A.E. Jones's Blog, page 27

The Cat Takes Over

[image error]It’s time for my weekly blog, but as I try to write my words of (somewhat) wisdom, I am interrupted, repeatedly, by my boy cat.

He has decided-as he often does-that he wants me to pay attention to him. First he sits next to me at the counter, then he gets on my lap, and when that doesn’t stop me from typing, he lays between my arms in front of the keyboard and bumps his head against my hands to pet him.

Not too subtle, but with a face like his, he gets away with a lot. So I deleted the blog I was working on tonight and decided to dedicate it to Dillon, aka spoiled rotten cat. He doesn’t care that I have a blog to write or a manuscript deadline to meet. He lives in the moment.

He doesn’t let the holidays or the list of ‘must-dos’ stress him out. And THAT is actually something I can learn from my cat. With all the craziness and stresses (real and imagined) we place on ourselves, it’s good to take a break and pay attention to ME.

If I don’t take care of me, I won’t be able to write the stories that make me happy and resonate with my readers. So today, my cat took over my blog. He might not have typed it himself…if he could I would be a VERY. RICH. WOMAN. But, he gave me my subject tonight.

Live in the moment.

Take a breath, pet your cat (or dog, or bird, or…) and find time to take care of yourself.

 

 

An Author’s World: Themes

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know I’m a bit crazy when it comes to the holidays. For me, it starts with Halloween, flows through fall and ends with Christmas.

My holiday theme this year is…SNOWMEN. My tree is an abstract snowman, with top hat, carrot nose, and coal eyes and mouth. There’s even a scarf tucked in the branches.

And my mantle is snowy-men galore!

For me, it’s all about the details. Which of course is true with writing as well. The little touches pull the reader in and lets them immerse themselves into the story.

What is it about the character or scene that needs to be pointed out to provide depth or enrich our senses? Details can also play to your writing theme as well.

For example, in one of my Mind Sweeper books I have a scene where geese are swimming in a pond and there is a reference that geese mate for life. This was not some random factoid thrown in for additional word count. This was a subtle hint of the hero and heroine’s journey in the story. Ha! You didn’t know I had it in me, did ya?

So enjoy the details of the holidays – songs, food, decorations… Whatever makes you immerse yourself in happy times, both present and past.

 

 

 

6000 Words

You read the title correctly, my friends. Today, I took the day off from my day job to work on my writing and I wrote over 6000 words.

Still in my pajamas, have a kink in my neck, but I finished the short story I was working on and started the next. 6250 words to be exact. A rarity for me, but when it happens it’s like standing on a mountaintop, or landing that triple loop and scoring a perfect ten.

And as I was preparing for bed, I realized that I hadn’t written my blog today! So here you go – it might be the shortest blog I’ve ever written, but I hope you’ll cut me some slack. Just remember to add the 131 words for this blog to my total, please

A Writer Finding Her Holiday Spirit

This week in the US we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and I am truly grateful for my family and friends and look forward to being with them. But after Thursday (where too much food will be ingested and naps will be taken) the true year-end, holiday craziness will begin.

This year, I’ll be honest and say that I am not ready for it. I have not caught the holiday spirit. And I am looking for something, anything that will spark it for me.

Will it be putting up my tree…shopping…holiday carols…decorations…?

I’m hoping that I will find the trigger. Maybe I’ll find it in a holiday movie. Something will tug at my heart strings and I will finally feel the warm and fuzzy (non-alcohol induced that is).

As a writer, I turn to my craft when I need inspiration. Maybe I need to write a story about the holidays – what would my characters do for their own celebrations and how would they spin it in their wacky, paranormal fashion?

I’m sure with Misha, it would be all about food. And Kyle would grumble about the insanity of it all, but secretly rejoice at receiving gifts from the people and supes she loves. With my paranormal wedding planner characters, I can picture them trying to balance the holidays with planning a paranormal, high-profile wedding!

Maybe if I join in on my characters celebrations, it will bring the holiday spirit to life in my own world…something to ponder over the next week for sure!

Finding Your Writer Tribe

This past weekend I spoke at an Indie Author Day for the Cuyahoga County Public Library. The topic, you ask? “Indie Does Not Mean You Have to Do it Alone.”

I decided to talk about this since many writers just starting out think that they have to do everything themselves. And yes, while the actual process of writing is often done on your own, the publishing aspect shouldn’t be, even if you are self-publishing.

In my experience you need a tribe to succeed in the writing business. And as part of my talk I suggested ways for writers to find their tribe?

