Tag Archives: blogs

Generally Speaking . . .

Posted on by Jinxie G

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a terrible blogger. I try to stick to a schedule, with each day of the week bringing something different, but I either run out of material or Life decides to dump everything on me at once, leaving me in a frenzy of putting out fires and cleaning up messes.

But right now, generally speaking . . . I’ve got nothing.

Except for my babbling . . . and these damned robin eggs Umi keeps buying!

Thank God Easter is over.

At any rate, I’ll get back to it soon . . . as soon as I can think of something to talk about again. I’m too busy editing and writing at the moment.

In the meantime . . .

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*taps nails against desk* I’m still waiting!

Reworking the Olde

Posted on by Jinxie G

One of the hardest things for an author to do is rework an old story, one that’s been sitting on the shelf gathering dust for years. The reason this is difficult is because your writing has vastly improved over the years, and to go back and fix all of your mistakes takes not only an outsider’s perspective on the story, which is difficult in itself, but also a sense of humility and courage. Even if you have an editor look at it, there’s still so much wrong with it. So why bother? You bother with it because it’s still a story you love, just as much as every one that flows from your fingertips, and you want to share that story.

And sometimes, you have to completely rewrite the book. For me, this is very difficult to do as well.

I happened upon a stinging review last night for one of my books, and the comfort I felt at not getting upset surprised me a little. Perhaps it’s the psychology class I’m taking, or maybe it’s just that I’ve come to realize that some people will like my books and some won’t. The best action I can take is not to respond to the review, regardless of the approach I’d take. Every author learns this lesson.

The doubt is the worst part, however. You start doubting the story. Are my characters really flat? Is there not a cohesiveness to the story? Why didn’t this reader connect with the characters and enjoy the story? You begin obsessing over the details of the review. STOP. Obsessing is the wrong approach. It’s just a review by one person who read your book. On the bright side, they took the time to actually write the review when so few do so. You must remember that readers are extremely critical of books and stories and tales. Most of them don’t even know the difference between a tale and a story, but it doesn’t matter. What concerns you is the fact that that review is the first one potential readers see, and it may prevent them from buying your book that others have actually enjoyed.

So what do you do?

Keep writing.

It’s that simple. Whether it’s another olde story or a shiny new one, you keep writing and you keep sharing. Why? Because writers thrive on not money but the creation of new worlds with wonderful adventures and great characters.

My head has been lost in books since last October, but they’re not the right kinds of books and they don’t get my creative side spinning a new tale to tell. As of March 30th, my head will be out of academia and back in the clouds once again.

And I’ll have some new stories to share with you soon.

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On Hiatus…

Posted on by Jinxie G

Yeah, I know. I’ve basically vanished from cyberspace like Egypt during protests. I thought last semester was tough with all the reading and writing I had to do for two literature classes. That’s NOTHING compared to this semester with anthropology, psychology, and Photoshop. I thought the Photoshop class would be easiest, especially considering my graphic design background. Oh hell no! It’s probably the toughest class of the three, and that’s fucking saying something considering what the other two are!

At any rate, I’ll be finished around the end of March. And then I have to figure out which MFA program I’m going to do. I may end up taking a year and a half off just to get all my ducks in a row regarding Just Ink Press and my own damn writing that I don’t ever have time for anymore!

I’ll be back soon. I’m still talking here and there on the fanpage, which goes to Twitter, and on Facebook in general via one page or another.

I just did a copy edit on Shannon Mayer’s newest book IMMUNE, so you might want to pick that up. And I’ve been promoting RC Murphy’s ENSLAVED, which I also edited and designed the cover for. Both of these books are spectacular stories and totally worth the $$. Click on the images below to check them out and purchase. Proceeds go to helping authors get paid for their hard work and determination to finish a damn book.

Immune_Final

On Amazon

Enslaved Final Cover-sm

On Amazon

You could check out my books too, if you like kick-ass heroines and vamps…

On Amazon

On Amazon

On Amazon

On Amazon
On Amazon

On Amazon

Or you could just sit there and stare at your screen. Far be it for me to persuade you into visiting another world full of adventure. =D

I’ve Got Your D & G Right Here, Bitches!

Posted on by Jinxie G

Hey there Sinners and Saints,

I know it’s been a while since I last posted. Unfortunately, this is the by-product of me finishing my degree. When I have two or more classes, practically everything else gets pushed aside, even my writing. Starting February 4th, I’ll be taking three classes and may or may not vanish entirely from cyberspace for the next 8 weeks due to the black hole abyss of homework.

