Autumn—Beginnings and Endings by James M. Jackson In the circle of life, endings and beginnings often overlap. Which aspect we focus on depends on our perspective at the moment. Although the calendar marks the end of summer and beginning of autumn in the third week of September, for me that demarcation occurs at the beginning […]
The Right Tool for the Job by James M. Jackson Growing up, I learned everything my father could teach me about repairs, which is to say almost nothing. Dad was a classical absent-minded professor, much more interested in ideas than in fixing stuff. Because I had a habit of breaking windows (boys will be boys), […]
Summer Reading by James M. Jackson Even though as I am writing this (4/18), winter is still gripping the upper US, and the summer solstice is not until June 21. For many people, the Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer. And warmer months mean Summer Reading. Studies have shown that children who do […]
Blog Tour by James M. Jackson It’s been sixteen days since the release of Empty Promises (Seamus McCree #5). To help get the word out to mystery/suspense/thriller readers, I signed-up for a Blog Tour that started a day before its release and ends tomorrow (4/20). The blogs take two forms: interviews and guest posts. It’s […]
Vacation Reading by James M. Jackson When I go on a vacation that involves airplane travel, my reading habits change. I leave my to-be-read (TBR) pile of physical books behind and rely on my Kindle to supply my reading needs. My physical TBR pile consists mostly of books I have obtained at mystery conferences acquired […]
Bucket Lists By James M Jackson I’ve mentioned before that I am a person who keeps lists. Lots of lists. One of them is a bucket list. In case you are not familiar with the term, it means a list of things you want to do or experience before you die (or “kick the bucket”). […]
To Be Read Stacks By James M Jackson I confess to having multiple piles of to-be-read (TBR) books. It does not make sense to cart my physical TBR stacks back and forth between my two homes, so whichever place the book was acquired is where it resides. In Michigan, I have developed two storage areas […]
Hearing a Book By James M Jackson Earlier this month, I turned Empty Promises (Seamus McCree #5) in to my editor. One of the last steps I perform before I declare a work-in-process ready for my editor’s pen is an “auditory read through,” in which I have Microsoft Word read the manuscript back to me. […]
LOVING REVISIONS by James M Jackson I have entered the final self-revision phase of my fifth Seamus McCree novel. It’s the last step before I send it to my editor. Over the years I have honed my revision process, making it much more efficient. I’m a pantser (or as some prefer, “organic writer”), so I […]
To Nap or Not to Nap by James M Jackson … that is a question I used to struggle with. Now, I am a confirmed napper. My preferred nap lasts 20-30 minutes. If I sleep longer than that, I wake up a grogamuffin—what scientists call sleep inertia—and I waste a bunch of time trying to […]
