Aurrora St. James's Blog, page 4
June 21, 2019
Book Lovers Con
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, then you probably saw that last month I went to sultry New Orleans, Louisiana for Book Lovers Con. This was a fantastic trip, not because of all of the amazing people that I met, but also because I went out a few days early to see some of the great sights. The top two things on my list to do were St. Louis Cemetery #1 (where Marie Lavou is buried) and also see some of the gorgeous plantations. I wasn't disappointed by either of them at all! The highlight of the Con for me was meeting the wonderful Christine Feehan and her son Brian Feehan - an up and coming paranormal romance author. They were both great! If you haven't been to a Book Lovers (formerly RT Con), then definitely consider it. If nothing else, you will come home with a whole second suitcase of books and swag! Click to scroll through some of the many pics I took. And be sure to sign up for this month's contest to win one of 5 bags of books and swag!
January 4, 2019
Pictures From Scotland
(See the Full Gallery Here: https://www.aurrorastjames.com/scotla...) Last October, my family and I took a two-week trip to Scotland that was absolutely amazing! I soaked up the wonderful spirit of the land and the history, fueling the energy of my imagination for years to come. And of course, I went to research a new book! I can't wait to share this super hot hero with you. Scotland is one of the most beautiful places on earth and we explored so many of the famous places, but also much of the places unknown to many. It was the trip of a lifetime! We took thousands of pictures. Thousands. It is that beautiful! And the people of Scotland are some of the friendliest I've ever met while traveling abroad. I wouldn't hesitate to go back there again. Or, you know, move there forever... During our trip, I kept a detailed journal, full of odds and ends of things we found and all of the funny adventures had by all. It's about 4" thick, no lie! I wish I could share with you my journal and the dozens of crazy adventures we had, but there aren't enough pages for that. Instead, please enjoy my photos of an amazing, wonderful, beautiful, peaceful place and be inspired to visit some day. You won't ever regret it! See the Full Gallery Here: https://www.aurrorastjames.com/scotla...
2019 Goals
I don't make resolutions anymore. Even if I tried to actually do them, I usually only lasted a couple weeks maximum. More often than not, I totally forgot that I'd even made one. I started making yearly goals instead. The difference? I break the yearly goals down into quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals. So even when life gets in the way, I can still make progress. Last year, my goals were to finish and publish Nikolai of Semar, find a new cover artist, and start the next book. I'm happy to say that I did all three. Okay, okay, two and a half. Technically, I haven't started writing the next book but I spent time on the plot and characters, so that counts. This year, I'm going all out. You may not know this, but the romance genre is pretty competitive and any author not producing multiple books a year is drowning in obscurity. I don't want that for my career. One of the many reasons that I write is to share my stories, and hopefully the themes of believing in one's self and accepting who you are. To rise above the crowds of competing authors, I need to increase my productivity. (And by competing, I mean only competing for your very precious reading time. I try not to compare my work to other author's as we all have different styles.) My goals for this year are to write and publish 3 books - two full novels and a short story. Many of you know that Lucius of Vidara is next up and I can't wait to see where his story takes me. Lucius Florin made an appearance in Stefan of Caeli as the brother to Isabela Florin, Stefan's mate. Isa was shocked to find her brother after decades apart, only to lose him once more. Lucius returned in Nikolai of Semar as the right hand of Raynard, leader of the Nemesi - a dark faction of the Fae. His fury at his circumstances and rebellion against Raynard have captured readers' attentions, and I know his story is going to be spectacular. I have so many more stories to write, that I'm not sure which will be after Lucius's book. It could be the cold and elusive Bastien from the Lords of Magic series. Or, maybe it'll be a new series altogether. We'll see what this year brings! Thanks for hanging in there with me and for spreading the words about my books. Much love, happiness, and good health to you and your family this year! And may you see your own goals fulfilled, whatever they may be. Remember, tiny steps add up to finishing what you started. Hugs!
December 27, 2018
Pictures From Scotland
(See the Full Gallery Here:
https://www.aurrorastjames.com/scotland-pics)
Last October, my family and I took a two-week trip to Scotland that was absolutely amazing! I soaked up the wonderful spirit of the land and the history, fueling the energy of my imagination for years to come. And of course, I went to research a new book! I can't wait to share this super hot hero with you.
