Justine Dell

Well, this didn't go as planned ...

2012-01-27T07:00:00.019-05:00

So today was supposed to be the EPIC battle between the alpha male and his nemesis ... the beta.

Well, *huffs* that post has been postponed until Monday for reasons beyond my control.

But that was okay because I was going to awe you with some good news.

Well, *huffs louder* that has also been postponed ...

You know, sometimes things don't always work out as planned.

SO, Monday will be the Throwdown Showdown. Sometime in the next few weeks will be the epic awesome news. And today? Well, I think it's time to just chill. Chilling is good. Gets you ready for the weekend.

Because Bruno Mars is my current favorite musical artist for a dictionary full of reasons (call me, Bruno. Seriously), here's an ode to helping us chill.

Next week, peeps! Next week will be ROCKIN'!

~JD

THROWDOWN SHOWDOWN: Round Two, The Beta Hero

2012-01-25T07:00:00.045-05:00

Today will focus on what the beta is and what makes him yummy in all his own ways.

Let's do this ...

* DING * DING *

Again, let's get the cliches out of the way. The beta male is:

-Shy (possibly)

-Silent (possibly)

-Sweet (most certainly)

-Easygoing, but not a pushover

-Comforting

-Doesn't like confrontation (but he doesn't really back down on an issue he wants resolved)

-Unassertive (because he doesn't want to hurt someones feelings)

-Practical

-Determined

-Is always available when needed (he's like the good best friend)

-Kind, responsible, decent

-Good sense of humor (and he uses it to deflect uncomfortable feelings sometimes)

-Assesses situations before making decisions

-Mr. Nice Guy/Everyday Joe

Hmmm ... sounds WAY different from the alpha, right?

Basically, the beta male is sensitive to what's around him. Especially the heroine. Instead of pushing her buttons, he will let her take the lead because that's what makes her happy. He will help her, not force his own ideas on her. He doesn't push, he doesn't crawl to the head of the pack because he's only thinking about himself. He's too busy worrying about everyone else to really worry about him.

Everyone together now, "aaaaawwwwwww"

Seriously, though. This man can do anything. Unlike the alpha, the beta wears his emotions inside. If he's crushed because of something his woman did/said, he won't confront it. He will brood silently (most times) in order to not hurt others. He'll hide his emotions with humor in order to makes others smile, although he might be dying on the inside.

This guy was your best friend in high school, the man in the cubicle next to you that the boss relies on, the guy you see walking his dogs and playing with kids in the park, the grocery store clerk that always makes you laugh, the silent man on the bus who always gives up his seat and glances your way without saying a word. He is the everyday guy.

He's not a wimp. He's not a sissy. He's not afraid. He has feelings. And like women, those feelings are complex and he does his best to deal with them in the only why he knows how--quietly.

The problem with the beta hero is since he's so nice and sweet and hides his feelings, it is hard to know when he's upset, sad, angry, frustrated, in love, etc. Because unlike the Alpha who roars his feelings 24/7, kicks, stomps, growls, and kisses like it will be the last time, the beta has a reserved sense of self. A reserved sense of confidence. A reserved ... everything. But he doesn't give up easily and he doesn't give in. He just goes after everything in his own special way (and that "way" depends on what the author has created him to do).

And he is the man that women fall in love with.

Here are some examples of beta heroes in movies:

Orlando Bloom in "Pirates of the Caribbean"

Bill Pullman in "While You Were Sleeping"

Ryan Reynolds in "The Proposal"

Keanu Reeves in "The Replacements"

Adam Sandler in "The Wedding Singer"

Toby Maguire in "Spiderman"

Here's the perfect example of a beta male. The song (and all the things that happen during the video ... yes, that's a beta. I LOVE YOU BRUNO! Ahem, okay, here it is:

Here's the thing I love so much about the beta:

He's unpredictable. Alphas? Pretty predictable. Betas? Not so much. And it is this vulnerable unpredictability that makes women fall in love with them everyday. Beautifully strong, quietly confident, strangely addictive. I hereby swoon. ;-)

What makes you love the beta hero? Can you think of any good examples in books/movies/etc? Don't forget to come back on Friday to watch the alpha and beta go head-to-head! It's gonna be good.

~JD

Side note: this makes me wonder why the Beta Fish is called the Beta Fish. I mean, they are aggressive to boot! Why not call them Alpha Fish? Way more fitting!

THROWDOWN SHOWDOWN: Alpha Hero VS Beta Hero

2012-01-23T06:00:00.065-05:00

No need to wait, let's get this party started ...

* DING * DING *

Today will be all about the Alpha male. (yummy)

And let's face it ... this is a complicated match up, so today we will be only characterizing the Alpha male. On Wednesday we will do the same for the Beta. And on Friday, they will have their official show-down with each of them facing off in an identical scene to see how differently they would act. Then, my friends, we can decide who wins this war to woo women.

Let's get the cliches out of the way. The Alpha is:

-Strong

-Confident (possibly cocky)

-Leader

-Aggressive (sometimes annoyingly so)

-Comfortable with himself

-Territorial (especially with his woman)

-Persistent

-Good looking (almost making the heroine feel small in comparison)

-Controlling (come on, you know he is)

-Often possessive (again with his woman)

-He wears his emotions on his sleeve. If he's pissed, you know it. If he's happy, you know it. If he's sad ... wait, the Alpha NEVER is sad. Sadness is a weakness and the Alpha is never, ever weak.

Did I get all of them?

Now, here's the thing most people forget about Alpha men: they change depending on the type of character they are. Sure, ALL alphas have same core characteristics (cliches, above). BUT, their personalities are what set them apart from the pack. (No pun intended)

Think of the hit T.V. Vampire Diaries. Stefan and Damon are BOTH alpha males. But they are both very different kind of alphas. And personally, Damon is much more my type of Alpha. He's the bad type. Stefan is the sensitive type (I would argue that he's borderline beta ... until this new season, that is). Anyway.

There's Eric, from True Blood, and Alcide *swoon*
Matt Dillon--The Outsiders
Vin Diesel--Fast and Furious
Val Kilmer--Tombstone (and I guess Kurt Russell, too)
Hugh Jackman--Wolverine (X-Men)
Ryan Reynolds--Van Wilder *swoon* (although he shows some beta characteristics, too)
And my personal favorites (from books, of course) Jean Claude and Richard from Anita Blake's Vampire Hunter Series (again ... two very different types of Alphas)
.

Here are two videos that show two very different of two very different alphas.

This is just a side-note here, but I would not fully label Maverick as an Alpha. LOTS of people would (my vote goes to Iceman). Maverick has a lot of qualities that make him Alpha. He's cocky. Confident. Knows he's the best at what he does. He pulls a great stunt to get the girl. I get that. And yet ... when the woman he wants is stronger than him, higher than him, he doesn't try to outdo her. He doesn't try show he's Alpha. Sooo .... there's a difference in my opinion of a true Alpha and a man who longs to be an Alpha but hides behind his bravado. That's a topic for another day, though. At any rate, this is video is excellent example of certain types of Alpha behavior (make sure you pay close attention to Iceman, too). Oh, and pay attention to Goose (the beta!).

AND ... THE SECOND VIDEO IS NOT WORKING! *pulls out hair*
ARGH!
*takes deep breaths*
Whose idea was it to disable embedding youtube videos? Stupid youtube.
Anyway ...
The second video was the opening scene for Roger Dodger. You need to see it. So, clicky here.
I'll wait.
Back?
Excellent!

Do you see the difference between the two Alphas? HUGE differences, right? So, no matter the characteristics listed in the above list, the character is what the author will make them. Their personality and their own experiences will mold and shape them. Are they a likable Alpha or a total dick?

I think the term "alpha" and their rise in popularity has A LOT to do with paranormal books/movies/etc. Vampires, Warlocks, Wolves, Bears, whatev, are alpha by nature. They are the leaders of their packs/groups/covens/what-have-you. And as the strong alpha male gripped the attention of women everywhere, it spread into the everyday romance. That's MOO (my own opinion, though). Because lets face it, before then, Alphas were not what women swooned over. They were the type women ran from. Again, MOO. ;-) And yes, I KNOW there were Alphas before wolves and vampires ... but I think the wolves and vampires made them more common (and likable).

So, you want a strong man? You want a man who is controlling? You want a man who can toss you around (in a good way *winks*)? You want a man to fight for you--literally? Then you want the Alpha.

The Alpha is strong and independent. The Alpha needs control over situations (and people, normally), but he would die for his woman. He is protective of her. Wants her to only see him. And he makes sure everyone knows it. Some people say the Alpha should never be cruel. I disagree with that. Alphas do have their own sense of cruelty (even when it comes to their lady), BUT they always make up for it by showing the heroine they do what they do out of love. They ask for forgiveness for their behavior (in their own special way). And *sigh*, we always do forgive them.

How does the alpha male make you feel? What do you think about the personality core characteristics? What are some good traits of an alpha hero in your mind? Annoying ones? Any examples from books/movies/tv shows you can think of?

Come back on Tuesday to see the Beta come running out of his corner to protect his name. And to show that he's got what it takes to make women swoon, too. And lets not forget Friday when they go head-to-head!

~JD

WHOOT! WHOOT! Friday Update!

2012-01-20T06:00:00.013-05:00

Giving everyone some love on this WONDERFUL Friday!!

Enough mushy stuff ... on to the updates.

1. Did you notice the new look? I mean, the second new look this week? *snicker* Sorry about! I liked the first look (the pink one with the purdy flowers, but blogger wouldn't let me edit the layout! Argh!) So I changed it. And this time, I actually designed that fancy new header all by myself! Yay me! And because I've got zero brain when it comes to html, I want to say a huge thanks to Matthew MacNish for helping a lady out.

2. I've still got a secret to share. And I promise, I will. You might have already noticed a hint on my blog here. *grins*

3. I finished my NaNo book. It stands at 80K and is currently in the critters hands. It's not my normal genre, so really, I'm all done with the freak outs.

4. I've made a new goal for myself. I want to finish writing three books this year. Yes, I said three ... you aren't seeing things. I've started this year off with a bang and I'm already 12K into the new WIP. If I stay on track, I'm fairly confident I can complete this goal. The teenage offspring told me the other day I should write everyday like it was NaNo month, which SHOCKED me seeing as how she didn't eat that entire month. Kidding. Mostly. So, I'm going to do it. If I stick with it, I could actually finish like five books, but I need to leave time for brain meltdowns, editing, and sleeping. I would like to have my butt leave the chair sometime this year. ;-) So three books it is.

5. The blogfest of all blogfests.

DL Hammons , Creepy Query Girl aka Katie, and Alex Cavanaugh are the hosts of this brain child. Basically you are going to tell the whole world where your writing dreams began. Learn all about the blogfest (and sign up!) right HERE!

I think that 'bout covers if for this week. Make sure to stop by next week to watch those Mean Alpha Heroes fight it out with the Sensitive Beta heroes! It'll be EPIC!

~JD

A new blog feature: Throwdown Showdown

2012-01-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

Next week I will be rolling out a new thing here on the blog.

I like to call it the

THROWDOWN SHOWDOWN

You see, there are lots and LOTS of things that we writers flip flop about (wait ... maybe that's just me?)There are things we question and things we are die-hard sure of and passionate about.

It is those things, dear friends, that will have a smackdown.

Two topics, similar, but different.

Two different opinions.

Lots of mud-throwing.

Sounds like a fun time.

It starts next Monday with our first topic:

Heroes: Alpha vs Beta

* ding * ding *

What kind of things would you guys like to see beat each other up about?

Ahem, I mean discuss in a polite and dignified manner.

Yeah. Right.

Tell me.

~JD

MLK Day ... make it a day on!

2012-01-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

Martin Luther King Day.

Make it a day on ... not a day off!

That's what I'm doing today, peeps. How about you? What's your dream?

~JD

Friday Freak-Out!

2012-01-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Go ahead.

I know you want to push it.

*nudge*

I've been panicking all week! Hence why this is a Friday Freak Out instead of a Friday Update. I'm too busy chewing my nails down to the cuticle to worry about updating anything.

Why, you ask?

Well ... I finished my 2011 NaNo Novel!

And then ... I gave it to my crit partner. *runs and hides*

And I'm terrified.
One: It's a new genre for me (why, OH WHY do I do this to myself??)
Two: I think it blows. But my critters made me finish it. * grumble* Seeing as how I hadn't finished a book for an entire year, I understand where they were coming from. Thank you, Sarah! Thank you, Jaime!

So two months, 80K, and BAM! The new book is done. Too bad it blows.

Anyone want to join the Friday Freak Out? I'm thinking about starting a club. Wait ... DL already did that. ;-)

I shall remain in this mode until I am handed back my book with tons and tons of red marks. Actually, I'm thinking I might just get back a pile of ashes. The critters would be doing me a favor.

Have a great weekend!

And for those who are buried under tons of snow, stay warm!

~JD

Grammar Police: Set vs Sat (Part Deux)

2012-01-09T07:00:00.021-05:00

Ah, the sheriff is back! And ready to tackle another grammar problem. I've already done a post on Set vs Sat. You can check it out here.

In that post I discussed the difference between set, sat, and sit (sat is the past tense of sit). All of them are verbs. And this is the one statement from that post you need to remember:

PEOPLE/ANIMALS "sit" down (for the action of sitting).

You "set" an OBJECT down.

Now, I got an email while I was away regarding this issue. Spike wanted me to clear something up. An episode of Criminals Minds "sat" a dead body on the ledge. Spike's mother and father had a disagreement about whether that was right. And we all know how that kind of thing goes ...

Well, Criminal Minds ... you were WRONG.

Sorry, Charlie! Or whoever you pay to write your scripts. Shame on you. Shame. Shame. Shame.

If you refer to the bold area above you'll see that people "sit" (because they can do the action of sitting). Now a dead body was a person. But now, since it's dead, it's an object. It can't "sit" on it's own. So you don't "sit" the body on the ledge, you "set" it on the ledge.

Therefore, when applying this rule, just remember the difference between peoples/animals and objects. Dead people (and animals) are objects. If you want to use the would sit/sat--the person/animal MUST be able to do the action of sitting. Otherwise, it's an object. Any questions?

Oh, and if anyone is wondering which of Spike's parents was right ... it was his mother. Way to go, Mom!

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update! Er--no ... Surgery Day!

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've only got one little update for you today ...

I wasn't expecting it to happen soooo soon, but today I am in surgery--getting my elbow fixed ... again.

I will be gone from the loving world of the blogosphere for at least a month.
*Cries*
Maybe more.
*Cries harder*

So .... because I'll be out from today until whenever, here is some Holiday cheer for you!

And just to be safe:

And to be even safer:

<3 U!

Here's to an extravagant and awesome 2012! (And hoping that the world won't end)

~JD

To Which I say AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile (first, thanks for that ... love you. I love the rest of you, too), you might recall that I had elbow surgery this past May. It was a serious pain (literally). And it was the reason I stopped blogging for like, SEVEN months!

Well, bad news ... the wise ol' doc wants to do it again.

*grumbles*

*cries in remembering the agony from last time*

So ... whew ... I'm not sure how long the comeback will last. I'll keep you all posted. Until then, I'm going to go cry in the corner. And get as much blogging done as I can between now and then. ;-)

~JD

To Which I Ask: Your new story is like someone elses ... what do you do??

2011-12-12T06:00:00.006-05:00

You've worked on your book for a year. Maybe two. Maybe three. Heck, maybe even four or five. To you, it's brilliant ... original ... kick butt ... perfect ... AMAZING ... and you can't wait to get it out to the masses.

But wait ...

Did you just see a commercial about a T.V. show with a similar idea?
Did you just see a book at the bookstore with the same plot?
A movie?
A musical?
A play?
Something?

ACK!

The offspring can't believe it!!!

*heart attack ensues*
*world caves in*

WHAT DO YOU DO?

Well, it's not good news. At all. Unfortunately this happens quiet a bit (so I've heard). A writer, writing THEIR own idea, finishes their book, only to find out that something (a movie/T.V. show/book/whatev) has just come out with a similar thing. And according to The Editor, you (the writer) has wasted those years of your life because what you have you will not be able to sell now.

Well, that sucks. But it's the truth. I had a similar thing happen to me last year. I was almost done with my YA Horror/Urban Fantasy thing (which has since be shelved) when I was watching T.V. with the hubs. On came this recently released move Percy Jackson, The Lightening Thief. I watched it ... in awe. And anger.

Now, my book isn't 100% percent like the movie. But some of the elements where weirdly similar. The Gods. The special powers. This kid saving the world from rogue Gods. It was enough to stop and give me pause and make me wonder if I'd just wasted a year of my life. And it wasn't a good feeling. Now, the only thing that saved me (and my book) where a few key elements that were WAY different. Mine borders on horror. It's a lot darker. And the overall story arc is different. You know, the journey, the trials, the struggles, blah, blah, blah. But I still know how close I was to having to forever shelve one of my creations. I've done that before and it didn't feel good.

So, the bad news is bad. If you've got a book that is like another idea that came out in another format (a movie, etc), then you have indeed wasted your time. And I know it hurts. But hey, if this happens to you, keep your chin up. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is your writing career. The more you write the better you'll get ... so keep writing.

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update!!

2011-12-09T06:00:00.025-05:00

And I when I say finally, I mean FINALLY!!! You see, I've only got one more week left before I can begin my much anticipated winter vacation. I'm not going anywhere, but I don't have to work for TWO WHOLE WEEKS. So, yeah. Excited here!

And with that, here's the update for this week.

(Now, bear with me. I'm still getting in the blogging groove, so I've still got less to say than I would have say a year ago or so. I'm still shaking off the dust.)

1. I WON NANOWRIMO!!!!!!!
*jumps*
*squeals*
*falls on face*
I always was clumsy. *sigh*
Anyhoo ... so I won. My first year ever. Some 50,285 words or something like that. I'm proud. Only because it's the first thing I've written in a year. So it's amazing to me. And, even though I think it's total crap, I'm going to finish it. Right now it's a little over 55K and I'm hoping to have it done (around 80K?) by the end of the year. *crosses fingers* Not that I will let anyone actually read it after that.
Yes, it's that bad.

