Author: Jonathan Dominguez

Now, I know I said Tiarra was up next, but, if you have read my books, you should know I lie. I make you think something and then things change. That’s life.

Did you order tater tots at all?

The Potato Gods are watching you!

Switching gears…

Haley was great, yeah?

So, more good news!

Because I like watching people squirm, more guest bloggers are being added! We have a few beta readers, my sisters, and my proofreader EXTRODINARE! Even my hero, in the flesh (written word), my dad. It’s going to be a cornucopia of chaos.

I know later, or soon, someone might say, “Hey, that was weird. You shouldn’t be having so many other people guest blog so much.”

This is my blog.

My readers deserve some mix-up, some creativity.

In a calm sense of theme, I want to show the essence of life, the dichotomy. I have so many different people, whether they know it or not, that have affected my writing. In the same breath, I don’t want to just tell you about them.

Like in my books, I don’t want to tell you about the building up of events. (That’s what we call “exposition.”) My desire is to show you, first hand, and let you see what I see.

So, I will go about FORCING blog posts out of people who are literally texting me right now, as I write this, saying, “I’m not a writer!”

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

You are now!

I think writers give good appreciation in the acknowledgements of those that have influenced and those who deserve the biggest thanks for the pieces that have been brought to their readers, but I like being creative. I like being different. As a new influence in my writing career has admonished, “If you’re weird, Jon, just be weird. Be you.”

So, I will be me.

People, in all their fallacies, make up who we are. In all of our experiences, our family, friends, peers, and contemporaries make up who we become.

We will have a cascading number of people after the developmental-editor-extreme, Tiarra, drops her bombs (pun intended).

When I write this, I have a meeting with Tiarra and Haley about business and stuff this weekend. There, I will give them this outline.

They might fight, but they will smile, and give in. They are used to my hair-brained ideas. God bless them, because I am not easy to deal with.

Oh shit! God Bless Jackie!

Anyway, you wonderful, beautiful people have a great week. If your tire is flat or you get a cold from the weather change, remember, Vicks. Unless you’re allergic. Don’t do Vicks if you’re allergic.

I’m laughing at my computer like a crazy person at that last line. Apparently, it was a joke for just me.

Okay, AWKWARD outro!

Hellos!

(Geez! Haley even formatted her post weird! Like her… always off. Too many spaces… NO indents.)

(Also, I got yelled at by Haley because the blog FORMATS it that way. Don’t care. Read it in word and had a useless spasm.)

LOL

Anyway, some quick thoughts. Haley has her own blog called Haley’s Momsense about her being an amazing mom. Here’s the link: BAM!

https://haleysmomsense.com

You can also google it. It’s great. She has a powerful voice and a big heart. You can see in her own blog why I teased her about sounding like an emotionless Terminator. She LOUD!

Anyway, here she is! And not a moment too soon! (I’m done writing in Times New Roman and in Block Justified… yuck.)

THE VIKING!

HI, I’M HALEY. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’ve probably seen my name pop up every once in a while. I honestly think it should be more frequent, but I suppose that’s my personal opinion. If you read the acknowledgements in The Time of Tears, I was mentioned shortly after the wife, so literally, I’m famous.

I’m the “Viking” that keeps the production chugging along.

I’ve been harassed a few times to write a post, but when I was asked to review the second book, I knew it was my window to really give it to Jon.

Once I finished The Time of Tears, I kindly asked (angrily demanded), that I have the second book.

I NEEDED MORE.

I read that book in one sitting. I would first like to say that I do not read and have never defined myself as a reader. I mean, I read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See to my daughter every night. I looked at my “bookshelf” today and on it sits two books I have never read and a picture book of adorable puppies. I never thought it was possible for me to sit still for hours and consume a book, especially in a fantasy world.

But here I am, fully immersed in a world that has captured every bit of my heart.

It pains me to write these words because I know as Jon sits at his computer and reads them his head is inflating to a whole new level.

I do not want to give anything away, but I did call him afterward with several colorful words to say. I believe one of the texts I sent was, “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” It was followed by about 10 different GIFs of him being a liar. It was ABUSE of the heart. In the first book, these characters are developed and it is so easy to fall in love with them. In the second book, those characters develop further and even more characters are introduced giving each reader someone to connect with. Personally, I connect with Santana, but I will always love Mogrunt, but who doesn’t at this point?

Honestly, I am amazed. I never knew that a part of me would feel this attached to a book. I love these characters, I feel for these characters and I know these characters.

When I found out all of the books in this series would be released this year, I felt a general sense of comfort knowing the story would be wrapped up for me quickly. I did not realize that even a few months in between would still be too long. I will tell you, I’m doing us all a solid and kindly asking for him to continue writing, but by now you know I’m angrily demanding that he keep writing.

My advice would be to read this book, but be prepared to allow your heart to be vulnerable, because it is a whole new type of rollercoaster ride. In a more blunt fashion, do not trust this author because he is about to toy with your heart. I am mostly being dramatic. I hope you all are enjoying the series and just know, it only gets better.

Okay… we have a lot to discuss.

If you eat the same food, over and over again, it gets boring, right? You even say bizarre things like, “No! I don’t want French fries anymore! Bring me some tater tots.”

Now, there are two very wrong things at play.

Tots are delicious. (Yes, I spell checked, and misspelled “delicious” like 5 times. It only has an “s” at the end…) and should not be used as a 2^nd option. They are a mood-food. “I feel like tots today!” That is the proper respect for tater tots.

