12/24/09
12/15/09
It Could Only Happen To Me
So…today I was on my way to work. Singing Revelation Song along with Philips, Craig and Dean. Trying to decide whether to do Wendy’s drive-thru for a root beer. It was raining, so I passed on by.
I should have stopped. I could have used a drink.
Minutes later, I pulled onto my employer’s street. Her front door was wide open. A cop car sat on the street nearby. Had someone broken into the house? Or was someone in the family hurt? I glanced from the house to the cop (who seemed to be watching me) and back to the house again. The car was there. She must be home. So I pulled into the driveway, moved toward my designated parking spot, froze when I realized the cop was yelling and honking and waving his arms at me.
Oh boy. What did I do this time?
I stared at him, a bit wide-eyed, I’m sure. He was pointing somewhere. I looked back. There was a rope dangling from the tall shrubs lining the drive…and it attached itself to my truck somehow.
Okay. So I was about to pull down a tree or something? Fine. I’d try to dislodge it. So I put the truck in reverse and backed up a few paces. The cop started yelling and honking and motioning again. This time I saw the neighbor across the road. He had a slightly shell-shocked expression as he held a cell phone to one ear and raised his free hand to do that same stop motion. Okay. So I’d stop. I put the truck in park and just sat there. I looked in my rearview mirror again.
It wasn’t a rope, and it was not attached to a tree. It was a downed power line. I shut off the vehicle.
They were still staring at me, still motioning. My employer stood in her doorway. She yelled to ask me if I had my cell phone. I nodded and raise it. She went back inside, then reappeared a moment later with the house phone in her hand.
“Jenness,” she said over the line, “that’s a hot wire. Don’t get out of the car. Just stay there, okay? I don’t want you to die.”
Really? Me either, come to think of it, especially right before Christmas.
“A fire truck is on the way. Do you have a book with you?” she said, offering a smile.
I glanced at my purse. “No. But I have a notebook.”
She hung up and I looked over at the cop again. He was making me nervous. Apparently I made him nervous, too, because he shook his head, doing that whole stop motion, and said, “Stay there. Don’t get out of the car.”
I’m staying here. I’m not getting out of the car.
“Did you hear explosions?” the cop hollered to my employer.
She nodded. Apparently I’d managed to blow two transformers. That wasn’t helping my panic levels. Or my ego, for that matter. I felt pretty stupid. How could I have run over a power line? How could I have gotten it stuck on my truck?
This is why I’m a writer, because these things could only happen to me. And what would I do with this material otherwise????
I sent a text to my husband, and a couple others for good measure. I was a little scared to talk on the phone. All I knew about electricity was that it powered my computer. If I talked on the cell phone, could it somehow spark something and set the whole shebang on fire? I’m a writer. I don’t know these things. I figured I’d stay off the phone just in case. Actually, I was more afraid that talking to my husband, telling him exactly what was going on, would make me think about it a little bit too much. It was almost Christmas. I wanted to see him open the crazy off-his-list gift I ordered for him. Talking to him could set off, not a fire, but my tear ducts. So…no cell phone.
I pulled out the notebook. I should have worked on judging some contest entries I was supposed to finish today. Or maybe write a scene for my new book. But Jake and Raymi stayed far away, and the cop was still giving me that look. So the first words that came out were: Cop keeps doing the “Stop” motion.
Fine. I’d take notes. This was definitely story material.
A siren wailed briefly, then the fire truck came into view. The policeman directed it, and the truck planted itself in the middle of the road, blocking traffic. The policeman drove off, apparently to set up a detour. Three firemen got out, dressed in full gear, sans helmets.
“Stay inside the truck, ma’am!” one called. He did that same motion with his hands.
Next time you see me, don’t wave. Don’t raise your hands. Don’t motion or point. If you do, I just might go into full panic mode, and it probably won’t be pretty.
I nodded and mouthed okay. The truck was my little bubble of safety. A warm bubble, and growing warmer. But it was safe. And maybe it was getting a wee bit damaged? We could have used a new one. Would insurance cover this?
I had a flip cam in my purse. My husband would have been so proud of me if I took it out and started recording. The first vlog for his dream youtube channel. I wimped out. Electricity and all.
By this time I’d been sitting in the driveway for twenty minutes or so. The firemen had been there about five. They still stood in the middle of the road, far away from me, talking and pacing. I hoped they were waiting for FPL to cut off the power or something. If not, it didn’t seem like they were coming up with any ideas of how to get me out of the truck. Alive, anyway.
It was starting to get hot, but I didn’t know if I could do anything about it without blowing anyone (um, mostly me) up. Maybe I should have paid more attention in science class…
I looked at my purse again. My mp3 player rested inside, so I could have music at least. If these were going to be my last moments on earth, which song should I go out on?
One of the firemen yelled for me again. “You doing okay, ma’am?”
Peachy.
He made a motion—a different one!—with his hand. I could roll down the window. Damp air rushed in as I manually opened it. If I stuck my nose out, would it have gotten zapped? This was all such a shocking experience.
Har har har.
“It’ll be about twenty minutes, ma’am. FPL’s on its way.”
He reminded me of someone. I couldn’t figure out who. But then I started wondering: if they couldn’t do anything—only FPL could—then why were they there? Just to block the road? Or maybe to put out the fire if I blew up? Or for CPR if I got electrocuted?
No, I wasn’t freaking out. Not really. I just tend to be a tad morbid. My nerves were pretty bad, though. Almost as bad as when I gave that devotional at the conference…but not quite.
By this time I’d been there for thirty-five minutes. I’d have had my employer’s kitchen cleaned by then. Instead I had some material for a scene to put in who knew what story. Should it be a comedy? The hero could be a firefighter—
—Who did that guy remind me of?—
—and he could talk the heroine through it. Maybe crack some morbid jokes, flirt, exchange
phone numbers or something.
Or I could up the tension and put it in a romantic suspense. Decisions, decisions.
I was on my second page of notes now, and I was calming down. I had a new scene for a new story, some fresh air flowing through, paper and a pen and words. But yeah, I definitely should have stopped for that root beer.
Still in the truck. Still having morbid thoughts. If the cop hadn’t been there, I would have gotten out of the car. If I’d been electrocuted and died, did I have any regrets, anything that wasn’t in order?
Well…my husband’s work clothes were lined up and ready for the next month or so. That was good. I’d swept and taken out the trash. The dishes were clean and most of the laundry done. Christmas gifts were bought or at least figured out, although not wrapped, and a couple needed an explanation, but that was okay. Jason’s coffee was even ready to go. Not bad. A pat on the back…As for my writing, there were some documents that needed to spontaneously combust in the event of my death. Anyone know where I could get a program to do that?
There were some things I wished I’d done better. But all in all, I think it would have been okay. Of course, that could have been the shock speaking…
I should have been recording this. I waited until the firemen weren’t looking, then snapped a picture on my phone. I could at least have that. I sent it to my husband. He got that one first—an image of the fire truck and firefighters outside the truck window—then the text that started out “I’m stuck in the car…” I’m not sure if he was more concerned about me or the fact that I should have taken the other vehicle—the one we needed to total. When he found out what really happened, his main question was, "How did you...?"
All I can say is, only me…
My brother saw the picture and texted back: “They’re staying awfully far away.”
That they were. But then the familiar-looking one stood at the edge of the lawn again.
Brad Johnson. The actor. That’s who he reminded me of.
He said, “We’ll get you out in just a minute, ma’am. FPL is here. You okay?”
Fine.
A big truck from the power company rounded the corner, and the fire truck made room. It had been forty-eight minutes.
I knew this was a scene worthy to go in a book. But was it newsworthy? I hoped not. This wasn’t exactly the kind of press I wanted.
Moments later, the power was off and a guy in jeans and a t-shirt sauntered up to the truck, while the firefighters in all their gear still kept a safe distance. The FPL hero untangled the now-dead wire from my bumper, and I was good to go.
The firemen and cop and my boss gathered around. I gave information for their report. I told them they’d all end up in my novel. The cop apologized for yelling at me. He’d only wanted to make sure I stayed in the car. I said I was sorry for the trouble. The shorter fireman with the mustache gave a happy smile and said, “These things happen.”
I wanted to ask, “To who?” But I knew the answer to that one already.
He said he was just glad it turned out this way. Because what could have happened was…and he proceeded to tell me a little about electricity and the wet cement and the metal car and me frying myself.