2. Psss ... come here.

A little closer ....

I've got a secret ....

And I can't tell you ...

YET.

3. Next week I'm totally going to try to go back to my normal blogging schedule. You know, the cool grammar police posts, the ones where I talk about yours truly (and the teenage offspring). You know, the FUN stuff. I ready for some FUN! Actually, the fun might have to wait until 2012. Why? Because after next week, I'm taking off for my winter break. I know, I know, I just got back. But even I need time to chillax during the holidays. I suggest you do the same.

4. It's strange that I have no queries to talk about. No cool stories. No writing nightmares. Nothing really writing related. MAN, have I been out of the loop OR WHAT? * smacks face*

Get it together, JD.

And while you're at it, stop talking to yourself in 3rd person.

I need a bubble bath.

~JD

To which I ask, do you query/submit during the holidays?

2011-12-07T09:53:00.001-05:00

DO YOU QUERY/SUBMIT DURING THE HOLIDAYS?

Or do you tie your hands so you can't??

I've found myself in the clutches of this question numerous times. Numerous. It would seem that I normally get things done and ready to query right around Turkey day. Just my luck.

So what do you do? Do you query agents? Do you submit to publishing houses that actually accept unagented submissions? Or do you hold off until the after the first of the new year?

First things first.

MAKE SURE YOUR BOOK IS READY TO QUERY. No jumping the gun here, peeps. I can't stress that enough.

Then, do that following:

1. Don't submit to publishing houses. They will be dealing with hella-crazy deadlines and won't have to time to mess with your slush. Sorry, but true.

2. Don't submit to agent who closes for submissions around the holidays. Your query will be deleted faster than you can blink.

3. Do submit to agents who allow queries over the holidays.

*double-take*

*blinks*

Yeah, I said it. DO submit to agents who allow queries over the holidays. Do you think I've lost my mind? Well, that remains to be seen.

I was a hard-core do-not-submit-to-agents-over-the-holidays believer. Until last week. What changed my mind? A blog post from an editor him/herself. You can read it here. Makes sense now, right? Now, I'm sure there are agents out there would rather not have a slew of queries over the holidays. Some of them don't mind. And some of them like them and say, "I'll take 'em, but it will take longer to answer."

Just make sure whoever you are submitting to over the holidays accepts submissions/queries over the holidays. And make sure you aren't waisting their time by not being TOTALLY read to submit. I mean it. ;-)

~JD

To which I say ROARRRRR for winning NaNoWriMo

2011-12-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

YES!

YESSSS!

This was my first year ever. My first completion ever. And it feels soooo good.

I now have 50,285 words done of the coolest novel ever. It's pretty awesome.

*liar*

Ahem. Well, I have 50K written of something I can manage into something awesome?

Maybe.

That remains to be seen.

In any case, THANK YOU NaNoWriMo for getting me off my butt and making me complete a goal. I haven't done that in a year. Here's to you *claps*.

And now that NaNo is done I shall return to my regular blogging schedule. Did any of you notice that once I came back from my hiatus that I was only here for two weeks before dropping into oblivion again? Yeah, it was all NaNo's fault. But now I'm back. And ready to start a "normal" blog again. If you call what I do normal.

For those of you who also completed NaNo--CONGRATS! And if you participated, but didn't win--I STILL say congrats. 50K in 30 days is insane, so if you even tried, YOU ROCK.

Here's to a rockin' week!!!!

~JD

Whoo! Whoot! Friday Update!!!

2011-11-18T05:00:00.004-05:00

Oh, I do love Fridays!!!! And this one even better than most because next week is TURKEY week, which means not only do I get to stuff my face on Thursday, I only have to work THREE DAYS!!

*cartwheels*

It's been two whole weeks since I started blogging again and now I've FINALLY got stuff to update you on. *claps* So let's get movin'.

1. NaNo. My progress is good. I'm on track, almost up to 30K and moving right along. I am, however, having serious doubts about whether or not I can finish. I mean, next week I'll be taking off four days for Thanksgiving to spend with the fam. ACK! Not to mention my plot is careening wildly out of control. I'm a panster, so my fault, I guess. *sigh* And ... ah that's that.

2. Uh ... um ... for those of you who won cool stuff from my contest in ahem, May, believe it or not, I have the stuff packed not-so-neatly away in my office. It is the last room from my move to be put together and I don't know when I'll have to time to dig for your stuff. Nonetheless, know that I do still have the items and one day I will actually mail them out to all of you.

3. I wanted to say a HUGE CONGRATS to fellow blogger, Taherah Mafi. Her book SHATTER ME was released this past Wednesday. And according to Amazon, it's kicking butt and taking names. YEAH!

4. Wow ... well, I thought I had more to say. Guess NaNo has sucked me dry!!!

I will only be blogging two days next week cuz of turkey day! Do any of you have special plans? Black Friday (or Thursday) shopping perhaps? If you're doing NaNo, does the holiday mess you up?

Have a great weekend everyone.

~JD

What's in a name?

2011-11-16T07:00:00.025-05:00

One word:

E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

According to my thirteen-year-old daughter, if she doesn't like the name of a book, she won't even pick it up. She doesn't care so much about the cover art. She won't even read the first few pages! For her, it's all in the name.

*gasp*

Let's be honest. I judge a book by it's title, too. It's the first thing I look at. Ahem, unless there's some smokin' hot guy on the cover. In all seriousness, though, the name is what pulls me in. If it's long and verbose, I yawn and move on. I like short titles, one that tell a story with just one, two, or three words. I prefer one. A lot of impact can be made with one word.

A title--to me--is a direct reflection of the type of story we will find in the novel. If the title is boring, the book will be boring. If the title has punch, the book will have punch. I realize this isn't always true, but since there are a gazillion books out there to read, my system helps me narrow them down.

Did you know that the original name for Gone With The Wind was Pansy? Talk about the difference between night and day.

Now, considering the impact book titles have on consumers, we as writers need to have a kick-butt name, right? I know you can get some title help once you've landed the agent, got a publishing deal, and all that. But, we still want a stellar title to start with.

So how do you come up with your names? Do you have a system? An idea in the novel you weave into a clever title? A play on words? A one-word direct stamp that says it all?

My systems a little different. I've actually come up with the title to some of my books before even writing the book. The name game first, then the ideas. Other's weren't so easy.

What power do you think titles hold? What really draws you to one? And when writing your latest manuscript, how do you come up with that perfect name?

~JD

Buy String Bridge and Instantly Get The Soundtrack For FREE!!!!

2011-11-11T07:00:00.010-05:00

Today is THE day to help Jessica Bell's debut, STRING BRIDGE, hit the bestseller list on Amazon, and receive the all-original soundtrack, Melody Hill: On the Other Side, written and performed by the author herself, for free!

All you have to do is
purchase the book today (paperback, or eBook), November 11th, and then email the receipt to:

jessica.carmen.bell(at)gmail(dot)com

She will
then email you a link to download the album at no extra cost!

To purchase the paperback:

Amazon USA

To purchase the eBook:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

To listen to samples of the soundtrack, visit iTunes.

If you are
not familiar with String Bridge,
check out the book trailer:

Rave Reviews for String Bridge:

“Jessica Bell’s STRING BRIDGE strummed the fret of my
veins, thrummed my blood into a mad rush, played me taut until the final page,yet with echoes still reverberating. A rhythmic debut with metrical tones of heavied dark, fleeting prisms of light, and finally, a burst of joy—just as with any good song, my hopeful heartbeat kept tempo with Bell’s narrative.” ~ Kathryn Magendie, author of Sweetie and Publishing Editor of Rose & Thorn Journal

“Poet and
musician Jessica Bell's debut novel String Bridge is a rich exploration of desire, guilt, and the difficult balancing act of the modern woman. The writing is lyrical throughout, seamlessly integrating setting, character and plot in a musical structure that
allows the reader to identify with Melody's growing insecurity as her world begins to unravel … String Bridge is a powerful debut from a promising writer, full of music, metaphor, and just a hint of magic.” ~ Magdalena Ball, author of Repulsion
Thrust and Sleep Before Evening

“Jessica Bell is a brilliant writer of great skill and depth. She doesn't pull back from the difficult
scenes, from conflict, pain, intensity. She puts it all out there, no holds
barred, no holding back. She knows how to craft a scene, how to develop
character, how to create suspense. This is an absolutely brilliant debut novel.
I look forward to reading her next novel, and next and next.” ~ Karen Jones
Gowen, author of Farm Girl, Uncut Diamonds and House of Diamonds

Connect with Jessica:

String Bridge: http://www.stringbridge.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jessica_bell

Website: http://www.jessicacbell.com/

Blog: http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/author.jessica.bell

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MsBessieBell

Publisher: http://www.luckypress.com/

Please TWEET and/or FACEBOOK this post using #StringBridge!

The bad side of NaNoWriMo

2011-11-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

This is my first year doing NaNaWriMo. I have to say that it has been a wonderful tool for getting me off my rump and making me write. Deadlines and expectations tend to do that to people. Of course, now I'm totally stressed out because I'm concerned about finishing. I'm terribly competitive (even with just myself and when I have a goal, I need to meet it).

But enough about me. Apparently there are some issues with NaNo. Ones I wasn't totally aware of until I joined the huge group of writers participating.

According to what I've learned this is the purpose of NaNo:

Write blindly. Write without cause. Just write. Quality doesn't matter, just get those words down on paper, peeps!

Now, does anyone see a problem with that?

Well, when I started, I didn't see a problem with it because I'm realistic. I know that end of my thirty days of mad-dash writing, I'm going to have a hot mess of a story that will take me months to finish completely (finish, edit, fix plots holes, characters, etc).

In this instance, I will call myself "experienced" in the world of writing. (ONLY in this instance--lol). Before diving head first into NaNo, I researched, I developed a plot, and I outlined. Okay, I didn't outline because I'm totally a panster. But the point is, I PLANNED. And I STILL know I will have a hot mess when I'm done. A hot mess that will need work.

This knowledge and work I know I have coming to me in the end of this mad-dash of writing separates me from some of the NaNo writers. According to what I've read, some people actually QUERY the the book they wrote for NaNo in December. IN DECEMBER!!

*scratches head*
*laughs*

Really? People do that?

WHY??

Scott Eagan, literary agent, did a post on this Monday. Find out what he had to say about those December queries for NaNo books here. The comments are great, too. Make sure to check it out.

I think NaNo is a good tool for getting us off our butts and writing again. People like me, who haven't written in a year, need that extra push to get something done. However, when completing NaNo, it's important that you be realistic. Understand that the book you write in November will be in no way, shape, or form, ready for querying in December. Honestly, if you query that book, you are doing a disservice to yourself and you are irritating agents around the globe. Just don't.

~JD

Short descriptions—with impact. Country Music Does It Right!

2011-11-07T08:07:00.000-05:00

As a writer, it’s all-too important to nail those descriptions. I’m not one for wordiness (although my first draft would say otherwise—lol), so short descriptions, one with serious impact, suck me right in.

When I was listening to the radio over the weekend (I’m a huge country music fan), I realize how right they get it. Now, I also noticed that music (of pretty much any kind) uses A LOT of similes. I for one, am a huge fan of similes. I read once that you’re only supposed to use one or two well-placed ones in a ms. I disagree. Similes can have a great effect when used correctly. So, use away!

To show you how well country music does it, I’ve chosen two recent hit songs that give you just the right amount of umph—in three minutes or less. Since I’m a romance gal, I’ve picked two artists (a male and female), both of whom are speaking about the opposite sex.

First up, Taylor Swift with her recent smash hit, Sparks Fly. (I’m only giving you tid-bits here—not full songs). Here goes:

The way you move is like a full on rainstorm (simile!)
And I’m a house of cards (simile!)
You’re the kind of reckless that should send me running (Can everyone picture a guy like that, or what?)
But I kinda know I won’t get that far (the reckless kind have that affect).
And you stood there in front of me, just close enough to touch. (Oooh … ahhh).
Close enough to hope you couldn’t see what I was thinking of (Wouldn’t that suck? Or maybe not?)
Drop everything now, meeting me in the pouring rain (*shivers*)
Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain
‘Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile (simile! Well, sort of)
I’m captivated by you, baby like a fireworks show … (simile!)

With this simple section of the song, you know A LOT about the man. And you know a lot about the girl, too. (Hopeless romantic, anyone?)

Now a guy’s perspective. Hunter Hayes with Storm Warning. I LOVE this one:

She rolled in from the west in a summer sundress
Hotter than the heat in July (simile!)
With her windblown hair, it just wasn’t fair
The way she was blowing my mind
Have you ever noticed
Every hurricane gets its name from a girl like this
She’s a CAT Five kind (simile!)
Keeps you up at night
Hangin’ on the edge of kiss (awe!)

She’s a beautiful mess
The kind you love to love
But what happens next
I got a feeling when the sun comes up
I’m gonna wish I had a storm warning
I’m gonna wish I had a sign
I’m gonna wish I had a little heads up
Little lee-way, little more time
Some kind of a radar system—locked on love
I’ve a feeling by the time night finds the morning
I’m gonna wish I had a storm warning.

Ah, a storm warning for the kind of love that comes and sucks you off your feet, smacks you in the face few times, and leaves you reeling cuz’ you never saw it coming! And the woman is on fire! Again, with just a few shorts phrases, we picture a girl with the destructible beauty of a storm, someone who changes your life when you least expect it.

So … you see? Country music (and most music for that matter) takes descriptions seriously. They have to. They’ve got less than three minutes and five hundred words to make you feel something. To tell you a story.

Take a page from the song lyrics handbook. Descriptions: short, sweet, and to the point. But with MASSIVE impact. And similes aren’t all bad.

Can any of you think of a song that does this? Any really good ones that show how words can be put together for a fabulous line that draws you in and doesn’t let go? And if you hate similes, I don’t want to know.
~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update! Well ... SORTA.

2011-11-04T08:05:00.000-04:00

H E L L O * P E E P S

I've been back for less than a week so I really don't have anything to update you on. However, I wanted to keep my three-day-a-week blogging going so I had to come up with something to entertain you, right?

ENTER Lenora Good!!

She's a blogger friend and the other day she sent me the COOLEST EMAIL EVER. Well, it's pretty close to the coolest thing ever. It's a wonderful ode on "how to write good".

Enjoy:

HOW TO WRITE GOOD

by Frank L. Visco

My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:
1.Avoid alliteration. Always.

2.Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3.Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)

4.Employ the vernacular.

5.Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

6.Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

7.It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

8.Contractions aren't necessary.

9.Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

10.One should never generalize.

11.Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

12.Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

13.Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.

14.Profanity sucks.

15.Be more or less specific.

16.Understatement is always best.

17.Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

18.One-word sentences? Eliminate.

19.Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

20.The passive voice is to be avoided.

21.Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

22.Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

23.Who needs rhetorical questions?

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! LOVE IT!!

Now go out and have a freakin' fantabulous weekend! If you're doing NaNo ... Write! Write! Write!
And write even if you're not!

My NaNo word count total: 8,111

~JD

HELLO NaNo!

2011-11-02T07:00:00.003-04:00

That's right, JD is participating in her first ever Nano.

* shakes in my shoes *

Seriously, this is a big deal to me. For two reasons:

1. I haven't written anything NEW since LAST DECEMBER. Granted, there have been a few ideas I've jotted down here and there and a page or two of a story, but I haven't started, plotted, or finished ANYTHING is almost a whole year!

Can you believe that? Well, believe it. I've been in quiet the rut and I've been trying to figure out how to dig myself out. I hadn't found that story that I felt. You know? I need to have the "it" feeling. And I just haven't gotten it.

I'd been bouncing some ideas around, but nothing had truly latched on. Well, something did about a month ago, but I had to give that up for complicated reasons. So ... back in the rut I went. I'd been bouncing some ideas of my critter, Sarah, and she convinced me two of my ideas were worth putting on paper. And because she had set some outrageous goals for herself between now and the end of the year, I felt like I needed some, too. So here we are. Ready to write this new idea for NaNo.

2. Out of the two ideas I had, I chose the one that is a new genre for me. *GASP*

Every writer needs a challenge now and again and since I'm jumping in with both feet (without a lifesaver), I figured to go all out or go home. And that's what I'm doing. I will probably kick myself in the butt for it later (trust me, the butt kicking actually started yesterday with a mild breakdown), but in the end, it will work out. Everything I write--no matter if it lands me an agent or not--makes me a better writer. And that's all I can hope for.

Yesterday was the first day of NaNo and I started! Day one down!

My one day word count total: 4168

*wipes brow*

Only 45832 to go!

~JD

In which I say, "Hello" to blogging again ...

2011-10-31T07:00:00.002-04:00

H E L L O ! !

*waves enthusiastically*

JD's back after seven (whoa! SEVEN) months of not blogging.

Man, am I sure I missed some stuff!

*eyes all the other blogs*

It might take me seven months to catch back up!

Tell me, peeps, what have you been up to??

Me? Oh, well *blushes*, thanks for asking ;-)

I will be sure to fill in you on all things JD in the coming weeks. I doubt you want me to ramble on for thousands of words telling you about my life for the last seven months. I will say that it's been a long, somewhat unproductive time for me. Hey, elbow surgery can do that to a gal. At any rate, I did manage to do some fun stuff whilst healing.

But--I today, my first day splashing back into the blogosphere, I wanted to pointed out that--->

Do you see that over there?

Look harder.

It's my NaNoWriMo counter!!!

That's right, after seven months of living like a hermit, I'm diving right in! Big time!

This is my first time joining in the NaNo fun, so I'm ready to rumble! And I've even set a separate NaNo goal for myself ... which I shall tell you all about this Friday.

Stay tuned for all JD's delicious musings! You're bound to learn something ... and have a laugh--or two.

