The holidays are less than a week away, and if you’re anything like me, you don’t want to see your family. You can now crush this holiday discomfort with one swift stroke. Over the last five years I’ve perfected a holiday regimen that saves everyone from the awkwardness of holidays with family. If you have any sway over the structure of your gathering, I have three tips that will save you from an evening of emotional scarring and a trip to the therapist.Continue reading “Your Last-Minute Guide to Surviving the Holidays… Now with More Star Wars”
Don’t Call It a Comeback
It’s been brought to my attention that I haven’t blogged in a year.
Whoops.
I’ve actually had a few people inform me that they’ve read THE FOURTH CHANNEL more than once, and a surprising number say they read it on a regular basis. They’re blowing my mind a little bit. To all of you who have stuck with me, checking back periodically to see what the status is on the next Kari Hunter book, thank you. I’m stunned. Flabbergasted. Flummoxed. I honestly thought you would have forgotten about me by now. But you’re still here. Emailing me. Messaging me on Twitter. Facebook. Asking me when I show up at the beauty salon. Even the Real Kari Hunter is standing by, patiently waiting for an update on her fictional doppelgänger.Continue reading “Don’t Call It a Comeback”
I Quit
I quit.
I mean that in the past tense, of course. I had quit writing the Kari Hunter book for a few months. I thought about my next steps for a long while, and then told my writing group that the Kari Hunter series was dead. That book and I had tortured each other long enough. The story was wrong in many ways. I felt like every time I tried to fix it I somehow made it worse.
The Three-Book Bucket List
I want to write other books. Don’t get me wrong—I love the Kari Hunter series and the world I’ve built. I want to build out this world fully, in more ways than one. At present, I have plans to keep writing Kari books until it’s no longer fun for us all. Then we’ll consider other options. Until then, I have no plans to stop. But that doesn’t mean I don’t dream of writing other books.
In fact, I have a secret “bucket list” of books that I want to write someday.
Hey, it’s a new year—if there’s a better time to share this list, I don’t know when it is!
Someday, I hope to contribute to a major series with an established world.
Continue reading “The Three-Book Bucket List”
I’m Still Standing (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!)
Last week, I read a blog post by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, an established writer whose list of works and accolades is as long as my bucket list. Since writing is her full-time occupation, she’s kept herself informed about the comings and goings of the publishing world for self-published authors and traditionally published authors alike.
Apparently, in 2014, authors did more goings than comings.
According to Rusch, authors have been disappearing from the publishing landscape. Some without so much as a farewell. Others with grand public announcements.
Even self-published authors who had boasted great sales.
Even traditionally published authors who had firmly established themselves in the business.
As Rusch put it, 2014 was the “Year of the Quitter.” Exit Stage Right. Adios, muchachos.Continue reading “I’m Still Standing (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!)”
Jen Kirchner 