your honor (and whatever else might still be intact, although I’m not holding my breath here) and is willing to wait for you. He sounds like this century’s version of a knight in shining armor.

Stick it out with this guy. If he says he will wait for you, you can probably bank on it. There is nothing wrong with maintaining a friendship (no texting nude pictures, young lady) and being patient. More girls should do that and stop being so damned available all the time.

Close your legs and WAIT.

 

Dear Crabby will address reader letters every Monday.

In the meantime, if you want to know how “Suffering at Seventeen” grappled with her intensifying feelings for the twenty-one year old guy she was crushing on, you can find out in On the Run (Vagabonds #1):

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JJp8hV

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1LHyHSr

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Tpdcsy

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Njl35U

iTunes: http://apple.co/1IkDJpP

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1Ry3iqy

 

 

Ringing in the New Year

A lot of folks are skeptical about New Year’s resolutions—and I understand why, although I respect the reason why people make them. The new year signals change, and people embrace it. I’ve studied change, though, and motivation, and I understand why sometimes the simple desire to change isn’t enough. So I don’t make New Year’s resolutions; I make resolutions year round and, if they don’t “take,” I examine why.

But I’m not writing today to talk about self-improvement, although it is a worthy topic. I’m instead writing to talk about something I do engage in at the beginning of every year, and that’s goal setting. I have a number of personal goals I’ve set, but I’ve also set several writing goals, and I thought my readers might want to know what they are. I also realize that I might not make all of my goals, but by setting them, I know I’ll get close, which is more than I do when I don’t set them! So here, not necessarily in order, are my writing goals for 2016:

Publish (and write) twelve books. I’d say it would be to instead “publish one book a month,” but I’ve already blown that. Locked and Loaded (Bullet #6) is set for publication on February 1, so January is already gone (although I do plan to release a box set in January, but that doesn’t count—I’m talking brand-new books). So far, I have two books written and going through the pre-publication process (Locked and Loaded is undergoing revision and will be shipped off to my beta readers no later than tomorrow, for instance, and Lies [Nicki Sosebee #10] is in the settling—pre-revision—stage). A third—Boiling Point, the novella that will kick off the Feverish series—is one-fourth of the way written, and I’ve also written quite a bit of a snarky contemporary women’s novel called Snapped! I’m a writing machine!
Revise all the Nicki Sosebee covers and blurbs. The blurbs to the books aren’t bad, but in spite of her hardcore fans, Nicki has never caught on with my rock star reader audience in a big way, and I’ve wondered if it’s because the blurbs aren’t doing her any favors. So I’ve rewritten the first one enough that I’m quite happy with it and started rewriting the one for the second book. The new covers aren’t going to be too much different from the old ones. When I’d started converting the books into paperback, I was going for a different theme (men on the covers), but I think I want to go back to the old look (except for book #1), so stay tuned.
2015 was a year of learning and growth for me. While Facebook and other social media might have propelled Bullet into bestseller status, it has changed so much in the past three years that it is impossible to connect with one’s audience anymore. Even if one is willing to pay to be seen, it’s a losing proposition. I tried it to a degree and realized it was like throwing a fortune into an endless abyss. Marketing on social media is not worth it—for me at least—and so I have to set my sights elsewhere. This year, I will be pulling away from social media—not entirely—but I cannot waste time on those sites like I used to. They truly are time suckers, and I simply cannot afford to spend time there anymore. It’s hard nowadays connecting with the people I care about using those sites. For example, I have accepted most people who requested my friendship on Facebook, because they’re usually either readers or authors, but today I scroll my timeline and don’t see any of the people I “know” anymore—readers who have become friends included. It’s full of pages and paid ads and people I’m unfamiliar with. I understand that Facebook’s gotta do what Facebook’s gotta do, because they have investors to keep happy, but Jade’s also gotta do what Jade’s gotta do, and that’s pulling out with a few of her soldiers still alive. I’ll still maintain a “presence,” but I’m not going to be shouting into the empty wasteland anymore either. What I mean by that is that when you have over 9000 followers and only 90 of them “see” a post but don’t like it or respond…try doing that 100 times, and you’ll realize that there are better (and emotionally healthier) ways to use your time.

