J.R. Rogue's Blog, page 29

IT’S FRIDAY SO YOU SHOULD BUY SOME BOOKS! AMAZON 2-DAY SHIPPING IS A GODSEND.

Just Look Up by Pru Axon

It’s The Hurry That Kills Us by C. E. Nelson

Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook

Empty Hotel Rooms Meant For Us by Christina Hart

Learning To Lasso The Moon by C. R. Andrews

Living In The Arms of an Hourglass by A. R. Lucas

La Douleur Exquise by J. R. Rogue

I have seen fellow Instagram poets promote their custom poetry listings through Etsy for some time now. It was never something I thought I would do. Poetry is so personal to me. Though I share it online, it is mine. Even my fiction is laced with truth. It’s raw and real and a sliver of my soul.

But, I started to think about challenges. About the things that scare me. I was afraid I couldn’t do it. That’s what it really boiled down to. I feared my anxiety and the shadow of failing those that reached out to me, would cause me to crumble.

It is a new year. It is a year of changes. I have decided to face this fear head on. I will listen to your stories and I will pour my heart onto a piece of hemp paper, on tap at a time. I started out with 5 listings. I didn’t wan tot overwhelm myself. It was scary and thrilling. I am so thankful to those of you who have trusted me with your stories. Below are some of the reviews that are beginning to trickle in….

5 out of 5 stars

When you read something so perfect you can’t help but want to keep reading it over and over, that’s what J.R. does in her custom pieces. She connects with you down to every letter as if she was living the life you have. I highly recommend you talk to her and get something about yourself written down. It can easily make your day better like it did mine. Thank you Rogue!!

I absolutely loved the poem you did for me and my husband. You are truly amazing. You weren’t even there for the actual event that I shared with you yet you captured the feelings perfectly! Now every time I read that poem it gives me the same feelings I got when I met my husband. I plan on giving it to him for Valentines and have no doubt he will love it too. Thank you so much!

It was brilliant and also an added personal touch. Perfect

If you are interested in order a custom poem follow the link below. Thank you all, so much.

In the fall of 2012 I decided to write a novel.

I decided to lose my mind.

I decided to find myself.

Three and half years seems like a lifetime ago, or just yesterday. Hell, I don’t know. It was a dark time that ultimately led me to healing. I am still working on getting better. I am still working on myself. Writing this book is one of the hardest things I have ever done. And one of the most rewarding.

Burning Muses is a contemporary romance novel set in the rolling hills and lush woods of the Missouri Ozarks. I live here, I grew up here, and many places and landmarks that have molded me into the woman I am appear in it. My protagonist has faced many of the hardships that I have… I wrote this novel for myself. I wrote what I myself, as a reader, would want to consume.

I hope you will take a chance on me. Take a chance on a relatively unheard of author, known for poetry. And maybe, just maybe, you will find a poem or two woven in…

Successful, sultry, tattooed, erotic author Seraphina Daniels feels like running. Running from the writer’s block that has been plaguing her. Running from her tabloid fodder life in New York City after her relationship with sexy movie star, Tristan, goes up in flames.

So when childhood friend Kat calls in distress, she decides to fly home to Missouri, convinced the quiet country setting will be the change of scenery she needs to write a novel she can be proud of.

But things have changed in the eleven years since she left the Ozarks.

When Sera meets Chace, romance isn’t an option. He is younger, kind, innocent, hardworking, and her family treats him as one of their own. He is unlike any man she has ever met. Friendship comes easy, but soon, the undeniable attraction they are trying to fight complicates everything.

Will Sera finally stop sabotaging her own love life for the sake of her writing? Can she open her heart to a love that may finally inspire her to write from the heart?

Pre Order Now!

Submissions for our inaugural Radiant Sky Publishing Group’s literary journal are now open, and we have had an incredible response so far!

We will be continuing to accept pieces up until midnight Sunday 20th December – we are looking for two submissions of previously unpublished work per person, in Word document form, based around your interpretation of the theme “native”. Tell us your stories. …Tell us about the parts and the places and the people that make you nearly whole.

Radiant Sky is incredibly passionate about this project as it will see us working very closely with specific youth literacy programs, and donating our profits straight back into furthering accessibility and education for the next generation of readers.

We often talk about how #poetryisnotdead, but how many of us take the time to breathe its air into the lungs of the next generation? This is your chance to stamp your name up there alongside us, to be part of something bigger than words on a page, to be the first group of writers to launch this flagship publication. This is your chance to actively change lives with your words.

Keen to be involved? Send us your submission pieces by email to [email protected] with the subject: native2016 by the deadline! #native2016

One of the best parts about being involved in the Instagram writing community has been seeing the creative responses birthed from the various writing prompt series I have seen. If you remember, Kat Savage and I hosted one over the summer for a whole month titled When We Outgrow Our Bones. And the folks over at Radiant Sky had a week long series titled Throwing Stones At The Sky.

Personally, I love to help inspire. I am no world class writer, but I am growing and learning every day. And I hope to help others in any way I can.

