S.J. Pajonas's Blog, page 127

Teaser Tuesday: Love In Days And Nights

It’s the last Teaser Tuesday for SUMMER HAIKUS! This New Adult contemporary romance will be out on Thursday! Woo! Okay, this is another one of the romantic haikus in the story. It comes from Masa to Isa to while they’re out having a day of sightseeing. But, of course, it confuses the heck out of her because the word “love” appears in it, and Masa hasn’t made a move on her yet. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

I loved ratcheting up the tension between these two by throwing lots of mixed signals into their everyday routines. Masa calls her a friend, but then he says he loves her in a haiku. Lol. It was a lot of fun to play with the two of them.

I hope you’ve enjoyed all the teasers for this book! And I hope you’ll purchase and enjoy the story as well. Remember that this is only $2.99 and will be a $1 off for the first week it’s available.

You can purchase through the links below.

Sunday Update – August 2, 2015

How is it August already? I’m sad the summer is flying by so quickly. It’s my favorite time of the year and yet it’s so short. Seems a shame for such a happy time to be so fleeting. Today, my youngest woke up and said she didn’t feel well, and yes, she has a fever. Boo. There’s nothing worse than being sick in the summer. So, we’re staying in today and taking it easy.

This week, we tried to stay busy everyday, and this included a freak accident on Tuesday. I decided to travel out to my favorite Asian grocery store which is a drive away from here. Along the way, some other driver’s car lost its tire and it came bounding across the road and hit my car. Luckily, it did minor damage and I’m fine. But it really shook me up, and I was depressed for two days about it. We’ll be looking into getting the car fixed soon. We went to the pool on Tuesday after picking up CSA veggies, Wednesday we were home so my oldest could have her piano lessons, and then Thursday we were also home because of thundershowers. Friday and Saturday, we spent at the pool. The pool is my favorite place in the summer. I love to sit, read, swim a little, knit, or just stare into space and think. I get a lot of brainstorming done there.

Preparation for SUMMER HAIKUS publication continues. There’s a Goodreads giveaway going on right now if you’d like to win a paperback copy. I’m looking forward to the giveaway completion so I don’t have to go back to Goodreads anymore. Lol. This week I’ll have another teaser on Tuesday, reveal the Pinterest board on Wednesday, and celebrate SUMMER HAIKUS launch on Thursday and Friday with posts about Japanese culture. So stay tuned!

I also started on a brand new series project this week. I’m not entirely sure where or what is going on with this new world I’m building. I’m pantsing it until I get a feel for the place and the characters, and then I will probably pause, plot, re-write, and continue on. We’ll see! I want to get some of it down before the end of August, write another short story, and get to work on REVEALED. Lots to do.

What else happened this week?

I started my new writing project! I love that fresh Scrivener project and formatting everything to get started.

This fortune reminded me that nothing comes easy in life, and I need to continue working hard on my writing if I’m going to make it somewhere with this career.

The shawl I’m working on is getting bigger! I’m considering knitting this pattern again in the near future. It’s so easy and I have it memorized.

I got my hair cut yesterday. My hair stylist is always surprised at how fast my hair grows. This is why I never shy away from crazy styles!

And there were lots of other fun things that happened this week, but you can check out the images on Instagram.

Have a great week everyone!

Full Moon Report – July 2015 – Blue Moon

You know that phrase “once in a blue moon?” Well, when a month contains two full moons, the second full moon of the month is a “blue moon” and it doesn’t happen very often, usually once every 2 to 3 years. It used to be the definition of “blue moon” had more to do with how many full moons occurred per season, but the definition was changed in the 40s due to some error in Sky & Telescope magazine (source). Funny how that happens.

This second full moon of the month is in Aquarius, an air sign, so if your brain is GOING GOING GOING through all the ideas right now, you know why. It’s the moon’s fault. Just blame it on the moon. Stubbornness is also a sign of the Aquarius moon so take it easy on others, okay? Those new ideas can wait for a moment while you fetch food for your kid?

During this time, turn your brain towards new projects in science, math, and other intellectual pursuits. If you have the chance to change social tendencies, now is a good time to do that too. This time is also good for cardiovascular sports including running, soccer, and other things that get the blood pumping. BEWARE of electrical devices! I don’t really know why but that’s what all the astrological websites tell me, so I’m telling you. Better safe than sorry!

Cultivate your friendships. Right now, friends are more important than family, so call, write, or text your BFF and tell them you love them. A little love goes a long way.

I realize you may be staring at the ceiling at night all this weekend as those thoughts run through your head. Try not to get too frustrated with the lack of sleep. Let it happen and by Monday or Tuesday, you should be good to go.

