Happy New Year!

I'm not one for the 'new year, new me' that I see a lot of people post online, but I do believe every day is a fresh start. Regardless of what the date is on the calendar, every time you open your eyes is a new beginning. Attitude affects everything around you so bring positivity into everything you do.

This past year was hard for me. I haven't been focusing on my books and writing as much as I should have. My health has been up and down. I'm not where I want to be in terms of job or money. Honestly though, I feel like a change is coming soon. Good things are on the horizon. My husband's hard work is going to pay off soon.

The power to affect real change is in all of us every day. Don't wait for the start of a new year to give it a shot. New Years Resolutions are all well and good, but don't forget what makes the year: You.

Every day I strive to be better and happier than the day before. It's not always feasible, but with air in my lungs and strength in my body, I will reach new heights.

5 goals I want to achieve:

1) I plan on releasing at least two books in 2017.
2) I want to be in a job that not only supports my family, but that makes me happy
3) I intend on getting the strength back in my right shoulder and lower back.
4) I want to spend more time in Charleston, SC with my dad, brother, and nieces.
5) Learn to crochet

Happy New Year, everyone! What goals are you hoping to achieve?

Rest in Peace, Carrie Fisher

When I first heard the news that Carrie Fisher had a heart attack, I was floored. I closed my eyes real tight and said a prayer for her and her family. Growing up a Star Wars fan, Princess Leia as a big part of my childhood. In a year which so many unexpected deaths, the possibility of losing Carrie hit especially hard. I didn't want the news to be true. When a report came out from Carrie's mother (the wonderful and delightful Debbie Reynolds) that she was stable and doing better, I relaxed.

And this morning on Twitter, Carrie started trending. I held my breath as I looked. Maybe it was good news! Maybe she was out of ICU.

I instantly cried at the headlines. Carrie Fisher had passed away.

She was more than just a Star Wars actor. Carrie was an icon. When my world was dominated by Miss Elizabeth and Barbie, I had Princess Leia to look up to as a strong woman in the sci-fi genre. Not a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. She showed me I can stand up for what's right, oppose evil, lead a rebellion. Princess Leia was a bad ass.

Because of her, I wanted to become an author and create more characters like her in a genre dominated by weak and useless eye candy. Carrie herself was so un-mercilessly funny and unabashed in who she was. Her take me or leave me attitude never cease to amaze me and fill me with pride. She wouldn't consider herself a roll model, but she was. Outspoken about her own demons and mental issues, she blazed a trail to bring it to light. It was okay to talk about mental illness. Carrie beat addictions. She freely admitted to struggles with bi-polar disorder. She refused to be a punch line for late night talk show hosts. She was an author. She had influence over major Hollywood scripts.

She was loved by many.

We are down one geek goddess but she will never be forgotten. Her final word in Rogue One I will take with me. "Hope."

I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.

Rest in Peace.

Croceus poison

When I sat down to begin Amethyst Chronicles, I made several different outlines. I'm not one to do a lot of planning, but even though this was going to be a novella series, I knew there was a lot I wanted to put in it and I didn't want to forget. I designed Ember Wilson to be a strong, powerful, and sexy leader, capable of taking on impossible tasks. The first book told the story of her and her amazing team practically superheroes. She even makes a joke partway through. But every superhero as a weakness.

Enter Croceus

I did a lot of research on various substances. I wanted to find something that would seem harmless but would be deadly. My fascination in Latin words brought me to croceus. It actually means saffron. Yellow. I've seen the name combined with another as a scientific term for a flower or a butterfly. Dug a little deeper into saffron. Saffron is used for asthma, cough, whooping cough (pertussis), and to loosen phlegm (as an expectorant). It is also used for sleep problems (insomnia), cancer, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), intestinal gas (flatulence), depression, Alzheimer’s disease, fright, shock, spitting up blood (hemoptysis), pain, heartburn, and dry skin. Sounds helpful, but what if the yellow substance could be turned into something deadly?

Ember Wilson: powerful, cunning, major badass. Nearly killed by a crushed yellow flower. Something poetic in that, don't you think?

Next time you feel life beating you down, that you can't defeat the odds, remember that. And smile. 

Power of dreams

Taking a break from my usual book blog to talk about something weighing heavily on my heart today. November 7th, 2000, I lost my mother to cancer. She was 47. I don't know if it's the fact she would've been 63 next week or the fact an author friend recently lost his mother, but last night, I dreamed my mother spoke to me.

The actual dream is a little foggy, but in the dream, I spoke with a woman who had died before she crossed over. I wondered if I could ask her a question but changed my mind.

