Important News to Share! And it’s novel timing…

It’s wonderful seeing you again!

I have important and exciting news to share.

The 5th book in my paranormal romance Sunset Vampire series, SUNSET RISING, is being released on Tuesday, July 14, 2015, and it’s NOW available for pre-order in eBook format on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Additional purchase links are forthcoming, which will be posted on my books page at http://www.jazprimo.com/books/ located beneath the Sunset Rising description section. I’m confident you’re going to love my newest installment in the series!

Please help me spread the word about Sunset Rising by sharing the pre-order link with others. I genuinely appreciate your kind assistance.

 In addition, I have equally-exciting news about the 2nd book in my Logan Bringer urban fantasy series. BRINGER UNLEASHED will go to my editor, Laura, in July. The novel is tentatively scheduled for release this fall, just in time for the holidays. The novel has truly been a labor of love for me during the past two years, and I’m very happy with the completed manuscript. The newest installment picks up within weeks of the events from the first book, and quickly immerses you into Logan’s and Agent Sanders’ countdown to uncover the source of the terrorist threats and thwart them. The stakes have definitely been raised.

Please stay tuned for news regarding the upcoming cover reveal for Bringer Unleashed, as well as pre-order opportunities.

In order to receive advanced information about cover reveals, novel releases, and special giveaways and discounts, please sign up for my newsletter using the entry form located on the lower right-hand side of this webpage. Just scroll down until you see the entry form and enter your email address and your name. Simply click Submit and you’ll receive a signup confirmation email for verification. Then you’re all set!

Speaking of novels, how is your summer reading coming along? I hope that Sunset Rising made your list because its release is only a few weeks away. Stay tuned for a blog update on how my summer reading is coming along, as well.

In the meantime, enjoy life; be kind to those around you, and Happy Reading! Peace.

Jaz Has His Own YouTube Channel!

Hi! I hope that all is well in your world.

I have great news to share with you today. I have my very own YouTube channel, and you can subscribe to it right now by clicking HERE!

I’m very excited to have a video log so that I can speak to you directly versus merely in textual format. I’ll be able to cover a number of topics related to me, my novels, or various events or developments that I want to share with you verbally. For those who are hearing impaired, I’m actively working on the transcription function for closed captioning. I’m very new at this, so I appreciate your patience as I work through things.

There are already a handful of videos available for you to watch, including some background about who I am, why you should read my novels, and what makes my Sunset Vampires different from traditional vampires in films and literature. I’m really excited about the potential that a YouTube channel brings to reaching out to you through another modality.

I enjoy a number of YouTube channels, including Emergency Awesome, which is operated by a nice guy named Charlie who covers films and television shows related to fantasy, superheroes, science fiction, and comic books. If you’d like to subscribe to Emergency Awesome, click HERE.

After you get to my YouTube Channel, you’ll see a series of playlists. My official Jaz Primo videos are stored under the playlist titled “Official Jaz Primo Videos.” Okay, so I realize that you could probably easily figure that out on your own, but it makes my OCD feel assuaged by saying it.

Please try out the videos and let me know what you think. I hope that over time I’ll get the hang of adding enhancements to the videos such as clickable links and overlay images during the videos. I’m all about baby steps. Besides, I’m also trying to keep writing on my novels. How’s that sound?

Thanks for all of your support, and please try out my YouTube channel as soon as you can.

Peace.

Freedom of Speech Has Consequences

[LEGAL USE OF THIS PHOTO LICENSED AND SECURED VIA DREAMSTIME - November 2014 - Graphic by Dawn Hudson]