So I intend now to spend more time here, on my blog, and I want to also put more time into my newsletter. My writing goal, as far as that is concerned, is to write one blog post per day. Some will obviously be book related, but I might start writing a little more about whatever else might be on my mind (like I used to do on Facebook, which had been my social media poison of choice). Some of it will be funny. I’m also hoping to invite a few friends to do guest spots. I’ll also use it for cover reveals, teasers, and the like (things I also used to do exclusively on Facebook)…and we’ll see what else I can conjure up. Please feel free to comment anytime you wish. That is the main thing I miss about the nostalgic “old days” of Facebook, when I actually got to chat with my readers. I can’t do that anymore, even after dropping five bucks a pop to show up in a few of their newsfeeds.
This one makes me sad, but it’s happening anyway. I want to finish out the Nicki Sosebee series. Since Bullet, I’ve had my muse whispering in my ear about dozens of other projects, and Nicki has been neglected. Finally, though, all the floating pieces have settled and I know how to get from point A to point Z as the series wraps up. There are four more books to come (I had known before it would take three to five, and it turns out I was right). I have written out a loose plot (as close as I ever get to outlining) and know all the big things that will happen in each book. The first of the finale is written (book #10, Lies, planned for release on February 29) and the other three are plotted. I am hoping to release one every three months with the final book being published either the end of November or beginning of December. Trust me—this one’s bittersweet for me. There are a lot of things happening in the books that are knotting my stomach, but it’s time for Nicki to walk through the fire I’ve avoided having her suffer through. And Lies is good…so good. I’m not saying that to toot my own horn, but I can’t wait for you to read it. I’m sad, though, because getting back up on that horse, writing Nicki again—I love it. I’d forgotten just how much I love writing Nicki…and now I have to gear up to say goodbye after writing the next three. I suspect I’ll cry for part of it, because Nicki has been like a friend to me. It’s going to be hard letting her go.
Continuing series. As I said above, I’m going to officially launch the Feverish series (good timing, since I’ll be ending the Bullet series next month, another bittersweet moment for yours truly) with the novella Boiling Point, a look at Last Five Seconds on tour, but more specifically a look at Clay and Emily dealing with life on the road. I’d also like to write the second book in the Wishes series—this would be Diesel’s book. It’s been two years since I wrote the first, Be Careful What You Wish For, and I suspect readers might have forgotten I intended a series for the book, so I’d better get cracking, no?  I should probably also write the next Tangled Web book while I’m at it!
One thing I’ve already started changing in relation to my writing goals has been the way I’m publishing. I know that my writing is stronger when I have time between writing and revising—it’s easier for me to distance myself from “the action” and to read as a reader…to get away from “not seeing the forest for the trees.” Knowing this, I am choosing to change the way I publish. I’m writing a book and then “tucking it away” (as Stephen King suggests writers do in his amazing book On Writing) while I write the next. After writing the next book, only then am I going back to revise before shipping it off to beta readers. Yes, the impatient, eager writer in me would prefer a faster process, but I appreciate that my writing is better when it has to age a bit (I know this from past projects), and that is how I’m going to publish from this point forward. I believe it will make my novels all the better. During the “settling” phase, I’ll have the cover designed and polish the blurb, set a publishing date, and all that good stuff, but I’m going to practice more patience, knowing that it will make the reader’s experience much better.
One last “goal,” although it’s not exactly a goal. I plan to publish to as many sites online as I can, and I’m going to try to be better about converting my books to paperback (it’s a bit of a pain, which is why I’m not the best at it). I’m finally publishing on Google Play, for example, and starting to publish directly to Kobo instead of through a third party. But no more being exclusive, because it really hasn’t helped me as a writer and has, in fact, made some of my readers feel alienated. I wanted to see if the promises I’d been made by my exclusivity would pan out but, if they did, I couldn’t tell. I’m also going to look into audiobooks, although I’ve been told they cost a pretty penny to make.
Oops.  I lied.  One more.    I’m also going to spend less on advertising. In 2015, I thought maybe I’d been too tight with the purse strings, that maybe that was why my books were selling less, but after spending an entire year sinking money into all kinds of different ventures (from blog tours to outright ads on various places), I’ve decided spending money on advertising is not worth it. The returns just are not worth the investment, especially when I’d much rather spend that money on a book cover or swag I want to give away to faithful readers!