Just giving you fair warning.

Part of the reason for my absence is that, while taking the two literature classes, I was editing—my books, Shannon Mayer’s book Priceless, somebody’s book. I’ve released two books in the past month. Shocking, I know. As you may understand, I haven’t had a whole lot of time for promoting my books when I had finals contending with it.

But I’ve got something special this week for you.

January 30th through February 1st, you will be able to download Gods & Vampyres for free. That’s right, I said F-R-E-E. What’s even better? From February 2nd through February 3rd, The Dracove will be FREE again.

*gasps* Two books for FREE in the same week? It can’t be true.

Oh, it is. You can get the first two books in the Prophecy series for FREE this week and this week ONLY.

Read about them below. Click on the book cover images for the links to Amazon.

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The DracoveKylie O’Rourke has unwittingly walked into the path of two vampyres—one who wants to use her as a sacrifice, and one who only wishes to win her heart. As she is pulled into their clandestine world, she learns more about her history and the reason behind her horrible nightmares.

Master vampyre Cianán searches for the one woman who could take his immortality to the next level—godhood. But, when he finds his Chosen One, his progeny Grantlund stumbles onto the Master’s plan . . . again. As if losing his first sacrifice to the bastard wasn’t enough, the Fates were to torment him with a second time.

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G&V3War.

The act never changes, only its players over thousands of years.

When Kylie is taken for use as a sacrifice in an ancient ritual, Grantlund races to save her life, but he has to wait for that perfect moment or all will be lost. Not only does he have to go up against his former Master, Cianán, one of the oldest and most powerful vampyres on Earth, but now the gods are involved, and Cianán has a very prominent one in his corner.

Grant will do anything to stop Cianán from destroying his lover and this world, but what price is he willing to pay? Death at the hands of the woman he loves?

An epic battle is about to begin, and not even the gods know who will come out the victor.

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This promo starts Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at midnight PST, so be sure to bookmark the event or write it down. And share, share, share, folks! Word of mouth is an author’s best advertising!

I’m currently editing R.C. Murhpy’s next novel, Enslaved, and it’s her debut Just Ink Press release. It’s good, people. Good to the point of making editing difficult because I get lost in the story, which was always one of my fears about editing others. Don’t worry, I’m doing my job.

Around mid-February, I’ll by copy-editing Shannon Mayer’s next book (and I can’t WAIT to read this one). So yeah, I’m pretty damn busy. What else is new, right? At any rate, I’ll work hard to get the next Prophecy series book out—Gemini. It needs a lot of editing too, and perhaps some dissection where a novella may come of it as an in-between teaser.

Also be sure to check out the Special Content page for me on Just Ink Press’s website! Right now, there are either deleted scenes or short before/in-between/after stories. You won’t want to miss those!

As always, I appreciate you stopping by and reading.

Jinxie

V^^^V

IronE’s Autobiography & Cover Reveal

Posted on by Jinxie G

IronE Singleton, aka T-Dog on The Walking Dead, has co-written his official autobiography with ZSC Commander-in-Chief Juliette Terzieff .

After a long wait, we finally have news about the book…and the cover!

BookCover_FrontFinal(1)

Synopsis:

On the streets of Atlanta, the fight to survive is a daily battle.

From the drug-infested corners of one of the city’s worst housing projects, to alleyways filled with ravenous zombies– Blindsided by the Walking Dead examines one man’s battle to overcome the violence, drugs, and crime of the ‘hood; starting with a young IronE Singleton determined to succeed despite an abusive mother, an absent father, and the temptations of instant gratification inherent with the thug life.

Football and Faith in God become IronE’s allies in his quest to escape and help him reach for the lights of the University of Georgia’s football field and theater stages.

After years of struggle–failed businesses, small roles, and an ill-fated trip to Los Angeles–IronE snags his major breakthrough role, playing the kind of drug-dealing, gun-toting thug he would have become on the streets, in The Blind Side.

When he is cast as T-Dog on AMC’s international mega-hit “The Walking Dead”, IronE examines through art what humanity is about and what it means to truly survive against all odds. Alongside cast mates Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey DeMunn, and Andrew Lincoln, IronE fought, gagged, and sweat his way into the hearts and minds of millions around the world.

Available for pre-order now!

Get your order in now!

Bed Bug What?

