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!
Showing posts with label Post-Contract Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Post-Contract Life. Show all posts
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.
9/7/09
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. :-)
8/21/09
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.
8/9/09
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! :-)
4/14/09
The Photo Shoot Report
Author photos—I put them off as long as I could. I waited until I knew the feel we were going for on my new website (coming soon!!). I waited until the photographers had come up with a package and some cool locations that would work. I waited until I could go in for a cleaning at the dentist. I waited so I could have time to shop for the perfect outfit. (Which I found…but they don’t make it for my size. Go figure.) (Did I just admit that on the world wide web?!)
Finally I decided just to get it over with. The waiting was making me even more nervous. I conferred with the photographers, decided on the next Friday…and when Friday came, we all found out that people have different definitions of “next”. Oops.
We rescheduled. Then needed to reschedule again. Lots of frustrated shopping and angst filled up that time. I practiced facial expressions in the mirror…although I didn’t remember any of them during the shoot. I even did a fashion show for my best friend Tonya and her baby Tyler to try to decide on what to wear. Tyler wasn’t much help. Tonya was.
But I wanted a second opinion, so the night before the shoot, I tried on some of the clothes again for my indulgent husband. He snapped a few pictures himself just so he’d remember what the outfits were when it came time to choose. (Really, it wasn’t THAT many.) After he took one picture, he told me, “Jenness, you really need to figure out what to do with your hands.” So I picked the shirt that covered them…
Saturday morning at 8:00, I met my photographers and climbed into their car, ready to be tortured for the next couple of hours. John Paul and Jolie Churchill are a husband and wife team that I’ve known for a long time. That was good, in that I was comfortable around them. Bad, because it was very strange to stare at John Paul for so long…
JP and Jolie knew how nervous I was, and they came prepared. Between JP kicking in the door of the shack (it was unlocked but stuck) in a move worthy of SWAT, Jolie muttering “ow” every two seconds as she worked her way through the underbrush, and the jokes they cracked, it was almost fun.
The first setting was a deserted shack. Two minutes in and my lips were already shaking and my eyes were squinty. I’m so not cut out for this stuff. We could be seen from a busy road, so I got kind of tickled at what some of the drivers might have been thinking. Wondering if I was someone important? No, they probably thought I was a high school senior. I still get that a lot…
I changed clothes in the Churchill’s darling house, then it was off to shoot some more. The second location was in a burned-out section of woods. The plants were growing back, but it still had a cool effect. And I was glad I’d worn mostly black because the ash left streaks all over JP and Jolie’s khaki clothes. Jolie had this idea to hang an old-fashioned mirror on one of the blackened tree trunks. It was awkward—I had a hard time not continually adjusting my hair or my facial expression since, well, it was a mirror. But I loved the end result.
The shoot took two or three hours. I discovered something else I can’t do—cock my head one direction and look in the other. (Hey, you try it.) I was exhausted when I got home. And I checked the Churchill’s blog a couple times daily to see if they’d posted any samples until I received the proofs. (Yes, JP, that’s why your traffic was up. I checked. Jason checked. Tonya checked.) If you want to see the samples, check out their blog at http://www.churchillsphotography.blogspot.com/.
Thanks, John Paul and Jolie. (Check out their website at http://www.churchillsphotography.com/.) All in all, it was a good experience…but not one I want to repeat for the next twenty-years or so, okay?
Finally I decided just to get it over with. The waiting was making me even more nervous. I conferred with the photographers, decided on the next Friday…and when Friday came, we all found out that people have different definitions of “next”. Oops.
We rescheduled. Then needed to reschedule again. Lots of frustrated shopping and angst filled up that time. I practiced facial expressions in the mirror…although I didn’t remember any of them during the shoot. I even did a fashion show for my best friend Tonya and her baby Tyler to try to decide on what to wear. Tyler wasn’t much help. Tonya was.