Well…I’ve written plenty here, enough for an entire book chapter, so in closing, I just want to thank each one of you who read this entire post and made it to the end. You are most likely one of my most loyal readers and I want you to know that I thank you for that. Thank you for sticking around and reading my work, no matter where you might find me. I appreciate you more than you know. Maybe 2016 bless you and be your best year yet.

Dear Crabby – An Advice Column?

Dear Crabby is a weekly column featuring the loveable but cantankerous Crabby, full of relationship advice for the lovesick. Let’s read what advice she has today for our poor reader.

Dear Crabby:

I have been in love with my best friend for what seems like forever, but really it began about eight years ago. It’s a long story, but the short version is that I had just broken up with my then boyfriend because I caught him cheating on me (and you don’t even want to know that story!). Anyway, my friend (we’ll call him Sean) invited me over when he knew I was upset. One thing led to another, and we slept together.

I realize this may seem crass or even slutty, but let me assure you it was not. While I’d never thought about Sean in that way before, it was kind of natural, considering we’ve been friends since high school and that happened when we were in our early twenties. But we’re not together now because…well, I accidentally called him the name of my ex in the height of passion. It was awkward and embarrassing, and I know Sean didn’t feel good about it. Whether it was that or something else, Sean and I never pursued anything further and we worked things out so we could still be friends. And, don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for his friendship. I don’t know what I’d do without him.

Part of the problem is I’ve been pining for him ever since. I might not have realized I loved him until that fateful moment, but I know I do now. Or maybe it’s just lust and it’s unrequited. Whatever the case, I make poor relationship choices frequently, and that’s why. It’s not because I’m afraid of making another mistake, but it’s because I know any and all men will pale to Sean in comparison. See, he’s an honest, outspoken guy and he’s not afraid of making anyone angry, so long as they know where he stands—and that includes some of the bigwigs in our town. He’s a business owner (he owns a motorcycle repair shop) too. He’s not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but he does well enough that he doesn’t have to worry about money. He’s also—well, there’s no other way to say it than to just spit it out. He’s hot. Gorgeous. The fantasy of many women.

He just told me recently that he’s considering moving in with his girlfriend. I didn’t try to discourage him, but I’m wondering if maybe I just need to be honest with him one last time. What do you think?

–Worried in Winchester

 

Dear Worried:

You need to get over it. If this guy has a girlfriend that he’s serious enough to move in with, then you need to back the hell off. Stop making bad relationship choices. Either find someone you feel comfortable with or spend fifty bucks for a battery-operated boyfriend and wait for the right guy. I’m currently single and I do just fine without a man.

By the way, honesty is overrated. Do yourself a favor and shut your trap.

 

Dear Crabby will address reader letters every Monday.

In the meantime, if you want to know how “Worried in Winchester” fared with her friend Sean, you can find out in Got the Life, Nicki Sosebee #1.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1bq7m8T

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1l2p19U

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1fkxjGp

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1uwa8BM

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1nr11jG

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Jade C. Jamison Style

Clear back in October, I started wondering what nice thing I could do for my devoted readers.  Well, honestly, the best thing I can do for my devoted readers, the ones who read my work as soon as it comes out, is to keep writing as fast as I can.  I can also start doing what I’ve done in the past, which is offer a pre-order discount price, and I might begin doing that again.

However, I’ve discovered that a lot of my faithful readers haven’t, for some reason, been aware of everything I’ve written (both past and present), so–to combat that as well as do something nice for the holidays!–I’m offering twelve books for 99 cents over the span of twelve days.  This sale began on December 19 and I have been and will continue to discount one book a day to 99 cents for a total of twelve days.  All books will remain 99 cents until January 1, 2016, so readers have plenty of opportunity to pick up the books they want or need–or gift them to friends if they’d like.

Without further ado, let me post the books here along with the links and wish you happy holidays as well as a wonderful new year. Thank you for your friendship!