"She's not upset at you," the woman said. "She understands."

Tears immediately sprung to my eyes. Even now writing it. Before my mom had died, she and I got into a fight. She had been sick for a long time but had refused to go to the doctor so no one knew what was wrong. I was 18 and thought she was going to be fine. My mother was the strongest woman I knew. What bad could happen?

I wanted her to go to the doctor. That's what we fought about. I told her she was being selfish and seeing her like this was hurting me. I slammed my bedroom door and swore I wouldn't step foot outside for the rest of the night. My last thought before going to sleep later was that I should apologize. "I'll tell her in the morning." was the last thing I remember before my grandmother woke me up several hours later with the bad news.

Mothers and daughters fight all the time, especially at that age. But it ate me up that I never got the chance to apologize. She probably had already forgiven me before my head hit the pillow that night. But I never got to say the words.

The woman in last night's dream assured me again: my mother understood my feelings. She was happy and no longer in pain. She was so proud of me and the books I've written. "Especially the sci-fi series." I was reassured my worries would soon be in the past. Even was told in two months, my financial troubles would go away. I have long believed our loved ones don't really leave us and they do find ways to let us know things. I firmly believe last night, my mother spoke to me in my dream. My heart is so open and raw right now. It's a happy hurt.

Dreams are powerful things. It's not something I take lightly. Of course, it could be my brain telling me what I want to hear, but there was so much comfort in the woman's voice. I choose to have faith. I believe.

Never go to bed angry. Don't leave things unsaid. You may not get a chance to say you're sorry. I would give anything to tell my mother one more time I love her.

She knows, but it still doesn't take away the fact it went unsaid. Maybe now the hole in my heart can start to close.

All my love.

Gethyon by Pippa Jay cover reveal!

Blurb:

Abandoned. Hunted. Out of control.

Gethyon Rees had always felt at odds with the universe, and hoped for an escape among the stars. But discovering he has the ability to cross time and space with just a thought brings more problems than it solves: a deadly bounty hunter who can follow him anywhere, the unwelcome return of Tarquin Secker—the mother who abandoned him—and an ancient darkness that seeks him and all those with his talents.

When an unforgivable act sets him on the run, it’ll take more than his unearthly powers to save his skin and the lives of those he cares about. It’ll take a sacrifice he never expected to have to make.

A science fiction adventure novel previously published by BURST (Champagne Books), and part of the Travellers Universe. A 2014 SFR Galaxy Award Winner for Most Awesome Psychic Talent and a 2015 EPIC eBook Awards finalist in the Science Fiction category. Also now includes the SF short story The Bones of the Sea. 

“With colorful worlds full of nuance and dimension, characters that walk off the page, and themes that anyone who has been either parent or child can relate to.” J.C. Cassels, author of The Black Wing Chronicles series

“This fast-paced, gripping ride zips through time and space, love and loss, rebellion and acceptance.” Anna McLain, SFR Galaxy Award judge

Sign up to my no-spam newsletter or click Follow on my Amazon author page.

Pre-order Links:

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KQU01X4/

Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/gethyon-1

B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gethyon-pippa-jay/1115474634?ean=2940153374451

Omnilit https://www.omnilit.com/product-gethyon-2090269-370.html

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/gethyon/id1146204656?mt=11

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/659767

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31288592-gethyon

Webpage http://www.pippajay.co.uk/#!gethyon/c17sc

Print coming soon!

Excerpt:

“Hello, there.” The bright voice snapped Gethyon from his brooding, and he glanced up. A girl with silver skin and black tiger-stripe markings smiled down at him, her crop of red hair almost blood-colored in the twilight.

He lifted a hand in silent greeting.

“You’re Gethyon, aren’t you? Gethyon Rees?” Despite the blandness of his welcome, she hunkered down into the sand, wiggling her backside in an effort to get comfy, with a crooked grin on her lips. Unease coursed down his spine at her expression. It reminded him all too closely of another face, one with hair a paler shade of auburn and sapphire eyes.

He nodded confirmation.

“I’m Jinxuri Chei-har of the Veen,” she said.

This time Gethyon couldn’t restrain a smile. “That’s some name.”

The girl shrugged. “I didn’t choose it. But you can call me Jinx, if you like.” At that, she thrust out a hand, and after a moment, he took it.

Sudden pain splintered through his arm into his chest, and he yanked his hand free to massage the feeling away. He stared at Jinx, but she just continued to grin at him.

“Are you a friend of Dephon’s?” he asked, with a trace of suspicion. Was this something his old rival had set up to keep him occupied?

“Not really. I heard there was a party, so I stopped by.”

