Good Books | Jennette Marie Powell

by Jennette, January 24, 2016

No, this is not an athletic shoes commercial. This is what I had to tell myself yesterday to get the job done, the “job” being the scene that’s hung over me for the past three weeks.

Sometimes the hardest part of getting the writing done is just getting started, going to the computer, and overcoming inertia. But lately, my main problem has been staying focused once I’m there. I did some more experimenting with mynoise.net, having decided that Brain.fm was not working well enough to be worth spending $6.99 for a one-month subscription.

My conclusion? Sometimes/it depends. Which soundscape I chose definitely made a difference; some were too bland to aid in focus, as they were mostly intended to be noise-masking. Others sounded great, but made me sleepy (one use for these sounds is in hypnotherapy practice). I might try listening as I’m reading before bed to help me go to sleep. But that’s not what I want to do at the writing computer. I really like the Ice World sound, but this is one of those. However, My Noise lets you combine sounds, and combining it with Ethereal Choir is great, and did seem to help with focus.

I met with three of my writer friends yesterday, and one of them was having focus trouble, too. We talked about what we do when we come to a scene we don’t want to write yet, whether because of mood or something else. “Toss it out” wasn’t discussed, although that’s a perfectly viable option when the scene isn’t really needed for the book. We were talking about those that were definitely needed.

I just skip the scene and move on to the next, as I mentioned in last week’s ROW80 update. One of my friends writes out of order, so that’s a no-brainer for her. It’s easy enough for me to do, as my sketch/outline tells me what happens in the next scene. But one of my other friends does the same thing, and she uses absolutely no outline. She and I both write our scenes in order otherwise. But my third friend said he absolutely can’t write out of order. Lucky for him, he doesn’t come upon this situation very often.

Yesterday, I still had not finished either of the two scenes I’d wanted to for today’s ROW80 update. But meeting with my writing friends is always fun and energizing (at least creatively), and I came home ready to tackle those scenes. I hit the later one first, and finished it without a problem. Then I played computer games for about an hour, procrastinating on that scene I didn’t want to write, until I finally realized I was not going to hit that goal for the third week in a row if I didn’t Just Do It.

So I went back to the writing room, fed the critters, and fired up mynoise.net with a combo of Ice World, Ethereal Choir, and Coastline. I don’t know whether it was the music/sounds, or my determination to just get it written, but it worked. Took about three hours, and 2500 words, but it’s done! 🙂

What I’ve been reading: I finished Gods and Swindlers by Laura Kirwan last Sunday or Monday. I love, love, love this series, about a fifty-something, non-magical lawyer who lives in a magical town and is the only thing standing between it and magical baddies. This one was a little slow at first, but still kept my interest, and only got better and better as it went (much like the previous two books in the series). I hope the next one is out soon, though I’m willing to wait.

One thing I’ve noticed as a reader is that I can’t tell if something was written fast or slow, in order or not, outlined or written into the dark. Nor can I tell whether the author revised and fixed as s/he went, or did a big revision (or multiple) afterward. A lot of people have strong opinions on these, particularly the speed and revisions, but IMO none of them matter. What’s important is that we do what works for us for that book, at that point in our knowledge of craft. And it can change. (FWIW, I am a nominal outliner, I mostly write in order, my speed varies greatly even within one book, and I am working toward fixing more as I write, and revising less because I don’t enjoy it.)

ROW80 Update: As noted above, I made my goal to finish both the scenes I was working on (barely)! So this week’s goal is to write the last scene (yes!), and then go back and fix the things I know are missing. As a bonus, I’d like to do the read-through and proofread, to get it ready for the beta readers.

What about you–when you read, can you tell anything about how the book was written? What do you do to get yourself to Just Do It when “it” is something you keep stalling on? If you’re a writer, do you ever write out of order, and how do you handle scenes you don’t feel like writing? How are you doing on whatever goals you may have, whether or not you’re a writer? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

by Jennette, November 29, 2015

Efficiency–that’s something most of us need now more than ever, with the holidays approaching fast, and that many more things to do, while none of the usual things to do go away. These past two weeks, I’ve been working on developing more focus while writing, so I can get more written in less time.