I’m glad it turned out this way, too. I think maybe I owe some people some Christmas cookies.
The moral of this story: Do not drive over a hot wire. Or…don’t go anywhere without a book. Or…just go ahead and ask the Brad guy if you can take his picture, because he saw the one you tried to sneak anyway.
I should have stopped. I could have used a drink.
Minutes later, I pulled onto my employer’s street. Her front door was wide open. A cop car sat on the street nearby. Had someone broken into the house? Or was someone in the family hurt? I glanced from the house to the cop (who seemed to be watching me) and back to the house again. The car was there. She must be home. So I pulled into the driveway, moved toward my designated parking spot, froze when I realized the cop was yelling and honking and waving his arms at me.
Oh boy. What did I do this time?
I stared at him, a bit wide-eyed, I’m sure. He was pointing somewhere. I looked back. There was a rope dangling from the tall shrubs lining the drive…and it attached itself to my truck somehow.
Okay. So I was about to pull down a tree or something? Fine. I’d try to dislodge it. So I put the truck in reverse and backed up a few paces. The cop started yelling and honking and motioning again. This time I saw the neighbor across the road. He had a slightly shell-shocked expression as he held a cell phone to one ear and raised his free hand to do that same stop motion. Okay. So I’d stop. I put the truck in park and just sat there. I looked in my rearview mirror again.
It wasn’t a rope, and it was not attached to a tree. It was a downed power line. I shut off the vehicle.
They were still staring at me, still motioning. My employer stood in her doorway. She yelled to ask me if I had my cell phone. I nodded and raise it. She went back inside, then reappeared a moment later with the house phone in her hand.
“Jenness,” she said over the line, “that’s a hot wire. Don’t get out of the car. Just stay there, okay? I don’t want you to die.”
Really? Me either, come to think of it, especially right before Christmas.
“A fire truck is on the way. Do you have a book with you?” she said, offering a smile.
I glanced at my purse. “No. But I have a notebook.”
She hung up and I looked over at the cop again. He was making me nervous. Apparently I made him nervous, too, because he shook his head, doing that whole stop motion, and said, “Stay there. Don’t get out of the car.”
I’m staying here. I’m not getting out of the car.
“Did you hear explosions?” the cop hollered to my employer.
She nodded. Apparently I’d managed to blow two transformers. That wasn’t helping my panic levels. Or my ego, for that matter. I felt pretty stupid. How could I have run over a power line? How could I have gotten it stuck on my truck?
This is why I’m a writer, because these things could only happen to me. And what would I do with this material otherwise????
I sent a text to my husband, and a couple others for good measure. I was a little scared to talk on the phone. All I knew about electricity was that it powered my computer. If I talked on the cell phone, could it somehow spark something and set the whole shebang on fire? I’m a writer. I don’t know these things. I figured I’d stay off the phone just in case. Actually, I was more afraid that talking to my husband, telling him exactly what was going on, would make me think about it a little bit too much. It was almost Christmas. I wanted to see him open the crazy off-his-list gift I ordered for him. Talking to him could set off, not a fire, but my tear ducts. So…no cell phone.
I pulled out the notebook. I should have worked on judging some contest entries I was supposed to finish today. Or maybe write a scene for my new book. But Jake and Raymi stayed far away, and the cop was still giving me that look. So the first words that came out were: Cop keeps doing the “Stop” motion.
Fine. I’d take notes. This was definitely story material.
A siren wailed briefly, then the fire truck came into view. The policeman directed it, and the truck planted itself in the middle of the road, blocking traffic. The policeman drove off, apparently to set up a detour. Three firemen got out, dressed in full gear, sans helmets.
“Stay inside the truck, ma’am!” one called. He did that same motion with his hands.
Next time you see me, don’t wave. Don’t raise your hands. Don’t motion or point. If you do, I just might go into full panic mode, and it probably won’t be pretty.
I nodded and mouthed okay. The truck was my little bubble of safety. A warm bubble, and growing warmer. But it was safe. And maybe it was getting a wee bit damaged? We could have used a new one. Would insurance cover this?
I had a flip cam in my purse. My husband would have been so proud of me if I took it out and started recording. The first vlog for his dream youtube channel. I wimped out. Electricity and all.
By this time I’d been sitting in the driveway for twenty minutes or so. The firemen had been there about five. They still stood in the middle of the road, far away from me, talking and pacing. I hoped they were waiting for FPL to cut off the power or something. If not, it didn’t seem like they were coming up with any ideas of how to get me out of the truck. Alive, anyway.
It was starting to get hot, but I didn’t know if I could do anything about it without blowing anyone (um, mostly me) up. Maybe I should have paid more attention in science class…
I looked at my purse again. My mp3 player rested inside, so I could have music at least. If these were going to be my last moments on earth, which song should I go out on?
One of the firemen yelled for me again. “You doing okay, ma’am?”
Peachy.
He made a motion—a different one!—with his hand. I could roll down the window. Damp air rushed in as I manually opened it. If I stuck my nose out, would it have gotten zapped? This was all such a shocking experience.
Har har har.
“It’ll be about twenty minutes, ma’am. FPL’s on its way.”
He reminded me of someone. I couldn’t figure out who. But then I started wondering: if they couldn’t do anything—only FPL could—then why were they there? Just to block the road? Or maybe to put out the fire if I blew up? Or for CPR if I got electrocuted?
No, I wasn’t freaking out. Not really. I just tend to be a tad morbid. My nerves were pretty bad, though. Almost as bad as when I gave that devotional at the conference…but not quite.
By this time I’d been there for thirty-five minutes. I’d have had my employer’s kitchen cleaned by then. Instead I had some material for a scene to put in who knew what story. Should it be a comedy? The hero could be a firefighter—
—Who did that guy remind me of?—
—and he could talk the heroine through it. Maybe crack some morbid jokes, flirt, exchange
phone numbers or something.
Or I could up the tension and put it in a romantic suspense. Decisions, decisions.
I was on my second page of notes now, and I was calming down. I had a new scene for a new story, some fresh air flowing through, paper and a pen and words. But yeah, I definitely should have stopped for that root beer.
Still in the truck. Still having morbid thoughts. If the cop hadn’t been there, I would have gotten out of the car. If I’d been electrocuted and died, did I have any regrets, anything that wasn’t in order?
Well…my husband’s work clothes were lined up and ready for the next month or so. That was good. I’d swept and taken out the trash. The dishes were clean and most of the laundry done. Christmas gifts were bought or at least figured out, although not wrapped, and a couple needed an explanation, but that was okay. Jason’s coffee was even ready to go. Not bad. A pat on the back…As for my writing, there were some documents that needed to spontaneously combust in the event of my death. Anyone know where I could get a program to do that?
There were some things I wished I’d done better. But all in all, I think it would have been okay. Of course, that could have been the shock speaking…
I should have been recording this. I waited until the firemen weren’t looking, then snapped a picture on my phone. I could at least have that. I sent it to my husband. He got that one first—an image of the fire truck and firefighters outside the truck window—then the text that started out “I’m stuck in the car…” I’m not sure if he was more concerned about me or the fact that I should have taken the other vehicle—the one we needed to total. When he found out what really happened, his main question was, "How did you...?"
All I can say is, only me…
My brother saw the picture and texted back: “They’re staying awfully far away.”
That they were. But then the familiar-looking one stood at the edge of the lawn again.
Brad Johnson. The actor. That’s who he reminded me of.
He said, “We’ll get you out in just a minute, ma’am. FPL is here. You okay?”
Fine.
A big truck from the power company rounded the corner, and the fire truck made room. It had been forty-eight minutes.
I knew this was a scene worthy to go in a book. But was it newsworthy? I hoped not. This wasn’t exactly the kind of press I wanted.
Moments later, the power was off and a guy in jeans and a t-shirt sauntered up to the truck, while the firefighters in all their gear still kept a safe distance. The FPL hero untangled the now-dead wire from my bumper, and I was good to go.
The firemen and cop and my boss gathered around. I gave information for their report. I told them they’d all end up in my novel. The cop apologized for yelling at me. He’d only wanted to make sure I stayed in the car. I said I was sorry for the trouble. The shorter fireman with the mustache gave a happy smile and said, “These things happen.”
I wanted to ask, “To who?” But I knew the answer to that one already.
