What Remains

 This week, bestselling romance author Julie Garwood passed away. While her family has the memories and love, we —her fans— have her books. And I love her books, especially her historical romance novels. 

Her books have a few spots on my keeper shelf with broken spines, crinkled covers, and yellowing pages. From The Bride to Ransom, I read her books over and over, always laughing out loud and turning each page enjoying each word. And when I read the last word and close the book, I feel happy, with a smile on my face, having had a great, entertaining time even though I know the stories inside and out. 

As an author, those feelings are all we can leave our readers. We yearn for nothing more than to entertain, and help you escape. We’re no different than rock stars or movie stars, but we authors are most likely introverts. 

Farewell, Julie Garwood. Thank you for sharing your talent and stories. 

To all the other authors out there tapping away with their works, I say thank you. Please keep turning them out. 

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.

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.  

Writing what you know? by Janice Seagraves

 Writing what you know?

Does anyone follow that advice?

I'm a detail writer and what that means is I do a hell of a lot of research.

I write first and research later. But I do such a deep dive into research, I become an expert in that field. 

Do I use all my research? No. Why? Because that can be boring.

I don't mean to brag, but my first book was set in the Bahamas with an Australian hero. Have I ever been to the Bahamas? No.

I just did a hell of a lot of research. 

But my editor and publisher but through that not only had I been there, but I was from Australia. 

My current books are both magic stories i.e., urban fantasy and high fantasy. 

Again research.

I also write sci-fi romance. I've never been to space, nor have I ever been to an alien planet. 

Again research. 

Don't be afraid to write outside of your experience. You can do research to fill the gaps in your knowledge. 

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I have a three in one.

Exodus Arcon on kindle unlimited. Do me a favor and check out.

Amazon.com: Exodus Arcon Three in One: Chronicles of Arcon eBook : Seagraves, Janice: Kindle Store

The first three books in the Chronicles of Arcon Series.
Planet Arcon is in trouble. Before their planet tears itself apart, The Arcons built three colony ships to take them across the stellar reaches of space… towards Earth their new home. But, only the ruling class and the most brilliant minds can come. The rest must take their chances with the lottery.
One family cheats.

The Arcons are coming…. Are you ready?

Whip Up Something Easy

 I’m not much for cooking. 

I can do a few meals but wouldn’t be having a dinner party soon. I do enjoy looking at recipes and seeing the end result. I know I will never produce something so delicious as pictured. But I can imagine the taste, would my belly be filled or would I stuff myself even if I would enjoy it. In truth, I hate everything about the kitchen and cooking. The raw food, chopping, slicing, dicing, the heat, the fire, and the waiting. I guess I lack patience. I’m jealous of those who love to cook and find joy and pleasure in the task. Cooking in some ways is an expression of love, community, and creation. 

If cooking is your talent, what do you love most about cooking? What is the best meal you can cook?  

A Didn't List

 I always create a weekly to-do list. I don’t always accomplish every item like exercising three times a week or making doctor appointments. This past week I lost my to-do list. I did look about for it but no doubt I must have tossed it with the other papers that were trashed.

So, what did I do? 

I did nothing. 

Not one activity that I had on my list. 

Sure, I have to do it next week and the chores might pile up but I refuse to be stressed by it. I refuse to feel as if I failed because I didn’t so-called accomplish anything. Everything will get done sooner or later. 

I’m not writing this because I’m saying to escape from your life for a week. There are some things that can never be put off like going to work, caring for your kids, caring for an elderly parent, and eating, just to name a few. But if you can let those little chores that nag at you and stress you out be put aside so you can get off your feet, read a book, catch up on your favorite show then take that time. 

Is there something in your life that you can put off for a week?    

Writer's Block by Janice Seagraves

 

To anyone going through writer's block (((Hugs))) I'm sorry you're going through this.

I suffered through writer's block for two years. It was devastating. We had some deaths in the family, and I just couldn't write anymore, but I could revise my old work. So, I did what I could do and still managed to publish some books. 

Good thing I had a back log of finished manuscripts.

Then, it happened, two years to the day I stop writing, I picked up where I left off. Unfortunately, I haven't finished that one story, even though I have made good progress. I have finished several other manuscripts. It's slow going, but I am writing again.

All I can suggest is take a break and see if that helps. Sometimes you just need to sleep on it. Or write something new. Take a walk, get back to nature, go to art galleries, make some art or crafts. Try to energies yourself creatively. 

You can't fill from an empty cup.

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.

Found In The Pages

 

At some point in our lives, we’ve all read Little Women and declared ourselves a Jo, Meg, Beth, or Amy or closed a copy of Pride and Prejudice and saw ourselves in Elizabeth or Jane but never a Kitty, maybe Mary. We want to be the heroine with all the wonderful character traits. Sometimes, though, we pick up a book and find ourselves in the heroine with all the flaws and foibles of humanity and worse in ourselves. 

Recently, I read M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series (since I love the show) and saw every bit of me in Aggie. I could have cringed and stopped reading but I loved it too much. I kept on reading, wanting more of everything. I did cringe because I saw myself taking the same action, making the same decisions as Agatha. I did laugh at seeing myself. Also, I felt understood, seen in a way that I hadn’t before, even if I didn’t like every part of our characters. As I turned the pages, I tried to learn the lessons the easy way, unlike Aggie. To avoid the hurt, the embarrassment, or the regret. That is just one of the greatness of books, lessons learned. Compassion for our flaws and ourselves. 

What book, if any, has affected you in such a way?  

New Announcement for my Chronicles of Arcon Series by Janice Seagraves

My new announcement.

I've been working on this for a while now, but I republished the first three books of my Chronicles of Arcon series in a one book format and it is now together in one eBook. 

I plan on publishing Exodus Arcon as a paperback and hardcover soon. 

Get it now on Kindle unlimited. https://www.amazon.com/Exodus-Arcon-three-one-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0BRYQHB3M

Planet Arcon is in trouble. Before their planet tears itself apart, The Arcons built three colony ships to take them across the stellar reaches of space… towards Earth their new home. But, only the ruling class and the most brilliant minds can come. The rest must take their chances with the lottery.

One family cheats.

The Arcons are coming…. Are you ready?

#aliens #spaceships #spacetravel #scifi #book

In The Pages

Recently, I read M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series (because I love the show) and saw myself in Agatha. As I read, I cringed at her antics, knowing I would do the same, and laughed at them as well. But as I read the novels, I remember feeling the thematic lessons hitting home harder than they ever had in any other book.

So, why did these novels drill home the lesson? It wasn’t the physical traits of Agatha but the negative and positive character traits of her character. And that started me wondering whether seeing a reflection of ourselves—the reader— is required to learn the thematic lesson of the novel. I’m not writing about cultural representation but more of a connection with the character's personality traits. I don’t have the answer to that question. After all, people have learned from Lord of the Rings trilogy and the world isn’t brimming with elves and dwarves. 

So, how must we see ourselves in the characters, actions, or story events to learn the thematic lesson? 

In some way, we the reader must relate to the characters. Such an occurrence happens on a human and emotional level. We have to feel for the protagonist whether it’s liking or disliking them. As we, the readers, flip the book’s pages, we can see and understand the folly of specific actions and the correctness of others to learn the lesson of certain books while others pass right over our heads. Do you know a possible answer to that question? If not, what lesson have you learned from a book?