In my day job, I advise people to set goals and stretch themselves beyond what they believe they can accomplish. It's time for me to take my own advice, which means you'll see some changes.

The first change is my new website: www.jleighjames.com.

The second is my newsletter. (Go to the new website to sign up.) In this email, I'll tell you what projects I'm working on, when you can expect to see new works, and I'll share some behind the scenes information that you normally wouldn't know. For example, the ending to Wished was actually the third version of the story. I'll tell you about the other two in my first newsletter.

I also plan to release new titles every 2 - 3 months, including a new Epic Fantasy series I plan to launch in June 2019.

Are these changes easy? No, they are not. They require me to step outside my comfort zone and to spend money on my writing career when, before, I'd tried to do everything myself and save money. But, if I am taking my writing to the next level, then I have to make changes.

What about you? Are you setting goals and taking risks? If you're not, I encourage you to make some changes. They won't be easy, and you may not get the results you hoped for. The reward, though, will be your own personal growth and the satisfaction that you accepted the challenge.

So, go for it. Take your dreams to the next level, and feel free to share your journey with us!

If I tell you I'm feeling the heat, you might answer by saying, "Of course. summer just officially ended." However, that's not the heat I'm experiencing. 

Once again, I've taken on too much. (Which is why you haven't heard from me in awhile.) I'm finishing Mistletoe Madness for release in October. I've begun writing Sweet Insanity, the second book in the series. I've begun working on my new fantasy series Son of Water. I'm planning a new website redesign, AND I'm learning some new software that will hopefully speed up my writing and editing process on future projects.

Oh, and I'm thinking about starting my own publishing company.

I must be out of my mind!

I have no clue how I'm going to get all of this done, especially since I have a demanding full-time job. It's overwhelming, but when I look at other successful authors, business leaders, entrepreneurs, they all faced challenges and found ways to push through the obstacles they faced. I will, too. Somehow.

So check back with me in the next few weeks and months. Hopefully, you'll see a lot of exciting things happening - the new Mistletoe Madness series, the new website, a monthly newsletter (forgot to mention that, didn't I???) with exclusive sneak peeks, and so much more.

​And if you have any tips on how to get this all done, feel free to share! I'll take all the help I can get.

I love reading! I love diving into a story, making friends with the characters and developing a virtual crush on the male lead. I prefer character-driven stories that are light-hearted with minimal physical contact and bad language. I read the reviews for hints of stories that might not meet my needs, and I recently found one that seemed really cute.

I'm halfway through this story, and I'm so disappointed. None of the reviews mentioned this girl's involvement with drugs, alcohol and sex. It's way more intense than what I thought I was getting. Now, I'm struggling with finishing the book. On one hand, I care enough about the characters that I want to find out what happens. On the other hand, I'm getting to the point where I don't care if they have a happy ending or not.

I try to finish every book I buy, and I've only abandoned three books in my memory (two in high school and one recently). I'm not sure if this one is going to be number four.

As an author, you are expected to provide your readers with realistic characters and interesting stories. They expect each character to have their own distinct voice, personality and mannerisms. Sometimes that can be a challenge!

There are many tools and tricks authors use to nail down a fully-realized character. Some write detailed character profiles, some keep a list or spreadsheet of all the character details, and some use other inspirations. For me, I have a sparkly purple notebook that holds my entire writing world. Every character from every story is listed in there with eye color, hair color and distinct traits like biting her bottom lip wihen nervous or leaving the room instead of facing conflict.

In addition to that, I get a lot of inspiration from music. As I listen to songs, i imagine the characters in my current works and if the words or mood of the song fit them. I usually find one or two songs that I mentally attach to that character, and whenever I'm ready to write, listening to the song reminds me of the uniqueness of their personalities and situations. For example, with my upcoming story Mistletoe Madness, Jordan Sparks' No Air and Next to You make me think of Sage and Scarlett, and 5SOS's If Walls Could Talk is my theme song for a character in my fantasy book Son of Water (coming in 2019).

I share all of this to say, there is no right or wrong way to develop your characters. Do whatever it takes to make them real to you. If you feel their "realness" then your readers will, too.

Happy writing, and go create those amazing 3D characters!

Feel free to share in the comments if you have any tips or tricks you use.

As I stare out the window at the beautiful July sunshine, I make a dozen wishes. The main one being I wish I could spend the entire day basking in the sun, soaking up some Vitamin D and doing absolutely nothing. However, that's not the game plan for today. Or any other day in the next few weeks.

