A.E. Jones's Blog, page 39

June 5, 2015

Fun, Frivolity and Firsts

As I hinted to in my blog earlier this week, I’m going to be having some fun over the next seven weeks with seven of the 2015 RWA RITA® Finalists for Best First Book. Each Friday one of us will post a spotlight of our nominated book and also each of us will tell you about a ‘first’ for us.


I’m excited to say that the wonderful and talented Sonali Dev is kicking off our extravaganza! Please visit her site where she tells you all about our soiree by clicking HERE


There are fun antidotes and PRIZES to be won!


Join in the frivolity!


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Published on June 05, 2015 14:05

June 2, 2015

Writer Camaraderie

Writers often work in isolation. We create our stories on paper or the computer screen. So when the opportunity arises to spend time with other writers, we often jump at the chance. This past weekend, I attended my local writing chapter’s conference and had a wonderful time. There was fellowship, education, commiseration, cheer-leading, and general joviality to be had. And it was a great respite because even when our characters talk to us, that isn’t the same thing as spending time with other writers who ‘get’ the obsession.


Other writers don’t flinch when you tell them the voices won’t leave you alone. They understand when you talk about the inability to walk away from your laptop when you’re in the middle of a good scene. They know about the fear of sending your baby (manuscript) out into the world for the first time. They celebrate with you when your book releases.


So organizations like NEORWA and RWA help me to leave my writer’s island and spend time with others. A time to recharge my batteries. A time to learn and share. A time to get excited about writing again.


And as I prepare myself  for RWA’s national convention in July, I’m happy to announce that I’m going to be spending some time over the next two months on social media with some amazing writers. They are the fellow nominees for RWA’s RITA® Award for best first book. Check us out HERE


How fun! We’ll be sharing more on what we’re planning soon. So stay tuned for fun, frivolity, and firsts…


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Published on June 02, 2015 20:47

May 25, 2015

The Mind Sweeper Novellas Box Set

Before I post today’s blog I want to take a moment on this Memorial Day to recognize all the men and women who have served in our armed forces. Even though words can never fully repay you for what you have done for this country, I want say thank you.


If you read last week’s blog, then you know that I have finished book five in my Mind Sweeper series. And while I start the editing process, I thought we would celebrate both writing ‘the end’ as well as the beginning of summer.


So how are we celebrating? I am releasing a box set of Jean Luc and Talia’s novellas. The Mind Sweeper Novellas are now available for preorder for release on June 14th. If you haven’t already read the The Fledgling or the Pursuit, which are books 2 and 4 in the series, now’s the time to check them out! I even have a cool new box set cover for you to peruse below!! And I follow the snazzy cover up with the blurbs for the two novellas.


The box set is a wonderful pairing of the vampire romance of enigmatic, sexy vampire Jean Luc and feisty, independent fledgling Talia. They’re such a great couple, it made sense to box or bundle them up together, right? Misha, Jean Luc’s buttinsky partner would say YES!


So here we go….


PREORDER:  Amazon   Kobo    iTunes (preorder coming soon)


novellas 3d boxset copy


 The Mind Sweeper Novellas


Box Set: Discover the Mind Sweeper series through the eyes of Jean Luc and Talia in these two novellas.


The Fledgling – A Novella (Book 2)


Vampire Jean Luc Delacroix has been alive for nearly four hundred years. Alive, but not really living. This changes when he meets newly turned vampire, Talia. Feisty and beautiful, Talia is the first female Jean Luc has been attracted to in centuries. But when he finds out she is also a bounty hunter who is interfering with his investigation of a supernatural serial killer, he pushes her away for her and his own good.


Bitten and thrust into the supernatural world against her will, Talia wants nothing more than to do her job. She doesn’t have time to deal with an overbearing, ridiculously sexy vampire. But Jean Luc and Talia butt heads on their single-minded crusade to stop a murderer. And unless they can set aside their troubled pasts and learn to trust each other, they may never have an opportunity to explore their true feelings. Especially when they face off with the killer.


The Pursuit – A Novella (Book 4)


Thirty years after their initial meeting, Jean Luc Delacroix and Talia Walker once again cross paths. After seeing Talia again, Jean Luc’s feelings reignite. This time he will do whatever it takes to make her a permanent part of his life. Talia learned everything she knows about love—and about being a vampire—from Jean Luc. And when she comes face to face with Jean Luc again, she wonders if her continued independence is as important as being with the vampire she still loves.


Before either can acknowledge their feelings, they are embroiled in a deadly case of a vampire draining humans. In the midst of an investigation that threatens the very foundation of the vampire nation, can Jean Luc and Talia finally find the courage to follow their hearts? Or will the killer destroy them first?