He said he was just glad it turned out this way. Because what could have happened was…and he proceeded to tell me a little about electricity and the wet cement and the metal car and me frying myself.
I’m glad it turned out this way, too. I think maybe I owe some people some Christmas cookies.
The moral of this story: Do not drive over a hot wire. Or…don’t go anywhere without a book. Or…just go ahead and ask the Brad guy if you can take his picture, because he saw the one you tried to sneak anyway.
12/9/09
A Merry Little Christmas Gift
Well, I got an early Christmas present yesterday. My editor sent me an email with an attached list of nominees for the annual RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Awards. And Double Take just happens to be on it...twice. :-) Double Take was nominated for best Love Inspired Suspense and also best First Series Romance. The winners will be announced in the June edition of RT Book Reviews magazine, as well as at their Booklovers Convention in April.
Just thought I'd share. Aren't you glad I got nominated so I'd actually post a new blog entry???? Ha. I'm going to blame my current bad-blogger streak on the busiest time of the year...but ya'll know better, don't you?
Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas season!
Just thought I'd share. Aren't you glad I got nominated so I'd actually post a new blog entry???? Ha. I'm going to blame my current bad-blogger streak on the busiest time of the year...but ya'll know better, don't you?
Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas season!
11/11/09
Christmas Book Project
I'm woefully behind on my blogging, but what's new, right? Anyway, I love this time of year. It cools down some here in South Florida, reminding us why we love it here. And...Christmas is around the corner! Which means hot apple cider and wish lists and shopping and decorations...I love it.
Anyway, last year I did something different for one of my Christmas presents. I'm not an arts-and-crafts type person. I like that kind of stuff but usually don't have the patience. Scrapbook when I can be reading? Are you kidding? But my sister-in-law is very much into the cardmaking/scrapbooking scene, and she comes from a family that highly prizes handmade gifts. The more sentimental, the better. So instead of getting her the usual assortment of scarves, candles, bath stuff, etc., I decided to try my hand at making an altered book. I mean, it's a book, right? I love books--any kind of book. I also thought it might be cheaper, but don't tell her that.
She has a couple of Yorkshire Terriers, so I decided to make a photo album/quote book for her. She'd have to add the pictures, of course. But at least I had a theme.
Step 1: I found an old hardcover book about that particular breed on eBay. It had some cool pictures of the dogs, some interesting information, and a lot of other stuff that she'd never read.
Step 2: I kept the book for a while. Looking at it. Looking at altered books online. Trying to figure out what in the world I'd gotten myself in to and where in the world was I going to start.
Step 3: I ran across some cool craft paper. Bought it. Looked around some more. Ended up with four different colors of paint, an ink pad, a stamp, a collection of alphabet stamps, a thick pad of frames/phrases/etc. for scrapbooking, paint brushes, craft glue, chipboard embellishments, an exacto knife, etc.
Step 4: I stared at the book for a few weeks longer.
Step 5: I looked through the book, marking the pages I wanted to keep as they were.
Step 6: I dared to cut a page of a book. That was hard. Especially when the exacto knife thing cut a few more pages than it was supposed to.
Step 7: I lost the pages I had marked to save.
Step 8: I spread everything over the coffee table.
Step 9: The pile grew until it covered the counter.
Step 10: We bought a table to put in the study and moved the mess there.
Step 11: I looked up quotes about dogs. Lots of quotes. I picked out my favorites.
Step 12: I painted some stuff, glued on some letters, let the pages dry, stuck the brushes in the air conditioning unit to dry, and painted some more pages. Cut some more. Ripped some more. Glued some more. Let dry some more.
Step 13: Got paint on a favorite skirt. Had brushes growing out of my air conditioner. Stained my ramekins from using them as paint holders. Got turquoise and brown and black and white paint dots all over my kitchen sink.
Step 14: Tried to clean it up. Sort of.
Step 15: Worked on the book some more. Ran out of paint. Ran out of ink in my calligraphy pen. Started to run out of ideas. Left a whole chapter as it was, supposedly because it was interesting. Mostly because I ran out of ideas.
Step 16: Took pictures of every page. Showed my family the book. Showed my husband the book. More than once. Showed my dog the book. Showed my best friend the book. Showed it to her mom, too. Her dad pretended interest. He's a good guy.
Step 17: Wrapped it up. Put it under the tree. Waited.
Step 18: My sister-in-law tried to guess what it was. Failed. Big-time.
Step 19: Christmas time came. She opened the present. She cried. Ahh...success. :-)
Step 20: Tried to come up with a new idea for Christmas 09. Failed.
Step 21: Have contacted my sister-in-law for a wish list for this year.
Here's some pictures of the project. Anyone else have any fun gift ideas having to do with books?
Anyway, last year I did something different for one of my Christmas presents. I'm not an arts-and-crafts type person. I like that kind of stuff but usually don't have the patience. Scrapbook when I can be reading? Are you kidding? But my sister-in-law is very much into the cardmaking/scrapbooking scene, and she comes from a family that highly prizes handmade gifts. The more sentimental, the better. So instead of getting her the usual assortment of scarves, candles, bath stuff, etc., I decided to try my hand at making an altered book. I mean, it's a book, right? I love books--any kind of book. I also thought it might be cheaper, but don't tell her that.
She has a couple of Yorkshire Terriers, so I decided to make a photo album/quote book for her. She'd have to add the pictures, of course. But at least I had a theme.
Step 1: I found an old hardcover book about that particular breed on eBay. It had some cool pictures of the dogs, some interesting information, and a lot of other stuff that she'd never read.
Step 2: I kept the book for a while. Looking at it. Looking at altered books online. Trying to figure out what in the world I'd gotten myself in to and where in the world was I going to start.
Step 3: I ran across some cool craft paper. Bought it. Looked around some more. Ended up with four different colors of paint, an ink pad, a stamp, a collection of alphabet stamps, a thick pad of frames/phrases/etc. for scrapbooking, paint brushes, craft glue, chipboard embellishments, an exacto knife, etc.
Step 4: I stared at the book for a few weeks longer.
Step 5: I looked through the book, marking the pages I wanted to keep as they were.
Step 6: I dared to cut a page of a book. That was hard. Especially when the exacto knife thing cut a few more pages than it was supposed to.
Step 7: I lost the pages I had marked to save.
Step 8: I spread everything over the coffee table.
Step 9: The pile grew until it covered the counter.
Step 10: We bought a table to put in the study and moved the mess there.
Step 11: I looked up quotes about dogs. Lots of quotes. I picked out my favorites.
Step 12: I painted some stuff, glued on some letters, let the pages dry, stuck the brushes in the air conditioning unit to dry, and painted some more pages. Cut some more. Ripped some more. Glued some more. Let dry some more.
Step 13: Got paint on a favorite skirt. Had brushes growing out of my air conditioner. Stained my ramekins from using them as paint holders. Got turquoise and brown and black and white paint dots all over my kitchen sink.
Step 14: Tried to clean it up. Sort of.
Step 15: Worked on the book some more. Ran out of paint. Ran out of ink in my calligraphy pen. Started to run out of ideas. Left a whole chapter as it was, supposedly because it was interesting. Mostly because I ran out of ideas.
Step 16: Took pictures of every page. Showed my family the book. Showed my husband the book. More than once. Showed my dog the book. Showed my best friend the book. Showed it to her mom, too. Her dad pretended interest. He's a good guy.
Step 17: Wrapped it up. Put it under the tree. Waited.
Step 18: My sister-in-law tried to guess what it was. Failed. Big-time.
Step 19: Christmas time came. She opened the present. She cried. Ahh...success. :-)
Step 20: Tried to come up with a new idea for Christmas 09. Failed.
Step 21: Have contacted my sister-in-law for a wish list for this year.
Here's some pictures of the project. Anyone else have any fun gift ideas having to do with books?
10/13/09
TODAY!!!
