Tag: #catchup

• September – looking for normality

  Posted at 8:14 pm by Jodie, on September 8, 2020

  

  I don’t know about you but August seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. Gone are the days of 10am wake ups and 3am bedtimes, and with a bump we are back to breakfast arguments and the school run.

  While our daily lives have been turned upside down —trust me, I was really apprehensive about sending Amberley back to school— it did bring with it a strange sense of comfort. Like pulling on your favourite hoody, the thought of getting back into some kind of routine brings with it a wave of calmness.

  That’s how it felt to me, anyway. Ever the planner and organiser, I like to know what my days will entail. I tend to be one of those strange people who show up on holiday with a homemade itinerary, wanting to make the most of every single minute. It’s why places like Center Parcs are like heaven to me. The ability to book everything, to plan everything to the letter, before we’ve even stepped foot out of the house is part of the fun. It’s for this very reason that I was so good at creating revision tables when I was at school, it’s just a shame I wasn’t as dedicated to the revision.

  But, something feels different this time, and I don’t just mean the new procedures and social distancing aspect.

  I was hoping that with the start of a fresh school year I would bound straight into days at the computer, that my creativity would suddenly bloom and words would fly out of me like streamers from a party popper. Unfortunately, no such luck, and I find myself eight days into September writing a blog post that should have gone out on the 1st having written no more than 390 words towards my novel.

  Granted I’ve had a few other things on, like my husband’s 40th birthday and having some kind of 24 hour sickness bug, but I’m feeling thoroughly unmotivated. Perhaps I’d gotten so used to the Covid routine that it was the norm, and I’m now just in a period of readjustment.

  I often tell people to be kind to themselves, to take it easy and maybe today/these days/this week are meant for recovery. So, I’m going to follow my own advice.

  I’m not going to get too hung up with my goals this month. If I feel like writing I will, and if not I know my hubby has several new board games that he wants to try out.

  Before I go, once again I ask for you to sign up to my newsletter. I’m not sure when it will start yet but, please sign up below and you will receive all of my news straight to your inbox.

  Join my email list

  By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

  Processing…

  Success! You’re on the list.

  Whoops! There was an error and we couldn’t process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

  Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your September, and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily updates of what is happening in the life of me!
  
  Stay healthy. Stay safe.

  Speak soon, Jodie xxx

  Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments | Tagged #blog, #catchup, #coronavirus, #divineprophecy, #goals, #inspiration, #September2020, #sorceress, #update, #writing

• I’m a warrior!

  Posted at 9:16 pm by Jodie, on August 27, 2020

  

  Okay, so I don’t quite mean swords and shields, and blood and gore. That’s a little too… energetic for my liking, unless there’s a roaring fire, fluffy slippers and a mug of hot chocolate waiting for me.

  No, I’m a World Indie Warrior!

  “What the heck?” I hear you cry, but bear with me.

  World Indie Warriors began its life as a collective group of creatives who got on really well and all had something in common, they were independent, meaning they had no multi million pound establishments backing their work. Everything they did, they did themselves —writing, editing, formatting, cover design, publishing, marketing— or they scrimped and saved their hard earned cash to pay another company to do some of the work for them.

  I won’t go into the how’s and why’s, I’m sure many of you have already had experiences of your own, but the industry isn’t kind to indie creatives. As I mentioned in a recent Heart-to-Heart with The Magic Book Corner, there is a lot of information out there about self publishing, and most of it contradictory, but I can’t help feel that it is a tactic on behalf of the big business to dissuade us. In a world that is dominated by five or six big named publishers (Many of the small publishers being owned by these bigger companies also.), they certainly wouldn’t want the masses to eat into their profit margins, it just isn’t good business.

  And thus lies the problem.

  To these big publishers, an author or a poet (e.g.), are just numbers on a page. And, even if you do manage to make it onto their books, as soon as the numbers don’t make sense it’s “So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!”, if you’re lucky. They could, depending on the contract you signed, retain all the rights to your hard work, your sweat and tears and late nights downing red wine (Is that just me?).

