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Dina James

Chronicler of the Paranormal

Time Heals Is Here!

It’s November, and the day of feasting is nearly here! (We do not celebrate Thanksgiving in the James Household. Rather we acknowledge the truth behind the holiday and celebrate a Day of Gratitude for the good fortune and people in our lives. And our cats.)

It’s also the Day of Pie (not to be confused with Pi Day, which is also celebrated with pie), and will not go unremarked in this house. But I digress.

Time Heals is here!

The second book in the Stranger Things series has been polished up, reformatted for the screens of you kids and your newfangled technology (get off my lawn), and is available for your reading pleasure wherever you purchase your books. It is also available in paperback and hardcover from the Evil Empire known as Amaz*n.

Here is the back cover teaser:

Rebecca MacDonnell is strange. More than that, she’s a Stranger, a human born with the ability to use her own life’s force to heal ethereal beings. Vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, goblins, and other things thought only imaginary all need help sometime, and when they do, they come to her.

Some things, however, are beyond help. Something is stalking all Ethereals, great and small. Beings of every race are fleeing a terror no one will acknowledge, let alone name.

At seventeen, Mistress Healer Rebecca is still learning to manage her power. She must learn to control it before it controls her.

Unless it’s already too late.

When her burgeoning ability gets away from her, that which heals turns to harm and drives her loyal man-wolf bodyguard Billy straight into the arms of the unknown horror.

Unlikely new friends are her only hope to finding out what’s happened, and she must enter new – and dangerous – territory in order to do it.

This version has a special bonus story in the back that was previously unavailable beyond website download, featuring a glimpse of Noth the hellhound’s background.

Here are the various places you can acquire it. Clicky click click

The third book, Death Knell, is supposed to be out next month on December 20, also spiffed up and shiny, but things around here have gotten a bit chaotic with some renovations and a new kitten joining the family that Yours Truly has been a little short on both time and sleep, which does not make for enough coherence to get the spiffy and shiny going as fast as necessary. It’s looking very much like Death Knell‘s release is going to need to be pushed until after the New Year, because the holidays are stressful enough without construction dust and litter training thrown in the mix. You can still preorder it, though, and get it when it does become available.

That’s all the news I have for you at the moment!

As always, please get your COVID bivalent boosters if you’re able, keep wearing your masks, and get your flu shots. Winter is here in the Northern Hemisphere and my state has already issued a State of Emergency for a virus called RSV, which is particularly devastating to newborns and children under a year old.

Enjoy your holiday season, whatever you may or may not celebrate. I’ll update you about the Death Knell release date as soon as I have a better idea of my schedule and events beyond my control (like drywall).

Best,
Dina

All The Shiny Things

If you receive my newsletter, you won’t find anything new in this post (because I am shamelessly copying and pasting this for it). It will be link-and-graphics-heavy, so prepare yourself!

So, remember those shiny things I promised you earlier this year?

I keep my promises.

Also, I am finally giving in to peer pressure (let’s call it what it is, shall we? CYBERBULLYING) and releasing my previously published work in formats you kids and your newfangled technology use these days. (Get off my lawn.)

I have also been cyberbullied into more things. A lot more things. Like finishing the last book of the Stranger Things series.

I know. I KNOW.

I know I said I wasn’t going to. And I WASN’T. But THEY MADE ME. *points to the miscreants at the Alchemy Red After Hours Saturday Write-In*

I was just there for moral support of other writers. REAL WRITERS, WHO WRITE, UNLIKE ME. But they bullied me into finishing a thing, then said “hey, what about this other thing,” then said “hey, don’t you have this other OTHER thing,” and before I knew it I was a writer again. I actually talk about that in an audio interview over at Skyla Dawn Cameron’s Patreon page (if you aren’t her Patron and can’t access it now, she plans on making it available to the public around the middle of September).

Now I have finished books and have been pressured into giving them to you. Myself. Which is technically self-publishing — the thing I have said in the past NOT to do, that I didn’t want to do, wasn’t interested in doing, and was too much work to deal with. Yeah. That.

So what changed my mind? A few things. A lot of things. Mostly the current dumpster fire that is commercial publishing. I have a lot of projects and have done the querying thing. I even had a few full requests and some interesting exchanges with agents and editors from respected houses, but given the current state of things and the potentially ugly future on the horizon for commercial publication, I have two choices: take my toys and go home (WHICH IS WHAT I WAS DOING) or put things out myself (WHICH I WAS BULLIED INTO).

It turns out, with the right tools and tutorials from friends who know what they’re doing, it’s not nearly as much work as 1) it used to be and 2) I had thought.

