S.J. Pajonas's Blog, page 32

Feisty Heroines Deserve an HEA – Promotion

I couldn't resist this sci-fi and paranormal romance sale that celebrates feisty heroines! There were so many books on this promotion from so many authors I know and love that I just had to be a part of it too. Over 60 books here to choose from! Stop on by and take a look…

Check out the Sci-fi & Paranormal Romance Sale!

The post Feisty Heroines Deserve an HEA – Promotion appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

September 2021 Goals

Oh my God, where did this year go? HOW IS IT ALREADY SEPTEMBER?! I don't even know…

What happened with August's Goals

Finish AN UNEXPECTED DEBT. Done and off to first readers. I've already gotten feedback from 2 of my 3 readers! I'll be ready to start on final revisions and copy edits in late September.

Start Skylar's second novel. I did not start this yet because there's so much going on. But I have written down ideas.

Finish the audiobook for LOST FLYGHT. Done.

Promote the SUMMON THE STARS anthology. I haven't done much promoting on this because Amazon just took FOREVER to put the book up for sale… like, WEEKS. Ugh. Expect to see more about it in the coming weeks.

Get the Hikoboshi paperbacks up and for sale. Didn't do this.

Go on vacation! We had a blast!

Finish the Summer Power Zone Pack Challenge. Done! And now I'm doing whatever rides I want to do.

Continue with fasting. The usual. And I have increased my fasting time 3-4 days per week.

Reading and knitting. I did not knit enough but I have been reading.

September Goals

Start Skylar's second novel. I'll get started on this this week.

Start the audiobook for SILENT FLYGHT. I'm now on track to work on this audiobook over September and October.

Promote the SUMMON THE STARS anthology. You're going to be hearing a lot about this starting this week!

Get the Hikoboshi paperbacks up and for sale. I'll get Books 1-4 up this month.

Start reading my books on IGTV. I will be reading Crash Land on Kurai on IGTV. My goal is to read 2-3 chapters per session, and I'll be writing down a few things I want to discuss while reading too.

Make more Reels for Instagram. I love making Reels! I plan to make at least 4-5 per week in September.

Go back to school! Kind of… This month I plan to go through both the Amazon Ad School and my Instagram Marketing course. I plan to use both to increase my audience and my sales.

Kids back to school! Yep, they are going back to in-person school. It'll be a change, again, but I think they're ready. I can only hope that the younger kids can get vaccinated soon.

Start the Fall Power Zone Pack Challenge. This doesn't start until Sept 27th.

Continue with fasting. The usual.

Reading and knitting. The usual here. Get in a few rows per week, and read a few books.

That's it! Have a great month everyone!

The post September 2021 Goals appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

Sunday Update – August 29, 2021

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

We had another long week. My oldest daughter had band camp all week and there was a lot of carpool happening. I barely saw her! I suppose I should get used to this. She’s going into high school now and she’ll have tons to do.

It was hot but we couldn’t go to the pool because my youngest caught a cold. I was worried it was Covid so my husband went out and bought the rapid tests from the pharmacy. Negative. He took one too, just to be sure. Also negative. But still, I couldn’t take her anywhere because she was miserable. Stuffy nose, cough, but no fever. Today, she’s much better and most of her symptoms are gone.

I also worked my last shift at the CSA and now my three shifts are done for the season. I exercised, made some Instagram content, got AN UNEXPECTED DEBT up for preorder, and worked on other marketing stuff. This coming week I start Skylar’s Book 2!!

I'm taking more 16:9 ratio photos now than I used to. So many social media platforms have standardized to 16:9 for Stories or videos. You'll see more of them from me. (Plus, I can always crop to square, which is my favorite format for photos.)

Let's start with Lulu. Still, always by my side… or under the couch, as the case may be.

My hair is getting longer so that means more bed head.

I got new walking shoes this week. I'm hoping the new shoes and a change in walking posture will eliminate lower back tightness.

Our fridge is busted. We use the in-door water and ice a lot, and the tubing for it is leaking now in several places. This is a Kenmore and oops! Sears is out of business. Sears Home Repair is so slow they can't get to us until late in September. We had to call a plumber to come out and fix the water shut-off valve for the fridge because we turned it and it broke. Yay. But now the fridge is back in the wall and not leaking. So we bought a new fridge. Sigh. The new one will be here soon.

