news

The return of Everdome and Parasomnia

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Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

Before being published, I thought books lasted forever. Afterall, I can still go out and by a copy of Oliver Twist, The Scarlet Pimpernel, or Pride and Prejudice.

Unfortunately, the average lifespan of a book is 5-10 years. Most books don’t sell more than 500 copies in their entire life.

Two of my novels, Everdome and Parasomnia, haven’t been performing that well, and I’ve decided to buy the rights back from the publisher. They did a great job with the books, but it’s time I try to get them in more readers hands.

Everdome
Parasomnia

What happens now?

Once the rights and files have been completely returned to me, I will republish them with some minor changes. I’m calling this a “Second Printing”.

Part of the buying of rights back was also buying out Renaissances stock. I’m going be selling those at cons and on our website. In a few months, I’ll do a full update, maybe add a short story to the back, and re-release them. Everdome will be getting a new cover to make it match more with Winging It, which partially takes place in the world.

This is new and exciting, but also kinda terrifying.

More news to come. Thank you for reading.

Éric

Winging It by Jen Desmarais is available June 3rd, 2025!
Cover Art by Pinkpiggy93
49th Shelf Crushing It
Indigo Books Crushing It
Archambault Crushing It
Amazon Crushing It
Rakuten Kobo Crushing It
Apple Books Crushing It

Éric’s 2025 New Year’s Resolutions

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Hello my friends, Family, and Fans;

Typing in 2025 feels like I’m writting some far off date not the actual year. Not sure I’m in love with the future as it is but let’s concentrate on the things that we can control.

This year, I’m going to be extra ambitious with my resolutions. (Quick reminder, my resolutions are goals that are meant to push me.)

A kids slide with a web across the bottom and two spiders on it. The caption reads, "If we pull this off, we'll eat like kings."

1. Write The Hounds of Bakerville

I have a basic outline and I’m going to start re-reading the first four to get back into it. It’s kind of exciting to be working on the penultimate book in the series.

2. Write a serial story

I’m not sure what I’m writing this year, but I will try to get a 1000 word chapter out each month. This is going to be the twelfth year I do it.

3. Master 1 song on the ukulele and record it.

I wrote a song for Elizabeth 4 and set up the chords, but between the colds and the medical issues, I didn’t get really good at it. I’m going to do my best to get good enough to record it.

4. Read at least 12 books

Last year I crushed my reading challenge and I’m hoping I can do the same this year. 12 might not sound ambitious but it is.

5. Build my new book nook and lego

Three years ago for Christmas I got a Magical Cafe book nook. Over the three years I’ve made it to page 17 of 40ish I think. There’s so much painting and gluing and it’s really hard. This year, my sister in-law took pity and got me another one that doesn’t need the paint or the glue. Maybe this will help build my confidence.

I also got an epic Van Gogh’s Starry Night LEGO set. It has a lot of pieces.

6. Feel less guilty

2024 was a busy year and now that I’m feeling better, I have more time that isn’t just for recovering. I’m having trouble taking that time for me and not feeling bad about it. It’s not selfish to read, it’s not selfish to watch a show on my own, it’s not selfish to do things for me. I know that, but I’m having trouble shutting up the little voice in my head.

7. Design and deploy a new coffee flavour for Ottawa Comic Con in September

I have an idea what it’s going to be, so this should be easy.

8. Plan and plot out the first in a cozy mystery series

I have this idea for a series of short cozy mysteries. The hope is to make them around 40 thousand words and just have fun. It would also give me the chance to play around with self-publishing. The idea would be to write this after Elizabeth 5 before I jump right into the final book.

9. Organize a massive birthday party and book release

This one scares me, but I want to do a joint book release* with Jen this summer. (By the way you should totally check out her cover reveal for Winging It!)

*More details in a future post.

10. Keep fighting to learn more about myself and how to make my life easier

I have learned a lot about my body and mind this year, and I know I have a lot of work, both to improve my health and to accept what and who I am. More details in a future post.

I hope that everyone has a productive, healthy, and good 2025.

Éric

The Newsletter is ALIIIIIIIVVVEEEEE!

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Hello People Who Want to Know What’s Going On with JenEric Designs,

You can now sign up for our nifty Good as New Newsletter.

This time around, Jen (JenEric’s resident publicist and marketing expert) is taking over from Éric (JenEric’s resident coffee taster). That means you’ll get cool stuff and lots of news. Also consistency.

If you really don’t want to go to the link to sign up for our Newsletter, you can do it down below.

