Jaymee Jacobs's Blog, page 6

Pre-Order "A Valuable Trade", to be released July 7

What? Two posts in one week? What madness is this?! Like I said, I've been a busy writer. And I'm too excited by all these new developments to wait to share!

My submission to the Seduced by the Game anthology was "A Valuable Trade," which features the Dallas Comets professional hockey team.


"A Valuable Trade" focuses on the story of Bryan Comstock, who gets traded to Dallas before the deadline, in the hopes of helping the team as they prepare for the postseason.

The blurb:

Bryan's life gets turned upside down when he gets traded to the Dallas Comets, and things get even messier when he meets Georgiana, the Director of Team Services. He's got a lot of work to do to prove his worth to his new team, but Georgiana's sure he'll prove to be a valuable trade.

Now it's being released as its own, independent novella! The eBook of "A Valuable Trade" will be released on July 7, 2015.



"A Valuable Trade" will be released exclusively as an eBook. Want to pre-order a copy? Follow the yellow brick links:
Amazon
iBooks
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Please be sure to leave a review from whichever outlet you use! Thanks, my lovely readers!

I'm off to go celebrate today's Supreme Court ruling. Enjoy your weekend!

Play the Man Cover Redesign Reveal! (Finally!)

I'm so happy to finally present to you, my lovely readers, the redesigned cover for Play the Man. Without further ado:

Newsletter subscribers already got a sneak peak in the Spring 2015 issue!

And with the cover redesign comes... print covers!

Worth the wait? I think so!
All of the vendors I sell through (see bar to the right -->) are in the process of updating the covers, as well as my website and this very blog.

As soon as the print books are available for purchase, I'll tweet that info out!

I'm sooo stoked to have all three of my original publications updated and available in so many formats. There's nothing a writer loves more than to share her work!

And, in the meanwhile, I have even more up my sleeve. "A Valuable Trade" will soon be available as an eBook! I'll save that cover reveal for a later blog post.

Thanks for hanging in there, folks. I promise, I've got more coming your way soon!

My Views on Reviews

When I decided in March that I was going to be organized and more active on social media as a still-burgeoning author, I wrote down in my brand new planner that I was going to write one blog post a month.

Author stuff is anything written in blue. There's not a lot of blue last week.I truly thought that April's blog post would be centered around my re-release of Play the Man and my release of the novella "A Valuable Trade," which would be published on its own outside of the anthology in which it was originally published. Unfortunately, I don't have the full print cover back from my designer, so all that's going to have to wait.

Crying Dawson and Sad Keanu. Just to give you an idea of my disappointment.

So while I was lamenting over the fact that I'm behind my self-imposed publishing schedule, I tried to brainstorm something else I could blog about. Life has been kind of stressful lately, so there's not much I have to talk about.

Every once in a while, I check my Amazon pages and Goodreads page to see if there are any new reviews or ratings for my books. As an author, I encourage anyone to leave reviews for books! Typically, I only end up leaving reviews if I really love or hate a particular item and feel driven to give feedback, so I don't always follow my own advice. And on my last check, I noticed a new review for Play the Man on Amazon! Yay!

A one-star review.

At first, I was totally bummed. Of course, I want everyone to love my books! I put my heart and soul into them, so it's devastating when I find out that someone doesn't like what I've written. But then I took a deep breath and smiled. I'm sorry that the reader didn't like my book and felt compelled to tell the world how she felt—but that's okay, and I'm glad that she reviewed my work, regardless of how many stars she gives me.

Reviews are so important to an author. Reviews are feedback! Reviews mean that someone's reading and reacting. Ask any author, and they will tell you that they love (and need) reviews for their works. It goes without saying that we favor the good reviews, but I say, "Bring 'em all on!"

I don't interact much with my readers; I want to, but I'm just not that engaging. Honestly, I'm a part-time writer. I'm a part- part-time writer; I'm lucky if I have the brain power left at the end of the day to sit in front of my laptop and type out a paragraph or two. So getting a review really does mean a lot to me. I've only been publishing for two years, so I'm still trying to get my name out there. If someone leaves a review, it means my eBooks is getting out there.

So give me any amount of stars you want, as long as you leave a review. Review me, review other authors. Do your favorite author a favor and review! Feel free to spread the word!

I'll talk to you next month.

Jay

Plans for 2015

I've never been good at keeping up with writing in a journal or a blog. But, to be fair, I haven't had much to update. Or anything, really.

My writing started falling off last summer. I hate that it happened, but it did. I'm working on getting back on track; I've written a little bit today, and I'm pledging with this blog post that I will continue to keep writing! Even if it's only a couple hundred words a day, it's important that I dedicate some time each day to write. I even have a new planner set up so I can make deadlines for myself. It's color-coded and everything!

