S.J. Pajonas's Blog, page 131

Book Chat #14

Wow, another Book Chat so close to the last one! Well, the weekend did include Mother’s Day, and since we canceled our outings to stay home because my eldest daughter was sick, I spent the day reading.

I’m happy to report that I finished THE YEAR WE FELL DOWN by Sarina Bowen, and sigh. I just loved it. I loved the college setting, and the heroine, Corey. Sarina took a bold step in making her heroine disabled, and it was a sure step indeed. I was intrigued with Corey’s own feelings on her condition, those around her, and how she would get by at a college that wasn’t always wheelchair-accessible. The romance with Hartley felt very real to me. I remember my own college romances VERY well, how awkward the guys were, and how friendships could easily turn lustful and back again so easily. How guys can sometimes barely say they’re sorry but show it instead. I liked that about THE YEAR WE FELL DOWN. It was real. It was powerful. I don’t always need to hear the words “I’m sorry” especially if I can see it in everything the person does.

Anyway, Sarina is a friend of mine which is why I read the book in the first place, because I KNEW IT WOULD BE GOOD before I even picked it up. Lol. After hitting a few bumps in the road of bad books by people I don’t know, I’m going to be falling back on writers I trust for a while.

Go pick up THE YEAR WE FELL DOWN right now. It’s free. You will not be disappointed.

In the audiobook world, I started listening to FUZZY NATION by John Scalzi, and as I predicted I am enjoying it immensely. I’ve become a huge fan of his over the past year, both as an author and as a person of interest. I read his blog regularly as well, and have come to enjoy his take on many current issues and trends. I read OLD MAN’S WAR ages ago and enjoyed that but never read the rest of the series. I’m happy to be enjoying more of his work now in audiobook format.

I think I may spend my next Audible credit on THE ANDROID’S DREAM since I just spent my latest credit on DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? by Philip K. Dick (It’s titled as BLADE RUNNER on Audible).

I’ve never read it but I’m a big fan of BLADE RUNNER and BLADE RUNNER is a big inspiration for my next scifi romance series (Wow, I just gave something away about my next project! Did you see that?)

Anyway, it’s time for me to get back to proofreading RECLAIMED! Later!

Teaser Tuesday – Do Owls Cry?

Oh good! I’ve been waiting for this teaser to come around because I am in love with owls, and would you look at that cutie? I just want to squeeze him and nuzzle him and love him forever. Sigh. When I said a few teasers back RECLAIMED was ALL ABOUT THE ANIMALS, I really meant it. I dropped hints in all the books leading up to this one, so hopefully you saw it coming, and if you didn’t, SURPRISE!

Sanaa makes some new friends in this book, both humans and animals, and sometimes new friends are better than old in this case. How does Himitsu-chan come into her life and why? You’ll have to read to find out!

Next week, I’ll be unveiling the Pinterest board for RECLAIMED! There’s lots there to inspire

ON SALE NOW!

To celebrate the imminent release of RECLAIMED, all of the Nogiku Series is ON SALE!

REMOVED is free!

RELEASED is 99¢!

REUNITED is $2.99 ($2 off)!

And of course…

RECLAIMED is $2.99 ($2 off)! (Pre-order now and get it on May 28!)

Thanks for dropping by!

Sunday Update – May 10, 2015

Writing this post on Monday morning and back dating it to 11:30pm last night because my relaxing Mother’s Day meant not opening the computer at all.

We had a busy week here last week. I spent the early part of the week working hard on revisions to my contemporary romance so I could get it out to my editor and beta readers. I plugged away and wrote a lot of words and got thing done and out by Wednesday afternoon. Phew! Then Thursday I spent working on the proofreading updates and paperback of RECLAIMED. Once I got that taken care of, I sent the files to Createspace then ordered a proof. I should have that by Wednesday.

