• my view,  writing life

    A Night Like This…

    Happy Friday!

     

    This has been quite the week. Well, quite the month. A total up and down roller coaster ride that I can’t seem to pull the brakes on no matter how I try. All of it will truly start to cause havoc on a girl’s head and stomach, not to mention her deadline. That said, I’m heading deep into the writing cave so I may be MIA for a while as I get the final scenes between… wait for it…. Samara and Mark my latest in, distress couple, ironed out and lov-ied  up.

     

    For this Friday though, I’d like to leave you with the lovely voice of Caro Emerald and her song A Night Like This. Doesn’t it just make you want to get away and party? Also the gorgeous photographer in the video would so make a fantastic Alejandro inspiration from Through The Lens. Have you looked on through yet? If not, just click to your right. Thanks!

     

     

     

    All the best,

    KMJ

     

    image fm here

  • my view,  TV,  videos,  writing life

    Fine Leather Goods…

    I’m so feeling the need for a Treat Yo Self day, even if that day is treating myself to a day in bed. But alas, I am under deadline so I don’t see that day happening for at least a month so I’ll be making due by living through Tom and Donna from Parks and Rec.

    If you had a day what would you Treat Yo Self to?

     

    Best,

    KMJ

  • authors,  interviews,  writing,  writing life

    A Writing Life… Interview with author Micah Persell

    I’m pleased to have on ye old blog a new writer friend of mine, and I’ve come to find out for myself a fantastic author, Micah Persell author of Of Eternal Life and Of Knowledge of Good and Evil , Books 1 and 2 in the Operation: Middle of the Garden Series. Now I’m not a huge paranormal reader, but I will say that Micah pulled me in right from the start with her fantastic descriptions of the frankly horrifying circumstances that her ultra-hot hero Eli found himself in. But wait, I think I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. I’m so excited coming off the end of Of Eternal Life. Slow down, Kwana, and let’s start the interview…
     Thanks so much for being here today Micah. Now can you tell us a bit about Of Eternal Life?
    Of Eternal Life is the first book in my series. It’s also the first book I ever wrote, so it has an extra special place in my heart. It follows the love story of Eli Johnson and Abilene Miller, but it’s also a suspenseful paranormal romance that focuses around what might happen if the government stumbled upon the ancient Garden of Eden in the Middle East. My theory is that we would turn it into a weapon, especially if it turned out that immortality was in the mix.

     Of Eternal Life is categorized as paranormal romance, but it does have some mystical and sci-fi elements. How would you categorize it?

    I’d love to categorize it as science fiction. A lot of scientific and medical research went into the making of Of Eternal Life. I think a lot of readers would be shocked to find out that the science in the book is all accurate. As far-fetched as it sounds to have an ancient tree’s fruit turn characters immortal, scientists have tested several methods of extending the human life, one of which is introduction of a substance that extends the Hayflick limit (the number of times a cell can reproduce before dying). I took their research and put a fictional spin on it.
     Wow real? That is so cool and interesting and a little scary. Now are you a Plotter or a Pantser? Can you please give us a glimpse into your writing routine?
    I started off as a pantser, but then Abilene’s best friend in Of Eternal Life, Dahlia Gutierrez, turned out to be the villain. Surprise! I turned into a religious plotter after that. Every single plot point in Of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was meticulously planned out. When I start a new project, I plot out all of the major turning points. Once I have a plot mapped out, then I write a first draft and revise, revise, revise until I’m moderately happy with the result. Then I revise some more 🙂
     Now for one of my favorite questions: Can you please tell us the story of your “overnight” success?
    I actually got “the call,” which for me was an e-mail, while on a field trip with my students. I’m a teacher in real life. It was a pretty special day, because I was able to share the news with the kids, and no one has a better reaction to good news than dramatic teenagers. I felt like a celebrity right away.
    I’m looking forward to the follow up to Of Eternal Life, Of Knowledge of Good and Evil; as a matter of fact I already have it on my Kindle. Can you tell the blog readers a bit about it?

    Well, even though Dahlia turned out to be the villain of book 1, I wasn’t ready to give up on her yet. Book 2 is her story. It’s a story of deep secrets and redemption. I’ve got to say, Dahlia is one of my favorite characters.
     What can we expect next from you?
    I’m putting the finishing touches on Emma: The Wild and Wanton Edition right now! I’m so excited about this book. It’s Jane Austen’s classic book, but with lots of steamy, steamy added in. Mr. Knightley and Emma definitely burn up the pages. Hopefully, it will come out some time in the spring.
     That sounds just wonderful and quite hot. Who doesn’t love Mr. Knightly?
     Thanks once again for being here. It was a fantastic treat, and I can’t wait to read more!