I'm still working on The Back Up, my story about back-up goaltender Lincoln Reynolds. I'm a couple of chapters in, and I don't know how long it will be. It could end up being just a novella, or maybe it will be a full-length novel. But I'm anxious to get that out to you guys.

I'm also working on getting Play the Man set up with a new cover and to release that in paperback. Oh, and I'm also working on getting "A Valuable Trade" ready for its independent release, my short story submission for the 2014 Seduced by the Game anthology.

Those are all my goals for 2015! And with two months already gone, I have no time to waste.

I have a notebook with a few new ideas jotted in there. Some hockey-related, some completely different than anything I've written before. Needless to say, I'm excited to explore those avenues, too! I have a lot that I want to get to, which means it's time I start buckling down.

Hopefully you'll hear from me soon with more news. I'm off to see if I can't finish off another chapter tonight!

-Jay

Shots on Net Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the five winners of the Goodreads giveaway for the paperback version of <i>Shots on Net</i>:

Sally Jessica H.
Suzann L.
Gina B.
Wendy P.
June P.

Your autographed copies will be sent out by the end of the week! Thanks to all whom entered!

Shots on Net Cover Redesign

Check it out! Shots on Net has a new cover:


It's beautiful! What do you think?

And with the cover redesign comes the print cover:


All thanks to my friend and fellow author Joss Conlon. Thanks, Joss! He worked on Game On for me as well. Any author needing a cover should definitely shoot him an e-mail: design@jossconlon.com

The print version will be available soon. Maybe I'll do another giveaway.... As always, I'll keep you posted!

Author Spotlight: Melanie Ting

Melanie Ting and I go way back, to when we were anonymous authors posting serialized stories on-line. We talked about writing and bonded over hockey and cats—which, incidentally, are two of Mel's favorite writing topics. She's just released her second full-length novel entitled Hockey Is My Boyfriend, Part One. The synapsis:

Wouldn’t it be great if you could tell exactly what a guy was like… before you went on a date with him? Kelly Tanaka can. After years of playing hockey with guys, she believes that how a guy acts on the ice is a good indicator of how he’ll be as a boyfriend.

So far, she’s only used this superpower to help her girlfriends, because Kelly’s not really into dating. However, when blond and beautiful Nicklas Ericcson comes along, her theories are put to the test. But then tall, dark, and smoking Phil Davidson insists he’s a better hockey player and a better potential boyfriend. What’s Kelly to do?

Hockey Is My Boyfriend is a smart and funny journey into first love. This is Part One of a trilogy, which follows Kelly's adventures as she stickhandles her way through life and love.

This book contains adult language and sexual scenes, and is suitable for readers 18+.

I've read the book, and I loved it. Not enough for you? Book reviewer Diane Subsits Lynch gave it 5 stars! Still not convinced to check it out? I took advantage of  kindly asked Mel if she'd be willing to do an interview and take a break from working on Hockey Is My Boyfriend, Part Two. She agreed.


Welcome back to the blog, Mel! You've just released your third work, Hockey Is My Boyfriend, Part One. But fans of yours will recognize these characters from a previously published work. How was it for you, as the author, to revisit Kelly and the gang?

Yes, I used to write serialized fiction online and got to know lots of readers that way. Hockey Is My Boyfriend had its origins as my very first story. I published a chapter every single night for seven months! Looking back, I can’t believe I did all that work, but it was like writing boot camp and a lot of fun. I really miss the regular feedback I got from writing serials.

However, given the length of the story (170 chapters) I could not figure out a way to make it a book until I got the idea of a trilogy. Then I had to wrangle the book into shape, because I’m a better writer now. I deleted chapters that weren’t working, and added new characters and new incidents. Also, I now know exactly where the story will end up. So I can add foreshadowing, like when Kelly says to Phil, “It would take an NHL superstar to break the Tanaka Scale.”

I’ve always liked Kelly as a character. She’s genuine and spontaneous. And she goes to the gym regularly, something I aspire to do. And Phil, what can I say? Rawr. Actually, I like everyone in the book. Dave Vanderhauf is kind of a douche, but I really enjoy writing his lines and in my head I hear them in this low, dumb voice. Secretly, I’m a bro.

Hockey Is My Boyfriend is a trilogy. Part One features heroine Kelly Tanaka through adolescence. In Part Two, Kelly's in college. And then Part Three takes place in Kelly's post-collegiate life as she begins her career. What's it like to work with a character through so much of her life?

My writing is character-based. I develop distinctive characters and then throw them into situations, and see how they react. The series has a main narrative, but also shows how Kelly and company develop over time. Their language matures, their interests evolve, and their dreams change. So Kelly, who is impulsive, will always be a person who reacts first and thinks later, but she learns to temper her impulsiveness. I like to think that we’re all works-in-progress.

