Janice Seagraves has some free books on Smashwords

 I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Here is a link for some of my free books on Smashwords.

Take advantage of this special offer now because it ends January first.

Smashwords – About Janice Seagraves, author of 'Alien Collision', 'Weather Witch', 'Dragon Mirror: Book One in the Dragon Magick Series', etc.

I also been playing around with Canva and made another book trailer for my new release Alien Collision. 

Alien Collision book trailer - YouTube

Alien Collision: Chronicles of Arcon - Kindle edition by Seagraves, Janice. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Heather Wood hasn’t had the best luck with her love life, or just life in general. After getting pregnant by her unfaithful lover, she’s kidnapped by aliens to be actioned off as a slave, and then the spaceship crashes on a deserted planet.

Things start to look up when two handsome aliens, Sky and Lance, rush to her rescue. She finds herself deeply attracted to both males, but you can only take one, right?

However, there is more growing than just Heather’s baby belly. The planet is host to a hoard of killers. And it looks like Heather’s luck has just run out.

One Of Those Days

 Just climb back into bed and throw the duvet over your head. We've all had one of those days when all we want is to stay in bed, especially with the crazy and hectic holidays demanding our energy. Being busy has been, for quite some time, a badge of honor, a prize to show everyone how great we are. Thanks to Gen Z that is changing. 

So, this holiday season, if you are able to take a little while, an hour, a day, a couple of days, and not be busy. Throw those covers over your head and do nothing.

Happy Holidays! 

Happy Thanksgiving by Janice Seagraves

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed yourself.

My daughter decided a couple of years ago, that we needed an all-season tree.

So, once again, my daughter decorated the tree for the Thanksgiving season.

Pretty, isn't it?

The hat at the top is a cropped witch's hat, since she couldn't find a Pilgrim hat. 

What's nice, it you can decorate the tree for all the seasons ever for a birthday.

Alien Collision: Chronicles of Arcon - Kindle edition by Seagraves, Janice. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Heather Wood hasn’t had the best luck with her love life, or just life in general. Being called Junkyard does that to you. After getting pregnant by her unfaithful lover, she’s kidnapped by aliens to be actioned off as a slave, and then the spaceship crashes on a deserted planet.

Things start to look up when two handsome aliens, Sky and Lance, rush to her rescue. She finds herself deeply attracted to both males, but you can only take one, right?

However, there is more growing than just Heather’s baby belly. The planet is host to a hoard of killers. And it looks like Heather’s luck has just run out.

If I could

Recently, I put a question to myself if I could have a dinner party with any people living or dead who would I choose.

1. Jane Austen
2. Agatha Christie 
3. Mary, Queen of Scots
4. Caligula
5. Richard III
6. The 4^th Earl of Huntly
7. Mary Shelley 
8. Robert the Bruce
9. Sir Andrew Moray
10. Lord Byron

Who would you invite? Let me know.

Alien Collision in Hardback by Janice Seagraves

 I finally have my new release, Alien Collision, in hardback through Amazon (or will be soon).

I happily published my book in hardback, so awesome that Amazon has this in the publishing line up.

If you can publish your book in paperback, then hardback is easy. 

Alien Collision: Chronicles of Arcon - Kindle edition by Seagraves, Janice. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Heather Wood hasn’t had the best luck with her love life, or just life in general. Being called Junkyard does that to you. After getting pregnant by her unfaithful lover, she’s kidnapped by aliens to be actioned off as a slave, and then the spaceship crashes on a deserted planet.

Things start to look up when two handsome aliens, Sky and Lance, rush to her rescue. She finds herself deeply attracted to both males, but you can only take one, right?

However, there is more growing than just Heather’s baby belly. The planet is host to a hoard of killers. And it looks like Heather’s luck has just run out.

I Want Candy

Halloween is approaching. And that means candy.

 If you are anything like me, you purchase candy early and vow this year you won’t eat it one piece of those tiny size pieces of candy. Of course, you eat it all. 

I know I do so I have to buy more candy. As I pay for my items, I vow next year I won’t buy the candy until the night before or even the day of but that vow is always broken.  

That is my halloween pastime. People put up decorations, purchase their halloween costume but I…I eat the candy. 

So, if you can count yourself among my numbers, then all I can say is Happy Halloween. 

