A New Version

Sheesh, is it Thursday again already? Time is just flying by.

This week has been very productive on all fronts. I got in some much needed edits for After - Part One and they should be available now on Amazon and Smashwords. If you downloaded from Nook or Sony, it may take a little longer for the updated version to be sent out from Smashwords but there really aren't a lot of changes. Mostly just typos and grammatical errors...

Oh, and that one HUGE continuity error... Sometimes it sucks writing in the present when the future scenes are still wispy ghosts not quite fully formed in your head. I hate the fact that it slipped by. It wasn't an error during the first writing but things do change.

If anyone would like to read it, just update to the new version. I believe both Amazon and Smashwords have this functionality but I can't speak for Nook or Sony. I did briefly consider posting the text here but decided against it. Spoilers, ya know? It's in Chapter 5, Scene 1. If you don't want to update and wade through all the chapters, you can always drop me an email at drjpublishing@gmail.com and I'd be happy to send you the single scene. It really isn't that big of a deal but it does effect a scene I'm currently writing in Dreamland.

I guess that's my big news for the week. I have submitted the deleted chapter to my beta reader (that's just a fancy title for my darling husband) for final edits. Expect that to go live on my blog on August 15th. The Prologue and real Chapter 1 are also ready for the final edits but I'm holding on to those until I have a bit more to go with it.

I also finished up my Facebook timeline artwork yesterday and I have to say I am very pleased as to how it turned out. Feel free to hop on over and take a gander. Oh, and toss me a 'like' if you haven't yet. I sure appreciate it.

What... to blatant? I know, I'm shameless. :)

https://www.facebook.com/DRJohnsonwriter

I'm still exhausted from the rush of last week and trying to cram everything into what few hours I have to myself. I can't wait to relax! Everyone have a safe and happy weekend and I'll be back on Tuesday with another review!

Resurgence, by Johi Jenkins

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope everyone's week has started off well.

I have two books I need to review. Ready Player One that I finished a few weeks ago and Resurgence that I just finished yesterday. I decided to go with what was fresh in my brain (I'm sure the post title gave that away) and I'll catch Ready Player One next week.

So, on to the good stuff.

Resurgence, by Johi Jenkins

Resurgence is the first novel by Johi Jenkins and right up my alley for my monthly indie-book pick. First off, it was not what I expected at all when I first cracked open the ole' kindle. Perhaps it was the cover that had me thinking of something more seraphic but that's my own fault. I am a total sucker for angel books but we'll break into that some other time.

I guess I should start off by saying how I felt when I read the final words. The book kinda blew my mind.

I'm normal not very indulgent in the romance genre so this was a very nice change of pace. The epic love shared between Brielle and James was wonderful to read about. The connection they have with each other is very strong (that's putting it mildly) and pretty much leaves the reader basking in the glow of their love.

But is it just a love story? No, and this is where the 5 stars come in. I've never come across a book with this type of premise before and I found it very intriguing and engaging. As you know from my previous reviews, I generally don't like stories surrounding time travel due to all the plot holes, but the time travel concept in this book was an amazing theory and I enjoyed reading about it as the mystery surrounding it unfolded. The reveal at the end was simply beautiful.

Supernatural powers manifested throughout the book and the reader gets to see through the eyes of Brielle as she first figures out she has abilities, then how she deals with it as she is able to control them as they get stronger.

I thought the side characters were well written and very defined, and the main plot came around full circle to be resolved nicely at the end. I would definitely like to see a second book set in this world because I just wasn't ready to let it go.

So if you love a good romance to go along with your paranormal fix, I recommend giving this book a shot. As of this review, Johi currently has it on sale for $.99. Well worth it.

Johi Jenkins has her own blog. You can find her here.

**From information on Johi's blog, she will be revealing a new cover for Resurgence soon. This post will be updated at that time.

Social Media

First, I need to vent a little. It's Hell Week at work, (otherwise known as the annual Tradeshow week) and I have been run ragged to the point of dissolving into a puddle of goo as soon as I get home. My brain has been total mush, so I am very sad to report that no real progress has been made on the rewrites since Monday.

However, up to that point, things were going spectacular! I have Chapter 1 (both of them) in the mostly done pile and that's no small feat. My plan is to get a few edits in tomorrow and Friday, then really make up some time this weekend. I'm waiting to hit that point of revelation where everything falls into place. That still might be just a little bit down the road.

Okay, so here it is.