Thank you to Sarah Loughman for this amazing graphic to accompany my sale!

December 19 ~ Bullet

Amazon: http://amzn.to/12qnzqW

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1wbmmjb

B&N: http://bit.ly/164FQfC

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1qg0lLG

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1lv3fO1

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1NFkG6G

December 20 ~ Dead (Nicki Sosebee #2)

Note: Got the Life (Nicki Sosebee #1) is also 99 cents

Amazon: http://amzn.to/MeW2QZ

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1eYBdQB

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/NeOAGi

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1mDxLWo

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1vpywTy

December 21 ~ Everything But (Tangled Web #2)

Note:  Tangled Web, the first book, is also 99 cents

Amazon: http://amzn.to/Qm90yO

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1gxyZK2

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1zRaukC

Kobo: http://bit.ly/XQSAmj

iTunes: http://bit.ly/YWPiOA

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1J10Sy6

December 22 ~ Be Careful What You Wish For

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jnUP3q

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/QpFb0m

B&N: http://bit.ly/1r3QgoP

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1oUesGJ

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1ozNJjn

December 23 ~ On the Run (Vagabonds #1) **

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JJp8hV

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1LHyHSr

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Tpdcsy

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Njl35U

iTunes: http://apple.co/1IkDJpP

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1Ry3iqy

December 24 ~ Finger Bang

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1nxh4J7

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1hP8DK3

B&N: http://tinyurl.com/pr3xtff

Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/oh6xyke

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1vuNrz5

December 25 ~ Laid Bare

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qtpo0N

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/RDAd0M

B&N: http://bit.ly/1jvFiTL

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1rOMw4y

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1wqyi0a

December 26 ~ No Place to Hide (Nicki Sosebee #3)

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1bPkeG0

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1bPitsi

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1l2suFk

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1DCMq6L

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1sLY5d1

December 27 ~ Then Kiss Me

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1myjzfH

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1eZS0rj

B&N: http://tinyurl.com/m2uyq98

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1whJ6xz

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1vm3uJO

December 28 ~ Rock Bottom (Bullet #2)

Note:  Bullet is also on sale for 99 cents!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/15VfzR0

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1q4Ah8a

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1yqbGzc

Kobo: http://bit.ly/WN4cFA

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1sr9hzT

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1PeDDQq

December 29 ~ Feverish (Bullet #3)

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mp0KeK

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1m162dw

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1BPtWPo

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1vOBuSz

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1xnvX4I

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1PeDIn1

December 30 ~ Seal All Exits (Tangled Web #3)

FIRST TIME EVER ON SALE!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1zZ8V9k

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1zpYTNo

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/15dswVM

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1vc2cXv

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1qRT6It

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1QSRtcM

Again, happy holidays and thank you for reading my work!

** There is, at this date, an issue with Amazon regarding On the Run that I don’t expect to be cleared up until later this week, due to the holiday weekend.  My most sincere apologies!

About Dusty

Much (I think!) to my husband’s chagrin, I am a cat person. I always have been and I always will be. Without boring you in too many details, let me just say that cats have always been a big part of my life.

Before moving on, let me just tell you that this post is not just about cats, so please bear with me.

Back in 2007, a beautiful gray cat with white markings got it into his head that he wanted to be a part of our family. We already had a cat—a sweet black Manx kitty with more health issues than you could shake a stick at—and another part-time kitty (let’s call him Old Faithful) who stayed in our house when it was cold but enjoyed the outdoors the rest of the time. Oh, he liked our food too. (Old Faithful spends a lot more time with us as he’s gotten older!)

But this gray kitty—a skinny little guy we affectionately called Dusty—refused to just be a visitor. I’ll never forget it. It was October, and I was still a smoker (good news—I quit the next year), so I was having my morning cigarette and coffee on the back porch before getting ready for my day. It was pretty chilly—a cold wind was blowing through the backyard and I could feel fall settling in for the long haul. As I puffed on my cigarette, I saw this gray cat approaching me, one who’d visited a time or two before, and he meowed and meowed and meowed but I wasn’t going to let him in. Later that morning, that damn cat was at the front door, meowing and meowing and meowing to be let in. We discussed it and decided, “Why not?” And he fit in perfectly with the family. He was sweet and, if ever there was a cat who felt like an old soul, it was him. We were convinced he was already seven or eight years old, but when we finally got him to the vet, we found out he was only about a year.

