S.J. Pajonas's Blog, page 57
December 8, 2019
Sunday Update – December 8, 2019
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.
Here we are, another week gone by! And we’re so close to a new decade. Only a few more weeks to go!
We had a strange week here. We got dumped on with snow on Monday and they canceled school. The kids played outside for most of the day and Lulu got to experience real snow for the first time.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were all supposed to be half days because of parent-teacher conferences. But Tuesday, instead, was a delayed start and they decided to make it a full day instead and cancel conferences for that day. Of course, that was the day I was supposed to have a conference so that threw off everything I had planned for the day.
We got through the rest of the week, just barely. Tutoring was moved around. Piano lessons were on and then canceled. I just did my best to make it through without tearing my hair out. It was good that I didn’t have to write words this whole week because I would have been doubly frustrated.
I spent several days working on uploading my books to Smashwords. I will get all of my single titles up there, and I’ll finish it up today, I think. Just have to put the Flyght Series up there now.
Tomorrow I start reading through Flyght 5 and making my story updates. Then I’ll send it off to first readers and start working on my outline for the final book of the series!
What else happened this week?
I had my last pottery class of the session this week. I picked up two of these small, shallow bowls I made, and then I glazed everything else I’ve made. These red ones will come out of the kiln a dark blue/black color.
Lulu enjoyed lots of lazing around this week.
My kids did lots of activities like a trip to the bank to get a tour and playing Christmas chamber music at the local holiday festival.
And finally, there was snow and the dog got involved!
Have a great week everyone!
Viber
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December 5, 2019
Book Chat #51 – Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham, Jessie Mihalik, and Margaret Atwood
This is the second to last Book Chat of the year! I’ll have one more before the end of December, as I’m getting a lot of reading and audiobooks in right now.
Today I have three audiobooks for you! I actually did read one more book on my kindle but it’s no longer for sale on Amazon, as the author is re-editing it. I’ll post it about it in the future if it comes back up for sale.
VERONICA MARS: THE THOUSAND-DOLLAR TAN LINE by Ron Thomas and Jennifer Graham
I remember that I got this audiobook on a whim during a sale, and I’m so glad I did. It was like being back in the Veronica Mars universe without having to invest in sitting through another season on the TV. (FWIW, I haven’t seen the newest season on Hulu.) Kristen Bell did a fantastic job as narrator on this book, and I was suitably surprised by the outcome of the mystery. It had plenty of twists and turns to keep me satisfied. And of course, the story had the same biting wit and great writing that I came to love about the show. I just wish there were more!
AURORA BLAZING by Jessie Mihalik
I loved the first book in this series, so I immediately pre-ordered the second book. But when it came time to sit down and read, well, there was NO TIME to sit down and read. Sigh. Instead, there was plenty of outdoor walking, so I ponied up and bought the audiobook too. I’m glad I did! The narrator did a good job of pulling me into the world, and I was right back in the universe Mihalik built in the first book. Bianca’s story was fast-paced and action-packed, and the enemies-to-lovers storyline was believable and fun. I can’t wait for the last book in this series!
THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood
I love THE HANDMAID’S TALE. It is one of my long-time favorite books. So I was excited when I heard there was a sequel coming once the show on Hulu had gained some steam. I pre-ordered this book and then ended up borrowing the audiobook from the library too. I listened to this feverishly. The narration was amazing. The actress who plays Aunt Lydia on the Hulu show, Ann Dowd, did the parts from Aunt Lydia in the book. Hearing her voice made it all the more real. Other famous narrators included Bryce Dallas Howard and Derek Jacobi. It was sooooooo good. And I was super pleased with the way the story ended too. It gave me a satisfactory happy ending. Definitely pick this up if you are a fan of THE HANDMAID’S TALE.
I enjoyed all of these books! Tell me, what are you reading and loving?
Viber
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December 2, 2019
December 2019 Goals
Where did this year go? How is it December already? I’m glad 2019 is almost done, but man, time is flying.
What Happened With November’s Goals?
Publish HIGH FLYGHT. Done! Last book of the year to be published and all went well.
Keep writing Flyght Book 5 and finish it. Done! Finished on Friday!
Keep up with SFR Station. As usual now.
Walk. I did go on a lot of walks in November. Runkeeper says I walked 44 miles last month. That doesn’t count all the times I walked with the dog because I never turn on Runkeeper for those. I might start keeping track of them in 2020.
Reading and knitting. I didn’t do much knitting until I finished with Flyght 5. I switched from reading on my Kindle to listening to a lot of audiobooks. I got more reading done that way.
Business Goals For December
Revise Flyght Book 5 and send to first readers. I would like to get this off to first readers before Christmas.
Start outlining Flyght Book 6. It’s my intention to start writing this book over the Christmas holiday and then be done with it by the end of February.
Handle all of the end of the year/new year blog posts. Lots of blog posts coming up at the end of the year! I would like to get most of them done ahead of time.
Keep up with SFR Station. As usual now.
Personal Goals For November
Walk. It’s still my goal to walk 4-5 times every week. My husband starts a new job today so that means I have to juggle walking the dog and walking myself every day.
Reading and knitting. I want to finish this shawl I’m working on. I’ll get it done with audiobooks!
Have a great December everyone!
Viber
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December 1, 2019
Sunday Update – December 1, 2019
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.
Monday was a bit busy. We took the kids out of school an hour early and went to get their passports renewed so we can travel out of the country next year. We have lots of places to go and plenty to do and see! We need those passports. Hopefully they’ll be here without delay.
Tuesday, my husband spent most of the day in the city so I was at home with the dog all day. This is something I have to get used to since my husband is starting a new job on Monday and he’ll be in the city a lot. Lulu and I will be spending a lot of time together.
Wednesday was a half day. The kids were home by 12:30 and then they had tennis in the afternoon. My oldest daughter dropped her phone in a toilet! Oops. Thankfully it was a toilet that was already flushed, but still. Yuck. It is now in rice and we hope it’ll be fine someday.
Thursday was Thanksgiving! We spent the day with family at my cousin’s house since she only lives 22 minutes away. No traffic even! We didn’t want to crate Lulu for too long. She’s still a puppy and not used to being crated. So we tried to be gone only for 4 hours. She was super happy to see us when we got home!
Friday was Black Friday around here and also my husband’s birthday. I made waffles for breakfast, got my hair cut, and then gave him most of the rest of the day for himself. I took the dog out and watched her the rest of the day so he could play video games and nap. Then we went out to dinner as a family. I also finished writing Flyght Book 5!! Yay!!
Saturday was a slow down day. We did a walk/run for charity in the morning in the park and then spent the rest of the day on the couch. I got some knitting and listening to my audiobook done. I also took the dog out for a walk and I baked a loaf of bread. Plus, I ate more Thanksgiving leftovers. Lol. SO MANY LEFTOVERS.
Today it’s supposed to snow and my kids have some local things they’ll be doing. I will be getting my SFR Station work finished, do a last edit to LOST FLYGHT and upload that, and revise my outline of Flyght Book 5 and send off that book to my blurb writer. I plan to get the pre-order up for it next week without a blurb.
What else happened this week?
I so enjoyed a morning of waffles. I rarely eat breakfast anymore so this was a treat!
There have been so many Thanksgiving leftovers! I ate a full plate for lunch on Friday, and then lunch on Saturday was a salad version.
Crumbshot of the bread I made yesterday.
Lulu continues to grow and charm us.
The charity run/walk we did raised a lot of money for Progeria, which is a rapid aging disease that one girl in my youngest daughter’s class has.
I finished writing Flyght Book 5! I still have revisions to do but I plan on putting it up for pre-order next week.
I got some knitting and audiobook time in yesterday. It was nice to spend some time not writing.
Have a great week everyone!
Viber
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November 29, 2019
LOST FLYGHT Is Available For Pre-Order!
Hello everyone! Just wanted to alert you to LOST FLYGHT which is currently available for pre-order!
LOST FLYGHT was an exciting book to write. I finally got to reveal a big plot element in this book, something I had been waiting to write for two years and four books! It doesn’t get much better than seeing your story dreams come to life on the page.
I hope you’ve been enjoying this series as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. I’m almost done writing Book 5, and then all I have left to do is write Book 6 and the series will be complete! There’s still so much more to look forward to in this world.
A frustrated captain. A starship on the fritz. Can she salvage her smuggling trade before jealous rivals knock her out of the galaxy?
Vivian Kawabata feels like her wings have been clipped. With her broken ship in the repair yard, and her crew begging her to take a break, she agrees to a private villa getaway with the chance to seduce her new hot medic. But her beach vacation becomes a stressful battleground when an ex’s former consort swoops in with a destructive agenda.
With her family’s farm at stake, the only way to outmaneuver the cutthroat may be by getting back to her roots… and extraordinary plants. But even if she digs up the dirt she needs, she still has to deal with in-laws, shady shopkeepers, and a shocking discovery aboard her ship.
Can Vivian get her vessel and her men aloft, or will her operation crash and burn?
LOST FLYGHT is the fourth book in the Flyght Series of sci-fi reverse harem romance. If you like seductive space operas, warp-speed world-building, and high-octane twists and turns, then you’ll love S. J. Pajonas’s star-struck tale.
Pre-order LOST FLYGHT on…
Amazon Apple Books Nook Kobo
LOST FLYGHT will be available on January 3, 2020. Google Play and Direct will be available on release day. I hope you’re enjoying the series already!
Viber
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November 28, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello awesome readers! Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at the Pajonas household!
Our usual routine for Thanksgiving is to load up into the car and make the harrowing trip across Manhattan to visit family on Long Island. But that’s usually a really long day, both in the car and at the in-laws. We have a new dog who’s slowly getting used to being alone during the day for short stretches. I didn’t want to crate her all day, so I thought we’d stay local. My cousin, who lives only 20 minutes away, invited us over for the day, so we went there and had a great time! Lots of food, family, chatting, and games. I’m so glad we went.
I did a lot of cooking and prep for today including making a seitan “turkey” breast with gravy, apple crisp, glazed beets, salad, and mashed sweet potatoes. We brought it all over to my cousin’s house and she added stuffed shells, stuffing, cauliflower, and mashed potatoes. It was all delicious! I’m so glad we decided to do the holiday together.
Today I’m really thankful for a lot of things in my life, especially my family. I’m also thankful for this opportunity to write stories and share them with the world.
If you celebrate here in the States, I hope your Thanksgiving was joyous and happy. I’ll be back tomorrow!
I cooked up a whole lot of beets for Thanksgiving dinner. They were so pretty!
Viber
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November 24, 2019
Sunday Update – November 24, 2019
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.
Monday was just exhausting. Due to a myriad of health issues, both with me and my youngest, I was so tired all day and went to bed early. I got in my words but it wasn’t a lot of them.
Tuesday, I went to the DMV in the morning to renew my drivers license. I expected it to take a long time but I was actually in and out in about 30 minutes. Huzzah! I came home and got some writing done but then UPS showed up with my new computer! Wooo! Yes, I have a new MacBook Air 2019. I was frustrated trying to get all my information over to the new computer but eventually I made it all work. I set it up to copy over everything overnight.
Wednesday, the cleaning ladies came and then I was late for my chiropractor appointment because the town is paving the road the chiro’s office is on. THEN I found out that my acupuncturist moved on from the practice. I’m pretty sad about that. I really liked her and I thought she did great work on me. I hope I can either hook up with her again or they find someone new who is just as good. This day ended with tennis and more writing!
Thursday, I went to pottery in the morning and trimmed my last pieces for the session, which included my bowl with a lid! I really love how it’s all turned out. I hope they come out of the kiln in one piece. I came home, ate, showered, and then took the dog for a good walk. In the afternoon, my daughter had tutoring, and I made Japanese curry for dinner.
Friday, I went for a long walk in the morning in the park. It was so great to be out! I really enjoyed the entire walk. I came home and showered then went to the bank with my husband to get some documents notarized. Then I went grocery shopping. I made dinner that night too, baked cod, pearled couscous, and steamed spinach. It all turned out delicious.
Saturday, I slept in and relaxed in the morning, getting in some words before lunch. I took the kids to get their passport photos taken and made a trip to Staples then came home to walk the dog. We had pizza in the evening and my husband played Switch with the kids while I wrote.
Sunday is a gray and rainy day. I’m getting SFR Station work done, listening to an audiobook, and now about to write.
What else happened this week?
Lots of time with Lulu.
Flashback to an orange color study from 10 years ago.
We had our last CSA share this week and the Brussels sprouts were HUGE.