Today is the day. The 13th. The official launch of my debut novel. Just thought you should know. :-)
10/7/09
Blog Tour Schedule
Since I'm such a bad blogger, I'm just going to go ahead and post the whole schedule right now. :-) Follow me and leave comments for a chance to win...stuff. :-)
October 5 – Keli Gwin’s blog
October 7 – Tiffany Stockton’s blog
October 8 – Trish Perry’s blog
October 10 - Robin Bayne's blog
October 11 – Margaret Daley’s blog
October 12 – Cynthia Hickey’s mystery blog
October 13 – Release date!! Lynda Schab’s blog
October 14 – Gina Welborn’s blog and Inkwell
October 15 –Cathy West’s blog
October 16 – Steeple Hill’s Publishing 101 blog
October 19 – Mary Ellen Huff’s blog
October 23 – Kim Watters’s blog
October 27 & 28 – Patty Wysong’s blog
October 30 – Liz Johnson’s blog
October 5 – Keli Gwin’s blog
October 7 – Tiffany Stockton’s blog
October 8 – Trish Perry’s blog
October 10 - Robin Bayne's blog
October 11 – Margaret Daley’s blog
October 12 – Cynthia Hickey’s mystery blog
October 13 – Release date!! Lynda Schab’s blog
October 14 – Gina Welborn’s blog and Inkwell
October 15 –Cathy West’s blog
October 16 – Steeple Hill’s Publishing 101 blog
October 19 – Mary Ellen Huff’s blog
October 23 – Kim Watters’s blog
October 27 & 28 – Patty Wysong’s blog
October 30 – Liz Johnson’s blog
10/5/09
Blog Tour Begins
My first interview was posted today. Check it out at http://romancewritersonthejourney.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/debut-author-jenness-walker-returns/ and leave a comment to win something!
10/4/09
Book Signing
Hey, y'all. Nine more days until Double Take hits the shelves! The next day, October 14th, will be my very first book signing, hosted by the Hobe Sound Christian Bookstore in Hobe Sound, FL. It'll start at 8 p.m. and go until we're done, I guess. :-) There will be refreshments and door prizes, and, of course, my book for sale. So rob your piggy banks and come join the fun! If you need directions, call (772)545-1471.
Meanwhile, stay tuned! I'll be posting about a new opportunity to get a free copy of Double Take.
Meanwhile, stay tuned! I'll be posting about a new opportunity to get a free copy of Double Take.
9/29/09
And The Winner Is...
Okay, folks, I'm ready to do my second giveaway! And the lucky person to receive a book this time is:
Texaswriter! Congrats!
I'm going to have more giveaways soon, so stay tuned!
Texaswriter! Congrats!
I'm going to have more giveaways soon, so stay tuned!
9/26/09
Conference Highlights
I survived the devotional:
Yes, I cried. Not deep racking sobs or anything, but I got choked up enough to not be able to talk for a few moments. Long enough that a friend considered running up to finish it for me. I made it through with God’s help…but there was a back-up devotional in place just in case. :-)
I learned a lot:
I took the Donald Maass early bird session. Incredible. I could have gone home after that and felt like I’d had an entire conference, minus the dressing up. Got some great ideas for my work-in-progress.
I figured out that group pitching is the way to go. When I panic and go blank, someone else who believes in my work can pick up the pieces and give me time to breathe and figure out what to say next. Thanks Betsy and Lori.
I sat through another of Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck’s classes. They are so fun and down-to-earth. Love those ladies. I also went to a marketing class and a few others.
I got to know quite a few people better:
Sandra, my roommate for Wednesday night, who managed to score a complimentary plate of cheese and something that looked suspiciously like caviar.
John, who looks like Spock on his blog profile picture, and who nearly laughed out loud when he heard I was going to give a devotional. He had a right to laugh. If I hadn’t been crying, I would have been laughing.
Andrew, a newbie who bravely told the whole table about his story while we laughed. Dude, your story idea has stuck with me. You made an impression!
Lori, another of my roommates who is a total blast, and her writing is amazing. If you don’t believe me, ask the editor who dragged her over to another editor’s table during her appointment and told the lady, “You have got to read this.”
Betsy, a.k.a. The Writing Machine. My other roommate and a great writing bud. I’m still trying to figure out how all three of us got up, showered, dressed, presentable, and down to breakfast in one hour.
Liz, a fellow LIS author. And so many others…
The hotel staff was great:
During the break before my devotional Saturday morning, I headed out to the lobby to find a quiet spot to try to calm myself down. Hugging myself, I started to walk past the hotel restaurant. The hostess saw me and asked if I was cold. I said no—nervous. She gave the kindest smile and said, “You’ll do fine.” That afternoon I passed her again, and she asked me how I did.
The first face I really saw after I finished my devotional was a server’s. Beaming, she smiled sweetly and wiped away tears, and I figured I must have done okay.
Some funny stuff:
Jenny B. Jones won an award for one of her books. She wasn’t there to accept it, so her agent, the great Chip McGregor, took the stage, decked out in his kilt. And proceeded to direct us all in the wave, as per her instructions.
Keynote speaker and best-selling author Debbie Macomber read some of the reader mail she’d gotten over the years. Like, “Your books are the macaroni and cheese of my life…” and a few others not quite so flattering.
Jamba Juice…Harry Kraus informed us that in Africa, this isn’t something you’d want to drink. Ever.
Some Denver stuff:
My uncle gave me a tour of Denver. I saw the cool buildings downtown. The mountains…oh, and some more mountains. Some elk on a golf course. The blue horse statue with the creepy glowing red eyes. The crazy Mexican restaurant that was like Rain Forest Café on steroids. The zoo that was really awesome except for the meerkat. Yes. One lone meerkat. With no sand to dig in. AND I saw it snow…while I was wearing flip flops.
Some writing stuff:
I didn’t get any invites to send anything, but that was okay. The project I was pitching was very different. Instead, I did make some good contacts, and I got some great advice how to make my different story more saleable. I’m definitely going to be working on that.
ACFW is such an amazing conference. The atmosphere is full of love and a desire to please God. The worship is great—Rachel leads with such a sweet spirit. The big-shots don’t act like big-shots. We’re all there to learn and to serve and to help each other and pray for one another. If you want to write fiction, join the organization. It’ll be one of the best things you ever did.
Yes, I cried. Not deep racking sobs or anything, but I got choked up enough to not be able to talk for a few moments. Long enough that a friend considered running up to finish it for me. I made it through with God’s help…but there was a back-up devotional in place just in case. :-)
I learned a lot:
I took the Donald Maass early bird session. Incredible. I could have gone home after that and felt like I’d had an entire conference, minus the dressing up. Got some great ideas for my work-in-progress.
I figured out that group pitching is the way to go. When I panic and go blank, someone else who believes in my work can pick up the pieces and give me time to breathe and figure out what to say next. Thanks Betsy and Lori.
I sat through another of Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck’s classes. They are so fun and down-to-earth. Love those ladies. I also went to a marketing class and a few others.
I got to know quite a few people better:
Sandra, my roommate for Wednesday night, who managed to score a complimentary plate of cheese and something that looked suspiciously like caviar.
John, who looks like Spock on his blog profile picture, and who nearly laughed out loud when he heard I was going to give a devotional. He had a right to laugh. If I hadn’t been crying, I would have been laughing.
Andrew, a newbie who bravely told the whole table about his story while we laughed. Dude, your story idea has stuck with me. You made an impression!
Lori, another of my roommates who is a total blast, and her writing is amazing. If you don’t believe me, ask the editor who dragged her over to another editor’s table during her appointment and told the lady, “You have got to read this.”
Betsy, a.k.a. The Writing Machine. My other roommate and a great writing bud. I’m still trying to figure out how all three of us got up, showered, dressed, presentable, and down to breakfast in one hour.
Liz, a fellow LIS author. And so many others…
The hotel staff was great:
During the break before my devotional Saturday morning, I headed out to the lobby to find a quiet spot to try to calm myself down. Hugging myself, I started to walk past the hotel restaurant. The hostess saw me and asked if I was cold. I said no—nervous. She gave the kindest smile and said, “You’ll do fine.” That afternoon I passed her again, and she asked me how I did.
The first face I really saw after I finished my devotional was a server’s. Beaming, she smiled sweetly and wiped away tears, and I figured I must have done okay.
Some funny stuff:
Jenny B. Jones won an award for one of her books. She wasn’t there to accept it, so her agent, the great Chip McGregor, took the stage, decked out in his kilt. And proceeded to direct us all in the wave, as per her instructions.
Keynote speaker and best-selling author Debbie Macomber read some of the reader mail she’d gotten over the years. Like, “Your books are the macaroni and cheese of my life…” and a few others not quite so flattering.
Jamba Juice…Harry Kraus informed us that in Africa, this isn’t something you’d want to drink. Ever.