    You can find Micah on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, or check out her website for a special sneak peak of both Of Eternal Life and Of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

     

    All the best,
    KMJ

  • my view,  resolutions,  writing,  writing life

    Old or New School Planning

    Am I one of the only ones still fighting the calendar feature in my phone? I never even look at the thing. Well, that is not true. I did try a few times to program a meeting in once and failed miserably. Bells and chimes going off at all sorts of inappropriate times. But that said, my old pen and paper has never let me down.

    Though I’m more of a Pantser in my fiction writing I’m a Plotter in my everyday life and I’m the type of person that keeps it old school and still has to write things down on paper for it to be true in my mind. I’ve used a Filofax for years. My kids always know what mom means when she says, “go and get me my red book.” And years before that one it was a book of another color. I have to say the planners seemed to last longer than the phones I’ve had.

     

    Well over the past weekend I got a pretty new Kate Spade leather planner that I think I’m going to love. A happy new color for a Happy New Year! I will say I’m hesitant to write in it but sadly, the year is already starting to fill up so time to get planning. Let me at it!

    So are you Old School or New?

     

     

     

    All the best,

     

    KMJ

  • happy holidays,  my view,  writing life

    The In Between

    Good day lovelies. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. So now here we are. Right smack in the beginning of the crazy patch between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Time to deck the halls, get your shop on, really all this means is time to WORK.

    For some of us it’s all the final week of NanoWrimo. Best of luck to all of you who were doing Nano this month. I hope you are nearing the end of your 50,000 words. I was doing my own “Not quite Nano” which didn’t quite pan out. But that’s ok, I still have this week and I’m not giving up just yet.

     

    What are you doing with your In between time?

     

    All the best,

    KMJ

     

    Image fm here

     

  • authors,  blogs,  my view,  writing life

    And She Lived…

    Oh my goodness! Not only have I gotten my power (back as of last night), but I have a post up today on USA TODAY’s Happy Ever After Blog where at talk about some of the authors who have inspired me. Talk about a coolness moment, and whew, I’m so happy to be able to actually see it and you can see it too. Just click over here at the USA Today HEA Blog and please stay awhile. I think you’ll really like it there. Have a fantastic week!

     

    BTW… have you looked Through The Lens?

     

    All the best,

    KMJ

     

    image fm here

  • blogs,  interviews,  writing,  writing life

    Keeping Calm…

    Hey there lovelies. I hope you are all well and dry. As I write this the wind is kicking up and as it posts who knows if I will still have power.

    Let’s just hope I do and you do too! Please join me and some other fantastic writers over at the fabulous Ondo Lady’s blog as we talk changes in the publishing industry.

    Stop on by here and meet some virtual new peeps.  Laters.

    All the best,

    KMJ

     

     [Update fm random Shoprite: I haz no power. Let’s hope it’s back soon. Last night was a rough and scary night. One that I don’t want to repeat any time too soon with limbs hitting the house and transformers sparking all around. Still I feel grateful to come out unscathed. Thoughts and prayers to all truly touched. Hang in there.]

    image fm here

  • my view,  Through The Lens,  writing life

    Bursting Through!

    I wanted to give a cheer and a big thank you to all my friends and supporters today. See I’m bursting with excitement because this week I’ve made the Crimson Romance Top 5 Best Sellers List with Through the Lens.  Oh to the Ye-ah!!

     You can check the list here to see TTL and while you’re there please check out the other wonderful Crimson titles. You won’t be disappointed.

     

     

    Check out the Top Crimson Romance eBook titles! Get your copy today!

    1st. Prelude to a Seduction (Lotchie Burton, Spicy)

    2nd. Falling for You (Heather Thurmeier, Contemporary)

    Tied for 3rd:

    Love, Eternally (Morgan O’Neill, Paranormal)

    Through the Lens (K.M. Jackson, Contemporary)

    Tied for 5th:

    Love Grows in Winter (Stephanie James, Historical)

    Forgotten Dreams (Alexia Banks, Paranormal)

    Thank you all once again. Please continue to pass the word on and let’s take TTL to the TOP!

     

    All the best,

    Me

     

    image fm here