  “But it’s my dream to be published!” I can imagine you shouting at the screen of whatever device you’re reading on and, guess what, it was my dream too. But, having looked into this more and more, and seeing the number of writers with publishing deals backing away and doing it themselves, I can say that traditional publishing is not the rosy pipe dream you may be chasing.

  So, to cut a very long story short, World Indie Warriors was born. A safe haven for these intrepid trailblazers to commune, discuss, and share their expertise and wisdom. To stop a creative industry being about numbers and breathe fresh life into it. But, they didn’t want to keep all of this to themselves like Gollum and The One Ring. Something this powerful was destined for bigger things. The doors were flung open and others were welcomed in, not just writers but poets, artists, photographers, voice actors, book bloggers, cover designers and any other industry you can think of where you are an indie creative, or you provide a service or offer support to indie creatives.

  If you’re an indie, you belong.
  If you’re thinking about being an indie, you belong.
  If you like the indie community, you belong.
  If you’re flirting with the idea of maybe checking out indie creatives, you belong.
  You belong!

  – World Indie Warriors

  Now, with a growing following, there is a Facebook Page, Instagram Page, a members Facebook Group and a website. We also have a regular brochure, which is about to become an eZine where, as a member, you can advertise your books and services. In the coming months, exclusively for our members, we will be holding a host of workshops. These will be on everything from grammar to psychology and marketing to planning.

  Want to get involved? Just take a look at the links I’ve dropped above and, before you ask, there is no catch. There is NO membership fee and there is NO charge to be on the eZine. We don’t have expectations to give back, but we do have lots of opportunities ranging from writing a blog to being a mentor, to being on a team. The group wasn’t created with money in mind, we are all volunteers doing it for the love of ours, and others, craft.

  This group to help expand the stage for diverse voices. Your voice. My voice. Our voices. Voices that have been muffled or silenced. We are here to support those voices and expand the stage for ALL of our voices.

  World Indie Warriors

  This is what World Indie Warriors is all about, and this why you should get involved. I can’t wait to see you in our members group.

  Jodie xxx

  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged #august2020, #blog, #catchup, #inspiration, #update, #worldindiewarriors, #writing

• August – meh!

  Posted at 9:19 pm by Jodie, on August 11, 2020

  

  So it’s August… anyone else feeling completely deflated?

  This time of year I’ve normally just been to spend a few days with family, had a night or two away just my daughter and I, had several fun and interesting days out, and would be in the middle of packing for our annual camping trip to Wales.

  Instead, I find myself locked at home in another local tightening of rules that prevents me from seeing any family. While the campsite that we stay on is open, we don’t feel comfortable going there and using the shared facilities, and the same goes for attractions. Many shops and museums, etc, are open around us but, unless it’s an outdoor activity, we aren’t willing to risk it.

  It’s made me feel really horrible as a mom. My daughter’s summer holiday is passing by at the speed of light, and she’s not been able to enjoy any of it. I know I’m not alone in my thinking, and there are plenty of people in a much worse situation than us, but it doesn’t ease my sadness and, if I’m honest, anger that by the time this is over she can pretty much wipe a year from her life. Our life.

  We’ve been robbed and cheated. It’s not to say that this year would have been super amazing. For all we know things could have conspired against us and we would have had to cancel plans anyway, but that would have been on us.

  I don’t want to be one of those people going on about missed education. Yeah it’s important, and yes homeschooling was a nightmare, but it goes beyond not knowing their times tables and the difference between to, two and too. It’s all the other things that go along with it, like school trips, building relationships and, in our case, my daughters first overnight residential.

  I hope that if you are experiencing something similar, by speaking up I’ve somehow helped and, that you know you aren’t alone. If you do need someone to talk to, I’m always around (Mostly on Instagram.).

  With all of that being said, it will come as no surprise that I didn’t push myself too hard during Camp NaNoWriMo. I set myself a goal of 7,000 words towards my mafia series and somehow managed to smash that with a total of 14,108 words.

  As I concentrated on my writing, unfortunately I wasn’t able to keep up with reading. In fact, I didn’t even pick up a book during July! But, as I searched for activities to entertain the little one, I did dip my paintbrushes into some watercolours, something I haven’t done in a very long time. Perhaps I might bring them out again, when I have that golden egg called time.

