We're Moving!

...to a bright new website! We've been very busy bees here at BCB...and I am so excited to share our new address:


katiejaros.com


Please check us out for new work, essays, and BCB updates. Thanks for reading and hope to see you at the new house!

Bonne Chance!

Guest Author Jessica Rakus: NaNoWhatMo?

As we enter the beautiful month of November, I am very excited to present fellow author, Jessica Rakus, as she shares her thoughts on the cultural writing phenomenon, NaNoWriMo. I have known Jessica for many years and have had the pleasure to read her work and feel honored that she wrote this essay for BCB. Bonne Chance, and enjoy!

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2005 was a big year for me. I moved to Illinois. I met a certain awesome lady named Katie. And I participated in National Novel Writing Month for the first time.

NaNoWriMo started in 1999, so I was a bit late to it (at least in the circle of writers I would end up in – there were folks who were around in 1999! Hipsters!).  You sit down on November 1st, and if all goes well, by 11:59 on November 30th, you write 50,000 words. The goal isn’t to write something good. The goal is simply to finish. It’s not about writing the Great American Novel. It’s about writing a novel. Getting it done. Finishing.

NaNoWriMo was perfect for me, because I am terrible at finishing. I have…let’s just say several unfinished novels kicking around. And in 2005, when I sat down and tried to get 50,000 words on paper (or Word document), I hit around 35,000 word. I wasn’t a winner. But it was still more words than I’d ever put into a project before. And that’s the point, really. Get the words down. You can fix them later. Just write. Because you can’t publish a novel if you don’t finish the thing.

In 2006, I won NaNoWriMo for the first time. Did that mean I got a publishing contract, or even that I’d written something good? Nope! It was still a mediocre novel (my writers’ group would later completely tear it apart). But I got the words down. I got them out. The novel might have potential; I’d figure that out down the road. One of the guiding principles of NaNoWriMo is that you don’t go back and read what you’ve written while NaNo is still ongoing. In fact, once you’ve finished, it’s generally recommended that you put your piece away for a couple months. Get that distance. Then get ready to edit.

My “best” novel happened in 2008. It’s the only thing I’ve written that I think will actually see the light of day. As of right now, this moment, it sits at just over 58,000 words, and is on its fifth draft. That’s a lot of editing. Because when you spit out a novel in a month, it needs a bit of work.

After ten tries at NaNoWriMo, I’ve hit the 50,000 word mark about half the time. Thing come up, life gets in the way. There are certainly ways to improve your chances. If I could give only one piece of advice, it would be to participate in write-ins. Not just because it will give you a chance to work on your piece in a time and place dedicated to getting words on paper. But for me, it helped me find my writing community. 

Even when I don’t hit that mythical 50,000 words, I always come out of NaNoWriMo feeling like I accomplished something. It’s just a push to get me going. It kick starts my writing, even when I haven’t written anything since the previous November. It reminds me of how good it feels to get those words out. It makes me want to write more. I also get a weird thrill whenever I’m working on something in a month that isn’t November, and that piece hits 50,000 words. Mission accomplished.

And I think that’s the point, more than anything. The point is to write. Once November ends, I always feel like writing more. Usually not on the piece I’ve been working on in November, but I have a lot of works in progress, so any time spent writing is a plus. So if you’re looking for a kick in the pants to get you motivated, check out NaNoWriMo this November, or join Camp NaNo, which has a bit more of a laid back feel – you can set any writing goal you want, from 1 word to 1 million, in April or July. Or if you’ve got a finished piece that needs some cleaning up, head over to NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month – the goal is 50 hours of editing work) in March. Whatever you do, just get to work.

Thankful Thursday

I usually don't do a 'Thankful Thursday' post-- mostly due to forgetfulness. But there is so much awesome happening in my neck of the woods that I just have to share...

As has been broadcast by every form of social media in existence, Lost Souls has made it's way out into the universe. I have been in a constant state of humbled overwhelmedness...(is that even a word?)...the last 2 weeks...from the amazing response from my friends and family. People shared the post, bought books, are hopefully now reading and enjoying said books!-- and I am in the process of figuring out what my next step as far as promoting/publicity is going to be. It's a long journey that is just beginning. Again, if you are interested in picking up a copy you can do so on Amazon; as well as on Kindle, Nook, and iBooks for electronic formats.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the amazing Robyn Bachar-- creator of the Bad Witch series and Blood, Smoke and Mirrors. This was such a cool experience for me as I haven't really had a chance to talk about my work and it felt great to sound off. You can check out that interview here.

BCB is going to be getting a bit of a facelift in the next couple weeks as I begin the process of designing a new website...new URL, new look, new content. But next week, I will have a special guest post by my author friend Jessica Rakus as we enter November...forget the turkey and mashed potatoes- it's NaNoWriMo season! Same time, same station.

