S.J. Pajonas's Blog, page 116

Say Anything Saturday – Setting Goals I Can Achieve

It’s Say Anything Saturday! And I totally got that title from one of my favorite Facebook groups (Thanks CLC!) Anyway, I think I’ll take Saturdays, occasionally, to talk about whatever I want to. Why not? It’s my own blog, and I love the excuse to do a theme!

Hello Kitty Tropical Mango Marshmallows

It’s been a while since we did a review from My Asian Grocery Store! In fact, I’ve only done one of these and I was hoping it’d be a regular feature. But now that I’m concentrating more on my blog instead of marketing my books (which is really marketing my books anyway when you think about it), I wanted to come back to this feature!

This review is for these Hello Kitty Tropical Mango Marshmallows. It almost feels like cheating, reviewing these marshmallows, because as you can image, they are really, really tasty.

These Kiwa brand marshmallows come in several different flavors, and you can find them on Amazon if you want to try them yourself. First, they are light and fluffy, very fresh. Springy if held between your fingers. I love mango and I love marshmallows (something I went without for ten years when I was a strict vegetarian), so I knew this would be a winner.

As you can imagine, my kids thought these were pretty awesome too. I very rarely let them have sweets (they go nuts on sugar and then crash, it’s not pretty) so they were ultra excited to try these out. I was wondering what they would think of the mango flavor, so I held my breath as they took bites.

These were a resounding success! The oldest child proclaimed them yummy right away, and the youngest, the pickiest of picky eaters and doesn’t like mango, really liked these too. So I have sealed up the bag and am saving them for really great days when we deserve a treat. I bought another flavor of these marshmallows I want to review later this month, and I’m skeptical if my kids will like them too. We’ll see!

Rating: 5 stars!

What’s Love In The Digital Age?

Love in the digital age is nothing new to me. Back in 1992, when I was only a sophomore in high school, my parents had an Apple computer with a dial-up modem and an AOL account. I remember being fascinated with the chat rooms, and I would show up there almost every night to see who was on and what they were talking about. It may not seem legendary now, but trust me, back in 1992, it was a big deal. There was even a boy I liked in the chat rooms! Lol. I had an online crush over 20 years ago.

In 1993, I dated someone long distance in the time of letter writing and phone calls, and I remember the longing, the excitement, and the anxiety about when I would see him again. Would things be different face-to-face? Would he still like me after being apart so long? It was a relationship that didn’t last very long, but the struggle of long-distance was a long-lasting memory.

But not all online relationships are romantic. Ten years ago, I became a part of the online blogging community, and suddenly, I had friends all over the world. Blog posts, email, Facebook, and Twitter (eventually) became ways for us to keep in touch with each other, and this was the time before Skype and FaceTime. We shared our latest projects, our travels, and the beginnings of our families with each other, and it was a lot of fun. Those people are still my friends to this day, and most of them I have never even met in real life.

So when I was FaceTiming with a friend of mine last year, I thought about my old long distance relationship and wondered what it would be like to fall in love with someone online. I already know people who continue their current in-person relationships online (military families where one person is on deployment) but I don’t know anyone who started a relationship online and continued it that way for some time.

What is love in the digital age? It’s having an open mind about communication by any means in order to keep the flame alive while you’re apart. The more technology you embrace, the better, in this case. In FACE TIME, Laura and Lee used texting and FaceTime to keep in touch. If they were apart for even longer than they were, I would have suggested email, real postcards and notes, and maybe even an IP Nanny-cam would be great additions to their routine. Relationships exist on many levels. Visual, being able to see the other person. Audible, being able to hear their voice. Visceral, being able to touch the other person. When one of those is missing, the other two must elevate to fill the void. Technology can help ease some of that suffering.

The lesson I want people to learn from FACE TIME is to keep an open mind. Love in the modern world doesn’t have to be contained to your neighborhood or town or even your continent. Use the tools available to find the right person for you, and keep using those tools to hold onto them.

FACE TIME is currently on sale for 99¢! Purchase this modern long-distance romance today for a steal!

FACE TIME Is 99¢ For The Month Of May

I’ve decided to have a sale on FACE TIME for the month of May! It’s Chicklit month, and since FACE TIME is my book that straddles the line between Chicklit and Contemporary Romance, I decided it was the book to put on sale.

Get it now while it’s on sale! It’s a great book and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

Sunday Update – May 1, 2016

Holy crap, it’s MAY! Where is this year going? It’s almost hard to believe that we’re well into spring and summer is just around the corner. Two months from now, I’ll be at the pool every day with my kids.

Five Planets In Retrograde – What Does It Mean?