I’ve also been doing some website work–not for me, but for one of the Mythical Press editors and cover artists. Her sites were old, and slow, the latter for several reasons. One was that it was hosted on an old server, so a server move was in order. This is something that should be easy, but I’ve done several of these recently (including this site), and it always ends up being a big job. My client’s sites were also using old themes, which needed to be rewritten from the ground up (these are custom themes that she liked, so we didn’t want something new). They were also not mobile-friendly, so I added code to make them fit well and display quickly on mobile screens. And finally, we decided that she should have a separate site for her independent cover design business, so that’s now in progress.

If that sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it was. But the thing is, I enjoy doing this stuff (so much more fun than the ones for my day job!). So I didn’t mind spending my time doing this.

I’ve also been working toward more efficiency in my writing time. Often, I have trouble staying focused on the writing while I’m there. (Like a lot of writers, I have “OOOH SHINY!” syndrome.) Having a separate writing computer helps–a lot–but recently it’s still been a challenge. So I took what seems like a counter-intuitive step: I’m spending less time there now. Last week I spend only 15 minutes/day writing, and to my surprise, I got as many words done as I’d been getting spending 2-3 times that much time. This past week, I bumped it up to 20 minutes, and stayed the course. I think knowing that I have a limited amount of time makes me buckle down and do the writing. Next week, I’m going back to 25 minutes–the classic Pomodoro method time–so we’ll see how that goes.

What I read last week: Hallowed, by Monica Leonelle. I figured since I read a lot of her craft and business books, I might as well see what her fiction’s like, and this book was free, so what was there to lose? This YA contemporary fantasy was great! The only bad part was that it ended on a cliffhanger, and the rest of the series isn’t currently available. I believe it was at one time, but she’s reworking them, I seem to remember reading somewhere.

I also read Break Writer’s Block Now by Jerrold Mundis. I don’t have writer’s block–in fact, one of the book’s main points is that there is no such thing–but I was hoping for some tips on staying focused. This is where I got the idea to spend only 15 minutes/day writing, then work up to more time. So it was very worthwhile!

This past week, I read the short stories and serial segments in Smith’s Monthly #13, by Dean Wesley Smith. I’m only a year behind on these now. 😀 As always, they were fun and entertaining.

ROW80 Update: I’m now about halfway through drafting my novella, thanks in large part to the tip in Break Writer’s Block Now. With the holidays and all the extra stuff to do that they entail, I don’t expect to speed up by much, so my goal is to complete at least one more scene, ideally, two.

What about you–have you discovered a way to be more efficient with anything recently? If not, what would you like to do more of in less time? Whether or not you’re participating in ROW80, how are you doing with any goals you may be working toward? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, November 15, 2015

Skipped blogging last week, because when I went to post, found that an update had hosed my newsletter signup. So I spent the time I’d set for blogging, fixing that instead.

I did make progress on the WIP, however. It helped that not much else has been going on. And yesterday, I met with my writers group–actually, there were just two of us–but that’s always fun and invigorating for the writing. I came home and finished a scene and fixed some inconsistencies in another. More on that in a few.

What happened to My Town Monday? On another note, Karen McFarland, one of my online writing friends, left a comment on my last blog asking about My Town Monday, a feature I used to do where I shared cool bits of Dayton history. She said she always enjoyed these posts (thank you, Karen!) and was I going to do any more?

The main reason haven’t done one in a long time is they take a lot of time and energy I no longer have. Time to research, find photos I can legally use, and a lot more time to write. Also, they were part of a blog hop, where several writers blogged about something cool–whether historical or contemporary–about their hometown. It was fun to go visit other participating bloggers, but that died out a couple years ago. I still love local history, so who knows, I may post another some time. Just no specific plans right now.

What I read last week: Crushed, by Laura Kirwan. Normally, I space series books out more, partly because I like variety, and partly because I want to draw out the enjoyment when it’s one I really like. I read the first book of this series, City of Eldrich, a few weeks ago, and it was awesome. I couldn’t wait that long to dig into this one, and it lived up to the first! The bad thing now is that I have to wait for the third, and she doesn’t have a newsletter, nor does her blog have an RSS feed or email signup. So I followed her on Amazon, hoping they’ll send me an update when she releases the next book. Can’t wait!

Smiths-Monthly-Cover-12-web This past week, I read the short stories and serial episodes in Smith’s Monthly #12, by Dean Wesley Smith. There is sometimes one short in these that just isn’t my thing, and yes, there was one I skipped here, but the rest were entertaining as always.

