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Why copy edits keep me up at night by Jina Bacarr

August 11, 2020 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as author, Boldwood, Boldwood Books, historical fiction, historical romance, Ireland, Queenstown, romance', ship of dreams, stories, story, Titanic, Writer, writing

copy edits done and gone

every comma, typo, everything wrong

fixed and buttoned up nice and tight

trying so hard to get it all right

now to sleep perchance to dream in bliss?

no…tossing & turning, wondering, what did I miss?

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My Paris WW 2 historical novel is off to the proofreader!

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Once upon a time in Hollywoodland far, far away, I wrote tons of scripts for kids’ TV shows. I remember one show I was hired to work on where my script was considered the ‘hallmark’ of the series — it had all the elements they wanted in each script and they used it as a ‘sample’ to show other writers they brought on what they wanted.

Wow.

Yes, it was cool. Simple, right? Give them a good script, get a paycheck, grab another assignment.

Oh, no, my innocent ones.

It wasn’t at all like that. I met with the producers (seasoned pros) every day for two weeks until we hammered out the characters, the plot, subplot, theme… met with the toy company so I could see what the ‘toys’ looked like. Wrote an outline — a detailed outline — three times.

Got more notes. Wrote the script… rewrote it.

Then another meeting that went something like this: ‘You got the story down… characters good… ‘ say the producers. ‘But change the big action scene to include…………’

‘Why?’ I ask.

‘Because the toy company wants to introduce this …………. toy in the episode.’

I grin, say nothing. Remember rent is due. ‘You got it.’

In the end, it was a great episode with an emotional connection between the hero and his father and lots of action, but it didn’t just happen. All those meetings, notes paid off. It was a team effort and I learned back then that’s what makes good scripts. And good books.

The team.

Copy edits are a big part of that team.

Yes, I cringe, freak out, yell, and cry when I see those ‘comments’ on the right side of the page, but I’m so grateful for the time, skill, dedication, and heartfelt emotion the copy editor puts into her work. She knows this is my ‘baby’, yet it’s her job to find everything that ‘doesn’t’ work.

So a big THANK YOU to my copy editor on my Paris WW 2 historical coming out in October (cover reveal soon!) for putting up with my mistakes and asking the hard questions so I get it right.

You done good, kid.

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Blog tour coming up Oct 27 – Nov 2 already filled up except for one spot Yay!!

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THE RUNAWAY GIRL

Two women hold the keys to his heart. Only one will survive that fateful night…

When Ava O’Reilly is wrongly accused of stealing from her employer, she has no option but to flee Ireland. The law is after her, and she has only one chance at escape – the Titanic.

Aboard the ship of dreams, she runs straight into the arms of Captain ‘Buck’ Blackthorn, a dashing gentleman gambler who promises to be her protector. He is intrigued by her Irish beauty and manages to disguise her as the maid of his good friend, the lovely Countess of Marbury. Little does he realise, that the Countess is also in love with him.

As the fateful night approaches, tragedy strikes further when Ava is separated from Buck, and must make a daring choice that will change her life forever…

A sweeping historical romance set aboard the Titanic, from the author of Her Lost Love (Christmas Once Again).

Praise for Jina Bacarr:

‘A delightful holiday romance that has all the charm of a classic Christmas movie. Christmas Once Again is perfect for anyone who loves a holiday romance brimming with mistletoe, hope, and what ifs.’ Andie Newton, author of The Girl I Left Behind ‘A breathtaking holiday romance that is sure to stay with you long after reading’

‘A mesmerizing holiday romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away to another place, another time.’

‘A fabulous book you won’t want to miss’ https://youtu.be/S-33oEM4DlI

THE RUNAWAY GIRL e-book, print and audio book:

BONUS this month: meet Daisy in my Boldwood Books 1st anniversary video!

