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. :-)

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. :-)

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. :-)

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.

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.

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?

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. :-)