Why not? Because right now, I'm at the "day job", the one that I spend around ten hours a day (not counting my hour-long commute each way) to pay my bills. It's a great job, don't get me wrong, and during my breaks, I get a few minutes to write on my next story or my next blog post. But, it's still not playing out in the sunshine.

Then, there's the daily exercise. Don't like it. Must do it. 'Nuff said.

Of course, I spend time each day with my family. This is the most important part of my day. Even if it's sitting in the same room while we do our own thing. Now that my daughter is away at college, I truly enjoy the moments where we are simply all in the same room.

That's already a lot to do, and somehow, I have to fit in writing and promoting my stories, connecting with readers and strategically planning what's next for my writing career. Whew! I'm already tired just thinking about it all.

I'm not complaining. I love my life, and even when it gets a little crazy --like right now -- I am grateful that I get to do what I do. I'm just a little tired.....

So, what do I do? Plan a vacation? Take a day off?

Nope.

Instead, I decide to change my website. Not just the content on the pages -- the whole flipping thing! Look for an announcement in the next month or so about the new and improved J. Leigh James website.

Maybe I can design my site while I bask in the sun. Vitamin D, here I come!

My daughter has asked me several times if it bothers me when friends and family tell me they've decided to write books, because it's "my thing"; I was writing long before any of them decided to, so I can see why she'd think I "owned" the activity.

I always tell her no. Writing isn't a competition, and the voracious readers are always looking for something new to read. So, it's not like we're going after a limited supply of fans. But I understand why she asks me.

​It's hard to have a passion, something you've worked a really long time on, and then someone else determines they want to do it, too. If they share the passion with you, then it's something you can bond over. If you feel they aren't passionate about it, then it can easily become a point of contention.

One thing to keep in mind, regardless of what you've chosen as "your thing", is that your journey is always yours. Even if someone takes a similar path, they won't have the same experience because they are not the same as you. My daughter has also asked how I would feel if one of our family or friends was better at writing than I was or had more followers or made more money. In those situations, it's natural to feel jealousy, and I imagine that i would be jealous. But comparing myself to someone else doesn't get me anywhere -- even if I discovered I was more successful. It doesn't help me to hone my writing, it doesn't make me a more insightful author, and it doesn't promote a healthy relationship with people I love.

My journey is mine.

That is the only thing I own.

So, I gladly support my friends and family who also write. it gives us something else in common, and it feels really good to cheer on their successes, just as they cheer on mine.

What is your "thing"? Do you share it with people you love or do you find yourself competing against each other? I certainly hope it's the former.

I promised an update on the Wished countdown deal, so here it is. I don't want to call the sales disappointing, because I really didn't have any expectations. The sales were pretty much on par with what I've been doing over the past few months. So, I'm not sure discounting the book increased its sales.

I conducted more research while the deal ran, and I noticed that many writers will pay for advertisements, email blasts, etc. in addition to placing the book on sale. This is something I may do in the future.

Another Amazon feature I'm experimenting with is offering a book for pre-order. Currently, Granted is available for pre-order and will be released on June 29th. I'll also offer my next story Mistletoe Madness available for pre-order. That will start in either July or August, and the book will be released on October 26th. (The same weekend the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies start!)

I'm excited to see how these promotions work. Most importantly, I'm excited to hear how you are enjoying my stories. It is humbling and thrilling to see your reviews posted on Amazon and Goodreads. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated -- they encourage me and make me want to be a better writer. I hope more readers will share their reviews (good and bad!), and since I've gotten so much out of your reviews, I've decided to write more reviews for other authors. (Time to pay it forward!)

Promoting books is a tough business, but I hope I always keep in mind that while I want the money, the real reason these stories exist is to entertain you.

Happy reading, my friends, and don't forget to leave reviews for your favorite authors. They appreciate it more than you'll ever know!

For years I rode public transportation to work. Most days were uneventful, but there were times I did have "events," as I've shared with you in my Train Tales blogs. My job evolved to where I was only going downtown two days a week. Now, the company has moved headquarters, and I can no longer take public transportation to work. Which means I'm nearing the end of my train stories. I have one final story to share with you along with some words of wisdom.

One afternoon the train was nearly empty. There were around fifteen people riding in the same car as I was. We were all quietly waiting to get to our stations when a phone began to ring. A young woman pulled out her phone and began talking. At first, it was hard to tell what they were discussing. That is, until she said, "You're the only person I told. How did she know?"

I kept my face turned away from the woman, not wanting to intrude on what little privacy she had on a public train.