In the United States, the first of our coveted constitutional freedoms under the Bill of Rights is Freedom of Speech. While there are some limitations to that freedom, primarily centered on not inciting riots or causing immediate harm to the citizenry, it’s generally accepted that you can write or say pretty much anything you would like and make those thoughts and feelings publicly known while being protected from actions against you by the government or fellow citizens. That being said, it was never written that what you decide to say or write might not have social-related consequences.
For example, my Sunset Vampire series focuses on two controversial protagonists, a dominant and assertive female vampire named Katrina and her beta-male human love interest named Caleb. I’ve received a number of scathing reviews in blogs and on retailer sites for my writing.  While there are a percentage of readers who find a dominant and assertive woman threatening and slightly off-putting, there are numerous readers who are insulted – and vehemently resent – reading about something far-more forbidden: a beta male who permits a female to protect him, and perhaps even worse, serve a dominant role in their relationship. *collective gasps ring out across the globe*
It’s okay. Go ahead and gasp, curse my name, and wag your fingers at me if it makes you feel better. Because of its outside-the-norm and highly controversial central protagonists, the novels in my Sunset Vampire series will likely never make it onto any best-seller lists or make me tomorrow’s next member of the Millionaire’s Club. (There is one, isn’t there? *shrugging* I’ve heard stories…) However, I’m not going to cease writing about Katrina and Caleb until their Sunset Vampire story is complete.
The truth is that, while it’s my constitutional right to write about my characters, it’s the constitutional right of others to openly disagree with me. While no author likes to read negative reviews, I’m perfectly at peace with receiving negative feedback, if only because I respectfully acknowledge views that oppose my own.
With that in mind, I’ve watched and listened as many stories surfaced about citizens and public figures openly targeting various minority groups in society. One only has to watch the news, read tweets, or read a report on a website to hear about the latest fraternity members who are making racial slurs, or the Southern conservative legislator who proposes laws that protect citizens who openly discriminate against alternative lifestyle people in the marketplace, or hear about people who speak out against those with non-Christian based beliefs. Essentially, there are haters out there in the world who hate people who are different from themselves. Worse yet, when those individuals are chastised by the general public for their initiatives or remarks, they tout their First Amendment protections and claim that others have no right to publicly shame them for their beliefs.
However, there is something that’s very important to remember: Just because someone has the constitutional protection to say or write something controversial, it doesn’t mean that others don’t have the right to publicly chastise then for it. If someone says something controversial, they should be fully prepared to OWN IT. Essentially, they should not be surprised when others in the general public give them a “bad review” for their constitutionally protected views.
For years, people were publicly shamed and shunned for their anti-establishment views, whether it was mixed race coupling, same sex relationships, or non-Christian religious beliefs and practices. Numerous people lost their jobs, friendships, and sometimes familial connections due to thinking and opinions that were socially outside-the-box. Fortunately, as time has passed and the social conscience has evolved, many of the formerly mainstream mindsets and ideals regarding those topics have become socially unacceptable or unappreciated. There are even a growing host of laws that protect those citizens who once suffered discrimination.
Businesses and corporations aren’t immune to the circumstances, either. Businesses are being forced to accept the evolving standards of behavior and socially conscious manners being adopted by the public at large. Failure to do so may sometimes result in their products and services being boycotted, or at the very least pronounced losses of profits or market share.
It’s at moments such as these that I reflect upon the historical trek of society and culture, and I marvel over how quickly – or conversely, how slowly – contemporary thought can change, depending upon the issue at hand.
As an author, I’m grateful that I have the constitutionally protected right to extemporize on controversial topics or conditions both for entertainment purposes and perhaps, if I’m fortunate, to generate contemplative thought on those topics or circumstances. But I’m also ever-aware that negative reviews might be forthcoming for my efforts. It’s over that realization that I issue my sincere and heartfelt thanks to each of you who supports me and my creative works. Without advocates, I might truly feel that Katrina, Caleb, and I are out there on a proverbial island by ourselves. And while I’m willing to accept that possibility, it’s so much happier to enjoy the shared company of others on the island, as well. I cherish your fellowship and support.
Peace!

New Year’s Resolutions…or Revolutions?

[LEGAL USE OF THIS PHOTO LICENSED AND SECURED VIA DREAMSTIME - September 2014]

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2015!

Wow, what happened to 2014? It feels like it was October just a few weeks ago. The days and weeks seem to fly by as time proceeds, doesn’t it?

(Tebby's New Year's Eve -- PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO)

How did you spend your New Year’s Eve? My cat, Tabby, and I relaxed at home together. It was bitterly cold outside, so I remained toasty warm indoors. I also watched a Doctor Who marathon on BBC America, and later toasted the New Year with a bottle of Sweet Bitch Chardonnay wine (very tasty!). Today, we’re experiencing freezing rain and drizzle, so I’m happily spending New Year’s Day inside, as well.

(Sweet Bitch Chardonnay -- PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO)

Now that the New Year has arrived, tis the time for New Year’s resolutions. Frankly, I’ve never been much on them. Statistics show that most people who make resolutions rarely adhere to them for more than a few weeks or months before giving them up entirely. There are a number of reasons why. For some, their resolutions weren’t realistic. For others, it’s a matter of not mastering the art of self-discipline. For others, their hearts simply weren’t into it. Many times, the resolution wasn’t measurable; there was no defined way to establish milestones for success.