Teaser Thursday: Pens

If there’s one thing that Isa is good at, besides running, it’s planning. She can plan just about anything and has since she was in high school. It’s the way she’s dealt with stress for years, and it’s how she gets through each and every day without having a panic attack. One of the major themes of SUMMER HAIKUS is “learning to live outside of your comfort zone” which is not something that is easy for Isa. In fact, anything outside of her comfort zone, including confessing her love for Masa, is a big no-no. So when disaster strikes and one thing after another happens, we get the chance to witness how she deals with an upended life.

Thankfully, Masa is there to help her, whether she wants him to see her floundering or not. Pens may not be the most romantic gift in this case, but rest assured, they are exactly what Isa needs, and they become a signal to the changing tide of their relationship.

Don’t miss out on my newest contemporary romance, SUMMER HAIKUS, out on August 6th, 2015! You can pre-order it from the following online retailers for $2.99, $1 off the normal price.

The Magic of Re-reading

I was just having a conversation with someone a few weeks ago about re-reading our favorite books. I remember lamenting at the time that I just don’t have time to re-read books even though I want to. Like my husband always says, “Life is too short to re-read books you’ve already read.” Of course, I disagree with him. I’ve read the Harry Potter books a number of times, and some of my favorite scifi books (ENDER’S GAME, DUNE, and Isaac Asimov’s FOUNDATION series all come to mind) are always in the back of my consciousness, influencing my reading choices or the way I live my life. I love those books and will happily re-read them all again, sometime in the future.

I was thinking about this whole re-reading phenomenon. If you’ve read a book and are reading it again, you already know the plot, the conflict, and motivation of the characters, the three things that make up a good book. So what is it about re-reading that appeals to many of us? My theory is that there’s magic at play.

Lol. Please laugh with me because this was really my best theory on the matter. Each of these re-readable stories holds a magical quality that feeds us, inspires us, and continues to move us with each subsequent reading. It charmed us the first time, educated us the second time, comforted us the third, and so on. The magic doesn’t fade with each reading, it morphs, especially if years pass between readings. New life experiences may color or affect the words on the page so that what may have been meaningless before is suddenly life-altering. Aren’t books amazing?

After trying to read several new books these past weeks and failing (audiobooks notwithstanding), I decided it was time to go back to my bookshelf for some magic. I was inspired to pick up THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE again after reading an article about the moment Haruki Murakami knew he was going to be a novelist.

Murakami is arguably my favorite author and this is my favorite book, but it’s been at least 8 years since I’ve read it! I remember reading it for the second time around the time my oldest was born, so I know it’s been a while. What better way to refill my creativity well and experience the magic of re-reading than reading my favorite book again! I started reading it last night, and I’m already enjoying the story once more. I love the quality of his sparse writing and sentence structure and the random nature of events that surely mean something in the grand scale of the story. I’ll be interested to see how this book affects me this time. Last time I read it, I cried at certain points. Will these chapters and moments move me again? Or will other points of the story capture my attention? It is an experiment worthy of my summer.

What are your favorite books to re-read? Why do you re-read them? And do they mean something different to you each time you read them? Leave your answers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: Addictive Kisses

Continuing on with the theme of romantic haikus, this one is especially poignant. June is the rainy season in Japan, and Isa and Masa find themselves under an umbrella many times while running errands or walking to and from the ryokan. But Japan is also a country that frowns upon public displays of affection, so any kisses must be stolen or hidden if you don’t want to be tsk-ed at in the street.

Sometimes, those kisses are too addictive. Time passes, bicycles whizz by on the street, and the cup of coffee in your hand grows cold. It’s a passing of time marked by stolen breaths, secretive smiles, and arms across your waist. Don’t let anyone take those moments from you!

Don’t miss out on my newest contemporary romance, SUMMER HAIKUS, out on August 6th, 2015! You can pre-order it from the following online retailers for $2.99, $1 off the normal price.

Sunday Update – July 26, 2015

Where are the weeks going? I will blink my eyes and summer will be over before I know it And y’all know that my favorite season ever is summer. I never want it to end.

This past week I got over my doubts of the previous week and kept moving. I got a new iPhone on Monday! The 6+. I love it. It’s big, yes, but it’s a great size for me because of the things I do on my phone (take and post photos, use FB and Instagram, and most importantly, write). I spent all of Monday getting it set up. Then on Tuesday, I went into the city for the day to meet up with my friend and fellow author, Heidi Tretheway. Lots of authors have been in town this past week and weekend to attend the annual RWA conference, so I was delighted to get out and see Heidi. We ate lots of Japanese food and had some delicious drinks.

