Reign & Revolution by Janine A. Southard
(Hive Queen Saga, #3)
Publication date: April 12th 2016
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
The Hive Queen Saga’s Thrilling Conclusion!
Rhiannon and her Hive have mastered space travel. Sort of. At least, they’re better at it. They’ve outsmarted kidnappers, survived severe oxygen deprivation, and heisted back their own ship engine from would-be thieves.
Since joining up, they’ve traveled further and further away from their home planet. But out on Yin He Garden Station (in Chinese-owned territory), home catches up at a physics symposium.
When Alan’s former research advisor makes an offer that’ll bring them home as respected members of society, Rhiannon knows she has to accept. But home isn’t exactly as she left it, and a hostile space fleet stands between her aging ship and her new/old life. Should she be running towards the fleet, or scurrying back into international space as fast as her craft can go?
A Day in the Life of Janine A. Southard
Side note: I adore day in the life articles, and I’m so glad you suggested I write one for your blog. They inspire me. In fact, I have a subscription to Harper’s Bazaar magazine purely because they put a 2-page day in the life into every issue.
6 a.m. I wake up in my Seattle home and immediately reach for my phone. I have to check my email for anything business related immediately. (Sometimes my standard day gets derailed by receiving new layouts, accepting blog post requests, or getting a story revision back.) Rarely do I answer these emails during the morning, but I will read them. It helps me to map out my day, and also to think about whatever need background processing.
6.30 a.m. While other people commute, I do something fun for myself. Usually, this means reading fanfic while eating breakfast (a protein bar because I’m lazy) and petting my cat. Sometimes it means researching context for my current project; other times it’s all about hair tutorials on YouTube. My point is: this is my time. Also, I do not talk to other human beings during it, no matter what. I am inarticulate and mean in the early morning.
8.00 a.m. I put on sport clothes and go do something active. These days, that’s usually physical therapy (sigh), but previously this step has included Pilates, parkour, dance, and weightlifting.
11 a.m. Creative time! Now that my blood is flowing and I’ve gotten my background thinking done, it’s time to work on whatever project I’ve got going. At this stage, I stop acknowledging interruptions. No email, no phone calls. “What kind of project?” you may ask. Well, yesterday, I outlined the next novelette in a 7-part series that’s coming out this winter; so today I’ll be writing the first scenes. Last month, I edited other authors’ stories for an anthology that comes out in October 2016. Note: Approximately half the time, this creative work is done in cafes and often with author friends (we can take breaks to discuss biz or beg for help with “what is a good word for when you’re trembling with anticipation?”). The rest of the time, I’m at home in my office or lounging on a couch.
4.30 p.m. Around this point I realize I’m hungry, and possibly that I haven’t been food shopping in a few days. So I’ll either stop at the grocery store on the way home from coffee... or try to convince my spouse via text we really want pizza delivery. (We get a lot of pizza when I’m in the middle of a novel draft. Since I’m home during the daytime hours, it’s my job to buy groceries and that really falls by the wayside when in drafting mode. On editing days: no problem.)
5 p.m. Chores done, it’s time to work on administrative stuff. This includes answering a slew of emails (often the ones I’ve been sort of thinking about since morning). Sometimes it means promotional activities like making ads or writing guest posts. Other times, it’s formatting ebooks or signing contracts.
6 p.m. I try not to do any work after 6 p.m. (I won’t sleep if I do. My brain spins on a project, and I either stay up—suddenly it’s 3 a.m. and I’m an expert on slums in Charles Dickens’ novels—or I lay in bed endlessly contemplating my project. If I need to spend more time working, it comes out of grocery shopping first, then from “me time,” then physical health, and only then do I break the 6 p.m. rule. I have learned.)
7 p.m. I actually do enjoy cooking as an activity. So if there are groceries, that’s what’s going to happen here. Chopping and stirring and following instructions. Other than that, this is the time of night for consuming media: I watch TV, read books, and/or play on the Internet with things that have nothing to do with my current project. I believe that one can’t create quality content if one does not consume it.
10.30 p.m. Sleep! Once upon a time, I consistently slept 9 hours every night. I should get back to that. Some other time.
Author Bio
Janine A. Southard is the IPPY award-winning author of Queen & Commander (and other books in The Hive Queen Saga). She lives in Seattle, WA, where she writes speculative fiction novels, novellas, and short stories... and reads them aloud to her cat.
All Janine’s books so far have been possible because of crowdsourced funds via Kickstarter. She owes great thanks to her many patrons of the arts who love a good science fiction adventure and believe in her ability to make that happen.
Get a free piece of fiction when you sign up for Janine A. Southard's newsletter (http://bit.ly/jasnews). The newsletter will keep you current on things like her latest release dates (and fun news like when her next Kickstarter project is coming). Usually, this is once a month or so, but sometimes goes longer or shorter. Your address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Plus: free ebook! (Rotating freebies mean I can’t tell you what the work is right this second.)
You can hang out with Janine online where she’s crazy about twitter (@jani_s) and periodically updates her website with free fiction and novel inspirations (www.janinesouthard.com)
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