Monthly Archives: January 2019

Jana Blogs

Rainbow Snippets

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I’m juggling exam writing and edits and blurb writing so let me post and run. This is more of These Haunted Hills. I wanted to go out to the hills for winter picture taking but it’s being TOO icy out there. I’ve skipped to Josh’s pov. This phone conversation is happening at the same time roughly as Brendan talking to his ex. Cassia is Josh’s ghost hunting partner and best friend (and yes a little long again.)

“I think I hate you right now.”

“Awww, and yeah you really should. It was amazing, Cass! Poltergeist like tantrums, good audio clips, shadow forms. A freaked out author.” Josh taunted her good-naturedly as he tried to pet both Worf and K’ehleyr at the same time. “Hang on, I have to put you on speaker so I can set the phone down.”

“Their furry majesties demanding all of you again?”

“Always and forever. I hope it’s that active when you can join us. He’s thrilled by the way to have us taking him out investigating.”

“You have no idea how excited I am to meet him!”

Josh snorted then grunted as Worf planted a paw right in his crotch. He swore cats could put all their weight on one paw then triple the force right where they knew it would cause the most discomfort. “I absolutely do.”

“I’m shocked you restrained yourself from helping him check for ticks.” Cass laughed into the phone.

“Hardest moment of the day!” Almost in more ways than one. He couldn’t allow himself to get too worked up about how freaking hot Brendan was. Think about that dumb beard or something. Yeah, not helping. He’d live to regret doing the right thing.

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

Jana Blogs

Sunday Small Talk

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ramis

This meme says a lot. I was thinking about the idea of authors helping authors. Today I was part of Ana Newfolk’s release party for Made in Manhattan
Her party had 52 authors spending a half hour with her readers on her FB group, talking about OUR stuff. Now that is authors helping authors. I knew some of the other authors but out of the people who spoke to me I knew one. Will I get some new readers? I have no idea but it certainly couldn’t have hurt.

This is what we need more of, helping each other. I shared her release all over my social media and she allowed me time with her readers. We both benefit and it’s such an easy thing to do.

I try to do this myself. For my part, I at least host people on my blog and share as much as I can.

As for my writing, I’m about done with round two of Modified and Sacred my SF novella with Ninestar Press and the Kiss and Ginger sale went well for me. I’m glad I got to be a part of that.

And speaking of helping have some writing links

Top 10 Writing Posts of 2018

Making A Living From Your Writing

Should You Give Non-Human Groups Marginalized Traits?

10 Writer Takeaways From My Trip To Disney World


Are You A Writer, Or Someone Who Dreams Of Being A Writer?


Trends In Publishing

Cut and Cut (and Cut Again) — The Self-edit Credo


A Million Jelly Beans And No Bowl (facts and narrative)


Filling The Holes In Your Story

Writing Phone Conversations to Forward Your Plot and Draw Your Characters

Jana Blogs

Rainbow Snippets

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Yikes this week got away from me, mostly doing edits on my SF novella that should be coming out soonish (I’m not quite sure when yet).

I’m prepping for snowmageddon and the upcoming Yeti invasion. Honestly I am a tad worried. My apartment is all electric and it’s raining. That usually equates to broken lines and since I live in the middle of nowhere we’re NOT a priority for getting it fixed. The real worry is it going down to well below freezing tonight. Ah well, I’ll have a ton of prepared food if nothing else.

I was GOING to go hiking in those haunted hills this long weekend but not with the weather like this. I wanted to see the waterfall frozen but I’m betting next weekend it’ll still be frozen and there won’t be inches of fresh ice everywhere I need to put my feet.

More of These Haunted Hills. It’s way more than six lines but I wanted to finish this scene and move on so…

“I heard a fox last night.”

“Really? Do you know what a fox sounds like?”

“Hell no. I thought it was monster. Nearly crapped myself then too but I recorded it. Josh knew what the sounds were. He studies foxes.”

“You didn’t tell him you thought it was a monster did you?”

“No! He laughed anyhow.” His cheeks burned anew. “Then he got all excited which led to the unfortunate need to check our bodies for ticks. I didn’t see any on me but I swear I still feel them crawling.” He shuddered.

“Did you check each other? You said he was cute.”

“How awkward would that have been? Hey we’ve only known each other for a day but do you mind checking my ass for fucking hideous parasites?”

Kristen started laughing. It took her a good thirty seconds to calm down. “Okay but seriously did you ask?”