The rest of the week was spent either at the pool or exercising, which is totally fine with me. I also inputted final proofreading edits to SUMMER HAIKUS and uploaded to all the vendors. Only two more weeks until it’s available! I’ve been brainstorming on what to write next, plus I need to get to edits of REVEALED before the end of the year. So much to do!

What else happened this week…

Proofs came on Monday! This is the new format for FACE TIME and then SUMMER HAIKUS right next to it. Love them both. Also 8.5″x5.5″ is a great size.

Me and Heidi on Tuesday night!

The bird of paradise opened and flowered this week!

I doubled up on Mickey Mouse.

And I put on new Jamberry nails. I love love love this style. It looks really nice on my nails!

Okay, coming up this week, more SUMMER HAIKUS teasers and possibly some other posts. We’ll see. Have a great week everyone!

Book Chat #18

Slipping a little Book Chat in amongst the SUMMER HAIKUS teasers I’ve been posting!

It’s summertime and that means plenty of reading by the pool while my kids play. But just today, I set aside a book I’ve been reading for the last 10 days. It took me 10 days to get to 55% because, well, I was so bored. The beginning of this book meandered all over the place with no real goals, motivation, or conflict except staying alive, which really is the goal of most human beings so who cares? I kept waiting for the stakes to be raised, and they never were. What’s most disappointing about this is it’s the third book in a trilogy and I loved the first two books. And I love this author. So I’m not going to say which book it is. I just knew I had to let it go when I was staring into space instead of reading. It couldn’t keep my attention.

Moving on, I have chosen another book on my Kindle and will sally forth into a whole new world which will hopefully keep my attention for more than 10 minutes at a time.

In the meantime, I have been listening to audiobooks. Last week, I finished UNWHOLLY by Neal Shusterman, and I really enjoyed it. The plot was moving at all times, and the story was really interesting and engaging. I loved all of the play on “what makes us human” and finally getting some clues as to why the world is the way it is. I guess Shusterman needed a lot of time between Books 1 and 2 to really nail down the world, and though it did take him a long time to get to the 2nd book in the series, it’s obvious he worked hard and did an amazing job. I will definitely be continuing on with the audiobooks quite soon.

But in the meantime, I had a few Audible books I wanted to get to first. Right now I’m listening to another John Scalzi book, AGENT TO THE STARS (narrated again by the awesome Wil Wheaton). Coincidentally, he just wrote a post about this book’s ten year anniversary on his blog. I didn’t realize it was his first book! And it has an interesting history to it as well. I highly recommend you read his post. The book itself is funny, witty, and inventive, like all Scalzi books. It is cementing him in the ranks of my top 10 favorite authors. I love that he entertains me and his books never take themselves too seriously. They make me happy.

So, while one book was a failure, the others in audio form kick ass and take names in the most engaging way possible. Here’s to hoping my next read on my Kindle blows me away!

Teaser Thursday: Her Bright Sweet Laughter

Isa is my buttoned-up Virgo heroine. She’s logical. She plans everything. She loves to keep things in line. And when things go sideways, she has trouble coping, of course. But when she’s happy, she lights up. One of my favorite moments of SUMMER HAIKUS is when Isa actually giggles and Masa is there to witness it. Giggling is not really her thing, not by a landslide. So, naturally, this moment is deserving of a haiku.

Something about the haiku has really stuck with me. The two disparate events of glass clinking and children playing really do remind me of laughter. So sweet.

Don’t miss out on my newest contemporary romance, SUMMER HAIKUS, out on August 6th, 2015! You can pre-order it from the following online retailers for $2.99, $1 off the normal price.

Teaser Tuesday: Selfie Of Two Friends

One of the most beautiful areas of Michigan State University is the WJ Beal Botanical Gardens along the river in spring. You just can’t beat that walk between classes, wandering among the flowers, and taking the time to breathe deep and enjoy the fact that MSU was once, and still very much is, an agricultural college.

Credit Bill Musser. Used in accordance with CC license.

I used to wander that area all the time and have very fond memories of spring after a harsh Michigan winter.

When I was writing SUMMER HAIKUS, I knew I wanted to include some of my favorite buildings and spaces on campus from when I was there. Bryan Hall in Brody Complex, now called Brody Neighborhood, is where I lived my freshman year, and I walked past Sparty, IM West, down by the river, past the stadium, and to Wells Hall where most of my English classes were.

So when Isa and Masa walk in the garden, I had them take a very telling selfie… at least this selfie tells a lot about how Isa feels about Masa.

Sometimes pictures say a lot more than we think they do.

Don’t miss out on my newest contemporary romance, SUMMER HAIKUS, out on August 6th, 2015! You can pre-order it from the following online retailers for $2.99, $1 off the normal price.