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S.J. Pajonas's Blog, page 58
November 14, 2019
Book Chat #50 – The Forward Collection Featuring Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, Veronica Roth, Paul Tremblay, N. K. Jemisin, and Amor Towles
For my 50th Book Chat, it feels appropriate to review this amazing collection of speculative fiction books that I got on a whim one day when I was clicking around Amazon. This is one of the only times I have EVER clicked on a banner ad on Amazon. I’m actually kind of surprised I did! Somehow, the ad image struck a chord with me? Don’t know. Anyway, it feels like a happy accident now because I loved all the books in this collection, and it introduced me to some authors I think I’ll have to take a second look at.
The FORWARD collection was curated by Blake Crouch, author of RECURSION (check out the whole collection here). He says in the epilogue to each book that he was out driving with his partner one day and they were discussing emerging technologies and how they couldimpact our world. He got the idea to ask a few authors he admires to pick an emerging technology and extrapolate a story from it! The results were a series of very interesting stories…
This was the first one I listened to and it was the first in the series. I really enjoyed the quiet nature of this story about the end of the world. An asteroid is coming to wipe out the Earth. Everyone knows it’s coming. They know the date and time of the end. So all of Earth is sending off Arks to find a new Earth. In the meantime, there are still scientists on Earth, near the North Pole, who are cataloging as much of Earth’s diverse nature as they can. They’ll send this data off with everyone on the arks, and those people who decided not to go, they stay behind until the end. This was a poignant look at survival from one woman’s point of view. This was narrated by Evan Rachel Wood from WESTWORLD. She has such a great voice.
In true Andy Weir fashion, he takes quantum computing to the next level… in Vegas. I love a good con story, so this one had me captured. Marrying quantum computing with Keno makes a lot of sense, but it was interesting to see how it could still be gamed if you knew what you were doing. This one was narrated by Janina Gavankar from TRUE BLOOD. I never watched this show, so I’m not familiar with her work, but she did an impressive array of voices for this story!
EMERGENCY SKIN by N. K. Jemisin
This story caught me totally by surprise! I thought it was one story but then it turned around and became something else entirely. An all-male interstellar colony sends back a soldier to Earth to get DNA samples so they can continue to clone in peace without women, but what he finds back there blow his mind and challenges his perceptions of humankind. I thought the concept of this one was really creative, especially the way the story was revealed through the point of view of the soldier. This one was narrated by Jason Isaacs, now on STAR TREK DISCOVERY but better known as Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies.
This is my first Blake Crouch book but I hear people talk about his books all the time so I immediately reserved a few of his standalone titles from the library after I was done listening to this one. A video game developer becomes obsessed with a game AI that shows signs of sentience. Over years in the narration, we watch this game developer grow and change along with the AI, and what happens to the AI once it reaches a certain threshold of understanding. This story gave me chills because we’re already so close to making AI function as if it’s sentient. We are playing with this concept now, not twenty years from now. The ending surprised me (in a good way) and I finished the book wanting more. This narrator, Rosa Salazar, was fantastic. I also don’t know her acting work, but I see she was in BIRDBOX and a few other films recently.
THE LAST CONVERSATION by Paul Tremblay
This was probably the most frightening example of emerging technology, and it was also written using a lot of 2nd person point-of-view! I don’t often get to read much with 2nd person (‘you’ as the pronoun) so this was a treat. The whole story wasn’t told this way, but certain portions were and that was really well done. We wake up as a man with only certain memories and a body that doesn’t work. Over the course of the story, we get to see the man train and become the person he’s supposed to be.. or is he the person he’s supposed to be? Again, the ending of this book was like OMG, I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! I kept guessing who the guy was and getting it wrong. A fantastic story! This was narrated by Steven Strait who plays Holden on THE EXPANSE. I recognized his voice right away as this is also one of my favorite shows.
YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION by Amor Towles
This was the last one I listened to. I loved the play on “choosing your baby” and choosing your own adventure. There are so many choices one can make in a lifetime and produce far different results than expected. This was not my favorite ending of the bunch, BUT the more that I think about it, it was the only ending which makes the most sense to the story. It’s all about making the decisions and OWNING those decisions, not letting anyone else make them for us. Very powerful message. This story was narrated by David Harbour, the cop from STRANGER THINGS. He has such a great voice for audio. I hope he does more audiobooks!
So, all in all, this was a great collection! I actually got them all for free, both the ebooks and audiobooks, using my Prime membership, so it’s a double win, though they are worth whatever Amazon is charging. I will definitely be checking out more books by these authors!
Viber
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November 11, 2019
Sunday Update – November 10, 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.
I went to bed last night feeling like I had an easy Sunday and then remembered that I never updated my blog. Oops. I should really write these things on Saturday and schedule them for Sunday morning.
We had an interesting week around here.
Monday, Lulu had her vet checkup. The vet feels that she’s thriving and doing well, but she has a parasite from eating poop. Yes, the dog loves to eat her own and other animals’ poop. It’s totally gross. We’re trying to stop her but she’s quick. Anyway, now she’s on medicine for that. The good news is that she’s sleeping through the night! We put her in her bed in her crate at 10pm and she sleeps through to 6:30/7:00am. She would probably sleep later if certain children slept later. She only gets antsy when she knows someone is up.
Tuesday was a half day for Election Day. My youngest had tutoring in the afternoon and then I took the kids to a Seeing Eye Dog presentation offered by the Girl Scouts in the evening. It was really informative and the dog was super chill. We also learned a few training tricks we hope to put to use with Lulu!
Wednesday was back to a full day of school. My oldest stayed home because of an upset stomach, but the day proceeded onward from there. My cousin came to walk with me, and the cleaning ladies came. Then I had the chiropractor and acupuncture. In the afternoon, I had to take the kids to tennis.
Then we had Thursday and Friday off from school. This happens every year as there’s a statewide teacher’s conference that takes place these two days in November. Usually we go on vacation. Last year we were at Universal and many years before this we went to Charleston. This year we stayed home because of the new dog. We had some playdates with friends, baked, and just hung out through the weekend. I published HIGH FLYGHT on Friday, and I tried to just ignore my sales and enjoy the day.
Progress is coming along on Flyght 5! I passed the 40k mark on this book and I think I know where all the pieces to the puzzle now go. I just need to stay on top of my daily word counts so that I can finish this by the end of November. Then I’d like to take December and January to write the last book in the series! Yes! The last book will be Book 6. Originally I had planned on it being 8-9 books, but 6 books better suits my story arc. It’s a good thing I hadn’t bought more covers than six!
What else happened this week?
We had our driveway repaved and this guy was out there ripping it up at 9am with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. Lol. He’s a super nice guy and they did an awesome job.
If you like blue cheese (I do), then you should get this popcorn from Whole Foods. It’s sooooo good.
Lulu continues to brighten our days with her fun personality. She loves sticks, napping, and barking at the local deer.
My computer took 15 minutes to boot up the other day, and it scared the living daylights out of me. It’s approaching 7 years old, though, so after a discussion with my husband, we ordered me a new MacBook Air! It’ll be here sometime late next week, I think. Then the fun begins as I port over to a new computer.
I published HIGH FLYGHT on Friday and treated myself to a nice breakfast to celebrate.
This tree had the most beautiful leaves this week!
And finally, here’s the latest progress on Flyght 5! It was great to cross that 40k mark. I believe this book will be closer to 70k when it’s done, which will make it the longest book in the series so far. I expect the last book in the series to clock in around 80k.
Have a great week everyone!
Viber
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November 8, 2019
HIGH FLYGHT, Book 3 Of The Flyght Series, Is Now Available!
