Tag Archives: personal

I’m not actually here…

I’m really not. By the time you read this I’ll be winging my way to Europe for a family holiday. Right now I suspect I’m somewhere over eastern Europe. I may be about to land in Amsterdam. I don’t actually know, I only know that I’m not where you think I am.

So let me take this opportunity to shamelessly pimp my two newest stories. As the Leaves Fall and As the Ice Melts are both set in England (which I am about to head to after Amsterdam to see family and catch up with a few friends — Are you jealous yet?)

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As the Leaves Fall is set in London and features two architects who, although know they shouldn’t have a workplace affair, have one anyway. Can they keep their jobs and their relationship? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Amazon All Romance

Ice 400

As the Ice Melts stars my favourite character ever, Marcus. Poor Marcus. This poor bastard really gets put through the wringer throughout his life and consequently has some trust issues and secrets. By the time you finish reading this, you’ll want to pick Marcus up and squeeze him into a big hug. I know I did.

Amazon All Romance

I’m off to spend three weeks with my family and have some much needed R&R. After we leave the London and the UK, we’re off to Paris, then the French countryside. From there we’re heading to northern Italy before making our way back to Amsterdam to come home. What does this mean? Basically it means that I’m not going to be around much. I will have limited access to the internet while away so I will be able to answer emails on occasion. But this is a holiday, I’m not taking my laptop with me because I don’t plan on doing any work. So if you need anything from me, it will have to wait until I get back.

So, till then, au revoir. See you in May.

❤

PS. I’ll probably post some bragging/tourist pics so keep your eye out.

Pre GRL. I’m traveling…

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By the time you read this, I’ll be on a plane making my way to San Diego and GRL! YAY!

Traveling truly sucks although I should have a good trip this time as I’ll traveling with my bestie, Nic Starr, she’ll ease my nerves just by being there.

I spent three weeks in California a couple of years ago and we stopped by San Diego for three days. It is a great place and it’s a lot like my home city of Perth so I’m looking forward to spending more time there.

GRL should be exciting as well. I’ll be meeting and mingling with authors and readers alike. Even though most people don’t know me, I know there’s at least one person who’s looking forward to meeting up. I’m looking forward to the fun and games and I know I’ll have a good time. Just being able to meet some of my favourite authors is going to be a blast.

I’ll post some pics when I return. In the meantime you’ll have to be satisfied with this guy. I do like a nice back.

❤
RJ

Stuff and Things. And some needed radio silence…

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It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for me this week. First I had the release of Black & Bluhe and that went well. Initial reviews have been promising and I’m yet to see anything too negative. It’s all good. I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to all the blogs that participated in the tour that was coordinated by Will at Pride Promotions.

Participating blogs were (in no particular order):

Prism Book Alliance, Hearts on Fire, Bayou Book Junkie, Jessie G. Books, Carly’s Book Reviews, The Hat Party, Love Bytes, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, My Fiction Nook, The Novel Approach, Just Love Romance , Molly Lolly, and Parker Williams.
There’s an exclusive excerpt at each blog stop so be sure to check it out.

On the other side of things, it’s been a tougher week than it should’ve been. There’s been a major upheaval on the homefront which is going to take some time to get through the transition, for both me and the kids. And it’s hitting hard than anticipated.

Things I can usually brush off and say “She’ll be right, don’t worry about us” is becoming harder to do. Little things that don’t usually bother me, do. Things I have no reason to be annoyed with, I am. It’s not rational. I know this.

On the writing side of things, well, I’ve been handed a couple of blows this week as well which is taking up major brain space that I don’t have to spare right now.

It’s all conglomerated into a major shitty week and seeing a lot of negative posts on social media lately hasn’t helped. Authors behaving badly, readers being ostracised etc has compacted my mood. So I’m going radio silent for a little while and focussing on my family instead. I’ll still answer my emails but if you tag me a in post or leave a comment, please don’t feel like I’m ignoring you. I’m ignoring everybody.

Anyway, I’ll leave you with a hot man pic. Because at the end of a crappy day, they’ll always put a smile on a face, especially these two. :)

❤

Writers block… What is it?

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To be honest I have no idea, but I think I have it. I’ve been writing and writing and am half way through a 30k novella which I plan on releasing for free. The problem is all but 2k of it is shite. At least that’s what I think anyway. I thought maybe it was the story, maybe I had trouble getting into the character’s heads as they’re quite complex. I blamed the story, too many elements and a theme I had trouble understanding.

