Meet My Main Character Blog Hop

I was tagged by T.M. Hunter to talk about my main character. For those who don't know, currently, my main character is a charismatic vigilante that goes by the name of Jax Marlin. Let me introduce you to her...

1. What is the name of your main character? Is she/he fictional or a historical person?

Jax Marlin is most definitely all made up. She is a vigilante, a path she chose from very early on in her young life. It's her calling.

2. When and where is the story set?

The story is set 300 years in our future. I quite like that era, and I've already done another story in that time, so you can say I'm quite familiar with it. In this future, we've got amazing gadgets and technology, there's space travel (of course!), humongous space stations scattered throughout the galaxy, and space pirates (some of which are really good friends with Jax). In the Marlin short story series, I've have the opportunity to scatter the storylines throughout the world and into space. Makes for such fun writing!

3. What should we know about her?

Jax is a complex person. She's a mixture of characters/personalities all balled up into one. For one thing, seeing someone do bad riles her up. Yet, she'd do anything, even something worse to stop the bad thing from happening without thinking twice. She's a confident woman, smart and well-educated, a techno-geek, an expert at martial arts, but in an instant, real, crippling fear can plague her, cutting her down to an insecure mess. Jax has her own demons, especially the one inside her, that she must fight and control. She also has tendency to be obsessive-compulsive, has a wicked sweet-tooth and unhealthy appetite for junk food, but is also disciplined enough to perform her daily exercise regime without fail. She's cold, calculated, ruthless, determined, has a wicked sense of humour, and walks around with the self-assured knowledge that if you want something done right, you do it yourself. And, as if she didn't already have a complex personality to deal with and all the troubles that brings, she's fallen madly and insensibly in love with the one person that can destroy her, an inspector chasing her. Of course, Special Inspector Pedroni has also fallen for her charms...

4. What is the main conflict?

While each short story, coming off from the main novel, To Catch A Marlin, has its own set of conflicts and story arc, the main conflict throughout the entire series is the fact that Jax has fallen for the cop that's chasing her -- and he's in the same boat. There is much resistance at the thought of falling in love with a cop, everything inside her resists the very notion. As the storyline progresses, we see how she (they both) deal with it.

5. What is the personal goal of the character?

To stop bad things from happening to good people. Plain and simple. And how to have a happily ever after despite the life she's chosen. As Jax sees it, it's a tough life, but someone's gotta do it. As much as she wants her own happily ever after, she knows what she must sacrifice in order to fight crime.

6. What is the significance of the title of your book?

The main novel, To Catch A Marlin, well, that pretty much speaks for itself (of course, some might confuse it with a book of fishing...I may have to rethink it and relabel). The subsequent shorts since each have a catchy name, relevant to the storyline in the tale.

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

To Catch A Marlin is already out and available at Amazon. You can find the short stories (so far) all listed on my Author Page. So far, there are only 6 shorts completed in the projected 10. So keep checking back!

Well, this has been fun! Next up is Patrick Stutzman. Also, click back, too, to see what characters came before.

Cheers!

Cover Reveal for the Nogiku series by SJ Pajonas

Today is the cover reveal for the Nogiku series by SJ Pajonas. This cover reveal will be for the following books: Revealed: Part One (Nogiku series #0.1), Removed (Nogiku series #1), Released (Nogiku series #2) and Reunited (Nogiku series #3). This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

Here's a picture with all four covers:

Revealed: Part One: New Year’s Eve with Jiro and Mark (Nogiku series #0.1)
by SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Young Adult, Adult
Release Date: June 1, 2014

Blurb:
Get immersed in the Nogiku world with Jiro Itō as he gets ready for a boring and annoying New Year’s Eve out in Nishikyō. At least, that’s what he expects his night to be like. Jiro would rather drink with the geisha all evening, and avoid taking anyone home, but he has family business to attend to instead. When the family business leads to an unfamiliar restaurant, Jiro spies Sanaa Griffin smiling at him from across the room, and his night turns around.

But Mark Sakai, his uncle, is not pleased with Jiro’s flirtations. Mark has worked hard for over a decade to get Sanaa into position for her new life, and he can’t have Jiro interfering. Will a stern warning be enough to keep them apart?

PART ONE of REVEALED is a companion short story to REMOVED, Book ONE of the Nogiku Series. The first chapter of REMOVED is included at the end of PART ONE. Read REVEALED first or read it later, but don’t miss this look into the other side of Sanaa’s story.