I also worked on the cover for the new contemporary romance and tweaked the cover for FACE TIME because both of these books will be under the same series umbrella now. In June, I’ll be pulling the paperback of FACE TIME offline and won’t be offering it again, and I also won’t be offering paperbacks of my new contemporary romance. No one buys them and it’s a waste of time and effort for me. My scifi romances will still get paperbacks though.

What else did we do?

We went to the park and I read, back in my favorite spot.

I celebrated finishing another book!

Me and the youngest went to IKEA and had a blast. I love that place.

I got my first ever piece of fan mail. Yes, first ever, after being publishing for 20 months. I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen. All of my author colleagues get fan mail all the time, or get invited to book clubs, or whatever. That never happens to me. I was afraid I would get hate mail before I ever got fan mail. Let me tell you how much that piece of fan mail meant to me. A WHOLE LOT. I heard from someone halfway around the world that she loved my books and she read them when was feeling low, and they made her feel better. That right there is worth more than all the money I could ever make at this job. I know I don’t have a lot of fans because I write books way outside the norm, and I feel that way deep in my bones. I was beginning to doubt I reached anyone with my books because reviews, comments, mail, or any kind of interaction is so low, and I put myself WAY out there. I’m available and reachable at all times.

So this piece of fan mail reaffirmed that I should keep going because I have honestly thought of quitting several times in the past two months. But no. I promised myself I would keep at this for 20 years. Yep, 20 years. It was nice to get a little validation in Year 2 of my journey. I needed that.

I don’t know that I’ll be updating the blog that much this week, except for Teaser Tuesday, of course. I’m going to play it by ear. I need to write down some post ideas and build up some stamina for plenty more posts to come.

Book Chat #13

Posting has been scarce on the blog this week because I had a self-imposed deadline I wanted to get done. I finished writing a book two days ago! And it’s off to beta readers and my new editor, so it’s time to get back in the swing of things.

This Book Chat is all Susan Kaye Quinn, which probably won’t surprise most of you. Lol. Right after my vacation to South Carolina two weeks ago, I had the chance to sit down and finish FIRST DAUGHTER and therefore the Dharian Trilogy. This was another great book in this series, so I can highly recommend the whole thing to you all. I loved the strong characters and the intrigue between families and nations. It’s lighter on the romance too, if you’re not into that sort of thing, but has enough to keep me satisfied

After finishing FIRST DAUGHTER, I tried to read two other books.

One was a YA scifi and I gave up after the first chapter. It was full of infodump and the main character was doing things that made no sense to me.

So I picked up a book I was super excited to read. It had amazing reviews and was highly regarded. I also set that one down after the first couple of pages because the editing was so horrible, way too many dialogue tags and some of them were outrageously stupid. I paid actual money for that book (not on sale) so I left a poor review which I almost never do. Sigh. I’ve said this before in a past blog post on reviews. I won’t comment or review books I didn’t like unless the reason I didn’t like them was bad editing.

Anyway, the good news is that I’m reading something I’m really enjoying now. It’s written by someone I know so I’m not going to say anything until I’m done

On the audiobook front, I also finished listening to another Susan Kaye Quinn book, THE DEBT COLLECTOR Season 1. I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice in this recording and the story was really interesting and kept me engaged the entire time. This is another one worth listening to.

I’m not sure what I’m going to listen to next. I have another John Scalzi novel, FUZZY NATION, in my queue that I’m interested in. This one is also narrated by Wil Wheaton, so I’m sure I’ll love it. There are some books I want to get on Audible, maybe THE NIGHT CIRCUS? I kinda just want to listen to THE MARTIAN again, I loved it so much. I need to do some research on what to listen to and download.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Teaser Tuesday – The End Of The Road

So I’m a big fan of Happily Ever After, but sometimes, especially for this series, it doesn’t make sense to end things in a nice little package with a ribbon on top. I had two goals for the end of this book and this story arc, and I give those to readers, and pretty much nothing else. Lol.

There is hardship. There is death. But there is also hope and the promise of a love, family, and a new generation at the end.

