Category: Editor K

Congratulations, Kate!

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(Note: this is NOT a real gun–it’s a stunt gun used for a Nancy Drew cover shoot. Also, please note her signature Diet Coke in the background…)

This lovely editor, aka Kate Angelella, was promoted to Associate Editor at Simon & Schuster’s Aladdin. In addition to being my editor, Kate also edits the sparkly Lauren Barnholdt and the amazing Kekla Magoon among other awesome authors. I’m superproud and thrilled that Kate was promoted. She’s an amazing editor AND writer who has both a commercial and literary eye. That’s hard to find–no doubt.

Congratulations, Kate! We’re all so, so proud! 🙂

Oklahoma City conference update

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It’s day three (well, two and a half) in Oklahoma City. Kate’s taking pitches so I hijacked her Mac (this is saying something cuz I’m a PC girl and it usually takes prodding to get me to use her computer.) But! We did our editor/author panel yesterday and I think it went well. 🙂 I had a speech early this morning and Kate’s is this afternoon. Don’t know yet what the rest of our schedule is, but we’ve barely seen the inside of our very nice room. (Thanks, Embassy Suites!)

Our flight leaves…hmmm…don’t know when tomorrow and I’ve got to run down to the biz center and print our boarding passes. I love that I got pulled aside at LaGuardia (I was scaaared!) and had my suitcase searched. The item that set off the detectors? A book in my suitcase. Yes, really. TSA…*shakes head*
But we’ve met a lot of lovely people and it’s been sooo warm and nice here. Everyone’s superfriendly and the conference has been a blast.

Tallahassee Writers Conference pics part 2

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Finally getting around to sharing pics from the Tallahassee Writers Conference. It was a great event and I had a lot of fun going with Editor K and showing her the Florida State University campus. (Go, Noles!)

I think I’m giving the audience the tip of when writing for tweens, “Don’t use outdated slang aka ‘get up in my grill foshizzle'”. 🙂


More of my PowerPoint about writing for tweens.

And finally, I’m holding onto that clicker. I kind of loved it and want one. Thanks Editor K for snapping the shots! I’m still booking conferences for 2010 and 2011, so if interested, shoot me an e-mail at jess_burkhart [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Happy release day, HOME SWEET DRAMA!

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I can’t believe it’s time for book #8 in the Canterwood Crest series! Ahhh!! We’re at the halfway point now of sixteen books and it’s. . . well, hard to articulate how I feel. Excited. Humbled. Scared. (And scared because I don’t want to disappoint my reader girlies with any book.) Thrilled. Etc.

After eight books, I’m in love with my characters as ever and their horses. The adventures at Canterwood are continuing and I love being along for the ride.

Shout outs and sparkles to the Simon & Schuster team, our photographer, amazing models and the readers who allow me to live my dream to write. Special xoxo to Editor Kate for working her magic and putting her talent into this book.

Yaaaay, HSD! 😀

So, since it’s a special day, I’m opening comments! I want you to tell me what YOUR sparkle is! 🙂 Mine, of course, is lip gloss and hanging out with my BFF.

Leave a comment here or Tweet at me or Editor K. We can’t wait to hear about your sparkle!

PS: Comments have gotten sticky in the past, so please keep them clean. If there’s any drama, I’ll have to close them and that would be sad. 😦 So post away on what makes you happy and yaaay HOME SWEET DRAMA!

Big, big, big annoucement!

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The past few days have been busy with sad personal issues related to a friend, but I think it’s time for a *little* good news on a Saturday.

I’m shocked, thrilled, beyond excited and SOOOOO happy to announce that Editor K and the team at S&S have decided they’d like FOUR MORE CANTERWOOD BOOKS! So, 13-16, here we come! The official deal will go up on Pub Lunch soon, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer and got the okay to share.

I’m incredibly grateful that not only do I get to keep writing these books that I love, but more so that I’m able to work with Kate. We’re already brainstorming concepts and I’m just freaking out with excitement about these!

I’ve got to say thank you so much to Bethany, Mara, Fiona, Liesa and Jon for backing the books and being excited. Team S&S!

Cheers to four more books! 🙂

Writing like whoa

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I got two new freelance assignments last week that are due in March. Both are on SUCH different topics–one is very serious–huffing and inhalants. The other is about horseback riding! That article will discuss options about how to ride if you don’t own a horse and what you can do to get lessons for a reduced cost or even for free.

It’ll be fun to switch to non-fiction for those pieces. I don’t actively query anymore–I just don’t have time. I love it when editors send me ideas for pieces they need done. So, I’ll be working on that later in the month.

But first–back to book writing!

Hope everyone had a fab weekend!

And, if you haven’t already, go congratulate Editor K on signing with an awesome agent. She’s a talented writer who doesn’t even realize her own potential and I can’t wait to see her writing career bloom.

Another Canterwood Crest photo shoot pic

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I wanted to share my fave pic from the Canterwood shoot on Wednesday. I’m posing with this lovely bay horse and the famous Editor Kate. Now if you see her on the street and you want an early copy of Canterwood–chase her down. She’ll love it. 😉

So. Glad. It’s. Friday. But it’s gonna be a working weekend. Like, crazy-working. But I’m just happy to be home and not on a plane or at an airport. I’m trying to respond to reader email (I’ve, um, got 15 pages of new messages to go through), but I’m working on it. You guys have been sooo patient and I really appreciate it! 🙂 Also, if you sent me a book to sign, I mailed back a couple of them yesterday as well as responded to a couple of snail mail letters, so be on the look out for those. 🙂 Special shout out to an awesome reader who sent me tiny plastic horses in the mail. ❤ them!! Thank you!

What’s everyone else doing this weekend?