Saturday, May 27, 2023

Be a Stubborn Writer by Janice Seagraves

I once read that "writers need to be stubborn." [sic]

I quite agree with that statement. 

Be stubborn at keeping to your writing schedule. 

Be stubborn at working on your story and not get distracted by the "shinny" new story that will take you away from your story goals.

Be stubborn and fix your sight on your goal.

As a child, I learned a hard lesson in arts and crafts classes, I made a friend who didn't want to do the work and told me, "You can't do that." or "let's just walk around and not do anything."

If I listened to her, I didn't finish my project, so to do the crafts that I loved I had to ignore her and I lost a friend that summer. 

Funny but it was a good lesson learned. I found that to be true to myself I had to close my ears to negativity and be stubborn. 

Once I started writing with an eye toward publication, someone told me, "You'll never be published." 

My response, "Watch me!" 

A few years later, I had the privilege of telling him, "I'm a published author now."

I'm currently being stubborn about revising what will be the eighth book in my Chronicles of Arcon. I should be going through the editing process sometime in June. I may be publishing Alien Fury sometime in September 2023. 

Be a stubborn writer. :)


Here's the seventh book in the Chronicles of Arcon. 

Alien Collision: 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?

 

Excerpt: 

 

A deep voice yelled something, but it took a moment for her implanted electronic language translator chip to interpret the language. “Is anyone in here?”

 

Who is that? Heather tensed and sat up. A man’s voice, but there were no males on the ship. Even the little grays were sexless. Any potential response froze in her throat. She held her breath and listened. Footsteps clumped past the outer doorway, heading further along the corridor. He’s leaving.

 

Was she more afraid of being discovered or being left alone on a wrecked ship? A shiver of panic gave her movements speed as she scrambled to her feet. The hell with it. I’m pregnant, and I need help.

 

“Hey,” she croaked and cleared her throat. “Over here.” Placing her hands on the opening to her cell, she pushed hard. When the door moved, she flinched back. It’s unlocked? She stepped out. “Hello?”

 

The scrape of a boot sounded as the person turned and headed her way. “I’m almost there.”

 

The lights dimmed and the shadow of a tall, thin, hunched-back shape limped toward her. Hooded and cloaked, its eyes glowed eerily in the near dark.

 

As warning spasms of alarm erupted through her, Heather stumbled backwards, her heart pounding. “Who... who are you?”

 

“My apologies if I frightened you,” the man said in a soft voice and gazed at her for a long moment. “My name is Sky Starfinder. I’m sorry if I’m staring, but I haven’t seen anyone in such a long time. Years in fact.”

 

The lights flickered back on. He shoved off his hood and squared his shoulders. The man had shaggy green hair and a snowy complexion. He blinked pink eyes with vertical pupils at her. His face appealed to her despite its rawboned and beardless appearance. Leather pants sheathed his legs, and a long hooded unbuttoned jacket left his muscular chest bare. She’d mistaken his chocolate brown backpack for a hunchback.

 

“Years?”

 

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



Thursday, May 18, 2023

All Through The Night


 I’m a night owl. I don’t go to sleep until six in the morning. Luckily, I don’t have to get up to go to work to live that “lark” lifestyle (Lark is the term for morning people). 

Traits of a night owl include a higher intelligence and are more creative than larks. We are also more likely to get high-paying jobs. We do lag behind “larks” in our academic performance (because we are tired and want sleep). We are also more likely to smoke and have unhealthy eating habits. 

But I love the night. The world is quiet. The rush and crowds of people are hidden behind their doors. It’s the time when I feel as if I can truly breathe. I swear my breathing is better. The air smells sweeter and the wind feels refreshing. It’s also the time when I feel free. I just come alive, listening to crickets and seeing the lightning bugs (both at risk). The daylight feels anxious, too fast, noisy, and crowded. Sometimes, I feel like I’m being pulled and dragged when the sunlight hits me.

I have no plans to fit into society’s demand to be a lark. I’m a proud night owl. 

Are you a night owl or a lark? Share what you love about it.