In the meantime, seriously, tell me what's new with you. I'm DYING to hear.

~JD

Oh, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Hey Ya'll! Feliz Verano!

2011-06-27T13:48:00.000-04:00

I wanted to let everyone know that I didn't disappear in some black abyss. ;-)

I'm still hanging around. Ha. Barely.

Between Breyerfest (any of you remember that from last year??), the Fair, Emily's horse showing, MOVING!, and the arm thing, I've been going, going, going, going, going, and going! With no time for anything else.

Whew.

And when I get done with all this stuff (um, somewhere around the end of July), I'll be doing this:

Yeah. :-)

And after that, I'll be hoping around to all your blogs and posting like crazy!

And for those who won my contest, I promise that I will be getting the rest of the prizes out as soon as I find them (I packed them away for the move .... grrr!). As soon as they are located, they will be mail bound!

Enjoy the summer, peeps!

~J

#YASAVES @WSJ Article: Darkenss Too Visible

2011-06-06T06:00:00.002-04:00

First, I know I'm supposed to be on hiatus while my arm heals from surgery, but when something important comes up, I've just got to talk about it! Hence today's blog post. (Thank you hubs for lending your typing fingers)

So, here goes!

On June 4th, a Wall Street Journal Article discusses if YA makes "darkness is too visible" to today's youth. The article spawned an outcry on twitter (#yasaves). As the mother of teenager, I felt the strong need to chime in.

When I first read the article, I thought it was getting off to a good start with the following:

"Reading about homicide doesn't turn a man into a murderer; reading about cheating on exams won't make a kid break the honor code."

But then the article threw me for a loop by saying:

"But the calculus that many parents make is less crude than that: It has to do with a child's happiness, moral development and tenderness of heart. Entertainment does not merely gratify taste, after all, but creates it."

Who ... what? Are you saying that the books my daughter reads is shaping her little mind? Giving her ideas? Making her crave certain things? Her reading is developing her?

That's intense. And I'm sorry, Meghan, but you're wrong.

Do you have children? Do you know what it takes to raise them? Make them strong, independent beings, able to take care of themselves? Do you know how to give them a sense of hope and love? Teach them the difference from fact and fiction? Show them how to work through their problems? Do you talk to them? Know their problems? Help them resolve issues? Know what they are feeling? Are you the parent a parent needs to be?

Because THAT's what this all boils down to.

Before anyone goes all ape-shit on me, trust me, I UNDERSTAND how hard it is to be a parent. I was a latch-key kid. My parents probably couldn't tell you my favorite color, let alone who I hung out with or what I was feeling on any given day. And I was child who struggled. I was bullied like crazy, I did drugs, and I was a cutter. And I did it all because I didn't have anyone who understood. Or anyone who cared for that matter.

And that's where I strive to make a difference will my daughter. She is NOT a latch-key kid. And on the same note, I am NOT a helicopter parent. There must be a balance between the two. I am her friend, as well as her parent. She talks to me. Tells me how she feels and what she needs/wants. I know what she likes, dislikes, makes her hurt or sad. I know how she feels. And I help her.

If you are a parent who is worried that what your child reads will change the way they think or will guide them, then you're not doing your job as a parent. It's YOUR job to guide them, Meghan. Not literature.

Same goes for the #yasaves hashtag on twitter. I read some wonderful posts of people talking about how YA saved them as a teenagers. My heart went out to them. Because when they didn't have anyone else, they had the books. And that's kind of sad. Helpful, but still sad. So if a child had nothing else to show them the world will be okay, then what do they have?

Maybe I am naive. Maybe I am just crazy. But my daughter is who she is because of me. Not because of what she reads. And it will always be that way.

She reads some stuff that shocks even me. But I don't tell her not to. Why?

Because it's fiction.

The two examples Meghan pointed out in her article surprised me because they are vastly different. And for two very different reason.

One of her examples is what I would call flat-out fiction with no real moral, or message, or growth. It's a fun (sometimes confusing) read, but it's a prime example of FICTION in YA. No ulterior motive, just out-right creativeness that is in your face:

Andrew Smith's Marbury Lens

Here is how the article describes it:

"young Jack is drugged, abducted and nearly raped by a male captor. After escaping, he encounters a curious pair of glasses that transport him into an alternate world of almost unimaginable gore and cruelty. Moments after arriving he finds himself facing a wall of horrors, "covered with impaled heads and other dripping, black-rot body parts: hands, hearts, feet, ears, penises. Where the f— was this?" No happy ending to this one, either."

And the other example is puzzling. The article sights a YA book that has a message. Or, shows growth in the characters and how the MC's overcome obstacles and make themselves better. (These are the type of stories I like) The point is, this example show us how someone grows. Here's the blurb from the article:

Jackie Morse Kessler's book, Rage

"a girl's struggle with self-injury, teenage Missy's secret cutting turns nightmarish after she is the victim of a sadistic sexual prank. "She had sliced her arms to ribbons, but the badness remained, staining her insides like cancer. She had gouged her belly until it was a mess of meat and blood, but she still couldn't breathe." Missy survives, but only after a stint as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

There's a story with a *gasp* message! But YA isn't all about the message. It's about GROWTH. What characters are faced with and what they do to overcome it. How they struggle and survive.

So two very different types of YA. Just an in-your-face-good (and sometimes frank) read. And a story with growth. Both are graphic. Both are intense. But both are different. And both are stories I'd let my daughter read. Because they are both FICTION.

And a parent knows how to teach their child the difference between FACT and FICTION.

Hey, even I know that there are stories my daughter will read and connect with. She'll feel attached them in some way that I don't. And that's still okay. That only means that the writer has meticulously captured that important YA voice that kids love. It means my daughter saw something in the characters that she loved or maybe even saw a little part of herself. And that's STILL okay.

Because the simple fact remains, YA doesn't shape my daughter. It shouldn't shape any child. That's my job.

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update!

2011-05-27T06:00:00.008-04:00

AND IT'S A THREE DAY WEEKEND!! *cartwheels*

1. First and foremost, a gigantic THANK YOU to all of those who entered my 300th follower contest. There were a lot of entries! I'm in the process of handing out the prizes right now ... so if you are a winner and haven't heard from me yet--don't worry, you will soon!!

And THANK YOU to all of you peeps who continue to follow me and read my silly ol' blog! As my blogger friends, you mean the world to me. Thank you.

2. I have finished super-speed critting the Beta's newly finished book. Now that I'm done, I will bury myself in a slight rewrite of my latest manuscript. And someday, I might actually start something new.

3. TODAY is my daughter's 13th birthday!!!!! *HAPPY*BIRTHDAY*EMILY*
(And yes, I'm terrified about the teenage years. Terrified.)

4. A slew of storms have hit the Midwest this past week. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those people. In Indiana, we've had our own storms, which has left behind some serious damage as well. When the storms came through our town on Wednesday night, a tornado touched down on the West side of town. The barn we keep our horse at is on that side of town! Only 1/2 mile from the damaged area. Thankfully, all the horse were safe and the barn had minimal damage. And a tree fell on my sister's house! She and her family are safe as well. And I'm thankful that no deaths have been reported in our town.

5. Today is the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend, and I would like to take a moment to thank the men and women in our military and their families. America would not be America without our servicemen (and women). They risk their lives to protect ours. Thank you.

6. Today will also be my last blog post for several weeks. I'm not going on a hiatus or anything, just having a minor thingy done to my elbow. And as the recently disgraced Arnold would say, "I'll be back."

Until then my friends!

Do you have any plans for this holiday weekend? Anything cool you'd like to share? Hmm?

~JD

When you FINALLY bury one of your WIPs

2011-05-25T06:00:00.029-04:00

It happened ...

On Monday afternoon ...

My first ever WIP Broken Ties That Bind has bitten the dust ...

Finally ...

Officially ...

Forever ...

It's over ...

And it all came to an end with a rejection phone call from an agent. The very last agent I had a chance with. The very, very, very last hope this book had.

The end.

I'm going to have an official service, wear black for a week and mourn the hard work, revisions, editing, rewrites, and the many, MANY faces this wip took in order to make it succeed. Only to have it fail. Officially.

It hurts more than I thought it would. Then again, that just might have been the rejection phone call (but we'll talk about that another day).

It was my first. It IS my first end of the beginning that started everything that IS JD.

*blows out somber breath*

And now it's time to move on. To something new. Something bigger. Something better. Something even MORE JD.

But just for giggles, take a look at the FINAL rejection stats for the dearly departed wip:

Total queries sent: 116

Form rejections: 60

Personalized rejections: 12

No Response Rejection: 44

Requests for pages: 7

Requests for manuscript: 4

And that's it ... RIP Broken Ties That Bind. I'll miss you.

Have you've ever had to do this? How did it make you feel? If you haven't, how do you think you'll feel when you do have to do this?

~JD

CONTEST WINNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-05-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

Today is the day for the announcement of my EPIC CONTEST WINNERS!!

First, lets go over the prizes one more time:

1. Three copies of Livia Dane's book: Hot Ice.
2. $25 Amazon gift card.
3. 3 chapter ms crit.
4. Query crit.
5. The FABU coffee mug I painted!
6. Selection of romance books (3 total)
7. Two handmade bookmark (with 4 leaf clovers inside!)
And now ... THE WINNERS!
(these are the order in which they were drawn, which means #1 gets to pick their prize first, then #2, then #3, and so on. That's why it's SO IMPORTANT for me to have your email address!!!)

1. Stina Lindenblatt
2. Alleged Author
3. Deniz Bevan
4. Nicole Zoltack
5. Jaydee Morgan
6. Carolyn Abiad
7. Summer Ross
8. Christina Lee
9. Salarsen
10. Melody

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you haven't already, please put your email address in the comments. You will be hearing from me SUPER SOON!!!!

CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!!!

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update!!!

2011-05-20T06:00:00.035-04:00

It feels like it's been FOREVER since I've done a Friday update!

Wait ... it HAS been forever since I've done a Friday update! Shame on me, JD.

With further ado:

1. Did you enter my give-a-way??
Did you?
Did you?
Did you?????
Go HERE! And all will be forgiven! On MONDAY I will announce the winners!!!

2. Literary Agent, Scott Eagan, had a call out for guest bloggers. I answered and he posted my guest blog!! Go check out its awesomeness here.

3. JD is having surgery on her right arm/elbow. Something about a pinched nerved or something. Meh. The surgery will be on June 3rd, so after next Friday (27th, which is also my daughter's b-day), I will be taking a couple of weeks off for recovery. I'm sure I'll be tweeting up a storm, though. I tend to do that when something funny/annoying/new happens.

4. I STILL haven't written anything new. I've been buried in critting my critters stuff and revising my own ms. Not that I mind being buried, mind you. I work better under pressure anyway. I did manage to write a half-hearted query/synopsis type-thingy about the story I want to write. That counts for something, right? :-)

So far summer hasn't given me the time I need. I'm thinking maybe I am not managing my time well enough. Or maybe I'm really just too busy. Or maybe I just think I'm too busy and I procrastinate with shiny things too much. Or maybe I just think too much. Maybe I should just Get. Back. To. Work.

Meh.

That's it!

Amazingly short, right? Yeah.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL!!!!

~JD

Why I love (and hate) my Kindle

2011-05-18T06:00:00.017-04:00

The hubs bought me a Kindle for Mother's Day. Wasn't that sweeeeet? ;-)

Anyhoo, I quickly became OBSESSED with it! And so did my daughter, who coincidentally has learned how to use it better than me. Meh.

I've always wanted to the try an ebook reader because I'm all about saving trees and junk. And I'm a 21st century kind-of-girl. BUT I'm also a control freak who doesn't like change. What's a girl to do?!

I didn't want an ebook reader for one, and only one, reason:

I wanted to be able to "hold" a book and "flip" the pages.

That's important to me. And it's ingrained in my head. That's how you read.

But then I got one, so I had to figure something out, quick. First, the Kindle is small and very fragile feeling. I was afraid if I just dropped it in my lap it would crack. Eep!

And holding it was awkward. (Just like I thought) My fingers cramped. It just wasn't a book.

A CASE! That's it! Did you know they have these fancy cases that flip open like a book? And you can hold your Kindle like a book??? I got me one of those! In green. And, sigh, my problem was solved. Although I still can't "flip" the pages, clicking on the page turning seems to be satisfying me. And the cover has made ALL the difference in the world.

I LOVE MY KINDLE.

It's compact. It's light. Easy to carry around. (No need to lug three books around in my bag). It's efficient. The pages are easy to read. I can update Twitter and Facebook from it! (Bonus) It's easy to navigate and use (although the offspring STILL knows more than me). It just works.

And I'm still saving trees! YAY me!

I HATE MY KINDLE

I find myself "touching" the screen, hoping I can flip through it quickly to find what I want. It doesn't work. LoL.

While there are several free and inexpensive books I can get, most of the new ones (or ones I want to read) are $9.99. Hmph. I can buy the paperback for twelve bucks, so ... why isn't it cheaper???

WHY????

It reminds me of an itch-a-sketch ... which is just weird. I want to touch it with my pen and draw doodles all over it.

Either way, I truly do like "love" it. I guess I will cope with my issues. I'm sure there will be more.

How about you and your e-reader? Lovesit? Hatesit? Tell me.

~JD

P.S. Have you entered my give-a-way yet?
NO?
GASP!!!!
Never fear, peeps--go HERE!

Give-A-Way of EPIC-EPICNESS!

2011-05-16T06:00:00.002-04:00

Since Blogger was being such a turd last Friday, I'm sure lots and lots of you missed my 300 follower contest!

AND WE CAN'T HAVE THAT!

So, I'm annoucing it AGAIN today!

THE PRIZES:

1. Three copies of Livia Dane's new published erotic book: Hot Ice

If you just CAN'T wait to win the contest, and you'd like to buy a copy TODAY, you can find it on Amazon, Smashwords, and Lulu. (It's more expensive on Lulu, though. Don't ask).

2. A $25 dollar Amazon gift card!

3. A 3 chapter MS crit from lil' ol' unpublished me! (I'm pretty intense, but in a friendly-bunny-type-way).

4. A query crit! Again, from lil' ol' me. I'm pretty good at this, though. Even though I suck in this department when it comes to my own books. Go figure.

5. THIS:

That's a ceramic coffee mug, HAND PAINTED BY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (The earth and all) Not bad, right?
Tahereh Mafi had a very inspirational blog post one day, and I took this phrase to heart. I had it put on shirt. And now it's on a ceramic mug for ALL THE WORLD TO SEE!!!

6. This nice collection of books:

7. And I will be giving away TWO of these:

Those are handmade bookmarks that have a REAL LIVE (er, dried) four leaf clover in them! Your's won't look exactly like this, but it gives you a good idea of what to expect! I made these, too. ;-)

NOW, would you like to enter this give-a-way?

It's REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, easy!

Just clicky, clicky right HERE! (Where the original blog post was). Just leave a comment and you'll entered to win the awesome prizes!

No go! HERE!

~JD

The Most EPIC of EPIC Contests!!!!

2011-05-13T06:00:00.002-04:00

First, thank you, Blogger, for finally reconnecting all of us. It has been a LONG 24 hours without you.

Now, ON TO MY CONTEST!!!

Because I have reached the 300 follower mark and gotten over 24,000 hits on my blog, it's time for an EPIC CONTEST!

First up--THE PRIZES:

1. Three copies of Livia Dane's new published erotic book: Hot Ice

If you just CAN'T wait to win the contest, and you'd like to buy a copy TODAY, you can find it on Amazon, Smashwords, and Lulu. (It's more expensive on Lulu, though. Don't ask).

2. A $25 dollar Amazon gift card!

3. A 3 chapter MS crit from lil' ol' unpublished me! (I'm pretty intense, but in a friendly-bunny-type-way).

4. A query crit! Again, from lil' ol' me. I'm pretty good at this, though. Even though I suck in this department when it comes to my own books. Go figure.

5. THIS:

Those are handmade bookmarks that have a REAL LIVE (er, dried) four leaf clover in them! Your's won't look exactly like this, but it gives you a good idea of what to expect! I made these, too. ;-)

Whew ... that's it!

Now, the ONE and ONLY rule: You MUST be a follower of this blog to enter!

How to enter (this is a points contest, peeps, with random winners drawn):

The only thing you absolutely HAVE to do is leave a comment in this post below (and please, please, PLEASE include your email address if your blogger isn't linked to comments).

1. Old follower (2 points)
2. New follow (1 point)
3. Blog/Tweet/FB the contest (3 points EACH) Leave a link or include @JustineDell in the tweet.

Add up the points (because JD is terrible at math) and leave the total in the comments! That's it!

You have until Saturday, May 21st to enter!

After that, random numbers will be drawn for the winners! The first name drawn get's their pick of the prizes. Then the second. Then the third. Then the fourth. And so on and so forth. (That's why is SO important to have your email address).

Now, ENTER!!!!!

~JD

Working With Graphic Designers

2011-05-11T06:00:00.006-04:00

I've recently discovered that self-publishing is a not-so-bad options for writers. Actually, it can be a very GOOD option.

And that's wonderful!

And that also got me thinking ...

When you self-publish, you've got A LOT of stuff to worry about.

Editing
Proofing
Designing a cover
Book Trailer
Marketing
And on, and on, and on ...

I'm going to focus on one:

Working with designers on your cover.

Now, some self-pubbed authors will design their own cover, and that's fine. Great, actually. If I was a self-published author, I would reach out to some very close friends who do graphic designing (bonus!).

If you know them well and have a good relationship, you will probably get a kick-ass cover.

If you don't and/or have communication issues, you might end up with something like this:

http://theneave.com/david-thorne-missing-missy/

(Seriously, click the link, you'll thank me!)

So, relationship building is everything. Communication is everything. And it helps if you have a graphic designers who isn't such a practical joker. LoL. Funny stuff! (Really, click on the link)

Either way, working with designers to get that spot-on design is uber important. After all, the cover is the first thing people will see!

