S.J. Pajonas's Blog, page 162

Taking breaks

Life is really hectic when you’re publishing two books in a three-month time span, all by yourself. I’ll admit it was an ambitious goal for me. I wanted to get Books ONE and TWO out the door in 2013 and then concentrate on the rest of the series in 2014. I knew it would be difficult, but it’s actually more like grueling Note to self: a better idea is to publish every 4-6 months.

So, even though my schedule has been insane, with getting up at 5am everyday to edit, editing every night and weekend, making images and book covers, and still attending to my kids and family, I managed to take a few days off here and there to enjoy life.

We went apple picking as a family with my brother, his wife and kids, and my mom. Funnily enough considering my work schedule as of late, I drove up to the orchard and back because my husband was working overtime from the passenger seat, his computer on his lap. The kids had a great time, and we’ve been rich with apples ever since. I have to find the time soon to cut up a few for apple crisp. I’m dying to bake again. The weather has changed, and now’s the time to have the oven on again as much as possible.

I then took off my usual mid-October weekend to attend the NY Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck, NY. We rented the same house as last year and it was perfect, easy, and non-stressful. I spent all day Saturday at the fair and met all my goals for the day: buy a Jennie the Potter mug (I bought 2 because I stood in a long line and this way I won’t stand in that line next year), eat fried foods all day, and buy cashmere.

I purchased some lovely yarns!

And hung out with all my friends and handed off a few books to people who asked for them.

Back at the house, we had a delicious dinner together and we slept in the next day. It was the perfect weekend.

I’ve been working like a dog ever since then, but it’s amazing what one can accomplish when not faced with the wrath of a hurricane. I looked back on my blog posts from this time last year and nearly cried. That was a hard time for so many of us. I feel lucky that we were spared this time around. I wonder if I’ll feel this way every year.

We ordered new windows for the house and they’ll be installed later this week. The kids have two days off from school, and I’m internally panicking about getting work done. If I can make it to the weekend unscathed, I’ll be happy! I want to finish up the copy editing on RELEASED and get it off to my proofreaders so I can finally be free to work on my contemporary romance. I just received feedback from all my beta readers, and I’m excited to get my hands dirty on it. It needs a lot of changes, and I have some ideas on direction. I’m eager to revise. But please feel free to ask me again if I’m eager when I’m half way through

At Any Price Cover Reveal

I’m featuring a New Adult contemporary romance cover on the blog today. The blurb sounded intriguing to me and I wish Ms. Aubrey all the success in the world! AT ANY PRICE is out in December.

Achievement Unlocked: Geek Virgin

When Mia Strong, proud geek-girl and popular gaming blogger, auctions off her virginity online, she knows she’ll make waves. But what she will not be making is a love connection. Her rules are set in stone: One night. No further contact.

It’s a desperate step, but it’s the only way she can go to medical school and pay her mother’s mounting hospital bills.

Difficulty Level: Millionaire CEO

Adam Drake, the enigmatic auction winner, is a software prodigy who made his first million at seventeen. Now, in his mid-twenties, he’s sexy, driven and–as CEO of his own gaming company–he’s used to making the rules. Before Mia knows what’s happening, he’s found the loophole in the rules of her auction. Every stipulation she’s made to protect her heart gets tossed by the wayside.

She can’t tell if he’s playing her…or if he’s playing for keeps.

On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18716577-at-any-price

About the Author

Brenna Aubrey is an author of New Adult contemporary romance stories that center on geek culture. Her debut novel, AT ANY PRICE, releases in December, 2013.

She has always sought comfort in good books and the long, involved stories she weaves in her head. Brenna’s favorite author is Jane Austen and favorite novel is PERSUASION.

Brenna is a city girl with a nature-lover’s heart. She therefore finds herself out in green open spaces any chance she can get. A mommy to two little kids and teacher to many more older kids, she juggles schedules to find time to pursue her love of storycrafting.

She currently resides on the west coast with her husband, two children, two adorable golden retriever pups, two birds and some fish.

Brenna’s short story “The Love Letter” was the Grand Prize winner of the JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT Short Story Contest. As such, it was included in the anthology of the same name (Ballantine, 2011)

Website: http://www.BrennaAubrey.net

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/BrennaAubreyAuthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BrennaAubrey

Newsletter: http://brennaaubrey.net/newsletter-signup/

Mark Sakai, you are a dead man

Let’s just say that at the end of REMOVED, Book 1, Sanaa is not such a big fan of Mark Sakai. She’s hurt. She’s angry. And she pretty much wants to kill him. Funny that we always want to hurt the ones we love.