It’s been a long time since I wrote about astrology and I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately anyway, so let’s talk about this very precarious time happening right now. Currently, five planets are in retrograde. YES, FIVE. We often hear about Mercury Retrograde, but we rarely hear about other planets doing this little dance the other planets do as well. In case you’re not sure what retrograde is, it’s when the progression of planets in the sky seems to move backwards. They aren’t REALLY moving backwards, though. Stars and planets in the sky move from west to east normally, but when planets cross to the other side of the elliptical plane from our point of view (for inner planets) or move through opposition (for outer planets) and continue on their journey, it looks like they move backwards. Kinda trippy. Here’s a YouTube video that explains it.

In Astrology, any time a planet goes into retrograde, the characteristics it represents tend to degrade. It’s a time to tread lightly, and be as honest and forthright as possible in whatever matters are at hand.

Let’s take a look at the five planets in retrograde at this time, when they will leave retrograde, and what you can expect.

Mercury

In Retrograde from April 28 to May 22

This is the most popular planet to go retrograde because it happens two or three times a year. Mercury is the planet of communication, mental activities, and intellectual activities. When Mercury Retrograde occurs, communication, scheduling, transportation and judgment becomes screwy. Mistakes tend to happen, scheduled dates disappear or move on your calendar, you forget special birthdays or get-togethers. But here’s the good news! It is also a good time for contemplation, a time to scrutinize your own decisions.

Since Mercury rules such an important part of our life, language and communication, it’s the one planet we freak out the most about. So many things can be lost in communications, between emails and texts, that having them weaken even further, is almost too much to bear. Please take it easy during this time!

Taurus and Mercury Retrograde – Be careful of acquiring things you cannot afford. Do not place too much importance on outward appearance. Focus on inner value.

Mars

In Retrograde from April 17 to June 29

Oh boy, Mars is a doozy of a planet. It governs physical energy, your sex drive, and your aggression, so when it goes into retrograde, you’ll find all of these qualities suppressed. Feeling tired lately? I HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED. I want to nap every day, and we won’t even talk about sex. Lol. Who wants that when all we want to do is sleep? During this time, we won’t want to push forward, we’ll want to slow down and take it easy. Like during Mercury Retrograde, this is a time for introspection and contemplation. Don’t try to fight the fatigue! Go with it. Slow down. This is also a good time for peace over war, so think about who you’ve been fighting with and try to makeup.

Jupiter

In Retrograde from January 7 to May 9

Jupiter is a great planet! Not only is it just plain cool as a gas giant, it also has some great astrological qualities. Jupiter is the planet of good luck, optimism, success, and generosity. Amongst astrologers, when Jupiter goes into and out of retrograde, you’ll find these qualities enhanced in the beginning and end of transition. Unfortunately, now, we have traversed the middle of its retrograde path, and it’s possible that some damage has been done, even if we’re coming out of the worst period and into the light again.

Jupiter Retrograde could show as greed, selfishness, gluttony, extravagance, wastefulness or self-righteousness. Does this sound familiar? Wow, I feel like it could apply to half the US population in relation to the upcoming election! Addiction, intolerance, bigotry, ignorance, or showing off are common signs during this period and may be what keeps you from succeeding. Anything in your personal life that is holding you back will be magnified during this time and toxic relationships will just make it worse. My advice is to seek therapeutic help during this time if these things apply to you, if you can even see them. We tend to wear blinders to our own faults, so listen to friends and family!

As Jupiter slows down to transition back to its normal path in the sky, your luck will return, your sense of generosity will heighten, and you’ll feel like a weight has been lifted from you. Hang in there! This one is almost done. Now would be a good time to reflect on the first third of the year and see where you may have gone wrong. It’s a good time to make amends.

Saturn

In Retrograde from March 25 to August 13

Saturn is my planet as a Capricorn and while its in retrograde for this long period, I’m going to find that all of my strong suits as a Capricorn will be turned upside down. Saturn is the planet of responsibility and symbolizes hard work and strength through trials. Saturn is disciplined and sticks with its tasks.

Saturn Retrograde is disastrous for people like me, and I’m going to have to work EVEN HARDER to get through to the end in August. Feeling irresponsible? Blowing off deadlines? Not really caring about your work or forgetting important tasks? Yeah, you’re not alone. I have changed my mind A MILLION TIMES about what I want to write or work on. I have been relying on to-do lists to power through and get things done (something I normally don’t need to do because I just do it, so you gotta know that things are bad when I’m like this).

Also, Saturn and Time are one and the same. They are bound to each other. And when Saturn is in retrograde, you’ll find that past, present, and future melt together. The future may seem unattainable or you may find yourself thinking about and regretting decisions from years past like they were yesterday. Do you believe in karma? Well, you may find that it comes to bite you in the butt two-fold. Past wrongs will come back hard, so take the time to calm yourself and deal with them as need be.