Lots of fresh fruit around here.

A carnival set up across from Lulu's daycare.

I'm still enjoying my Peloton. It has really changed my life for the better.

Cheers! We made it through the week…

And if you've ever wondered what my days are like, I put together this Instagram Reel on what I do!

Have a great week, everyone! Stay safe and healthy.

The post Sunday Update – August 29, 2021 appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

AN UNEXPECTED DEBT Is Available For Pre-Order!

I'm excited to announce that AN UNEXPECTED DEBT, the first full-length book in the Amagi Series, is now available for pre-order. But guess what? There is also a prequel novella for this series that will be available soon in the upcoming anthology, SUMMON THE STARS! I'll have that information for you next week. SUMMON THE STARS is currently sitting in the queue for pre-order, so it's a bit delayed.

I can't believe that the start of Skylar's series is finally here! Yes, I wrote it. Lol. So I should be able to believe it, but it feels like a dream. Skylar was an enigma to me for so long until I finally dove into her past and understood her. There's a reason she's the way she is, and you'll all find out about it in this series. You'll also see some of the plot points of Flyght brought forward in this series. I thought Skylar's story was going to be about the androids. Turns out, it's about Rio. You're all very welcome.

Don't expect a rapid release for this series. I'm not writing ahead by more than a book. 2020 and 2021 have been brutal (for everyone) and my writing time has been cut in half by family obligations. I'm doing my best to stay on top of my schedule, and I WANT TO WRITE. I just don't always get the time to do it. I'm sure you understand. Regardless, I'll be writing Book 2 in the series September and October. (Then I'll be writing the final book of the Hikoboshi Series in November and December). So I anticipate Book 2 being available February/March 2022.

Okay! Let's reveal the cover!! I love it to pieces, and I'm excited for all the covers in this series. Thank you to Najla Qamber of Najla Qamber Designs for her amazing work. I have pre-order links for the major stores, and the rest will come soon. I will also reveal the final blurb for this book on September 24! The description below is just temporary…

Now that Skylar Kawabata has her Class Three pilot's license, she's ready to fly the Duo Systems, meet men for her relationship network, and take over her mother's business. But when her mother confesses to having sold the business out from under Skylar, her dreams are quickly doused in cold water.

The man who bought the business, Takemo Diaz, may be handsome, but he's infuriating and won't sell. So, Skylar decides her best course of action is war. War at all costs. She'll make Takemo pay for taking her family legacy, and she'll do it in a killer dress on the arm of another man while she's at it.

Pre-order An Unexpected Debt!

Available November 5, 2021!

Thank you to everyone who's just as excited about this series as I am. I couldn't have done this without you!

The post AN UNEXPECTED DEBT Is Available For Pre-Order! appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

Sunday Update – August 22, 2021

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

It was a busy week here, getting back in the swing of things after being on vacation. I really enjoyed my vacation and time away, so it was hard to change gears and start working again, I'll admit. Especially looking at the giant pile of stuff that grew while we were gone. Sigh. The work is never-ending.

We made it back just in time for my oldest daughter to start band camp for high school marching band. It's many hours a day, but she's having a great time. My youngest did a field hockey clinic all week too, and she really enjoyed that as well.

Lulu returned to us with a little stomach bug that she picked up at boarding. We were worried about her the first night because she was so tired. But then we remembered that she's ALWAYS tired when she returns from boarding. We brought her to the vet on Wednesday and she's been on meds since then and feeling much better.

I finished off my first round of edits on AN UNFORTUNATE DEBT! It's off to my first readers right now. And then that left me with a ton of other things to do. I'm prepping to make more book covers for my Kimura Sisters Series, so I had to source images for that for my designer. I'm still making the LOST FLYGHT audiobook, so I worked on that. I'm making Reel videos for Instagram, so I worked on those too. I'll be working on filling out the form for my blurb writer today, more audiobook chapters, and also planning out my videos for the week.

As evidenced by these photos, Lulu is happy to be home and either by my side on the couch or lounging in bed. (She is by my side right now as I type up this post.)

We saw some deer friends on our walk the other day.