  I had intended for this post to come out right at the start of the month but, just like everything else at the moment, it seemed to pass me by. It wouldn’t be a monthly catch-up without my goals, so here they are:

  In August I aim to write 1,000 words per day on Sorceress of Flame. I’m hoping that will bring me much closer to ‘the end’ and I’ll finally have that elusive first draft. To date I have managed around 10,000 words, so I’m not too far off achieving that.

  My second and final goal is to have fun. I want to try and enjoy what time we do have left as a family before school restarts, even if it is just going for a few walks and eating garden picnics.

  Once again, I ask for you to sign up to my newsletter. I’m not sure when it will start yet but, please sign up below and you will receive all of my news straight to your inbox.

  Join my email list

  By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

  Processing…

  Success! You’re on the list.

  Whoops! There was an error and we couldn’t process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

  Right! Time for me to do some housework and stop the living room from looking like a bomb has hit it.
  
  Stay healthy. Stay safe.

  Speak soon, Jodie xxx

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged #august2020, #blog, #campnanowrimo, #catchup, #coronavirus, #divineprophecy, #donofavery, #goals, #inspiration, #sorceress, #update, #writing

• Sorceress of Truth

  Posted at 10:36 pm by Jodie, on July 30, 2020

  

  Normally around this time of the month I review a book that I’ve recently read. I’ve been super busy with Camp NaNoWriMo, so I’ve hardly had the chance to pick up a book, let alone finish one. So, for this month I thought I would do something a little different.

  Over the last year I’ve been involved with some fantastic podcasts, interviews and takeovers, and I’ve also received some amazing feedback and reviews for Sorceress of Truth. I want to share these with you and relive some of the highs.

  First up we have the podcast that I recorded with Dr. Aparajita Jeedigunta just before I released Sorceress of Truth(SofT) in November last year. It was part of her LEGupward Inclusion Spotlight and I got to talk about all things SofT, as well as more serious matters such as real life influences and Diversity and Inclusion.

  You can take a listen here. And, FYI, I was super nervous!

  My first big review came on release day form The Magic Book Corner and, at 4.5 out of 5 stars, I was bouncing around the living room reading it excitedly to my husband. The comments I was most proud of were about originality, and the realness of my characters.

  “Extremely imaginative and beautifully written, this YA novel seamlessly intertwines pretty cool magic with vampires, fae, elves, angels and demons, as well as a promise of much more to come. And in a fantasy world where all the above elements have already been depicted in a myriad of ways, this author still manages to pull off something new and bring originality to the table.”

  The Magic Book Corner – Read the full review here!

  When I took part in my first author Q&A, that was probably the moment that it really sunk in that I was a writer. Ally Aldridge asked me to appear in a new feature on her website and I simply couldn’t say no. It was a lot of fun, and it made want to do more. So I did!

  Behind the Book, with Ally Aldridge

  Heart-to-Heart, with The Magic Book Corner

  My most recent interview was a Heart-to-Heart with The Magic Book Corner as part of #TheMagicBookCornersWednesdayatWIW . There we discussed in depth not only Sorceress of Truth, but also my short story, Envy, and other projects I have going on in the background.

  Since releasing SofT, I’ve been so happy with all of the reviews I’ve received, and the latest from Sarah Neofield is no exception.

  “For all its similarities to Twilight, ‘Sorceress of Truth’ is more on almost every level. It contains a much richer world of mythical creatures, for starters.”

  Sarah Neofield – Read the full review here!

  This comment alone made my day. Actually, scrap that, I’ll go with year! I know for many Twilight isn’t the epitome of YA literature, but you cannot deny the popularity and huge fandom that it created.
  
  During the early years, as Sorceress of Truth was coming to life, Twilight was THE novel that everyone was into. Even now the series remains sitting on my bookshelves next to all of my other fantasy novels. I can’t say that they didn’t inspire me in some way because I’m almost positive they did.

  So, to put it a different way… would you like your book to be compared to a best seller that has sold over 100 million copies world wide and come out on top? I think the correct answer would be, ‘Hell, yeah!’.