Like sweet potato doppelgangers of their traditional counterparts. (I misspelled “doppelgangers” also, BUT in my defense, the “l” should go before the “e” right?) (I misspelled “defense” too… “s” not “c.” That is the writer’s life when you have spell check. We lose the ability to spell easy things.)

I DIGRESS!

Fries and tater tots.

Let’s shake things up.

No one wants to hear my drivel over and over again. Sure! You want to know my writer process and where ideas come from. Even the occasional picture and comments about my gorgeous wife is a breath of fresh air. But, let’s be honest.

Too many French fries can ruin the treasure that is fried potatoes. (Not me.)

We can steak them, show-string them, wedge them, curl them, season them, waffle them (sign of the cross for Chik-fil-a), smother them, and for you Californians, wrap them in a burrito with carne asada and sour cream. After you re-shape them, (like maybe 19 blog posts) YOU WANT DAMN TATER TOTS!

We are going to have many… yes many, guest bloggers for the duration of posts for The Fall of the Nine. Some of them have already written and will predate the book launch. YES! Haley and Tiarra will finally make their presence known! (I do have voices in my head, but these two are real people, promise.)

Also, I have poets, bloggers, other authors, and… yes… the woman of the women… MY MOM!

Only one of those other people know. 🙂

But they all will, because they love me. The variations of their blogs will make things beautiful, and ENTERTAINING. That is the goal.

If you wonderful, beautiful folks have stuck around this long, even if 3 of you are reading, that’s what matters. (Yes, Monika, I know you read this, you beautiful woman.)

Monika is one of my mentors who has built me up and been there before I knew that a gerund and hanging participle were more than bar shots. (I don’t think they are, but I’ll invent them.)

So, next week, you will be forced to see the inner workings of Haley’s mind. Her initial draft was so robotic, I had to tell her, “Less ‘Terminator,’ more ‘Viking.’”

Thank the Norse gods she fixed it.

Then Tiarra. (Another sign of the cross for you, the readers.)

I’ll preface them, don’t worry. You’ll be stuck with miniature blips of my “-ness.”

So, I hope you’re ready, because, at the very least, this will be fun for me. Watching them squirm when I tell them their post is going live will be so satisfying.

As always, you folks are the best, and I appreciate all you do. Reading, imagining, and keeping the Deep Magic alive by your thoughts is what makes Fantasy a thriving industry.

Have a wonderful week.

And order some tater tots.

Reflecting?

I feel I need to connect more.

Maybe share a lot.

Overshare! Yes! I like sharing.

So, we are working on so many good things that are in the pipeline. I just wish full-time was an option for everyone involved. Maybe soon.

Maybe not.

Time will give that to me and this great team. For now, I am still in this stage where my mettle is being judged by everyone to make sure I am a serious author. That is fair.

I always thought that the amount of fiction I had would be a form of insurance for everyone involved in this huge journey we are taking. I thought the content of that would be enough to motivate and excite everyone. I was pumped because I have so much writing done, so much content to move in any direction.

People look at more than that.

People look at the writer also, to see if it can be sustained. It can, and I know it is possible because, well, I’m that writer.

I know we are just getting started, and that is a beautiful thing. Edition 2 of The Time of Tears will be out soon (like this week), book 2 The Fall of the Nine just had the cover reveal, and we are picking up steam. We’ve solidified the next series, it’ll release after The Time of Tears has concluded. So much good stuff.

I just need to keep my focus on the reader who likes discovery.

Today, I had a friend talk to me about the book. She read a large chunk of The Time of Tears over the weekend and she loves the characters, their development, and in particular, a little Faerie Princess.

I appreciate the affirmations she shared, but it was more about the joy she had when she was saying how excited she had been reading a line from the book.

That’s what it’s all about. That’s the joy.

I have a duty to my team, for sure. But I want my readers to be engaged. I want them to be excited. I want them to be so overwhelmed with the story that they want to talk about it every chance they get.

I know The Fall of the Nine will push the envelope in trust that is given to me by my readers.

They will come for me with pitch-forks and torches.

Like Tiarra and Haley did…

But I remember, that I live and die by my readers, and I will respect them through everything.

Thank you for the start and as always, I’m excited to continue heading into the darkness with all of you.

Raise your hand if you are slowly dying as you write another novel!

Yes, I have both hands up.

And a foot…

I am getting encouraged by my editor (Tiarra) to keep going forward, that my word counts are solid.

Then Haley, in her Viking rage, flies in and yells, “Not good enough! You’ve done more than that!”

A short walk off a high cliff sounds great. (Joke.)

In all seriousness, this is my first complete series and I am on book four. The Time of Tears is definitely not an open-ended series, so I have a massive arc that must be justified. Lots of points to hit. Three books in a series is a solid achievement.

But I’m a third of the way through book four and I have two months to finish.

*Falls out of chair.

*Lands in fetal position.

*Cries.

*Weeps.

*Weeps some more.

In all seriousness, (which is hard for me) I have wanted to write since I was 15. Now, over 15 years later, I am.

I have not had this much fun ever.

It is a beautiful thing when an individual finds what they are meant to do in life.

I will finish because it is my job. It is my joy. It is my passion. Writing is my torture and elation.

End self-pep talk nobody signed up for.

Did everyone else enjoy Game of Thrones?

I have been on this U2 kick. Motley Crue. Dream Theater. Hair metal is in… or at least in my head.

U2 is not hair metal though.

I am spiraling out of control. This is me lollygagging, so I don’t have to go back to my post-apocalyptic world of death.

Next series is in the works.

Going to write a contemporary take on Care Bears.

Man, I’m losing it. 🙂

You folks have a great week.

Imma go and write fiction now.