I hope that all of you are having a great week and are celebrating your own triumphs and tribulations.

As always, Bonne Chance!

IT'S HERE!

Lost Souls has arrived! As I'm sure it goes without saying, it's a very happy day here at Chez Jaros. I will write a longer post later, but if you are interested in checking it out, you can pick up a paperback copy through Amazon here... and it's also available in E-book on Kindle and Nook. I am tackling ibooks this weekend, so it should be up there for all you fellow Mac users soon.

It's a glorious day! Bonne Chance!

xxoo

Judge a Book by it's Cover...

The wait is over!---for cover art.:) Yeah...I peed a little. It's not a burning car...but I think I can live with that.

Right on schedule for October 15th. I'm a VERY happy camper this morning. Thank you Grady at Damon Za for the beautiful design!

BC

On the Subject of Frogs

I’m getting angry at myself for picking up my laptop and typing right now— I should be asleep with Ez, getting ready for tomorrow, finally taking a break..but instead I need to announce my dissatisfaction with Twitter.

What a horrible method of communication! How is one supposed to truly say what’s on their mind with such limitations…not enough words, not enough time on someone’s feed for anyone to read it and respond before they’ve moved on to the next frame of mental dribble from someone else. You end up with a collection of one-liners about tv shows or what some celebrity wore on the red carpet— and who really cares?

What started this all was a stream of consciousness at bedtime…it’s raining here right now— the soothing sound of raindrops pelting our roof and window— perfect for falling asleep to. I thought of how it’s almost always wet here— to the point that we’ve completely adapted to this high level of humidity— used to our carpets and pillowcases being slightly damp at all times…how things rot so easily— even currently living things like trees and grass…biomass….

I wondered if I would start to rot like a tree if I were left out in the rain all day. Maybe it would take longer...as I think human skin handles water better than tree bark. I asked Ez if he thought people were more amphibious than trees…this beautiful word caught in my head like a fly trapped in a spider’s web…a gorgeous crowd of vowels with a few consonants thrown in for fun…Ez answered- of course, people are more amphibious than trees- we’re biologically designed to go back and forth between land and water— more so than a tree, which, while hardy, is fixed on land and is merely subject to the elements— not going out and choosing for themselves where they should be. He then said that “amphibious”— lovely a word as it is- does not really apply to humans as we are not designed to fully LIVE in both water and land. The word of course applies to frogs and salamanders— true amphibians. 

We then turned out the light and I started to feel sad— thinking about how the world’s actual amphibians are dying…extinction at an alarming rate- and no one has really figured out what’s going on or how to stop it…brightly-colored mucous bodies...all gone. I told Ez about it— this was the first he’s heard of it— even though it’s been going on for at least two decades now….I don’t blame him for it…or anyone else who doesn’t know it’s an issue. People have lives, jobs, kids…who has time to sit around thinking about the state of the world’s frogs? Unless of course they are some sort of frog specialist? I can’t even feel righteous because I have a little extra time to stare out windows and ponder these things— because really, my sadness over dead amphibians is just an emotion…a fleeting thought that goes right out the window…similar to a Twitter feed…just something that happens….not really helpful. Certainly not saving anything or any frogs. And in the grand scheme, it all qualifies as 'mental dribble'...none of it more important or less than the next. Hm.

But I would have never been able to say this all on Twitter. And for that, Twitter can go eat a bowl of...something. Hopefully the rain will calm me down... I'll be angry tonight and back on it first thing in the morning.

Picture This...

Exciting things going down at our little cottage somewhere in Seattle...most notably the weather has switched over to delightfully Fall-like, I've been enjoying my respite as mother-of-1 every morning during the work week, (a very big deal if you're used to wrangling 3 young kids on the daily), and...Lost Souls was sent off for cover art creation!!!! I am trembling with equal parts anticipation and trepidation...the thought of seeing my work portrayed in some sort of artistic abstract...I'm having a hard time putting words to it. Other than it is so cool and holy fuck!-- what's going to come back???

Steve and I have been pondering this very question the last few days...here are a couple of the top winners...

- A photo involving a really cheesy halo atop a hot male underwear model

- Same shot as above, but this time with a pitchfork shoved through said model, wincing seductively

- The Rolling Stone's Let It Bleed album cover with Christa and Daniel cake toppers

- Catholic school girls lined up at a bus stop with highly reflective patent leather shoes

- A super built dude with Devil horns and a full back Lady of Guadalupe prison tattoo

-Angel wings painted onto the hood of a burning car

-Christa, Daniel, and Alden perched in the 'O' of the Hollywood sign, looking sexy and conflicted

-Mary Carmen dressed as a nun biting a rosary

I look forward to revealing the actual cover art here in a few weeks...but really, I don't know if it can get any better than the ones listed above.  

Bonne Chance!