Social Media

It really took me awhile to warm up to the idea of trying to juggle 3 social media sites as well as write/edit my book AND work that full-time desk job, but now I think I'm ready to give it that ole college try. I know how important it is to get myself out there so I can spread the word for The Phoenix Curse and I love the interaction that I have with my readers. So this is my goal. Opening up more avenues for you guys to find, follow and, most importantly, talk to me! I read every comment and email I've gotten and I respond to all, so don't be shy!

I'm ready to unveil my bright, shiny and new Facebook page right here.

Facebook.com/DRJohnsonwriter

Also, if you're more of a twitter follower, then here ya go.

Follow @Twitter

My twitter page has been running for a while although it might be a tad neglected. Honestly, most of my updates come in blog form (right here!) but I will probably start to utilize them both more often. I am, as always, excited to take another step in my journey and very glad to have you all with me!

One last thing before I shut down for the night. I know I've been needing to do this for a few months but just haven't forced myself to make a plan. However, since I have my new outlets of Facebook and Twitter, I'm going to implement a blog schedule in hopes to make it easier for all of us.

Regular status updates will now come on Thursdays. This will be all the juicy TPC info, along with any other project I'll be working on.

Reviews will be posted on Tuesdays when I have one. And I have one, I just haven't had time to write it yet. I need to get to it before I finish the book I'm currently reading. I didn't think I would get so behind!

OH!! And one FINAL FINAL thing, (I promise this is it, for real this time,) I have a decent sized conjunctivitis cyst on my right eye. Yup, nice little souvenir I picked up from that wonderful vacation during the 4th. It's rather irritating, so off to the Dr I went. The plan is to have it scraped (shudder) on Tuesday. I will be a one-eyed pirate for the rest of the day, so it's not ALL bad. I'm interested to see how much editing I can get done though!

Alright, there's my spiel for the week! Have a fabtastic weekend!

Stuttering

Obligatory vacation picture.

So vacation was a much needed break from regular life. I was super happy to get home though. I think everyone knows that feeling. I jumped right back into the rewrites the night I got home. It felt like I was so far behind!

An interesting thing about being away from the actual writing for a while is I had time to think about the story; the character interaction, the scenes, the plot, the intricacies. It helps to let everything dance and mesh around in my head for awhile because I came back with a solid plan to fix some of the things I thought were wrong.

Like Chapter 1.

I realized this one vacation night while I was tossing and turning in my unfamiliar hotel bed. The story line of chapter 1 isn't wrong and I was VERY happy with everything I had written which is what made the decision to do a rewrite so hard. The idea had been gnawing on me for a while actually. I tried to avoid it but the eventuality of it finally settled in and I accepted it's fate.

The problem was simple. Chapter 1 was written from Ali's eyes when it needed to be from Joss's.

Since I've been back, I've been furiously correcting this and I'm almost caught back up just after a couple days. Rewriting a scene from a different POV wasn't actually that hard and I found it to be a good exercise. It's been fun drawing sharp lines between the different ways Ali and Joss see, feel and interact with the world around them. It's just another learning experience in my writing journey.

Now, the interesting news I promised. Hopefully everyone will find this exciting.

I can't bring myself to trash Ali's chapter. I know I can't put it in the book, it no longer has a place there, but I can't let it go. I will continue to edit it, and will post it on the website as a prelude to the release of After - Part Two. 

Perhaps that will smooth over those that weren't such a fan of the cliffhanger ending of Part One. My daughter falls in that group. She texted me as soon as she was done reading and was quite unhappy with me, to which I cackled with glee. My goal was to make the reader feel for the characters and leave them wanting more. Mission accomplished, at least where she was concerned.

However, if I didn't get this part quite correct, I apologize. I will make a solid attempt in the future to avoid leaving my precious characters in dire straights. Sometimes the story does what the story wills, though. I'm just the goofball with the pen in my hand.

Back Home

I am back home and glad to be able to get back to work! It may sound odd but I have missed the writing. Feels so good to have the creative juices flowing and be productive again!

This is just a short hello. I'll get a full post up by Thursday with some interesting news. Until then, trust that I firmly have the editing pen in my hand to make sure I get Part Two out on time!

On Vacation

So, as you may have guessed by now, I did not get a chance to get a post in before leaving town. After a fun filled day of shows at Seaworld, I'm taking a break to get in a quick update.

I did get some work done on After - Part Two last week that I'm very happy with. Still working on outlines for Dreamland and will be working on that pretty hardcore during Camp NaNoWriMo.

Such a brief update, but I'm on my phone! Now it's time to head to the beach. Will post once I get home and settled!