If you can do anything during Saturn Retrograde it’s this: concentrate on fixing things that have gone wrong. Be responsible. Be hard-working! Even though both will be SUPER TOUGH to do, maybe even agonizing. If you’re weak-willed and don’t do them, you’ll regret it once August rolls around. But if you fix things now, you’ll find yourself rewarded when Saturn transitions back to its normal path in the sky.

Pluto

In Retrograde from April 18 to September 26

Pluto is still a planet to astrologers! HUZZAH! And it’s known for being the planet of death and rebirth, seeing as it was named for the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto governs destruction and annihilation, leading to a complete transformation. It wipes the slate clean. So, in essence, when it transitions to retrograde, it’s actually a positive experience! HOORAY!

This is a great time for reflection, much like the other planets in retrograde. If there are negative forces in your life like a destructive relationship, or gambling or addiction have taken ahold of you, you may find it easier to let go in this time. In a way, Pluto Retrograde is a softener of Jupiter Retrograde, so it’s nice they are both happening at the same time! Your love life and finances will be scrutinized during this time as well.

All in all, Pluto is really not too bad. Something to be thankful for!

Here I am, studying up on all the planets to bring you this post!

Conclusion

There’s a lot going on during this year! With five planets in retrograde at the same time, for the first time in ten years, you can expect a lot of upheaval, but you can also expect to clear your path for the way forward come fall. Work hard, communicate effectively, and rest if you need to, and you’ll be fine. If anything, this post should give you a sense of peace and understanding about what you can expect and what you’ve been feeling. Hang in there, friends! I’m right there with you!

Book Chat #24

It’s been almost two months since I did another Book Chat, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Lol. I’ve been writing and updating this website, so I’ve been busy and not reading as much as usual.

What I’m reading…

I’m currently reading Tracy Krimmer’s DATING FOR DECADES which will probably be out sometime this summer. I love the concept behind this book and it’s a fun read!

What I read…

[image error][image error]I read the first book of this series, MERCENARY INSTINCT by Ruby Lionsdrake, and really enjoyed it. I hope to read the rest of the series soon. It’s a good romp with lots of action and a strong hero and heroine relationship. If you want some scifi romance, this is the place to go.

[image error][image error]I also read and enjoyed PIRATE BOUND by Carysa Locke. If you like a fast-paced romance with telepathic space pirates, this is the book for you. I tend to like slower-burning romances than this but I found the whole premise totally enjoyable.

What I listened to…

Last we spoke, I was listening to LEVIATHAN WAKES, the first book in the EXPANSE series. Loved it! And since then I have listened to both books 2 and 3 in the series, CALIBAN’S WAR and ABADDON’S GATE. They were so good, I couldn’t stop listening! I loved them all.

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But just so I wouldn’t burn out on this series, because I have plenty more in my Audible library to listen to, I switched over to WWW:WATCH by Robert J. Sawyer. I enjoyed the first book of this series and the second one is even better so far! I love this one and can’t recommend it enough.

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So audiobooks are definitely working out for me. Between cleaning around the house and working out or walking, I get a lot of listening done and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on reading! I’m really happy I’ve picked up audiobook listening!

Welcome To The New Adult Scavenger Hunt – Spring 2016!

Welcome to New Adult Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was inspired as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors… and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the New Adult Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the TEAM RED–but there is also a blue and a purple team for chances to win a whole different set of books!

If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the New Adult Scavenger Hunt page.

***THE SCAVENGER HUNT***

Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my lucky book number. Collect the lucky book numbers of all the authors on Team Red, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by April 26th, at noon Eastern Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

About the Featured Author

MEET JENNA COX, AUTHOR OF SOME BOY

Jenna is a new adult romance author, world explorer & tea lover. Her stories frequently feature wanderlust, discovering yourself, & finding home wherever you are. Her goal is to visit every continent, learn at least two languages fluently & keep writing about love and adventure. She loves to go wherever the wind takes her — you can write from anywhere. The more ‘anywheres’ the better! Currently planning a trip around Australia in a vintage camper.

Visit jennacoxauthor.com for more.

Just some boy in wet jeans on a winters’ day. Some boy in her bed, to have fun, to annoy her parents. Some boy, working his way into her heart, becoming not just some boy after all.

Her parents think that money will solve everything — even the problem of a boy who isn’t good enough for their daughter — but this time Kat is having none of it. What she feels for Brendan Holt is worth the risk.

But the more she gets to know him, dragging details of his life out of him one by one, the more questions she has. And the more she begins to wonder if maybe he is just in it for the sex after all. Or the money — playing her, in one long game?

Can she trust him, or was capturing her heart all just part of his plan?

And if it was…can she make a better one?