Cover reveal by Janice Seagraves

 I'm nearly ready to publish the seventh book in my sci-fi romance, Alien Collision.

Available October 3, 2022

Blurb: Heather Wood hasn’t had the best luck with her love life, or just life in general. Being called Junkyard does that to you. After getting pregnant by her unfaithful lover, she’s kidnapped by aliens to be actioned off as a slave, and then the spaceship crashes on a deserted planet.

Things start to look up when two handsome aliens, Sky and Lance, rush to her rescue. She finds herself deeply attracted to both males, but you can only take one, right?

However, there is more growing than just Heather’s baby belly. The planet is host to a hoard of killers. And it looks like Heather’s luck has just run out.

Once More With Experience: Rereading Books

 When someone tells me, they don’t reread good books, I am always shocked and somewhat stupefied by that. You don’t listen to a song once, or watch movies or TV shows once so why would books be any different? 

Rereading a book is not hearing (or reading) the same old story. Just because you know the words to your favorite song, doesn’t stop you from listening to it, knowing a book’s tale shouldn’t either. 

There is a difference when rereading the book—You. Since the last time you picked up the book, you have changed, experienced life in all its good and bad and boring. Rereading a book with life experience, you will notice details your life inexperience missed before. The story will affect you in new ways. And the new takeaways from the book will be imprinted on your brain. Another plus of a reread is the nostalgia that overcomes you. 

Think about when you hear your favorite song from high school or the song you listened to on repeat when your heart was broken for the first time. With a book, you will be transported back to the first time you cracked the spine and the memories will stir within you, and realize how far you have come in life and how much further you shall go.

 Do you reread books? If so, which ones do you always pick up? If not, why not? 

Hardcover for my books by Janice Seagraves

 Since Amazon is now offering hardcover books for self-publishing, I've gotten some of my more recent book in hardcover. 

It's not hard to do, just proceed like you were publishing a paperback book. You might need a separate ISBM number, but don't quote me on that.  

My more recent book in my Chronicles of Arcon series is now in hardcover: Alien Enslaved: Chronicles of Arcon - Kindle edition by Seagraves, Janice . Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Blurb: After his planet's destruction, the Arcon slave, Chase Starstrider, seeks death in every gladiator match. He's tempted by his master’s gift of the curvaceous Earthling whose touch awakens him like no other, but the Intergalactic Gladiator Starship is no safe place for a mate.

Kasandra Lee Sinclair, and known as Kaz to her friends, wouldn’t mind rocking the hunky Arcon’s world for a way home to Earth, but there are dangers onboard the spaceship and, in the arena, even for a sex slave like her.

Daydream Believer

Since the beginning of 2022, I have been brushing up on my French skills. Every day, I open Duolingo and practice. No one in my life speaks French. I only get to use my skill when I’m watching French television shows and movies. Since college, I planned to run away to France. Paris, the countryside, or any place in the country to get away from life. A daydream, most certainly since life cannot be left behind but a sweet one to enjoy. 

And recently between life and world events, I would love to run away, leave it all behind and live a romanticized life, stress-free. Sure, I’m realistic enough to know it will never happen yet, but it turns out having the daydream is good for my health. Daydreaming is good for our mental health according to recent studies. Getting lost in our daydreams is a positive way to connect with ourselves. It helps our mood and even our sense of meaning. And if you are a writer or creative, it can help stir those thoughts. I know that when I return from my beautiful farmhouse in the French countryside, I feel calmer, and better able to deal with life stress. My heart rate is calmer and my shoulders have lost all their tension. 

Your teachers might have told you to stop daydreaming but they were wrong so dream away and feel better. Please share your daydream if you wish. 

This what I've been doing by Janice Seagraves

 So...this is what I've been doing instead of writing.

And it gets worse...Here's another one.

And I'm not done yet.

Then of course I had to make a banner. I made all these on canva.com

It all started when I took a photo of myself to try out on some new apps.

I took a photo in my bathroom because it had room.

Then I removed the background with https://www.remove.bg/

That was so I could try out the new https://toonme.com/

And then I finished with the https://newprofilepic.com/

Pep Talk: You Can Write

 Many people speak of writing a novel but few sit down and do it. Writing a novel isn’t easy. Though you don’t have to bleed like Hemingway said but at times, writing does feel that way. 