Have any of you self-pubbed (or know someone who has)? Tell me about your (their) cover. Did it work? Why? Why not?

~JD

Learning about Justine: Where have I been?

2011-05-09T06:00:00.024-04:00

Have you noticed I haven't been around that much?
Have you noticed I haven't had two Friday updates in a row?
Have you noticed I have been generally out-of-touch?

Where have I been?
WHAT have I been doing?

I'd like to tell you I've been resting on some tropical island.
I'd like to tell you that I've been hold-up in my writing room with the best story ever.
I'd like to tell you that I've snagged an agent and had some sort of breakdown because of it.
I'd like to tell you a lot of things ...

But the truth is, I've been working. The real job.
I love my job, but there is one time of the year when it is CRAZY. Like these past two weeks. For those of you who don't know, I work at a university. Last Friday was the last day of classes and Saturday was graduation. I've been working for seven days straight (even on Mother's Day). By this Friday, I will have worked twelve days straight. Yay.

BUT THAT'S OKAY!

Because NOW it's SUMMER!!!!!! NOW I will have FREE TIME! (whoa ... what's that?). Summer is my most productive time, and for the next twelve weeks I'm planning on making a HUGE SPLASH!

Wanna come?

Tell me, when is your most productive season?

~JD

Sacrifices ...

2011-05-04T06:00:00.017-04:00

Sacrifices

Those little things we have given up to pursue this thing called writing.

Those things we neglect when we decide to pick up that pen and paper.

Those things that we forget about when we are buried head deep in our wip.

Those things we used to LOVE to do?

Yeah--THOSE things.

Playing in the park with your kids

Playing fetch with your dog
Hiking
Watching Vampire Dairies/Bones/insert random tv drama here
Watching reality shows
Cooking
Cleaning (I love to clean).
Going to garage sales
Visiting relatives
Going to church
Going to the museum
Going to the zoo
Going to the mall
Going to get ice cream
Just going anywhere
Eating out
Window shopping/normal shopping
Walking around Nashville in the fall, looking at the wonderful colors
Flea Markets
Building a snowman in the winter
Sledding
Laughing
Enjoying my family
Enjoying my job
Enjoying my life

I haven't written anything since January 1st. (I'm not counting those crappy 3 pages of a new wip I trashed). For those of you who are new here, that long of time fo me is unheard of. I've been writing almost two years now and have completed three full-length novels, one novella, two short stories, and a MG thingy for my daughter. I'm a MAJOR type A and this became another obsession I had to complete. I had to complete. Had. To. Completion requires publishing, right? So ...

I wrote, and wrote, and wrote, and wrote, and wrote. All. The. Time. It's all I thought about.

The process consumed me.

And now that I haven't written anything since January 1st? How does that make me feel? What does that make me see?

It makes me see all those things I've been missing. All those things I neglected. All those things I sacrificed for the sake of writing/editing/querying/going out of my mind. And I'm okay with that. I'm okay with knowing about what I've missed because now I can make sure the same thing doesn't happen in the future. The past two years have been warp speed with blur of my fingers across my keys and tears.

But now? Now I can make a difference in my life--and remember the things that are the most important. The things I forgot about. The things I don't ever want to forget about again. I can remember that I had a life outside of writing. I can function without worrying about that angry fit my MC is having on page 101 or I can sleep without freaking out about the turning point/death/violence/betrayal on page 205.

I can breathe.

Every writer's journey is different. Tell me about yours. Did/does this process consume you? What have you been missing? What have you sacrificed? What have you changed? What do you want to change?

~JD

Wanted: Query Help

2011-05-03T07:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Tuesday, all!

I don't normally do Tuesday posts, but today the query for my most recent wip is over at The QQQ getting critted by Matthew Rush!

Wanna go check it out and offer a lady some help? I'd be in debt to you. ;-)

~JD

Grammar Police: Misplaced Modifiers

2011-05-02T06:00:00.003-04:00

Oh no! My head is already spinning from the title alone.

Let's see if we can make sense of the dun ... dun ... dun: MISPLACED MODIFIERS!!!

First, I must tell you that my critter, Sarah, has had quiet a few laughs because of my misplaced modifiers. They are the things that are most likely to confuse your readers AND give them a good laugh. Bonus.

According to the University of Ottawa, a modifier is this: A modifier can be an adjective, an adverb, or a phrase or clause acting as an adjective or adverb In every case, the basic principle is the same: the modifier adds information to another element in the sentence.

Whoa. I hate those kind of explanations. How 'bout we just say it's this:

It's a word/phrase that modifies something else in the sentence.

Better? Yeah.

Now, it's the THING the word is modifying that makes all the difference in the world, and where everything is placed in the sentence.

Here are some sentences with misplaced modifiers, made for your laughing pleasure:

For Sale: a horse for any rider with big muscles and gentle eyes.

Now picture that! Are you picturing a person with big muscles and bright baby blues? Yeah, I thought so. But this is actually talking about horse. The misplaced modifier messes up everything! Here's how it should read:

For Sale: a horse with big muscles and gentle eyes suitable for any rider.

Here are more examples (and their correct counterparts). The "^^^^" mark the modifiers in their incorrect and correct spots!

Wrong:
I need a pet sitter to take care of my cat who give shots. (A cat with opposable thumbs? Cool!)
                                                              ^^^^^^^^^^^
Correct:
I need a pet sitter who give shots to take care of my cat.
                            ^^^^^^^^^

Wrong:
Child horse instructor needed for training. (If you know a child who can train horses--send them my way!)
^^^^

Correct:
Horse instructor needed for child training.
                                           ^^^

Wrong:
Emily found the blue horse's halter. (A blue horse! I want one of those!!)
                        ^^^

Correct:
Emily found the horse's blue halter.
                                   ^^^

Here's a general rule of thumb with it comes to modifiers (and to keep yourself from having these unintentional moments of laughter for your CP): Put the modifiers as close to the thing it's modifying (which is normally RIGHT before). The further away it gets, the weirder the sentence!

Get it? Got it? Good!

Do you have any other funny examples? Has your CP given you a good laugh with this?

~JD

You tell me ...

2011-04-27T06:00:00.007-04:00

Pirates OR Ninjas?

Pirates VS Ninjas?

What's the big deal?

Discuss

Learning about Justine: I MET MY CRITTER!!! (CP/Beta!!!)

2011-04-25T06:00:00.018-04:00

W. H. O. A.

That says it all. Seriously.

Last Wednesday, April 20th (which will now be considered an official holiday on my calendar), I met my beta (my crit partner) IN PERSON.

Sarah has been my crit partner for a little over a year. We met on Bransforums. She has been an inspiration to my writing. She has been full of help, guidance, knowledge, but most of all, she has become a very close friend. I'm very honored and humbled to call her that. Meeting her has changed my life and I'm thankful for the bond we've developed everyday.

AND THEN I GOT TO MEET HER IN PERSON!!!!

Sarah lives on the East Coast, but her hometown is a mere 1 hour and 11 minutes from my abode. She came down last week to visit her parents and she was kind enough to let me steal her away from them for an ENTIRE day.

I was sooooooooooo nervous!!!

And then ... when I got .4 miles away from her house, I came upon this:

ACK! We've been having A LOT of rain in Indiana this past week (well, month) and THIS glob of water was the only thing keeping me from meeting Sarah!!!!!!!

I called her, frantic, because I thought I'd driven an hour, only to be stopped by mother nature herself. On the phone, Sarah said she'd walk through the water if needed. LoL.

Several minutes ticked by and ... Sarah's mom shot around the corner like a race car driver and plowed through the water like she'd been doing it for years! Come to find out, she had been doing it for years. Thank goodness mom saved the day! THANK YOU, MOM!!!

My nerves where twitching. My hands shaking. My stomach flipping over itself.

And then ... it was like one of those slow motion movies. The cars stopped. The doors opened. We both jumped out and ran over to each other, with cheesy (yet nervous) grins on our faces, and gave each other a massive hug!!!!

I gave my thanks to her mom (and gave her a hug, too) and we were off! For a one hour drive back to B-town.

Whew. We did it.

First, we had to get our nerves out of the way, because let's face it ... we were both terrified!!!!

What if she doesn't like me? What if we don't have anything to talk about for six hours? What if she thinks I'm weird? What if I think she's weird? What if we REALLY don't like each other?

Within two minutes--I wasn't worried anymore. At all.

We talked about how meeting was almost like that first date. Or as Sarah put it, "Like Internet dating." We've known each other for a year. Talk about everything under the sun. We really KNOW each other. And yet, we don't. It's a strange feeling.

But no worries! After being with her for less than five minutes, she had me laughing hysterically over a comment about PSTD and how intrusive it can be on your life (long story). PSTD is not funny, mind you, but how it came about was just freakin' hilarious. I busted out laughing. And that set the mood for the rest of the day.

AND WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY IT WAS!!!

Sarah's first novel was set in my hometown, so I thought it was very important for her to SEE all the places she wrote about. And plus it gave us something to do besides sit around and drink tea. Cuz, that would just be boring.

First I took her to the barn to meet my (ahem ... Emily's) horse. Then I took her to Long John's Silvers. It's one of Sarah's favorite places to eat, you see. And they don't have on the East Coast. So we went and ate lots of fried food. Here's the before and after photos:

YUMMY!!!! But oh, that poor left over amount of crispies. We couldn't eat it all! I told Sarah to take is as carry-on. We both quickly decided that wouldn't be a good idea.

Okay, and then ... OFF to IU Campus we went! I showed her my work. She talked with some of my coworkers. I took her to Dunn Meadow, Dunn Woods, Showalter Fountain. I showed her Teter, the Health Center, and all those other important spots that were mentioned in her book. It was a LONG walk! But a good one!

And of course, this whole time we are talking, talking, talking, talking, talking, and um ... TALKING. About everything. Literally E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. And it was so wonderful!

Then we needed a snack. Since we both agreed that Subway has the best cookies evvvvver, we got one!

By this time it was--EEP!--almost time for her to leave. It's amazing to me how fast the time flies when you are having fun. Really. I never knew the true definition of that word until that day. It went just too fast.

We made one more stop at Rose Hill Cemetery (yes, another spot in her book) and began the trip to meet her father at McCormick's Creek State Park.

And suddenly, it was time for her to go.

*Tear*

We hugged. We took pictures. We said our goodbyes.

Actually, I seriously did tear up after I said my goodbyes (and was safely back in my car). Sometimes I'm sentimental like that. Don't tell anyone, will you? K.

So here, dear peeps, are some last photos of our wonderful day together. Enjoy:

*Sigh*

So there is is. My best day ever.

Thanks again to Sarah for letting me spend the day with her. And most importantly, thank you for being my friend. It's meant the world to me. It was an amazing day. For once, I am at a loss for words how just great it was.

I hope that someday all of you will get to meet the betas/critters/CP's who have made such a difference and impact on your life. It's wonderful.

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update!

2011-04-22T06:00:00.002-04:00

It's that time again, peeps.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Aren't those little guys totally adorable?? That's a good way to put a smile on your face for Good Friday!

Quick! Let's get started before someone eats all the chocolate!

1. OMG! OMG! OMG!
I MET MY BETA!
The one, the ONLY, Ms. Sarah Fine!
*endless strings of cartwheels*
*giddy laughter*
I will tell you guys ALL about it Monday! I got pictures! Now only if I could get them off my new phone.

2. I am ... ahem ... was, um ... wait. What? Where were we? Excitement overload from #1 has caused my brain to malfunction in more ways than one this week. Let's get back on track. Hopefully.

Um, I got a new phone? Mainly because mine had an unfortunate accident with the washing machine. Yeah. Nice. And my new phone is already causing problems! (see #1)

3. Don't forgot I'm going to be rolling out my 300 follower contest soon! Make sure you check back regularly. You DON'T want to miss this. It's the big one!

4. I think I'm having an identity crisis. For those of you know me and/or have followed me for a long time, you might understand. How does one overcome such a problem? Confusion in every direction. HELP! The Beta and the Hubs have been giving their MOO's, but I still need help. Since most of you are probably scratching your head at everything I've just said, how about I just show you a list of things and YOU tell me which one. Easy, right? YEAH!
Take my poll, peeps: (please?)

VOTE!

6. I wish I had something more for you. Something that you can say you "took away from my blog". Something you learned. I don't want to leave you empty-brained! So, as a farewell for this good Friday, I give you this:

Take your time on figuring out/understanding Einstein's theory of relativity.

If that gets too complicated, then just focus on this: (this is cuter, anyway!)

As a side note, I think Peeps are the most adorable thing in the world. I mean, who doesn't love a bunch of colorful, beady-eyed miniature mushy animals? What's NOT to love?

I DON'T, however, enjoy eating them. Y.U.C.K. Purely decoration in my house. And maybe good for a conversation. Or two.

Now go roll out the good times for the weekend!

~JD

Life After Getting the Agent--Not What You Expected

2011-04-20T06:00:00.085-04:00

Do you think getting an agent is the hardest part of being a writer? Once you do that, everything will fall into place. Right?

That's the way it's supposed to work. Right?

We've all read stories, blogs, Publishers Marketplace and all the jazz that tell us about those six figure deals and movie rights. We've heard how to-die-for a book is and how readers are fighting over it before it even comes out? We've heard how wonderful the process is ...

Do you ever notice you only hear about the good parts? Do you think there are bad parts?

Yeah. There are.

I don't know from personal experience. I don't even know from second-hand experience.

Well then, JD, how do you know?

Because, NOTHING is that easy. NOTHING. I heard a country music artist's interview while driving in the car the other day and it made me sit back and think ... whoa. That's just like writing. Just like publishing. It's amazing how the two passions can be linked. How the hard work and determination and struggles can be so much alike.

Here's what they said (and I'm totally ad-libbing here):

"We worked so hard, fought as hard as we could to get our record deal, thinking that after that, things would be easier. They don't."

Does this sound familiar to you writers? Trying to snag that agent? You take months, years even, to polish that ms. Make it perfect. Follow all the rules. Make sure you've got a good hook. Make sure you've got a good, marketable story, etc.Your friends become mere acquaintances, your dog becomes a skeleton, and you might become a blubbering mush of emotions.

"You've got to make that first big song. That first hit."

Is this your first book? The one that got you the agent? It's going to be your best seller, right? That's the way it works. You write an awesome book. Snag that uber agent. Prepare yourself for a whirl-wind of submissions and book deal.

"Then you realize the voice and demo that got you the deal might not be what the people want."

Your first book, while it was good enough to land the agent, wasn't good enough to land the publisher. It happens, peeps. A LOT more than you think. First you might go through a round of HEAVY revisions to that book you and your agent thought were so perfect. And you still might not succeed. You might even have to rewrite parts of the plot. Or ...

You might even have to chuck the idea and write something else. Something totally new. *shivers* This happens. People land agents with good books and end up putting them on the back burner to write new ones. Scary, uh?

"After finding/writing that perfect song, we still wondered if people would like it. Second guessing yourself is a part of this business."

How many debut books do you know have done a Twilight-type thing? Harry Potter? Not so many. So while your book IS now in print and you can finally say, "I DID IT!", who's to say it will do well?

Let's be honest people, writing is HIGHLY subjective. There are best-selling books out there that I can't even get through the first chapter of. And there are indie/self published books that are STELLAR. It's all in the reader and what they like. You won't please everyone. But you have to please most of them.

"Once we came out with that first single, and people loved it, then we had to maintain it."

Ah. The kicker. Writers rely on writing. Agents rely on deals. Publishers rely on selling. If it took you two years to write your first book, how long will it take you to write the second? Especially if you still have "normal" day job? You have to write in order to sell. Which means it helps if you write fast. Most of us don't.

And don't think just because your first book sold that your second book will be easier to sell. It takes just as much hard work and dedication the second time around. Sometimes even more work. Are you ready for that?

"Even through all the pain, struggles, the no's, the re-do's, should-have-dones, heartache, and times we wanted to give up, we still believed. And that's what keeps us going today, no matter what gets thrown in our way. We love to sing, to bring out ideas and visions into songs that make people happy. We would fight everyday in order to do that, no matter how hard it was, or how many times we were told no, and no matter who doesn't like it, because it's what we love to do, it's the only thing we truly love to do."

Is that how you feel about writing? No matter what happens? No matter the outcome? No matter the hurdles you must overcome? Because even after you land that coveted agent, you've still got a steep hill to climb. It ain't all peaches~n~cream.

Have the courage to try--and maybe fail--but to KEEP trying.

Pic Credit

You won't win if you give up.

Even after you get what you want, you still have work hard. Sweat and bleed. Cry. Only then will you succeed. You can do it. We all can.

~JD

Grammar Police: Unnecessary Words!

2011-04-18T06:00:00.015-04:00

Hmm ... unnecessary words?

What's that?

Come on, peeps!

I know you've got them. You know you've got them. You know I know you've got them ...

Those nasty little words the BLOAT your ms and make sentences sound more like a technical manual than a novel. Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme, but you DON'T want your sweat and blood to be pushed aside because you can't drop a simple word or two!

So, the sheriff says:

"Drop those unnecessary words!!"

There are A LOT of unnecessary words that can be clipped from your ms. Here is a list of the few--or shall I shall "the many"--words you can DELETE!!

begin to

start to

kind of

sort of

type of

really

basically

for all intents and purposes

definitely

actually

generally

individual

specific

particular

almost

that

had

and

really

very

little

then

and then

just

about

against

all

but

was/were.

Whoa

Now is that a long list or what?!?

First things first.

There are times when you MUST HAVE "that" and "had".

I did a post on the "pluperfect had" here. I will do one on the "that" at sometime in the future.

The point is, LEARN the difference.

There are times when those two words can be clipped.

All the others can be mercilessly deleted!

DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!

Why?

