A.E. Jones's Blog, page 30

Paranormal Wedding Tips

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, my newest Paranormal Wedding Planner book is coming out this fall. I have an official release date. Drum roll, please……..

October 31st! Yep, Halloween Day. Cool, right? Two months away and you will have my 2nd book in your hot little hands.

To celebrate the release, I will be highlighting the first book in the series over the next few weeks. To kick off the party, I’ve decided to share paranormal wedding tips. You never know, you might decide to become a wedding planner for vampires, demons, and elves, oh my! 

Summer Writing

It’s hard to believe that summer here in the US is quickly coming to an end. Normally, the wonderful weather distracts me from my writing path and I find it hard to hunker down and get work done. This year, I tried to appease my body and mind. How did I do it? I spent a lot of time outside writing and editing my manuscripts. It was a way to spend time with the Vitamin D I so desperately need! No worries on the sunburn front – I sat on a covered porch and went out for short jaunts in the sunshine.

Boy did it paid off! I am working with my editor on second round edits for my next book in the paranormal wedding planner series so that I can release it this fall! Ya-to-the-hoo!

And I plan on spending the next few weeks enjoying the last bits of sunny-delight before I pack it in for the winter. All-in-all it has been a successful summer!

 

 

Isn’t It Romantic?

This weekend, I got to spend Saturday afternoon speaking on a panel with a group of writing friends at a local library. The name of the event was “Isn’t it Romantic?” The idea was to have a group of romance authors talk about their experiences in the writing world. So I headed to the library wondering how the event would go. To my happy surprise, the turnout was bigger than we expected and the crowd was engaged and weren’t afraid to ask questions.

The panel was a nice mix of traditional and indie published authors and we talked about what it’s like being an author today. The pros and the cons. There is something wonderful about being with a group of writers. Our creativity seems to grow when we spend time together and to be able to share that with an enthusiastic audience was amazing.

A good percentage of the audience members were authors or aspiring authors, so many of the questions were centered around the business aspects of writing. But there were also readers there who wanted to hear where writers get their ideas, and why we write.

I had a wonderful time sharing my experiences and learning from the other panelists as well. It was a great way to spend an afternoon. I hope the audience felt the same!

Mind Sweeper Book Trailer

I’m making today’s blog short and sweet because I want you to check out my new video! Mind Sweeper has its own book trailer. My heroine, Kyle, insisted on it!

Tell me what you think…

 

Calling All Book Boyfriends!

You heard me correctly, I am looking for the best in book boyfriends and I want to hear from you!

So what is a Book Boyfriend (or Book Girlfriend – I’m all about equal opportunity), you ask? Well, let me tell you. We all have read that special book where the hero or heroine calls to us. Something about them that makes us think, THIS, THIS is what a good boy(girl)friend/spouse is all about. And since it’s a story, we can revel in the wonder of making that hero(ine) ours, at least in our imagination.

So let me give you two examples of my book boyfriends (and this is just a very small sample since I have MANY of them).

Kev Merripen the hero in Lisa Kleypas’ Seduce me At Sunrise is one of my all-time favorite heroes. Dark, damaged, and yet loving and willing to sacrifice everything to protect the delicate woman he has loved for years. Sigh…

Butch O’Neal the hero in HR Ward’s Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood book 4). Now if you read BDB, you might be surprised by my book boyfriend choice. Don’t get me wrong, I love those bad-mouth, sexy-alpha vamps, but there was something so special about Butch and his love for Marissa. AND the fact that he didn’t start out as a vamp.

There’s a taste for you.

I think this is a wonderful exercise and as I find new book boyfriends, I’m going to share them with you. So keep an eye out on Twitter, FB, etc to find out who my newest crush is! What I’ve found is that book boyfriends normally mean I’ve found a good book, so why not share (the book, not the boyfriend – he’s mine).

So who is one of your book boyfriends? Spill the beans and let me know. You can comment on this blog, or tweet me or FB my page. Curious minds want to know.