Marching band is in session!

I've been eating as many tomatoes as I can… and cucumbers. We have a lot of those as well.

And of course, I got on the bike as soon as we got home. The penultimate week of the summer Power Zone Pack challenge is always the toughest. This week was no joke. I worked hard on the bike!

And that's it for this week! Have a safe and healthy week, everyone!

The post Sunday Update – August 22, 2021 appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

An Exclusive SURI’S SURE THING Excerpt from PETS IN SPACE 6!

Today, I'm sharing an excerpt from my upcoming novella in a new series, SURI'S SURE THING. If you missed the previous announcements, this novella will be in the upcoming PETS IN SPACE 6 anthology, and it's the beginning of the Kimura Sisters Series! You can learn more about it in this PETS IN SPACE 6 post.

I decided to choose this particular excerpt to showcase today because it's the return of Suri's ex-boyfriend to the scene. He comes almost out of nowhere, and she hasn't seen him in two years. He hasn't called, hasn't written. Nothing. So seeing him again is a bit of a shock. But Finn, Suri's dog, is pretty happy to see him… for now.

The front door swings open, and my mother smiles… kind of. Her face is tight, and her teeth are showing, but her eyes are not backing up this smile.

“Suri, darling! How was your flight home? Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeaahhhh,” I say, drawing out the word and eyeing her warily. “What’s going on?” I widen my eyes to let her know I can read her.

She titters a nervous little laugh that unnerves me even more. The dogs push past her into the front vestibule, barking and jumping — cats hiss and scramble for cover.

And then a laugh echoes in from the house.

My blood runs cold, and my vision tunnels.

“Suri, darling, come inside.” Mom reaches out for me, but I turn to look at Erik. His face is pinched as he stares into the house.

Finn comes barreling towards me. “Suri Suri Suri, come come come. He’s back! Oh oh oh oh…”

Erik takes my arm. “Maybe we should go out to dinner.”

“Suri!” My father’s booming voice precedes him into the vestibule. “There you are! I was beginning to think you got lost.”

He steps to the side, and my heart races with anxiety, fear, and shock.

Leo, my ex-boyfriend, who I haven’t seen in two years, is standing behind him.

“Hey, Suri,” he says, stepping forward. He looks different. His face is thinner, and his hair is shorter, close-cropped. But his voice is the same buttery softness it always was. He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. I am too stunned to move. He pulls away and sees Erik.

“Erik! Hey, man, it’s good to see you.” Leo sticks out his hand, and it takes Erik a full beat to grasp it and lean in for the manly one-arm hug.

“Leo, wow. I had no idea you were back in town.”

“He’s been in town before?” I whisper to Erik. He doesn’t answer, and for a good reason. I was a hysterical mess when Leo broke things off with me and moved away. I’ve known they remained distant friends, but I ignore this information.

Now, it’s staring me in the face.

Oops. Maybe Suri should get her head out of the sand more often, yeah? She's in for a shock at dinner time, for sure. Where is Suri's “sure thing” when she needs him?

Pre-order PETS IN SPACE 6 Now!

Be sure to pick up PETS IN SPACE 6 so you can read the whole story, and plenty more awesome books in this amazing anthology!

The post An Exclusive SURI’S SURE THING Excerpt from PETS IN SPACE 6! appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

A Beach Vacation in Cape May

As you all know, I was on a much-needed vacation with family last week! We drove down to Cape May, NJ and stayed in a hotel with my two cousins and their families. Let me just say, that I'm SUPER, SUPER GRATEFUL for my awesome family. We all get along rather well, and our kids get along too. We have kids from their mid-teens to nine years old, and they all have a lot in common. So going on vacation with family is a lot of fun! I can't wait to do it again sometime soon.

I did my best not to think of work while I was there. I left behind a TON of work that I should have done before we hit the road, but oh well! There's literally only so much I can fit in a day. And work has been stressing me out. There's so much to do with writing, editing, publishing, ads, marketing, social media, etc. etc. etc. Going away and forgetting it for a while is a real treat.