This particular quote comes in the final third of the book when all is almost lost, and it’s time to buck up and deal with the enemy. Sanaa is broken, and Jiro is there to help pick up the pieces. That’s what we love about him, right?

Extra tidbit: The final battle in this book is an homage to all the samurai movies I watched in my twenties, especially Seven Samurai. Sometimes big battles are not fought with armies on the field

ON SALE NOW!

To celebrate the imminent release of RECLAIMED, all of the Nogiku Series is ON SALE!

REMOVED is free!

RELEASED is 99¢!

REUNITED is $2.99 ($2 off)!

And of course…

RECLAIMED is $2.99 ($2 off)! (Pre-order now and get it on May 28!)

Thanks for dropping by!

Sunday Update – May 3, 2015

It was a busy week last week! Each day was filled with tasks I needed to get done before Friday and the weekend. First, I have a deadline to get the Tokyo Run book done and to my new editor early this week. I had planned to finish it last week but a ton of home stuff got in the way. Right now, I’m two chapters from completing it, so I’m not far from my deadline. I’ll announce the new title soon and I’ve got to contact Lola’s Blog Tours about a cover reveal and my Net Galley co-op about a slot for July. Lots to do on the writing front!

I received back proofreading comments from one reader and half of the comments from another reader so I’m going to start on the final draft of RECLAIMED later this week, which also means formatting the paperback. I’ll have the paperback up for sale early this time! Possibly a week before the eBook is available. I’m hoping to have a few reviews on Amazon before the eBook goes live

At home, I spent the entire week cleaning out the basement and preparing for the new treadmill to come. The treadmill is going to be my new desk! I plan to walk-and-work at least four to five days per week. I can’t wait to have it set up! I had to work hard on the basement clean-out because the treadmill came on Friday, so that took precedent over everything else. The basement is clean now! And I have a ton of stuff to go out in the bulk trash pickup on Wednesday.

Everything is in bloom! And it’s making me so happy that I take photos of it all

I worked hard to get the NA Alley Quest For Queena auction blog posts set up and then promote it throughout the week. We raised over $3000!

Some stressful days can only be fixed with a strong drink.

And fun new nails!

I hope you all have a great week!

Coming up on the blog this week…

Tuesday: Another RECLAIMED Teaser Tuesday

Thursday: Bullet Journaling

(There may be other posts but this is all I have planned for now.)

Full Moon Report – May 2015

Brace yourself! We’re back in the full moon of Scorpio, and you can expect quite an emotional ride these next few days. My calendar says the full moon is both Sunday and Monday, so I’m giving you plenty of notice here. Are you feeling overly emotional? Are all those emotions coming straight out of your eyes? Yeah, be prepared to cry a lot in the next few days. Scorpio is a turbulent water sign, and often described as the one sign that does not act like its element. If anything, Scorpio acts like Fire not Water, so you can only imagine what that will do to us for the next few days.

During this time you may find the ability to control yourself is missing. Overuse of drugs, alcohol, and especially sex are typical. But this time is not all bad! You may find that your intuition and concentration are especially sharp and sitting down to ponder the wonders of the universe will be a very attractive idea. During this time, the subconsciousness becomes very active, intuition increases, and the ability to understand the unexplainable, the mysterious, is heightened. Don’t be surprised if suddenly EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE. Lol. Easy there.

My guide to this full moon says to avoid family gatherings which is impossible for us as we’re having a family party at our house tomorrow. Sigh. I should always look up the full moon first.

I remember the Scorpio full moon last year. It was a nightmare. Everyone was cranky and emotional, and I didn’t sleep well for days. If you don’t hear from me, be thankful! I will hole up until it’s all over with.

Suspending My Disbelief

I don’t know how many of these Writing Tips & Rants posts I will do because surely they are bound to piss off some fellow writers and that’s not my intention. I find that my years of writing, both in college and now, and years working for a media behemoth qualify me to give SOME advice that can be taken or not. Ahem. Here we go.