Mark Sakai, you are a dead man… especially if Sanaa has anything to say about it.

This is the first of six teaser images for RELEASED! And I’m really excited about all six. They’re perfect for this story. I think you’ll love them. Please feel free to share this image and spread it around. It will also be on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr by the end of the day.

If you haven’t read REMOVED, Book ONE of the Nogiku Series, you’re in luck! For a limited time, REMOVED is on sale (eBook and Kindle versions only) for 99¢! That’s $3.00 off the release price. Once this sale is over, REMOVED will be $2.99 for quite some time, so get it while it’s at this low price on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble, or Kobo.

On Sale Now!

Available on Amazon (Kindle) / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

PROGENY Cover Reveal

I’m excited to, once again, feature another book in the Endure Series, PROGENY, and its cover today. If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, MAVEN and NEMESIS, then get on Amazon right this moment and buy them. They are so good, and I enjoyed reading every single one of them. I’m going to be honest here, I beta-read PROGENY a month ago and have been keeping my lips sealed tight. I’m here to tell you it’s a fantastic follow-up to Books 1 and 2 in the series. You won’t be disappointed. Huchton delivers something intriguing, sexy, mysterious, and page-turning in PROGENY. Queue this one up fast! It’ll be available on December 2.

Heartbroken over Lydia’s unexplained departure, Daniel Brewer is barely functional. When she left the Endure, she took everything important with her: his purpose, his heart, his reason for breathing. Daniel’s convinced Nick Miller has the answers to his questions, but Dr. Gorgeous isn’t talking.

A world away, Dr. Lydia Ashley struggles with her choices and mistakes. With one small discovery, everything she thought was true is shattered in an instant.

The buried secrets of the Maven Initiative surface.

No one is safe.

And Daniel and Lydia must both decide exactly how far they’ll go for love.

Title: PROGENY (The Endure series, book 3)

Author: S. A. Huchton

Genre: New Adult Science Fiction Romance

Release Date: December 2nd, 2013

PROGENY on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18692434-progeny

If that intrigued you, here’s some information on the other books in the series.

Title: MAVEN (The Endure series, book 1)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17883119-maven

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00D5JOC8O

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/322158

How far would you go for love?

Since losing her parents at 14, young prodigy Dr. Lydia Ashley has focused on one thing: an appointment on the Deep Water Research Command Endure. Now 21, she’s about to realize that dream, but nothing is how she imagined it would be. Her transitional sponsor forgets her, her new lab is in complete chaos, and, as if that weren’t enough, she’s about to discover something so horrific it could potentially destroy all life on the planet.

Daniel Brewer, a noted playboy and genius in his own right, may be exactly what she needs… Or he may make everything worse.

Has she finally found a puzzle she can’t solve?

Title: NEMESIS (The Endure series, book 2)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18240242-nemesis

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00ES4IFT2

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/350983

Tech genius Daniel Brewer isn’t the only one with a romantic history. Already weighed down with the impossible problem of the Maven Initiative’s plans for world domination and disaster, Dr. Lydia Ashley is finding it more and more difficult to keep things in balance. With an old flame reappearing and the schemes of a vindictive new rival thrown into the mix, her hopes for a life with Daniel may be on the brink of annihilation.

When Lydia’s past is brought to light, one big secret could destroy everything.

Find out more about the author, Starla Huchton:

Author website: http://www.starlahuchton.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/riznphnx

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Starla-Huchton-Author-Page/255657227797465

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RELEASED Cover Reveal!

It’s a day I’ve been waiting for since I started writing RELEASED in October of 2011. Two years later, I get to reveal the cover to all my readers! Yes, it’s colorful because the story of RELEASED (Book 2) is colorful as well. This novel opens the door to more characters, a wider plot, and a closer look at Nishikyō as a multicultural city of the future. But RELEASED doesn’t end with Nishikyō. It takes you even farther from Earth and sets up the beginning of a grand journey beyond what Sanaa has always dreamed about.