“You’re a gatecrasher?”

Jinx leaned forward and whispered in conspiratorial tones, “Not going to give me away, are you?”

Gethyon shook his head. Why should he care? It wasn’t his party.

She leaned back and eyed him carefully. “You don’t seem very happy. Aren’t you enjoying yourself?”

Gethyon shrugged.

“Not your kind of thing, huh? I’ve been told you’re a bit of a genius with technology.”

“Who told you that?”

“Oh, I hear things. I’m good at it.” She smiled. “You live with Professor Rees, don’t you? Heard a lot about him. Well-respected man. Your grandfather, yes?”

“Yes.”

“What about your parents, what do they do?”

He stiffened and drew back. “Why do you want to know about my parents?”

Jinx held up her hands. “I’m just trying to make conversation.”

A fragment of guilt squirmed in his stomach. Give her a break. Not everyone is out to get you. After all, living with a grandparent was going to make new people curious. It wasn’t the norm. “My father was killed in an explosion. My mother…travels. A lot.”

“I’m sorry about your father. That’s kinda harsh. But your mother sounds fun! Don’t you get to go with her?”

“No.”

Jinx gave him a sympathetic look. “Bad choice of subject?”

“Yes.”

She chuckled. “You’re really making me work for this conversation, Geth. What would you like to talk about?”

“Where are you from?”

She paused as if she hadn’t expected such a question. “No one place,” she murmured. “I travel a lot too.”

Bio:

After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 22 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, and Broad Universe, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include YA and adult stories crossing a multitude of subgenres from scifi to the paranormal, often with romance, and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3^rd place), the 2015 EPIC eBook awards, the 2015 RWA LERA Rebecca (2^nd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2^nd place).

You can stalk her at her website, or at her blog, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.

Website – http://www.pippajay.co.uk

Blogs –

Adventures in Scifi - http://www.pippajay.blogspot.co.uk

Spacefreighters Lounge - http://www.spacefreighters.blogspot.com

Romancing the Genres - http://www.romancingthegenres.blogspot.co.uk/

SFR Brigade - http://www.sfrcontests.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/pippajaygreen

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5054558.Pippa_Jay

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pippa-Jay-Adventures-in-Scifi/114058821953752

Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/pippajaygreen/

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/101080630877126516448/posts

Wattpad - http://www.wattpad.com/user/PippaJay

Amazon page - http://author.to/PippaJay

Newsletter - http://blogspot.us4.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=e5e8a4dfebcfde471a95ed3f8&id=d7764e9767

Mirror Image is now free!

Thank you to everyone who let Amazon know Mirror Image is now free. We did it! Pretty fast too. Soon, Midnight Rose Publishing will have its launch so expect tons of news to be coming in a few short weeks.

Thanks again!

Help me make Mirror Image free!

Hi, everyone. I need your help! I'm trying to make Mirror Image perma-free and Amazon needs some persuasion. What I need everyone to do is go to the Amazon link and scroll down to where my author bio is. Right above is a link that says 'tell us about a lower price' and report Mirror Image free from Smashwords , Kobo and Barnes and Noble. I appreciate your help! Doing this once a day should help Amazon reduce down within a month or so. Thank you!

*update* also use iTunes and Indigo to report.

As a thanks, I'm giving away a free copy of the paperback. Enter here:

Entry-Form

Happy birthday, Mirror Image!

Mirror Image is now two years old! Midnight Rose Publishing is celebrating with a brand new cover and updated synopsis!

Madison Mackenzie Rhodes has a comfortable life with a daily routine. When her life is disrupted by an unexpected stranger, she learns there is nothing typical. Her entire world is turned upside down when she finds out that she is a clone, created to hide the secret that we are not alone in this galaxy. Her counterpart, going by the nickname Mack, works for the Intergalactic Security Commission, which works with a coalition of other planets that protect each other and create technology. As if that wasn’t enough, she can’t stop thinking about John Brooks, one of Mack’s teammates. When an enemy rises from within the ISC that targets both Maddie and Mack, they must work together to save their lives as well as the planet.

With everything changing, and now with her heart involved, saving the world might be the easiest part of it all.

Well, what do you think of the new cover? Mirror Image is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for $.99.

Also have big news! The first two books in the Amethyst Chronicles are now available together in paperback! Amethyst Chronicles: Vol 1 is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble for $13.99.

Multiple Universes

The older I get, the more I contemplate the multiverse theory. For those not familiar (or maybe don't watch Family Guy) a multiverse is the hypothetical set of finite and infinite possible universes, including the universe in which we live. It's pretty popular in sci-fi. The idea of parallel or alternate universes. My lovely friend Liza (and fellow writer) believes in it and the more I talk with her and research, I am starting to as well.