But I wanted a second opinion, so the night before the shoot, I tried on some of the clothes again for my indulgent husband. He snapped a few pictures himself just so he’d remember what the outfits were when it came time to choose. (Really, it wasn’t THAT many.) After he took one picture, he told me, “Jenness, you really need to figure out what to do with your hands.” So I picked the shirt that covered them…
Saturday morning at 8:00, I met my photographers and climbed into their car, ready to be tortured for the next couple of hours. John Paul and Jolie Churchill are a husband and wife team that I’ve known for a long time. That was good, in that I was comfortable around them. Bad, because it was very strange to stare at John Paul for so long…
JP and Jolie knew how nervous I was, and they came prepared. Between JP kicking in the door of the shack (it was unlocked but stuck) in a move worthy of SWAT, Jolie muttering “ow” every two seconds as she worked her way through the underbrush, and the jokes they cracked, it was almost fun.
The first setting was a deserted shack. Two minutes in and my lips were already shaking and my eyes were squinty. I’m so not cut out for this stuff. We could be seen from a busy road, so I got kind of tickled at what some of the drivers might have been thinking. Wondering if I was someone important? No, they probably thought I was a high school senior. I still get that a lot…
I changed clothes in the Churchill’s darling house, then it was off to shoot some more. The second location was in a burned-out section of woods. The plants were growing back, but it still had a cool effect. And I was glad I’d worn mostly black because the ash left streaks all over JP and Jolie’s khaki clothes. Jolie had this idea to hang an old-fashioned mirror on one of the blackened tree trunks. It was awkward—I had a hard time not continually adjusting my hair or my facial expression since, well, it was a mirror. But I loved the end result.
The shoot took two or three hours. I discovered something else I can’t do—cock my head one direction and look in the other. (Hey, you try it.) I was exhausted when I got home. And I checked the Churchill’s blog a couple times daily to see if they’d posted any samples until I received the proofs. (Yes, JP, that’s why your traffic was up. I checked. Jason checked. Tonya checked.) If you want to see the samples, check out their blog at http://www.churchillsphotography.blogspot.com/.
Thanks, John Paul and Jolie. (Check out their website at http://www.churchillsphotography.com/.) All in all, it was a good experience…but not one I want to repeat for the next twenty-years or so, okay?
4/10/09
Author pics
I saw my proofs! You can see a sampling of them on my photographer's blog at http://www.churchillsphotography.blogspot.com/. I'll post more about it when I get back home where I'm not on dial-up. :-) Have a blessed Easter!
3/27/09
The Dreaded Day
Tomorrow is my official author photo shoot. The day I've been dreading. I hate having my picture taken. Well, maybe I wouldn't mind it so much if I was guaranteed a good outcome. But for that, I think I would need a personal shopper, a stylist, a--well, how about just getting a stand in model? :-) I've been dreaming about frantically searching malls for the right outfit. Never did find it, of course.
The good news is I'm excited about photographers. :-) John Paul and Jolie, a husband and wife team, have been friends of mine since I was in high school. Their photography business is fairly new, but they do a great job. Check them out at http://www.churchillsphotography.com/. But make sure to look at their pictures BEFORE they post mine. :-) I don't want you to lose any sleep...like I'll be doing tonight.
If it's not too traumatic, I'll post about my experience later. :-)
The good news is I'm excited about photographers. :-) John Paul and Jolie, a husband and wife team, have been friends of mine since I was in high school. Their photography business is fairly new, but they do a great job. Check them out at http://www.churchillsphotography.com/. But make sure to look at their pictures BEFORE they post mine. :-) I don't want you to lose any sleep...like I'll be doing tonight.
If it's not too traumatic, I'll post about my experience later. :-)
3/11/09
Announcement
My very first interview as an author will be posted Thursday, March 12. Check it out at http://www.romancewritersonthejourney.wordpress.com/. My gracious host is Keli Gwyn, and if you leave a comment, she just might send you a prize! And, of course, I would feel special. :-)
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