The photo for the cover was taken while I was in Japan in 2005. My husband and I came across these cranes in Ueno Park in Tokyo, and I remember just standing and staring, trying to get a feel for the different papers used for each one. I wish I had snapped even more photos of these auspicious paper birds, and this cover is just one cross-section of a huge wall of cranes they had on display there.

So, here’s the cover! The blurb for RELEASED is right below and containers some minor spoilers for those who have not read REMOVED. You have been warned. Check out the giveaway below too!

RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series

**Contains spoilers for those who have not read REMOVED!

Left in the desert to recuperate from her injuries, Sanaa Itami paces the floors and contemplates her mistakes. She trusted too easily, and now people she loved are dead, killed at the hands of men coming to assassinate her. Sanaa feels beaten, but life awaits her at home. While Nishikyō recovers from the earthquake, negotiations for Sanaa’s eventual rule on Yūsei continue. New allies must be made, new friendships brokered, new skills acquired — at all costs.

Life at the top of the chain is complicated and lonely, though. With relations in Sakai clan rocky and uncertain, Sanaa must learn to trust others again more than she’s willing. Who amongst the clans is left holding a grudge? And will the new family Sanaa has found with Jiro support or betray her?

From Nishikyō to Yūsei, RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, is the second book in a captivating New Adult post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them in the future.

Queue it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18674866-released

Read the first book in The Nogiku Series, REMOVED:

Amazon (Paperback): http://amzn.com/1940599032

Amazon (Kindle): http://amzn.com/B00F4IE978

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940148646532

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/removed

And big thanks goes out to all the people who helped with my cover reveal today! Please check out their blogs. They’re all great writers and supporters of me and New Adult books.

Juliana Haygert – http://www.julianahaygert.com/blognews/

Annika Barranti Klein – http://noirbettie.com/blog

PK Hrezo – http://pk-hrezo.blogspot.com

Jade Eby – http://www.chasingemptypavements.com

Elisabeth Grace – http://Elisabeth-Grace.com

Vincent Morrone – http://www.vincentmorrone.com

Carrie Butler – http://www.soyoureawriter.blogspot.com

Lisa Swallow – http://lisaswallow.net

Suzanne van Rooyen – http://suzannevanrooyen.com/blog

Chanel Cleeton – http://www.chanelcleeton.com/blog

Katie Carroll – http://www.katielcarroll.com/

Starla Huchton – http://www.starlahuchton.com

Cecilia Robert – http://ceciliarobertnaandadult.blogspot.com

Kim Sabatini – http://www.kimberlysabatini.com

Tracy Krimmer – http://tkrimms.wordpress.com/

Amy Evans – http://www.amyevansbooks.com

Jessa Russo – http://www.jessarusso.com/

Laura Carter – http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.com/

Rainy Kaye – http://www.rainyofthedark.com

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SFR Brigade Presents

I’m participating in SFR Brigade Presents today by posting an excerpt from RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, which will be published in December! Yep, you heard right. I’ve set a date, and you’ll hear more about that on Tuesday when I reveal the cover right here and on several blogs across the blogosphere.

This snippet is just 200 words but it’s from the beginning of RELEASED and will give you a taste of what’s to come for Sanaa as she recovers in the desert.

And now that this post is up, I’m out of town for the weekend! I’ll see you all back here on Tuesday for the cover reveal of RELEASED!

The sight of the growing sandstorm has me transfixed and panicking, and despite my fear of the sky, I’ve grown to tolerate the dunes and my view. In another hour or two, the desert will be completely gone. The cloud of sand is expanding, the amount of blue above lessening in width every moment.

“No! No! Stay away!”

Slamming my hands against the glass, I burst into tears, my voice cracking from disuse. A coughing fit doubles me over and brings up the tears even harder. I wish the door to the outside wasn’t locked. I would get out. I would run. I’d take my chances with the blue sky and the radiation.

But it’s too late. Specks of sand are already slapping against the window, a steady, high-pitched hiss replacing the desert silence. I back up from the window and sit at the table. I had never been ready to give up, not until now.

Damn you, Mark Sakai. How could you bring me all the way out here and leave me? How could you?

I sit and watch, numb, as the sky is swallowed and everything turns orange.

Book Your Time Travel Trip Today!