ROW80 Update: As noted above, I’m finally moving forward on my novella. But it took some more analysis, and last week I found the real problem: there wasn’t enough conflict. Oh, the process I was trying didn’t help either, but this was the main issue. The couple were both into each other, and there wasn’t enough keeping them apart, which made for a boring book. And if it’s boring me, it’ll certainly bore my readers. So I started over, with some conflicts hinted at in one of the related novels, that I’d pretty much glossed over in my initial version of this one. A couple scenes from the original were still applicable with minor changes, so I kept those, and wrote three new scenes. Moving along much better now! My goal for this week is to keep up that level of progress.

What about you–have you ever thought one thing was stopping you from moving ahead on a project, only to find it was really something else? Have you read any good books lately? And whether or not you’re participating in ROW80, how are you doing on whatever goals you may have? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, October 4, 2015

I didn’t blog last week because ROW80 was on break, and I just didn’t feel like it. I also had not met the goals I set for myself, so needed to adjust them. More on that below.

Among other things going on these past two weeks, I’ve been experimenting with freezer meals. I’m not good (as in consistent) about meal planning, and my husband refuses to do more than a couple dinners’ worth, when he goes grocery shopping. This has led to us eating out far too often, which is not only bad for the waistline and wallet, but takes too much time! Then I read about some crockpot freezer meals here. This is nothing new; I’ve heard about them before, but cooking is one area where I am Not Creative At All, nor am I organized. Without a system in place to organize and make the process easy, it would be nothing but a big, time-wasting, chaotic mess if I tried it. But breaking it down into shopping lists and sequential instructions? I can do that!

I picked a set of four recipes from this site, but only made one of each as I wanted to be sure DH and I liked them. We ate three of them over the next couple weeks, and all were delicious! We still have the vegetable soup, but with the arrival of cool weather, that will go in this week. The author has a set of three cookbooks out, so I’m planning to get them.

After that success, I wanted more. I found this site while cruising links, so downloaded the free sample menu they offered in exchange for a newsletter signup. The sample was five recipes, each doubled to make two meals of four servings. I went for it all, which took me about four hours to prep and assemble last Saturday. One recipe actually made three meals, so we had that the following night. It was delicious! So were the other two we’ve had so far (well, to me–DH didn’t like one of them, but would with less seasoning). They provide the meal plans, recipes, shopping lists, and labels for a monthly subscription. If I decide I want more than what’s in the cookbooks from above, I’ll definitely try out a full subscription. It is SO nice to have good food with little to no prep that night, and not to have that “what’re you hungry for?” conversation all the time.

What I read the past two weeks: two novels I really enjoyed, plus a nonfiction book that was just not for me.

Last week, I read Impervious by Laura Kirwan. Of note: I found this book because the author had mentioned it in a comment on a blog I read (it was pertinent to the topic, so not blatant promo). I was intrigued about this contemporary fantasy featuring a 50-year-old heroine, so I checked it out. It was fantastic! I loved the take-no-crap heroine, plus the quirky people in her new small-town home, as well as the magical people. I will definitely get the next one!

This past week, I read The First One’s Free, by T.S. Hottle. This is the first in a new science fiction series, and as the title notes, it’s free. 😀 The author is one of my writing friends and has published crime fiction under a pen name, which is evident in this novel as well: along with superb, detailed worldbuilding, this book is full of political machinations and people whose motives are uncertain. Game of Thrones in space, anyone?

I also picked up The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield. I’ve heard of this book many times, and a lot of authors find it really inspiring. I did not. It was on sale for $1.99, and I’m glad that’s all I paid for it. I found it to be full of empty platitudes and flowery feel-good stuff, and short on actual actions we can take to be more productive in our writing. It got so silly near the end that I didn’t even finish it. It may work for you; it just didn’t for me.

ROW80 Round Four starts tomorrow. To that end, it’s time to state my fourth quarter goals. My primary focus is finishing the related novella that goes along with my new release, Time’s Best Friend. I also have some work to finish up for my publisher Mythical Press, and some promo tasks. I’ve already outlined and sketched in the WIP, so now I’m working on the first draft. About 1/4 done there, I would like to draft 4-5 more scenes this week. I also have a book interior to typeset for my publisher. Next weekend is going to be a busy one for me with some family stuff, so this is going to be a stretch.