Some Denver stuff:
My uncle gave me a tour of Denver. I saw the cool buildings downtown. The mountains…oh, and some more mountains. Some elk on a golf course. The blue horse statue with the creepy glowing red eyes. The crazy Mexican restaurant that was like Rain Forest Café on steroids. The zoo that was really awesome except for the meerkat. Yes. One lone meerkat. With no sand to dig in. AND I saw it snow…while I was wearing flip flops.
Some writing stuff:
I didn’t get any invites to send anything, but that was okay. The project I was pitching was very different. Instead, I did make some good contacts, and I got some great advice how to make my different story more saleable. I’m definitely going to be working on that.
ACFW is such an amazing conference. The atmosphere is full of love and a desire to please God. The worship is great—Rachel leads with such a sweet spirit. The big-shots don’t act like big-shots. We’re all there to learn and to serve and to help each other and pray for one another. If you want to write fiction, join the organization. It’ll be one of the best things you ever did.
9/22/09
Free Book!
I want to know--why would YOU tell someone to buy my book? Send me an email with your reason--off the wall or serious, doesn't matter. If I choose it to use for a project I'm working on, you just might earn yourself a free copy of Double Take. :-) Yes, it's called bribery. I'm not above that.
I promise...
...to blog about the conference soon.
I got home late last night after being away from my computer (oh, and my husband) for six whole days. No email. No facebook. And for the most part, no time to check it anyway. But it was like quitting cold turkey. I had a great conference, but I'm glad to be home. Hyacinth missed me. And Jason had brownies waiting. I have a good life. :-)
So let me get caught up a little, and then I'll fill my four readers in. :-)
I got home late last night after being away from my computer (oh, and my husband) for six whole days. No email. No facebook. And for the most part, no time to check it anyway. But it was like quitting cold turkey. I had a great conference, but I'm glad to be home. Hyacinth missed me. And Jason had brownies waiting. I have a good life. :-)
So let me get caught up a little, and then I'll fill my four readers in. :-)
9/15/09
Conference!!
So, it's that time again. Tomorrow I'm leaving on a jet plane waaaayyy too early to fly to Denver for the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers' conference. Yeah, the place where I'm giving a devotional. I'm back in the state of denial again. It's all written out, so if I can just forget about it until I actually have to give it...Nah, that ain't gonna happen. But it's going to be a great conference anyway.
And...that's it folks. Sorry. Too tired to write anything remotely witty. So I think I'll just go ahead and go to sle...
And...that's it folks. Sorry. Too tired to write anything remotely witty. So I think I'll just go ahead and go to sle...
9/7/09
Need Serious Help
Okay, so I've been quiet again. You've been taking bets on how many months I'd go without blogging this time, haven't you? Actually, you probably didn't notice, but anyway. Here I am again. And I'm trying not to freak out.
The conference is next week. NEXT WEEK!!! I'm so excited in a way. It's my conference. My beloved time with other weird people. We come together, inviting each other into our private little fictitious worlds. I get to meet little old ladies who write twisted mysteries. Men who are looking for advice how to spruce up the POV of the women in their stories. Women who pretend they understand women and try to give the men advice. Lots of authors, tons of books, and no one cares if you stand in the elevator and plot a murder. Okay, the hotel staff gets a little freaked out, but anyway...
In a way, though, I'm as freaked out as the staff. I agreed to do a devotional. 10 minutes. In front of a few hundred people. Many of them are speakers as well as writers. What was I thinking??!
So tonight was my local writers' group meeting. I took my little devotional, and even with only THREE of us there, the butterflies had a war going on in my stomach. I read it to them, with many disclaimers and breaks to guzzle a gallon or two of water. And still I cried. I cry when I'm nervous. Once again...What was I thinking????!!!??
Another problem of mine is the tendency to forget all but my name once I get in front of a microphone. So this devotional is written word for word. Maybe that in itself is the key. I have the speech. I just need someone to pretend to be me. Anybody out there five-foot-two-and-a-fourth, a bit on the plump side, with long brown hair and blue-grey eyes? Come to Denver next Saturday and we can work something out.
I make a mean white chocolate cheesecake. :-)
The conference is next week. NEXT WEEK!!! I'm so excited in a way. It's my conference. My beloved time with other weird people. We come together, inviting each other into our private little fictitious worlds. I get to meet little old ladies who write twisted mysteries. Men who are looking for advice how to spruce up the POV of the women in their stories. Women who pretend they understand women and try to give the men advice. Lots of authors, tons of books, and no one cares if you stand in the elevator and plot a murder. Okay, the hotel staff gets a little freaked out, but anyway...
In a way, though, I'm as freaked out as the staff. I agreed to do a devotional. 10 minutes. In front of a few hundred people. Many of them are speakers as well as writers. What was I thinking??!
So tonight was my local writers' group meeting. I took my little devotional, and even with only THREE of us there, the butterflies had a war going on in my stomach. I read it to them, with many disclaimers and breaks to guzzle a gallon or two of water. And still I cried. I cry when I'm nervous. Once again...What was I thinking????!!!??
Another problem of mine is the tendency to forget all but my name once I get in front of a microphone. So this devotional is written word for word. Maybe that in itself is the key. I have the speech. I just need someone to pretend to be me. Anybody out there five-foot-two-and-a-fourth, a bit on the plump side, with long brown hair and blue-grey eyes? Come to Denver next Saturday and we can work something out.
I make a mean white chocolate cheesecake. :-)
8/31/09
And The Winner Is...
Okay, tonight I'm drawing one name from my list of newletter subscribers. Next time I'll do two. But for now, the lucky person to get a sneak-peak at Double Take is...
(drumroll)
(can you feel the tension?)
(are you getting excited yet?)
(does it feel like you're watching one of those elimination reality shows?)
(could it be YOUR email address I pick out of the proverbial hat?)
(does anyone else hate the word proverbial?)
(no, I do not have adhd.)
(what was I talking about?)
Thanks for reading my blog. Have a great week!
Okay, just kidding. The winner is: jmp4l4cios!!!! Congrats. You just won a free book! I'll be emailing you for your mailing address.
Everyone else, I have another drawing coming up soon, so stay tuned and get your friends to subscribe. :-)
(drumroll)
(can you feel the tension?)
(are you getting excited yet?)
(does it feel like you're watching one of those elimination reality shows?)
(could it be YOUR email address I pick out of the proverbial hat?)
(does anyone else hate the word proverbial?)
(no, I do not have adhd.)
(what was I talking about?)
Thanks for reading my blog. Have a great week!
Okay, just kidding. The winner is: jmp4l4cios!!!! Congrats. You just won a free book! I'll be emailing you for your mailing address.
Everyone else, I have another drawing coming up soon, so stay tuned and get your friends to subscribe. :-)
8/30/09
The Critic's Take
This just in...The dreaded yet much-anticipated day has come. My husband finished reading my book. :-) He's been reading it on the sly when I'm not at home, and Saturday he finished. I didn't believe him. I quizzed him on a scene I knew I hadn't talked about before. He got it right, and gave me more details. Still didn't believe him, but it's true.
Jason read Double Take. All the way through.
He doesn't read romance. He doesn't read fiction, period. If he's going to take the time to read a book, it's going to be something he learns from - about leadership, computers, marketing, and God. But he promised that when one of my stories made it to actual book format, he'd read it.
Well, Double Take has a couple computers in it. I'm trying to do some marketing to sell the book. And it's got God. So... ;-) It must have had enough of something in it, anyway, because he finished it.
His comments: "I got a little frustrated at you because I couldn't find a good spot to put it down. Things kept happening." "There were times when I forgot I was reading something written by my wife." And, from his Twitter account, "I am impressed!!"
I still don't think he's going to make a habit of reading romantic suspense. In fact, he took it to work one day to read on his break, but ended up hiding it. lol. So his masculinity is still secure. But my most feared critic did read my book and he didn't hate it. He still loves me. And I didn't even know he was reading it. Gotta love the guy. :-)
Jason read Double Take. All the way through.
He doesn't read romance. He doesn't read fiction, period. If he's going to take the time to read a book, it's going to be something he learns from - about leadership, computers, marketing, and God. But he promised that when one of my stories made it to actual book format, he'd read it.
Well, Double Take has a couple computers in it. I'm trying to do some marketing to sell the book. And it's got God. So... ;-) It must have had enough of something in it, anyway, because he finished it.
