Of Ice and Men

I could blame my absence on a plethora of things: writer's block, sheer laziness, illness, a full schedule, stress and staff changes at work, a string of bad luck in the dating department.... But no matter what, I don't have any real excuses for not blogging/updating. And I absolutely have no excuse for not having my new book finished yet. I was hoping to have this one finished well before the start of the 2013-14 NHL season, but I'm on the third re-write and only approximately halfway through. I do have some good news, though: I can finally present to you the cover art for Shots on Net ! My graphic designer sent this over on Saturday, and it's definitely helping to motivate me to get the re-write done. For me, the cover represents the final step in the process, so I'm itching to wrap this up. I know better than to make promises, so my goal is to have the book published sometime in October, since the plot starts at the beginning of the hockey season. ...

Oh man, how is it almost July?! Where has the time gone? Life has been absolutely crazy for me lately. I just moved into my very own apartment (no roommates!), and I'm exhausted. I thought the solitude would help the creative juices flow, but instead I'm busy building bookcases and waiting for my couch that's STILL on back order. The past few weeks have been an adjustment period for me--and my cats--but I think things are finally starting to fall into place and I'm getting back into a routine that will allow for some writing and editing. I feel absolutely awful that I'm now TWO MONTHS behind schedule on publishing Shots on Net , though. In fact, I haven't touched base with my graphic designer since... well, I don't even know how long! (In my defense, I just got my internet access back three days ago.) Of course, I can only make so many excuses for myself. I've also been a regular social butterfly this month. Pittsburgh has finally gotten some good ...

Writing is hard work. Not that I'm complaining; writing is probably the one activity I get the most satisfaction from doing. What could be more fun than imagining a whole alternative reality and then just jotting down what happens? I've always had an overactive imagination. Now, instead of just living in those worlds and realities I dream up, I write them down and share them with other people. But that doesn't mean that it's always easy. I can't just sit down in front of a computer and type away endlessly. I like to have to muse over plots and characters--and most of the time, that's how the stories write themselves. However, I work full time and then engage in some fun extracurricular activities. Recently, I stage-managed for a local theatre's kids production, and then I started attending a weekly trivia contest. It's nice to have fun things to do on the side, but it does cut into my allotted time for daydreaming about my stories and what shoul...

Is anyone on Goodreads? I am! Check out my page and friend me! Jay

Yesterday's free promotion of Play the Man was a resounding success, and I have all of you to thank for that! Two hundred copies were downloaded, and at the end of the day, Play the Man was ranked #53 in the Women's Fiction genre of Amazon's free Kindle books, and also hit #81 in the Contemporary Fiction genre! I couldn't be happier, and last night I was overcome with gratitude. I've always, always said that I have the best readers on Blogger, and you all came through for me in a big way. Of course, now that you have a copy of Play the Man , I have to jump back into promotional mode and ask you to please review it on Amazon. Every writer loves feedback, and I have read every comment everyone's ever left for me and appreciated it—whether it was something short and sweet like "I really enjoyed this chapter, please update soon!" or the longer, epic comments left by some of my more ardent followers. But Amazon is different than Blogger, and reviews an...

Free is my favorite everything. It's my favorite flavor when I get free samples. It's my favorite color when I get free shirts. It's my favorite drink at the bar. Need I say more? So what's better than free reading? Nothing! Have you downloaded your free copy of Play the Man yet? It's free all day, but why wait? Come check it out, and if you like it, please leave me a good review! And let me know what you think about Shots on Net . Are you excited for it?

Play the Man is officially for sale! Remember, tomorrow is the free promotional day, so please check in tomorrow and get your free copy for your Kindle! Even if you don't have an e-reader, you can download the apps on your phone, tablet, or computer. A little warning to my east coast readers: the promotion runs on Pacific Time, so don't wait until late evening, or you'll miss your chance to get Play the Man for free!