Princess Jones's Blog, page 4

Super Duper Oops!

Hey guys! Today I’m working on all types of fresh goodies for you but I just wanted to let you know of a situation that is affecting the recent Super Duper release. Some readers received a messed up copy from Amazon. It should have affected a small percentage of users but if you’re one of them, I wanted to express my sincerest apologies.

Amazon will be sending the update to affected users’ Kindles and Kindle apps. But if you haven’t received your update yet, I’d like to take care of it today. Please shoot me an email and I’ll send you an updated copy.

Also, as a token of my appreciation, I’d like to offer those affected a free copy of the next book in the series, Supervised, when it comes out in January 2016. Again, email me and I’ll take care you.

Thanks so much for your continued support!

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Are You Ready for Super Search?

When I first conceived of Super, I wasn’t really sure that there would be more stories to tell.

OK, that’s not true.

I always had all sorts of stories to tell with Audrey the Superhero. But I wasn’t sure people really wanted to read them. I told myself I would write the first story and see if anyone wanted to read another one. Well the results are in. Super is doing well and winning fans left and right. And now I’m excited to tell you about the follow-up Super Search:

Audrey Hart is having the worst summer ever. After losing her job and her apartment, she has moved back in with her reluctant parents. Suddenly it feels like she’s back in high school, with the part-time job, the curfew, and the mandatory family dinners to go with it.

And if that isn’t enough on her plate, she’s got a secret; She’s a superhero.

But now time is running out for Audrey to make her move. Her parents want her to grow up and a vandal with a grudge is forcing her out of what little income she has. If she is going to get her life back on track, she has to find an apartment that doesn’t smell like cat pee and a real job that can pay for it. Can Audrey save the day and save herself at the same time?

Super Search will be released on July 31st but it’s available for pre-order right now. It’s a short ebook, which means that it’s going to be perfect to entertain you on a flight, a trip to the DMV, or during short bursts of procrastination. As a thank you to the readers who made Super such a success, this preorder will only be 99 cents. But after the release date, the price will go up so better reserve your copy right now!

Here’s where you can get it:

Amazon | Google Play | iBooks | Barnes & Noble

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All Indie Writers Podcast: Selling Your Own Books

A while back, I talked about how important it is to buy my books from me. Selling my own books has given me more control and a bigger bottom line. And I’m not just passionate about selling my own books; I”m also passionate about other authors selling their books.

Recently, Jennifer Mattern invited me to cohost her thirteenth podcast episode and the subject happened to be selling books directly to customers. For more information, take a listen to the All Indie Writers Podcast Episode 13.

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Sexy Scenes in Red Herring

If you’re on my mailing list, you know that Red Herring is out and free in the wild. (If you haven’t subscribed, you can remedy that by signing up for the mailing list here.) Red Herring is a short that catches you up on what Red and Will have been doing since we left them in The Red Collection. It was also my opportunity to introduce a character from my upcoming novel Cinder, which will be available this fall.

Overall, I think it’s doing pretty well. The numbers look good, I’ve got a few reviews, and some readers have messaged me about it. One subject keeps coming up, though, and I’d like to clear it up here.

Originally, I wrote sex scenes in The Red Collection as a writing exercise. I had convinced myself that I couldn’t write sex scenes. I don’t know why. It was probably the same reason any of us convince ourselves of things that we wouldn’t let anyone convince our friends of. We’re always so much harder on ourselves than we are on anyone else, right?

Well I decided to prove to myself that I could write those types of scenes if I wanted to. And I did. That’s why when you meet Red and Will you get to peek in on their sex life. That story may be a bit sexy but that’s the result of me trying something new in my work. I was flexing my writing muscles.

With Red Herring, I didn’t have anything to prove. I also had a lot less time to tell the story because it was a short. I didn’t have the space and wordcount to play with sex scenes. I needed to get the characters where I needed them to be in just about 8K words.

And that’s the thing about my stories–whatever is happening behind the scenes, the goal is always to service the story in the best way or ways possible. Everything will be sacrificed for the story. So when people ask me if I’m done with the sex scenes, I don’t know. I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see.

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Asked and Answered: How Do You Come Up with Story Ideas?

I guess the short answer to this is that every idea I come up with starts with “what if.” Most of the time it’s “What if [insert something weird] happened?”

I think I come up with story ideas from all sorts of places. Anything can hit me at any time. I could be watching a TV show or looking at something online. Sometimes someone might tell me something about what happened to them and that sparks something in my imagination. I once got a vivid story from a picture my three year old niece made for me.

I write these ideas down so that I always have a stash of them in my back pocket just in case. I use Google Note, which is just a note taking app for Android phones and tablets. I really like it because I can write a note anywhere on any device I have as well as access my notes anywhere. So if I get an idea while I’m taking a walk or in the grocery store, I can just write it on its own virtual post-it for later.

I may come back in a couple of weeks or months when it’s time to write something. When I do there are always ideas that suddenly seem like duds and others that are still shining bright. And then I pick which one is calling me the most and write that one.

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Asked and Answered: Is This Scene in Super About Me?

Earlier this week, I got a text from a very good friend who was starting Super while waiting for her dentist appointment:

HER: You used Larry’s name?

ME: Larry who?

HER: Her boss.

ME: Yeah but who is Larry to you?