I believe that the key to a New Year’s resolution is not so much a resolution as a revolution.

If I want to make a permanent change in my life it’s got to be something that I’m committed to seeing to the very end. For me, that typically means it’s something that has affected me at an emotional and visceral level; something that stokes my passion for completion. In my experience, without passion, most things go unaccomplished or unfulfilled. Given that, did I make any commitments for personal resolutions in 2015?

The answer is yes. In fact, I have a number of objectives for 2015. The past year was rather challenging for me at a number of levels, the least of which involved a change in my publishing activities. Aside from the release of Sunrise at Sunset: Revamped – admittedly a major rewrite to the original novel – there weren’t any new material releases for me in 2014. I had hoped to release at least one new novel this past year, but it simply wasn’t in the cards. As such, I resolve that I shall release at least one new novel in 2015. Ah, but which one?

In 2015, you can expect to see the release of my fifth novel in my Sunset Vampire series, titled Sunset Rising. I’m excited about that! How about you? In addition, I plan to complete the manuscript for my long-awaited second installment in my Logan Bringer series. Bringer Unleashed will continue Logan Bringer’s search for the mysterious source of terrorists with extra-ordinary abilities like himself. So far, I’m very happy with the storyline and character developments. I know that you’ll be just as excited as me to see its release!

Have you considered any New Year’s resolutions yet? Leave a comment and let me know what yours are!

Wintry November Bliss – or -- Avoiding the Holiday Pre-Sales Pandemonium

(A Wintry November Day -- Photo Copyright 2014 by Jaz Primo)

I particularly adore a cold winter-like November day.

Today is one of those days, complete with blowing snow flurries that melt onto the pavement but stick to the newly dormant grass. Ah, I feel very happy as I sit inside all warm and toasty and sipping on a steaming mug of hot cocoa while gazing out through my picture window. It’s moments such as these when the holidays come alive in beautiful and wondrous ways.

It is moments such as these when I’m not only feeling my happiest but also most contented. These are the truly lovely moments in life worth savoring.

Today, I’m remaining indoors to write on Sunset Rising, the fifth novel in my Sunset Vampire series. I’m also getting a head start on my Christmas shopping, including some gifts for myself. (Those are gifts from my cat, Tabby, of course. She said to order an item or two from my Christmas list. She’s so very kind. If only she had her own credit card and bank account…)

(Tabby the Cat in her Perch -- Photo Copyright 2014 by Jaz Pimo)

Tabby’s also appreciating the cold weather from the safe, warm interior of our home. You may notice in the photo that she’s comfortably lounging in the basket of her cat tree that I recently assembled for her. She’s really enjoying that cat tree of hers. I’m so happy that she likes it.

(Tabby's Cat Tree -- Photo Copyright 2014 by Jaz Primo)

 Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Thankfully, I have my list mostly completed, so I’m already beginning my purchases. Have you noticed how retailers are starting their online Christmas sales earlier and earlier each year? I recently heard on a world news report that retailers expect the weekend before Thanksgiving to be as busy as the typical Black Friday and Cyber Monday following Thanksgiving. In addition, more and more stores are opening earlier on that actual Thanksgiving Day either during the morning or by mid-day. Radio Shack opens at 8am on Thanksgiving morning. *pausing* Though I honestly don’t have a clue what I might need from them. Perhaps a spare set of batteries? *shrugging* I dunno…

One thing is for certain: I won’t be out fighting the crowds on Black Friday. For those of you who will, may the Goddess rest your souls and protect you. By contrast, I plan to be at home watching either some college football games or streaming some movies or Doctor Who episodes.

Have you seen the movie Interstellar yet? It’s really good! The storyline was compelling and engaging, and Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain all did an excellent job with their roles, as well as the amazing supporting cast. The special effects were out of this world (pun intended) and the depiction of a black hole was impressive. I give it five stars and two thumbs up. It’s a must-see that I highly recommend. I particularly appreciate the manner in which the writers took the time to develop the situation on Earth and present the characters in a multi-dimensional manner without rushing either. It made for a much more immersive and sympathetic audience experience. Way to go, Christopher Nolan…you did it again!

 How are you preparing for the upcoming holidays? I’d like to hear from you, so enter a comment and let me know.