His comments: "I got a little frustrated at you because I couldn't find a good spot to put it down. Things kept happening." "There were times when I forgot I was reading something written by my wife." And, from his Twitter account, "I am impressed!!"
I still don't think he's going to make a habit of reading romantic suspense. In fact, he took it to work one day to read on his break, but ended up hiding it. lol. So his masculinity is still secure. But my most feared critic did read my book and he didn't hate it. He still loves me. And I didn't even know he was reading it. Gotta love the guy. :-)
8/23/09
The CushTop
I'm not much of a SkyMall shopper, but I was on my way home from a writers' conference a couple years ago when I saw this lapdesk in one of the magazines on the plane. As a writer (and an email addict--yes, I'll admit it), I use my laptop. A lot. In fact, my computers are members of my family. I've even named them--Iggor and Hyacinth. Anyway, I put this on my Christmas list and my husband very kindly obliged and found it at Best Buy.
So this is Belkin's CushTop Notebook Stand. I had my old laptop at the time, and it had a tendency to run hot. Now, my husband does usually freeze me out, so a personal heater is appreciated, but not when it scorches my legs. Using this really helped. It's lightweight, and since the bottom isn't cushioned like the last lapdesk I had, it stays cool. I don't use it much since getting a different laptop, but it's nice to have on hand.
So this is Belkin's CushTop Notebook Stand. I had my old laptop at the time, and it had a tendency to run hot. Now, my husband does usually freeze me out, so a personal heater is appreciated, but not when it scorches my legs. Using this really helped. It's lightweight, and since the bottom isn't cushioned like the last lapdesk I had, it stays cool. I don't use it much since getting a different laptop, but it's nice to have on hand.
8/21/09
My New Best Friend
Come to find out, I've been wrong about when the Steeple Hill book club members receive their books. Instead of getting Double Take one month ahead of my book hitting the shelves, it appears they get it a full TWO months in advance. So Wednesday I was surprised to find an email waiting for me from a reader. (Sign up for my newsletter if you want to know what she said. And if you want to know how to win a free book. Yes. It's called bribery.) It was a nice note and such a great encouragement. Someone other than my mom likes my book! :-)
Then I met my new best friend. lol. Her online name is Jessicue, and she read Double Take last night in one sitting, then reviewed it on a forum on my publisher's website. Here's what she said:
This is a new and first time author for me. I started reading it right after the Steeple Hill Chat Thursday night. My first thoughts were wow a book based on another book. The main Character Cole sees the book he is reading playout right in front of his eyes. WOW! The heroine in this book looks just like the girl on the cover of the book Cole is reading.Rather trippy I would say. The screenplay that was acted out in this book was unbelievably suspenseful. I loved the fact that I couldn't find the Villan. I give this book a 10!!!! Kenzie lived a complete nightmare in this book....
I can very easily say I can see this book turning into a movie. Yes that is right I said I could see this LIS book turning into a movie. This was an awesome read! If I didn't subscribe to LIS monthly* Jenness Walker would have just moved to my must buy author list.
Jessiecue
Thanks so much, Jessiecue. You made my week.
Now...I guess I should work on writing something other than a blog for people to read, eh? :-)
*This is the Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense book club, which automatically sends you all of the monthly releases from that line.
Then I met my new best friend. lol. Her online name is Jessicue, and she read Double Take last night in one sitting, then reviewed it on a forum on my publisher's website. Here's what she said:
This is a new and first time author for me. I started reading it right after the Steeple Hill Chat Thursday night. My first thoughts were wow a book based on another book. The main Character Cole sees the book he is reading playout right in front of his eyes. WOW! The heroine in this book looks just like the girl on the cover of the book Cole is reading.Rather trippy I would say. The screenplay that was acted out in this book was unbelievably suspenseful. I loved the fact that I couldn't find the Villan. I give this book a 10!!!! Kenzie lived a complete nightmare in this book....
I can very easily say I can see this book turning into a movie. Yes that is right I said I could see this LIS book turning into a movie. This was an awesome read! If I didn't subscribe to LIS monthly* Jenness Walker would have just moved to my must buy author list.
Jessiecue
Thanks so much, Jessiecue. You made my week.
Now...I guess I should work on writing something other than a blog for people to read, eh? :-)
*This is the Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense book club, which automatically sends you all of the monthly releases from that line.
8/16/09
Scared
Today's pick of the week is the novel Scared, by Tom Davis.
This is a story about a photojournalist who travels to Africa to save his career. It ends up changing his life. And the book might change yours. Now, this is not a light read, and not one you will want to loan to your 10-year-old. It's not going to make you laugh, and you probably won't smile, either. It deals with poverty and AIDS and disaster and violence...but it also deals with hope. It felt so realistic I had to keep telling myself it was fiction. The thing is, though, much of it is based on fact. And it's going to leave you longing to make a difference in the world around you. It's a truly powerful book. Don't miss it.
So...have you read a novel that's changed you?
8/15/09
How Did You Meet?
In case anyone is wondering, I'm pretty much a seat-of-the-pants writer. Which means I don't have the story all outlined beforehand, don't do major character sketches and plot points and timelines and whatever else. Instead, I have a situation or a character or a dream that intrigues me, and I just write. Sometimes that results in a little backtracking or touching up during another draft as I get to know my characters better, but that's what works for me.
So...here I am, writing along and someone asks one of my ladies a question. How did she meet the guy who's (sort of) in her life? And I stopped, because I'm not sure how they met. So I googled how people met their future husbands, read a few interesting tales, and now I want to hear yours. So...if you're married or dating, tell me how you met. Help get my creative wheels turning. If you don't have a significant other, or you think your story is too boring--make up a scenario. You never know, I just might use it. :-)
Besides, it'll be fun. :-)
So...here I am, writing along and someone asks one of my ladies a question. How did she meet the guy who's (sort of) in her life? And I stopped, because I'm not sure how they met. So I googled how people met their future husbands, read a few interesting tales, and now I want to hear yours. So...if you're married or dating, tell me how you met. Help get my creative wheels turning. If you don't have a significant other, or you think your story is too boring--make up a scenario. You never know, I just might use it. :-)
Besides, it'll be fun. :-)
8/10/09
My Man Godfrey
I'm such a bad blogger, but I can almost always talk about the books or movies I love. So...in order to get myself to blog more regularly, I'm going to start doing a pick of the week: books, movies, blogs, cleaning supplies, whatever. :-) Hopefully this will also get my sister-in-law to stop harrassing me to send her a new reading list. (Just kidding, Holly.)
Anyway, I recently watched the 1936 version of My Man Godfrey, starring William Powell and Carole Lombard.
It's a wacky romantic comedy that's just good, clean fun. Here's a quick summary of the story: "A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler...but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye."
So, if you get a chance, watch it and tell me what you think. :-) Meanwhile, have a great week!
8/9/09
Newsletter
Hey, y'all. I'm working on my very first newsletter, and am hoping to send it out by the 15th. If you haven't signed up for it yet, go to http://jennesswalker.com/ and find the place to subscribe in the sidebar. I'm going to be running a contest pretty soon, so don't miss it! :-)
7/30/09
THE BOOK!!!
I got a little something in the mail today: A nice box full of books. That's something that'll always make me happy, but these books happen to have my name on them. Yup. My author copies of Double Take arrived today. I brought the box inside and looked at it, set it down, looked at it some more. But my husband was in a meeting, so he couldn't come home to open them with me. So I checked my email. Gathered some things for errands. Then picked up the box, too, along with the camera. I was good--I waited until Jason could be there before I opened it; I was bad--I crashed his meeting to do it. :-)
His mom and dad were there, and his mom brought out her massive video camera to record the event. Then we went over to my parents' house and did the whole blinded-by-camera-flashes thing over again.
So I did get to open it with my husband. Even though he doesn't even read fiction, he's been amazingly supportive through all my writing stuff--sending me to conferences, allowing me to work only a few days a week even though we could use the money, and promising to actually read my stuff once it comes out in its final version in an actual book. So...he pulled one out a brand new copy of Double Take, looked at it and said, "Oh no. Now I have to read it..."
Okay, he didn't actually say the Oh, no part. But THAT'S when we'll really need the camera--when my husband picks up this romantic suspense novel and reads it from beginning to end. :-)
So...I have my books. Forty-eight copies, to be exact. A little over half of these will go to a list of friends and family members who have been very supportive with my writing--a list that was so hard to narrow down. The other books will go toward promotional giveaways online in October.