Fellow writers (why would you not want to talk to, learn from, and commiserate with others who are in the business of writing?)
Writing Organizations (RWA, Mystery Writers of America, Sci-Fi Writers, etc)
Online writing loops (Facebook groups & Yahoo groups for writers being two examples)
Blogs (like Creative Penn for example)
Libraries (amazing writer events and critique groups are closer than you think!)
Professionals (editors, cover artists, etc are part of the tribe as well)

Let’s face it, writing is a hard business and if you do it all alone, it can be an impossible business. Reach out and make connections, it will help you become a better writer and a better business person whether we publish indie or traditionally.

Release Week Recap!

It’s hard to believe an entire week has passed since the release of FROM THIS FAE FORWARD, book 2 in my wedding planner series. But this past week was Biz-Z!

First Halloween had to be celebrated! Had to be, because it’s my favorite after all. My Bride of Frankenstein costume won first place at work! How cool is that? It all came down to the wig, it was a diva wig and decided it wanted to win.

Then there were promos and social media and fun to be had. And while this was going on, I was watching the World Series. I live in Northeast OH and so fingers were crossed and late nights were spent watching and hoping the Indians would win. Sadly that wasn’t the case, but if we had to lose, I’m glad it was to the Cubs.

This weekend was PERFECT fall weather where I live. The leaves were falling and the weather was warm enough to be outside! So on Sunday, I actually sat outside and wrote. Not something I can often do in November.

I also prepared for a talk I am doing next Saturday for the Indie Author Conference and Showcase. I will be presenting “Indie Does Not Mean Doing it Alone.” If you’re interested in learning more about Indie Publishing, check out the Cuyahoga County Public Library Events calendar HERE.

Now what are my next writing plans you ask? Well, I am working on some Mind Sweeper short stories. Fun flashback stories about Kyle and how she first learns about paranormal and meets Misha and Jean Luc. Little treats that can be read as compliment stories to my Mind Sweeper series. Those should hopefully come out early in the new year. Then I will be moving on to the third book in my wedding planner series.

See what I mean? Biz-Z. The fun never ends in booklandia. So stay tuned!

Celebrate Release Day and Halloween With Me!

I am so excited for release day! This time, it is doubly awesome because I am releasing on Halloween, my FAVORITE holiday! When I decided to release FROM THIS FAE FORWARD, my second wedding planner book in October, it only felt natural to plan it for Halloween. I mean, it is a paranormal book, right?

I laid the idea out – I would enjoy both the holiday and my release in one fell swoop. I would take the day off of work and celebrate my release.

So I announced my plan and went to work, very proud of myself, until everyone started to protest. You see, it has become a tradition for me to dress up for Halloween at work. I keep it a secret from everyone and then come in and enjoy my coworkers’ reactions. I have been Harry Potter, Napoleon Dynamite, Lucille Ball, Ugly Betty, Thing One, and Cruella de Vil, just to name a few. So when I told them that I would not be coming to work on Halloween, I had a rebellion on my hands!

I had to promise to come to work (even if it was just for a little while) and now I had to also come up with a costume as well. It made sense to want to tie my costume to my release. I’m all about a theme! I thought about it for a bit and decided that since this is a paranormal wedding planner series, I would be a bride. And who is the best bride to be for  Halloween? The bride of Frankenstein, of course!

So what do you think?

On release day, I always take a picture of me with my book and my tiara – since I am a kickbutt author princess! Today, my tiara is perched on my amazing Bride of Frankenstein hair. I couldn’t deprive you of the tiara picture. This time it just comes with some additional flare!

Thanks for helping me celebrate my release and I hope you have a wonderful Halloween!

 

FROM THIS FAE FORWARD:   Amazon     Apple     Kobo       B&N

 

Paranormal Diet & Exercise Tip 5

Here you go! The last tip before release day tomorrow! I hope you’ve been enjoying these. I had a blast making them. Watch below or click HERE.

Romeo & Juliet with a Paranormal Twist

Instead of a teaser today, I am sharing a link to an article I wrote for Heroes & Heartbreakers about Romeo and Juliet. Of course my Romeo and Juliet are of the paranormal variety. My new release centers around a hero and heroine who are supposed to hate each other, but somehow that doesn’t happen. Romance ensues…

Check out my Heroes and Heartbreakers article HERE

 

 

Paranormal Diet & Exercise Tip 4

Time to talk werewolves – they need to TLC too! Watch the newest tip below or click HERE.