Don’t get me wrong. There are still scamming asshats out there preying on unsuspecting writers, but self-publishing has come a very, very long way. It’s gone from the days of predatory author mills to household names leaving their agents and commercial houses to take care of things on their own for a multitude of reasons (usually monetary, but also because of creator rights and content disagreements). Self-publishing still has its own set of issues (including the old stigma of low-quality unedited purple prose and ClipArt covers, not to mention plagiarism and algorithm-gaming), but given the choice between those and the current ones on offer via commercial publishing, I’ll take the caveats of doing it myself (with a lot of help from friends and colleagues). Who knows? Commercial publishing may eventually get its shit together again, but with billionaire tech bros who buy publishing houses “as an investment” and don’t know a fucking thing about how publishing actually works, that’s not likely to be the case anytime soon.

Given all that, here are the current plans my cadre of enablers have pressured me into:

LEGENDS OF THE DESTRATI – These stories were previously released as a serial in e-format and as a complete collection in print, but it was brought to my attention that they could use not only a refurbishment for current devices, but a release across all platforms. That has been done, and is available now wherever you may purchase your reading material.

ALL WOUNDS (Stranger Things series) – Out of commercial print since 2013, this title was offered in 2016 as a special limited edition print run for signings and fundraiser prizes, and also offered at a discounted price in e-format for the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. Now it’s being re-issued, in all formats (including hardcover!), across all platforms. You can pre-order it now for the October 18, 2022 release. This edition will include a bonus short story previously unavailable beyond website download.

TIME HEALS (Stranger Things Series) – Also out of commercial print since 2013, this title was offered in 2016 as a special limited edition print run for signings and fundraiser prizes, and also offered at a discounted price in e-format for the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. Now it’s being re-issued, in all formats (including hardcover!), across all platforms. You can pre-order it now for the November 15, 2022 release. This edition will include a bonus short story previously unavailable beyond website download.

DEATH KNELL (Stranger Things series) – The “long-awaited” third installment of the Stranger Things series. I stopped writing this book back in 2013 when my then-publishing house began experiencing some internal calamities, resulting in the reversion of rights to the series. I put the partially-written manuscript away and never planned on finishing it. See above about cyberbulling. You can pre-order it now for the December 20, 2022 release. This edition will include a bonus short story previously unavailable beyond website download.

And those are just what I’ve got planned for the rest of this year. Also in the works are:

THE SILVERTHORN PROTOCOL – my first foray into sci-fi. It’s vampires and werewolves in space. I’m promoting it as “Underworld meets Gray’s Anatomy. In space.” I had fun writing it and already have notes for a sequel, so there’s that. Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet as there’s still some work to be done, but it’s there and something will happen.

MIDNIGHT TEA SHOP (working title) – a paranormal cozy mystery that’s basically a contemporary cast of characters and their doings surrounding a tea shop that’s open past midnight. There’s vampires, hellhounds, mimics (okay ONE mimic), and murder. Also asshole ex-boyfriends and a Karen. Because anything goes in this vanity project. There’s a lot of swearing.

I’ve recently launched a Patreon with multiple tiers, and at the CHECK FOR TRAPS level and above, you will get an occasional snippet of something I’m working on. There’s a Tea Shop snippet up over there now if you want to check it out.

I want to wrap this newsletter up with another shout-out to Skyla Dawn Cameron and her Alchemy Red After Hours write-in sessions. Without those and the other writers participating there, I wouldn’t have started writing again, let alone finished two projects and started two more. Go check out her Patreon and if you haven’t read her books, remedy that immediately. (She also made all of the shiny shiny graphics you see in this post, so if you’re in need of a fantastic graphic designer, she does amazing work. Hire her for all the things!)

So that’s the current state of affairs. There’s going to be a lot happening around here in the next few months, which honestly is kinda weird, given *gestures at everything 2016-present* (looking at you, COVID-19 pandemic).

If you are able to but haven’t already, get your COVID-19 bivalent booster and seasonal flu shot. Keep wearing those masks so I can continue to live and write more stories.

Still Here!

Hi, all!

I know it’s been awhile (over a year) since I’ve posted anything here. I’m mostly over on Twitter for regular updates, check-ins, and news.

Nothing particularly share-worthy has happened of late. I’m apparently a quilter now (hashtag DinaQuilts on Twitter if you’d like to see some of them) and have posted some pics of completed projects over on an Instagram I made for people NOT on Twitter (and I’m not on FB, because Fuck Zuck, that’s why) that asked where they could see what I’ve made.

Other than that, things are trucking along here. Spring has sprung and I’m about to go into my reverse hibernation (honestly, I hate this time of year so much), and figured I’d do a quick little post about a couple things:

1) My email was hacked.

Yeah. I’ll be sending out a newsletter regarding what’s been going on, but suffice to say I think between me, my webhost, and the email team, we mostly figured out what’s going on and how to (hopefully!) keep it from happening again. It’s taken months of back and forth and tricks and twiddles, but I hope we’ve managed to sort it out this time.