Thanks for sharing in the excitement! :-)
His mom and dad were there, and his mom brought out her massive video camera to record the event. Then we went over to my parents' house and did the whole blinded-by-camera-flashes thing over again.
So I did get to open it with my husband. Even though he doesn't even read fiction, he's been amazingly supportive through all my writing stuff--sending me to conferences, allowing me to work only a few days a week even though we could use the money, and promising to actually read my stuff once it comes out in its final version in an actual book. So...he pulled one out a brand new copy of Double Take, looked at it and said, "Oh no. Now I have to read it..."
Okay, he didn't actually say the Oh, no part. But THAT'S when we'll really need the camera--when my husband picks up this romantic suspense novel and reads it from beginning to end. :-)So...I have my books. Forty-eight copies, to be exact. A little over half of these will go to a list of friends and family members who have been very supportive with my writing--a list that was so hard to narrow down. The other books will go toward promotional giveaways online in October.
Thanks for sharing in the excitement! :-)
7/24/09
Summer Vacation Part 2
We were in Jacksonville, FL for the rest of our trip. Here are some of the things we did:
1. Watched a baseball game, where we ate too much, enjoyed fireworks, got free baseball caps...
...and saw Irish wrestling for the first time ever. (For those of you not in the know...which is probably all three of my loyal readers...Irish wrestling was actually a staged match with a couple little people/leprechauns.) Interesting, to say the least. :-)
2. Went to two museums. The wrong two, apparently. The manuscript museum had a small collection of photocopies of old letters, etc. It took about two minutes to go through. But the building was cool. Kind of run down, but it apparently used to be a theater/opera house, with a small orchestra pit and everything.
The second museum was one for contemporary art. We figured it wouldn't be quite our style, but it would be something different. Well...it was definitely different. One floor was made up almost entirely of videos. Odd videos. Like of a woman putting on her make-up, but the camera was in the make-up brushes. So, close up shots, to say the least. Or the one where the guy was covered in mud and veeeeeeerrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy slllllllllllooooooooooowwwlly approached the camera. Or the one where the guy did a slow and exaggerated cat walk down a long hallway. Yeah. Weird. Maybe they would have made more sense if we'd read all of the explanations beside the displays, but I doubt it.
So the museums...not something I would do again, but definitely something we'll remember. :-)
4. We drove around a lot. Jacksonville is a sprawling city. I could never live there--WAY too many shopping plazas and interesting looking restaurants. :-) We got stuck in Hobby Lobby for a couple hours, trying to pick out some wall decor for our newly repainted rooms. Finally took pictures of a bunch of things and left to decide on later. Never did make up our minds...Anyway, the city also has some cool bridges and buildings.
5. We walked around the San Marco shops a little bit. Got some ice cream, ate it near the gazebo...
...and of course couldn't resist going into this shop --
The Write Touch. :-) Cute little store with stationary and computer bags and an old golden retriever who greeted us at the door. All the frames for sale in the shop had the dog's picture in them.
1. Watched a baseball game, where we ate too much, enjoyed fireworks, got free baseball caps...
...and saw Irish wrestling for the first time ever. (For those of you not in the know...which is probably all three of my loyal readers...Irish wrestling was actually a staged match with a couple little people/leprechauns.) Interesting, to say the least. :-)
2. Went to two museums. The wrong two, apparently. The manuscript museum had a small collection of photocopies of old letters, etc. It took about two minutes to go through. But the building was cool. Kind of run down, but it apparently used to be a theater/opera house, with a small orchestra pit and everything.
The second museum was one for contemporary art. We figured it wouldn't be quite our style, but it would be something different. Well...it was definitely different. One floor was made up almost entirely of videos. Odd videos. Like of a woman putting on her make-up, but the camera was in the make-up brushes. So, close up shots, to say the least. Or the one where the guy was covered in mud and veeeeeeerrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy slllllllllllooooooooooowwwlly approached the camera. Or the one where the guy did a slow and exaggerated cat walk down a long hallway. Yeah. Weird. Maybe they would have made more sense if we'd read all of the explanations beside the displays, but I doubt it. So the museums...not something I would do again, but definitely something we'll remember. :-)
3. Something else I probably wouldn't do again...We tried sushi for the first time. Kind of on accident. We ordered dinner "boxes" at a Japanese restaurant and ended up with a sampling of things. Among them--California rolls. I think that's what they were, anyway. I ate all of mine just because. They weren't disgusting, but they weren't exactly good, either.
4. We drove around a lot. Jacksonville is a sprawling city. I could never live there--WAY too many shopping plazas and interesting looking restaurants. :-) We got stuck in Hobby Lobby for a couple hours, trying to pick out some wall decor for our newly repainted rooms. Finally took pictures of a bunch of things and left to decide on later. Never did make up our minds...Anyway, the city also has some cool bridges and buildings.
5. We walked around the San Marco shops a little bit. Got some ice cream, ate it near the gazebo...
...and of course couldn't resist going into this shop --
The Write Touch. :-) Cute little store with stationary and computer bags and an old golden retriever who greeted us at the door. All the frames for sale in the shop had the dog's picture in them.
6. Went to the zoo. Of course! No meerkats this time, but we did have a bird freak us out. And we watched a monkey mess with the face of a giant-gerbil-like thing.
7. Met up with Jason's cousin and his wife and ate at Cheesecake Factory. Yeah. That in itself would have made it a good vacation. :-)
So...that was the summer trip for 2009. Next year, we're thinking about Kentucky. :-) Any suggestions?
Guest Blog Entry
A friend of mine had me fill in for a day on her blog while she was out of town. (Which is ironic, considering I hardly write in my own whether I'm in town or not, eh?) I resurrected a post about my experience with pitching to editors and agents. Check it out here: http://on-the-write-track.blogspot.com/2009/07/pitching-lessons.html
Speaking of pitching...I just bought my ticket to the ACFW conference in September. Yay! :-) (I'm cheering for the conference in general, not the pitching.) It's being held in Denver this year, so I'll get to hang out with my uncle some as well. Debbie Macomber will be the keynote speaker, and agent Donald Maass is going to be doing an early bird session. It'll be a great conference. You should go! Check it out at www.acfw.com/conference.
Speaking of pitching...I just bought my ticket to the ACFW conference in September. Yay! :-) (I'm cheering for the conference in general, not the pitching.) It's being held in Denver this year, so I'll get to hang out with my uncle some as well. Debbie Macomber will be the keynote speaker, and agent Donald Maass is going to be doing an early bird session. It'll be a great conference. You should go! Check it out at www.acfw.com/conference.
7/19/09
Summer Vacation Part One
So...I'm back from a short, last-minute, but fun and much-needed vacation. :-) After working on our house for a month, we took off to the Jacksonville/St. Augustine, FL area. We decided to leave early--after I got home from work on Tuesday. We hadn't packed or anything, but we rushed around to get ready so we could make it far enough down the road to go to Texas Roadhouse for supper. Well, we made it. Barely. :-) It felt odd to order a full meal at 10 p.m., but ah well. Vacation, right?
The next morning we shopped in St. Augustine and then ate lunch on St. George Street. We were really in town just for the gelato from Cafe de Hidalgo. :-) Good stuff, let me tell you. 
Then we traveled on to Jacksonville, where we checked in to one of our favorite places in the world: Hotel Indigo. 
(The happy couple in the hallway. ;-) )
(The happy couple in the hallway. ;-) )
Ah...Hotel Indigo. Our very cool home away from home. We checked in, hung out for a little bit, and then went to a mini golf place. Jason won, of course. But I beat him at the NASCAR arcade thing, so maybe we're even. Either way, it was a great start to our less-than-usual planned-out vacation.
7/3/09
Fun Sign
I was shopping yesterday for our newly remodeled home (okay, remodeled is a slight exaggeration, but we did repair and repaint...), and I came across this sign I thought was fun.
"So it isn't Home Sweet Home...Adjust."
:-) Happy Fourth of July, y'all. Have a great one.
"So it isn't Home Sweet Home...Adjust."
:-) Happy Fourth of July, y'all. Have a great one.