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To sleep or not to sleep… why I stayed up till dawn every night to finish my book by Jina Bacarr

June 11, 2020 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as author, Boldwood, Boldwood Books, historical fiction, historical romance, Ireland, Queenstown, romance', ship of dreams, stories, story, Titanic, Writer, writing

I’ve worked nights a lot.

On late night radio.

In a U.S. Army service club

Dancer/Singer/Cocktail waitress.

Theatre productions.

Yeah, a lot. But you’d think as a writer I could choose to work the day shift. I tried, really tried, but my brain seems to be wired to work late.

So here I am at 3:36 a.m. writing my Slice of Orange Blog for this month. I don’ t know if it’s because of the lovely quiet, the comforting shades of night that envelop you like a cozy blanket, or the two pots of coffee, but I’m a night writer.

What’s your favorite time to write? Day, night?

Leave me a comment and it will be fun to see who writes when. But the bottom line is,

WE WRITE.

And that’s all that matters.

Jina

PS — I just finished my Paris WW 2 historical fiction story. Wow, what a challenge.

I adore Paris… I remember as a kid visiting the City of Light with my parents.

I never forgot seeing buildings around the city that still had bullet holes in them from the German Occupation.

I remember wondering what it was like in 1943 if you were a Resistance fighter… now I know. My book is about a brave woman who was.

Merci.

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THE RUNAWAY GIRL

Two women hold the keys to his heart. Only one will survive that fateful night…

When Ava O’Reilly is wrongly accused of stealing from her employer, she has no option but to flee Ireland. The law is after her, and she has only one chance at escape – the Titanic.

As the fateful night approaches, tragedy strikes further when Ava is separated from Buck, and must make a daring choice that will change her life forever…

A sweeping historical romance set aboard the Titanic, from the author of Her Lost Love (Christmas Once Again).

Praise for Jina Bacarr:

‘A mesmerizing holiday romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away to another place, another time.’

‘A fabulous book you won’t want to miss’

THE RUNAWAY GIRL e-book, print and audio book:

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What cocktail waitressing taught me about writing by Jina Bacarr

September 11, 2018 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as author, books, cocktail, waitress, Writer, writing

I once worked as a cocktail waitress…great research for stories

Back in my sassy cocktail waitress days, I dreamed about being a writer. I worked until 3 a.m. cleaning up, checking stock, etc., then I’d go home and write. On a charming PC with a black screen and alien green text.

Ah, yes, those were the days.

Dreaming, planning. Wishing and hoping. Always believing if I worked hard enough, I’d get published.

No one told me the road to Oz was a long and winding one. A road filled with curves and pit stops and wrong turns.

Which brings me back to my days as a cocktail waitress. I got the job because I fit into the skimpy costume. A black fringe short, short dress. High, skinny black heels and fishnet stockings. I looked the part, but I had no idea what I was doing. The cute bartender helped me make up a list of the drinks on a placemat (I kept it as a souvenir) and I had adorable pink tip trays.

I spilled drinks. More than once. Okay, I spilled a lot of drinks.

The competition among the waitresses was fierce. Like a beauty pageant. I got punked by another waitress when she set me up with a grabby, belligerent customer who almost got me fired.

I got asked out on dates by customers, but I kept my nose clean. The only date I had after work was with a bear claw at the 24-hour doughnut store.

I became a darned good waitress. I learned the drinks by heart, got my tray balancing on like a pro, knew when to steer the bouncer to a table of tipsy, unruly drinkers, navigated the jealousy of the other girls, made good friends, and enjoyed the job.

So, what does all this have to do with writing?

Cocktail waitressing taught me that like writing, it’s not one thing that makes you good at what you do. Sometimes it’s going outside your comfort zone to get the job done. Whether that’s learning new technology, expanding your social media network when you have no idea what works, taking criticism (I learned how to serve a drink by dipping and bending my knees) and writing is rewriting. It’s about learning your craft, persistence, and getting through the tough moments when you want to quit. Have your cry and get over it.

I have several book projects on submission….keep you posted!