Suffice to say, if you got a spammy/phishy email from one or more addresses using “dinajames dot com”, it wasn’t me and I apologize for the fuckery I wasn’t even aware of until I got smacked by a banhammer from my provider calling out the bullshit going on behind the scenes. The spamming douchebags used a combination of spoofing and cloning, as the emails weren’t showing up in my Sent folder as Sent, but they were using my domain and bandwith to spam at various intervals. Brute force attacks were involved and I’ve learned SO MUCH about digital security these last few months. I thought I was pretty good with the security steps I already had in place, but things change and technology gets faster and what I thought was pretty great five years ago has been left in the dust. I’m all spiffed up now, and hopefully it shouldn’t happen again.

Again, apologies for any bullshit that may have landed in your inbox.

2) Speaking of spiffing up, you should be seeing some new shinies around here soon, courtesy of my handler/enabler/Platonic Murder Wife, Skyla Dawn Cameron of IndigoChick Designs. You’ve heard of her before, and if you haven’t, shame on you. Go buy her books and hire her for amazing things.

3) Writerly stuff and things are in the works, and I will update you about them later as things develop.

I know the pandemic has taken it’s toll on everyone (us included!), but it isn’t over yet, so despite what’s happening in your neck of the woods, please continue to mask, sanitize, distance, and get vaccinated. We’re all tired and ready for things to be over. Even if you’re done with COVID-19, it isn’t quite done with us yet. We’ve got it on the ropes, though. Just keep fighting, and we’ll beat this fucker.

-Dina

Fighting The Bear

So, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything of real meaning here. (As in March of 2018. I told you, it’s been awhile.)

It’s not that I haven’t had things to say or stuff to talk about, it’s just that blogging hasn’t been a huge priority for me. Then 2020…

Let’s not talk about 2020.

I’m here today to talk about fighting the bear.

Once long ago I was talking to a friend about my annoying bitch of a disorder and how most people (50%) who have had MS as long as I have (15 years this year) develop a secondary type that is relentless. Over the next 10 years, that risk increases to 90%.

Now, we all know I’m evil and a fighter. No, not that kind. A literal fighter. Combat-trained, street brawler, knife fighter. It’s a long story, but I’ve said before my upbringing was unique. My first knife-fighting lesson was at age 6, and I loved it. But I digress.

Before this autoimmune nonsense, I was also a bodybuilder. Not the ripped Cory Everson type, but I spent a lot of time in the gym with weights and drinking protein powder. I still use some of what I learned from the Body-For-LIFE book back in the 90s. (I also have the Women’s version of the book and the cookbook.) I give my training and pre-diagnosis physical condition credit for how well I’m doing right now.

And I am doing well. You have no idea how lucky I am to be in the condition I am for this late in the game. Many, many others are in wheelchairs or are unable to drive or get themselves to the toilet. For all my limitations (and there are several; don’t get me wrong), I can still do those things. I need things like a shower chair and a cane to walk outside, but I can still feed and dress myself and hug my cats.

But one day, that won’t be the case. And when that day comes, that’s the day I fight a bear.

Fighting The Bear Art
Dina vs. The Bear by artist Doruk Golcu

Yes, that is me. My Friends of Awesome commissioned this custom piece of art from the amazingly talented illustrator Doruk Golcu. They gave the artist the gist of the scene (okay, a lot more than the gist; there were some specifics that the brilliant artist didn’t bat an eye over, proving he is One Of Us) and some procured reference pics of Yours Truly, collaborated with Mr. James, and surprised me with it for my birthday. I absolutely adore it. Beyond adore. It’s my desktop wallpaper, my iPad screen, and the framed print they ordered and sent to me will be hanging in my living room.

Here’s the reason I’m fighting a grizzly bear, and what the painting truly means.

As I told my Friends of Awesome, when I am diagnosed with secondary MS and am at the point where my quality of life has deteriorated to an unacceptable level, I will take my Tank Chair (because I’ve been promised, when I need a wheelchair, it will be Tank Chair) out into the wilds of Canada to knife fight a grizzly bear. A male one, at midsummer, just before he gets super fat for the winter but has had enough time from the last hibernation to pack on the pounds so he’s not starving. Now, I will either win the fight and return home dragging a bear carcass behind my chair, or I will lose and they will never find my body because Griz ate the tiny Goth girl who came for him with nothing but a knife.

That piece of art means more to me than you might think. It’s a huge metaphor for my daily outlook. Because every day for me is a bear fight. Seeing that painting on my desktop or my iPad or in the frame reminds me of who I am. I fight bears. There are some days when the bear wins, and some days I win. As time goes on, the bear will win more often, but as I’m fond of saying: today is not that day.

via GIPHY

Some days, when just getting out of bed costs more spoons than I have, I remember I still have knives.

If this is your art, please let me know so I can credit you.

