A.E. Jones's Blog, page 41
February 8, 2015
The Pursuit Release Day!
I am so excited to announce that The Pursuit is officially here! Released and ready for your reading pleasure. For more info on the particulars, click HERE. It is hard to believe that when I made the decision to self publish in January of 2014, that I would now be releasing my fourth book in my series. I have spent years writing these books and I hope that you are enjoying them. The characters are like family to me and from some of your comments and reviews, they feel like family to you too.
As usual, I am wearing my release day tiara. I started that tradition when I released Mind Sweeper since it was such a momentous occasion. The tiara is my way of highlighting the importance of the day. And I have continued the tradition through all of my book releases. Who doesn’t want to feel like a princess – a princess who can kick butt and take names – but a princess all the same.
So on this February day I look outside to see the snow melting (thank goodness) and the sun shining (okay, that is wishful thinking on my part). And I hope you join me in celebrating the day, no matter what you have planned. If I could, I would send you all a tiara to help you feel special too. Instead you’ll have to settle for a tiara picture.
If you have been following me for a while you know that I have two cats who also like to be part of the action as well. Today, Maggie decided that she wanted her picture taken too. So I’m sharing her beauty shot below. She also wanted to wear the tiara, but I put my foot down on that one.
February 7, 2015
One More Teaser!
Tomorrow is the day! The Pursuit will be released on February 8th. Time for one more teaser…and it’s a good one!
February 6, 2015
Teaser Time! Two More Days
Let’s delve into what Jean Luc thinks (even if he isn’t sharing it with Talia…yet).
February 5, 2015
Three Days Until the Fun Begins…
Kyle has to add her two cents as she watches Talia and Jean Luc dance around each other…
February 4, 2015
Four More Days and a Giveaway…
Another teaser…this time a serious one…just cause
AND in celebration of my release I have a Goodreads giveaway for The Pursuit happening now. Click HERE for more info!
February 3, 2015
Teaser Countdown! Five Days…
Here is your first teaser, my friends. Can you guess where this story kicks off? The idea of supes in Vegas makes me smile!
5 Days until The Pursuit release day!
February 2, 2015
The Hoop is Never too High
Every night after work, I walk at a field house that is down the road from my home. It’s a great way to get in exercise, especially in the winter months. The field house has a track on the perimeter and in the middle are basketball and volleyball courts. There is always something going on at the field house. It is never boring which helps the walking go by a little faster.
Tonight I got to watch a basketball clinic for little kids. And by little, I mean that they use mini basketball since they wouldn’t be able to hold onto the regular size ones. And if they stood next to a regular basketball it would come up well past their knees!
As you can imagine, the kids are learning about how to dribble, how to turn, how to dribble and walk (cause that’s a lot harder than standing still and dribbling), how to shoot. And in order to shoot, the have to learn where to stand, how to squat slightly to give them momentum, how to push up from their knees and let the ball go, how to aim it toward the hoop. Exhausting, right?
Well, for kids, not so much.
Kids aren’t like adults. They don’t look at all they have to learn and think it’s too much. They don’t see the hoop as being too high. They do it for the fun, for the adventure. And when it’s broken down into parts, they can master the steps to learn the whole.
I think about my writing path and can equate it to learning how to shoot. If I had gone into writing with my eyes wide open and adult cynicism in place I would have never continued. I would still be wanting to write, but not finishing that first paragraph, or scene, or chapter, or book.
I’m glad that I got to see the kids trying their best AND having fun in the process. Because sometime I have to remind myself that I write for the FUN OF IT. That I can still giggle and cry with my characters. That as I start my countdown week for the release of book four in my series, that the hoop is never too high.
So let’s plan on having some fun this week! I will be starting countdown teasers tomorrow and I’ll share other interesting items that come up this week. I’m facing the hoop and I’m bending my knees and my arms go up, the ball releases…
January 28, 2015
Picture Time!
No excuses this time, my followers. I am two days late for my weekly blog, but there is a definite reason for it. On Saturday, I posted my cover reveal for The Pursuit, which is book 4 in my Mind Sweeper Series. And since I think that it is an AMAZING cover, I decided to leave it front and center on my blog page for a few days before I posted my weekly blog.
If you didn’t get a chance to see my cover reveal, click HERE to check it out. And if you are wanting to read an excerpt from The Pursuit, click HERE.