Approximately 10,000 words.

You can find Revealed: Part One: New Year’s Eve with Jiro and Mark on Goodreads
You can buy Revealed here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- iBooks


Removed (Nogiku series #1)
by SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Young Adult, Adult
Release Date: September 11, 2013

Blurb:
Duty knows no family. Love has no price. Secrets can cost you everything.

Twenty-year-old Sanaa Griffin is about to get more than she bargained for when she wishes for love, happiness, and excitement on New Year’s Eve. Ripped from the job she always loved, she is reassigned to work for mysterious Mark Sakai and spy on the corrupt leaders of her city. War looms on the horizon, and Sanaa must help Sakai determine the key players and their weak spots before it’s too late.

Mark Sakai has many plans for Sanaa that will take her into a web of lies and danger, and her only protection is to learn to defend herself. But defense training under the watchful eye of Jiro, a strong and enigmatic young man she has a crush on, was not what she expected. Between falling in love with Jiro and the information she is gathering, Sanaa realizes Sakai is holding back secrets about her family and her deceased parents, secrets as to why she was chosen for this job, and learning the truth puts all of humanity in jeopardy.

REMOVED is the first book in a captivating post-apocalyptic series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.

You can find Removed on Goodreads
Want to view some inspirational images for Removed, visit the Removed inspirational Pinterest board

You can buy Removed here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- iBooks
- Kobo

You can watch the trailer for Removed here:


Released (Nogiku series #2)
by SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Young Adult, Adult
Release Date: December 17, 2013

Blurb:
Left in the desert to recuperate from her injuries, Sanaa Itami paces the floors and contemplates her mistakes. She trusted too easily, and now people she loved are dead, killed at the hands of men coming to assassinate her. Sanaa feels beaten, but life awaits her at home. While her city recovers from the devastating earthquake, negotiations for Sanaa's future continue. New allies must be made, new friendships brokered, new skills acquired -- at all costs.

Life at the top of the chain is complicated and lonely, though. With all her friendships rocky and uncertain, Sanaa must learn to trust others again more than she's willing. Who is left holding a grudge? And will the new family Sanaa has found with Jiro support or betray her?v
RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, is the second book in a captivating post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.

You can find Released on Goodreads

You can buy Released here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- iBooks

Reunited (Nogiku series #3)
by SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Young Adult, Adult
Release Date: August 14, 2014

Blurb:
Yūsei has surprises for Sanaa Itami. The long trip across the stars ends with Mark Sakai delivering bad news from orbit over their new home, and there’s no turning back or moving on. Despite all their misgivings, this is where they will have to stay.

Sanaa, Jiro, and the rest of Earth’s settlers move into a coastal town and stick to their plans to live the colonization life they dreamed of. But Sanaa’s existence won’t be kept secret from her enemies for long. Kazuo promised he would see her in another life, on another world, and he aims to keep his word. Now she will face those who want their revenge and make new enemies while dispensing with old ones on her journey across the fascinating and unfamiliar landscape of Yūsei.

REUNITED, Book THREE of the Nogiku Series, is the third book in a captivating post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.

You can find Reunited on Goodreads

You can read Revealed: Part One for free! And the price for Removed has been permanently dropped to 0.99$. Haven't started this series yet? Pick up your copy today!

About the Author:
S. J. Pajonas loves all things Asian and has been in love with Japan and the East for as long as she can remember. Writing about Asia and Japan came naturally after studying the culture and language for over fifteen years. She studied film and screenwriting first and eventually segued into fiction once she was no longer working a full-time job.

Face Time is the first novel in the Love in the Digital Age series, and Pajonas’s first foray into Korean culture and families. Along with Removed and Released in the Nogiku Series, she continues to take the cultures of Asia and weave them into stories that appeal to people from around the world. Her writing is described as unique and unpredictable. Expect the unexpected.

Stephanie lives with her husband and two children just outside of New York City. She loves reading, writing, film, J- and K-dramas, knitting, and astrology. Her favorite author is Haruki Murakami and favorite book is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

You can find and contact her here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Pinterest
- Flickr
- Instagram
- Tumblr

And there's a cover reveal wide giveaway! You can win a 10$ gift card for Itunes of Starbucks or one of the 3 e-copies of Released!
a Rafflecopter giveaway