 

Birdie Has Left the Building

Yesterday I sent my second wedding planner manuscript to my editor to start detailed edits. YAY! The birdie has left the building, if only for a little while. Soon enough, it will be back squawking for attention. And that’s okay, because I’m still in nurturing mode with my manuscript.

I want to make sure that the characters, plot, scenes, and dialogue are sharp and entertaining. And let’s not forget about motivation and conflict!

For this part of the process, it’s about STORY and not word count, which I love.And speaking about love…I am in love with my hero in this book. He’s a southern boy who happens to be a sea nymph. Oh, did I mention he’s an ex Navy SEAL? Yep. Charlie is my newest “book boyfriend.” So I’m anxious to share the story with you all to find out what you think of him[image error]

For the next week, my super-duper editor is applying her magic to the pages of my story. Then it will come back to me. SQUAWK, SQUAWK, SQUAWK. But no worries, since I will be one step closer to pushing the birdie out of the nest and into your hands!

 

Time to Reconnect

I’ve returned home from another amazing RWA conference. And since my brain is not fully functioning today, I will be providing you more pictures than words in this week’s blog.

To begin this discussion, I have to first say that San Diego was incredible as was the hotel. The first picture is a view from my balcony. It set the stage for the whole week. Any time I was able to, I spent it outdoors. Dinner each night was eaten outside as close to the water as possible.

I also went sightseeing at the beginning of the week and got a small sampling of what the San Diego area had to offer: Balboa Park, Old Town, Seaport Village, Little Italy, Gaslamp District and Coronado. Sadly, I did not find a Navy SEAL to bring home with me

On An Adventure I Go!

As you read this, I am heading off to attend Romance Writers of America’s National Conference! This year’s destination? San Diego! Yahoo!

There is something so amazing about RWA’s annual conference. As an author, I am surrounded by other authors who just get ME. They understand about the voices and the ideas that never quite go away. It’s like we speak our own language – a writer’s version of pig latin, if you will.

Being surrounded by 2000+ people in the business of writing helps me recharge, regroup and learn about craft and publishing. And of course, I get to meet up with my fellow writing friends live versus through social media. It’s wonderful to spend real time with them and catch up on their successes and challenges.

So during the week, I will try to post out on Twitter and Facebook as interesting things occur. Keep an eye out for that, my friends. And of course, I’ll let you know how things went in next week’s blog as well!

Off I go!!

Time For Fireworks!

Today in the states we are celebrating Independence Day which includes cookouts, family gatherings and culminates in an evening of fireworks.

Now, you would think that watching fireworks each year would not be THAT exciting. I mean, we know what to expect. Colors, lights, whistles, and booms fill the air and yet we continue to come out each year and ohh and ahh throughout.

Why?

I’m glad you asked…Because we know what the fireworks display will generally consist of, but we don’t know how this year they will be displayed. The fun is in not knowing WHICH fireworks to expect WHEN. What color will it be this time? Will it make that whizzing sound or boom like thunder? When will the finale begin?

Writing is much the same way. Each novel contains characters and plot leading to a satisfying conclusion, but what makes it interesting is that within the story you don’t know what will happen to those characters to make them change, grow, and fall in love. If the story is written well, the reader will ohh and ahh through the pages until they reach the finale.

And much like fireworks when we clap at the end and anticipate next year, the reader is already thinking about getting their hands on the next story.

Creative Avenues

Each year, my father and I participate in our town’s Chalk Walk. This is an event where kids and adults (who still think they are kids) go to town and draw on the sidewalks. Think of it as a legalized graffiti day!

For my dad and I, it’s a time to do something together. We enjoy the idea of picking out the picture and then figuring out how we’ll resize it and draw it on the sidewalk. My dad has a whole process worked out now on what we do (now you know where my OCD comes from, right?).

He is the true artist. He draws the design and then I add the color and depth. We make a good team and since we are both creative, it’s a wonderful outlet for us.

And ultimately, that’s what matters. Are the pictures perfect? No. But the experience is the key. Are we having fun along the way?

That’s an important lesson I need to tell myself with my writing and with my life.

So here is this year’s design….what do you think?