Now when it came to this cover, I will admit that I was a little nervous. After all I have described Jean Luc in my books as beautiful and sexy. And I am sure that my readers have definite ideas of what he looks like in their heads. But I decided to take the risk and put a picture of him on this cover. I mean, Talia got face time on book two, it only seems fair that Jean Luc got some attention of his own!
It really is amazing what a picture can do. It can set mood, set expectation, set pulses racing. So in celebration of my release on February 8th, I am having fun with pictures!
I have created a Pinterest board for The Pursuit where I will be posting relevant pics for your perusal. Come visit it by clicking HERE.
And of course…wait for it….I will be having countdown teasers next week too! Yahoo, I just love teasers. Fun or angsty quotes paired with pictures that make you wonder what the book is really about!
So stay tuned….
January 24, 2015
Cover Reveal: The Pursuit
I have been hinting that the next book in my Mind Sweeper Series would be coming soon… and here it is! The Pursuit is a novella that continues Jean Luc and Talia’s story. I know many of you have been wanting to know what the heck happened between these two. As have I :)
The Pursuit will be released on Sunday, February 8th, just in time for Valentine’s Day! You can also preorder it now!
Pre-Order:�������� Amazon�� ���� �� �� �� Kobo�� �� �� �� �� ��Preorders�� iTunes coming soon! �� ��
Check out the amazing cover that Gabrielle Prendergast created for me. And this time (drum roll) it has a GUY on it. Jean Luc in all of his sexy vampire-pirate glory! So take a gander at the new cover and read the blurb below for more info on the newest book in the series.
Blurb:
The Pursuit
Book Four in the Mind Sweeper Series.
A Mind Sweeper novella that delves further into Jean Luc and Talia���s story. Thirty years ago, Jean Luc Delacroix believed he had found his mate in Talia Walker���until she walked out on him. While he has honored her wish to be independent, he cannot forget her. And when they���re thrown together again, Jean Luc���s feelings reignite. This time he will do whatever is necessary to make her his.
Talia learned everything she knows about love���and about being a vampire���from Jean Luc. But the memories of her forced turning and loss of humanity compelled her to strike out on her own to prove she could take care of herself. 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. A killer vampire is draining humans. When suspects are uncovered, the very foundation of the vampire nation is threatened. And when they get closer to the truth, and Jean Luc���s life is in danger, Talia risks her own life to hunt down the killer.
Will Jean Luc and Talia finally find the courage to follow their hearts? Or will the killer destroy them first?
So what do you think? Do we have a winner here, or what?
January 19, 2015
Finding My Root Place
I may have shared with you in the past that I take a Tai Chi class. I signed up for it last spring and have been trying to learn (sometimes successfully and sometimes not) the art and science of it ever since. Tai Chi is a form of exercise, relaxation, and martial arts rolled into one. And even though the moves appear easy, I am here to tell you that it is NOT as easy as it looks. But then things that are truly worthwhile are never easy to accomplish.
One of the fundamental ideas of Tai Chi is finding your ‘root place’ which is where you center your energy and ground yourself to the earth. Usually this is done through your feet. They are the funnel for your connection with the earth and energy gained from it. As a writer, I find this concept intriguing. Ultimately each time I create a story I center myself in a new root place. And if I’m doing it the ‘right way’ I can gain energy from this creation and share it with my readers.
My instructor says that repeating the Tai Chi movements over and over and over again creates muscle memories. At some point I will not have to think to complete the motions. Once I’m able to not concentrate on what comes next, the real fun begins.
And as I go through the motions of developing setting, plot, character, and conflict in my stories, I’m training myself to become a better writer. Not that I will ever be able to complete a story without thinking, but if the basics become second nature to me, then I can spend the time making the story all the more richer. I can strengthen my writing muscle memories which allow me to start with a strong foundation and then my creativity can be spent on the ‘good stuff’ in the story.
Tai Chi is not something that can be taught overnight. For many, it takes years to simply learn the movements. And one of the most important things that this class has taught me so far is the art of patience. And that is something that can definitely be applied to my writing as well. I am still learning and will continue to grow as a writer throughout my career. I will always have an opportunity to become better at what I do, to ground myself into a new root place and take you with me.