But we all hit the point when we hit a bump in the road and need the motivation to keep writing until the end. So, how does one keep motivated? 

Here is a list of possible motivations:

1. Set a deadline

This one can work because you have to finish by that date. Tell your friends and family. Circle the deadline on your calendar. Write it on sticky notes and set them everywhere you can see them. Set an alarm on your phone. 

  For me, this one doesn’t work unless I’m on deadline with my publisher. If I’m not signed with a publisher,  I tell myself that I can push it back. Bad I know. After all, who is going to yell at me? But for some, this method can work.

2. Set a goal to reach a word or page count: 

If you are in a writers’ group, you might have BIAW (Book In A Week). This can work well because you are sharing your goal and seeing others accomplish theirs, which can be an incentive to get your butt in the chair. 

3. Just write: 

Don’t think. Just write. Don’t edit any words. And if you find yourself thinking your writing sucks, remember it’s just a draft.

4. Make a playlist:

Make a playlist of songs to capture the tone and feel of your novel. Listen to it on repeat. This works for me because when I hear a song from the playlist, my mind already starts working on the novel, constructing sentences, dialogue and scenes, and all other else. 

5. Don’t compare your WIP (Work-in-Progress) with a published novel: 

Don’t even do that. You will only think your writing sucks, your characters suck, your plot sucks…you get the idea. Remember a published novel has been through two drafts then edited and then edited then edited. 

Remember, you will have good days writing when the words flow like Niagara Falls and then days when you can barely get a word set on paper. That’s okay. Just sit down and write a sentence. Maybe more words will come or maybe not. Just do it again tomorrow.   

Filter Words by Janice Seagraves

I've worked with editors for many years and these are the Filter Words editors warn me about overusing.

Filter words tell your reader what you want them to notice. That's not nice. Your readers are intelligent, so all you just need to describe what is going on. 

Part of this list my editor gave me. Filter Words to avoid, or at least not use very often.

Words like thought, realized, saw, watched, pondered, noticed. 

Think of your character as your camera and microphone. What they see, hear, and feel so what you describe with without using the words see, hear, or feel. Make sense?

Trust your readers to 'get it'.

They lean toward is telling not showing. Was and were should be used less often too so they pop when they are used. 

Also turned is often overused.

I would also recommend not overusing names: like Vlad, Drac,Thor (these are done to death in paranormals IMHO), and also no Heather's, Justin's, Lindsey's, Jessica's, or Ashley's, Kate, Cait, Katie, Cat, any variation of Katherine/Caitlyln, Jacob, Jake, Jack. 

Just no.

This is my opinion only. Please take it with a grain or two of salt.

And before I leave, here is a link to my latest release:

In Regency England, Lord Godfrey negotiates for a wife, when Meredith, the weather witch, storms in she provides Godfrey with interesting possibilities, but will she embrace a chance to let go of her past and find happiness for her future?

https://www.amazon.com/Weather-Witch-Janice-Seagraves-ebook/dp/B0B17MF7ZR/

 

Conflict: What's Your Problem?

 Life causes a great deal of conflict. Some are life and death situations and others are only important to ourselves. Conflict leads to growth or experience and no novel is complete without it. So, what is conflict? Debra Dixon states, “Conflict is the why not.”

Know Thy Conflict

Conflict is the reason why your character can’t have what they want. In your novel, you, the author, must know and define what your character’s conflict is.  By knowing the character’s conflict you know what is at stake for your character. Your character must face the obstacle preventing him from attaining his goal.

Bump In The Night, Day, and Everywhere in Between

Your character’s GMC must bump, bang, and crash into each other. As these three letters are explored in your work, your character must be tested and with each test, your character will grow, develop and reach the goal most desired. These conflicting forces of your character’s GMC will make the character see if they truly wish for what they desire. This makes the character look deep within themselves and that’s internal conflict.

All in the Inside

Internal conflict is what stops our characters from learning their life lesson. Your character may have one goal he admits to the others such as Lord Bridgerton announcing that he will marry. But his internal conflict—the belief that he will die young like his father—stops him from pursuing the woman he loves. 

Internal conflict is the emotional turmoil that causes us and our characters' problems. It also stops the character from learning the life lesson. And for a satisfying end, the character must learn their life lesson.