If you could walk into a time travel agency and pick one place and time to travel to, where would you go? This is a really hard question to answer, and I think it’s because I’m a woman. I think of all the places/times I’d like to go to (the Sahara desert at the time of Lawrence of Arabia [1916-1918], the Russian Revolution at the time of Doctor Zhivago [1913], feudal Japan [1200], Eastern Africa at the time of Out of Africa [1913]) and they were all places not hospitable to women. At all. But they all have a certain romantic edge to them. I love the desert and the idea of a Bedouin life, living in tents on the dunes. I love Old Japan with wooden houses, heavy kimonos in winter, simple foods cooked over an open hearth. I love the majestic beauty of Kenya and the British estates that flourished there during colonization. What’s more beautiful than the scene in Out of Africa when Karen Blixen stands on her lawn amongst all her belongings she’s selling to pay her debts? The camera pans right and captures her in the reflection of a full-length mirror, the lawn and trees of her Kenyan estate behind her.

So I’ll admit that I’m David Lean fan, much to my film professor’s dismay in college (sorry Bill!), and am attracted to wide-epics in life-changing times. Russian Revolution, English colonization, WWI, feudal Japan at the time of the Genpei War. They were all amazing times in history. I’d have trouble choosing but would probably work my way from oldest to most current time with feudal Japan. Warriors on horseback, samurai, swords, family disputes. I’d love to see all that happen.

Welcome to Butterman Travel, Incorporated

We are a full service agency designed to meet all your exclusive time travel needs. Family-owned and operated, we offer clients one hundred years of time travel experience. A place where you can rest assured, safety and reliability always come first.

Anxious to attend a special event from the past? Or for a glimpse of what the future holds?

You’ve come to the right place. We’re a fully accredited operation, offering an array of services; including, but not limited to: customized travel plans, professionally piloted operations, and personal trip guides. *Terms and conditions do apply

Conference us directly from our Website. Our frontline reservation specialist, Bianca Butterman, will handle all your inquiries in a professional and efficient manner, offering a tentative itinerary and free fare quote, so you can make the most of your time trip.

We look forward to serving you at Butterman Travel, Inc., where time is always in your hands.

BUTTERMAN (TIME) TRAVEL, INC. will be available on 11-12-13!

About the Author

PK Hrezo is a native Floridian whose life could easily be a Jimmy Buffet song. She shares her home with her firefighter husband and their two children. When not creating characters and their worlds, PK can be found at her other job of rearranging passenger’s itineraries for a major international airline. The only hobbies she loves more than traveling, are reading, writing, and music, and when the four are combined she exists in total bliss.

PK HREZO: Fearless Fiction: http://pk-hrezo.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/PKHrezo @pkhrezo

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorpkhrezo

Website: http://down-the-rabbithole.com/

Courage Release Day!

It’s COURAGE release day, and I’m super excited for Carrie Butler’s second book in her Mark of Nexus series. Carrie is a fabulous writer, designer, and all-around fantastic person. I was actually really fortunate to win the grand prize of $100 in credit to her new author-centric design studio, ForwardAuthority. We’ve been talking about making a book trailer for REMOVED and the collaboration has been smooth-sailing so far. So if you really love a good story, you should check out her series. In fact, you can get the first book, STRENGTH, free this week!

Title: Courage

Author: Carrie Butler

Series: Mark of Nexus #2

Category: New Adult (NA)

Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR)

Rena Collins never thought she’d long for the past—back when affection from Wallace, her freakishly strong boyfriend, was the most dangerous aspect of her life. But now that the human-altering organization known as ERA has gone on the offensive, nothing is safe. Her bloodline is exposed, her relationships torn apart, and just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, ERA ups the ante. To save mankind from forced evolution, Rena will have to mend her broken ties and form a resistance… hand-in-hand with the one she hurt most.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzcKCPiFXgg

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18164093-courage

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQRW7FS

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/courage-carrie-butler/1117074690

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/364060

About the Author

Carrie Butler daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

Her passion for New Adult fiction led her to co-found NA Alley—a widely recognized informational hub for the category. She is the author of STRENGTH (Mark of Nexus #1) and COURAGE (Mark of Nexus #2).

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | YouTube | Goodreads




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Whiskey and a Gun

This week I’m featuring a few other New Adult authors for you to check out. First up, Jade Eby! Her new novel, WHISKEY AND A GUN, comes out next month.

I only meant to love her…

Tawny Owens was going to help me escape my past. She was going to change my future.