The woman was very upset and kept saying, "How did she find out? Did you tell anyone?" Finally, it all became clear when she said, "Then how did she know. You're the only person I told that I was pregnant."

I looked around at the other passengers and saw that they'd heard the same thing. A whole lot more people knew her secret than she realized, and I had a really good idea how others had found out.

My words of wisdom to you: If you want to keep a secret, don't talk about it in public. You never know who's listening.

If you're playing around, having fun and don't really care if your writing sells, this post may not be for you. Then again, you may be able to apply this advice to other areas of your life, so feel free to read on.

If you're serious about publishing and marketing your book, I have a word of advice. Beware. There are genuine people in this world who want to be a part of your success, and there are those who are only out for themselves.

Let's talk about the supportive people first. These may be loved ones, friends, readers or industry professionals. They want you to succeed. Some want it because they know and love you. Some want it because it's good for them. Whether their motives are selfless or selfish, they are on your side. Where you need to be cautious is with their expertise. You may have family and friends who love you dearly and want to give you advice; however, they don't know what they're talking about. I had a well-meaning family member suggest if I wanted to be a success that I needed to start writing what people want to read. He had no clue about the young adult market and how popular it is. So, before you start following anyone's advice -- including mine -- make sure that person has the experience and knowledge to voice their opinions. Otherwise, thank them for their advice and forget what they said.

What about the other type of people? Sometimes it's hard to spot them. I've joined several online writing groups, and if you're serious about writing, I highly suggest that you do, too. Goodreads, Kboards and Absolute Write are great places to get started. On these sites you will meet a lot of knowledgeable, helpful people who will give you the good, bad and ugly about the publishing industry. They share their experience and genuinely hope it helps your career. However, not everyone on those sites is uplifting. I've found myself scrolling through posts and getting discouraged because of their tales of "doom and gloom". I've had to remind myself that I'm completely happy with my journey so far, and while I'm sorry for their bitter disappointments, that isn't my story.

Another type of negative person you might encounter is the one who only wants your money. There are a lot of people in this industry who will promise you fame and fortune if you will pay for their service. Be wary of anyone asking for money. There are legitimate services out there, but it's vital you know what you're paying for and what they can guarantee. I've seen new writers spend thousands of dollars for promotions and review services when they haven't checked out the free stuff first. If you're brand new to the writing game, don't fork over a ton of money you haven't earned yet. Check out the free and cheap stuff (like having your covers designed on Fiverr) and build your reader base. Once you've done that, then spend some of your hard-earned cash on promotions and other services.

This isn't a get-rich-quick endeavor. Don't let people con you out of your money because they say they've discovered the way to "easy street". They haven't.

Writing and publishing is a long journey. There will be ups and downs, highs and lows, and having supportive people by your side as you travel this road helps tremendously. Just make sure you can spot who those are, and don't let yourself get bamboozled by the ones who see you as their ticket to easy street.

For those of you patiently waiting for Micah's story in Granted, let me assure you that he's almost here. There are a few more finishing touches I need to make. I promise you will see him this month!

In the meantime, I've decided to hold my very first Amazon Countdown Deal. June 2 - 7, Wished will be offered at discounted prices, starting at $0.99! I've heard of people having great responses with this tool, and I've heard of people who were disappointed with the response. After it's over, I'll let you know what my experience was.

Wished is the very first book I published, so it only seems right that it's my very first promotion. I'll be reading it again this month and reliving the story that started my humble writing career. I view the Wished series as my experimental stories. Wished was an experiment simply because I was publishing for the first time. In Denied, I experimented with two points of view with different timelines. For Granted, I have NO female POV's. This is a huge departure for me, and I really struggled with how this story needed to be told. My wise daughter saw me struggling and said, "If it's Micah's story, why not let him tell it?" She was right. The central conflict is whether Micah gets his wish, so it makes sense that the two characters impacted by this decision tell their stories. So, get ready to hear from Micah and Horace in my very first ever male-only POV book!

Before I wrap-up this post, I have to say how incredibly grateful I am to all of you for taking this journey with me. I never imagined as a young girl writing her stories and sharing them with her friends in English class (Sorry, Mrs. Rimer, that we read my stories instead of Beowolf!) that one day I'd have books published and read by diverse people from all over the world. It boggles my mind to think of it. I know I say thank you a lot in my posts, but I honestly don't think I can say it enough. (And if I ever stop saying it, I hope you'll point it out to me!) I'm incredibly lucky and thankful!
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