Posted on by Jinxie G

Yes, I know, it’s been forEVER and a day since I last posted. Two literature classes take up pretty much any free time I may have, and the remainder is spent on editing books so I can give y’all something to read in the near future . . . if my beta readers ever get the books back to me with their comments.

WARNING: this post in particular WILL contain foul language due to the situation. Just thought I’d give you a heads up in case you’re at work. Also, you may squirm a lot and itch for hours after reading. Just sayin’.

This would be Umi's bed right after we discovered them.

This would be Umi’s bed right after we discovered them.

I don’t even know where to begin with this because I’m still recovering. In fact, I was going to write this post several months ago, but I still had yet to get enough sleep with everything happening around my home and work and whatthefuck. I’m still exhausted, and it doesn’t look like that’ll be letting up anytime soon. Now I can blame it on school because the BED BUGS have been gone for about . . . two months, going on three. YAY!

She looks happy; she’s so not

This whole goddamn situation started back in June for me. I don’t know HOW it started, but the first three I saw looked like ticks, so Moonbug got a bath. I’d never before seen a bed bug, and well, they look like ticks.

And then I saw one or two more a week later, so I took Moonbug over to my aunt’s house, into the walk-in shower (because lifting her was damn difficult with her back legs being so bad), and my cousin Skywise and I scrubbed her down good with the flea & tick shampoo. That was a week before she died, but hey, at least she was nice and clean and smelled purdy when she died. Right?

Not long after that, Umi kept waking up with bite marks all over her arms. It took us a few weeks to figure out what it was biting her. I still get all itchy when I think about it, and I think about it often. Her bites were so bad, it decreased her INR level. Umi is on blood thinners because she has blood clots and such, so the INR has to read between 2.0 and 3.0. For about two months, her INR kept hitting around 1.4, which is so not good. Below 2.0 puts her at risk of clotting, and since a pulmonary embolism nearly killed her by sending little fragments of blood clots to her lungs about five years ago, clotting is very, very bad. At the same time, above 3.0 could have her bleeding out if she were to cut herself.

Now her INR is normal again. Thank the gods.

There is a LOT involved when getting rid of these fucking little pests. I probably did about $50 or more in laundry. The apartment was treated three times, once with a fog. There’s vacuuming, which is apparently supposed to be done every day, though I wasn’t told that. My son ended up getting bed bugs in his apartment about a month ago, after mine were all gone. The beds get treated, and I was told by my landlord to buy mattress covers or we’d be asked to leave. You bet your sweet ass I saved all those text messages! One thing I discovered during all the cleaning, and something that’s really hard to find stated in the bed bug myths articles floating around cyberspace, is that my baseboards weren’t caulked. I learned during a night out for sushi that all sorts of bugs like to hide in baseboards. Well, I knew that part. What I didn’t ever think about was to caulk the TOP of the fucking baseboards too. I’d never caulked baseboards before, so I went to the hardware store and walked around while talking to my aforementioned cousin on the phone, who told me what to look for and how to do it. I didn’t feel like waiting on my landlord to get it done. We’d have had another infestation by then.

Before caulking

Before caulking

After caulking

After caulking

One weekend, I spent caulking Umi’s entire fucking bedroom. I cleaned the floors and around the baseboards, I caulked the baseboards, and I sprayed around the baseboards afterward with a bed bug spray that I have no fucking idea if it works or not, but the caulking sure the fuck does because Umi hasn’t been bitten since. But do you see the gi-normous HOLE in the corner there in the before shot? Hell, a fucking scorpion could have fit through that! That weekend nearly killed me. I’m not kidding. Doing a major cleaning like that is extremely difficult on me. I can’t even begin to describe to you the amount of P-A-I-N I was in. And I did it again the following weekend. I cleaned, caulked, and sprayed the bathroom and the hallway, since the bathroom shares a wall with Umi’s bedroom. The weekend after that, I found those little fuckers on MY bed ON the goddamn mattress encasement that was supposed to keep them OFF. I’ve since duct taped where the zipper ends on those things, cleaned my floors, caulked about three-fourths of my bedroom, around the outlets, light switch, and phone jack too, and sprayed the ever-living hell out of my bed and baseboards. I’ve also moved my bed away from the wall and have been sleeping on an island for the past two months. I just can’t bring myself to move it back against the wall yet.

What terrifies and horrifies me the most about this whole goddamn situation is this: how fucking long did those things feed off my Moonbug? Because yes, they will feed off your pets. Notice I didn’t specify there? Yeah. If it’s warm-blooded, they’ll feed off of it. I try to tell myself they didn’t touch my baby girl, but I know better.