Scotland is one of the most beautiful places on earth and we explored so many of the famous places, but also much of the places unknown to many. It was the trip of a lifetime! We took thousands of pictures. Thousands. It is that beautiful! And the people of Scotland are some of the friendliest I've ever met while traveling abroad. I wouldn't hesitate to go back there again. Or, you know, move there forever...
During our trip, I kept a detailed journal, full of odds and ends of things we found and all of the funny adventures had by all. It's about 4" thick, no lie! I wish I could share with you my journal and the dozens of crazy adventures we had, but there aren't enough pages for that.
Instead, please enjoy my photos of an amazing, wonderful, beautiful, peaceful place and be inspired to visit some day. You won't ever regret it!
See the Full Gallery Here:
September 12, 2018
Unexpected Messages
God speaks to me in the most amazing ways. Now, whether you believe in God, or a higher power, or nothing at all... bear with me for a moment. Two days ago, I was stressing about my work. As an author these days, it's *really* difficult to get your name known when there are about 1 million new ISBN titles created every year. It's a struggle to find new readers while at the same time, trying to make sure your current readers are happy. For some, this all comes easy. For me, it seems, it doesn't and I know a lot of authors are in the same boat. While I'm very excited about working with the publicist, the same old doubts always creep in. You know... "Am I doing the right thing by spending this money?" or "Maybe my books aren't commercial enough" (and maybe I need to write more mainstream romance), or the dreaded, "If I can't make this work, maybe I should just quit altogether." I stressed these thoughts to my hubby, who promptly gave me the figurative smack upside the head I needed. But it never makes those doubts go away. Today, I opened an email from a group I follow and the author specifically says: "I think that sometimes we, as authors, worry too much about whether our books 'fit the market' or are commercial enough, when in fact we should be asking: What's the story I want to tell? What's my passion? P.S.: Never stop writing. A.E. Hotchner, for example, just published his latest at 101 (or maybe 98). So never quit and never give up." ~ Jeffrey, The Fussy Librarian It was the message I needed to hear. If I give up now, who's to say that tomorrow wouldn't be the day that changed everything? So, whether you believe in God, a higher power, or nothing at all, leave yourself open to these sorts of messages. They will keep you on the path you are meant to be on. Whether than means success or not is a different story. But they will always bolster your spirit when you need it most.
August 21, 2018
Release Day!
Nikolai of Semar is now available at all your favorite eRetailers! I'm so excited to share this book with you. Recently, someone asked me what inspired me to write Nikolai's book. I wanted to share that answer with you. Nikolai's book is the re-imagining of a tale I created many years ago while watching a favorite television program (which had absolutely nothing to do with a desert kingdom or dragon shape-shifters). But out of that TV show grew a small group of writers who took the show's characters and put them into an entirely new setting, and spun new tales. During that particular time of my life, I was going through some rough personal issues, and rediscovered my love for writing. You could say that the TV show and the stories we wrote launched me into my writing career. I realized then that I wanted to be an author more than anything else and share my love of romance with people. I wanted people to read my stories and find hope for the future and their own relationships, and to realize that no matter where you are in life, you can overcome anything. Four hundred years later, I've come back to Nikolai. It was such a pleasure to return to his character. He's as handsome and heroic to me now as he was then and, I don't mind telling you, I'm totally smitten with him! The kingdom of Semar is the same, as are some of the side characters, but the adventure is a little different. Niko's original name changed, but he's always had Arianrhod for his heroine, and their true love remains. I love this book. For me, it is a bit like coming full-circle, and yet also sharing something that has been dear to me for a long time. I hope you enjoy Nikolai!
August 7, 2018
Nikolai of Semar - Now Available!