I have exciting news today! HIGH FLYGHT, the third book of the Flyght Series, is now available for purchase! If you pre-ordered it, it should be on your ebook readers already. There will not be a paperback available for this book.
This was such a fun and complicated book to write. Finally, Vivian has more than one man in her relationship network and she has to introduce them and have them work together. Plus, she’s adding a new medic to the crew who stirs emotions too. Add to that more mysteries surrounding the Rio seeds and so much more! This book has everything!
I really hope you enjoy it. Have a great weekend reading, everyone!
A sister betrayed. A discovery of contraband. Can she save her family or will she crash and burn?
Vivian Kawabata won’t rest until she reverses her family’s unfortunate lot. Still fuming over her brother’s betrayal, she struggles to rustle up a few more eligible men for her anemic relationship network and a medic for the crew before someone dies on her watch. But she thinks her luck is finally beginning to change when they uncover her conniving brother’s stash of valuable superhero seeds.
Hoping the plant’s mysterious powers can buff both her crew and her bank account, she races to turn the crop into cash. But when her alluring ex, Ken, returns, managing her bedroom threatens to steal her focus. With old wounds reopening, jealous competitors, and dangerous side effects, Vivian fears for her life… and her heart.
Are she and her newfound network doomed, or can she finally chart a course for success and love?
HIGH FLYGHT is the third book in the far-flung Flyght Series of sci-fi reverse harem romance. If you like clever heroines, sexy men, and fast-paced action, then you’ll love S. J. Pajonas’s captivating universe.
Note: This is a slow-burn romance series!
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Have questions about buying direct?
Enjoy HIGH FLYGHT! I’ll see you around here next week!
Viber
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November 5, 2019
Where Did Vivian and Ken’s Relationship Go Wrong? – An Excerpt From HIGH FLYGHT
It’s only a few more days until HIGH FLYGHT publishes, so today, in lieu of a usual Teaser Tuesday, I have a longer excerpt from the book to share with you!
When we first start out the series, we learn that Vivian turned down a marriage proposal three years earlier from a man she was totally in love with. Her parents insisted that he was a bad match, and that if she wanted to keep the farm, she needed to follow their wishes.
In HIGH FLYGHT, we finally get to hear why Vivian had to turn Ken down… and you might guess that it had something to do with his family.
I steer past the shops and down into an alley, over a tiny footbridge spanning a bubbling stream, and onto the block where Ken’s father lives. I smile and slow my steps as I approach their home and spot Ken’s dad, Alvar, hard at work hanging daikon radishes out to dry.
“You got a great harvest this year,” I call out.
He turns from the short ladder he’s on, and a smile splits his face.
“Vivian!”
Warmth flows through me as he jumps from the ladder and comes straight to me. If there were any hard feelings, he wouldn’t be happy to see me.
We laugh as we embrace, and I remember again why I love Ken and his family. His father is, and always has been, a good man.
“Alvar, it’s good to see you. Sorry for just dropping in like this.”
“Aw, please, Vivian. It’s not like I didn’t expect you.”
I huff a laugh and jam my hands into my pockets as he returns to tying up the daikon radishes and draping them over the outside drying rack. This year’s frame is almost two stories tall and about twenty meters long. Alvar is here alone, but I bet others show up to help. This is not a one-man job.
“So, where is he?” I look left at the quiet house, and the windows are dark. To the right, the barn is open, but I don’t see anyone inside.
“He’s in the house, in the back. Handling business.” His breath fogs as he hefts a wheelbarrow over with more daikon. “The usual.”
I nod, unsure of what to do. Do I approach Ken first? Or do I wait for him to come out and find me here?
Alvar works for another minute while I hem and haw over my decision.
“You know, Vivian. It’s not his fault.”
“What’s that?”
“The reason your parents didn’t want the two of you to marry.”
I tear my eyes from the house and slowly turn to face him. He’s not watching me, not making eye contact. He continues his work, tying and hanging like he’s a machine with no other task.