  If you haven’t read Sorceress of Truth yet, I think you should add it to your ‘to be read’ pile straight away. But, of course I would say that, wouldn’t I? If you need a little more encouragement, I’ll leave you with one final review quote.

  “Sorceress of Truth is the first YA fantasy book I’ve read in a while, and JD Groom’s book is the perfect example of why I love this genre.”

  Melanie – Read the full review here!

  Posted in Book Reviews | 0 Comments | Tagged #blog, #bookreview, #catchup, #divineprophecy, #interview, #July2020, #novel, #Q&A, #review, #SofT, #SorceressofTruth, #update, #writing

• July – what do you have in store for us?

  Posted at 9:02 pm by Jodie, on July 2, 2020

  

  How are we all feeling? What’s the situation where you are?

  I hope June was kind to you, for me it was much the same. In the UK everything is slowly starting to open back up but I still very rarely go anywhere. To me everything seems so strange and alien, and I doubt we will get back to ‘normal’ any time soon. There is even talk of my local area being at risk of returning to a lockdown situation, so I’m just going to continue as I have been and keep our family as protected as possible.

  I didn’t do any writing during July, not new material anyway. As promised, I have been working on organising my projects better. I still have a way to go but, by looking through my old story bibles and updating all of the information, I have come up with an idea for the future that I think some of you will love. All I can say for now is, watch this space.

  

  I did manage to do a few little jobs around the house, one of which was updating my desk with some self adhesive film. It was originally white but had turned a nasty yellow colour from the sun and was peeling badly in places. I really started to hate sitting there, but now I love it and I jump at any opportunity to work at my computer. What do you think?

  For those that are interested, it didn’t cost a lot of money, I think I bought it from B&M. It also wasn’t very difficult, it just required a lot of patience.

  Something else I did in June, which I really enjoyed, was taking part in a Heart-to-Heart with The Magic Book Corner as part of #themagicbookcornerswednesdayatwiw series of interviews. You can check out my interview here.

  Now we are into July, what plans do you have? Do you have any goals or a burning desire to learn something new?

  For me, July brings with it another round of Camp NaNoWriMo. I often call this the laid back relative of National Novel Writing Month, where I get to choose my own goals but still have the support and camaraderie of other writers and creatives cheering each other on.

  

  With the characters of Sorceress of Flame seeming to be hiding out in their own lockdown, I’ve decided to turn my attention to another project for now, the Don of Avery.

  This is a working cover and title but, as you can tell, it is a very different story and setting to the Divine Prophecy series.

  The thing is, I’ve already written the first draft but there are a few extra scenes and chapters that I want to add before it goes through any major edits.

  Unfortunately this won’t be released until after Sorceress of Flame, and Tory’s story has reached a conclusion, but I wanted to give you a heads up that there is still a lot more to come from me.

  So, July I aim to complete 7,000 words, as well as finish a book I just started, and write a review for another I’ve recently finished. Home wise, I’m not pressuring myself to do anything other than get through each day with my sanity intact. I have just started the Zombie Run equivalent of Couch to 5k, I managed my second run today, so I also want to try and complete that and cut down on the cakes. I was enjoying all the baking to pass the time, my waistline not so much.

  As a side note, I’m gradually trying to get my butt in order to start a regular newsletter. When I say regular I mean maybe once a month, I promise I’m not organised enough to do it any more often than that, so you won’t be inundated. I’m not sure when it will start yet but, please sign up below and you will receive all of my news straight to your inbox.

  Join my email list

  By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

  Processing…

  Success! You’re on the list.

  Whoops! There was an error and we couldn’t process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

  Anyway, I think I’ve probably gone on too long now, so I’d better leave you to get on with the rest of your day.
  
  Stay healthy. Stay safe.

  Speak soon, Jodie xxx

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged #blog, #campnanowrimo, #catchup, #coronavirus, #divineprophecy, #donofavery, #goals, #inspiration, #July2020, #Q&A, #sorceress, #update, #writing

• J.D. Groom

  

• Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Goodreads
  • Amazon