What about you–if you’re in ROW80, what are your goals this round? If not, what are some of your goals anyway, whether writing or otherwise? Have you ever tried freezer cooking? And have you read any good books lately? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, September 13, 2015

I’ve spent the past two weeks making final edits to my upcoming Saturn Society novel, Time’s Best Friend.

That’s right, I can finally announce it, as my publisher has fast-tracked it for publication – and the release date is next Monday, September 21! Even better, they’re offering it for a special preorder price of $2.99. After the release, it goes up to $4.99. Of course, you can score an even better deal if you join my readers group email list (hint, hint). Anyway, here’s the scoop on Time’s Best Friend:

Buy Now

Buy This Book Online

Find A Local Bookstore

A Saturn Society Novel

ISBN: 978-0-9839097-9-8

A Chance She Can’t Miss
In 1939, time-traveling, Appalachian farm woman Florie LeBeau fell in love with an 18th-century frontiersman, and vowed to cross time to be with him again. Then war broke out, forcing her to wait four years to travel back two hundred. But when she arrives in 1756, she finds her frontiersman doesn’t know her, Nazi soldiers occupy her historic home, and her only friend a mysterious dog who just might be their spy.

A Tale He Can’t Believe
Ousted from his home by strange Hessian soldiers, fur trapper Zeke Allen can’t believe his luck when his new hunting dog brings him a woman. Knowledgeable in the ways of pioneer life, the lovely Miss LeBeau could make the perfect wife, if not for her crazy tales of time travel, a club called the Saturn Society, and an impossible war in the twentieth century she insists she comes from—and to which she must return.

A Predicament They Can’t Escape
Slowly, Zeke begins to believe Florie’s crazy stories as his fondness grows into a love she returns. But the men she calls Nazis tear her away from him, plunging her into a future where she must deliver information that could change the outcome of the war. Finding her way back to Zeke proves difficult. Harder still: convincing others of the truth–and saving her canine rescuer and herself from the Saturn Society, the very people she thought would protect her.

Readers who enjoy the Saturn Society won’t want to miss this standalone addition, while those new to the series will find this introduction an unusual time travel story rich in action, romance, and history.

More books in the Saturn Society series

That has taken up most of the past week, though there was also a family birthday gathering and my professional writers group meeting in there. I still found time to read, though!

What I read this week and last: Hell on High by Holly Lisle and Ted Nolan. This is the third and final book of Holly Lisle’s Devil’s Point series. The main premise of the series overall is that several hundred thousand denizens of hell have been released in North Carolina, for a chance to repent and become what they once were. It’s a contemporary fantasy with a lot of humor. I liked this book, but not as much as I liked books 1 and 2. I think the reason was that there were many different points of view, and it took a while before it focused on the main characters. However, it got better as it went on, with a nice romance in there, too.

I also read a couple of short nonfiction books for writers: The Eight-minute Writing Habit, and Dictate Your Book by Monica Leonelle. The first book is great if you’re having trouble finding time to write, or when you do have time, you don’t write. It distills the things that keep us from writing into short, yet comprehensive lists, starting with the number one detractor: fear. While it also deals with getting to the writing when we have limited time, it focuses on fears first, which IMO is exactly what most of us need. What is especially helpful is it then gives writers a plan for conquering each of the fears and other things that keep us from writing. While it is geared more toward beginners, those who have been writing for a long time and even published will find many useful tips here.

The other writing book, Dictate Your Book (also by Monica Leonelle), gives some great tips on how to get started with writing by dictation–some fast, easy ways to try it out, software to use, device and hardware recommendations, and more. It starts by giving some good reasons to give this a try and how to go about dictating if you’ve never done it before. I hadn’t really considered doing this, as I don’t like talking to myself and tend to fumble with my words when I speak, but after reading this, it’s something I want to try.

ROW80 Update: Last week’s goals were to get my edits done and back to my publisher. Then this past week’s primary goal was to proof my galleys when they sent them to me, and get them back in a timely manner. Both of those are DONE so that’s a big win! It also marks a big goal that’s been on my list for over a year: to finish this story for publication. Luckily, my publisher was understanding when what started as a short story turned into a novel, and adjusted my deadline accordingly. This week’s goal is to get back on the related novella (which I am pretty sure will stay a novella) for 5,000 new words. In addition, I want to do another 3-5 things on my marketing/promo/website list.

