tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91603274440654567312024-03-13T22:36:59.775-07:00Jenna GrinsteadYoung Adult and Middle Grades Writer and SpeakerJennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-81310386642706170532024-01-09T13:30:00.000-08:002024-01-09T13:30:41.239-08:00Featured on The Mixed Up Files Blog: Writing Neurodivergent Characters!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXq4mKJY1YOmFXZlJroKRAnVbgckfweEqKeoRFZbFBJlCpftFi062w3TGvPKiF84H9ztqczo2HVHYaLMUb9g7BrcwVIBf3i1AjDWb8gjv9jP_7pgBRDaFE1lab79cZPG9gI367Uw3tKlbmJed2Wt-RFycVpwBdOYdcBJD-I5vsJieBnoLZHDJX7VSLQT_/s600/tourette%20pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXq4mKJY1YOmFXZlJroKRAnVbgckfweEqKeoRFZbFBJlCpftFi062w3TGvPKiF84H9ztqczo2HVHYaLMUb9g7BrcwVIBf3i1AjDWb8gjv9jP_7pgBRDaFE1lab79cZPG9gI367Uw3tKlbmJed2Wt-RFycVpwBdOYdcBJD-I5vsJieBnoLZHDJX7VSLQT_/s320/tourette%20pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I had the opportunity to share some thoughts on how to write neurodivergent characters for kidlit with the From <a href="https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/writing-neurodivergent-characters-with-jenna-grinstead/">The Mixed Up Files </a>blog! A few highlights include:<p></p><p style="text-align: left;">How to research authentically</p><p style="text-align: left;">Common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid</p><p style="text-align: left;">How to respectfully depict neurodiverse kids</p><p style="text-align: left;">I hope you can check out the blog post and let me know if you have any questions! It's an honor to be featured on the blog by my friend and critique partner, KD Garcia. </p><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-9468482681334310312023-12-09T12:16:00.000-08:002023-12-09T12:16:54.931-08:00Emily Finalist!<p> One thing I love to do in the early stages of a new draft is to test the waters through regional writing contests. This year I entered my work-in-progres in the YA category and it made the finalists. I won't know until March how it did, but I did get some awesome feedback from first round judges to strengthen the story. That's the best part of these contests and definitely worth taking the time to enter. </p><p>This new story is different from what I've written before. Set in a fictional contemporary country under siege from within and from the countries it borders, it's a story of about a young woman who falls in love with a prince who could destroy her and her entire family, and about a prince who falls in love with a woman who shatters everything he's ever believed to be true. </p><p>We'll see how the story evolves with its next draft!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNc7LXOl6MEgv2Zsc3WBYHnbQ4BWV9MkfVM70AwMSS0WaUjVFzgTAIZMD-BpQKPdJvR7F7UJUGXKvl1R-7XaIAa2xFjJcYtSv00CprxfUFN15Rz2FpJgToNsE7Bw68LNIYFUI1dtsCQFgo5tQgnbEVhqmw5qybvtiWdNfcY6I0cHv_IOSPeMEZtipPmLlR/s2047/FINALIST%20BADGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1885" data-original-width="2047" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNc7LXOl6MEgv2Zsc3WBYHnbQ4BWV9MkfVM70AwMSS0WaUjVFzgTAIZMD-BpQKPdJvR7F7UJUGXKvl1R-7XaIAa2xFjJcYtSv00CprxfUFN15Rz2FpJgToNsE7Bw68LNIYFUI1dtsCQFgo5tQgnbEVhqmw5qybvtiWdNfcY6I0cHv_IOSPeMEZtipPmLlR/s320/FINALIST%20BADGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-85170515195567985982023-11-02T18:17:00.004-07:002024-01-09T13:27:20.535-08:00Neurodivergent Character Writing Tips! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi1eOvaebxiFVEri35nMYYD3LhSgwsticqvS2b76cMJZuIyWqEarBMYyNiLNuvxVnRqA0pJLCB5bsHowjQMVGgGslJIJceNFd_FrzzUp-QC1UjGjkOybXC7Pm8hfZemHlyAUu3h8GyzH1UW7nDLoEyNInnPh20xUuzatvpFJNf-tYKodPaycSc83V05IHg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="358" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi1eOvaebxiFVEri35nMYYD3LhSgwsticqvS2b76cMJZuIyWqEarBMYyNiLNuvxVnRqA0pJLCB5bsHowjQMVGgGslJIJceNFd_FrzzUp-QC1UjGjkOybXC7Pm8hfZemHlyAUu3h8GyzH1UW7nDLoEyNInnPh20xUuzatvpFJNf-tYKodPaycSc83V05IHg=w352-h449" width="352" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>The attached writing tips came from a presentation <a href="http://evasiedler.com">Eva Siedler</a> and I did at the Moonlight and Magnolia's conference this year, as well as for the Chicago Romance Writers. </div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-10151899822569471912023-08-03T10:47:00.002-07:002023-08-03T10:48:05.219-07:00Candy and Relationship Advice: what's not to enjoy?<p>*Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this title*</p><p>There was a lot to like in this American High School version of the series Sex Education. Here our intrepid child of relationship counselors focuses not on sex, but on, you guessed it, relationship advice. His classmates flock to him after he offers solid advice to his crush about her boyfriend from the closet where he runs a secret candy selling business meant to take out Student Council's business. Our young hero charges for advice and candy to secretly save up for something he needs to save his family. When I read the first chapter I wasn't sure about his motivations, but the author does a nice job with his character arc in making him likeable and his journey relatable. The more relationship advice he gives, the more clear it becomes he's got a lot to learn--in every relationship in his life. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun read with lots of candy sweetness. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRlaFCfdoUBODKAnpL91VGpoOZ_eBJ4ZkzoxeHWqT71ngB3b9m6gvmf36DAXYpBzVCKwq3twhLZx8rteSTZAIBHs98DzSxjYRAPswJ9kodsDV3cVVgfxqB4n8KvYkbGNbeSiC3eq__biXSzV15ej2V0REA2BXpyKZ27EkqI-pjMUZH-4DqB7vQ44WZCGUj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="62" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRlaFCfdoUBODKAnpL91VGpoOZ_eBJ4ZkzoxeHWqT71ngB3b9m6gvmf36DAXYpBzVCKwq3twhLZx8rteSTZAIBHs98DzSxjYRAPswJ9kodsDV3cVVgfxqB4n8KvYkbGNbeSiC3eq__biXSzV15ej2V0REA2BXpyKZ27EkqI-pjMUZH-4DqB7vQ44WZCGUj" width="160" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-90812656454879245512023-05-16T08:53:00.001-07:002023-05-16T08:53:20.644-07:00Book Review: Artifacts of An Ex by Jennifer Chen, A Fun Summer Read<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwXOW5ChySCyz3ESr8P93f3EEZ7StgJ7HW1cokvYo1lF_vqYTDJked_x-Vx2c7FqpBs7OdBr5UbEH1zTwkpx3wS05CyWuXC6K64Pp3Ex9n7bw2JjNep3Vk5eGOWkTF63en7RlE9mAso1Sj9FD-c552TgFE5jJhUTI3tMKUKwY2qKxaYxOlhWaQga8OGw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwXOW5ChySCyz3ESr8P93f3EEZ7StgJ7HW1cokvYo1lF_vqYTDJked_x-Vx2c7FqpBs7OdBr5UbEH1zTwkpx3wS05CyWuXC6K64Pp3Ex9n7bw2JjNep3Vk5eGOWkTF63en7RlE9mAso1Sj9FD-c552TgFE5jJhUTI3tMKUKwY2qKxaYxOlhWaQga8OGw" width="155" /></a></div><p></p><br /><p></p><div class="UHwcef Dqj6x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; color: #37474f; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 21px; word-break: break-word;">**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own** </div><div class="UHwcef Dqj6x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; color: #37474f; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 21px; word-break: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="UHwcef Dqj6x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; color: #37474f; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 21px; word-break: break-word;">Artifacts of an Ex was exactly the kind of summer contemporary romance read I needed to kick off the warmer months. Set in sunny Los Angeles, Artifacts of An Ex tells us Chloe's story as she is ripped away from her beloved New York and immersed in the high school art scene in Los Angeles. The book opens with her long-distance boyfriend breaking up with her via snail mail, returning all of her things. The break-up, while devastating, leads her to a whole new friend group, and one special friend in particular. Between helping run her ill grandmother's bakery, filming videos as a planner-focused influencer and curating art exhibits inspired by her own heartbreak, Chloe works to control every aspect of her life.</div><div class="UHwcef Dqj6x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; color: #37474f; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 21px; word-break: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="UHwcef Dqj6x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; color: #37474f; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 21px; word-break: break-word;">Through the story she soon learns not everything is within her control, especially love. </div><div class="UHwcef Dqj6x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; color: #37474f; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 21px; word-break: break-word;"><br /></div><div class="UHwcef Dqj6x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; color: #37474f; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 21px; word-break: break-word;">There's a lot to love about this book. The setting is deftly done and the characters are well rounded, generally kind human beings. The depth of the understanding of curation and the art community/artist process can wind over into feeling like you've stumbled into a college art class in some places, but the overall effect is well worth it. I definitely recommend this book for anyone look for a fun YA read with sweet characters you want to root for finding their happily ever after. </div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-6568492921893586832023-04-18T11:23:00.002-07:002023-04-18T11:23:42.022-07:00Book Review: I Could Not Put Down Erika Hollis's Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own**</span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I was really excited when I was approved to read this book in advance on Net Galley. I inhaled the entire story in one day and could not put it down. I really didn't even want to stop to eat. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The world-building in this young adult fantasy novel pulled me in from the beginning. We're in a land where dragons exist and only a few humans can speak their language. Dragons need gold, silver and jewels to eat, and in this land that has mostly worked out, though the dragons are thinning out as the humans expand. There's a great line early on in the book that laments that fact that humans use for money the same things that dragons need to eat. But most dragons only need to eat once a year, and if you leave their hoard alone they mostly leave you alone.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lotte Meer may only be sixteen, but she's one of the few Dragontongue's left. A natural born talent, she's been honing it to feed herself and her nana since she was sixteen. Lotte's one of those characters that pulls you in right away. She's got a healthy respect for dragons, is a protector by nature, has some parent issues and has a fun, slightly sarcastic first person voice that carries the whole book from quiet to more suspenseful moments. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">When Lotte's enlisted to leave her country home for a job in a nearby city she's convinced she can reason with the dragon terrorizing the people. But this dragon doesn't behave like other dragons. He's huge, vicious and holding the whole city captive--draining their wealth, destroying other dragons and taking human lives. All while demanding a magical object. Lotte tries to reason with him, while falling in love with the cunning near-criminal Maryse. Lotte's discoveries about her own background and family, paired with her new love interest's vindictive brother and the looming threat of the dragon make this compelling story one part fantasy, one part sapphic romance, one part coming of age and one part thriller. The combination is enthralling. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">You can, and should, pre-order it here: </span>https://entangledpublishing.com/books/hearts-forged-in-dragon-fire</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9jnTICE6VOOBhM5OpaNkN5lqHn80ZQfbT0W4Wj1YqKMO0row-wov4sGeUbegC3SIBjdUXugoeosX4_XMFGAE_j354OghVZW5ybIrgNazDxDuQu0VWwF3nlnQGGY8XEVVDNtL3R8TXNwddjj2VOQfPjFaPo7jQhm-34BaZTFlRCgBB7EGfTNp4ZZ8EXw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9jnTICE6VOOBhM5OpaNkN5lqHn80ZQfbT0W4Wj1YqKMO0row-wov4sGeUbegC3SIBjdUXugoeosX4_XMFGAE_j354OghVZW5ybIrgNazDxDuQu0VWwF3nlnQGGY8XEVVDNtL3R8TXNwddjj2VOQfPjFaPo7jQhm-34BaZTFlRCgBB7EGfTNp4ZZ8EXw" width="160" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></span></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-13417755771173415342022-08-02T16:29:00.001-07:002022-08-02T16:29:06.293-07:00Writing Across Generations<p>Sometimes I'm reading a book and generational differences take me out of the story. My twenty-two year old hero has had a hard day and he gets home kicks back and goes to the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot tea. Then he binge watches Murder She Wrote under an afghan he knitted. When this happens to a character who up to this point has been described as a typical twenty-two year old guy, I quickly check the generation of the writer. Nine out of ten times it's written by a lovely woman in her mid-50s or 60s who happens to destress in this very way. But our character needed to come home, pop open a beer and watch Stranger Things or Game of Thrones to be an authentic character. This Gen Z character likely plays a video game or scrolls through TikTok, but alas our author doesn't do either of those things so neither does he. </p><p>Other times I'm reading a book and a fifty year old woman is depicted as ancient, a relic of the depression era, which is why she is the way she is as she is these days. In a recently written contemporary this doesn't make much sense--this woman should be a Gen Xer. She considers herself middle-aged at best, not old. Her grandmother lived through the depression. She spent her teenage years listening to Michael Jackson and Prince. </p><p>This is one of the reasons that understanding generational differences is so important for writers. It helps to ground characters in more authentic moorings, especially when we don't share their generation. If you don't know what Be Real is (it's a social media app) you may not be able to authentically write about Gen Z without doing some more homework. If you've never heard of the Korean War you might want to check that Traditionalist character who was born before 1945 against more sources. </p><p>Yes, people in a given generation are all different. There really are twenty-two year old men who drink tea under afghans they created while watching Murder She Wrote in different generations. But you need to know you're writing a specific and different character when you write this--and explain to the reader what made him so different from his generation. Perhaps he lived with his grandmother and picked up her habits. Understanding generations well helps you understand what you need to explain in your stories and what you can expect your readers to assume they know. It can also help to deepen conflict and tension--the Baby Boomer mother may insist on ma'am and sir as a given for respecting elders, while the Gen Z child may see these as offensive greetings that assume knowledge about gender. Understanding these subtle differences may help create characters with layers of depth that add emotion.</p><p>I'm excited to delve deeper into this topic in a couple of upcoming seminars. Join me in August at the <a href="https://www.ntrwa.org/august-2022-meeting-information/">North Texas Romance Writers </a>monthly meeting on zoom. In early October I'm doing a virtual webinar for the<a href="https://agedtoperfectionromancewriters.com/?page_id=122#tab-1456"> Aged to Perfection</a> Romance Writers. And, in late October I'll be sharing a seminar on this topic at <a href="https://www.garomancewriters.org/moonlight-and-magnolias">Moonlight and Magnolias</a>, a writing conference in Georgia. I hope to see you!</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUuRWHdmCK11P2gRbljr1dwxxPW1tvzmGEL_CVzcxVNTgK_u1_uquBAnbItDAraArqSxLjnYt3IqkEx9CoM06t9mZYvxh7GeeeIeGVn7QCmOB0GCMk12ZvjXRx4wToi5YUdfiV6v2Zmrg_RxhmQgsMuGnVbiB6MXIXjQeBrjdVJxYJ5qw7RIYWZ-TIg/s450/people-silhouettes-of-different-ages-holding-the-letters-of-the-word-generations_gg74481505.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="450" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUuRWHdmCK11P2gRbljr1dwxxPW1tvzmGEL_CVzcxVNTgK_u1_uquBAnbItDAraArqSxLjnYt3IqkEx9CoM06t9mZYvxh7GeeeIeGVn7QCmOB0GCMk12ZvjXRx4wToi5YUdfiV6v2Zmrg_RxhmQgsMuGnVbiB6MXIXjQeBrjdVJxYJ5qw7RIYWZ-TIg/s320/people-silhouettes-of-different-ages-holding-the-letters-of-the-word-generations_gg74481505.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-4626052288961930272022-05-16T19:22:00.005-07:002022-05-16T19:22:29.486-07:00Fun with Social Media 101 for Authors<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhDEKNFz9PFSVQ_dh_TqPgYiVhDaQsdMdNsCOnJKN2cn2Y4mlOKmgxPjq2ojXq4LZSzWNB4TfD87MFf8FNDsn_OTqqckkZf2l0MCebFIOr9hfF4I17X9TE9_zz__5jqhTemAelHhpMzujadb_iB8g1QIH1nBrFa1yK2_DcZY4G_KaXSm4QTD9uiIebw/s900/FSvId5WXoAg7Oye.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhDEKNFz9PFSVQ_dh_TqPgYiVhDaQsdMdNsCOnJKN2cn2Y4mlOKmgxPjq2ojXq4LZSzWNB4TfD87MFf8FNDsn_OTqqckkZf2l0MCebFIOr9hfF4I17X9TE9_zz__5jqhTemAelHhpMzujadb_iB8g1QIH1nBrFa1yK2_DcZY4G_KaXSm4QTD9uiIebw/s320/FSvId5WXoAg7Oye.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>I had a great time this weekend with a group of romance writers focused on how to become more adept at social media. The Seasoned2Perfection Romance Writers asked fabulous questions as we explored each of the most popular social media platforms and how authors can use them to sell books and build a fanbase. <p></p><p>We explored some great examples of authors who have made social media a powerful part of their social media strategy, such as:</p><p>Tessa Dare, who has become an influencer on Tiktok with her funny and engaging videos. She's even sponsored by Sandals Resorts now.</p><p>Rainbow Rowell, who levers visuals, including fan art, to build a vibrant and robust Instagram following.</p><p>Jen DeLuca, whose authentic and vulnerable Twitter posts led me to purchase her charming Renaissance Faire themed book series. </p><p>Lexi Blake, whose use of an exclusive and private and a public Facebook Group builds super fans for her traditionally and self-published novels. </p><p>Alexa Donne, whose Youtube How-To Videos are a must watch for authors. </p><p>We covered these case studies and so many more as we explored how social media can be an important part of a strong marketing plan. </p><p>There is no doubt in my mind that our seasoned romance writers will soon be taking social media by storm! I've already had several folks reach out and connect with me on social media! </p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-43865087616152312752022-03-24T08:59:00.004-07:002022-03-24T08:59:38.733-07:00Mark your calendar! Upcoming Opportunities to Learn about Social Media and Writing Across Generations<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlRlv1NDKepEcv-Du5PIkzrfgHqJsibWJrHd1BZKbDy3CkLTLQoayd3Dkm-EWdwhlC4wyZy1V3U40hGMNZKtXoXtgJz-p1IPmtzeK0YUkDZ6c2IsrOUTN_wiVWIs52yHvZSj3Es7IdACB9nuMAQmTJcB4shoCFKYxtC5hJyqGhx0onxGZ48uhKJy-Yg/s1500/Jenna%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlRlv1NDKepEcv-Du5PIkzrfgHqJsibWJrHd1BZKbDy3CkLTLQoayd3Dkm-EWdwhlC4wyZy1V3U40hGMNZKtXoXtgJz-p1IPmtzeK0YUkDZ6c2IsrOUTN_wiVWIs52yHvZSj3Es7IdACB9nuMAQmTJcB4shoCFKYxtC5hJyqGhx0onxGZ48uhKJy-Yg/s320/Jenna%20Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">In addition to my fun new banner, which I can't resist sharing here I have some exciting things going on recently! I was excited to add the word "speaker" next to "author" on my site because I have some fabulous and fun upcoming speaking engagements this year!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Check out a few of my upcoming engagements and mark your calendar!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Sunday, May 1 at 1:45 p.m.</b> I'm speaking at the <a href="https://washingtonromancewriters.com/retreat/" target="_blank">Washington Romance Writer's Retreat</a> for register attendees. I hope to see you there! I'll be presenting:</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(48, 48, 48); color: #303030; margin: 0px 0px 10px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Social Media 101: How to Harness the Right Social Media to Promote Your Book</span></strong></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(48, 48, 48); color: #303030; margin: 0px 0px 10px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this course, we'll explore each of the major social media platforms that are popular today including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Snapchat and Tiktok. We'll discuss their target audience, how they are successfully levered by authors to build their platform, and how to decide which platforms best fit your author brand. We'll also discuss tools that can help you build and maintain a social media presence more effectively.</span></p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(48, 48, 48); color: #303030; margin: 0px 0px 10px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm also going to be sharing this workshop in an upcoming <a href="https://agedtoperfectionromancewriters.com/workshops/#tab-1452" target="_blank">webinar for The Aged To Perfection Romance Writer's</a> at <b>9 a.m. on May 14. Non-members can join for only $10! </b></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(48, 48, 48); color: #303030; margin: 0px 0px 10px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lastly, I'm excited to share that I'll also be conducting a webinar for<a href="https://agedtoperfectionromancewriters.com/workshops/#tab-1457" target="_blank"> Aged to Perfection in the Fall</a> on <b>October 1 at 9 a.m. </b>sharing how to write authentically across generations. Here is a little more on that presentation:</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(48, 48, 48); color: #303030; margin: 0px 0px 10px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Every Generation</span></strong> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(48, 48, 48); color: #303030; margin: 0px 0px 10px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: arial;">As writer’s we know that every character has their own unique set of aspirations, goals and personality. But those exist within a larger context. Every generation has its own set of expectations, shaping experiences, relationship with technology and ways of interacting that are norms among that cohort. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: arial;">Marketers study these to hone messages to sell products and services. As authors we can use this information to shape realistic conflicts and build authentic multi-generational relationships among our characters. We’ll cover each of the generations living today—what experiences shaped them, what makes them unique, how their values conflict with other generations.</span></p></blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; line-height: 1.75; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm excited about these opportunities to connect with writers!</span></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-62257987428562113162022-01-29T13:42:00.002-08:002022-01-29T13:45:39.376-08:00Writing TicsMy latest work-in-progress is about a musically gifted teenager who takes advantage of her parent's divorce to live two lives. She's a punk rocker in one life and a musical theater star in her other life--but she never expected for her heart and her loyalties to be so torn. When her mother decides to move her to another city, her efforts to keep both her lives cause a crash that could ruin everything. <div><br /></div><div>Melody, the heroine, has Tourette Syndrome, like me. Also like me, her Tourette Syndrome is a fact in her life not the point of it. Writing her tics into the story is both therapeutic and difficult. How do I capture the energy it takes to suppress a tic? Can I make you feel the way my hands and mouth ache to move--the mixture of relief and shame that those movements create? </div><div><br /></div><div>It would be so much easier not to delve into the dark recesses of my mind where the tics live. But I have to because I know what it would have meant to me to see a character living her life with Tourette Syndrome without it being the central focus. So for my future readers I am committed to making sure this book accurately depicts the rich and multi-faceted lives people with Tourette Syndrome can and do live. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRCm9pJ5yz3lrsie16halQxmY8oF2A8OuDp0kGyaiLbAVE4PyN3EVvlOjAre1xofgHkMZuWnzS-Zh-K8PpWkV0cCqd_pkRWvp31CD9w43cpal6YGabD4HL2nWxaoiZ7AjrQI_4TFiwOlbUcw8riqsxkG6oaKrn0xqNpBbRWSO5WCmk-o3QY2BP03AumQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRCm9pJ5yz3lrsie16halQxmY8oF2A8OuDp0kGyaiLbAVE4PyN3EVvlOjAre1xofgHkMZuWnzS-Zh-K8PpWkV0cCqd_pkRWvp31CD9w43cpal6YGabD4HL2nWxaoiZ7AjrQI_4TFiwOlbUcw8riqsxkG6oaKrn0xqNpBbRWSO5WCmk-o3QY2BP03AumQ" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-75414666269040661442021-12-12T14:26:00.001-08:002021-12-12T14:26:20.237-08:00The Times We Missed <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhCbY4DpscAC5r_1KC2iOD0HDTV7EdeXFRXwBaGZaFLKbu1xtK8u_VqBktQ4pzMFbQjKjsUYWG9wMN2wpvwjATazdTFfWw1fI-vP1eDI1od1sfOsF3cGED8GOC0XKsG1Z3W9JtVGvSPBQ-kqKklNMI2KF0MWCpd9YHdhZuJre-oWnvafG0i_NHNnA5kA=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1000" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhCbY4DpscAC5r_1KC2iOD0HDTV7EdeXFRXwBaGZaFLKbu1xtK8u_VqBktQ4pzMFbQjKjsUYWG9wMN2wpvwjATazdTFfWw1fI-vP1eDI1od1sfOsF3cGED8GOC0XKsG1Z3W9JtVGvSPBQ-kqKklNMI2KF0MWCpd9YHdhZuJre-oWnvafG0i_NHNnA5kA=w365-h236" width="365" /></a></div><br />Since one of my books is about teens with the ability to change time and harness its power to protect the world and the other is set in 1964, I think more about time than the average person. While Darkest Time is not a time travel novel--not one of my characters ever travels through time, though there is one scene where they rewind time two days backward to save a life--it does make me consider all the times I wish I hadn't missed in our storied history.<p></p><p>In a way, writing is a kind of time travel--my character in In The Shadow of the Mountain, Esther, lives in a world I wish I had known first-hand. She's dropped into an alternate life--going from her 1964 rural Ohio hometown to a Jewish resort in the Catskills where the shadow of the history hangs over a people deeply committed to finding joy in their summer community. I knew that community in my childhood in the mid-1980s as it was falling to pieces. Even as a child I felt the profound loss of an entire culture and way of life ,and I've spent a good chunk of my life grieving for it. Writing In The Shadow of The Mountain put me squarely into that world for a good year--researching online, asking questions of the people who once lived in the Catskills, reading essays and histories of the time period and talking to my own family members, even reading newspaper articles from that time and place. Once I started writing Esther's world sprang to life and it was a time jump every time I got to disappear into her world. </p><p>I'm hard at work on a contemporary YA, where my main character often wishes she had a time machine to change the mistakes she's made. But that's the thing about living history, you can't change it as you go along, you can't change it after the fact, and you don't really understand it until years later. </p><p>It's my hope that my stories will serve as time machines for those who read them--whether it's back to 1964, forward into a contemporary fantasy where time is a controllable construct for a select few, or even into the life of my work-in-progress contemporary heroine who is somehow living moments ago and moments into the future as I write her into life. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-69907538670682959362021-06-06T11:31:00.005-07:002021-06-06T11:32:35.072-07:00Book Review: Not Our Summer is the Perfect YA Summer Read<p>I find books to read lots of ways--but in this case I first noticed this debut novel because I follow the author, Casie Bazay, on Twitter. The cover of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HHZPV44/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">Not Our Summer</a> is beautiful and I decided to give the book a try just because she was an awesome connection and I love YA books. </p><p>What a great decision that turned out to be! Not Our Summer is a book about the way our parents' mistakes follow us, the ways in which their biases impact us and what it takes to decide to stand on your own in light of that. It's a book about friendship, forgiveness, family and the ways that sisters can destroy each other, and just maybe redeem each other. </p><p>I don't remember ever reading a book before that deals in such a real way with the kind of family history that can lead a set of siblings to never speak to each other again, to hate each other so much that they raise their children to hate each other. This happens more often in real families than anyone ever speaks about, I've seen it in my own extended family, and the author captures the dynamic in a perfect and humanizing way. </p><p>The basic premise of the book is that two girls must complete their grandfather's bucket list by going on trips he planned for them before his death. The trips force them to get to know each other and, in some ways, themselves. If they don't take the trips, they and their mothers lose their inheritance. But if they do they will have to overcome a lifetime of hatred and their own very different backgrounds and personalities. </p><p>It's artfully done and the ending hits you right in the heart. It's satisfying and beautiful. I loved this story and I highly recommend you check it out. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FNg3T1q2NjdfElYVpp5xyRHjXzTE5MDvGtlvzeIwNtVnYyu_tDDYnSwTHNLOV362GVY7ZQvVjHE5LP_r91tBUO8DORS-L7KO32ZSGoaIKvqQYXT-D96T7wHXf8kUN8zptKT8uQZngpi_/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FNg3T1q2NjdfElYVpp5xyRHjXzTE5MDvGtlvzeIwNtVnYyu_tDDYnSwTHNLOV362GVY7ZQvVjHE5LP_r91tBUO8DORS-L7KO32ZSGoaIKvqQYXT-D96T7wHXf8kUN8zptKT8uQZngpi_/" width="158" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-27896185618806596112021-04-26T13:20:00.004-07:002021-04-26T13:20:39.791-07:00Art inspired by my novel Darkest Time<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARkFZjH-mLfihToueEKLaLJdnDqtXaYx__uReB1nanBAZ6ulWWTvdIx3qBdS9k6YhRbaSfZjO4_S3Gg62lp93waWlWpo0QOMwPeBwrqdmh0hlivy85iIiODOwwLm2glpDWDKulQMrRY-_/s2048/Grinstead_009954_FutureisFemale+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1575" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARkFZjH-mLfihToueEKLaLJdnDqtXaYx__uReB1nanBAZ6ulWWTvdIx3qBdS9k6YhRbaSfZjO4_S3Gg62lp93waWlWpo0QOMwPeBwrqdmh0hlivy85iIiODOwwLm2glpDWDKulQMrRY-_/w440-h572/Grinstead_009954_FutureisFemale+%25282%2529.jpg" width="440" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I am so excited to unveil this amazing new art inspired by my novel, Darkest Time. The incredibly talented,<a href="http://www.samgrinsteadart.com">Sam Grinstead</a> created this art to bring my character, Maya, to life. It's incredible to see your literary vision in vivid color like this. I love how this shows the way Maya wields the time stream to protect those she loves. She's fierce, but she's also loyal, kind and funny. Thanks to Sam for making Maya into an artistic reality!</div><p></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-71537278245437242182021-03-26T14:09:00.001-07:002021-03-26T14:09:10.137-07:00Book Review: Hench is worth every moment This review has been a long time coming. When I finished reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hench-Novel-Natalie-Zina-Walschots/dp/0062978578">Hench</a> I had to immediately reread it. Rarely have a read a book that hits me at so many levels at once that is also snarky, funny, uplifting, depressing and the kind of raw authentic that bites at your soul months after you put it down.<div><br /></div><div>The next thing I did was to make it my personal mission to get as many people to read this book as possible. And not just because it needs to sell well enough for me to get the sequel I so richly deserve. Because this is a book that so many people I know need. Why?</div><div><br /></div><div>Hench is a book about an average woman in a world where super heroes and super villains run amok. She is just trying to survive, pay her bills, maybe go on an occasional date. She does data entry for villains as temp work, something called henching. One day she gets injured on the job. She's a bystander when a hero's attempt to save the day goes ballistic.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's when she starts to run the numbers. Her love of data and statistics become her own personal super power as she quantifies just how much heroes are costing the world. At that point she evolves into something efficient, scary and majestic all at the same time. </div><div><br /></div><div>The plot is a amazing, but it's the voice that makes this book magic. Our heroine is snarky and sarcrastic. She's the most likeable unlikeable character I've met in a long time.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the kind of book that makes me not want to write any more because how could I possibly ever produce something in this league? It's the kind of book that makes me want to write all the time because how could I not be inspired? It's the kind of book you need in your life. </div><div><br /></div><div>How are you still reading this when you should be reading Hench right now? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistBrKNoCmZFuNtmM6T9vkQWR7rso3ayaaBcNQWyTh9YD4tsrnVosnOrzDXB65cE9hKdOV5iWDeMR7uX6on98SDAFTbH9F1_eQqqB2yQT1IMd_8-k2lbgXQyHAu4myoSAJBLDq7894N_0Z/s2048/hench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistBrKNoCmZFuNtmM6T9vkQWR7rso3ayaaBcNQWyTh9YD4tsrnVosnOrzDXB65cE9hKdOV5iWDeMR7uX6on98SDAFTbH9F1_eQqqB2yQT1IMd_8-k2lbgXQyHAu4myoSAJBLDq7894N_0Z/s320/hench.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-18787127585097937552021-01-10T12:32:00.003-08:002021-01-10T12:32:38.344-08:00Writing During These Transformative Times<p>It's been a strange time to pull out my keyboard and imagine myself into new worlds. While I sit on my couch, tucked under a weighted blanket, laptop perched in front of me, the world rages with a fire that has been burning for some time. The global pandemic continues to take a piece out of America's heart, scenes from our nation's Capitol of violence sear our collective souls and the never ending waves of evidence that racial justice eludes us assault our sense of right and wrong. </p><p>How do we make sense of a world that feels irretrievably broken and what role do the stories we weave play in the heart of this mess? I know that Angie Thomas's stories give shape to racial justice, draw discussion of institutional racism and build empathy by forcing us to confront both the humanity and the lack of humanity that lurks within each other and the systems we build. Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games reminds us that authoritarianism grows on both sides of a fence and that freedom comes at great personal cost in most cases. Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl connects me to the human condition and the role that loss, grief, abandonment and mental illness play in shaping us, even as our choices dictate how we translate those experiences into the people we become. </p><p>As a reader I often to look to storytellers to take me away from this world. I did not read all eight Bridgerton Books by Julia Quinn over the holidays to ponder the feminist issues that existed in a period of British History. I read them to escape the right now and to lose myself in beautiful love stories with Happily Ever Afters that bring me hope. Yet, I couldn't help but think about how the women's choices in these stories were limited by the norms and laws of their time. Watching the Netflix Series made it hit home all the more-- as the series does a beautiful job taking racial inequity off the table-- which somehow throws the class and gender inequity into that much more relief. It's just another example of how stories bend our perspectives. </p><p>Empathy is perhaps our greatest weapon against tyranny. It's so much harder to hurt someone when you can feel their pain as if it was your own. So in these troubling times, it seems to me, we need stories more than ever before.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Q0Q8fC2ndWqyFqC9rvH5SpwzQkXZw5Mp9HN1Pwpeoi0HY4-0mBnvaRG-YgT15aVk2VHQA_6Y44vtia2faE5SbFuYjbo445VdaQb5bHDrfjNXRTuIvTkNWJPNn9IuqO38WCO3YSNML2Hx/s1440/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Q0Q8fC2ndWqyFqC9rvH5SpwzQkXZw5Mp9HN1Pwpeoi0HY4-0mBnvaRG-YgT15aVk2VHQA_6Y44vtia2faE5SbFuYjbo445VdaQb5bHDrfjNXRTuIvTkNWJPNn9IuqO38WCO3YSNML2Hx/s320/Slide1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-40861746845547855992020-12-12T17:47:00.001-08:002020-12-12T17:47:13.334-08:00How I found my literary agent<p>Several people have asked me to share my story of how I found my amazing literary agent, <a href="analiezecervantes.com">Analieze Cervantes</a> with <a href="harveyklinger.com">Harvey Klinger Literary Agency</a>. This post is for each of you. </p><p>The most important thing to know about the querying process is that it's different for every person. You're searching for an agent who is passionate and excited about your work. Agents are searching for work to be passionate and excited about. It's a ton of hard work, but also the luck of having the right thing for the right each other at just the right moment. </p><p>There were a few resources that I found especially helpful in my #amquerying search:</p><p>1. The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/writingcommunity?lang=en">#writingcommunity</a> on Twitter. </p><p>The folks in this community lifted me up on hard days, offered their advice and shared their experiences. This positive community made my querying richer, more fun and made me feel like part of something during what can be a lonely time. </p><p>2. The <a href="https://pitchwars.org/">Pitch Wars</a> and #<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23pitmad&src=typed_q">Pitmad</a> community</p><p>While I was never in Pitch Wars I did receive a ton of support from the community-- mentors, aspiring mentees and former participants all took time to share advice and offer each other support. </p><p>3. <a href="http://Querytracker.net">Querytracker.net</a> </p><p>I loved the premium version of this tool which is just $25 per year. I was able to find information about agents, see if they were open to queries, track where they were in their inbox and track my own queries all in one place. This tool was amazing for allowing me to remember how long it had been since I queried someone, track my requests and see how my experience compared to others. </p><p>4.<a href="publishersmarketplace.com"> Publisher's Marketplace</a></p><p>This was a great tool for seeing what agents represent in the marketplace. It's a little costly at $29 per month, but well worth it if it's in your budget to take your understanding of the industry to the next level. </p><p>5. <a href="https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/">#MSWL</a> website </p><p>This site is a must-use for anyone who is querying agents. The updated and detailed wishlists help you decide who to send your work to and also help you tailor the opening of your query to the agent you are reaching out to. It helps you do your homework and then show agents you did your homework. </p><p>All five of these resources helped me but no one helped me as much as my writing partners. My best friends, biggest cheerleaders, constant advisors and fellow writers mean the world to me. If you don't have your writing friends lined up that's a great first step. I couldn't do anything with my writing without these amazing humans.</p><p><span style="color: #800180;">Now for the story... </span></p><p><i><u><b>It took several years to get here</b></u></i></p><p>I've been writing, editing, learning, going to conferences and learning my craft for more than ten years. I have a full-time job as a marketer and four kids so I've been busy over the last ten years as I've been doing all this. I've gone out and queried a few times here and there, but last year I decided to set a serious goal for myself. I worked with an editor and I got very serious about my career and my latest book. When I finished my YA, Darkest Time, I went straight to querying and to drafting a new MG novel at the same time. While I queried I finished the middle grade draft, started drafting a romance for fun and even finished it. I was out querying for a couple of months. </p><p><i><b><u>Not every agent asked me for the full</u></b></i></p><p>I'd been out on submission for a while and had about 20% of the agents I sent to ask for fulls. It didn't seem like a great hit rate and I was starting to wonder if I should pull back. One agent who had the full told me she loved the story and the writing but she didn't feel like she was the right agent to position the book in this market. That one hurt, but I was determined not to give up. </p><p><b><i><u>#Pitmad played a role</u></i></b></p><p>I did #Pitmad and I only had one small press like the Tweet. I decided not to pitch to them but I didn't delete the Tweet. Several weeks later out of no where an agent liked my #Pitmad tweet. She didn't come up in my research on querytracker but her website seemed strong so I sent her the first three chapters. She quickly requested the full. </p><p>Then one day I opened my email and there was an offer of representation in my inbox. I was in shock. At first I couldn't believe it was real. I had a great conversation with the agent and appreciated her passion for the book and for my career. I spoke to one of her current clients. At the same time I followed up with two other agents who had my full, including one who I considered a dream agent. I felt like it was a long-shot but I was hopeful that they would consider me. I sent them both polite emails letting them know that I had an offer of representation.</p><p><b><i><u>My dream agent turned out to be the one!</u></i></b></p><p>Analieze got back to me right away and let me know when I could expect to hear from her. She was the dream agent and when I got an email from her on the day she'd indicated asking if I wanted to chat I was floored. I admit I danced around my living room some. Still, I wasn't sure she would offer, I only hoped.</p><p>We made an appointment to talk that afternoon and she blew me away. She had a plan written up to share with me and so much passion for the book and characters. I hated to let the other agents know I had gone another way, especially the first because she had been the first to believe in the story, but I know that I did the right thing for me and my career. </p><p>Now I'm incredibly grateful to be a client of Analieze and Harvey Klinger Literary Agency. I know this is the first gate and I have more to walk through-- including finding the right publishing home for Darkest Time. But I also know that with Analieze by my side I'm closer than ever. </p><p>I hope me sharing this story reminds you not to give up on your dreams. This business is subjective and if you have a story to tell don't stop trying to bring it to the world. I had a lot of learning to do and it took me some time to get to the point where I could write everyday and learn enough to become the kind of writer I wanted to become. I have faith that you will find your path too. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCMuJt4bLuIMlukvyk5FX0tXyR4a9iwAm64iXHO5PVAVL26vpT0A7TVyLzXuRYMg_R_dChyzXyY18v_8X5OwRI-qN1ZcNgnujWXUNl7I6b4ciUaYYqSZci8mDn8yvLv0Mfu3fhBwTa5Kd/s783/Screen+Shot+2020-12-12+at+8.44.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="783" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCMuJt4bLuIMlukvyk5FX0tXyR4a9iwAm64iXHO5PVAVL26vpT0A7TVyLzXuRYMg_R_dChyzXyY18v_8X5OwRI-qN1ZcNgnujWXUNl7I6b4ciUaYYqSZci8mDn8yvLv0Mfu3fhBwTa5Kd/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-12-12+at+8.44.14+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-31742099132381370012020-12-07T05:31:00.004-08:002020-12-12T16:44:20.557-08:00Representation Announcement<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXy5U0RLH45KmYaPVeCMsN2QD_mE-WgoMfarYvzQcGj1CdpAQKpcAsgwfkl80S7wMhrEbdcW7E_SyyqC0fdmk9V0AeDv_KGR-glfaUOQ3JEJE5XIp-zZQoBmP4bX7Mij9UxAywl9ZXRWN/s527/Screen+Shot+2020-12-12+at+7.43.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="527" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXy5U0RLH45KmYaPVeCMsN2QD_mE-WgoMfarYvzQcGj1CdpAQKpcAsgwfkl80S7wMhrEbdcW7E_SyyqC0fdmk9V0AeDv_KGR-glfaUOQ3JEJE5XIp-zZQoBmP4bX7Mij9UxAywl9ZXRWN/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-12-12+at+7.43.30+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I am excited to share that I have signed with <a href="https://analiezecervantes.com/">Analieze Cervantes </a>at <a href="https://www.harveyklinger.com/">The Harvey Klinger Literary Agency</a>. <p></p><p>Analieze has an incredible vision for my book, Darkest Time, and I know we're going to have a great time building our careers together. I love her style, editing experience, deep understanding of the market and passion for the industry. I also love that she's a cheerleader and supporter for writers-- whether they are her clients or not. </p><p>This has been a long journey for me and I've grown as a human and a writer along the way. In future posts I'll share my "How I got my Agent Story" and also the resources and tips I used on the path to signing with Analieze. </p><p>Until then, I can tell you this: Don't give up on your dreams. It takes hard work, humility and willingness to learn new things but you can get there. And that imposter syndrome you might be feeling---that's totally normal. </p><p>The next step for me is to finish editing my middle grade while Analieze and dive into edits on Darkest Time, my young adult contemporary fantasy. Publication is still my dream and I'm one step closer now. But I also know this means I can't let up on learning and working hard. Thank you to all the amazing writers, editors, friends and family who have been next to me on this journey, and thank you to you for reading this and sharing in this moment. </p><p><br /></p>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-20309500396959504742020-10-18T12:09:00.002-07:002020-12-12T16:45:09.492-08:00Pitching, Querying and Bringing Dreams to Reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIargwAtjpFWWIvwhMumGQkRDr7LS4Qcd7WGY2NBO42S8Nq9gbqujL4A1jXMTifAJKJy0Dm29vUelslw0507OT4_UM0TpFwNEAQVRXR-pIJdKW0_ow5kGzh0st-cO3QV8tVi-iP7q8F5d/s248/Screen+Shot+2014-10-19+at+5.14.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIargwAtjpFWWIvwhMumGQkRDr7LS4Qcd7WGY2NBO42S8Nq9gbqujL4A1jXMTifAJKJy0Dm29vUelslw0507OT4_UM0TpFwNEAQVRXR-pIJdKW0_ow5kGzh0st-cO3QV8tVi-iP7q8F5d/s0/Screen+Shot+2014-10-19+at+5.14.36+PM.png" /></a></div><br />I've been pitching and querying my young adult paranormal romance Darkest Time recently. One thing I've learned in this process is that rejection is hard. We make up stories about why we are being rejected and use them to convince ourselves to quit. But I really believe in this story. I've written, edited, rewritten, sought advice from critique partners and editors, entered it in contests and gotten advice from industry experts who judged those contests. I've had beta readers offer advice and I've been willing to pull the book apart and put it back together in a new way. <div><br /></div><div>I have had several requests from agents and even one recently from an editor at a conference I attended virtually. Publishing a book is a dream of mine, but a dream is just that unless you work hard, set a goal and go after your goal with action. I'm doing what I need to do to turn my dream into reality and I'm not giving up. </div><div><br /></div><div>While I pitch this book I'm editing another one and working on writing another on my own, while collaborating on yet another with two of my good friends. The goal line might not be clear to me yet but I have no doubt if I keep pushing myself, learning, growing and connecting with the writing and publishing community my time will come.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bottom line: I'm not giving up on this goal and you shouldn't give up on yours either. </div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-70065958813849661562020-07-24T18:31:00.002-07:002020-12-12T16:48:18.125-08:00Writing During Quarantimes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbGkACjd9kDoe6sGZrJK9V5qeYGVy0c3AFVtbRkZdBtqunkXMwcyDilsP-rjZn2C2iBbjG6YMPgTsww-B4_RWOdFVSFDjnvqWgzxUXi7sCNvpKDK6VN2QDbOzXQ3v4mfPTvI_amg5bqej/s2048/P9200001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbGkACjd9kDoe6sGZrJK9V5qeYGVy0c3AFVtbRkZdBtqunkXMwcyDilsP-rjZn2C2iBbjG6YMPgTsww-B4_RWOdFVSFDjnvqWgzxUXi7sCNvpKDK6VN2QDbOzXQ3v4mfPTvI_amg5bqej/s320/P9200001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />It's a rare time when the entire world is plunged into crisis together. In our country we're dealing with the pandemic and the national health crisis that is systematic racism. In these times when we have more time at home to think and less time to act it's easy to feel a little lost. Is it safe to go to work? To a protest? To go to the grocery store? Who can I see? What risks are too much right now? How do I make sure I'm listening, learning and doing the right things to be a good ally? <div><br /></div><div><div><div>For me writing has been a salvation----a way of both escaping the world and acting in my own way to try to make it better. Never has there been a time when fiction-- both reading it and writing it has been such an important part of my life. I'm so grateful for my writing circle-- those souls who pour themselves into my stories with the same passion they put into their own. I've been more consistent in producing pages than ever before just to see the smiles on their faces when we Zoom to talk about them. And reading their pages has taken me into the minds of beautiful characters who remind me there will be travel, restaurants, lunches with friends and more again. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Whatever gets you through these times, lean into it. Maybe we'll look back and find a few small glimmers that we'll want to carry with us into the rest of our lives. At the very least I'll have reams of written pages to show for all these cancelled plans, and some of the best friends a person could ever want. </div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-52397245166756411912020-06-28T09:22:00.004-07:002020-12-12T16:49:46.356-08:00Lessons from The Hunger Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPYCW6FoO2wyxqJDNe5rxMBU5IGO_rj-2eJr0PK5QovDWsBcM8LMZx7-Vh1q_rG1xWD6Q8Ebj9AxjsOLFxnlFdTeomZIoJrEFwivsFduV-LJgB_f7T8seNotcVdtGRVRlsvyvwYJXhvqT/s400/Ballad+of+Songbirds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPYCW6FoO2wyxqJDNe5rxMBU5IGO_rj-2eJr0PK5QovDWsBcM8LMZx7-Vh1q_rG1xWD6Q8Ebj9AxjsOLFxnlFdTeomZIoJrEFwivsFduV-LJgB_f7T8seNotcVdtGRVRlsvyvwYJXhvqT/s320/Ballad+of+Songbirds.jpg" /></a></div><br />I just finished reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ballad-Songbirds-Snakes-Hunger-Games/dp/1338635174/ref=asc_df_1338635174/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416693595291&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2233021608970635783&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014973&hvtargid=pla-910954084318&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=94182732616&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416693595291&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2233021608970635783&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014973&hvtargid=pla-910954084318">A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</a> by Suzanne Collins, author of the The Hunger Games. This prequel is as gut-punching and well written as the rest of the series, but is especially hard to read because of what Snow grows up to become. The book is set in that pivotal moment when his choices tip his life on a decidedly evil path. Part of this is the way he is built-- narcissism and sociopathy are in his personality-- part of it is his circumstances and part of it is the ideology he is exposed to. It's a disturbing look inside the mind of a young man destined to murder in the name of law and order.<br />
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Which brings me to the world we are living in today. It strikes me that The Hunger Games series has many lessons that we can apply to understand the social unrest across the country right now. Systematic racism is often hard for white Americans to understand, but the Hunger Games and the way the Districts are treated by the Capital offers as a parable for what Black Americans experience at the hands of U.S. police in many areas today.<br />
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The Districts in The Hunger Games are essentially treated as occupied territories-- the Peacekeepers come from the Capital and a few favored Districts to police people they see as lesser than them and deserving of their circumstances. Just as we see white suburban Americans policing urban Black neighborhoods and coming into those neighborhoods with suspicion and judgement.<br />
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In The Hunger Games the laws themselves were unjust and unjustly applied, and often the punishments were far more severe than the crimes would appear to merit. In the United States today the War on Drugs has resulted in mandatory sentencing that far exceeds what we might consider fair for relatively small crimes. And many Americans are no longer convinced that our drug laws are just to begin with.<br />
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In our society, when an unarmed Black man is hurt or murdered by police officers some will say that if that man broke the law than the police were not necessarily to blame for the outcome. Yet, in the Hunger Games we see Gail being whipped and though we know he broke the law by hunting a turkey and trying to sell it we are on his side. We can see that the law is unjust, unjustly applied and that the punishment far exceeds the severity of the crime. This same set of circumstances applies to many young Black men who have been killed by police today and many others who are killed were actually innocent.<br />
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The Hunger Games takes white people and puts them into Districts and we see them for what they are-- victims of state sponsored terror. We need to put aside racist blinders and understand that Black Americans are experiencing the same treatment here in our country and do all that we can to stop it.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-38420103045219314692020-04-19T08:45:00.002-07:002020-04-19T08:45:30.671-07:00Review: Bright and Beautiful Cozy MysteryNote: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review<br />
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Mystery-solving priest Alma is at it again in this second installment of a spiritual LBTQ cozy mystery series.<br />
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In this book Alma struggles with who to trust in her personal and professional lives after the Bishop of the church gives her a license to meddle in a murder investigation. The dead woman is a famous poet murdered on church grounds the night before her wedding and played out in her wedding dress in the middle of the labyrinth. She was to marry another priest's brother the next day.<br />
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As Alma sorts through her feelings toward two of her old flames, she once again solves the crime, while putting herself in grave danger along the way.<br />
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Alma is a complex character and her inner dialogue is endearing and spiritual at the same time. This book deals with some of the struggled bi-sexual people have with both the LGBT and straight communities. The book also focuses on Alma's place between two racial identities and the differences between classes in large urban cities.<br />
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Even with all this going on the book does a great job captivating you with the story and the mystery moves at a pretty good pace as Alma puts the clues together. I got a little tired of hearing Alma pine for Naomi, who just doesn't seem that great to me, while throwing away Cesar who seems to be someone who actually cares for her. I hope in the next book Alma can move on to someone new who isn't as annoying.<br />
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All in all it's a great read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery with a big city twist.<br />
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You can make this book you're own here: https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Beautiful-Reverend-Alma-Mystery-ebook/dp/B085KXWB7L/<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Beautiful-Reverend-Alma-Mystery-ebook/dp/B085KXWB7L/" target="_blank"><img alt="book cover of Bright & Beautiful" class="bookimage" data-us="51Y-YrL4U6L.jpg" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Y-YrL4U6L.SX316.SY316.jpg" width="316" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-64604295449999525702020-04-13T17:22:00.002-07:002020-12-12T17:06:24.564-08:00Unplanned Scenes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAGF3H9xbw7ZLroFFdvOJRM-ydj5fx1RX_wkl8vxb6DdR5Owt2tzJmhoujAtc4HcW0IVw-aYWt83f9nvzQnLYd5yTBHIza1T1VgDg_6nuFyNQ1ptjlW_Uk_k7ff4VJD0pug-Nahw4xU_t/s2048/2014-12-04+07.49.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAGF3H9xbw7ZLroFFdvOJRM-ydj5fx1RX_wkl8vxb6DdR5Owt2tzJmhoujAtc4HcW0IVw-aYWt83f9nvzQnLYd5yTBHIza1T1VgDg_6nuFyNQ1ptjlW_Uk_k7ff4VJD0pug-Nahw4xU_t/s320/2014-12-04+07.49.38.jpg" /></a></div><br />I'm not sure where this scene is going. Why is it here? I'm in that first draft phase where my outline seems to be failing me and I keep ending up in places I didn't expect, didn't plan for and my characters, frankly, don't have what they need to be in these places.<br />
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This novel is a sticky web that doesn't want to be woven some days. My editor says every scene must be there for a reason. Every scene must lead clearly to the next one. But at the moment I'm writing a collection of snapshots that are moving vaguely toward the end of a summer and very precisely toward the end of innocence.<br />
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It's not an easy path to pave with fictional characters or real life. It's that first life altering disappointment, when you find out that no one is perfect, that your parents are failing and your friends are failing and you are failing because failing is the only way to actually live. That's what I'm trying to capture with a sea of words in a way that grabs hold of your soul, crushes it, resurrects it and gives you enough hope to go on wanting to try.<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-16368303537678717012020-04-05T06:52:00.001-07:002020-12-12T17:04:56.473-08:00Hot tea and comfort reads Surviving a pandemic requires two things:<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxAiEfN4zJXQM_FIr8LuSjkJAsdKhouC2XCrtQUMKwPm6hEyGayScBfviEqA_11vCKttvUF5zSMp0nB4oMvvlU8qNlochy4fTU8wgRxLRGzbN6YADY2tF-VAQQbUY84gEud7ucAn7Idb7/s2048/2015-12-04+15.49.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxAiEfN4zJXQM_FIr8LuSjkJAsdKhouC2XCrtQUMKwPm6hEyGayScBfviEqA_11vCKttvUF5zSMp0nB4oMvvlU8qNlochy4fTU8wgRxLRGzbN6YADY2tF-VAQQbUY84gEud7ucAn7Idb7/s320/2015-12-04+15.49.30.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Hot Tea</div><div>To calm the mind and warm the heart</div><div>African Solstice is preferred. </div><div><br /></div><div>Comfort Reads </div><div>To disappear into a guaranteed happy ending</div><div>Books I’ve read before are preferred. </div><div><br /></div><div>Check out this list of Comfort Reads and make your own at home!</div><div><br /></div><div>Fangirl</div><div>Harry Potter<br /></div><div>Mr. And Mrs. Bo Jo Jones</div><div>In The Unlikely Event</div><div>On The Come Up</div><div>Simon Vs. The Homosapien Agenda</div><div>A Crooked Kind of Perfect</div><div>Twilight</div><div>Hunger Games</div><div>Anything by David Sedaris </div><div>Most Ardently </div><div>Merry March Mysteries </div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-55491853979220135132020-03-31T18:02:00.002-07:002020-03-31T18:02:33.692-07:00Books, and podcasts and real friendsIf I'm going to get through this being home all the time,<br />
endless hours in front of computer screens, noticing that it's long past time I changed these drapes and cleaned this carpet and sorted through all the things we have for no apparent reason,<br />
I'm going to need books and podcasts and real friends,<br />
the kinds of books that transport me to some other world where the CIA is just a backdrop for a steamy love story and the end is guaranteed to be happy even if it leaves just enough unsolved to bring me back for the next one,<br />
and, please, I need the podcasts where authors talk about what they cook, and how they write, and the way characters show up and poke at your insides until you bleed them out onto the page and then sometimes even then they aren't fully satisfied and they keep pushing until they burst out of you in prose you can actually be proud of, at least until you reread it tomorrow,<br />
And I'm looking at you friend, the one who takes my phone call and tells me something that gets me laughing so hard that I forget why we aren't seeing each other in real life any more,<br />
virtual happy hours, Saturday mornings on zoom, stolen moments laying in bed while your kids pop into your room and mine stays upstairs being sixteen and pretending she isn't related to me.<br />
If I'm going to get through this being home all the time,<br />
I"m going to need books, and podcasts and real friends.<br />
But not necessarily in that order.<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160327444065456731.post-30847209748274951992020-03-15T14:04:00.001-07:002020-12-12T17:14:26.996-08:00Doing our part for the good of everyone...The rise of a global pandemic has a way of slowing life down. Here in Ohio our Governor has closed schools for three weeks, many businesses are shifting to work from home or closing all together and evening and weekend activities are disappearing faster than you can say "Covid-19".<br />
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Since my mom and step-dad are both immune compromised I'm especially glad to see the swift action our leaders are taking to try to flatten out the curve for who will get this virus and when. All that being said, it's an interesting time to be a writer.<br />
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The hours spent at home are great for getting more writing than ever done and I've been making progress on editing my manuscript. It's also a good time to be a reader. I downloaded three novellas today and I'll be sinking in to fictional worlds to live out the many th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVvsXLjfzJ4iwzf0JtF3QDIPSeCz8UHA609JrROyXsjnxCQdtOjEWXmdt9dmtV2aWf03x1vrIjajL0fqCQl_PNxnkUUAOOzPR-xQcY8wcz-2vCEPZaZ00Fg7N1Wg-Ib3B1iySlI9sbrs8/s1136/2014-09-16+18.50.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">ings we can't do right now-- like travel or eat out in restaurants.</span></a><br />
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A friend of mine who is a very talented crafter is thinking about putting together a fun do-it-yourself-at-home craft for her Instagram followers and we may even pair that up with a romance novel recommendation.<br />
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So, I'm keeping busy during this unprecedented time, but also taking time to spend with my children and husband and making sure my parents have what they need to get through these days, as well.<br />
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I hope you're taking care of those you love and that we'll all be able to look back on this time and be grateful that we were successful in slowing this pandemic down.<br />
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<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFu0G9bjkiZo1ok1IkRLap4CzrMZ4wrEcqQzZXMKXQkGvTB3XkL-Hnc9-ii-B1z6HBPysiYqOqbiHnPf9dpf1AGagEzCXD2UrAAh_59Tf1PFibGsgUO9Rriyc1LfdnySqAoO1liHJfBhw/s1136/2014-09-16+18.50.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFu0G9bjkiZo1ok1IkRLap4CzrMZ4wrEcqQzZXMKXQkGvTB3XkL-Hnc9-ii-B1z6HBPysiYqOqbiHnPf9dpf1AGagEzCXD2UrAAh_59Tf1PFibGsgUO9Rriyc1LfdnySqAoO1liHJfBhw/s320/2014-09-16+18.50.58.png" /></a></div><br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128358113869765375noreply@blogger.com0