A.E. Jones's Blog, page 22

A Paranormal Writer’s Halloween

Yes, I know. I didn’t write my Monday blog yesterday. But since Halloween was today, I decided to hold off until one of my FAVORITE days. As many of you who have been following me for awhile know, I am in love with Halloween. Costumes, parties, decorations…you name it…and I’m doing it.

Each year I dress up for work and keep it a secret until the day. My coworkers pester me for weeks, hoping I’ll slip up and give them some sort of hint. But no dice. I like to build the anticipation. Kind of like with my stories!

Is it any wonder I write paranormal? Halloween is about escape and childhood and memories of a wonderful time. I think it’s worth the trip, don’t you?

Let me know what you think about this year’s costume. Marge Simpson was a hoot for me to wear, especially the wig!

Halloween is Coming – Contest Time!!

[image error]

Hello my friends! Tonight’s blog is more of an invitation, than my normal meanderings…

Halloween is coming and as part of the celebration of my favorite holiday, I (along with 47 other AMAZING authors) are giving away a huge collection of paranormal & sci-fi romances to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a brand new eReader to the Grand Prize winner!

You can win my novel TO HAVE AND TO HOWL, plus books from authors like Robyn Peterman and J.T. Ellison.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here:   http://bit.ly/parascifi-oct2017

Good luck!
AE

Attract Them in 30 Seconds

Have you ever watched a cowboy riding a bull? Eight seconds to ride that animal and convey a story of grit and determination (and hopefully not broken bones and stitches).

And not only is the cowboy holding on for dear life, the audience is as well. For an author, our books offer hours of entertainment, but when we are telling a potential reader about them, we don’t have that luxury.

My newest book releasing November 13th is almost 80,000 words, but the description of the book is less than 150. And that’s not an easy feat, let me tell you. But what is even harder is telling a story in seconds. And that’s what a book trailer does, in 30 seconds you need to know what that story is all about. Now, my hands are sweating thinking about it!

But I’m up for the challenge. Check out my newest book trailer below…

 

 

Cover Reveal Times Three!

As promised, my paranormal wedding planner series is getting new covers! Yay! And in true “Ta-Da Fashion” I am showing you all three at once, including my cover for TO HAVE AND TO HOWL which will release on November 13th, but can be ordered now! So check it out all out below and tell me what you think of the new covers and the new book!!!

And if that isn’t enough fun for you, for a limited time, the first book in the series, IN SICKNESS AND IN ELF is on sale for 99 cents! So if you haven’t tried this series, give it a whirl. And if you can do me a favor and let your friends and family know about my series, that would really help a writer out

Let’s Have Some Fun

It’s time to make some noise, my friends! I’ve been hinting about what is coming with my wedding planner series, but now I’m going to lay out the plan over the next few weeks just for you.

This week, I will be doing a cover reveal times three! Not only will I be sharing the new covers for book 1 and book 2 of my series, but you will also get to see the cover and blurb for TO HAVE AND TO HOWL (and preorder the book if you are so inclined

Rejuvenating Your Heart

This weekend I spent time visiting family. Something I don’t get to do that much with my crazy schedule. But I think that it is so very important to make the time. It rejuvenates the soul, the heart, and the mind.

And in doing that, it makes me a better person and in turn a better writer. Look at it this way, if I don’t experience family and love, how do I expect to write about it? Even though the characters and stories are from my imagination, the feelings and reactions to love and family translate in real form to my written words.

And that can be said for any part of our lives.  Reach out to your family and friends and embrace what really matters. After the heartbreak of what happened in Vegas last night, we need to hold on tight to those we love.

 

 

A Writer’s Version of a Face Lift

Have I intrigued you? Well, the sort of face lift I’m describing doesn’t involve a plastic surgeon. For writers our platform needs to change as we grow and change as well. So I have been doing a little “tweaking”…hee hee.

The first tweak was to my website. I changed it up a little bit, so check it out when you get an opportunity.

The next tweak is a biggie – drum roll please – after thinking long and hard about it, I am changing my paranormal wedding planner covers. No, I did not fall and hit my head. Let me explain. While I think my current covers for the series are beautiful and my cover artist did everything that I asked her to do, I don’t think that they capture the true “spirit” of the series.

So mid-October, I will be revealing not one, not two, but THREE new wedding planner covers! The first two will be new renditions of IN SICKNESS AND IN ELF and FROM THIS FAE FORWARD. The third cover will be TO HAVE AND TO HOWL, the third book in the series that will be releasing the second week of November! Yay!

I can’t wait to share them with you! We’re going to have a fun-filled fall together – I promise!!

Wishing Life Away

[image error]This weekend I was at the store and I walked by the home and garden department to find that it was being stocked with – you guessed it – Christmas items. Trees, decorations, lights…you name it and it was there. And I shook my head at the ridiculousness of Christmas being set up in September.

And this of course got me thinking about our tendency to want things to come faster. Who doesn’t look at the clock at work and sometimes wish for it to be five o’clock? Our hope for the weekend to come sooner? Or hope for holidays or special events to get here sooner?

I totally get that, but I sometimes thinks we spend a lot of time wishing our life away! It’s hard to immerse yourself in the moment. But I think we might be more content if we did that more often.

For me, the truly unique characters in my writing world, are the ones who see every moment as an adventure instead of looking to the future for happiness. The perfect example of that is Misha, the larger-than-life demon who plays an important roll in my Mind Sweeper Series. He sees his friends, TV shows, food, work, well…anything really, as an adventure. Which makes the reader (I hope) want to embrace him. At least, that’s what I’ve heard anyway

Binge-worthy Entertainment

[image error]

Growing up, I was a TV junkie. Name it and I watched it. One of my favorite magazines was the TV Guide Season Preview Guide. I loved reading about the new shows coming, and I would highlight the guide and plan out what I would watch.

Now, with my job and my writing, I have very little time to watch TV anymore. A little sad, but I have a new addiction – writing stories.

There are a couple exceptions to my no-TV-watching life. One of those exceptions is the show Supernatural. You’re probably not surprised about that, right

Edits are a Second Chance

[image error]

Friday, I got my edits back for TO HAVE AND TO HOWL, which meant I spent Labor Day weekend…well, working.

But that’s okay, since the book is getting closer to release. So this first edit, read-through, next edit, read-through, proofread and, you guessed it, read-through, will prepare us for the fall release. Yay!

There is something cathartic about editing. Not my favorite thing to do in this process, but there’s nothing wrong with making things better. There are a lot of things in life that don’t get the benefit of editing, so books are special.

And as I dig through my editor’s notes and fine tune the story to make it even better, I can’t wait for you all to read it!