1. It tightens your writing.

2. It makes sentences easier to read.

3. It tightens your writing.

4. It can have big impact on your word count (I once deleted over 200 "that's" from an ms. By the time I deleted other words, I'd clipped almost 1k from the thing as a whole. YIPES!

5. It tightens up your writing.

6. Because things don't "almost" happen. Or "kind of" happen. Or "sort of" happen. Things also don't "begin to" or "start to". Everything JUST DOES.

NOT Like this:

Jane began to brush her hair as someone started to knock on her bedroom door. Jumping at the sound, she almost swore that someone sort of poked their head in her window.

Like this:

Jane was brushing her hair when someone rapped on her door. Jumping at the sound, she swore someone poked their head in her window.

Man, someone remind me to come up with better examples in the future, k? K.

And the last reason?

Yeah, TO TIGHTEN UP YOUR WRITING!!!!

You want clarity, you want brevity, you want impact.

Now go and clip those nasty little words out of your ms! Your writing will thank you for it. ;-)

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update ... and ????

2011-04-15T07:00:00.009-04:00

Okay--Blogger totally screwed up my Friday update from last week, so let's try the again, peeps!!

(for the few people who saw the post that FINALLY posted on Saturday, some of this is repeat info--sorry!)

1. First, how do you all like the new posting schedule? For those who missed the announcement, good ol' JD has had to change her five-day-a-week posts to three. All together now ... awwwwwwww.

S'okay. In time it will be fine. Here's the new "official" schedule:

Mondays: Alternating between Grammar Police and Learning About Justine
Tuesdays: Randoms (writing stuff, query junk, and other crazy-random-laughable stuff that comes to mind)
Fridays: The all important updates!

2. INTRODUCING--Livia Dane!!!!!!! Check out her blog HERE. Livia is getting ready to release her first erotic ebook. I'm a huge fan of that genre *super smile*. Go check out her blog! It's cooler than mine!

3. Hmm ... I've decided I like writing short stories. I wish there was a better market for them. What do you guys think of short stories? What would someone do with all of them?

4. I haven't been writing ANYTHING new!! GASP! CHOKE! SPIT COKE OUT OF MY NOSE!
That's just crazies, right? Well, family life has taken firm grip of my reins and I'm struggling to balance everything out. As the offspring grows older, she gets busier--and I can't seem to keep my hand from flying up when something she's involved in wants volunteers. Someone tie my hands behind my back!!!
Please?
In all seriousness, I need to get my s*** together. I'm only hurting myself. I just might have to do something drastic. Like make a DAILY WRITING QUOTA for myself. *shivers*

5. Did you get a shirt inspired by the great Tahereh Mafi? Here's the shirt:

Here's the linkage to get it:

http://www.cafepress.com/ShirtsfromtheBlogosphere

All the proceeds go the Tahereh's favorite charity: Heifer International.

Oh, and if you don't know Tahereh, shame on you. ;-) Kidding. But she's waaaay awesome. Check out her blog and learn lots of good stuff. And have a laugh ... or ten. Clicky,clicky:

http://www.stiryourtea.blogspot.com/

OOOOHHHH..........and wait until I show you what ELSE I made with that wonderful catch phrase on it. You'll have to wait for that, though. Sorry!

6. Dave Malone, playwright and poetry author, has FREE ebook coming out today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of you might remember him from my very first contest. He wrote the following two books:

He's rolling out a new blog today and giving away free copies of his new ebook!!! Check it out!

Here's the blog.
And here's the linkage to the FREE ebook Spring In Love

7. THE BETA IS COMING!
*Jumps off seat and bangs head on ceiling*
THE BETA IS COMING!

My critter, Sarah Fine, is coming HERE. To my state! To see meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Actually, she's from here and she's coming to see her family, but she has squeezed in a day of playtime for me! SOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!!!!!! She'll be here next Wednesday! That's less than a week!!!!
SQUEE!!!!
And I'm going to blog all about it! With pics and everything!

*runs to find a paper bag to hyperventilate*

8. Do you remember when I mentioned I went over the 300 follower mark??? And that my blog has had of 20,000 hits? And I said I need to do something special????

Well ... it's coming ...

Details TBA ...

Now go!

I said go!

And have a great weekend!!

~JD

What I Do With All That Bloggy Info

2011-04-13T06:00:00.023-04:00

Truthfully?

I follow 300+ blogs and I think maybe ... just maybe I have started to suffer from--

GASP!

Information Overload!

Like I said, I follow A LOT of blogs. All of them are different. All of them are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

And all of them offer up tons and tons of GREAT info!

How do I keep track of all that?

Well, I've got a system. I read the blogs in the order they were posted, starting with the earliest. And just because I don't comment, doesn't mean I didn't read it. Sometimes I've just got nothing to say!
Who? ME? Speechless? Yup! Believe it or not, it does happen!

There are all different types of blogs. Some that are solely meant for comic relief. Some that are informational. Some that are quirky. Some that are inspirational. Lots and lots of stuff to look at out here!!!

It's the ones that have all the "information" that give us trouble, right? I mean, you don't wonder what do with a blog that just gave you instructions on how to get a frog out of a toddlers nose, right? Yeah, I didn't think so.

So how about the agent blogs that tell you what they want? Ones about queries? Plots? Stories? Characters? How to fix writing? Grammar? How to develop an arc? How to deepen your POV? Basically everything that could make you BETTER???

Cuz, there's a freakin' ton of those out there! What do you do with it? How do you categorize it? How do you remember WHAT you did with it? How do you even remember you have it?

Okay, I'll admit that I am a type A and I'm an organizational freak-a-zoid, but I cannot, absolutely CANNOT figure out how to process all this info so I can save it for future reference.

HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or I might end up like the employee of the month in the video above.

Oh, and please don't tell me to just save something to my favorites. That list is like 1,000 things long right now. I'm a mess!

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update!

2011-04-08T17:41:00.001-04:00

I know, right?

FINALLY!!!!

Yeah!

Let's make this baby short and sweet ... just like me. ;-)

1. First, how do you all like the new posting schedule? For those who missed the announcement, good ol' JD has had to change her five-day-a-week posts to three. All together now ... awwwwwwww.

S'okay. In time it will be fine. Here's the new "official" schedule:

Mondays: Alternating between Grammar Police and Learning About Justine
Tuesdays: Randoms (writing stuff, query junk, and other crazy-random-laughable stuff that comes to mind)
Fridays: The all important updates!

2. For the last three weeks I've been editing a short story. It's only 37 pages and it took me three weeks. Yikes! Somethings totally messing with my game.

3. Today I finally started editing a second short story. FINALLY. Sigh. I really need to get my crap together!

4. (Going back to #2 & #3) THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FRIENDLY PEEPS, I have decided to do the new pen name for my erotic short stories (and maybe the contemporary romance). Next MONDAY, I will roll out the blog for her (ahem, me ... lol). This new blog won't be a something I post on. Think of it as a fridge. You only look at (not in) the fridge when you want to look at something you posted that might be of importance some day (ie, the grocery list, your child's A+ on their spelling tests, your doctor's appointment, the poison control center phone number, the vet, etc, etc, etc). So, this blog will only have basic information and linkage. Come back on Monday (the next Learning About Justine post) and find out ALL about the blog!!)

WAY EXCITED!!!

5. Did you get a shirt inspired by the great Tahereh Mafi? Here's the shirt:

Books I Want to Write

2011-04-06T06:00:00.003-04:00

So, most of us are writers.

Some of us have written one book, some of us have written twelve. (Hmm ... has anyone out there written twelve? If so, maja kudos to you!)

Either way, as writers, we normally aren't on the "lookout" for ideas. Then again, maybe some of us are. IDK. You tell me.

For me, I don't need to be on the lookout, because I've already got five+ books/short stories floating around in my head that I need to write. One top of that, I've got a file on my computer with one to two sentences lines about other possible books. There are like 10 of those suckers.

To show you, here's a list of books I want to write. These are the titles. Yes, I pick out the titles before I ever begin to write. Silly, I know.

1. Warlock: Bound by Fate (Novel length series of three books)
2. Warlock: Bound by Love
3. Warlock: Bound by *insert something here* lol
4. Wolf's Mercenary (Novel length series of three books. Only this one has a name)
5. Land Of Cuckoo
6. The Vaughns (novella length series of three books. Only this one has been named)
7. Urban Cowgirl (novel length)
8. The Seduction of Mary Jane (novella length)

Er, I'll stop there. I could keep going, but the more titles I put down, the more I want to write them and the more I realize I don't have the time! ACK!

The Warlock story will be the next on my to do list. It will be a mix between the dark urban fantasy and erotica I discussed last week. And it will probably be another thing that sits on my shelf because I seem to write stuff that doesn't "fit". LoL.

Now, what do you want to write?

~JD

Grammar Police: Alot vs A lot vs Allot

2011-04-04T06:00:00.030-04:00

Ah-ha! The Sheriff is back in town, ready to stir up some grammar trouble! Who's with me?!?

Ha.

I thought you would be. ;-)

This week, I shall tackle something easy. I've been gone for awhile, remember? I need to get back into the groove slowly. Teehee.

Let's go!

Alot vs A lot vs Allot

First things first:

Alot is NOT a word. DO NOT USE IT! (I truly hope your spell checker catches this)

A lot means "Very many, a large number; also, very much." (thank you dicitonary.com)

Examples:
Emily is crazy about horses. She has a lot of Breyers.
Mommy and daddy buy them for her and spend a lot of money. (Mommy and daddy should stop this!)

Allot means "to divide or distribute by share or portion; distribute or parcel out; apportion." (again, thank you dictionary.com)

Examples:
Emily should allot her Breyers to her friends so they don't take up three bookcases in her room. (I wish)
Mommy and daddy should allot their funds to something more sustainable than Breyers. (Again, I wish)

And there you have it! Now, don't you feel better? ;-)

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update!!!

2011-04-01T06:00:00.047-04:00

[teal][u]Orkut Scraps[/u][/teal] - [red]Friday Scraps[/red]

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTT!!!

It's Friday! Friday!

Gotta get down on Friday

Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend

Friday, Friday

Gettin’ down on Friday

Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend

Err, sorry! Totally channeled my inner Rebecca Black there for a sec.

Let's get back to business!!!

Well, it's been over a month since we've had a Friday update, so you'd think I have a lot to update you on, right? Well, guess again! JD did a whole lotta nothing on her hiatus. Everything writing related took a back seat to this thing I like to call ... life.

*Sigh*

But that's okay! Because now I'm back! And I'm ready to rrrrrrrrumble!!!!!!!

1. I did manage to send out some queries while I was away. I actually did something very, VERY bad and sent out a few queries for CRUCIBLE. You see, the editing wasn't quite done. Well, it was half-way done. Anyhoo, I wanted to "test" out the query--you know, to get those first painful rejection out of the way. And well ... things didn't quite work out as well as I had planned. I'll do a post on that alone one day. It was one of the reason for my mild freak-out several weeks back. Other queries for totally-finished-and-ready-to-query-stories went out, too. So far, no luck. Meh.

2. I get to met my critter, the Great and Powerful Beta of Oz, Sarah Fine in less that THREE WEEKS!!! That day should be deemed a holiday, I say.

3. I started a new story. Umm ... I wrote the first three pages of it. That was it. I really have to be in the "mood" to write and the mood has escaped me for quite a while. Get back here mood! NOW!

4. I have been seriously considering doing several major things involving my writing. You can read about them here. Good stuff!! And lots of you wonderful people gave me some great insights and advice! THANK YOU!!!!

5. There will be some changes on the blog starting next week. JD is going down to only posting three days a week. :-( Sorry! But time constraints (and that silly life thing again) has got me making some changes.

6. OMGoodness!!! Do most of you know who Tahereh Mafi is? Well, if you don't, YOU SHOULD! She by far, one of the coolest, smartest, *insert a million other upbeat and outgoing describing words here* people on the interwebs! She's repped by Jodi Reamer at Writers House and her book will be coming out this fall!! Yeah, I'm sure it's AWESOME!!! Anyhoo ... she did the bestest blog post I've evvvvver read yesterday. So uplifting for those of us who are struggling in the writing swamp. Read the blog post here. Really, go read it now. I will wait ...

So, did you love it? Yeah, I thought so. Well, after reading through the comments (one particular by Christi Goddard!), and thinking to myself, I thought one of her points needed to be on a shirt. So I put it on one (with her permission of course!). Here it is:

In case you can't read it, it says:

26 Letters Can Change the World

Tahereh Maf Said So

Yeah ... TOTALLY words to live by and remember each day you pick up that pen or sit down at your computers.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE ONE???? They come in both mens and women's shirts! All sizes and colors!!! I have already ordered mine and will wear it proudly!!!

If you'd like to get one of your own, go HERE.
Get the phrase on a shirt, or a mug, or a tote bag for as little at fifteen bucks! And best of all? All the proceeds from the sales will go to Tahereh's charity of choice!! It's for a good cause AND it's a kick ass shirt!

Let's hear it for Tahereh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now, a final word from JD:

Happy April Fools Day!

Quick fact about JD: Today is my 11th wedding anniversary. Yes, JD got married on April Fools Day. Funny, right?

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL!!!!!

~JD

Justine's Dark Side ...

2011-03-31T06:00:00.064-04:00

That's right ... JD has a dark side ...

Whoa, does that look weird or what? ;-) Thanks to the hubs for making me purrrfect horns!

Anyhoo, there are two sides to every person. For me, there are three:

Flat-out-normal-contemporary-romance JD.

This is the side you all have seen. This is the side that I've embraced the most thus far in my writing endeavors. It's the genre I've read the most of and enjoyed. I do love a good mushy happy ending, after all. I mean, who doesn't?

Scary-creepy-dark-urban-fantasy JD.

This is the side I've recently discovered after finishing my latest wip, CRUCIBLE. My critter, Sarah, even mentioned how it was the most creative of anything I've ever written. My hubs mentioned that I'm darker by nature (I know, hard to believe, right?) and that I should stick to this genre.

Sexy-sultry-happy-ending-erotica JD.

Whoa.

I'll give you a sec to process that.

For this genre, I've written two short (50 pages or less) stories. I love, love, love this genre. I'm not ashamed of it, at all.

And then there's ... wait, I thought you said there were only three, JD? Why yes, I did. But if you put dark fantasy and erotic together, what do you get? That's right, another genre. I'll save this for another time though.

So, of those three, I've written something in all of them.

And I've discovered that I'm better at writing the last two.

Hmph.

Double hmph.

Now, what's a writer to do?

I don't know. That's where my trouble has been this past week. I love contemporary romance. I love dark urban fantasy. And I love erotica. I'm trying to find the balance between them all. And I think I've come up with an idea.

Well ... let's hear it!!!

I'm glad you want to, because I would like to have some blogger opinions. You guys are awesome and I need some professional advice.

;-)

Here's the plan:

1. Self-publish my short erotic stories on the Amazon KDP app.

2. Going with number #1, I might (stressing the word "might") publish the novel-length romances on the same app.

3. Focus more (okay, all) of my attention on my dark urban fantasy fetish. *snicker* Fetish is such a funny word to me. Teehee.

So basically, JD would be switching her genre. And I would be writing more erotica. Eventually I might blend the erotica with the dark urban fantasy, but that's TBD.

YIPES!

So tell me, dear peeps, does JD need a change?

If you are passionate about something, should you just go for it?

Like Nike: JUST DO IT?

And let's consider the agent-option here. Would self-publishing romance and erotica hurt my chances at landing an agent with dark urban fantasy? You have to look at all the angles! (oh, and as a side note, I take back all the previous things I've said about self-publishing. Certain things tend to change people's minds. Funny how that stuff works!)

Decisions ... decisions ...

What would you do?

~JD

Learning about Justine: The tonsillectomy

2011-03-30T06:00:00.020-04:00

Well, peeps ... while I was out on hiatus, I did it. I had my tonsils removed. And what can I say? Besides:

Holy $%*(^&# *@( *)@)$($(%&*#&@ )@($*%)(*$%$%& (@*@&@(%$*%&@!_!! ! ! ! !

Hmm ... yeah. It was bad.

Real bad.

I think I would have felt better if something like this would have happened:

Or heck, maybe even this:

You think I'm joking, don't you? Well! I'm not.

It was by FAR the WORST experience of my adult life!

I was off work for TWO WEEKS! And I spent an entire 10 day period in a drug-induced, pain-filled blur. It was ... sheesh ... there are no words, really. Really.

And did you know that when you have your tonsils taken out, that the first three days aren't the worst?

NOPE!

Days 4-10 are the most painful, painful days in all of existence. According to the doctor, it's when the tissue in your throat is "healing", which causes extreme pain. I mean you can't talk, swallow, spit, eat, drink, sleep, blink, cry, without wanting to die from the pain.

Seriously.

I actually had to go into the doctor's office on recovery day 7 and get a shot for the inflammation because they were afraid I was getting dehydrated because I wasn't drinking. Heck, I wasn't doing anything! Let ALONE drinking.

And you know what was the worst? (another worst, I mean ... lol)

Instead of loosing weight (from not being able to eat and all), I actually GAINED 7 freakin' pounds!!

What kind of cruel joke is that???

Seriously.

Whew. I'm just glad to say it's over. The pain has finally subsided to mild ache (yes ... it still hurts almost three weeks later), but at least it's only an ache and not the feeling of little gremlins playing out some horror movie with sharp tools with the back of my throat.

Thank goodness I only had to do that once. I wouldn't recommend it.

~JD

Check out my stats!!

2011-03-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

So while I was gone, two super-duper-cool-fantastic things happened on this here blog!!

Care to take a guess at what those things where?

Hmm??

No?

Okay ... okay! You twisted my arm! *ouch* Jeez! Be more careful next time.

First, check out my followers over there ->->->->

It's over 300!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love each and every one of you! Thank you SO, SO, SO, SO much for finding me (and this blog) interesting enough to follow!

AND ...

I put a stat counter on my blog about this same time last year. It tells me how many hits I've gotten (duh, lol). If you want to take a look-see at it, it's near the bottom left hand corner of my bloggy. Anyhoo ... guess how many hits I've had this past year?