At any rate, I’m going to tell you a few things about bed bugs that’ll help you should the need arise, and I hope it doesn’t because I wouldn’t wish this hell on anyone.

This is actually a really good site on How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs. Read it carefully. I got this article, surprisingly from my landlord, about three months into the situation. A little late, but that’s where I got the sleeping on an island idea. It was at the three-month mark when I caulked the baseboards too.

The other thing you need to know about are the Bed Bug laws for your state. You’ll find them in your state’s Landlord/Tenant Act online, if your state has instituted the Bed Bug law. My Unca T found this lovely article (AZ) for me, and I soon learned that I knew a helluva lot more about the Landlord/Tenant Act than my landlord. HA!

Educate yourself. Eradicate the pests. Enjoy life!

 

Jinxie

Rules of Editing – Part III

Posted on by Jinxie G

DISCLAIMER: This post is meant to be humorous and in no way constitutes actual editing rules to live by (well, maybe a few). I just thought I’d put something together to make you laugh at my expense during my final edit of The Vampyre Prophecy.

So, go forth, laugh, enjoy, COMMENT. I swear, it’s like I’d have to sell my soul to get y’all to comment…

 

© 2012 Jinxie G

Rule #14 of final editing stage: don’t get acrylic nails too long that’ll prevent *good* typing on the new laptop!

Rule #15 in final edit: try not to call your editor bad names when s/he calls you a lazy-ass for not adding dialogue where it’s probably necessary.

Rule #16 during final edits: laugh, don’t cry, when your editor asks you how a vampyre transports himself from one place to another.

Rule #17 of final edit: laugh at your editor’s mistakes, but do NOT point them out! This may or may not cause you harm.

Rule #18: don’t get mad when you realize your editor is way geekier than you. “Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors.” @RCMurphy

Rule #19: beware the POV switch, for your editor may bitch slap you.

Rule #20: try not to laugh when your editor forgets or misspells a word. *snorts*

 

Yeah, it’s a short one this time around. Sue me. At least I posted something.

ZSC’s Big Cover Reveal

Posted on by Jinxie G

It’s finally that time of year again, where the Zombie Survival Crew unveils its latest anthology…and I’m in it this time! But here, I’ll let Juliette tell you all about the book and how to pre-order before the big cover reveal:

From the mobile unit of ZSC Commander-in-Chief Juliette Terzieff:

After months of anticipation, the day has finally come when we can release the cover art for Undead Uncensored, the second Zombie Survival Crew anthology. This year’s anthology is a vibrant collection of short fiction, poetry and non-fiction pieces designed to help you get your zombie freak on and prepare for what we might all face if the zombipocalypse hits!

Undead Uncensored features the work of yours truly alongside other ZSC Commanders: actor Michael Rooker, award-winning author LK Gardner-Griffie, and authors Jinxie G, R.C. Murphy, and Amy Sundberg. ZSC crew members, including Wendy Sparrow, Jessica Capelle, Robin Sellman, Amber Revelt, Stephanie Allen, Christopher De Voss, and many others contributed their artistic endeavors to this creeptastic collection!

Undead Uncensored is already available for pre-order here and orders will begin shipping on December 1, 2012.

Now without further ado… (yes, you can stop holding your breath now)

The cover for Undead Uncensored…

Go pre-order this, bitches! There’s some fun tales awaiting you inside!

Rules of Editing – Part I

Posted on by Jinxie G

DISCLAIMER: This post is meant to be humorous and in no way constitutes actual editing rules to live by (well, maybe a few). I just thought I’d put something together to make you laugh at my expense during my final edit of The Vampyre Prophecy.

So, go forth, laugh, enjoy, COMMENT. I swear, it’s like I’d have to sell my soul to get y’all to comment…

Rule #1 in final editing stage: don’t read the editor’s smartass comments while taking a drink. *cough cough*

I’m getting smacked for the word “while.” And I’m getting a “Kill it with fire!” LMAO!

Rule #2 in final edit stage: when your eyes start crossing, it’s time to step away from the book and go to bed!

Rule #3 in final edit stage: the editor is always right….correct….almost always correct….oh fine, always correct.

Rule #4 in final edit stage: alcohol is always necessary. Be sure to stock up. *takes a swig*

Rule #5 in the final edit stage: distractions are bad. Stay away from social media…………*runs away*

Rule #6 in final edit: know that it’s difficult for ANYONE to edit an old piece, and that it’s NOT complete crap and you CAN make it work.