Hockey may be Kelly's boyfriend, but she also has a few other—real!—boyfriends, too. One of those is Phil Davidson, Kelly's long-time best friend. Do you think it's possible for friends to transition into boyfriends/girlfriends? Any advice on how to break out of the "friend zone?" I'm, uh, I'm asking for a friend.

Well, there’s bad news for your friend. I think that if you’re not attracted to each other in the first place, you can try, but it’s pretty tough. There was one guy I was friends with, then we dated, and we had a fabulous time together, but I was never that attracted to him. As in, “No! Put that shirt back on!”

I would hypothesize that the best way to go from friends to lovers is quite dramatic. Like a movie style makeover. A night of serious drinking. Or if the guy suddenly saved your friend from the path of a speeding train (or if she saved him) then the huge adrenaline rush could be enough to make them feel attracted. But who wants to risk their lives on the off chance that might work?

In Phil and Kelly’s case it was a combination of growing up, hormones, and a kiss—at the exactly right time!

Ugh, I guess I'm —friend! I mean my friend! —is out of luck.

Anyway, back to the interview. Besides the hunks, there is a large cast of distinct characters, from Kelly's parents, to Phil's parents, and their respective groups of friends, too. Oh yeah, and all those hockey teams. How do you keep all the characters straight? Do you base any characters on real-life people that you know?

For a writer, I have surprisingly little imagination. Everyone—seriously everyone—in my books is based on someone. Not 100%, but aspects of each character are taken from real life. This may be why hardly any of my friends know I write.

For example, Phil Davidson, is based a few different guys. One was my grade one boyfriend, who went on to play international hockey. At the time, everyone knew he was a good hockey player (yes, even at seven years old!) but I didn’t really care about hockey then. Should have hung on to him, right? He even proposed! I believe my answer was “Euw.”

I never have trouble keeping characters straight. I have more trouble separating real life from fiction.

Part One features a high-school heroine; however, we know that we're going to see her mature and develop in Parts Two and Three. Does that affect how you can classify Part One in a genre, i.e. Young Adult or New Adult? What kind of audience will Part One appeal to?

I’m so glad you asked this question. I think all this categorizing is a crock. If I want to read books about teenagers and watch 10 Things I Hate about You even though I’m grown up, why shouldn’t I? We don’t have friends who are all the same age, so why should we read only about characters our own age?

I do see a certain irony in the fact that the first book is set in high school, and it has a warning that it’s not suitable for anyone under 18, but that’s the industry standard rather than my personal philosophy.

The fact is that there’s a period in our twenties that we make a lot of life decisions, about our careers, our love lives, and our goals. I happen to think that’s an exciting time, so that’s what I’ve written about, so far. But I may write about seniors some day, if that’s what inspires me.

My books are for people who like to read about hockey and relationships, regardless of age. That’s all.

So, now that everyone is completely intrigued and wants to read your book, please tell us where we can find Hockey Is My Boyfriend Part One!

Awesome. I think it’s a great read, but I may be biased. You can find it on Amazon.

Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the five winners who entered the Game On Goodreads giveaway!


Your autographed copies are all set to be mailed on Monday. Happy reading!

2014: Half Over

How is it possible that this year—this wonderful, unbelievable year of gifts and firsts—is halfway through?! I can't believe it.

I'll save all the reminiscing for New Year's Eve; instead, I'm reflecting on the stuff that I didn't get gone. Ugh, that doesn't sound very positive, but it's not that bad, I swear.

I'm behind schedule on writing The Back Up. I'm currently rewriting the beginning... for the third time. Sigh. I wish that I could be the kind of writer who plows through a first draft and goes through a couple rounds of editing and rewrites. But I just can't. It's definitely a flaw I tried to work on. Instead, I agonize over the words as I write them, deleting and rearranging and rewriting as I go. That's why I'm stuck back at the beginning.

On top of that, June has been a very busy month, loaded with distractions and diversions. Oh yeah, have I mentioned Pinterest? Oh, the pictures! I'm late to the game, but feel free to check out my boards if you're into that sort of thing.

Meanwhile, I'm setting new goals for myself for July to help me get back on track—at least as far as the writing goes. And hopefully the rest will fall in place. 2014 may be half over, but there's still six months of surprises left!

Game On Now Available in Paperback

I'm very excited to announce that my latest release, Game On, is now available in a paperback edition from Amazon!



I'm so happy, so proud, so amazed to see my name in print for my very own book. As I've said before, this has always been a dream of mine, and it's coming true!

My goal is also to release Play the Man and Shots on Net in paperback this summer. As always, I will bombard my blog, Twitter, and Facebook with updates on those statuses.

Meanwhile I'm also working on my next novel, The Back Up. I'm having a lot of fun creating Lincoln Reynolds's world and plotting out what's going to happen to him. Once I get the first draft finished, I'll do a cover reveal to celebrate (that is, if you haven't already seen the sneak peek at the end of Game On...).