So if meta-universe is real, that means that for every action I have done on this earth, there is another me in another dimension that has done the opposite. There's a me that joined the Air Force straight out of high school. There's a me that never moved out of Charleston. That me settled for a man because she was ready to be a mother. She's probably working as a sports massage therapist. But this is the multiverse. She may not have gone to college for massage therapy at all. There may be another me that didn't drop out from her business degree. There's a me that went to New York after high school, found a voice coach and worked to get on Broadway. Or a me that decided to become a teacher.

In so many of these scenarios, my life is so completely different. How would I be? Would I be more or less the same me? Would I feel complete? Am I happy? I feel like the basis of these questions make for great fiction. Hundreds of thousands of stories have been created off of these questions. I even touch a bit on it in my Mirror series.

Everything happens for a reason. If I hadn't left South Carolina, I never would've met my husband. It's hard to imagine me being happy with anyone other than him. Each of the above scenarios wouldn't have resulted in me becoming an author either. But still, the mind wonders to the other possibilities.

Have you ever thought about what the parallel you is doing right now? If the other you is doing something you wish you were, maybe you should think about changing that. Be the best version of yourself. Now. Not in other dimensions.

Playing catch up

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated my blog. For that, I am sorry. A lot has happened over Christmas. The biggest thing is Distinguished Press has disbanded. Catrina Taylor and I have split from the company and will be working together on an endeavor we're calling Midnight Rose Publishing. We're really excited for our future which will include bringing the Amethyst Chronicles books one and two together for a paperback shortly. We will also be releasing a collection of short stories I have written from the Mirror series and the complete anthology for the Mirror series should be out later this year. Mirror Reformed will also be releasing on paperback soon.

I had taken some time off to rejuvenate. 2015 was an incredibly hard year for me but now I'm back to writing an incredibly exciting entry in the Amethyst Chronicles. I hope to get it to an editor by the end of this month. 

As a special treat for being away so long, I thought I would include a small snippet of what I'm working on. If you recall, the end of Croceus Poison had Ember Wilson traveling 1000 years into the past and meeting Maddie Brooks and Mack Rhodes. Here is a scene of Ember meeting with Commander Elizabeth Levette.

*****

The women stared at each other for several quiet moments before the Commander broke the ice.

“Dr. Brooks is a brilliant scientist.”
“I know.”
“She’s very important to this agency, and to me.”
“Believe me, I’m aware.”
“This special project she’s been working on. If you are a product of it, what was its name?”
“The Genesis Project.”
The muscle in the corner of her eye twitched again. “How many are you?”
“Just four. Well, five now.”
“And your abilities?”
“Increased strength, stamina, speed, healing, you name it.”
“How dangerous are you?”
“Very, but only to those who deserve it.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“I know that too.”
“Do you want to know why?”
“Frankly, I don’t think it matters. But judging by your demeanor, you think I’m either trying to pull some kind of con or you’re afraid of what you can’t control, which won’t be me. If Maddie told you anything about the Genesis Project, you know what I’m telling you is the truth.”
“This project is highly classified.”
“It still is.”
“And in its early stages.”
“At this time.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you won’t live to see it enacted. No one here will. The experiment went live five years ago for me and it won’t be duplicated ever again.”
“Why?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Cut the crap.”
“Commander, unlike future representatives in your position, I respect you. You actually behave like a leader. Please forgive me for my lack of forthright. I would tell you everything if I thought I could without causing a butterfly effect.”

The hardness around the leader’s eyes softened at her words, but she didn’t drop out of her defensive posture.

“I wouldn’t trust me either in your position. If you want me to sit quietly in a room while Mack and Maddie figure out how to send me home, I will do it. I won’t be happy, but I will comply.”
“Why?”
“Because this is my past. I wouldn’t want to do anything that could affect the future. As I said, I have a lot of respect for you. This is history. Every person walking these halls right now are legends in my time.”

She seemed to think hard over Ember’s words. After a few moments, she nodded. 

“All right, Agent Wilson. You have the benefit of doubt right now.”
“Thank you. That’s all I can ask for, honestly.”
“At least you seem reasonable.”
Ember grinned. “I can be, although I don’t think my team would use reasonable to describe me.”
“If you show any sign of aggression or danger to my people, I won’t hesitate to sedate you, throw you in a cage, or lock you in a tower on the side of a mountain. Whatever it takes.”
“Understood, Commander.”

****

Just a small bit from Amethyst Chronicles: Past Reflections. Stay tuned for more!

~KG