The wait is finally over! You can now pre-order your copy of Nikolai of Semar at all major eBook retailers! Excerpt: Could you ever love a man like me? The thought came unbidden. Niko hated that he wanted to know the answer. Needed to know if Aria could care for him as he was starting to care for her. And terribly afraid at the same time. He closed the distance between them, taking in her every curve through the burgundy silk dress that clung to her form. A warm breeze blew through the window, caressing her face and lifting the silk of her hair to tickle his skin as he neared. Niko stopped behind her, close. So close that he could feel the heat of her body against his chest. He ached to feel her breasts pressed to him, to taste her skin and revel in the slide of body against body. He lifted his hand toward her, then let it drop. He shouldn’t touch her, but everything in him yearned for it. Something that felt this right couldn’t be wrong. Niko swallowed, breathed deep, and gave in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Can't wait until August 21st? You can read Nikolai of Semar right now. If you buy the book directly from me (using Paypal), you can read Nikolai before it is available to everyone else. You will also receive a discount off the purchase price ($2.99 instead of $3.99) AND you will get a very special short story. The fairy tale "Freya and the Fae Prince" which is connected to the Nikolai of Semar story line. Check out the Nikolai of Semar book page for more information!
July 17, 2018
Buy My Books and Get Secret Savings!
Like most people, I know that money is tight these days, and my book spending money is divvied up between my favorite authors' newest releases. Because of this, I've decided to start offering my books to you at a substantial savings by selling them directly to my readers. What's so great about this is that no matter what device you use (Kindle, Kobo, iPad, Nook, etc.), you can easily get a copy of my books and you don't even have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out! It really is just as easy as buying from Amazon. Honest! But the BEST PART is, you'll be getting some really great incentives along with the books! 1) Lower prices (my store will be cheaper than the other retailers like Amazon) 2) Early release dates! You can buy the book 1-2 weeks prior to everyone else 3) When possible, bonus content not available in the books at other retailers (ex: Extra scenes, short stories, and/or other fun stuff) Plus, it's totally secure. You pay through Paypal, and if you have any issues getting the books, there is amazing customer service that will help you lickity-split! So why am I really doing this? It's absolutely true that I want to save you money. But there is more to it than that and it all comes down to my publishing goals. First, I really want to take over the world... Should that *happen* to fail, then I want to publish books a lot more often. Ideally, 3-4 books a year to start and hopefully grow from there. What most people don't know is that online retailers and big publishers take a big chunk of the profits from an author. When all is said and done, we may only see 6% - 40% of the final book price. AND, depending on how the book is published, we only get paid once every 2 - 6 months. Can you imagine waiting 2 months for a paycheck? How about 6 months? By selling the books directly to you, I get the payment faster and I get to keep more money for my hard work. That helps me to both grow my business faster (aka take over the world sooner) and offer MORE cool stuff to my readers. That's what I want. I WANT to save you money, provide you with quality entertainment, and give you more and more cool stuff with every new book. I hope to have all my books available next month, when Nikolai of Semar rolls out. I'm so excited because I plan to offer a short story available with Nikolai's book that will not be available anywhere else when Nikolai releases. Need to see how it works? Click here to see the step-by-step instructions!
How to Buy Books Direct in 6 Easy Steps
Buying books directly from an author is easy. I mean REALLY easy. Like Amazon easy. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to get the book on your device. Here's everything you need to know in -- steps! Step 1- From any of the books page, click the Buy Direct button. This will take you to the Buy Direct page. Step 2- Click the Buy Now Paypal button under the book that you wish to purchase. This takes you directly to Paypal to complete your purchase. Step 3- Complete your Paypal purchase. Step 4- Check your email! Within 5 minutes, you should receive an email with a BookFunnel link to your book. (Don't forget to check your SPAM box if you don't see it right away). Once you click the BookFunnel link, you are taken to the book page to get your book copy. Step 5- Click the Get it Now button. Step 6- Choose your reading device, then follow the instructions. That's it! If you have ANY problems at all, click the Need Help link in the top right corner of the page. BookFunnel has the best customer service.
June 8, 2018
New Cover for Gavril of Aquina
There are no words to describe how excited I am about the new cover for Gavril of Aquina! Melody Simmons from BookCoversCre8tive just does a fabulous job! Why the new cover? Well, you may see that some authors tend to change their books covers on a regular basis. Sometimes it's because of changes in the market, and other times, they are trying to target different readers. I don't want to constantly be changing covers on my books, but I recognized that Gavril wasn't getting the attention that it could be getting. I know the story is good, but honestly, the book cover is 50% of the sale. So I thought I'd update it to something that would speak to paranormal romance readers and see what happens. What do you think?