That cat…man, did we love him. He was a huge part of our life, and I even had another cat literally rip me to shreds (so much so that I needed emergency medical care) when I rescued Dusty. But he loved us and we loved him, and he was with us through a lot of big parts of life.

A couple of years ago, though, he started coming home less and less. You see, after our Manx kitty passed away (a cat we rarely let outdoors because, when we adopted her, she had been declawed and I was afraid she wouldn’t be able to defend herself), we took the “if you love it, set it free” approach. We let our cats come and go as they pleased. We didn’t want to be like a zoo, holding our pets in captivity for our own pleasure. Yes, that has meant that some cats have never come back, but our focus has been on quality of life. (Yes, even for a cat!) At first, I was worried. I was certain that something bad had happened to him. After all, he always came home at night. As I hoped, he returned all right, but the times he came home grew farther and farther apart.

I still see Dusty now and again—about once a month, if I’m lucky. You see, he’s discovered a greener pasture. Some neighbors across the street have adopted him and, as much as it has broken my heart, I’ve had to let him go. He’s alive and well cared for and that is all I ever wanted for him. Yes, I miss him, as do my kids…but I don’t want to force him to stay. It violates my “if you love him” rule, and locking him in the house would only be for my own selfish purposes. Instead, when I see him, I stroke his gray fur, tell him I’ve missed him, tell him I love him, and wish him well…inviting him to come back again soon.

In June of this year, our next door neighbors sold their house. We were saddened by it, because a lot of our really good neighbors have been moving, people we’ve developed relationships with, but we also know how much it means for them to move to places they want to be. Anyway, the folks next door had adopted a cat when they moved in—a pretty orange cat with the softest fur I have ever felt and the sweetest disposition ever. In fact, I always called him aggressively affectionate. Anyway, they adopted him, this kitty who’d just been kind of a neighborhood cat before, a pretty fella my daughter has always called Spice (I’m not sure why) and he’d been their cat for years and years. The neighbors were getting ready to move pretty far away and they were moving into the mountains. The mom of the family asked me if we’d keep Spice fed and watered if he stopped by, and they would come get him later on. So I did. I started putting bowls of food and water on our front porch, and sure enough, Spice started visiting often. In fact, he started sleeping in the bushes just out front and would come greet me whenever I came out, whether I had food or not.

The neighbors never came to get him and he has since moved into our home and our hearts. Old Faithful is still with us too (as well as a cat we call Fluff—long story). And Dusty? Well, I saw Dusty in mid-November, and he ran across the street like a bat out of hell to come over but he didn’t stay.

2013 was the last year he was a regular part of my household. 2013 was also the year Bullet was published, a year that made me more well-known than ever before, the year that made me think, “Hey! I could retire doing this!!!” It was amazing, and I made more money that year than any other year in my life. I could go on and on about it, but let’s just say that, for this humble, hard-working gal, it felt like what I’d been working so hard toward my whole entire life. I’d already been getting to know some of my readers, but then I got to know more and more of them, and seriously…my life online felt like a never-ending party. The follow-up to Bullet became my second bestselling book, as did book number three in the series (becoming my third bestselling book), but not a single book ever, before or after, did as well as Bullet, and my sales today are very similar to what they were when I first started out as an indie writer.

For the past year, I’ve whined and moaned and groaned about my numbers; I’ve struggled, trying to understand; I’ve done all kinds of “stuff,” trying to figure out how to get back where I was. I certainly can point to a lot of factors that I know got me there in the first place and why I can’t utilize those same strategies today. I can get angry or upset or sad, but none of those things will change what has happened or why, but let me tell you what I am changing today.