I got my new computer! And I transferred over all my data and upgraded to the newest OS.
I trimmed my bowl with its lid! I hope it comes out of the kiln in one piece.
I bought myself a new ring. This shows my sun sign as Capricorn and my moon sign as Leo (Leo is also my rising/ascendant).
I steamed up a bunch of veggies this week including this cool romanesco broccoli!
Did the Ten Year Challenge that everyone else is doing.
Went for a great walk in the park and all the geese were out.
And finally, trying out new makeup from Glossier. This is their Cloud Paint in Storm, their mascara and Boy Brow in clear.
Have a great week everyone!
Viber
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November 22, 2019
All Kinds of Cozy Mysteries – Cozy Mystery Promo
Happy Friday everyone! I’m here today to give you access to another great sale going on. This cozy mystery promotion has lots of great books on offer! I picked up a few myself, and I think you’ll find plenty here for you to love. We have the Thanksgiving holiday coming up here in the US next week, so if you’re looking for a book to curl up by the fire with over the long holiday weekend, then pick up a cozy today!
Check out the All Kinds of Cozy Mysteries Promo!
With the holiday next week, posting to the blog will be scarce. Be sure to drop by Instagram to see what I’m up to there!
Viber
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November 21, 2019
Save 30% On Every Book In My Direct PayHip Store Until Jan 2, 2020
Hi everyone!
Just a quick blog post today to let you know about a sale I’m having in my Direct PayHip Store! It’s the season of sales and I want to offer people the opportunity to pick up my books at a reduced rate and try out my Direct store if you haven’t tried it out yet. The PayHip Store I’ve set up is super easy to use, I promise. Not only will it give you the ePub and Amazon Mobi versions of my books to download, you’ll also get an email right away from BookFunnel which will step you through getting your book onto your device of choice. It could not be easier!
Use the coupon code…
QGXTTA43PY
To save 30% of any ebook in my Direct PayHip Store. You can even use the coupon code more than once! I hope you pick up something good to read for the holidays.
Check out all the books in my Direct PayHip Store
You can also access these book Direct through each of the book’s pages on my website.
Viber
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November 17, 2019
Sunday Update – November 17, 2019
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.
Monday it was back to school after a long weekend here. I got stuff done around the house I’ve been meaning to do for weeks, like clean out all the humidifiers and organize the kitchen sink area. Since it was nice, I took the dog for a walk and played a lot of fetch with her.
Tuesday was a weird weather day. The day started out at 50°F and fell to half that, 25°F, by the end of the day. It was a major front that came through! It gave me a wicked headache and I just tried to make it through the day in one piece.
My headache from Tuesday carried over into Wednesday. I did everything I could to send it away but didn’t have any luck until the late afternoon when I took some Advil Cold and Sinus. Eventually, it was gone by tennis time and I got in all my words before dinner.
Thursday was super busy. I went to pottery in the morning where I worked on a bowl with a lid. I screwed up the lid the first time and then my teacher corrected it for me. We’ll see how it turns out! Then I had a small break to eat and shower then I got my youngest kid from school and took her to the eye doctor. I got all my words in in the evening.
Friday was a bit tough. I had the dog all day to myself while my husband was in town. And she was not chill at all. By the end of the day, I was in a bad mood and just wanted to go to bed.
Saturday was a lot of fun! I took both my girls to a baby shower for my cousin and his wife. It was so great to see my family and spend time with everyone. The kids all played and had a great time too. I ended the day super happy and feeling great.
Today, Sunday will be chill. I plan to get some work done and take a full rest day physically. Tomorrow it’s back to walking!
In writing news, I continue to make progress with Flyght Book 5. It’s slow going as this book has to set up the final book of the series so I need to make sure everything is in place. There’s so much to do here. But I’m up for the task!
What else happened this week?
The gingko tree down the block is losing its leaves. I love the shape of gingko leaves.
Lulu continues to be cute and charming. We’re very lucky dog parents.
At pottery class, I made a bowl with a lid. When I made the lid, it looked like a huge sombrero. I had the shape right but not the right size. My teacher came over and trimmed everything down for me and gave me the right size. I learned a lot in this class!
My park got awfully cold this week. Ice was forming on the lake!
And finally some photos from the baby shower I attended yesterday. It was a great day to be with family!
Viber
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