Come on!! Please? Purrrty please?

All right, I'll tell you! But only cuz I like you so much!

Drumroll ....

OVER 20,000 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Now, I know that's small compared to some blogs/websites/etc, but hey--this is little ol' JD. The number makes me smile inside.

We should celebrate!!!! Both for the followers and hits!!!

Hmmm .... let me think on that. I'll come up with something cool. ;-)

Later taters!

~JD

STOP THE PRESSES!!! JD IS BACK! !!

2011-03-28T06:00:00.024-04:00

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

Is it true??

Is it???

My heart can't take the supense!!

Fear not, my peeps! JD is back!!!

Just Whoa ...

How long has it been? Hmm ... I've forgotten already! That means it's been TOO LONG!!!

So in honor of my, ahem, homecoming *snicker*, I give you this:

So whadoya say, peeps? Shall we get it started?

HECK YEAH!!!

~JD

ps... I MISSED YOU ! ! ! ! !

To be continued ...

2011-03-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

JD has had a significant portion of her life yanked right out from underneath her this past week.

I know ... that sounds dramatic. But really, this past week was the week that will NEVER end (seriously, it's still going).

Physically, I'm fine, so please don't worry.

Mentally and emotional on the other hand ... hmmm ... well that's up for debate.

Because I need to screw a few nuts and bolts back into place, this hiatus will be longer than originally planned. Therefore, the blog is indefinitely:

~JD

Temporary Hiatus--SORRY!

2011-02-21T16:03:00.000-05:00

So, I've had a mild family emergency (don't worry, I'm fine, personally), but I'm going to be taking a short break from the blog.

And I do mean SHORT.

I should be back next week.

Until then!

~JD

Grammar Police: The space

2011-02-21T06:00:00.003-05:00

Space??

What the freak Sheriff?

Space??

Okay ... NOT this kind of space:

THIS kind of space:

(and no, those aren't my fingers--Google images is a wonderful thing)

For those of you who are old-school (ahem *raises hand*), I was taught a mere fifteen years a go in high school to put TWO spaces at the end of sentences. And yes, this was on a computer (I'll tell you why this is important in a sec.)

Apparently, this rule is no longer the norm.

Freakin' A.

How do you unprogram your brain to NOT automatically tap the space bar twice after you end a sentence? Well, I'll tell ya', it's hard. I STILL do it.

I guess a long, long, long time ago (when we typed with typewriters), the typewriter put an equal space IN the sentence, as well as at the END of a sentence. All the spaces were the same size, so in order to have a "visual space" at the end of the sentence, you had to type TWO spaces.

A-HA!!! So that's where that rule came from.

But ... hmmm ... why was I taught to do the same thing, on a word processing program, on a computer?!?!

Habit, maybe? IDK. I couldn't find the answer to that question.

Well now, dear peeps, technology has caught up with the "double space" rule and word processing programs AUTOMATICALLY re-size the space at the end of the sentence. That means you only need to type ONE space instead of two.

Granted, some people still prefer two spaces (me, lol).

Will you get rejected if you use two?

Highly unlikely.

But the general rule is to only tap that space bar ONCE!

Jeez. Now if I only get my fingers to cooperate.

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update!

2011-02-18T06:00:00.011-05:00

OMGoodness people. See the cat?? That's how my day was yesterday. Seriously. If you could have seen my face most of the day, that's what you would have seen.

Several mundo things happened in one day and I swear, I've never been so twisted and bent all in one day before. N.E.V.E.R.

I emailed Sarah the things I got twisted over (she's my big strong oak, too). We have a good relationship. I love her dearly. So, imagine my shock when my cell phone rings ... and HER number shows up??

Yeah, my "several things" that happened to me were good/bad enough that my awesome beta broke the internet communication barrier and called me on the phone. Whoawhoawhoa.

First, god, I love her. I love her voice, too. I would hire her to be my psychiatrist (If I needed one, mind you. Then again ... I might.).
Second, it's the first freaking time I've talk to her on the phone!!! And, I wished I hadn't been having a panic attack over the other stuff, because it made it damn hard to not die of a heart attack when I was talking to her. I wasn't put together ... at all. I was in panic mode. She probably thinks I'm a total fruit-loop now. Anyhoo ...

After several moments on the phone, she calmed me. Instructed me as good betas do and we hung up. Life changing moment people. She's the best.

Because of that, I've got no updates for you today. Too much spinning going on inside this crazy head of mine. Instead, I'll leave you will some cool links:

Sarah, aka The Beta, aka The Critter (don't you LOVE my new name for her?????) did a post this week on critting. Critting is hard. Both giving and receiving. Check out her insightful post here.

April, from A Writer's Rambling, did a roll-on-the-floor-make-my-tummy-ache-from-laughing post on what pickup line a guy should never, EVER use. Check it out here.

Did you miss the Kiss Already!! Blogfest hosted by Stina and Christina Lee? If you did--man!--you need to go back and check out the entries. And then be prepared for a cold, cold shower. Here's the link to all the entries. Check. It. Out.

Have a great weekend!!

~JD

You Tell Me ...

2011-02-17T06:00:00.027-05:00

In light the B.E.A.utiful weather we've been havin' this week, I'd like to ask you all what season you prefer:

Spring? With the cute little baby bunnies and new sprigs of grass.

Summer? With the five hundred degree sidewalk and buckets of sweat.

Fall? With the color wheel of nature and the soft wind.

Winter? With the ice-freakin' cold air that makes you stay indoors for three months straight.

Hmm ... which one, peeps? What do you like most?

Me?
What do you mean?
You can't tell from my descriptions? *snicker*

Happy Thursday!!

~JD

Learning about Justine: Tonsillectomy

2011-02-16T06:00:00.006-05:00

Ewh. Yeah.

I found out yesterday I have to have my tonsils taken out.

Ewh. Yeah.

So not looking forward to that.

Apparently, it's harder on adults than children. But hey, I've got a high tolerance for pain, so I should be good. Right?

Let's hope.

Ewh. Yeah.

I'm afraid of a lot of things. Needles, doctors, needles to just name a few. So, I'll probably put it off.

Ewh. Yeah.

I'm going to go crawl under my desk.

~JD

Dropping the F-bomb in query. Would you do it?

2011-02-15T06:00:00.004-05:00

Ah, queries. I could blog for years and years and never do enough posts on them. LoL.

Seriously, though. My fingers have been working the keys right off my keyboard on the query for my newly finished wip Crucible. And this past weekend, I think I nailed it. Sarah hasn't given her approval or anything (which is mundo important to me), but I really think I've got something special.

But ... there's always "but", right?

I did it.

I said a bad word.

A really bad word.

I dropped the F-bomb in my query.

Is that okay?

The more and more I thought about it. YES. It is okay. Because the voice of the query says it all. I doesn't say something like:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Nicodemus f****** hates this world, and you should, too. LoL.

My query had to show that Nic (aka, the MC) is fed up with his world, his job, his life, and what he's been asked to do. Hence the f-bomb. Here it comes (and I'm not editing it, so watch-out!)--this is the line in my query. Well, several lines. I wish I could tell you more, but you'll just have to enjoy this little snip-it.

"So how can Nic force his flesh and blood—someone so young—to do what he does? The bringer of pain. Loss. Suffering. It’s not poetic. It’s not for the greater good of the world. It’s fucking madness."

Bamn!

Doesn't those few sentences just say it all?

Well, I hope they do.

So tell me, my dear peeps, would you drop the f-bomb in your query if the query called for it? Any cuss words at all?

~JD

Just Kiss Already Blogfest

2011-02-14T06:00:00.007-05:00

The wonderful Christina Lee is hosting this Kiss Blogfest. Check out all the other peeps here.

The title says it all! The first kiss between your MCs in 250 words or less. *cheesy smile*

I'm not giving you a set-up, though. This is from Crucible: (oh and it's still a little rough ... sorry!)

* * * *

I kissed her.

Her lips were warm and sweet … like molten honey. I wanted to drown myself in the flavor. The sensation. She welcomed me with an excruciatingly low whimper.

I was careful with her, easing my grip around her fingers, using my lips as lightly as possible. A jolt of pureness came from her lips and made me shiver. She seemed to become liquid and fell into me.

Without a second thought, without a care as to what I was doing, I deepened the kiss. I tangled myself around her, and she around me. Every pore of my body suddenly ached for her. Wanted her in the worst possible way.

I needed to yank myself away. Put distance between this human and me. Remember what I’d come here for. But I couldn’t. All my thoughts, all my desires, everything, instantly revolved around Asia.

She was the light I’d never known. She was person who pushed away the darkness. She made me see. She could be everything that would make Hell bearable. And that’s why I had been so fascinated by her over the years. I hadn’t known it. Or didn’t want to acknowledge it. But she … and me … together. Perfect.

I closed my eyes, consumed by her lips, her soft moans, her hands. Amadeus had been right. I loved this human, I was certain of it. And I didn’t even know what love was. But the more I took from her, the more the gnawing hole in my chest filled. The more she gave and surrounded me with her creamy aura, the more complete I felt.

As if my life couldn’t get any more complicated.

* * * *
I wonder what they do next??
*giggle*
Would you believe me if I told you nothin'? LoL.
Oh, and I cheated ... this excerpt is 274 words. Sorry!

Now go enjoy the others! AND HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! SPECIAL Friday Update!

2011-02-11T06:00:00.014-05:00

YUPPERS!!! It's Friday!

And after the longest week of my life, seriously, I'm sooo glad the weekend it here!

How 'bout you? ;-)

I'll do a quick (and I mean QUICK) round up of my week, but then I want to share something with all of you.

1. I have developed a query addiction. I'm not kidding. When I start sending those suckers out, I CAN'T STOP! What is wrong with me?!?!?

2. So, obviously from #1, I've been querying. No, I don't want to discuss it. Ewh.

3. Editing the newly finished wip has become more difficult. I knew it would happen. Writing something "new" (in terms of genre), tends to make one crazy. I don't recommend it.

4. We are going to have a heat wave next week! 40 degrees!! I might run around outside in shorts.

5. Oh, I've read seven books in the past two weeks. The Hunger Games series, The Wake series, and Personal Demons. I guess that's how I spend my time when I'm not writing. LoL.

That is all.

Except this:

On The Wings of A Butterfly

by Corky Ferguson

Your friendship is special

Like the flowers that bloom,

Or when a butterfly emerges

From within its cocoon...

You remind me of that butterfly,

Loving and free,

Bright and colorful,

For the world to see...

We will share sunshine and rainbows;

Sometimes, the rain and the snow;

We'll stand together through it,

While the cold winds blow...

When the time is right,

We won't stop to ask "Why?"

Our friendship will take flight

On the wings of a butterfly ...

(pss ... be a happy panda)

Don't forget to believe, peeps. Have a wonderful weekend!

~JD

I've only one word for you today: BELIEVE

2011-02-10T06:00:00.010-05:00

I've been in a funk. A bad one.

So today I'm going to leave you all with a very important message. One that I try everyday to remember.

BELIEVE

~JD

Learning about Justine: Snow after the ice ...

2011-02-09T06:00:00.014-05:00

It wasn't enough for mother nature to drop 2 inches of ice on beautiful Bloomington, IN.

No ...

The ice storm (from the post last week), came on Tuesday and Wednesday. Longest two days, evvver. Then, Saturday--BAM! Snow. And lots of it.

I ventured out and took some pics. Come on spring!

This is a city road.

Another city road.

And another ... (the sky is dark in these pics because the snow was falling like CRAZY!)

A park ...

Ah, I love a road that's not really a road because it's covered in snow! Gotta love county roads!

A county road (at this point, I'm on my way back home)

County road ...

Below is "my road". My road/driveway is 1/4 smile long (give or take).

Pretty pine tree in my yard.

Spring. Spring. Spring. Spring. Spring. Spring. Spring.

Hmm ... did I mention I want spring?

~JD

Something that gets me excited when querying!

2011-02-08T06:00:00.022-05:00

For all those frowns that come with rejections when you query, there is one thing that actually makes me smile.
This: ">" along the left hand margin of my original query. Like this:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

(I hope you can see those little boogers. Blogger keeps doing something weird with my formatting! Ack! Well, if you can't, those little boogers are the right arrow keys)

No, I haven't lost my mind. These little key strokes make me smile everytime I get a rejection email with them in it.
WHY????
Well, take a guess. Don't worry. I'll wait.
..........
.........
........
.......
......
.....
....
...
..
.
Because these little guys mean one thing, your query has been FORWARDED!

That's right! If the agent has interns going through the slush pile, these little marks mean that the query made it PAST the intern (which means the query/pages have to be decent, right?) and were sent to the agent.

I do cartwheel for that small victory--everytime I see it. Reaching small mountains makes me smile.

What about you? Anything that makes you smile while querying? I know, that's a toughie.

Oh, and if you haven't already checked out DL's 600 follower contest, Whodunit. Do that here.

~JD

Grammar Police: MS Formatting

2011-02-07T06:00:00.006-05:00

Okay, so this really isn't a "grammar" thing, but formatting your ms is very important!!! I know ... I know ... more writing "rules" JD? Really? Don't we have enough rules to remember???

*Sigh* Yes, yes we do.
But this one is important! After all, you don't want to send your ms to an agent formatted in WingDings, do you?
Or is is WingDongs? LoL.
Either way, there are some "standard" formatting guidelines. Notice I said "standard." Hence, some agents/editors prefer different things, so double check their submission guidelines first. However, if they don't have anything specific, you should follow these "basic" guidelines. Emphasis on the word "basic."

1. One inch margins all the way around.
2. Pages numbered, starting with the first page, in the header on the top, right hand corner of the page.
3. Book title in the header on the top, left side of the page.
4. Your name underneath the book title in the header.
5. Chapter numbers (type them out: Chapter One, NOT Chapter 1).
6. Chapters should start 1/3 of the way down on the page (first page included). This is approximately 7 double-spaced lines.
7. Start your story a double space below the chapter number.
8. Standard font: 12 pt Times New Roman (some like Courier New).
9. Page breaks after each chapter ends (that way when you add/delete things, the chapter pages stay the EXACT same---no need to go back and fix it!)

And there you have it! Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.

And for your viewing pleasure (because I'm a visual learner myself), I've created and formatted a page of a book. Have a look see!!!

PS--you can click the thingy on the bottom right hand corner of this nifty screen to make it full-size. Embedit is pretty awesome.

Anyhoo, that's that!! Standard "basic" formatting for the newly minted MS.

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update!!

2011-02-04T06:00:00.026-05:00

Oh, thank goodness! YES IT IS!!!!!!!!!

After mother nature dumped on over 1/3 of the US, I'm so glad the weekend is here!!! And I'm glad to have my power back on! YIPPEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because of the craziness that was this week (the weather, mainly), I didn't do a whole lot. Being stranded at home from an ice storm with no power tends to make me less-than-productive.

So, not a whole lot to update on.
I'm make it SAS.

1. I've been querying the book I wrote for my daughter like mad. I totally threw the whole only-send-out-five-queries-at-a-time thing out the window. I'll probably regret it later.

2. I reworked the opening of my contemporary romance because I hadn't gotten any bites on those queries yet. I'll be cranking out those queries again soon ... maybe.

3. I've been editing my newly finished wip, Crucible. That's the new name. One of my fabu followers told me the original name, The Reckoning, was already the title to a book that came out last year. Bummer. So I came up with this new one. I know, I know. "JD, that's the name of famous play." Yeah, but that was like 50 years ago. I think I'm good. And I like it. AND it also plays a part in the story. It's a win-win. ;-)

Oh, and the editing for this book has gone so smoothly I think I need to pinch myself. Seriously. I actually haven't minded the editing--because there hasn't been that much! Sarah's flying through the pages and I'm flying through the edits!

4. I haven't started anything new. And I haven't been working on lengthening that short romance I'd told you all about. I'm pacing myself. LoL. Actually I'm sitting at home at night chanting over and over again for spring!!! I hope my permanent case of frostbite goes away then. :o)

And that is it!!!!

Oh, except my fabu nail color of the week:

Have a great weekend everyone! I hope those of you who are buried in snow and ice get thawed out quickly! (Me too!)

~JD

Wordle--Good for the WIP

2011-02-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've wordled any of my wips. I did a post a while back where I wordled the two that I had done. You can find that here.

Since then, I've finished three more projects, so I thought it was time to wordle them, too!! WHOO!

Here's the book I wrote for my daughter, Lost and Found:

Here's the contemporary romance, All American Girl:

And here is the creepy, dark, YA horror I just finished, Crucible:

So there you are! The perfect little wordle clouds for my wips. Have you wordled today?

~JD

Learning About Justine: The Ice Storm

2011-02-02T06:00:00.021-05:00

So, I normally do posts in advance ... but this week, (well, that last 24 hours AND the next 24 hours), my little town was/will be getting hit with ice. Freezing rain. Oh, what fun.

I ventured out, almost crashed on my butt (numerous times!) and took some photos of round one. Round two is supposed to start this evening (by the time you read this on Wednesday, the second round will have passed ... yay for more ice).

I didn't go work (obviously). I care too much about my safety. Seriously. Ice is freakin' dangerous! But I looked on the bright side ... as I am writing this, 11 am on Tuesday, we still have power. That might not be the case tomorrow at the same time.

Without further ado, here are my photos: (oh, and I wished the sun had been shining so you could how much ice there was).

*FYI, I couldn't even get my car door open.

Oh, and do you know how hard it is for dogs to potty when they slip around ... in the GRASS? Crazy! But hey, it's not an Indiana winter unless we get a good ice storm!

For those who live in the states who were also in the path of storm, I hope you are all safe and warm.

~JD

You tell me ...

2011-02-01T06:00:00.005-05:00

Because my brain is fried ... and we are getting dumped on with some serious ice ... today we shall do something simple.