But that’s not what happened.

I don’t know if I can control it much longer. This insatiable need to kill the only good thing in my life.

But this isn’t her story – it’s mine.

WHISKEY AND A GUN is a short story prequel to my upcoming novel, THE FINISH (due out in 2014).

Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18247465-whiskey-and-a-gun

About the Author

Once upon a time there was a little girl who fell in love with books then she grew up to write her own. Jade has participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) six times and enjoys copious amounts of coffee. When she’s not writing, she enjoys trashy reality T.V. and reading everything she can get her hands on. Mommy to two dogs and two naughty kitties, she feels like she might be on her way to having a zoo.

Website: www.jadeeby.com

Twitter: twitter.com/jade_eby

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Setting Up A Manuscript In Scrivener

I’m sure this post has been done all over the internet, but I’m going to do something most others are not doing. I’m going to show you how I set up my manuscript REMOVED in Scrivener, and I’m going to suggest you follow my advice. Granted there is no ONE BEST WAY to set up a manuscript in Scrivener, but I can honestly tell you that most ways will fail miserably once you get to the compile stage if you don’t do it the way I suggest.

There is nothing worse than writing your whole book in some crazy way in Scrivener and then hitting File > Compile and crying tears of frustration because it just doesn’t look the way you want it to. And then you curse Scrivener, even though it was your own fault in the first place Be honest with yourself.

Now, it’s time to start a new book. You open Scrivener after watching the tutorials, crack your knuckles, and chose File > New.

You get this screen, and hopefully you choose Fiction on the left, and Novel on the right.

Don’t choose anything different! You’re writing a novel, right? With chapters and text in those chapters? Right. If you’re not doing this, then I have no clue what you’re writing. Novels have a structure, and there’s a reason why you get this option. You may be writing a novel with parts but I’ll show you how to add those in later. Start with this.

Once you’ve chosen this, Scrivener gets you started with a basic manuscript.

Look here! A basic manuscript with a Chapter folder and a Scene text document in it. THIS IS THE STRUCTURE OF A NOVEL. DO NOT DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Chapters with text in them. Right?

You can have as many scenes as you want. Only want one scene in a chapter? Fine. Just use that one text in that chapter folder. You want lots of scenes with little breaks between them? You can have that too. Click on the Chapter folder, use the Add (green button in the top bar) and choose New Text. You can keep doing that as many times as you want to give you lots of scenes. It’s up to you. BUT don’t deviate from this structure

Here’s what REMOVED looks like…

I blurred out a few things so you don’t get any spoilers.

Keep doing this until you’ve written a whole book. Keep adding chapter folders and text document scenes within each folder as you write.

I love it (LOVE IT) when someone tells me, “I don’t need Scrivener because I write linearly. I can do that in Word.” Guess what? You can do that in Scrivener, too. Just keep writing, adding scenes and chapters. Write it linearly for your first draft. But do not even try to tell me that on your second, third, fourth drafts you do not move scenes around because if you try to tell me that, YOU ARE LYING.

The beauty of Scrivener is in revisions. Look at the image right above. See that scene entitled After we’ve gulped down the last…, originally I had that as part of the previous chapter. But then I decided that first chapter was too long and that scene was better off to start the next chapter. So I just took the text document, and I moved it into the next chapter. Easy Peasy. No selecting>copying>pasting>moving page breaks. Just drag and drop. I have often moved whole chapters upon revisions.

TIP: Get used to writing with word count, not pages. Let me explain something to you. Books can be laid out or formatted a ton of ways. Different page sizes, fonts and font sizes, line spacing, paragraph spacing, margins. Your concept of a chapter should be based on word count because that’s what’s going to matter in the end. Do a google search. There are accepted chapter word counts for each genre. When I write my Nogiku Series books, I aim for anywhere from, at the very shortest, 1000 words to, at the very longest, 6000 words, and I’m careful to use scene breaks if my chapters reach the 6000 words mark. Chapter and scene length greatly influence story pacing. It’s important to know what’s acceptable and what’s not. Scrivener will tell you your word count right at the bottom of the window. Keep an eye on it.

Ok, so you’ve written your masterpiece, revised it, edited it, revised it, edited it, etc. until it’s perfect? Next up, I’ll show you how to get it from Scrivener to Paperback format so you can upload it to Createspace and have it printed.