Thank you and look to your inboxes for cool stuff.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

New Feature

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Hello Friends and Fans,

Look the your right (down if you’re on mobile)… not that far… there we go. The thing that says, “Get Posts in your Email” is exactly what it says on the box.

We’re still working out some kinks, but you’ll get our posts each day in your email without having to worry about finding them.

Enjoy!

Éric

JenEric Can-Con Schedule

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Hello Readers!

This weekend is the wonderful Can-Con: Conference on Canadian Content in Speculative Arts and Literature.

Jen and I will be in the vendors room most of the time.

Here are the vendor’s room hours

  • Friday 5-8
  • Saturday 10-6
  • Sunday 10-4

I have a signing (in the vendors room) from 12-12:30 with awesome John Hass. (Although I’ll sign at any time you catch me.)

Jen has a reading at 1 on Sunday (In Salon D) with the wonderful Madona Skaff. (I’ll be there too and might read if Jen insists.)

Beyond that, I participated in the Digital version of the Con. I prerecorded a panel that will be at 2:30 on Saturday. The panel is called The Horror of Time Loops. I was on it with Gigi Ganguly and Ren Hutchings, both of whom were excellent panelists. Our moderator was Sean Dowie, who did an excellent job.

I’ll try to be in the discord during and after the panel.

Hope to see you there!

Éric

Books, Beards, and way too much face

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

At Renaissance CON (June 2020), S.M. Carrière noticed my beard that I started growing out in January 2020. She mentioned it was an impressive COVID beard and I said, “It’s a novel beard. I’ll shave when I finish this darned book.”

Fast forward to last week and I finally finished the darned book.

Here are pictures of a wild bearded author who just finished his book (and received another):

Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses is now available at your local bookstore or on our website.

And now here are the pictures of a newly sheared author who has much too much face for his own liking:

So much face…. I already miss the beard.

You can get any of my books at your local bookstore, or if you’d like, you can buy them on our website under the header of books.

Thank you!!!

Be kind and stay safe,

Éric

Change to 2021 JenEric Schedule

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Hello JenEric Fans,

With Dragon doing full digital school, we’ve decided to move things around a little. Here’s the schedule for the foreseeable future.

Monday

Éric Desmarais will randomly write things like an unspecified number of monkeys with typewriters… which is totally not how he writes his posts… *Shifty Eyes* EDIT: Please send bananas.

Tuesday

Guitar Lessons Jen is learning guitar and her journey is quite a lot of fun to follow. Certainly a Major Scaled accomplishment.

Wednesday

The Travelling TARDIS will continue it’s adventures in space, time, and backlogs.

Thursday

JenEric Movie Reviews continues to watch movies, over-analyse them, and tell you all about it.

Friday

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The monkeys Éric returns with serial stories, regular stories, rants, coffee info, and really whatever comes out of the typewriters… uhm mind, his mind.

Saturday & Sunday

Unless 2021 ends up being as movie watching heavy as 2020, these will be left blank and let the monkeys, time machine, and musicians rest.

Hope you enjoy it!

JenEric Designs Management

2021 JenEric Schedule

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Hello JenEric Readers,

This year we’re making changes to the schedule of posts. Here’s what’s going to happen:

Monday

Éric Desmarais will randomly write things like an unspecified number of monkeys with typewriters… which is totally not how he writes his posts… *Shifty Eyes*

Tuesday

How I Taught My Dragon will post the results of the previous week with all the cute pictures of Dragon learning.

Wednesday

The Travelling TARDIS will continue it’s adventures in space, time, and backlogs.

Thursday

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How I Taught My Dragon will post the plan for the next week of Draconic (but rarely draconian) learning.

Friday

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The monkeys Éric returns with serial stories, regular stories, rants, coffee info, and really whatever comes out of the typewriters… uhm mind, his mind.

Saturday

JenEric Movie Reviews continues to watch movies, over-analyse them, and tell you all about it.

Sunday

Unless 2021 ends up being as movie watching heavy as 2020, this will be left blank and let the monkeys, time machine, and Dragon rest.

Looks like another exciting year for JenEric Designs. Hope you enjoy it!

JenEric Designs Management

New Year, New Schedule

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We’ll be changing things up on the JenEric Designs blog for 2020, starting next week.

Monday/Friday will be Éric’s blog time.

Tuesday/Thursday will be Travelling TARDIS pictures (Paris/Cosplay continuing).

Wednesday will be something special that we’ll announce later. I will still occasionally post Fandom Travel and Blush posts, but not on a consistent schedule.

Happy New Year from our family to yours! I hope 2020 is the best year yet!