So I shelved it and started outlining another story which the characters were pushing to be heard. I started writing the first scene on that story, got to about 500 words and realised it wasn’t the story that was the problem. It was me!

Oh, don’t mind him, he’s just here to look pretty.

The words aren’t flowing properly. It’s disjointed and all over the place. And it’s giving me a rather large headache as I try to struggle through the shitty words that shouldn’t have been written in the first place.

So is this writers block? Probably. Who knows? All I know is everything I’ve written in the last few weeks is a pile of crap, so I’m stepping back from writing until I can do it again with an element of confidence.

What does this mean for any upcoming releases? Nothing at all. I have written two novels and a short story which will all come out in the second half of this year. I have this year covered. However, next year is a different matter, but I don’t expect this period of non writing to last very long.

Chin up! It’s not like I haven’t anything to do. I’ve always got editing…

❤
RJ

When you can’t figure out what to write for a blog post…

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Ever find it difficult to come up with a blog post topic? Yeah me too. That’s why you don’t hear from me very often.

It wasn’t until I took my boys to register for this years season of football (yep, there goes my Sunday morning sleep-ins from now on😦 ) that we took a wander around our local park and I thought I would share some pics of where I live.

Isn’t it pretty? We call this ‘The Duck Pond Park’ for obvious reasons. I have no idea what the actual name is despite living around the corner for the better part of ten years.

While we were there the local flock of cockatoos were in town. Yes, they’re a lovely looking bird, but they’re really a pain in the ass. Look what they’ve done to this tree:

You probably can’t see it too clearly, but half the tree is bare; stripped completely of its leaves. And they’re noisy. Seriously, a flock of this many birds screeching is enough to have you abandon the park and going for the ear plugs.

But there are some good points about these types of native birds. They’re cute for one, and they can talk and do tricks if you get one as a pet. But be prepared to fork out $$$ for a hand-reared baby. Their life span is long enough they’ll probably still be doing tricks at your funeral.

I saw these three (below) and thought about me and my two sisters. See the middle one is screeching and squawking and generally being a bitch, making sure we know that even though she’s the middle sister (not as cool as the older sister and not as pretty as the younger sister – read me) she’s still an integral part of the family.

But my favourite shot was of these two:

I watched them for a while and at first they were bickering back and forth like an old married couple, then the one on the left must have won the argument because she got a snuggle and groom from her partner. I can almost hear the aww’s.

I love living here.

❤
RJ

Happy Valentine’s Day…

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This Valentine’s Day finds me at home alone with the kids. Hubby has gone away for work and won’t be home for two weeks. I’m not upset, really. The house will stay more or less clean and there’ll be less washing and cooking to be done. Don’t get me wrong, I miss him. Just not as much as I probably should.

But he did melt my heart when I got these lovelies delivered. Even after all these years he still surprises me with the romance.

Whatever you’re doing today, I hope you’re doing ~~someone~~ something you love.

❤
RJ

Love your Aussie Authors? Check us out here!

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I’m proud to be part of this showcase with Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

Want more from your favourite Aussie Authors? Follow the fun throughout January.

Want to know more about me and my upcoming release? Make sure you stay tuned. I’m not featured until Jan 31, but there’s lots of fun to be had along the way!

January is Down Under Author Showcase Month!

How many trips of a lifetime begin by opening a book or turning a page? Are Australia and New Zealand at the top of your “most desired vacation” destinations? Well, beginning in January, you can begin your journey to these faraway places through the books and stories of 28 Down Under writers.

For the entire month of January, Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is showcasing 28 authors from Australia and New Zealand. Journey by way of these authors stories and settings through the mountainous regions and rocky coasts, and cities of New Zealand, or the vastly different and beautiful territories of Australia! Get to know the authors and let them act as your travel guides, introducing you to faraway countries, places they call home.

Think everyone in the US, CAN, AUS, and NZ all speak the same English? Oh the joy of discovering what an “esky”, “chilly bin”, “jandals”, “mozzie” or even a “woop-woop” is. Each day brings a new author, new books, new giveaways and, yes, new surprises.

In addition to these wonderful authors and their novels, Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
has multiple event prizes to be awarded to readers who participate in the Down Under Author Showcase Scavenger Hunt. Visit each author’s page in January, search out the Scavenger Hunt word or phrase, and then follow the directions on the Showcase page at our website.

For all the details and information for our first January Down Under Author Showcase, visit http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com