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Published on May 25, 2015 18:19

May 18, 2015

The Two Most Glorious Words

For a writer all words are glorious, but when we pair the words ‘THE’ and ‘END’ together, a definite celebration is in order. There is something exhilarating about finishing the first draft of a book. Especially if it’s the first book you have ever written. There is such a sense of accomplishment to that event and there should be. So many people want to write a book, but only a small percentage actually do.


the end


And I can tell you that as more manuscripts are completed, that feeling of ‘way to go’ hits you every single time. I wrote THE END this weekend on book five of my Mind Sweeper series. And I was so, so, happy. A literal weight has been lifted off my shoulders.


But the journey for this book is far from over. Now I shift into ‘edit mode’. Does the book flow well? What loose ends did I miss? What scenes work and what scenes don’t?


It’s all good though, or it will be once I have edited and my beta readers have read it, and my editor has edited it and my proofreader has edited…


Well, you get the idea.


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Published on May 18, 2015 19:33

May 11, 2015

Yes I Make Things Up

Bodiam CastleDid I grab your attention with the title of today’s post? I think it should come as no surprise that as a writer I indeed ‘make things up’. Writing paranormal pretty much means you are writing about the fantastical. I live in the land of make believe. Groups of beings with powers beyond the ‘normal’ human. They can do things that many of us wish we could do.


I even make up words to suit my needs. Why not? If I am dealing with supernatural beings, it would make sense that they would use different words than a normal human. It adds a little bit of ‘other’ to the story. So for those of you who wondered, ‘demonist’ is not a real word :)


Then there is world-building or mythology. Yep, you guessed it. Made up. Now, some may be based on already existing lore, for example, I didn’t make up the IDEA of a vampire. (I wish I had…do you know how rich I would be right now?) But I create rules for my vampires in my world. For example, my vampires can go outside during the day. And then there are my demon clans. What a kick they are! Each one part of my imagination down to clan name, eye and skin color and powers.


Now here’s where the interesting part comes in. Even though I am making up much of what I write. My supernatural’s reactions, emotions, and thoughts have to be based in some sort of reality. As readers we have to be able to relate to these fantasy characters. So although my vampire may be hundreds of years old and powerful as all get out, he still struggles with telling the female he loves that he needs her in his life. And as ‘human’ readers we can relate to that.


As a writer I have to pair fantasy with reality to pull people into my land of make believe…


Attribution: The picture above is of Bodium Castle in East Sussex by WyrdLight.com


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Published on May 11, 2015 14:11

May 4, 2015

Writing Away on a Sunny Day

20150504_121953So this weekend was absolutely gorgeous where I live. On Sunday it got up to 77 degrees and people were rejoicing. I mean this literally after the winter we just suffered through. Everyone was out in their yards, gardening, mowing, barbecuing, sun bathing…enjoying what we have not had for over six months.


What did I do this weekend? Shouldn’t come as a shock to you that I was writing.


And it’s not easy to stare longingly at the sunny sky and not want to wander outside in a daze of wonder. But I’m on a deadline, heading into the homestretch of book five and I can’t slack off too much at this point. So I compromised. I sat on my Dad’s screened in porch, which has a table and electricity and I typed away on my laptop. That way, I enjoyed the weather and the screens stopped me from wandering around aimlessly in the yard, which I so wanted to do…oh look at the pretty flower…you get the idea.


Plus I didn’t want to expose my extremely pale (imagine vampire) skin to too much UV at any given time, right?


And the compromise worked. I wrote 6500 words this weekend which is AMAZING for me and I still got to smell the spring flowers as they wafted through the screens on the porch.


Very proud of my hard-working, pale-skinned self!


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Published on May 04, 2015 09:50

April 27, 2015

Roller Coaster Writing

Roller_Coaster_01I had a very productive writing weekend, my friends. Very productive indeed. If you’ve been following my journey lately, you know that I had been feeling quite tapped concerning my writing. And that is NOT a good thing. As I told you in last week’s blog I did what the Doctor ordered. I took a vacation.


And now I’m back into the thick of things…characters, plot, mystery. And they are coming to me faster than before. I can chalk some of that up to my sunny vacation. But I think the other important thing that has happened is I have moved over the hump. Written the dreaded middle of the book and am now waving at it as I head toward the ending.


I often equate my writing to that really BIG roller coaster hill. You know the one I’m talking about. Let me bring you along with me on my writing journey/roller coaster ride.


1) I walk up to the coaster and look up at it = I have an idea for a story and butterflies are starting as the ideas bubble beneath the surface.


2) I get in line to ride the coaster = back story, character development, plot ideas start to form in my head and jockey for position.


3) I sit down in the car and strap on my belt = I type those first words and we chug out of the gate.


4) I start up the hill = what is the deal with my heroine and hero? What else do I need to let the reader know to build this new excitement, how to create this new story?


5) Still heading up that big hill, when the heck am I going to get there? = okay, I’ve laid the foundation I need to get to the middle (even though I dread it).


6) I’m at the top, holy crap, we are creeping along now…when am I going to go over? = oh middle of the book, why do you torture me so?


7) Finally I go over the top and I’m screaming as we speed toward the bottom = The ending is in sight! I have to write, write, write to see where this ends up! AHHHH…�� (I am HERE right now).