What about you–have you met any big goals or crossed any big to-dos off your list lately? How are you doing on any goals you might currently have? Have you read anything good lately, whether fiction or nonfiction? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, August 23, 2015

Some people can live life spontaneously, sticking to a schedule only when it’s absolutely required: a job with regular hours, or kids who need to go to school.

I am not one of those people.

I’m one who needs a plan. (And yes, when I write, I’m a plotter.) That doesn’t mean the plan is inflexible; just that it exists and is mostly workable. But too much deviance in routine typically means I get nothing done. Case in point: no blog last week.

It is tough being the traveling dog!

The main reason there is that Sunday is my blog writing day, and my past two Sundays have been spent at DD’s house near her university. Two weeks ago, we moved her in. Last week, her roommates were all there, so we went back. DH wanted to do a brief teaching session on “house stuff,” i.e., breakers, water shutoffs, furnace filters, etc. Then there were a number of little things to fix–things that were our responsibility, since we’re the landlords. Isis went along too–her job was to keep the seat warm in the truck on the way to and from, and to look cute while there.

All things worthwhile to do, just meant that my writing has taken a back seat.

My other challenge in the writing is dividing time between creating new material, and marketing what’s already out there. Until this summer, I’ve pretty much given no attention to the latter, and since then, it’s been almost all marketing (mostly learning), making me grumpy because I haven’t written.

Both are necessary, but I have trouble shifting from one to the other. So this week, I decided it’s time to put into practice a good idea I’d read a while back: spend one day a week on the marketing, the rest on writing new fiction. Today is the beginning of that, so we’ll see how that goes.

What I read last week: Demonic Dora by Claire Chilton. This YA fantasy is categorized under “dark comedy,” and that’s a very appropriate description. The main character, Dora, is constantly annoyed by her religious fanatic parents and finally succeeds in summoning a demon–a bumbling, and very cute teen boy demon. She ends up going to stay with him and his even nuttier family in hell, and it’s one absurd situation after another (and I mean absurd in the very best way). As the stakes got higher, I turned the pages faster, and will definitely pick up the next in the series. As a side note, my favorite character was Dora’s fuzzy, brown pet demon named Pooey. The prequel is free on all the major retailers, and you can get Demonic Dora for free by signing up for the author’s reader’s group newsletter (I actually bought my copy before that offer was available, and it was totally worth it).

What I read this week: Short stories!

“Once Upon a Coffee” by Kait Nolan is a cute, contemporary romance. I generally prefer some suspense or speculative elements in my romance, but once in a while, this sort of light, fun read is just what I’m in the mood for. Next time I’m in that mood, I’ll definitely consider buying another in this series.

“Unintended Guardian” by Jami Gold is a paranormal romance series starter. It’s a shapeshifter book, but the worldbuilding and limitations on the character were very well done, as was the characterization. I really enjoyed it, and plan on buying the next one.

“Alien Mail Order Bride: Allyssa” by Meg Cooper was also a light, fun read. The sci-fi worldbuilding was on the sparse side, but that’s appropriate for this short a story. Also, the alien guy was pretty human–just taller (and hunkier) than most Earth men. The other side of that is this story came across to me more as a contemporary romance in sci-fi clothing, but it was still enjoyable.

All of these are free, so if they sound like something you’d enjoy, click the cover or title to get them on Amazon. “Coffee” and “Guardian” are also available at other retailers, for those who prefer to shop elsewhere.

ROW80 Update: Two weeks ago, my goal was to go over my front and back matter for my upcoming Saturn Society novel. I actually did get that done, but not much else since then. I did, however, start writing my next book, a novella tie-in to the upcoming novel. And I made a list of all the marketing tasks I have yet to do. So this week, the goal is to get through three to five things on the list (they are relatively small things), and write 5,000 words on the novella.

What about you–are you a spontaneous person, or do you do better with a plan? Have you had any disruptions to routine recently? And have you read any good books lately? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, August 2, 2015

One blog I read almost every day is Dean Wesley Smith. For those who don’t know, he has been a professional fiction writer since the mid-80s. Over the past two years, he’s blogged about his day every day without fail.

Would I do this? My first thought was “how boring that would be!” There’s a reason I write fiction, people. 😀 Most of my days are pretty much the same, and would not be of interest to anyone reading.