Treats on vacation included: lots of good food, cabanas on the beach, great waves, reading, chatting with my family, more good food with drinks, an evening on the boardwalk, did I mention the food? Lol. The drives there and back were easy. The hotel was nice and convenient. Cape May is a lovely town! We enjoyed walking around and really seeing as much as we could. I also took some time to just relax from exercise too. I have been going non-stop with Peloton and walking, and it was good to take a break.

There were only two things I didn't like about my vacation. Sleeping was a real pain, literally. We got a suite with two queen beds and then a pullout couch. My husband slept like a log on the pullout couch. I spent two nights awake on the pullout couch and in pain from it. So the remainder of nights, I slept with my youngest daughter. She was also a pain, literally, but not as bad as the couch! She was all sharp elbows and toes, and she talks in her sleep too. Lol. But it was better than no sleep.

My other thing I didn't like was being away from Lulu. Yes, I missed my dog. And we came home and she was a little sick with a stomach bug. Poor thing. She's much better now, thanks to some meds from the vet.

Onto the photos!!

Arcade time!

Games and fun times on the boardwalk in Wildwood.

Enjoying the scenic walks and cute homes and hotels.

Tons of great food! (I had my first breakfast in over a year!)

My hair was a bit out of control, but so soft and curly!

Beach chess.

I got lots of compliments on my purple Crocs, believe it or not.

Nighttime drinks at a local Tiki bar, which did not have a lot of tiki drinks, so I was kinda disappointed.

And beautiful clouds for DAYS…

And check out this Reel I made of all the boogie boarding happening on the beach. I love making Reels. It's my new favorite pastime.

It was good to be away, but it's even better to be back home.

The post A Beach Vacation in Cape May appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

Meet Finn, My Pet In Space!

It's Pets in Space Week! Plenty of my fellow Pets in Space authors are posting about their pets, so I will link to them at the bottom of this post.

The Kimura Sister Series is set 30 years after the Nogiku Series ends, on the same planet in the same story universe. It's also the same time the Hikoboshi Series begins, and there's a small crossover in this first book of the series. On the planet, Orihime (once called Yūsei by its immigrants), they have a special animal translation chip that people can opt-in to have implanted between the ages of 8 and 25. Once you have the chip, you are then able to pair with the animals of the planet, either wild or domesticated.

Not everyone is lucky enough to meet their pair, and some people will pair with more than one animal in their lifetime. You just never know! In general, if you pair with a dog, then dogs are your animal. You tend to stick to the same kind of animal throughout your life. Sometimes, you can pair with an animal AND its offspring too! And only one person ever has been able to speak to and understand all the animals of Orihime. If you've read the Nogiku Series, you know who that is.

So when I got the call to write a sci-fi romance for PETS IN SPACE 6, I had the great idea to set it back in this world. I created a big family, the Kimuras, who had one boy and six girls! Those six young ladies will all get their own happily-ever-afters. Suri is just the beginning.

For now… I want you all to meet Finn!

Finn is a good boy, he is. He's a fun and derpy and silly dog, and he balances out Suri's serious personality. He's good at reading people and finding out if they're genuine or lying lying pants on fire. He's always by Suri's side when she's down on the ground, always available for a cuddle or a waiting for a snack. When Suri is in space working, Finn hangs out with Erik, Suri's best friend, and his pair, Tsuki, a Shiba Inu.

When Suri's ex-boyfriend comes to town, Finn is excited and happy at first, until it becomes apparent that he's hiding something… something that could get Suri in a lot of trouble. How does Finn handle the scheming ex-boyfriend?

You'll have to buy PETS IN SPACE 6 to find out! Don't forget to pre-order! You can find all the links right here on my website.

Pre-order PETS IN SPACE 6 Now!

Coming up next week I'll have an exclusive excerpt for you to read too!

More Pets from PETS IN SPACE 6Carol Van Natta's Space GriffinsCassandra Chandler's Trade Secret Cats

Greta van der Rol's Neyru

The post Meet Finn, My Pet In Space! appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

Book Chat #72 – Books By Brigid Kemmerer, Thea Landen, and Carol Van Natta

I have a few books to share that I read in the first part of summer!