HER: Are you serious?

ME: Yeah.

HER: He was my dick boss that tried to take credit for sales I did.

I assured her it was not based on her dick boss Larry but many dick bosses I’ve known over times. The conversation went on for a bit more but I really felt like saying “Dude, I don’t know the name of your boss.” I mean, I pride myself on being a pretty good friend who listens carefully to what’s going. I’ll probably remember the name of the boy you’re crushing on. But I can’t always remember the name of your boss two bosses ago off the top of my head. Also, if his name isn’t Idris or Apple, it’s not really fair to assume that his very common name inspired a character.

She wasn’t the only one. I got an email from an old acquaintance asking why I used our brunch date as a scene in my book. I had no idea what she was talking about at first. But then I remembered that I had brunch with her and two other girls right before I left NY in 2014. But Super–and that brunch scene along with so many others–had been plotted since early 2012. I’ve been to a million brunches in my life. Not all of them end up in books.

But I could see where they was coming from because I wrote it with the intention of people relating to it. I wanted Larry to be a typical type of boss you see in sales jobs and for Brooklyn Paper to be that typical sales job. I took a little bit from my all of my old bosses and a bit from The Office to mix together to make him and that office. I wrote that brunch based on the million brunches I’ve had over the years and the funny situations that have occurred or might occur at any one of them. If you look at these things and see your own experiences, that means I’ve done my job by making the scenes relatable.

Like I’ve said before, Audrey is not me but she definitely lives in a world built on my experiences. I did work at a place in Brooklyn that was very much like Brooklyn Paper. I walked through Cadman Plaza Park every morning. The laundromat where she finds Cinderella was my laundromat. I did see a drag queen do a musical number with a dog in the parking lot there. But that doesn’t mean it’s about me. Those are just the fine details meant to flesh out the story. They work because they are based on real things.

That said, there are some very specific situations that come from very specific experiences or conversations in my world. But all of the people who those were inspired from have already been told about it.

So if you’re reading Super and wondering if something is based on you, check your email and your text logs. If we didn’t talk about it, the answer is no.

The post Asked and Answered: Is This Scene in Super About Me? appeared first on Princess Jones.

The Difference Between Me and Audrey

My main character in my Super series–Yes, I’ve decided it’s going to be a series–is Audrey Hart. Audrey is a young, Super who spends a lot of time being late, being broke, and fighting crime. She has a great relationship with her dad, a sense of humor, and a potty mouth.

Which has all led to a lot of questions about whether I wrote myself into a character. Well, let me clear: No.

Audrey definitely lives in a world built on my experiences. I did work at a place in Brooklyn that was very much like Brooklyn Paper. I walked through Cadman Plaza Park every morning. The laundromat where she finds Cinderella was my laundromat. I did see a drag queen do a musical number with a dog in the parking lot there.

If you know me, Audrey will ring a little familiar because I share some of the attitudes she has. But that doesn’t mean it’s about me. I’d like to think I’m a little more multi-faceted than that. I’m never late unless someone forces me to be. I don’t eat cake off of floors. And I don’t have any super powers.

Sorry to disappoint you guys.

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Why You Should Buy My Books Directly From Me

One of the first things someone asks when I tell them I write books is where they can buy my work. At the moment, I’m on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Google Play for ebooks. I also have books distributed to physical bookstore and libraries through the traditional methods. Whether they stock the books depends on their own plans.

But honestly, I think the best source for buying my work is my own website.

There are two good reasons to buy my books directly from me. First, I make more money on them. Each time you buy it from Amazon or from your favorite bookstore, they act as middlemen. But if you buy it from me, they don’t get a cut. And therefore, I make more money.

Also, I offer a money back guarantee on my work if you buy it directly from me. If you feel like you didn’t get your money’s worth, I’ll offer a refund. I do this because I believe in my work and because my work is priced very carefully. If you don’t feel the same, you can let me know.

At the moment, I’m offering ebooks for sale, but as soon as possible I’ll start offering traditional books here as well.

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Super Is Coming

Can you feel the excitement in the air? What’s that? It’s Super. And it’s on the way with an official release date.

It will be available on Amazon and from my website on Friday, January 30th. Google Play and iTunes should have it by Monday, February 2nd.

Also, I still have one more slot open for review copy. If you’d like to review the book in exchange for a free copy, please email me. I’ll gift you copy and all I ask in return is that you post a review on Amazon. You can love it, like it, hate it, or not even finish it. But I’d just like you to tell that to the Amazon.

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Super Update

So, I just wanted to update you about Super. I recently got the edits back on it and I’ve been working on rewriting it. I’ve always heard that writing is rewriting. That’s never more apparent than when you’re writing fiction.

But edits are actually good. It’s nice to see what your work looks like from the outside. An impartial outsider can really push you in the right direction. Especially when you’ve been writing Super as long as I have. You get lost in your writing, and sometimes you miss the forest for the trees. It’s nice to have someone out there either validating your direction or rerouting you.

So this month, I’m rewriting Super, making it better. Honestly, I think it’s my best work. It’s the longest thing I’ve ever written. It’s the most involved thing I’ve ever written. And at the moment, it’s the most proud I’ve ever been of something I’ve written.

And as soon as I have a firm date for when you can get your hands on it, you’ll be the first to know.

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