War Games

Now you have to put it all into practice. In Goal, Motivation and Conflict, Dixon writes, “lay a foundation for conflict, create believable goals, motivate the characters, and nurture the conflict to the inevitable crisis or climax.” 

Weather Witch by Janice Seagraves

 I've published my short story, Weather Witch. A sweet romance set in the Regency period.

It's a short quick read, but exciting just the same.

Here's the book trailer. I made it with Canva and two other video editing apps. One had the rain and the other the lightning.

 

In Regency England, Lord Godfrey negotiates for a wife, when Meredith, 
the weather witch, storms in she provides Godfrey with interesting 
possibilities, but will she embrace a chance to let go of her past and 
find happiness for her future? 

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1146990

for the kindle:  https://www.amazon.com/Weather-Witch-Janice-Seagraves-ebook/dp/B0B17MF7ZR/

for the Nook:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weather-witch-janice-seagraves/1141466424

Motivation. Why? Why? Why?

Many reasons exist in life for why we do what we do. In novels, our characters need one too. That’s where the M in GMC comes in. In her book, GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict, Debra Dixon writes, “Motivation is what drives  your character to obtain or achieve his goal.” 

Debra Dixon sets out a formula that authors can use when concocting the GMC. The character wants a goal because he is motivated. 

In last month’s post on Goal, I used the basic example of having to go to the store to get milk. Let’s suppose that our character has to get milk because her child needs it so he can have a bowl of cereal because that is the only meal she can afford to feed him. So to put the example into the formula: The mother wants to get to the store to buy milk because that is her child’s only meal. 

That motivation pulls at your heartstrings, which is another tool motivation plays in writing. Motivation helps the reader empathize with our characters as they strive to reach their goal.

Strong motivation can be used to create any tale. That isn’t the only task that strong motivation can accomplish. Strong motivation creates the emotion of the story and our characters. In our above example, we feel for the mother who has to get to the store to get that milk. She wants to feed her child his only meal of the day. We can empathize with the mother who wants to feed her child. The mother who is most likely struggling to provide for her child, a mother who most likely feels like she is a failure. 

As a reader, we are rooting for her. We feel her heartache. That makes a good story. Even if this example doesn’t make for a novel-length story. 

Motivation is the substance that glues the story’s character’s goals and conflict. Next month, the focus will settle on the C of our GMC—Conflict.  

Dreams Are Just Goals With Deadlines

In the development of characters, GMC plays an important part in their creation. GMC stands for Goal, Motivation, Conflict. Every character, plot, and a story needs and requires GMC. This post will focus on the first letter—Goal.

In Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon, she writes, “A goal is a desired result, a purpose or an objective. A goal is the prize or reward your character wants to obtain or achieve.” We all can relate to those statements. We have goals in life, some grand and others are small. Whether it’s to get this month’s rent or get to the store to buy milk. We all have a desired result, purpose, or objective. In our stories, the Goal must be something we are desperate to have. Also, a goal must be acted upon. Our characters must pursue their goal through action. Without action, a goal can never be accomplished. 

Let’s say our objective is to buy milk. We will act by getting dressed, traveling to the store, and buying the milk. Once we walk out of the store with the milk, our goal has been achieved. This example isn’t a goal worthy of a novel but a simplified example of a goal.

 I highly recommend that if Debra Dixon’s book, Goal, Motivation and Conflict isn’t on your bookshelf then get your copy now. 

Next month, I’ll talk about the M—Motivation. 

New Release: Dragon Mirror by Janice Seagraves

 I have a new release this month, Dragon Mirror

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TL34PX7/

Blurb: Kidnapped and impregnated, Crystal Wedgewood will do anything to get back to her husband. Even fight a king dragon with her bare hands.

 It's a short only six chapters and only .99 cents. 

A lot of things happen in only six chapters and it's the first book in my dragon Magick series. 

2022 Goals by Janice Seagraves

 

Goals.

I have them.

I don't make resolutions because they are too pie in the sky-ish, too far away to reach, so I don't make them.

I have my rights back to my Chronicles of Arcon series.

I've been publishing my series and renumbering them.

My mini series that starts off the series is number: 1, 2, and 3.

 

Alien Desire is now number Four.

 

Alien Heart is now number Five.

 

And my recent book Alien Enslaved is number Six.

 

Alien Collision is number seven and will be published sometime this year.