Then I realized most of Smith’s days are also the same; he just does different things than I. For instance, he goes to the bank and the post office every day, and runs errands for his businesses (he owns a publishing company and a memorabilia shop, among other things). Then he goes to meetings at the publishing company, works on stuff for his workshops, goes home, eats dinner, does the dishes, watches TV, takes a nap… and finally gets around to writing about 12 hours or so after he got up that day. And he writes a LOT in that time.

Isis chooses to lie like this while DH watches TV

So what do I do? It turns out, my days are not so different. I go to my day job (Smith considers the work he does for his businesses his day job). After I get home, I play games on my tablet for a little while as DH watches TV. Then dinner, cleanup (if DH or DD cooks), the feed the turtle and gerbils (Isis eats when we do). After that, I get to the writing, which is 12-13 hours after I got up. I don’t have the kind of productivity Smith has, as I’m still juggling marketing and promo in with that, while he does those things as part of his publishing company work. But when I am writing new words, I can usually get 1,000 in an hour, which is about what he does. (He has way more energy than me, so puts more time in.) I’m not comparing, that’s just what I can do.

Usually, no writing happens on Monday. That’s when I pay bills and do the bookkeeping for my husband’s businesses. The first and last of the months are usually the busiest–that’s when we collect rent, and when the bank statements need to be reconciled. Sometimes I am able to squeeze writing in mid-month.

Sometimes other things happen, like family commitments. There’s some of that coming up this week. The thing with that is, to just roll with it as much as I can and don’t get annoyed that I can’t do the writing on those days. But no matter what else is going on, I usually manage to read a bit before I go to bed. Which brings me to…

What I read this week: Miracle Pie by Edie Ramer. This is a contemporary romance, something that’s normally not my thing. But I loooooove Edie Ramer’s books, and while I usually prefer some suspense or speculative elements in my contemporary fiction, her Miracle books have just enough magic in them to keep my interest (I would consider them magical realism). Also, this book has a dog in it. 🙂 Highly recommended!

ROW80 Update: My goal for the past two weeks was to get the edits done from my beta readers, who basically serve as first-round editors (my editor says my manuscripts are among the cleanest she sees; this is why.) I got them done, so that’s a win! For this week, I need to review the outline for the new, related novella to see if there’s anything I need for continuity’s sake, then send it off to my editor. Newsletter subscribers will get a sneak peek later this week (or maybe next, depending on the family stuff coming up). So if you want in on that, sign up here, and get a free copy of my short story “Time’s Holiday” as a bonus! I won’t spam you and you can unsubscribe anytime if it’s not your thing.

What about you–what’s your typical week like? Do you have trouble sometimes fitting in the things you do because you want to? Have you ever seen a dog lie on someone’s lap like Isis? 😀 Whether you’re a writer or not, how are you doing on whatever goals you might have? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, July 21, 2015

I seem to be leaning toward a “blog on Wednesday” rather than Sunday lately, so let’s go with it. Sundays have been busy of late, so that’s the main thing. This past Sunday, I worked on formatting a print book for a friend, and by the time I finished, it was pretty late and I didn’t feel like blogging. The print book turned out nice, though!

That was the last of several days in a row devoted to friends–a good thing!

Mondays and Tuesdays are usually pretty quiet around here. Mondays, in particular, I spend most of the evening doing bookkeeping for my husband’s small business. Tuesday is for catching up other things, and maybe some writing!

Last week’s friend activities began with a special, four-legged friend in need–and no, not my dog Isis. No, this time it was another of our critters who needed attention–as in, a visit to the vet, for Sanddollar, our turtle.

Sanddollar is a Red-eared Slider, an aquatic turtle. She came to us six years ago in the form of a request to pet-sit, for one of my daughter’s friends.

The turtle was surprisingly inquisitive and interested in whatever we were doing when around her container, and DD and I quickly grew fond of her. At the time, she was maybe four inches long, and arrived in a plastic container barely large enough to turn around in. DH and I thought, “that can’t be right,” and did some research on the ‘net. It turned out Sanddollar needed a 40 gallon aquarium! Not to mention lights and a platform on which to bask. It also turned out that DD’s friend wasn’t really that into the turtle anymore, so the turtle stayed. She is an enthusiastic eater, and often swims to the side of the tank when someone comes in the room, and splashes to get our attention (and hopefully, a snack).