I read a lot, or I try to at least. I became a full-time author because of my love of books and stories so obviously I take some time to read fiction whenever possible. But now that I know better about writing techniques and tips, I find it hard to get into books if they are not written well. And I don’t mean written well by average reader standards. I mean WELL WRITTEN by a professional editors standards.

Just last week I finished a book (I have a Book Chat coming up next week!) and figured it was time to head to my Kindle to pick out something new. I chose a YA scifi novel that’s been all the rage lately, and I even got the book on sale! When it comes to scifi, you have to suspend a lot of disbelief to enjoy it. You have to believe that space flight, living on other planets, new technologies, and even aliens are possible. As a writer, this is a difficult task. In order for the writer to make the reader believe in their world, you have to sell it.

Here’s the biggest tip you will ever get on suspension of disbelief. I learned it in college and had it hammered into my brain by Howard on The Writing Excuses. Listen to this podcast!

If you want me to believe ALL THE BIG PARTS of your world, you have to get THE LITTLE PARTS right.

So if you want me to believe the entire human race is practically extinct, they live on a new planet and under a dome, then you have to get the little details of silly things like exercising, eating, or cooking food right. Don’t tell me they are surviving on an alien world and then have the heroine wake from sleep, shower, and go for a run. Only 5% of people actually shower before exercising (and they all have a damned good reason for it too. I asked.) I didn’t believe anyone would do that! Especially without a good excuse in the narrative, and I was ripped from the story.

The book got this wrong and several other small details too. It lost me in the first chapter, and it could have kept me if I had just believed that she was acting correctly. Too bad.

So what did we learn here today, authors? Get those small details right and your bigger world will be believable.

Quest For Queena Auction – The Auction For Writers!

Hey everyone! I rarely post about my goings-on over at NA Alley (did you know I’m a board member there?) but this awesome event is worth posting about! If you’re a writer, author, or publishing professional, you’ll want to check out this auction! Get over to 32auctions.com now and check out some of the bundles we’ve put together!

This auction includes items like:

Agent critiques and consultations
Story software from Save the Cat, Scrivener, Vellum, and more!
Pub pros consultations like The Plot Whisperer, Mary Kole, Susan Kaye Quinn, and more!
Kindle Fire loaded with ebooks
Signed paperbacks from bestselling authors
Book tour, swag, Authors Training Authors and Emotion Thesauruses

And so much more!

Twenty bundles in total! Check them out and plan your bidding strategy. Auction is open til Friday, May 1, at 6pm EST. Afterward, we will have a Facebook wrap up party and announce winners, as well as give away prizes. Hope to see you there! Invite all your friends!

Check out the complete program and bundles up for bid.

And go directly to the auction to bid!

And if you can, help spread the word by sharing via a blog post, tweet, Facebook share, or whatever floats your boat. 100% of the proceeds will go to Queena and her family toward the therapy that costs them over $100K every year.

To learn more about Queena, visit her website, JoinQueena.com

Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know if you have any questions.

This auction is hosted by NA Alley.

Teaser Tuesday – All The Animals

If there’s one thing to know about RECLAIMED before you get into the book, it’s that animals play an important role in the rest of Sanaa’s life. They’ve been waiting for her, flocking to her when she didn’t even realize it. And now, they’ll be a permanent part of her existence for the rest of time. Jiro, though, would like to make sure they don’t take over the bed for good.

If you know me at all, you’ll laugh at this. I may be a romance writer, but I do not push naked bodies in your face on my blog, Facebook, or wherever. The text is a little sexy, but the image is a direct contrast And I kind of like that! The rest of the images in the teaser series will be a lot like this one.

ON SALE NOW!

To celebrate the imminent release of RECLAIMED, all of the Nogiku Series is ON SALE!

REMOVED is free!

RELEASED is 99¢!

REUNITED is $2.99 ($2 off)!

And of course…

RECLAIMED is $2.99 ($2 off)! (Pre-order now and get it on May 28!)

Thanks for dropping by!