Jordan Summers

I’m in the process of updating my site. At some point in the near future, I want to get the entire site re-designed, but that’s not going to happen until I can figure out what exactly I want in a website. I am still fixing links and adding pages. There is a lot more to do and it will take time. I appreciate your patience.

A few things that readers should know is that DEAD WORLD: RED and DEAD WORLD 3: CRIMSON are OUT OF PRINT. You can still find used paperback copies floating around, but there are no new ones available. If I can get my rights back on the series, the paperback availability will change. If not…there’s always the e-version.

Also, THE ATLANTEAN’S QUEST series is officially OUT OF PRINT. That will be changing soon. I am in the process of getting all of my self-published/backlist work into print. So for those of you who’ve asked for THE GHOST HUNTER CHRONICLES: SOLOMON’S SEALS in paperback, it is coming. I will also be putting the PHANTOM WARRIORS series into print, so please be patient. This process takes time. In the interim, all the books are still available in ebook format.

Now I’m off to work on PHANTOM WARRIORS: LINX.

In honor of Mother’s Day (plus or minus a few days), I’ve decided to put MOONLIGHT KIN: A WOLF’S TALE on sale. The price will not hold for long. I’m keeping it just long enough so that the European and UK markets can take advantage of it, too. There were some problems with a few TYPOS in the original manuscript. I went through the book again and hopefully found them all. The new version has been uploaded. This will be the last time I edit something this long on my own, especially right before a conference. :-/

Still working on PHANTOM WARRIORS: LINX. I hope to have it finished by the end of the month. The characters are fun and I’m enjoying the banter.

Speaking of banter, one of the things I loved so much about the AVENGERS was the dialogue. The characters banter in such a realistic manner given their circumstances. Joss Whedon’s writing makes me pea green with envy and prods me to strive to become a better writer. He avoids cliches in a way that I find truly remarkable. I’d love to get my hands on the original script to see what was left on the cutting room floor. We went to see Avengers again over the weekend and I’ve talked dh into going again with me this week. Yes, I loved the movie that much. I will buy it the second the extended Blu-ray copy is available for purchase. Obviously a lot of people agree with me, since the movie has made over a BILLION dollars thus far. YAY Joss Whedon!!! It’s about friggin’ time.

We also went to see DARK SHADOWS. Depp is such an odd little man, but exceedingly talented. He does a great job as Barnabas. The whole cast was terrific…they just didn’t have anything to play/work with. I was really looking forward to this film, but I’m afraid it suffered from ‘previewitis’. What is ‘previewitis’ you might ask? It’s when the best parts of a film are in the previews and the rest is generally not worth seeing. I normally like Tim Burton movies. They are quirky, along with the characters. They also tend to be either fun or full of heart. This film tried to be both, but somehow failed on all fronts. You could see what they were going for. It was pretty clear. But in the end, the film didn’t know whose movie it wanted to be. (i.e. Depp’s vampire or the little boy character in the film) My dh, who HATED the film, said it felt like the script had been rewritten by a lot of different people and they’d left a little of everyone’s version in the movie. Ouch! I didn’t think it was that bad (remember I like bad ‘B’ movies), but it wasn’t as fun as a lot of my fav ‘B’ movies. I’d probably watch it again if it came on TV, but I won’t go see it again at the theater.

I’ve officially queried a few agents for my young adult novel. My stomach is in knots over it, but I suppose it had to be done. Given the state of the industry, who knows what will happen. I have no expectations.

On the progress front, I have started PHANTOM WARRIORS: LINX. I can tell this is going to be a fun story to write. The characters are engaging and my hero is so deliciously naughty. I cannot wait for my heroine to put him in his place and for him to get her to lighten up. *ggg  One of the cool things about Phantom Warriors: Linx is it actually ties into a story that I didn’t see coming. (Scooch in, I’ll let you in on a secret.) The new Phantom Warriors’ book ties into my new ATLANTEAN’S QUEST series. That’s right, there will be a new Atlantean’s Quest book after I’m done with LINX. And Dorothy, we aren’t on Earth anymore.

Stay tuned for more details…

I decided before sending off my YA to have a few more sets of eyes take a look at it. I don’t normally delay a submission. It’s always better to strike while someone’s interested, but I know it won’t do me any good if the work isn’t as good as it can be. I believe that it is, but I don’t trust my opinion when it comes to a manuscript I’ve edited five times. Other than putting the last sparkle on the book, I went to see The Avengers. It was so much fun. Whedon did not disappoint. Someday when I grow up I’m going to be able to write dialogue like that man. Sigh. I am also going to learn how to be fearless when it comes to killing off likable characters. He rips your heart out and you thank him for it.

We will go see The Avengers again next week. Yes, it was that much fun. The fight scene between Loki (who was delightful) and the Hulk had me in stitches. When you see the movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Anyway, I’ve been quiet because I have been working. Tomorrow I will send off the YA and start work on Phantom Warriors: Linx. With any luck, I’ll be finished with his story at the end of the month. I’ll keep everyone posted, when it comes closer to the release date.