Except that for the past couple of months, her appetite has been diminishing, to the point where she hadn’t eaten anything–even her turtle pellets–for a week. She was also doing nothing but bask–which she’s always loved to do, but not to the point where she even slept on her basking platform. Reptiles can go a long time between meals, so in itself this wasn’t a big deal–but this wasn’t like Sanddollar.

So to the vet we went, where Sanddollar got poked, prodded, x-rayed, and injected with vitamins and antibiotics. Let me tell you, that was one ticked-off turtle! But we also went home with a new bag of a different brand of turtle pellets, and when we dropped some in Sanddollar’s tank a few hours later, she ate! And was also back to being her more active and curious self.

Oh, and I learned something new–how to give a turtle a shot! She needs a full course of antibiotics, so every three days, DD has to hold her and restrain her from biting (plastic cup works really well here), while I pry the turtle’s front leg out and give her the shot. Definitely a bit tricky!

The next few days were more standard fun with friends. I saw my writing group on Saturday, and then had one of my best friends from high school over for dinner. Then on Sunday, one of my best friends from college came over and went to lunch with us. The rest of the day was spent formatting that print book, for a good writing friend.

And now for the FREE: To spur interest in my Saturn Society books, my publisher has made the ebook version of Time’s Enemy, the first in the series, FREE on Amazon, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, and Google Play Books. Click the Buy Now button below for links. Barnes and Noble wasn’t yet free last time I checked, but will be soon. So if you’ve thought about trying my series (or maybe you are now? :D), now’s a great time to give it a read!

Buy Now

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Saturn Society Book 1

ISBN: 978-0983909729

One unwanted gift.
Tony Solomon never wanted to be a time traveler. But a brush with death leaves him a time traveler—and an unwilling initiate in the Saturn Society, a secret society of those with his ability.

One great wrong.
Tony vows to use his gift to prevent his daughter’s murder—if he could figure out how. Never mind that this violates the Society’s highest law, branding him an Enemy for a crime he has yet to commit. Determined to thwart the Society, he seeks help from Charlotte, the woman whose life he saved decades before he was born.

One chance to make things right…
Tony jumps to 1933 in search of answers, but lands on the wrong side of the Society, a fugitive on the run. Thrilled, yet terrified to see her childhood hero, Charlotte offers him sanctuary…and unexpected love. But Charlotte hides a terrible secret: loyal to the Society, she must bring to justice those who manipulate time for their own gain. By sheltering Tony, she faces a terrible choice: condemn the man she loves and to whom she owes her life, or deny her deepest convictions by helping him escape, and risk sharing his sentence.

Not your typical time travel romance, Time’s Enemy creates a wonderful blend of romance and science fiction, an exciting adventure through time rich in action, romance, and history.

More books in the Saturn Society series

What I read this week: Smith’s Monthly #10 by Dean Wesley Smith. I read the short stories and serial segments last week, and this week, read the novel, Heaven Painted as a Poker Chip. It’s a story about ghosts, with a really unique treatment of the ghosts and their abilities. It also had next to nothing to do with poker (not a bad thing for me), other than it was mostly set in Las Vegas. This story is also available standalone. I’m really looking forward to reading more in the series. Highly recommended!

ROW80 Update: I finished the outline for the new novella, so that’s a win! For this week, the plan is to go through the beta readers’ notes on my upcoming WIP, and get the revisions made from at least one of them, preferably more.

What about you–what kind of pets do you have, and do you have any interesting stories to share? Learned anything new this week? Can you imagine giving a shot to a turtle? O.o How are you doing on whatever goals you may have, whether writing or otherwise? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, July 8, 2015

Once again, I’m a day late and… never mind. Let’s just say last weekend was a busy one with the holiday and all, and I didn’t realize until almost midnight that I hadn’t yet put up my blog. And it was the start of Row80 Round 3! But now that the round has begun, I should be good with my usual routine.

I took the week before off, since there was no ROW80 to report to, and also because there wasn’t much to report.

It is exhausting to be so beautiful!

But the following week–at least the weekend–plenty was going on. For starters, Isis got another Goddess Treatment on Wednesday. When I got home from work, she was crashed on the couch! Such an ordeal, LOL!