Buy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CKCL5VI

Add it to your TBR list on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30008390-some-boy

Exclusive Content

Enjoy this inspiration board of images for the book, set in Britain, and about learning to trust, to lean on someone else, and to love again, when you thought real love didn’t exist. And listen to Damn Your Eyes, that is something like a theme song for the story.

Damn Your Eyes – Alex Clare

Thank you!

Thank you, Jenna! Such great inspiring images!!

To enter, you need to know that my lucky book number is 4.

Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on Team Red, and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

Enter To Win More Prizes Before You Continue!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***CONTINUE THE HUNT***

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, SOPHIE DAVIS!

GOOD LUCK!!

Top Five Traditional Japanese Dishes

This post was originally published as a guest post during THE DAYDREAMER DETECTIVE blog tour! Haven’t read THE DAYDREAMER DETECTIVE yet? You can purchase it now!

• • • •

When Mei first meets Yasahiro, the town’s newest bachelor chef, in THE DAYDREAMER DETECTIVE, it’s not all fireworks and lovelorn looks across the room. She’s been a fan of city-style fast food straight from the convenience store for the past ten years or more, and Yasahiro’s Japanese slow food cuisine makes her want to roll her eyes. In the beginning, she’s very skeptical, and even though he’s annoyed by her behavior, he still wants to prove to her that his food is better than anything you can buy at the local 7-Eleven.

When I think of typical traditional Japanese dishes, my mouth starts to water and I seek out the ingredients at my local grocer. Skipping over fresh, hot rice from the rice cooker, these are my top 5 traditional Japanese dishes.

A super oishii sushi meal but sushi is just the tip of Japanese cuisine.

Miso Soup – A staple at many Japanese meals, miso soup, made from miso paste dissolved in dashi stock and garnished with seaweed and tofu, is a light but hearty hot soup that is consumed at any time of the day. I usually make mine with packets from the store, but homemade is even better.

Sushi – Of course sushi! Probably one of the most well-known Japanese foods outside of Japan. It’s rice and raw fish or vegetables, rolled up in vinegared rice, and wrapped in nori seaweed. I make it at home occasionally, but I love it fresh from my favorite Japanese restaurant. In Japan, sushi was once “fast food,” eaten standing up with your fingers. Now, it’s that AND it can also be upscale and gourmet.

Tempura – Possibly one of my favorite Japanese foods, tempura refers to vegetables, fish, or meat, breaded and deep-fried, usually served with a dipping sauce and rice, but also can be put into noodle soup dishes. Sweet potato tempura is my all-time favorite. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

Yakitori – Walk any of the city streets in Japan and you’ll smell it, the sweet aroma of meat, fish, or vegetables cooked over charcoal. Chicken and beef yakitori, small bits on tiny wood skewers, are the most popular versions of yakitori. You’ll see them cooking over hot charcoals and someone diligently flipping them and fanning the smoke away. I love eel yakitori. Mmmm. And in the autumn, mountain vegetables cooked over charcoal are especially delicious.

Soba and Udon – I had to put these two noodles together because they’re both quintessential Japanese dishes. Udon are white wheat noodles, usually thick and plump. Soba are darker, buckwheat noodles, usually cut thin. Both can be served in a variety of ways from cold with dipping sauces, in a bowl of soup or with curry ladled over them, or fried up with vegetables or meat. For an on-the-go meal, udon and soba cannot be beat. They’re filling, tasty, and affordable!

By No machine-readable author provided. Chensiyuan assumed (based on copyright claims). – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

Pictured above: Shrimp tempura! Oishii!

Now that I’m so hungry I could die, it’s time to go out and eat some delicious Japanese food! Do you have a favorite Japanese dish? Tell me about it in the comments!

Compiling Your Manuscript From Scrivener To Createspace Paperback

I’ve been going through ALL of my old blog posts and came across this one that I started in 2013. 2013, people! Man, I really dropped the ball on this one. I even had it half written up, but it was awful and discombobulated.

Here’s the good news! I actually made this tutorial recently in Evernote so I’m going to copy the link to it below.

First, make sure that your manuscript is set up properly.

Second, let me tell you WHY you want to do this. Once you have it down the first time, it’s easy from there on out. Save your compile settings and then use it for every book, adjusting it along the way to give you what you need. Third, it’s fast and accurate. No need to copy your latest manuscript over to Word or Indesign. You’re using the original file!

So, go slow the first time. This is a lot of steps, basically making two different files, your front matter and your inner book pages, and stitching them together.

PS) This tutorial is for the Mac version. If you have the PC version, you’ll just have to try it and see how it works, adapting steps to get to PDF. Sorry. I haven’t used a PC in almost ten years! So the onus is on you to figure it out for PC.

Get the tutorial here -> Compiling Your Manuscript From Scrivener To Createspace Paperback