I survived. I was worried there for a while that I wasn’t going to make it, but I survived my first attempt at pitching a book. This weekend I went to the Desert Dreams Conference. (If you ever get a chance to go, it’s a really great conference.) Anyway, I had appointments with three agents. Overall, I think they went pretty well. I received a request for a full and a request for a partial. Two out of three ain’t bad for a first try. I’m just happy that it helped me narrow my list.

I’ve always been good at writing blurbs, but pitching isn’t exactly the same thing. Thankfully Gini Koch and Erin Quinn helped me tremendously with my pitch. I actually think it’s the best that it can be. Of course now I have to get everything else together (i.e. polish the synopsis, make any final tweaks, etc.), since the requests have sped up my original timeline. (I’d planned on sending the book to an editor before doing the official agent query rounds.) It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen with these first submissions.

I just wish the little voice in my head saying, ‘This is the worst time to try to sell a book.’  would shut the hell up.

Back in 2000, I’d just finished my first book (a contemporary that finaled in the Daphne du Maurier contest.). As a follow up, I wrote a melodramatic werewolf Romeo and  Juliet story. At the time, my agent didn’t want me writing outside of contemporary romance, so I missed the first paranormal romance wave. (Let this be a lesson to you writers: Don’t let someone else steer your career.  You are Capt. Jack. Anyway, it took me all this time to get back to the book I originally called, “A WOLF’S TALE”. (I changed it because Kate Douglas has since done a whole series with a spin on that name.)

A WOLF’S TALE is one of those stories that would not leave me alone. I knew from the beginning that I’d have to go back and finish it. It was just a matter of time. It isn’t as long as I’d originally intended, but it’s a good story length (a little over 56K).

I decided to keep much of the angst and melodrama, since that’s how I originally wrote it. I cleaned up the prose and fleshed out the rest of the story–though I’ve always known how it would end. The book is now called: MOONLIGHT KIN: A WOLF’S TALE. You’ll find the cover below.

It’s been uploaded to Barnes and Noble & Amazon, but will probably take a day or so to propagate.

I will be starting Phantom Warriors: Linx next.

To say that I’ve been busy is truly an understatement. I needed to finish reading my young adult book, which I did a few days ago. It has a couple of small fixes, but otherwise is sounding all right.  Seeing that I’m so close to the work, that’s about the best opinion I can give you of its quality. Next step will be making the changes and sending it off to a freelance editor. Yay!

While I’ve been reading through the YA, I’ve also been writing/editing a book that I started in 2000. Yep! It was that long ago. Let me just say that I had no idea I was so melodramatic back in the day. LOL! I’m pretty sure I was going for soap opera of the year with this one.

That said, I decided to keep the feel of the book to show respect to the writer I used to be. I have tweaked, cut, edited and rewrote a ton of it. At this point, I’m not sure if I made it better or worse. I will start reading through it tomorrow. I’ve printed out the whole thing. It came in a little over 52K, which is a nice ebook length, I think. Hopefully it won’t take me more than a day to read through it. (Curse you, slow reading ability.) On Wednesday, I’ll type in whatever changes I make in the next editing stage, then I plan to format and put the book up. With any luck, all the above will be finished by late Wednesday/early Thursday. So look for my new book, Moonlight Kin: A Wolf’s Tale to hit the virtual shelves by this weekend. I’ll post the cover once I upload the book.

Speaking of this weekend, I will be attending a the Desert Dreams romance writer’s conference. Because I’m obviously glutting for punishment, I’ve made THREE (Yes, you read that right.) agent pitch appointments. I know a lot of authors work hard on their pitches. It’s understandable given that you only have ten minutes to convince an agent to request your book. I’m an oddball in that I’ve never pitched a book in my life. All my book deals have come from either contest wins or meeting editors and getting an invitation to submit. I really don’t know the first thing about pitching, so other than writing a quick blurb about the book on an index card, I probably won’t be doing a ‘typical’ pitch. To be honest, I’m more interested in how these agents approach the business, than I am about trying to boil my book down to a sentence or two. If we aren’t on the same page with how they do business, then sending in a partial (or a full) will waste their time and mine.

Yes, that is the voice of maturity and experience speaking. Blech!

It has come to my attention that my contact page is no longer working. Sorry about the inconvenience. I will try to get it fixed ASAP.

I know I haven’t posted in forever a while. To say that I’ve been busy is an understatement. I am racing the conference clock as week speak.

What does that mean exactly? I am trying to finish edits/writing my upcoming release, which I hope to have out next week. I am also working on a pitch for my YA, though it is now my intention to simply speak with the agent/s I have appointments/an appointment with to get a feel for how they work. I have exactly six days to get my new release ready for uploading, then two days to work on my ‘quasi-pitch’. I am also reading through my YA to see how if the latest round of edits enhanced the story like I’d hoped. I’m on chapter 25, which means I have another 25/26 to go. Sigh.

I feel like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, who keeps looking at his watch and saying that he’s late. Now back to work.

Today and tomorrow are the last two days (i.e. your last chance) to get Ghost Hunter Chronicles: Solomon’s Seals for FREE!