6/30/09
Life
In the last month, I:
1. Painted my husband's classroom
2. Moved back in with my parents (Bet you weren't expecting that! Don't worry...my hubby came with me)
3. Moved my bedroom furniture into the living room, my couch into the kitchen, the shoes into the bathroom, the files into the dresser drawers, and basically turned my house upside down
4. Ripped up and replaced the floor
5. Repainted
6. Did some more painting
7. Oh, and painted again
8. Did something to my laptop so that it can't be unplugged or it'll die...maybe forever
9. Wrote a grand total of well, a grand or so. Sadly.
10. Spent way too much time and money at Home Depot
11. Spent three days organizing my new closet
12. Almost went with my mother to put down the family pet. The poor dog came within about half an hour of doggy heaven before she showed she still had enough life within her to enjoy a few more weeks of sweet Florida air
13. Saw my cover on Amazon, although no description is listed yet
14. LOST MY KEYS. Sadly.
15. Lost one of the supports for a corner shelf
16. Probably lost my mind, too
17. Bruised underneath my big toe by nearly falling down my parents' steps
18. Broke my poor Col. Klink bobblehead. (Schultz is okay, though.)
19. Fried myself so nicely that the librarian noticed and recommended buying an aloe plant
20. Moved back home into a beautiful, almost new interior, and am ignoring the rest of the work that needs to be done.
Now it's time to get to writing. Although I do have some decorating to do. And a big shopping trip to take. And a summer trip to plan. And a yard sale to oversee. And an attic to clean out. (Before the yard sale.) And...
Don't you love summer?
1. Painted my husband's classroom
2. Moved back in with my parents (Bet you weren't expecting that! Don't worry...my hubby came with me)
3. Moved my bedroom furniture into the living room, my couch into the kitchen, the shoes into the bathroom, the files into the dresser drawers, and basically turned my house upside down
4. Ripped up and replaced the floor
5. Repainted
6. Did some more painting
7. Oh, and painted again
8. Did something to my laptop so that it can't be unplugged or it'll die...maybe forever
9. Wrote a grand total of well, a grand or so. Sadly.
10. Spent way too much time and money at Home Depot
11. Spent three days organizing my new closet
12. Almost went with my mother to put down the family pet. The poor dog came within about half an hour of doggy heaven before she showed she still had enough life within her to enjoy a few more weeks of sweet Florida air
13. Saw my cover on Amazon, although no description is listed yet
14. LOST MY KEYS. Sadly.
15. Lost one of the supports for a corner shelf
16. Probably lost my mind, too
17. Bruised underneath my big toe by nearly falling down my parents' steps
18. Broke my poor Col. Klink bobblehead. (Schultz is okay, though.)
19. Fried myself so nicely that the librarian noticed and recommended buying an aloe plant
20. Moved back home into a beautiful, almost new interior, and am ignoring the rest of the work that needs to be done.
Now it's time to get to writing. Although I do have some decorating to do. And a big shopping trip to take. And a summer trip to plan. And a yard sale to oversee. And an attic to clean out. (Before the yard sale.) And...
Don't you love summer?
5/31/09
Tennessee Three
Here's the rest of our Tennessee trip. On the way out of Nashville, we stopped at the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's homestead. It was cool to see it and to walk around the property a bit.
Next stop was a bed and breakfast on the way to Memphis. We stayed at the Chestnut Hill Ranch, which had quite a few farm animals and a very relaxing atmosphere. We had fun hearing stories about the pet pig, Esmerelda, reading outside on the deck, and watching hummingbirds and finches right outside our window while we ate breakfast.
The next morning, we drove to Memphis, but with a pit stop in Collierville. They had a great town square area with a park in the center and unique shops all around it. We ate lunch in a railroad car, trying out some Southern cooking. And not doing so well. Fried green tomatoes just aren't for me. 
Then came Memphis. It wasn't my favorite city of the trip, but the food was amazing! We ate at an Italian restaurant called Papa Pia's near Beale St.
After eating way too much, we meandered over a few blocks and watched part of a baseball game. 
Another thing we did in Memphis was to take a tour of Sun Studios (where Elvis first recorded).
We also walked Beale Street and ate some BBQ at the King's Palace Cafe. Good stuff!
All in all, the Tennessee vacation was a lot of fun. Great memories.
Now it's your turn--what great stuff did we miss doing in Tennessee...just in case we decide to go back sometime? :-)
5/29/09
More Travel Stuff
Okay, here's some more Tennessee trip stuff...just because it was a great trip and it's summertime. :-) When we left Chattanooga, we headed to Nashville. But we made a pit stop in Bell Buckle for some shopping. I LOVE that place. I'm going to have to set a story there, I think, just so I can go back sometime. 
After Bell Buckle, we drove to Nashville and checked into our hotel. On one of our spring break trips, we'd stayed in the Hotel Indigo in Sarasota and loved it, so we decided to try out the Nashville version. It's a botique hotel with different decor at each location. I think we both liked the Sarasota version better, but it was still great.
This was an upstairs lounge area where we read and hung out.
Jason and I love to check out a zoo on our trips. Our favorite animal display is the meerkat--love watching those things. In Nashville, we skipped the country music stuff and went to the zoo. There's probably something wrong with that, but we had fun. We walked around downtown then ate some BBQ.
Later, we checked out a bookstore (of course). It was here that I realized my books will probably be shelved very close to one of my all-time favorites--Walker--Warren. I thought that was pretty cool.
Here's the sign for Broadway - had to get that in there.
So there's a snippet of Nashville. Stayed tuned for Memphis. I'm sure you'll wait on the edge of your seat. :-)
5/19/09
Check it out...
Lovely author Erynn Mangum is doing a series on her blog, answering questions about publication, etc. She also is doing author interviews, and today she kindly interviewed me. :-) So check out Erynn's blog at http://www.erynnm.blogspot.com.
5/9/09
Travel Log
Okay, so I'm supposed to be writing. But as I sit here in the front room, surrounded by books, with music blaring, my gaze keeps falling on a picture of a historic hotel in Abbeyville, SC. And since I haven't blogged in a while, I thought maybe I post a few pictures from one of my vacations. (Not Abbeyville, because that was before I had a digital camera, and I don't feel like scanning pics. :-) )
I love to travel with my husband, and we have a lot of fun planning trips. Last summer we did a quick "tour" of Tennessee. We stayed at a bed and breakfast on a farm as well as a couple cool hotels. A lot of fun. Here are some pictures from our first stop: Chattanooaga.
On our anniversary, we went to cool restaurant in an old warehouse. Most of the building had been converted into an antique shop. The other part was a restaurant called Foodworks.
After supper, we picked up our tickets for a play at a community theater, then grabbed some dessert at the Mudpie restaurant. I loved that place. So much character. :-) The tables were mismatched, most of them heavy wood and scratched up. It was on a strip with little shops and restaurants near the water. The sidewalks outside had shoeprints in some areas with numbers beside them to teach you the steps of a waltz and other dances. After the play we walked out on a pedestrian bridge and looked at the water while we listened to a live band playing on the porch of another restaurant on the strip. A perfect evening. 
My brother and his family met us for a day, and we had fun taking a tour on a riverboat as well as checking out the aquarium. Jason and I also went to an art museum, but to get there, we had to walk over this glass bridge. Did I mention Jason is afraid of heights? :-) 
Our hotel was under construction, so the outside was a mess, as was some of the downstairs. In fact, if you looked at the building you wouldn't think it was open for business. But the rooms were newly remodeled and really great.
I absolutely loved Chattanooga. If we could have changed anything about our trip, we would have stayed there longer. The city was clean, there was a big variety of things to do, and there were tons of cute shops, coffee shops, dessert places, etc. One of these days I'll have to write a story that takes place there. I'd have to go back for research, right? :-)
My brother and his family met us for a day, and we had fun taking a tour on a riverboat as well as checking out the aquarium. Jason and I also went to an art museum, but to get there, we had to walk over this glass bridge. Did I mention Jason is afraid of heights? :-) Our hotel was under construction, so the outside was a mess, as was some of the downstairs. In fact, if you looked at the building you wouldn't think it was open for business. But the rooms were newly remodeled and really great.I absolutely loved Chattanooga. If we could have changed anything about our trip, we would have stayed there longer. The city was clean, there was a big variety of things to do, and there were tons of cute shops, coffee shops, dessert places, etc. One of these days I'll have to write a story that takes place there. I'd have to go back for research, right? :-)
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