Look for something exciting happening in the Prompt world soon…

THIS SALE WILL RUN THROUGH BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY. ENDS TUESDAY DEC 1ST.

EBOOK – $.99

SIGNED PAPERBACK – FREE SHIPPING

Hello everyone! Today is an amazing day. Why? Because my poetry BFF’s book, Learning To Speak, went live! If you don’t know the amazing Kat Savage I need you to crawl out from under the rock you have been living under and get with the program. For your enjoyment I decided to interrogate Kat a bit. :)

Hi Kat, how are you?

Hi Jen! I’m doing alright. Truth be told, I’m filling out these interview questions at work….while I’m supposed to be working. It’s fine.

When did you write Learning To Speak?

I started writing pieces for my manuscript in early February 2015. The title was originally “Virago” but after completing the content, I changed it to better fit.

What is your book about? What will the readers take away from it?
The collection is laid out in the book in such a way that it should feel like a journey. A  mix of both happy and sad beginnings, then the middle is the pain and the recovery. The end should feel like “Yeah ok, this is getting better. I’m going to be fine.” And I hope the reader feels that. I know we all struggle with this kind of pain. I want them to relate to that journey. The title, “Learning to Speak” is exactly what it should feel like. We lose our voices sometimes, and we have to learn to speak again.


Who are some of your favorite authors?

I enjoy Fitzgerald, Poe, Bukowski, Hunter S. Thompson, David Sedaris, and Oscar Wilde. I also really enjoy EE Cummings, and have a ton of collections of poetry by people no one has ever heard of. I really enjoy finding the secret stuff.

Who are some of your favorite writers on Instagram?

Well you of course. Oh you mean besides you? I’ve been a big fan of Jarod Wabick’s work since I found him. I also really enjoy RX Bird, Jhonn Heller, Christina Kaylen Hart,  and Kyle Hamlet. Marisa Crane of course and CE Nelson, and I don’t know her name but her handle is @secret_poets_society and I started reading her recently and really like her. I could keep going but as you can see, the more I think about it, the more names I will keep adding.

What is the most important thing for you to accomplish in your writing?

I just want people to feel something. Whether they wanted to feel it or not, it’s more about what they NEED to feel. I’ve had a lot of people express to me how much they relate to my writing and it’s bittersweet for me. One the one hand, I am sad that they relate so much to my personal pain, which often lines most of what I write. On the other hand, I’m happy they see they’re not alone. I don’t want anyone to feel alone. That’s the thing really. We come from different backgrounds, practice different religions, and may even speak different languages, but we’ve all felt heartache. And it always feels the same. I find a little peace in that.

What are some future projects you have in the works?

Oh man. Most days I’m afraid I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. Right now for the month of November I’m writing and posting a 30 part series to honor my little sister who was murdered two years ago this month. It’s hard. And it may very well break me, but I need to do it. I also signed up for the NaNoWriMo challenge and have started writing my novel. It may be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’m pleased with the foundation of it. I’m also slowly putting together a chapbook of my longer prose pieces. It’s concept is solid and crazy, but I’m not quite ready to reveal that yet. I’m shooting for it’s completion by the end of the first quarter in 2016. Of course, I’ve got a fully operational Etsy store as well and I’m always trying to get creative with what I list. I hope to get quite a few unique things listed for the upcoming holiday season. So yeah, I’m busy.

When are we going to meet?

Hahaha! Gosh I hope it’s soon. It makes me so sad it hasn’t happened yet. I tell you, life can be very in the way of life sometimes. Want to me at the top of the Empire State Building on New Year’s Eve? I’ll bring wine and we can exchange friendship necklaces.

Learning To Speak can be found here.

I am in possession of three copies of La Douleur Exquise that came from my printer with minor imperfections. (ink spot on page, etc… No issues with the cover at all) I won’t distribute these copies through my etsy store or sell them to anyone in person. So instead of throwing them in the trash I thought I would offer them to you all! If you would like the chance to win one of these copies share this blog post via Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below the text and comment when done. That simple! I will announce a winner a week from today. Have a happy holiday!

It’s writing prompt Wednesday with Kat Savage and I! 

Today’s prompt is — Open Doors. 

Use the hashtag #OpenDoors when sharing. ❤️

I used that line in a poem I recently posted. A stranger. And who is this stranger? Maybe I am in denial. It’s just me in here. And I don’t always like taking responsibility for the words that escape my mind and my lungs.

Depression is a tricky thing. And Anxiety is its partner in crime. At times they make me feel like I will lose it all. Every little relationship I have managed to nourish, in my own pitiful ways. Every bit of success I have somehow been able to grab. I’m afraid I will be left alone with this anger that fills me.

And It fills me to the brim.

Sometimes I just want to run away and go dark. I wonder what kind of art I would be able to create if I had no responsibilities, no one to love me. No one to worry for my state of mind. Would I truly be able to tap into that voice that is buried deep down? Would I be able to save someone? Or myself?

It must be a terrible thing to love a writer.