YOU TELL ME ... are you:

A little bit country?

Or

A little bit rock n' roll?

Me, you ask? Well ... you tell me that, too. ;-)

~JD

Grammar Police! That vs Which

2011-01-31T06:00:00.018-05:00

The Sheriff had a request last week from Falen, AKA Sarah (not be confused with the beta Sarah) for the following grammar issue:

THAT vs WHICH

Let's get ready to rrrrrruuuuuumble!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wait ... first I have to admit that I didn't know this was a grammar issue. I don't even think I have this problem. Maybe I do, and the beta, cripes ... I mean SARAH, never mentioned it? Hmph. That's doubtful. So, in hindsight, I actually don't have this problem. Whoa. I need to stop for a sec. A grammar problem I actually DON'T have? That's a first. I need a moment to process that ....

..........
.........
........
.......
......
.....
....
...
..
.

Okay, I'm good now (but I'm waaay proud of myself!). Let's get back on track. Since I didn't know about this rule, I had to do some research. And it was VERY easy to see why some people have a problem with this. The info I read had my heading running around in circles!

I'll try to break it down for you in my awesome, JD-way, and let's hope like heck I make sense!

First, you need to learn the difference between a restrictive clause and a nonrestrictive clause.

A restrictive clause is something has must be part of the sentence, otherwise it won't make sense, because it specifically restricts the noun.

A nonrestrictive clause is something that can be deleted from a sentence and the sentence would still make sense! (Clipping a little darling, anyone?)

Okay, with that in mind, use "THAT" with a restrictive clause, and "WHICH" with a nonrestrictive clause.

Here are some examples restrictive clauses with "that":

Romance books that have a happy ending sell better.
                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Dogs that go to the groomer regularly smell better.
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Cars that have a slim exhaust pipe get better gas mileage. (not true, btw)
        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
**Now notice in the above sentence that if you removed the "that" part of the sentence (the part with the ^'s under it), it wouldn't make any sense. Right? Right!

Now, here are some nonrestrictive clause sentences with "which":

The rug, which I inherited from my grandmother, was made in Persia.
              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The cat, which clawed my eyes out last Sunday, has a terrible temper.
              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My book, which doesn't fit into any specific genre, will be hard to sell.
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

**AH-HA! See? In the sentences above, you could remove the nonrestrictive clause and STILL have a coherent sentence!

Because that was so easy, peasy, lemon squeezy, I won't confuse you anymore with other tid-bits of this rule. If you would like to learn even more (the other, albeit "important", rules) click-y, click-y on the links below.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/that-vs-which/

http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/That_Who_Which.pdf

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/which-versus-that.aspx

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/aue/xmasthat.html

Tell the world!!

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! Friday Update

2011-01-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

Sigh ... FINALLY ... it's Friday.

It's been a crazy long week, peeps. C.R.A.Z.Y.

I've been ill most of the week, so you'll probably notice I haven't be around the blogosphere, hanging around some cool blogs (YOURS!) and commenting. Sorry!!! I was able to do my blog posts (mainly because I do them in advance, lol ... "type A", remember?) I do save Friday updates for Thursday night, though. But since I'm still not feeling well, I'm going to make it SAS (short and sweet).

1. No updates on my queries/writing/editing. I haven't done much this week. I haven't sent out any recent queries. I've been in full-blown edit mode. The beta is still whipping me into shape. Which reminds me ... I think I need to go back and read some of my own grammar police posts. I'm slacking with my own knowledge!

2. The beta, ah-hem ... Sarah (I really need to stop calling her "the beta", sound too much like a fish). Did a super cool video (with her fellow Kortizzle army) to wish her agent a happy birthday. Wanna see Sarah's smiling face???? Find it here.

3. Sarah's agent recently did a blog interview telling all us peeps what she is looking for, and some super cool funny things, too. She cracks me up! Find Kathleen Ortiz's interview here.

4. Bam! That's it! I know, I know ... lame, right? There's not even a cool FRIDAY UPDATE PICTURE!!!! Sorry! Weird week. Long week. Bad week. All equals up to lame Friday update. Next week will be better!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~JD

Queries and Requests! Time Frames

2011-01-27T06:00:00.027-05:00

On Tuesday I discussed querying and the longest time it took to receive a rejection. Today I shall discuss querying and the longest time it took to get the all-important REQUEST!!

So once again you send out queries ...

And you wait ...

And wait ...

And wait ...

Seconds seem to be clicking by like HOURS ...

Again, if you sent your query to an insta-responder, you're in luck! A few minutes pass and you'll have your rejection ... or request.

We all know how exciting those requests are, so I won't discuss it again. ;-)

Today I shall share my fastest responder for a requests, and the slowest.

The fastest came from the first batch of queries I'd ever sent out. It only took a few days. I thought that was pretty cool. I hyperventilated. I quickly got over it. lol

I have been querying my very first book for about a year now. I'm out of people to query and the book is, in my mind, is almost dead. About two months ago, I'd marked out everyone on my list as a "form no" or "no response". I still had two people who had partials/full, so it's not totally dead (they still have them, btw).

So, imagine my surprise when I get a partial request from someone I'd marked as "no response."

I looked back at the original query date ... whoawhoawhoa.

Seven months.

It took seven months to get the request. I almost couldn't believe it! Since I'd long written it off as a "no response", I was stoked! My book had one more chance! So a total of three last little breaths of life.

No to shabby. I'll take it. And I'll smile. It's unexpected requested that makes our day, right?

So tell me, what's your longest time from query to request??

~JD

Query to Rejection: Time Frames

2011-01-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Ah ... querying. We all love that, don't we? :-P

And the rejections that come after that, right?

Right?

When you hit the "send" button on your queries, you're almost guaranteed a wait (unless you queried a super-fast responder--who are few and far between).

So we wait ....

Days ... weeks ... months ...

You'll get a response to your query. Eventually. Then again, maybe not. But when you do, I'll bet you've had an average of two-three months for a response? Am I right?

After about the three month mark, if I haven't heard from an agent, I write down on my cool little spreadsheet that they are a "NRMN" (no response means no). I've got a lot of those. :-(

Anyhoo, sometimes query rejections trickle in after that. But the other day, I had my longest query to rejection ever.

Seven months. To the day. Not kidding.

First, I want to point out that I am NOT complaining. This process takes time. If you don't have patience, you're in the wrong business. :o) Agents are busy people; I get that.

Anyway, I'd already written them off as a NRMN, so when I got the letter, I laughed. It was the first time I actually laughed at a rejection. It will probably be my last, but it was still a moment. Even after all that time, they still had the time to send a rejection. I thought it was thoughtful. They didn't have to. But they took the time, and I appreciated that. Even though it took seven months, I'm thankful to have gotten a response. I guess that's why it was so funny. I'll take that moment.

So how about you? What's your longest time from query to rejection?

Oh, and be sure to come back on Thursday when I do this post again ... only this time, the longest time from query to request. You might be surprised at that time frame, too. ;-)

~JD

Grammar Police! That vs. Who

2011-01-24T06:00:00.033-05:00

Wha?!?

That vs Who?

What on earth is that? Or would it be, what on earth is who? HA! I crack myself up.

Ah ... okay, let's get serious.

Personally, I didn't even know this was a grammar "rule". Not until the beta got her sharps fangs (and man, are THEY sharp) into a few of my wips. Well, the first one really. The rule didn't really sink in until the third. I always laughed when I saw her type in all caps correcting me. Funny stuff.

Anyhoo.

I'm gonna make this easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.

Use THAT when you are talking about a THING.

Use WHO when you are talking about a PERSON.

Like this:

The girl who hit my car drove away.

The book that I lost cost $99 dollars to replace! (Ack!)

It's pretty safe to say that you wouldn't normally write, "The book who I lost cost ...", but the other sentence? Yuppers ... easy to switch the "that" and "who".

I do it. All. The. Time.

It's SO EASY!!! Really, it is!!

Now, when you start talking about dogs and birds and cats and fish and horses and bears, there's some gray area. (YES! There is gray area with this one! Grammar Girl says so! Not me, the OTHER Grammar Girl, the New York Times Bestselling one!)

There was even some famous writer somewhere who referred to people as "that". Which, according to Grammar Girl, makes them "less human". LoL. Funny. To me, anyway.

So see? GRAY AREA, PEEPS.

Do what you want with animals of the fuzzy kind. Or the slimy kind. But for people, it's best to stick with "who." For everything else, "that."

One more time:

People/Person=Who

Thing/Object=That

Get it? Got it? Good!

~JD

Whoot! Whoot! FRIDAY UPDATE!

2011-01-21T06:00:00.004-05:00

Yuppers!! Friday is here, peeps!

There's not a whole lot to update you on this week, but I'll do my best ...

1. OMGOSH!! CHECK OUT THIS CONTEST. Seriously. You could get your MG or YA book edited by Deborah Halverson, editor!!!

QUICK ... clicky-clicky right here!

2. Last week someone mentioned the title of my newly finished WIP was the title of another book. I. Hate. That. So, I came up with a new one!! YAY!! Keeping it to myself, though ... for now ...

3. That newly titled WIP is currently in the hands of the Great and Powerful Beta of Oz, Sarah Fine. She's ripping it to shreds and I am lovingly putting it back together. ;-) That's how it's done!

4. Said beta, Sarah, is trying to get to that magical 100 follower mark! You should go help her out!! Clicky-clicky the Emerald City at the top, right hand corner of my blog. Please?

5. You saw on my rejection stats post yesterday that I've been querying some projects. Nothing new to report on that front.

6. I'm tired of freakin' snow!! I want spring!

That is all.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!!

~JD

Rejection Stats!!

2011-01-20T06:00:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I've done this ... and since I just came back from a three month hiatus, I thought it would be a good time to update ya'll on my rejection stats! Without further ado, here you go!
BTW, this is also the order in which they were written. ;-)

Book #1 (contemporary romance)

Total queries sent to date: 116

Queries still awaiting a response: 0

Rejections to date: 112

Form rejections: 58

Personalized rejections: 10

No Response Rejection: 44

Requests for pages: 7 (four turned in rejections, still waiting on two, and one agent who is waiting to see a partial when they can have exclusivity)

Requests for manuscript: 4 (still waiting on one)

So, not bad (well, yeah … B.A.D), but this puppy is just going through the motions. It’s ready to be buried!! No more queries can be sent out for this one.

Book #2 (short contemporary romance)

Total queries sent to date: 5 (ps ... all these queries where sent to publishers and not agents)

Queries still awaiting a response: 0

Rejections to date: 5

Form rejections: 4

Personalized rejections: 1 (this one gave EXCELLENT feedback!! And the opportunity to send in again if I made the changes!)

No Response Rejection: 0

Requests for pages: 1 (turned into full)

Requests for manuscript: 4 (yeah, that's right, ALL but ONE query turned into requests!)

**This book is currently at 46K. The beta (love her!) convinced me to lengthen it so it would have more options. What you see here are the only queries that could be sent out due to the short length. And as you can see, the query (and the book itself) got great responses. Will undertake lengthening soon …

Book # 3 (Contemporary romance)

Total queries sent to date: 42

Queries still awaiting a response: 3

Rejections to date: 39

Form rejections: 28

Personalized rejections: 2

No Response Rejection: 9

Requests for pages: 2 (both turned into rejection—but one with some good feedback!)

Requests for manuscript: 0

Ewh … this one isn’t looking good, either!!! More queries can be sent out ... which is what I will be doing this year. (Not a lot of hope, though).

Book #4 (MG book I wrote from my daughter)

Total queries sent to date: 29

Queries still awaiting a response: 11

Rejections to date: 18

Form rejections: 10

Personalized rejections: 0

No Response Rejection: 8

Requests for pages: 0

Requests for manuscript: 0 (Eep! After 29 queries … something must be wrong!)

Sooooooooooooooooo ... that's a lot of books to be querying, right? LoL. And it's a lot of rejection, too. But I don't sweat it anymore--not like I used to. Me (and my books) will find a home some day. Until then, I'll keep searching!

~JD

Learning about Justine: My New Obsession

2011-01-19T06:00:00.023-05:00

NAIL POLISH!!!

Yup, nail polish is my new obsession. Which is weird, because, I'm NOT a girly-girl. At all. I would rather walk around the house in my yoga pants, a sweatshirt, and with a hat on my head than get all prissied up. (I'm not sure if prissied is a word ... lol).

Anyhoo, recently I discovered long nails (another thing I've never really had). I think my new found long nails come from the fact that I'm not bored anymore (too busy writing), so I don't do random stuff that breaks them off, and I don't mess with them.

In comes the nail polish obsession.

Here's a pic of my collection, in order by color of course. ;-)

Crazy, right? Especially since this obsession just started recently. It's quickly grown!!!

So, I changed my nail polish color about every three-four days. I like change (in that way, any way). Plus, as soon as it chips or something, it drives me CRAZY!!!!

Up until recently, I only did one color at a time. But I wanted to change it up. Then ... AHA!!! Dexter came to the rescue!!! Check out my nails--compliments of Dexter's mother:

Now having different colors on different nails for me is the norm. (Thank god I have a job that permits this kind of thing).

Stripes? Yup. Polka dots? You got it!

It's a way for me to be me. And I like it! So many colors, so little time. ;-)

What about you? Do you have an obsession?

~JD

You Tell Me ...

2011-01-18T06:00:00.007-05:00

Because I've recently shared writing milestones and a huge epiphany in my own "writing" career, I would like for you to share yours!

What, if any, writing milestones have you reached?

Or have you had any major writing epiphanys that changed the course of your writing career?

Come on ... do tell. ;-)

~JD

Writer Milestones: Dun ... Dun ... THE AGENT!!!

2011-01-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

Ah-ha!!! The last (and one of the BIGGEST) milestones for writers we will discuss is ....

GETTING AN OFFER OF REPRESENTATION!!!

SNAGGING THAT AGENT!!!

I haven't snagged that agent myself, so I can't actually discuss HOW it would make me feel. I imagine it would be something like this:

I figure the FIRST thing that will happen is ...

QUICKLY followed by this:

Come on ... you'll do it, too. How would you be able to hold in ALL that excitement?!?!?

I wouldn't!

THIS is the what we all strive for as writers. Of course, there are milestones after this (more editing, proofing, submitting to publishers, and getting that contract), BUT getting that agent is the FIRST HUGE step in another set of awesome milestones.

Just ask the beta ... she's there right now.

Sarah is repped by Kathleen Ortiz and her book is currently out on submission to publishers (you go girl!).

Since she's made this milestone, I'll let her take it from here:

If you've read what I've had to say for the previous few days, you'll see that I was kind of a fatalist when it came to the querying process. I was prepared for the worst and willing to accept it. So when I got an email that said “I'm a fan! Loved the piece. Could you please send your bio and complete publishing history? I'd like to schedule a phone chat for next week to discuss the book. Let me know what your schedule is like.” … I nearly had a heart attack.

And then, a few days later, I got this from a second agent: “I finished your book and I absolutely want to bring you on and sell this… like, right. this. minute.” Holy s*%t! I couldn’t believe it. The amazing thing: the second agent was emailing me about a different book. Two agents, two books. And more than ten other agents who had requested material from one book or the other.

The next week was insane. After talking with the fifth agent to offer, I hung up the phone, turned off my computer, and spent at least half an hour crying. My husband thought I had lost my mind. It was so intense. Awesome, but intense. First, because I knew the decision was really important. Second, because I liked more than one of the agents I talked to and knew I was going to have to say no to some really nice people who I’d spent quite a bit of time on the phone with. Third, because SOME OF THE AGENTS WERE TWEETING ABOUT ME. Sure, they didn’t identify me in any way, but I knew they were talking about me. Gah, that just added an extra twist to the intensity. Fourth, just because. Sometimes, you need to cry … just because. It’s like the pressure release valve on your emotions.

I made my decision. I’m thrilled with my decision. I know how fortunate I am. I also know that I am now at the start of yet another process, and I have no idea how it will turn out. I’ll get through it the way I got through the querying process because that’s the only way I know how to do it.

Oh, and one thing I haven’t mentioned, one thing that’s been a constant through this WHOLE process, one thing I could always depend on, one thing that’s kept me sane when all my coping processes failed (because they do sometimes, no matter how realistic and prepared and fatalistic I am): Justine.

She calls herself my “big, strong oak” (don’t laugh. It works for us).

I call her my friend.

Everybody’s process is different. This was just how it went for me. Who knows how it might look for you? But here is my wish for each and every one of you: I wish you friendship. I wish you people in your lives who you can turn to in rejection and triumph, who will give you honesty, who will give you hope, who will give you whatever you need to keep going. Just like the rest of life, the writing-querying-publishing process is not something you should go through alone.

Okay, wait, I have to stop because I am tearing up. I love Sarah! If you don't follow her blog ... clicky-clicky the Emerald City at the top, right hand corner of my blog. Do. It. Now. She's better than chocolate.

There you have it, peeps. A week a wonderful (and stressful) writer milestones. May each and every one of you reach yours. :o)

~JD
~S

Writer Milestones: THE ELITE REQUEST!!!

2011-01-13T06:00:00.005-05:00

(reminder ... my verbage is in black and the Great and Powerful Beta of Oz, Sarah, is in red)

You've been querying for a few days ... maybe a few months ... heck, maybe even a few YEARS.

And then it comes. Finally.

That epic, epic request for a partial (or a full). Your VERY first. (and let's face it ... when we open that email, we are generally expecting a form "r" so when you get that request ... whoawhoawhoa)

How did it make you feel? Like this:

Which made you suddenly need to do this:

Yeah ... I've been there. I remember when it happened to me. I'd only been querying for a few weeks. I'd only received a few rejections. When I read the email, I jumped up, sent the chair flying across the room, and screamed the news to everyone in the house. I couldn't sleep that night. Or several nights after. I was jittery. Anxious. Happy.