“What do you mean?” I ask, walking closer. I get underneath him, so I can look up and see his face.
“It was a long time ago.” He sighs, halting his task and smacking the dust out of his working gloves. “And I really didn’t think anyone cared about what I had done or hadn’t done. It was a surprise to learn that I had any impact on my son and his life.”
I wait for him to spit it out, but when he stares off into the distance for almost a full minute, my annoyance gets the better of me.
“Alvar, please. It’s cold out here. Either tell me or spare me some warmth?”
He descends from the ladder and folds it up.
“Let’s get out of the wind.” He jerks his head at the barn, so I follow along. “The sins of the father, you know? It’s a long story, but…” He shrugs. “When I was young, not even twenty, I joined the network of a real up-and-comer. A popular woman everyone was nuts about.”
“Yeah, Juliana.” I nod, remembering how successful Ken’s mother is.
“No. Not Juliana. Her name was Nendra, a bright and beautiful thing, with the kind of temper that could rip you in two if you weren’t careful.”
A flash of premonition hits me like a cold winter wind. I suddenly don’t like where this story is going.
Do you know where this story is going? Lol. You’ll find out soon enough!
Want to pre-order HIGH FLYGHT?
Read the blurb, an excerpt, and find all the buy links on my website…
HIGH FLYGHT publishes this Friday, November 8, 2019!
Viber
The post Where Did Vivian and Ken’s Relationship Go Wrong? – An Excerpt From HIGH FLYGHT appeared first on S. J. Pajonas.
November 3, 2019
Sunday Update – November 3, 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.
This was a busy week and now that I think back on it, I’m not really sure what we did.
I’m a little shaken up today because I saved Lulu’s life when she choked on a treat this evening. My oldest daughter was playing fetch with her and giving her treats when Lulu inhaled one and started choking. She ran to hide under the couch and I caught her just in time! I flipped her over and did the Heimlich Maneuver on her until the treat came flying out and she yelped.
Oh my god. It was the scariest moment I’ve had all year since breaking my leg. Poor thing was really scared, and we were crying, but she stayed in my lap, and I held her close until we were all fine. I’m so glad I looked up how to do the Heimlich Maneuver on dogs a few weeks ago. She’s such a spazz and always picking things up she shouldn’t. I had a feeling it would come in handy.
So, let this be a cautionary tale to other dog owners. Learn the Heimlich Maneuver for dogs. It’s worth it.
Other than that, it was a typical week around here. We did have a half day on Thursday with Halloween, and that threw off lots of stuff. I tried to get as much writing done as possible, but finding writing time has been difficult. This coming week will be more of the same with a half day on Tuesday and Thursday and Friday school closing. I will just have to do my best to get by.
Let’s get to the photos since they speak better than I can right now.
What else happened this week?
Our outdoor land/hardscaping is all complete. Here’s the back door stairs, landing, and the stairs down to the driveway.
I’m really excited about having safe and accessible stairs now! And these garden beds will be planted with veggies in the spring.
Lulu continues to charm us and fill our hearts with love.
The park is looking pretty! I made it out for a few walks this week.
The kids got quite a lot of candy on Halloween!
I got some baking and cooking done! This loaf of bread was tasty and the dutch oven in the oven had some great pasta sauce.
And I’ve been enjoying my walks in the park!
Have a great week everyone!
Viber
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November 1, 2019
99c Or Free Reverse Harem Sci-fi And Fantasy Romances Sale!
Hey everyone! To cap off the week, FIRST FLYGHT is on SALE for 99¢, with many other Reverse Harem Sci-fi and Fantasy Romances! I put this book on sale to celebrate the third book of the series publishing next week. If you’ve been thinking about trying out this series, now is a great time to pick it up. It won’t be on sale again until the end of the series.
Check it out with a ton of other great 99c or Free Reverse Harem Sci-fi and Fantasy Romances in this promotion!