8) I bottom out and think it’s over, but instead the car jogs to the side and I am now spinning in another series of twists and turns = so I thought I could just rush to the end and forget about tying up loose ends…not so much. I still have more to work out and share with the reader.


9) The car stops and I giggle, run my hands through my hair, stand up on shaky legs, and head toward the back of the line to ride it all over again = I wrote ‘the end’. How cool is that? But I have to take the ride again as I revise it. And then I invite my editor to ride along with me.


10) Now I start to look around for the next coaster = Onto the next book!


So there you have it. My writing style defined in ‘roller coaster speak’.


Hope you enjoyed the ride!


 


 


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Published on April 27, 2015 15:30

April 20, 2015

Just Let Go

20150412_195408You might have noticed that last week I missed my normal Monday blog. Sorry I left you in the lurch my friends, but I took a vacation. An honest to goodness real vacation in sunny Florida where I enjoyed food, slushy drinks, sun and water. For those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook, you got some glimpses of what my vacation was about.


But I thought that for this blog I would share a bit more of what last week meant for me as well. In all honesty, this vacation was very, very, necessary. I haven’t had a real vacation in more than five years. Sure I’ve taken time off from my day job to attend writing conferences and to write, but that isn’t really a vacation, is it?


And even though I love to write, I wasn’t giving myself time to RECOUP or REJUVENATE or RELAX. And that was starting to affect my writing. I wasn’t excited when I sat down to write my scenes. My writing sessions became more about word count and less about story. And that just won’t do.


So off I went to St Pete’s Beach where 85 degree sunny weather and amazing sunsets greeted me. And I didn’t think about work or writing. I just relaxed which is easy to do when you walk over soft sand and dip your toes in the gulf as the sound of waves lull you. Are you there with me?


20150414_192750


Good.


Last night I wrote a scene that made me smile, and I didn’t care how many words I typed. I cared about what my characters experienced and how it would affect the story. That is what I should be doing when I write. And my first day at work was not as stressful as the ones before I left. So overall the vacation was a success.


This last picture summarized my vacation theme. I hope to live by this other times as well…Just let go


20150410_181628


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Published on April 20, 2015 17:58

April 6, 2015

Picture This!

So what have I been doing this past week? Trying to have a new author picture taken so that I can send it to RWA��. They have asked for a photo that can be used on their website and as part of the promotions surrounding the RITA�� awards.�� And like 99.9 percent of the population I hate having my picture taken. This week has not been different in this regard.


I have had several photos taken with cameras and phones and I stare at these photos and see a smile that is too big in one photo and scrunched in another, eyes that bug in the first and then squint in the second.�� And please don’t get me started on all the ‘laugh lines’ that are glaringly apparent.


Cameras don’t lie. Or… maybe they do to a certain extent.


Let’s face it. We are not natural when we pose for a picture. A staged picture does not capture personality, it captures what we want others to see.


Like a character I might develop for a story. A good character is much more than their physical description. They are a combination of ticks, foibles, actions, emotions. A good character allows us to experience them as one would a friend (or enemy). We are able to embrace their personality, to feel their motivation and understand why they do what they do. We might not agree with it every time, but we understand why they did it.


A picture is not three-dimensional, which is why so many of us don’t like our picture taken. And that means we don’t want our characters to be one or two-dimensional either. Give us some depth!


Now after all this picture angst, I have settled on a new photo that you can see on my About Me page by clicking HERE.


Phew…another item checked off of my ‘to do’ list!


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Published on April 06, 2015 17:56

March 30, 2015

It’s All about Attitude

20150330_172018For my recent birthday, one of my friends gave me this button. And I laughed out loud when I saw it and wore it proudly all day long. Putting aside the humor, I think it holds an important message, and no it’s not that I expect people to curtsy when they see me. That would actually probably get old after awhile…or maybe not :)


What I think it conveys is the idea that attitude affects everything in our lives. And I don’t mean having AN attitude, but rather, our attitude overall. Like believing in yourself. This can hold true in writing as well. When someone types the first word of the first sentence of the first paragraph of the first chapter of the first book they ever attempt to write, that is a HUGE leap of faith. Deep down that person pushes aside the idea that they CAN’T write a book. And they believe that it CAN be accomplished. Their attitude allows them to continue writing their story until they type ‘the end’.


Then that belief in themselves pushes them to edit and edit and edit and then send it out to agents and editors. At this point in the game, if you don’t have attitude you’ll never survive the rejection! And when the book is contracted with a publisher, or you decide to self-publish it, attitude rules the day again because your baby is going to get a makeover whether you think it needs one or not.


And now you are finally ready to release your book into the world. Can attitude be tucked away for another day?


Heck no!


You need attitude to help you succeed in the publishing business. So when you stumble and fall you can pick yourself up, and brush yourself off, and use it as a learning experience for the next time.


Keep all this in mind when you’re talking yourself out of trying something new. Attitude does make a difference. Honest. Your queen wouldn’t lie to you about something this important.


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Published on March 30, 2015 18:13