We went to some friends’ house for a party on Friday night. These friends really go all out, with fantastic, catered food and major fireworks. We took Isis last year, and the fireworks didn’t bother her, so we figured she’d be fine this year, too.

WRONG. Of course, the fireworks started while DH was off talking to someone on the other side of the house, and Isis freaked! And of course, I was holding her leash, trying to keep her from running.

That wasn’t happening, and I ended up playing George Jetson until one of our friends joined me, right as Isis dragged me through a flowerbed.

I felt like Isis in the photo above by the time my husband got there to calm her and take over.

But otherwise, the party was fun.

We went to my brother’s on the actual holiday, where we had our typical (with him) very late cookout, then more fireworks. This time, we left Isis in the house. When we went to look for her, she was on my brother’s bed, in the farthest corner from where we were setting off fireworks! DH brought her outside, and she actually started to get acclimated to them by the time we left. Then again, our fireworks were nowhere near as big or loud as our friends’ the night before.

The main thing I’ve been working on lately is to get my newsletter signup system in place. Yes, I have one! A few of you may have even signed up for it, eons ago, and have yet to receive a newsletter. That will soon change. If you’re not already on the list, sign up and get a free ebook of “Time’s Holiday,” my Saturn Society short story prequel. If you’re already on the list and haven’t read “Holiday,” just let me know and I’ll be glad to send it to you.

What I read this week: Son of the Moonless Night by C.D. Hersh. This is the third book in their Turning Stone series, which features a very different take on shapeshifters. Also an excellent follow-up to the first two, as well as a great lead-in for a fourth book, which I am looking very forward to!

ROW80 Update: It’s time to set goals for Round 3! Most of mine are stuff that didn’t get done last round. But even so, I still accomplished a decent bit. So let’s hope for more of that here. This is what I plan to do:

Work with my publisher to get Time’s Enemy made free for promotional purposes.
Make changes suggested by my beta readers that I agree with on my upcoming release, and submit it to my publisher (it’s already contracted, so no worries about acceptance).
Make changes suggested by my editor, and approve for publication!
Dig back in to my next Saturn Society novel that’s about half finished, revise the outline, and complete the first draft.
Send out newsletter once a month (maybe twice if I have major news).

Not ambitious at all, huh? 🙂 Actually, this stuff should be quite doable if I don’t get sick, have a family member injured, or anything like that.

This week, I am helping my publisher get my existing Saturn Society books reformatted (so they’re prettier and work better on a variety of devices), and re-published at the various retailers. I also want to review my beta readers’ comments on my upcoming work, and start revisions on that.

What about you–if you’re in the U.S., did you have a fun Fourth of July (Or July First, if you’re in Canada)? If you’re participating in ROW80, what are some of your goals for this round? And even if you don’t do ROW80, how are you doing on whatever goals you might have, writing or otherwise? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, June 14, 2015

This week went a bit more slowly than last, as far as getting things done. It’s been a bad one for headaches, and also the second week of the month, which is the busiest in terms of bookkeeping work for my husband’s business. Although, when I look over what I did get done, it’s more than I thought.

I was hoping to finish decluttering in the kitchen; that didn’t happen. I did get three more cabinets done, leaving two to go, plus the drawers. I also did the freezer last Sunday. So that’s something. It actually wasn’t bad, except one of the door drawers’ bottom was covered in a greenish-purple Popsicle sludge LOL. Didn’t even know that was there–it’s been a long time since we’ve bought Popsicles! But it’s done now, and great to be able to find stuff!

Isis had more play dates, too, but no new photos.

What I read this week: Huntress of the Star Empire, Episode 12 by Athena Grayson. Wow, what a fantastic finale to the series! Full of surprises, and some I’d guessed, though there were also plenty of questions still unanswered. This has been such an awesome read, one of the best I’ve read this year (if not longer). I’m honored to have been the cover designer for these. I’m so looking forward to the next season!

ROW80 Update: This is the last full week of Round 2. I did get that third book formatted, but not until today, so it doesn’t quite count. And I did not get any of the mailing list stuff done. But still progress, so that’s good. This week, I want to finish the website and mailing list stuff. When it’s ready, I’ll announce it here first!

What about you–ever have one of those weeks where things just don’t get done? Or one where you feel like you didn’t accomplish much, but when you really think about it, you did? Read anything good lately? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!