If I still have knives, I can fight. Maybe not as hard as I used to be able to, but I can still do damage. (And, in all fairness, my worst day is still better than many people’s best, so there’s that to take comfort in, I suppose.)

So why am I here, right now, blogging about knife fighting a bear? Because I said I’d tell the story behind the art. And that’s the story. It’s a gift from people who care about me that shows how they see me, even on my worst days. It helps me remember (because with MS, sometimes you need a lot of help to remember things, as it’s related to Alzheimer’s disease) that the bear fight is (probably) not this day. It’s been an uncomfortable week for me with my condition, and for awhile there I thought it might be time to find a bear soon. I did some Googling and found out the reason behind my bad week (here’s a hint: when the answer isn’t “you have cancer,” it’s “move your ass” AKA “get some exercise and you’ll feel better”), and I think (hope?) that I’m coming out of the spin I’ve been in.

Turns out, exercise really DOES help! But it’s a vicious cycle. When I feel like crap, I don’t move, and because I don’t move, I feel like crap. That means the only way to deal is to power through, but when you’re out of power, that can’t happen, so…yeah.

via GIPHY

Now it’s late and I’m tired, but I have written a blog post, which is more than I’ve done in months. Not quite ready to fight a bear, but I’m working on it.

So This Is Sithmas

Wait, no. I won’t do that to you. Still, whatever holiday you celebrate (or don’t…that’s totally fine too), it’s that time of year. Pretty lights, trees, red, green, holly jolly, and so on. Also, presents.

And, like I did this spring when the nightmare that is coronavirus locked us all in our houses, I have something shiny for you.

If you’ve already gotten it, yay for you. But, if you know someone who might appreciate a little holiday happy, give them this link and tell them there’s a nice present waiting for them under the Sithmas tree. All they have to do is enter the code HOME4HOL at checkout and everything is free.

What’s with the code? Oh yeah. We’re still dealing with A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, and you can do your part to keep me and my family (including the cats, because pets also get COVID, in case you didn’t know that) safe from this lethal infection. We’re all immune-compromised and depend on you to keep us safe. (If some of this post sounds familiar, it’s because I shamelessly copied and pasted from a previous one. What? I have cards to finish!)

I am literally quarantined inside my house (yes! still!) along with Mr. James, and have been since March 5th. I’ve only gone out for absolute necessities, and the rest of the time we are practicing social distancing and self-isolating. It’s driving the extrovert in Mr. James mad, but me? I’m loving it. This is pretty much how I live my life as it is (hi, writer and kitten rescuer*), so nothing’s really changed for me, except how often I go out to eat/visit restaurants. (Thank God take-out is still a thing! For now, anyway!)

I know this is hard on a lot of people. We’re all demoralized (I’ve even written multiple threads on Twitter about morale boosts and their importance in these nightmarish times). and the idea of staying home for the holidays when you’re used to sharing them with family and friends is difficult for a lot of you. (I mean…not me…this is my jam. I don’t need a reason to stay home and ignore my relatives.)

As I’ve said before, my darklings, I adore it when people cope with their issues. I am here to provide you some tools to cope with your own quarantine/self-isolation. You ARE doing that, right? Wearing a mask when around others, washing your hands, disinfecting surfaces, social/physical distancing? Good. Keep it up. This is almost over. You got this.

So, the present!

This spring I uploaded my previously published/out-of-print books in ebook format to Payhip. I offered them free for a few weeks to get you through the isolation/lockdown period then. I’m doing the same thing now to get you through the holiday season.

They are free to download with the coupon code “HOME4HOL”. Just put that in at checkout, and everything is free.

No, seriously. Everything. The Destrati Series, the Stranger Things books (1 & 2 – there is no 3, despite rumors). Go.

Click this link to get your FREE QUARANTINE READS!

If you’ve wanted the out-of-print Stranger Things series, now’s your chance.

I don’t have to tell you all how uncomfortable I am offering those books for sale. I have my reasons.

However the world is forever changed, and we must change with it.

Because that’s how you survive.

Go. Get your free reads. Everything of mine is there for free. If you enjoy, leave me a review somewhere. If you don’t, well, I didn’t force you to read it. Keep that opinion to yourself.

Stay safe, stay vigilant, stay healthy.

Above all, STAY HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

— Dina

P.S. I’m plotting some theoretical eviltry that I may release after the New Year. It’s in the planning stages still, so there’s still a (fair/good) chance it may come to nothing (translation: I may get involved with something else and let it sit – again), but stay tuned. I’ll let you all know if it makes it out of the Lair.

*We have decided to suspend our kitten rescue until this pandemic is over. Not only are newborn kittens already immune compromised, shelters are limited on their space, and many veterinarians in our area are limiting the amount of spay/neuter surgeries in their clinics. It was in the best interest for everyone involved to suspend our efforts until it’s safe, especially for the kittens.