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Goodbye Kindle Worlds . . . or why I need a hug by Jina Bacarr

July 11, 2018 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat tagged as addiction, Amazon, author, books, Italian, Italy, Kindle, Kindle Worlds, moon, prince, princess, recovery, royals, vampire, Writer, writing

Even the biggest bag of Godiva chocolates from my favorite warehouse club store doesn’t last forever . . .

Such a fate has also befallen Kindle Worlds.

As of July 16th, all Kindle Worlds books will no longer be available on Amazon Kindle.

It’s a sad time for those of us who fell in love with the worlds created by some great authors.

I wrote six Kindle Worlds books — five for “The Royals of Monterra” and one for “Vampire Girl.”

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On July 1st, I checked my KW books and they had already been taken down — or so I thought.

Then I discovered they were back up!! I have no idea why this happened, but I’m certain that by July 16th, the Kindle Worlds program will be closed across the board.

The authors get their rights back — but in order to republish them, we have to remove the “world” from our stories. Not always easy . . .

I’m not sure when I’ll do this — I’ve started another story in the same line as my Italian prince billionaire submission for a publisher. It will take a while to re-do six books, so as a tribute to the worlds I participated in, I decided to post the videos for five of my books and a graphic for the sixth.

Here they are.

Thank you, KW, for the opportunity to participate in this program! And yes, I could use a hug. It’s always sad to see your characters ride off into the digital sunset . . . but they’ll be back!!

Jina

PS — I’m excited to be a Featured Author this month!! Check out my other books, too, especially in you love Civil War time travel romance and my WW 2 time travel romance3.

The Royals of Monterra series:

Twisted Tiaras: Princesses with a Past

Book 1: Royal Dare http://bit.ly/1sAkoKJ

It ain’t easy getting clean . . . even for a princess.

Book 2: Royal Bride https://amzn.com/B01N3U44OH

Can a sexy prince give a girl a second chance at love?

Book 3: Royal Kiss http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY91GBM

Even a goody two shoes princess can get lost down the rabbit hole.

Book 4: Royal Noel http://a.co/65GYfHH

A pretty con artist risks everything when she falls for a handsome duke

Fairy Tales & Magic:

Royal Magic https://amzn.com/B01I21TIF6

The magic is in his kiss . . . a Philly girl falls in love with a royal magician.

Vampire Girl series:

Princess Moonglow http://a.co/7MGyUqz

Can a girl with a weird superpower find happiness with a hottie vampire?

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My Endless Summer of Reading by Jina Bacarr

May 11, 2018 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as author, books, friend, Library, May, prom, promposal, reading, Summer

It’s the reading month of May!

In case you didn’t know it, May is #GetCaughtReadingMonth, so I decided to challenge myself to do “a graphic a day with someone reading a book.”

I’m a third of my way through the month, and I’m hanging in there. So for this month’s blog, I’m going to post some of them for your viewing and reading pleasure.

First, here’s a graphic I really love because it says so much about how lucky we are to choose what we read.

Which brings me to my own version of the Endless Summer

When I was thirteen, I spent my free time in the old library by the beach with its dusty shelves and cracked, wooden floor. It was the summer I discovered boys and surfing.

And the library’s adult section.

Reading everything I could find there. Romance sagas in hardback, mysteries with provocative covers. Adventure stories girls weren’t supposed to read.

Until a lady wagged her finger at me and told me to go back to the kids’ section.

I didn’t.

Even then I knew I wanted to write, and to write what was in my heart, I needed the freedom to discover all kinds of writing.

Enjoy the freedom to choose what you want to read!

By the way, I didn’t listen to her and kept sticking my Irish nose wherever I smelled a good story…

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So for #GetCaughtReadingMonth, here are some of the graphics I’ve posted so far:

You can find all the #GetCaughtReadingMonth graphics I’ve done so far and check them out all this month of May on Twitter and my Facebook pages:

And finally, since it’s prom month: