Yay! The Effingham Daily News posted their article about Canterwood Crest! You can read the online version here. I used to live in Dieterich, IL, which was about 10 minutes from Effingham. But I went to school in Effingham and spent a lot of time there.
Thanks so much to Bill Grimes for writing the piece! 🙂
Thanks so much, B&N Tallahassee, for supporting Canterwood Crest!!
That’s my new friend, Julia. I about died when I saw this pic. So. Sweet. Thank you for reading, J!! 🙂 I’m feeling all special because someone other than friends or family like my book. Woo!
Want more pics? I posted some of my visit to Simon & Schuster. They’re on yesterday’s post.
Also…this is a new non-fiction horse book from Aladdin. It’s called YOU AND YOUR HORSE: HOW TO WHISPER YOUR WAY INTO YOUR HORSE’S LIFE and it’s by Dandi Daley Mackall. It’s packed with great tips on riding, horse care and everything a young rider needs to know. Plus? It has TAKE THE REINS on the back, which is super cool.
And!! Twilight has a DVD release date! March 21! Woo! E! is predicting midnight madness.
I’m sooo excited to announce that I’m the January Author of the Month (AOM) at Harmony Book Reviews! Yaaay! Thank you, Harmony, for choosing me. I’m honored and super-excited!
Want to read Harmony’s announcement? Check it out here!
P.S. She said, and I quote, “the book is fab.” OMG! 🙂
On Monday, I get to slip into my PR Ninja costume! (I really should find an avatar for this…) I’m going to meet someone downtown to do a PR-related thing. Could I be any more vague, LOL?
I’ll spill when it goes online. 🙂
(Other 2009 debut authors, does it just freak your freak (thanks, Ellen!) to see your countdown clock go down?!) I get dizzy/tingly/crazy watching my Sprout countdown clock tick.
Yesterday: Um. *looks away* Well…okay. 4 pages. Distractions, distractions!
1 giant pumpkin spice-flavored coffee
20+ attempts to actually write
2:30pm was the time I gave up and vowed to start again the next day
P.S. My blog had its highest monthly hit total in December 2008 since I started blogging. Thanks so much, guys!
P.P.S. Want to win a signed copy of TAKE THE REINS? Check yesterday’s post for details.
I’m starting the first draft of TRIPLE FAULT this morning. Like, now. Right now. OMG. There’s always that moment (okay, more like day) of panicked “I can’t do this! I forgot how to write a book! I’m supposed to do what?!”
Happens every time I start a book. But it’s okay. It keeps things interesting and I’d rather be freaked out instead of all “Whatever. I can so do this because I’m the best writer ever.” That would be boring!
Lucky for me, I had my Writer Freakout yesterday in anticipation of starting TF today. So, I’m ready. I’ve got my trusty outline, a sparkly pink pen for notes, cinnamon bun flavored coffee and fuzzy purple socks. You know, all things a writer needs.
Wish me luck! *</:)
Cover Copyright © 2009 Simon & Schuster. Photo © Monica Stevenson.
I got something AMAZING in the mail this morning.
Finished copies of TAKE THE REINS!!
OMG. The book that I’ve obsessed over, cried about, loved writing and enjoyed plotting is in my hands.
TAKE THE REINS started as a “I don’t know if I can do this, but I’ll try” NaNoWriMo 2006 project.
Wait, wait. How about a little time line instead? ‘Kay. Here goes.
Oct. 2006–I want to switch from magazine writing to novel writing. Can I do this?
Nov. 1, 2006–Yes, I can! Let’s write this book!
Nov. 15, 2006–Um, wait. Does this thing totally suck?
Nov. 17, 2006–Yes, this might really suck. But I’ll keep going.
December 1, 2006–*tired* Wow. I have a reallly bad finished draft. But it’s a draft!
December 2006–Revises.
January 2007–Agent A emails.
January 2007–OMG. An agent? Emailing me? Really? *Emails Diana Peterfreund for advice*
January 2007–Diana tells me to chill and not faint when I talk to Agent A for the first time.
January 2007–Talk with Agent A. We click and I don’t faint. Sign with Agent A.
February-May 2007–Revise, worry that I completely suck, revise, ooh! TTR is getting better, revise, graduate.
Late May 2007–TTR goes on sub. No time to obsess–gotta start next project
Late May 2007–Offer from S&S. I cry, scream and go through every possible emotion in all of five minutes.
And that’s how it happened! Of course, there were lots of revisions after that and all of the superfun stuff like the photo shoot, galleys, copy edits and finalizing titles happened between June 2007 and now.
But wow. The experience of holding your first book in your hands is a fantastic one that I’ll never forget.
Pictures to come! 😀
As promised…ARC pics of CHASING BLUE! On the front, we’ve got Sasha Silver and her rival Heather Fox. Julia Myer, Heather’s BFF, is on the back. There’s also a tiny pic of Heather on the spine. (Yes, I had the pic of the back loaded and then I took it off. It kinda gives away a bit of the plot of TAKE THE REINS.)
Yay! I was such a dork about this ARC. I held it on my lap for most of the trip home and have it by my laptop so I can see it today. Soon, it will be sent Out There for someone else to read. Eeep.
What do you guys think?
*happy sigh*
The second Canterwood Crest photo shoot #2 is a wrap! We had the best time and got soooo lucky with the weather! It threatened to rain at any second, but we made it through the entire day with only a few sprinkles here and there.
It was fantastic to see everyone and it was super-fun to see my “characters” again. The overall experience was just…surreal. This time, however, I DID make it through the day without being in total shock at what was going on around me, LOL.
A big, sparkly thank you to everyone involved. It was another unforgettable experience and I’m so grateful. We should totally do that every day. 🙂
I can’t wait to reveal the covers over the coming months. Wait till you all see them!
Oooh, and if that wasn’t enough, I now hold in my hands a CHASING BLUE ARC. I’ll take a pic of it when I get home. The wrap around cover is beautiful.
Okay, I’ve been teasing for long enough! Harmony called me out and reminded me that it IS Sunday–the day I promised to post details. Well…here you go!
I’m in a hotel room in NJ. So far from FL, I know!
Tomorrow…I get to hang out with Editor K and the Photo Shoot People! (Yes, they deserve caps ‘cause they’re awesome.) We’ll be meeting at the super-secret location south of NYC to shoot the new Canterwood Crest covers. I can’t wait to see everyone since it has been since late April. I almost can’t believe we’re doing this again. I feel so lucky! (Posts about photo shoot #1 are here.)
Last time, the day was a total blur because I was in such shock that it was actually happening. Models. Horses. People. All for Canterwood. It was the most surreal experience to meet actual girls who got to portray my characters. It’ll be fun to see them again! Plus, in April, it was the first time I met EK and AA and that alone was enough to make a girl nervous.
I’m sooo excited!!!
I typed the entire way up and will do so on the trip home because I’m a girl on a deadline. The TRIPLE FAULT outline is in desperate need of, um, words. Yeah. *considers erasing that sentence so EK and AA don’t get nervous*
But YAY! It might actually be unseasonably warm tomorrow, which would rock. Fingers crossed.
Happy Sunday!
Jessica Burkhart 