A VOW SO BOLD AND DEADLY by Brigid Kemmerer (ebook)

I super enjoyed A VOW SO BOLD AND DEADLY. What a fantastic world to spend time in. Every book in this series delivered all the feels, and I looked forward to coming back here again and again. I’m sad this series is over. I loved spending my time in Emberfall and Syhl Shallow with all the characters. Brigid remains a must-read so I’m sure there will be more worlds to explore in the future. She just announced there will be a spin-off series with one of the side characters! I'm looking forward to it.

HUNTING ASTRID by Thea Landen (ebook)

I wanted to support some lesbian sci-fi romances so I picked this one up. I run SFR Station so I see a lot of sci-fi romances cross my desk, but I rarely see lesbian sci-fi romances. (If you have some recommendations, please drop them in here.) HUNTING ASTRID was a fun story. It’s closer to novella length so the details were light, but the dialogue and characters were well done. The two women had great chemistry and I enjoyed their cat and mouse play. The romance part was fantastic, too. All in all, an excellent read.

GALACTIC SEARCH AND RESCUE by Carol Van Natta (ebook)

If you're looking for a slow burn sci-fi space opera romance, then any of Carol's books will work, including GALACTIC SEARCH AND RESCUE. This book was one of Carol's previous PETS IN SPACE stories so it centers on a search and rescue crew that also includes animals who help. The two protagonists are pretty light on the actual romance because they're very careful about following regulations, but the story is told from both of their points of view so you can see everything progressing along the way. The mystery of the rescue was intriguing too, and it kept me turning the pages into the night. Another great read from Carol Van Natta!

The post Book Chat #72 – Books By Brigid Kemmerer, Thea Landen, and Carol Van Natta appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.

Sunday Update – August 8, 2021

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

It was a busy week around here last week. My kids had tennis camp every day from 11-3pm which means I had to get all my exercising done in the morning (and drop Lulu off at day care) before I dropped them off each day. I set my alarm for early and got it done, but I hate having to do that in the summer. The summer is MY TIME to sleep in to 7am (yes, I know that's not late, but it's not 6am like it is during the school year) so it sucks when I have to get up early. Anyway, it's done! And they had a great time at camp. No complaints there… except for my oldest child being sore from tennis camp. Lol. I told her to go stretch it out.

In work news, I am almost done with my first round edits of AN UNEXPECTED DEBT. I think it's all coming together and setting a good base for the whole series. I should be done with my edits before we leave on vacation this week. Then when I get back, I'll be taking a few days to set up Book 2 of the series.

And that reminds me, there will be no Sunday Update next week because I'll be on vacation! I'm scheduling other content for the week, though, and I'll be around on Instagram per usual.

Lots of Peloton riding going on around here. I got some new shirts and new shoes too. These Nike Superreps were always being recommended in the Peloton groups, and I wanted them, but they were expensive. My husband heard through work people that Nike had put all the “ugly” colors on sale, so I went and picked up a pair of mint green shoes. Score! Got like $40 off and free shipping. I've been adding 10 min Climb Rides in during the week to improve my leg muscles. It's been hard and tiring, but I'm already seeing a difference.

Lots of good food around here. We decided to order sushi one night which was a big treat. My CSA has been exploding with vegetables. The weather has been so good for produce this year. And my salads have been epic.

Treated the kids and myself to donuts at Dunkin Donuts this week. I hadn't had a donut in close to a year. That was nice… along with a decaf iced coffee.

It was Lulu's 2nd birthday on the 4th!! Day care made this photo for her.

She obviously partied hard…

Lots of hard work going on here. I am working some days 12 hours a day. Ugh. It's so much work. But I'm hoping to not work on vacation, so there's that. I spoke about my process over on Instagram.

I'm making more Reels on Instagram! This one is for SURI'S SURE THING which will be in PETS IN SPACE. Have you pre-ordered your copy yet?

And finally, we've been watching a lot of Olympics here. I know the Olympics are over today, but I suspect I'll watch more in the next few weeks. We recorded EVERYTHING on YouTubeTV. I can watch Olympics forever if I want! Lol. I'm going to get caught up on Rhythmic Gymnastics and Synchronized Swimming this week.

And that's it! Have a great week, everyone! Stay safe and healthy.

(Oops, why did I think it was August 6th today? I have changed the title of the post but the slug remains to show how out of it I am!)

The post Sunday Update – August 8, 2021 appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.