Rule #7 in final edit: whether you have children (age doesn’t matter) or care for a parent, expect distractions…always.

Rule #8 during final edit: NOT sitting at your computer will NOT move the edit forward.

Rule #9 of final edit: try not to yell at your editor, but if you do, at least come up with creative ways to do so.

Rule #10 of final edit: acknowledge when your editor is correct, which is pretty much all the time.

Rule #11 in final edit stage: learn when to totally steal something from your editor…or whoever. And do it correctly and without getting caught.

Rule #12 of final edit: try not to pull your hair out and think, “God, when will it ever end?”

Rule #13 in final edit: unfortunately, editing jobs come up and you have to set aside your MS for a short time, but hey! Now you have money! =D

To be continued…

Stay tuned for a first chapter sample from The Vampyre Prophecy tomorrow!

In Dreams…Or How Ideas Come to Me

Posted on by Jinxie G

I like to keep a file or doc for ideas–blog ideas, book ideas, short story ideas–but today’s post comes from one I’d posted on another blog a couple of years ago. I’m revamping it a little to suit today’s needs, and I do apologize for the lateness of today’s post. I’ve been kind of busy stuck in editing Hell all . . . well, for the past week or so. I have yet to escape. This is but a small reprieve.

In dreams . . .

Ideas for stories, whether short or novel-length, can come from practically anywhere for me. Life around me is what usually inspires . . . a quote, a picture, something overheard at the cafe, the sky and its multitude of stars, especially right at dusk, a drive through barren desert, or the look in my Moon’s eyes, whom I miss very much. Her eyes held an ancient wisdom at times.

I’ve never claimed to have a muse, and my friends know how much I despise the term, but if I had to say I had one, I’d say it’s my vampire Shawn. When he’s not talking, no other characters will talk. The issue is that when he is talking, he tends to talk over the others.

Sometimes, I dream part of a story, or I dream about one of the characters. I include daydreams in that because I have a hyperactive imagination and it’s like constantly watching a movie in my head. Ideas come fast and hit me hard, usually in dialog(ue), and if I don’t write them down somewhere, they’re lost forever because I certainly won’t remember them again with my horrible memory, unless something specific triggers it. That’s happened very rarely. I’m thankful my phone has a memo pad. I just have to remember that it does.

Once, about 10 years ago, I had a nightmare. When I woke up, I grabbed my beautiful Italian leather journal and wrote him down. Him is one I call Daemon, and he scared the ever-living hell out of me. It took 10 years to get past him enough to use him in a story. He is an evil bastard and he always will be . . . and he still scares the ever-living hell out of me.

Sometimes I hate my dreams. Usually I’m being chased by zombies. Apparently, I need to write a zombie book (which I am), but I don’t think I could top The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

About dialog . . . or dialogue . . .

Dialog is always the first thing I hear. Yes, I hear it. Some random new character will start monologuing as soon as my head hits the pillow. It’s happened . . . several times. It’s also annoying as hell. The clearest one I’ve ever heard was Ezriel. He’s my seraphim vamp. Yep, you read that correctly. He started talking to me somewhere around 2004/2005 and I still don’t know his full story. He’s a bit shy about why/how he became a vamp. And I haven’t felt the need to pressure him just yet, but soon, he’ll have to talk. *contemplates chains*

For me, dialog is one of my strengths. I’d just like to get better at the initial detail, and I think I’m getting there. If you ever read one of my first drafts, you’ll see mostly dialog and very little detail. Although, I am getting better at it, since some of the newest stories have more detail weaving its way into the first drafts. *happy*

The idea doc . . .

It’s like an outline for me. I may loathe outlining novels, but I outline the rest of my life. Kind of sad, I know. I’m a control freak. Maybe that’s why I can’t outline the stories. I need that freedom somewhere. I think it has to do with my fading memory, though. In my mind, I’ll walk through the steps of my day the night before if I have important things to do. Of course, that’s me trying to control everything around me, and if I’ve learned anything at all in life, it’s that I can’t control the motions set in place that will fuck up my world entirely.

But I still try to control them. It’s my fatal flaw, I guess. You know every hero/heroine needs a fatal flaw, right? *winks*

One of these days, maybe I’ll figure out how to control Shawn . . . oh, never mind. That will NEVER happen.

Gemini Rising