But oh ... that feeling doesn't last. Here's Sarah's take:

I remember my first request really clearly. It was a partial request, after 25 straight rejections on my first book. I was jumping up and down, whooping and shaking. It was awesome. It was one of only two partial requests I got for that book before I realized it was not THE ONE. I was naive back then, and thought that once I started getting requests, I was in a very special club.

Well, I guess it is a special club. Just a very crowded one. After awhile, I realized that I could get a whole bunch of requests and still never get an offer. That was sobering. I stopped being as excited about those requests, and started being more realistic.

Yes, the club is crowded, but I am thankful to have been in it. Not everyone makes it into this club, so you're doing something right!

A request is great--it means your query is decent! Maybe it means that your opening pages are decent! But that's really all it means. Anything can happen after that, from a form R on your full to a revise-and-resubmit to an offer. No guarantees. A great start, but just a start.

A request also makes you think you might need medicine to slow down your heart rate and keep your fingers from shaking like an earthquake.

The first request feels good. The second? Even better. The third? Yeah, you're on a roll.

But then comes the rejections (again). The revise and resubmit requests (Sarah and I have both had these ... both resulting in rejections--these are one the hardest things, I think).

And over time, that new "high" of a request turns into that new "low" of rejection. I swear, being a writer and going through these phases is like being addicted to crack. Well, I've never been addicted to crack, but it's like a drug. Way HIGHS. And way LOWS. And lots of ugly, middle ground.

The shiny feeling of a request wears off. Mine has. When I get one now, I sigh and send along the pages. Because I know that request doesn't mean anything else. Another rung on the ladder. There are still more rungs to go. The agent comes next.

A lot of you have made it to this request/revise/resubmit milestone. Very few of us have made it past it. And if you have--FREAKIN' CONGRATS!! You deserve it! Really.

As time goes on I have noticed that I am becoming desensitized to the milestones. Oh, don't get me wrong, I think milestones are GREAT! It's how you know you are going where you want to go. I just think I did that as a protective measure. The less you make the process about "you" as a person, the better off you are. ;-)

I'm looking forward to my next milestone (even though it's technically not one I am trying to reach) ... snagging that agent! Come on back tomorrow for that last (and biggest) milestone! (Actually it's not "the biggest", but I've only got five days to work with, peeps!!)

~JD
~S

Writer Milestones: Querying

2011-01-12T06:00:00.011-05:00

PSSS (My verbage is in black ... Sarah's is in red)

So you've written a book ...
You've edited it within an inch of your life ...
Now what?

Ah-ha ... QUERYING!! That's what!!

What do you do first?

FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HECK A QUERY LETTER IS!!! Research is KEY here, peeps. Don't query unless you know exactlywhat you are writing. And please, don't make any newbie mistakes ... like me. LEARN ABOUT THEM FIRST!!!!!!

Okay, so you've written that query letter. Spit-shined it? It's typo free, right? Error free? The agents name is spelled correctly? You've personalized it, right? Check, check, check.

So ... you're ready to jump off that cliff. You're excited, right??? Ecstatic???!!!! You want to send the query letter out into the world, RIGHT?????

WHOOT!! YES ! YES ! YES ! It's time to query!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I was SO excited to start querying. I mean, come on ... I had SERIOUSLY high hopes when I first started! Didn't YOU?!?!

*Deep Sigh*

Yeah, not so much anymore.

You know why?

Because the "high" of querying quickly became a "low" of rejection.

Have you been there?

Maybe you only sent out 5 queries.

Maybe you sent out 25.

Heck, maybe you sent out 105.

Which means ... maybe you got 5 rejections ... maybe you got 25 ... maybe you even got 105

(hey, I've been there).

Querying is like buying a ticket on a carnival ride. Or a lottery ticket. It gives you a little space to dream. Sometimes you get months. Sometimes you get about 60 seconds. Those dreams are nice. But it can hurt when they don't come true.

I would see an email waiting in my inbox, and I would flinch. I would grimace. I would open it up, expecting to read the form R. And usually, that was exactly what it was. So I wasn't surprised. I just sighed and logged it on QT. Sometimes I didn't bother reading the email all the way through, because nearly always, IT'S JUST A FORM. There's no useful information there, just a bunch of words that add up to "no."

So suddenly the excited and hopefulness turns to this:

Or maybe this:

Or even this:

Either way, it's ugly. UGLY. You can't put into words the way rejection makes you feel. I can't anyway. It effing sucks. It makes you feel like you aren't good enough. It makes you feel emotions you didn't even know you had.

You question your book. The plot. The word count. The query. The agent. The timing.

And then ... you finally start to question yourself. Your writing. Your skills.

STOP.

Buddy, thinking like that ain't gonna get you now where. Hop onto the Justine train and join my twelve step program. Then it doesn't hurt so bad.

So, querying for me is just another day. Just another letter. Just another agent. I don't let querying define me. Don't let it define you either.

My basic response to the query R: Bleh. Moving on. (which is how I deal now, btw)

Anything else would set me up for hurt, and I like to protect myself from that when it's possible. And with the querying process, it IS possible, as long as you're realistic (both in terms of the odds AND in terms of the work it takes to write a good letter).

Being realistic is everything, peeps. The chances aren't good. It's a fact. Don't make me break out the query stats for Steven King, or Stephanie Myer, or JK Rowling. They had some SERIOUS rejection, too.
It will hurt. Rejection ALWAYS hurts. Anyway that keeps it from hurting, I say GO FOR IT!!

And even my program isn't bullet proof. But you've gotten this far ... don't give up.

Because what comes if you don't get a rejection?? Hmm?? That's right ... a request. Tomorrow folks, tomorrow is about requests and the whole new world that comes with that.

~JD

Writer Milestones: Editing!!

2011-01-11T06:00:00.054-05:00

So, you've written that first book ... now what?

Well, in all honesty, if I told you what I did after that, we'd move right to "querying". BAD IDEA, btw. DON'T ever do that first without editing. But hey, in my defense, I was a newbie ... bound to make mistakes. Right? Right!

So, the right order would be ...

EDITING!!

This is how editing makes me feel:

Seriously ... I. Hate. Editing.

Gah. Blah. Argh. Yuck. Urgh.

There are lots of different ways to edit:

1. Line by line

2. Overall

3. Print out the 300 pager and go to town with a red pen!

4. Get a beta (DO THIS!!) Or two, or three, or four. (Seriously, DO THIS ONE!!)

5. Let it sit in a drawer for 4 months and then read it again (you'll find some mistakes and stuff you hate ... I guarantee it!!)

Yeah, there's lots of "ways" to edit.

It might take a few weeks. It might take a few months. Heck, it might take you a YEAR or MORE. But you have, have, have, have to do it.

Your MS needs to be edited withing an inch of its life. The first five pages need to be banging and hook the reader! Characters need to be fleshed out. The story needs to flow. The plot needs to make sense (with NO plot holes). Grammar, check. Typos, check. So on and so forth. There's A LOT to this phase. And it takes time ... and patience ... and a keen eye (someone else will probably be that keen eye).

Honestly, editing is a learned trait, I think. It's not easy. It's time consuming (which is why I hate it). It gives me eye pokes. But it's necessary.

Cut the darlings!

Rearrange scenes!

Add a layer ... or two!

Make the story compelling!

With editing sometimes difficult things like rewriting scenes, or the simple line-edit (that comes VERY last).

Either way, it gives me nightmares just thinking about.

The beta has a little different take (now ...lol) Here's what good ol' Sarah had to say about editing:

During our "beta week" several months ago, I discussed the various stages I go through when receiving feedback. I was honest about having a knee-jerk "you can't be serious!" sort of response, but I've learned to get over that. JD certainly helped, but what really did it was the revisions I went through with my agent while we were polishing my book for submission. After going through that, I have discovered something really bizarre: I like revisions. I find them cleansing. Cathartic. I get a certain masochistic pleasure from deleting and changing and rearranging my own words. Sometimes I am quite draconian about it. And why can I do this so easily now, when just a year ago I was terrified of it?

Because there are more words where those came from. I know this now. I know it DEEP. My words are bottomless. Infinite (yeah, I know that's an exaggeration, but go with me here). I can delete my words, change them, cut them ... and there will be more. Once I figured that out, the fear was gone. Especially when I saw how much better my book got with every round.

As for the nitpicky editing, I like that, too. But just ask JD--I know of few people more nitpicky than I. It's really difficult for me to beta read without line-editing at the same time, even though I know it can sometimes be overwhelming for the writer when they see all my red ink. I do the same for my own work (though of course--I have more trouble seeing my own errors). I love making things better, and that's what editing is about. It's not always fun. You have to be in the right place (mentally and emotionally). But the final product is utterly worth it.

She's right ... no matter how you get there, or how many different "editing" steps it takes, the book will be better in the end. It will be worth it. Even though I want to gauge my eyeballs out every step of the way. ;-) Trust me, after I get done editing something, I sigh a HUGE sigh of relief.

*wipes sweaty brow*
*puts aspirin back in the cabinet*
*stretches from hours and hours and hours of being hunched over laptop*
*cries*
*goes outside for the first time in a month*

Or, you know, whatever you do. :o) Either way, editing that first wip (or ANY wip for that matter) is HUGE, HUGE, HUGE. Finishing that book is the easy compared to this step. But harder ones are a' coming. Because once you get past this milesone, there's another mountain to climb. Like ... querying.
*Squeals in horror*

Until then, dig that old wip out the bottom desk drawer. Go find yourself a kick-ass beta (no, you can't have mine). And stomp some word butt!!

~JD

Writer Milestones: Writing that FIRST book!!

2011-01-10T06:00:00.044-05:00

Ah ... Snoopy. Wasn't he always writing something?
Do you think in ALL those years, he ever finished a novel? ;-)

Well, today we shall talk about that FIRST writer milestone:

WRITING THAT FIRST BOOK

So ... lots of people have different reasons for writing that first book.

Mine can be found here. Oh, and please don't laugh when you read it. Well, go ahead and laugh. I think it's still funny that my writing adventure started with Twilight. *Sigh*

Anyhoo ...

Be it a single mother who had that first idea while staring off into space in the laundry soap aisle.

Be it the scholar who spent all those years in college for a degree in creative writing.

Be it the teenager who just had a helluva a book idea with no experience.

Be it you ...

Be it me ...

It became something, right?

So you sit down, and you write.

But tell me something, did you research writing first? Did you know anything about the craft? Did you plot? Map out your characters? Go on the fly? Read what you were going to write?

There are TONS of "things" that go into writing, before you actually "write". Some of us do them before we write that first book. Some of us don't.

I was not one of those people. I had an idea, and I wrote it. Period. No research. No experience. I didn't EVEN READ novels before I wrote my first one. (go ahead and laugh again). But I did it. Um, yeah ... I've learned a lot since then, btw. ;-)

From start to finish, it took me 3 months to finish my first book. And man, when I was done, I felt like WHOA. Whoawhoawhoawhoa.

I just freakin' wrote a 300 page, 80K word novel. Little ol' me. Whoa.

Is that how any of you felt? It was the first, and probably the biggest milestone in a writers career. Because let's look at the facts.

Most writers (around 40% or so) don't even finish that first book. (Yes, I did read that somewhere, some time ago). AND then, of those who did finish that first book, only about 1/2 of them go one to write more. Why is that? Well, we will get to that later in the week.

But what's important here is that YOU, my dear friends, finished that first book. That alone is a HUGE thing. You freakin' did it! You had an idea and you went with it.

No matter how you got there (through your training or on the fly), YOU DID IT. And that alone deserve an award, dontcha think?

Yeah. I do.

So here's to you ... for finishing that first book:

Writing that first book is a huge deal.

So tell me, what made you do it?

How long did it take?

And how did you feel when you were done?

Me? 5 books later and I still feel freakin' fantastic when I finish one! (freakin' is my new favorite word, btw *cheesy smile*).

Oh, man, though. There is other stuff that comes after that writing. And some of it is not-so-hot. We'll discuss more of it this week. Starting with editing *shutters* tomorrow.

~JD

Whoot! 2010 Update! (Instead of just Friday!)

2011-01-07T06:00:00.039-05:00

Yeah ... since I've only been back blogging for 4 days now, I thought I would update you on all the coolness that was JD's blog this past year.

Here's some linkage:

1. Okay, I JUST found out that I was actually mentioned on AN AGENTS BLOG. Pretty cool right? That alone makes 2010 pretty freakin' awesome. Vicki Motter from Andrea Hurst Literary Management gives a link to my blog here.

2. I snagged a guest blog from Scott Eagan, Romance Literary Agent. He tells us ALL about those darn "writer rules" here.

3. Sarah and I did a weeks worth of beta stuff. We shared our crits of each other's work, talked about how the beta process makes us feel, and lots more! Find that here. Oh, and you'll notice that my crit of Sarah's stuff is MIA. I'm not allowed to have her work on my blog while her book is out for submission to publishers (which it is RIGHT NOW!!!). But there is LOTS of other information!! Check it out!

4. I'm not great with grammar. So in my pursuit to help myself, I created the Grammar Police posts to help others, too. Check out all the topics I covered last year here.

5. We had several guest bloggers last year, too. They talked about what they do, how they write, genre's, and more! Check them out here.

6. Whoa. I talked about myself ... and my family, pets, offspring, etc, A LOT. ;-) What can I say? I love them. Go back through all the "Learning About Justine" posts here and learn all about me all over again!

7. I did a lot of talking about queries this past year, too. What I learned, how to write them, all those darn mistakes you can make, etc, etc. Check out all the info here.

8. And lastly, what would my blog be without my rejection stats? Um? It's important for me to share my journey with others. I learn from my own mistakes, so maybe you can learn from mine, too! Here's a glimpse of my rejection stats. Right here!

So there you have it, peeps! A quick review of 2010. Oh, there was more ... much more! But there are some of the highlights. Enjoy!

See you next week for an entire week of WRITER MILESTONES!! Don't miss it! Me (and the beta, Sarah) will tell you all about some of those important milestones. Oh ... and do you follow Sarah's blog yet? If you don't, you should. She's got LOTS of cool psychology type stuff that applies to writing. You should listen to her ... she's a Dr. after all. ;-) Click the Emerald City badge at the top, right corner of my blog to check out her blog!

Until next week! Have a great weekend!!

~JD

Justine's Writing Epiphany ... It's a BIG one!

2011-01-06T06:00:00.004-05:00

Sometimes ... when you get an idea, you just have to go with it.

Other times ... you need to come up with a solution to problem before you go completely INSANE!

And that, my friends, is why we are going to discuss my hiatus epiphany.

First, you need to know me a little better. I'm a textbook type "J" personality (Myers-Briggs), which goes along nicely with my textbook type "A" personality. Together, they create one, mean monster. (I can be sweet, though)

Here are some traits of a "J" (thank you Myers-Briggs):

This type typically leads to a style oriented towards closure, organization, planning, or in some fashion managing the things and or people found in the external environment.

Here are some traits of an "A" (thank you Wikipedia):

The theory describes a Type A individual as ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitive, impatient, preoccupied with his or her status, time-conscious, and tightly-wound. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving "workaholics" who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.

SO ... do you see how these two personalities create a problem for me when it comes to writing??

I need closure.

THAT one aspect alone DOES NOT bode well for an aspiring writer.

I had a breakdown. Seriously. Over the hiatus I had a breakdown. It's only fair for me to share everything with you, right? Full disclosure and my journey IS the reason I write this blog. Giving you anything less would be futile. ;-)

So, I had finished three books. Two of them are practically DOA. I have very little faith for the third. I started writing two more books, although I struggled through them because the "finish line" was something I struggled to cross.

The "finish line" for ALL us writers is getting published. Right? And let's face it, it's something very few of us will actually cross.

BUT that doesn't work for me. (Go back and look at my personality traits again). I NEED closure. I NEED to finish tasks. I NEED to succeed.

And when I don't ... what happens? TOTAL FREAKING FAILURE BREAKDOWNS. Not kidding.

When I feel liked I've failed, I fail hard. I won't go into details. It's pretty ugly.

So, here I am already feeling like failure, when my beta gets an agent (way excited for her, btw). Not only am I not crossing my own finish line, but suddenly the feeling of LOSING my beta nearly crippled me. Actually, it did cripple me. Because, and I'll be honest, I would be nothing without Sarah. And here I suddenly thought she would be stripped away from me. (Which, btw turned out to be all in my head)

Now what??

I had stopped writing. Stopped querying. And barely managed to make it through the days.

And then slowly ...

Oh, so slowly ...

I started to write again.

I didn't query anything, though. I didn't even THINK about querying. I didn't THINK about anything besides writing. Because after all, writing is what I loved. Nothing else.

I had a talk with myself. I had a talk with Sarah. I had a talk with my muse. I had a talk with my WIP's.

Basically, I realized that I wouldn't be able to continue writing--and enjoying it--unless I changed my finish line. Enter my own 12 step retraining-my-brain-program.

My goal is not to get published. (That will simply be a perk from now on).
My goal is not find an agent. (Though I agree, this is another perk).

But PERKS is ALL they are. Nothing more. Nothing less.

My goal, and only goal, is to write stories that I love. Write things from my heart. Write what all this crazy stuff that my brain is cranking out. Because believe you me, as soon as I started telling myself that finding and agent and getting published would not be what would make or break me, my muse went into overdrive. (Hence the reason I finished two books in three months).

I had to remember why I started writing. And why I still want to write. Because I love to. Because it makes me happy. Because it makes me feel free. When all I worry about it that, I'm good.

Don't worry. I will still edit. (I am right now). I will still query (I will start again next week). And I will still try to get published. BUT, I won't focus on that. I won't be in a mad dash to the publishing finish line anymore. There are more important things.

My new finish line? Simply finishing those books I love to write.

Yes, it's hard. Yes, I will probably falter somewhere along the way. But I will remember why I write.

Because I love to.

Getting published will not define me.

And that, my friends, is all that matters to me now.

Because thinking like that will bring me peace of mind ... and serenity. Even in a world that's hard.

~JD