“No!” But he’d been so tempted. From the way Joshua’s jeans fit, he could see he had a fine ass. That desire stirred up things inside him, none of them good. If this continued maybe he did need to call Dr. Potter and sort himself out. The guilt started to rise again. He could almost hear Kristen saying Connor wouldn’t want them to be alone and miserable their whole lives. Connor loved them. He always wilted some when his parents were visibly hurting. He’d known Joshua for only a couple handfuls of hours so he needed to take stock of the things roiling in his mind. Lust was a bitch.

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

Jana Blogs

Sunday Small Talk

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So I was lucky enough to get in on Dreamspinner’s Kiss a Ginger sale. Temple, one of my three demon hunters in 1930s Pittsburgh is a lovely redheaded bisexual (who sadly has some big trust issues among other things like PTSD not that they had that word for it in 1930). Not only is the sale going well for that one but also for the other Soldiers of the Sun series books. In fact DSP is having a 30% off sale on top of this one so now is a great time to get something of mine!

soldiers-of-the-sun
Here’s the blurb to Soldiers of the Sun (which you can find at that link)

BlurbCaleb Davies and Agni Pradesh are worried about their teammate and lover, Temple Chevalier. Not only has he lost his long-time partner, Fu Li, but he nearly died fighting a demon himself. Also, Temple isn’t sure he’s ready for a new teammate after Li. Caleb and Agni are even more concerned that their three-way relationship with Temple exists less because he loves them and more because he’s hiding from the pain of Li’s loss.

1932 shapes up to be a terrible year for the Soldiers as they welcome the New Year fighting demons and then end up investigating a case that pairs them up with the Knights Templar. This would normally be a good thing, but it forces Temple to face his painful past. Worse yet, the case leads right to Astaroth, a Prince of Hell, who might prove to be an unbeatable foe.

I’ve started looking at some of my finished short stories and novellas as I try to find them homes. The first time I opened the one set in Cassadaga I found it was shorter than I thought but upon reopening it today either I had found a very old version or Word glitched. It’s not 12K but 21K which means it’s long enough for a few things. I might send it off to an anthology looking for summer heat (it is in Florida). Unfortunately the solarpunk anthology is very specifically winter and my story hinges on it being autumn. Ah well, the search continues. The deadwood one is just under 15K

And here’s the thing, I don’t see me expanding them to novella length to sell on their own. I actually DID that with Cassadaga when people were asking for 20K to be the lower limit but now it’s 30K. These stories would probably just end up being bloated and not up to snuff if I tried expanding them (also mentally it’s hard to expand something that feels DONE. So I’m on the lookout for solarpunk, shifter and urban fantasy/paranormal open calls.

I appreciate that DSP has their Christmas open call already up. It’s snowing as I type and that put me in the mood way better than I’d be if this was June like half the holiday open calls are. I think I’ll take another stab at that. Wish me luck.

And now some writing links Hopefully I hadn’t shared all of these before (Bookbaby is definitely recycling links at this point)

Things I Wish I Had Known Before Self-Publishing My Book

Words That Carry Maximum Weight: Tropes In Storytelling

The Importance of Setting In Your Story
 I’m big on this one

Five Things You Need As You Begin A Career As A Self-Published Author

How To Read, Edit, and Evaluate Your Writing With Fresh Eyes

New Novelist? Plan Your 2019

Author Incomes: Not Great, Now or Then

Rest for Success & Why Busy is Seriously Overrated

Want Authorly Superpowers? Build a Street Team!

4 Things You Should Know Before You Quit Writing Your Novel

The Different Types of Editing Explained

Six Reasons the Fire Nation Is Such a Good Villain This is good!

Six Common Wordcraft Mistakes in Manuscripts guilty so guilty

PODCAST
204 – Bad Wordcraft Devices Soldiers of the Sun

Jana Blogs

Rainbow Snippet

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Survived week one of work but still no signs of whether or not I have my sabbatical for next year.

Here’s a little more of my WIP These Haunted Hills It’s more of Brendan’s conversation with his ex, Kristen.

In spite of his protestations about being good, he could still hear the worry and pain in her tone. “I can do that. Besides we might be going ghost hunting at night soon anyhow.”

“I can almost picture you bouncing around like a little boy.”

At that his heart clenched. Kristen went silent, no doubt feeling the same pain. If it was this bad for him he could only guess at the pain she felt losing the son she had sheltered inside her body.

He forced a smile into his voice. “I am. Joshua and I even went looking for foxes in the woods around my cabin.”

She laughed. “You in the woods? I still can’t picture it. What brought that on?”

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!