I am going to stop whining about it. Here’s why. Bullet is like my Dusty. Bullet and the attention it garnered (and, most importantly, the readers it brought) were so welcome and loved and made me so happy, but if I keep dwelling on those glory days and the people who read and loved that book but have never read anything else, I am, in effect, ignoring my Old Faithfuls, the readers who were with me before and are still there, and I’m also ignoring the Spices, the ones who came around during or after and have chosen to stay. If I keep crying about Dusty, how the hell does that make Old Faithful and Spice feel? It could make them feel unimportant or unloved…and if you’re one of my faithful, loyal readers and you’re reading this right now, I want you to know that you are important to me. Yes, I miss Dusty, but it doesn’t change the fact that YOU are STILL HERE. You are in my life and reading my work, and crying about the readers who have left does nothing for you. So, from here on out, I am celebrating all of you—all of you who have been with me, who read my books, who share them with others…those of you who have never stopped believing in me. I want you to know that I am here to stay. I will continue writing for you, and I want to thank you for your continued support. May 2016 be your best year ever—because it’s going to be mine!  Thank you sincerely and from the bottom of my heart for your continued support.  Thank you for being my Old Faithful.

The Difference between My Books and Erotica

I recently had a bit of an upset with a major online bookseller who refused to sell one of my box sets, Nicki Sosebee Foursome, because I had “incorrectly” not labeled it as erotica. Here specifically is what they said about rejecting the book:

The subject category must best describe the book. Books must not be obviously misclassified (for example, a nonfiction history book submitted as “Sci-Fi & Fantasy”)….The primary subject category for erotica must reflect that the book is erotica (i.e., the primary subject category needs to be “Erotica”). Please list FICTION / Erotica / [Subcategory] as your primary BISAC category.

If my Nicki Sosebee books were erotica, I would gladly do so, but—for example—Got the Life, the first book in the series, has two sex scenes. That’s it. In a full-length (although short) novel. Sex is NOT the point, unlike erotica. The book is, at best, erotic romance, but I don’t even classify that as the main category for the Nicki Sosebee series. The closest category is romantic suspense.

But, talking with readers after venting a little on social media (like I often do)—as well as discussing the problem with a rep from Draft2Digital (who was amazing, by the way)—I realized that some readers don’t know the difference between erotic romance and erotica. So let’s discuss that. First, here is the appeal I wrote to the bookseller above:

My books (including this one) are most certainly erotic romance but by no stretch of the imagination are they erotica. As you folks probably know, the difference between erotic romance and erotica might be fine, but to readers, the gap is wide. The point of erotica is sex, whereas sex happens in erotic romance but is not the entire point of the novel. To me, it’s like the difference between a movie that’s rated R and one that’s rated X. I cannot in good conscience label my work as erotica, because readers looking for erotica would not be very happy to pick up one of my books and discover that they really are not erotica.

So here, then, is a quick list of both, the differences as I see them:

EROTIC ROMANCE:

• Has a solid plot that, if the sex scenes were removed, would still constitute a major portion of the book

• Changed into a movie would likely be rated a hard R (even if it needed to be toned down a bit)

• Sometimes even the sex scenes will drive the plot

• Sex scenes might be graphic

• Sometimes the sex scenes are viewed as “emotional”

• Sex scenes are expected but are not the point of the book

EROTICA:

• Has a thin plot that probably couldn’t stand alone if the sex scenes were removed

• Changed into a movie, it would be a porn (and likely hardcore)

• Oftentimes feels like it’s sex for sex’s sake

• Sex scenes are always graphic

• Sometimes, in contrast to erotic romance, viewed as “sexual” or “arousing”

• Sex IS THE POINT of the book

BOTH:

• Can have hot sex scenes (or not, depending on the writer! LOL)

• Well-written sex scenes might be arousing, even if not written as erotica

• Have their fans who have particular expectations when a book is classified in a particular way!

Ultimately, I chose to not publish the box set to that bookseller, especially after the long conversation I had with the rep at D2D. She said we could certainly move forward with the appeal, but that bookseller already accepted all the individual Nicki books as they were classified (romantic suspense and erotic romance). She said we could maybe cite those books in my appeal but I would be risking having them then reject all the Nicki books unless or until I put them in the erotica category…and I’d much rather not sell them at all if that was what it came to. If you mislabel a book, you’re going to have some pissed off readers—a chance I’m not willing to take. So the box set not being sold on their site? Their loss.

How do you feel when you come across a book that’s misclassified?