Check out the RH Sci-fi And Fantasy Romances Promo!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Viber
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November 2019 Goals
November totally snuck up on me. I am surprised it’s almost the end of the year!
What Happened With October’s Goals?
Publish BROKEN FLYGHT. Done! As you probably already know. The launch went smoothly. No complaints.
Prep Book 3, HIGH FLYGHT, for publishing. Done. It’s up there all ready to go.
Send HIGH FLYGHT to my ARC team. They got it, and those that were interested read it. I expect to get a review or two on release day.
Make teaser images for HIGH FLYGHT. Done! And done. All of them have been published to the blog now.
Start writing Flyght Book 5. I am 30,000 words into this book now! Writing is going well, and I expect to be done with this book by the end of the month.
Keep up with SFR Station. Kept on top of this!
Attend my last few outpatient physical therapy sessions. Done!
Walk. I did a lot of walking this month and I hope to do even more in November.
Reading and knitting. There was some reading but no knitting this month. Bummed about that.
Business Goals For November
Publish HIGH FLYGHT. This is all set to go next Friday. I’m so happy that I stayed on top of my releases! This will be the 4th book I’ve published for the year.
Keep writing Flyght Book 5 and finish it. It’s my intention to finish this book this month and plot Book 6, which I strongly suspect will be the last book of the Flyght Series. Everything is finally coming together for Vivian in Book 5, and I can see how it will all end in Book 6. Yay!
Keep up with SFR Station. As usual now.
Personal Goals For November
Walk. It’s my goal to walk 4-5 times every week. Now that we have a dog, I plan to be out with her a lot more than usual. We’ll see how it goes.
Reading and knitting. I want to set aside time each week for knitting. Like, pick a day when I will actually do it and listen to an audiobook. We’ll see if I can make it happen.
Have a great November everyone!
Viber
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October 31, 2019
Christmas Cozies – Cozy Mystery Promo
Today, I have a promotion featuring lots of great Christmas and Winter themed cozy mysteries! THE DAYDREAMER DETECTIVE BRAVES THE WINTER is a part of this promotion, so I hope you’ll check it out too along with these other great mysteries perfect for reading by the fire.
Check out the Christmas Cozies Promo!
I hope you find something great to read here!
Viber
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October 30, 2019
Cozy Reads For Cooler Days – Cozy Mystery Promo
I have a few promotions to share this week! The first up is this collection of cozy mysteries for cool days. Jump on by and check it out!
Check out the Cozy Reads For Cooler Days Promo!
More promos to come in the next few days!
Viber
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October 29, 2019
Teaser Tuesday – The Return Of An Old Love
It’s another Teaser Tuesday for HIGH FLYGHT!
When the Flyght Series started, we met Ken Mata, CEO of Flyght and Vivian’s ex-boyfriend. Vivian and Ken have a whole lot of history together. They dated for a few years before he proposed and Vivian turned him down at the behest of her family. Now, they’re dating again… well, they’re trying to. The start of their new life together is a little rocky, and there’s lots to work out.
He pushes the hair from my face. “I’m glad the company is in place for you now.”
The energy of our connection is electric, and though I can’t read his mind like he can read mine, I can tell he’s holding something back. The unspoken words are just beyond my reach.
“I’m happy it is too. I’m also happy you’re here.” I lean in for a kiss, and his lips meet mine softly.
Ken is quiet for a moment. His arms are tight around me and our breathing syncs. “I told myself I’d give it five years to either get you back or get over you.”
My heart aches and soars at the same time.
“I suppose it could’ve been worse.” He lays his lips on my forehead. “I’m glad it was only three years.”
It could’ve been better, too.
A sweet moment among so many painful memories…
Want to pre-order HIGH FLYGHT?
Read the blurb, an excerpt, and find all the buy links on my website…
HIGH FLYGHT publishes Friday, November 8, 2019!
Viber
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