Jane Porter's Blog, page 36

Photos from Mt. Etna!

Ty and me at the Greek ampitheatre in Taormina

I'm busy writing, writing, writing right now, so today's blog post is just to lead you to a bunch of super fun photos!

Mt. Etna erupted this past Monday, August 1st. Mt. Etna is in Sicily, Italy. It blows my mind because, even though it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, I was walking around it just a few months ago, when I took a holiday to Sicily with my all my big guys this past spring.

It was such a wonderful trip. Besides excellent family and tourist time, my new book A Dark Sicilian Secret takes place in Sicily so there was a lot of research, too. I find Sicily a perfect romantic setting…

Be sure to see my photos from when we visited Mt. Etna.

Also take a look at my photos from my time in the resort town of Taormina, Sicily! So beautiful!

Ty and me at Mt. Etna, Sicily's volcano

 

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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30 Days of Summer Left!

I don't know when your kids go back to school, but mine head back in just a little over a month, with Jake returning to Bellevue High water polo practices on August 22nd.  Can't believe the summer is half way over…I love summer vacation, love spending my summers in Hawaii, too.   I'm not as achy in Hawaii–joints don't hurt, shoulder isn't always on fire–and I get to wear a lot less clothes, too.  :)

When do your kids return to school?  What do you have planned for this next month?  Bring me up to speed to get entered in this week's Beach Tote contest and there will be lots of bonus winners so talk to me for a chance to win!  Contest run through Saturday night, and winner will be drawn and announced Sunday August 7th.   Good luck and enjoy your August!!

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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A Big Shout-out to My Readers

I've spent most of the summer so far pretty much at my desk in Hawaii.  I wrapped up my new Harlequin Presents manuscript a few days ago and am now working on the next single title.  Writing is hard work but I love doing it because I know I've got wonderful readers like you out there, reading my books. 

I love meeting readers…and you know, I still can't really believe I have "real" readers…people who look for my books, or people who look for me.  Each and every one of you is the reason I write.  I loved connecting with so many of you in New Yor earlier this summer during the RWA conference. 

I've had some really great emails already from some of you about my new Harlequin, A Dark Sicilian Secret.  Thanks so much to those of you who already bought a copy!  The book is doing really well in ebook format and print, and has enjoyed strong sales so far at eHarlequin.com, Amazon and major retailers, as per BookScan.    It's a dark, intense read with a strong alpha hero and if you haven't already picked up a copy, I hope you'll give it a try.  Let me know what you think!

To celebrate the great sales, I'm doing another summer tote bag giveaway. This week's beach bag contest runs through Sunday night and I'll announce the winner on Monday morning. 

So tell me what you're up to, what's going on with you this week?

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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Summertime

Just returned from airport and putting son Ty on a flight back to Seattle and am now sitting down at desk to recreate the 17 lost pages that were my final chapter of book that I cut and meant to paste, but failed ot paste before pasting new pages over.

I was so bummed Sunday night but am resigned now.  And at least I had all day yesterday free to play with my boys.  My big Ty took the day off work and drove us to North Shore where Ty and Ty snorkeled at Shark's Cove and Mac and I played in the shallow water before we ate an early dinner at Cholo's in Haleiwa and then hit the Dole Plantation on way home for some of their delicious pineapple ice cream.

Speaking of ice cream, Mac has discovered it and what it means to hold the cone and have "his own".  No more sharing for Mac.

He is two with the attitude of a thirteen year old.  If I wasn't old when I had him, I feel positively ancient now.  The boy is sooooo busy.  And bright.  And he rarely rests.  He's very into playing knight, and fighting dragons and dinosaurs which requires lots of swords and shouts of "En Garde!".  I am constantly enlisting friends and family to grab a play sword and duel while I rest.

New beach tote contest kicks off today but am concerned…no one has claimed the last two week's of tote bags!?!  Why??  I heard from only one winner from this last week and there were 6 names drawn!  Folks, check in and claim your prize if I drew your name.  I don't hunt you down and you've got one week before I make your prize a mystery prize for someone else!

Beach tote contest ends Friday, winner's name announced Saturday and there will probably be more bonus winners, too!  Talk to me and you're entered!

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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My Baby is 16!

Jake, my first born, my first baby, turns 16 today.  This boy owns my heart and he knows it, too.  Jake is tough.  He has struggled at times but he always battles through.  I love that about him.  I love that he won't quit and he has big dreams and he's dtermined to make them come true.

I'm not with him today, though, as he's in Bellevue and he's dedicated June and July to water polo and training for the JO's.  I hate not being with him on his birthday but I hope this blog let's him know that he's on my mind and in my heart and that I love being his mom.

Happy birthday, Jake.  I am so proud of you, and I couldn't love you more!!

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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Working Moms

We women work.  Whether we are moms, holding down jobs, or juggling many hats, we women are busy and moms are the busiest people I know.  Whether we work outside the home, or are home managing it all, we put in long hours and rarely sleep enough.   And I only mind the work load when it cuts in to my time with the kids.

It's cutting in right now and I'm struggling today over how little time I really have with son Ty and Mac.  Twelve year old Ty returns to Bellevue Saturday morning and so far I have worked every day he's been here.  Yesterday I promised to take the entire day off and he was thrilled, and we were out at Sea Life Park having fun when a sitter called to say she had the afternoon free and could help me, and my brain melted.  Instead of negotiating, or asking for another hour, or saying no, that I promised to do fun things with my kids, I left the park returned home so I could be at my desk at 1 pm.  Ty was bummed.  Really sad. And when I realized what an impulsive decision I made, what a knee jerk decision it had been, I felt so bad.  I hate how pulled and conflicted I feel–I need boys but I must meet responsibilities.  This book is late and  I do have to get it in.  It's my job to write, and meet deadlines, and be professional so I will always have a career but I need to get better at time management and focusing so I don't waste writing time on things that aren't essential.

I haven't always felt this fuzzy.  Things seemed to change when I was pregnant with Mac and my brain hasn't been the same since.  I need my old brain back, too, the one that could focus and be quick and clear.  It's so much harder writing when I'm not mentally sharp.  Not sure if its age, or hormones, or what, but I write much slower now, and then get discouraged at the lack of progress.  But feeling bad accomplishes nothing.  Feeling bad interferes with the writer part of my brain as well as my self-esteem. So I'll suck it up, put on my big girl panties, and get back to the manuscript!

And before I do start writing again, I wante  to kick off the second week of my summer tote bag giveaway.  This week's beach bag contest runs through Friday night, and I'll announce the winner Saturday morning.  Be sure to check on last week's contests to see if you were a winner.  How to enter the new contest?  Just talk to me!  Tell me something, anything, and I'll love it.

Have a good week everone.  It's going to be a hard core work week for me, but then, fingers crossed I'll have the book out Friday and the weekend to relax!

 

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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A Very Special Contest!

This is a week of contests and now I have one more…!

This is a big contest is for all my friends who love to read as much as I do!   We've all heard of conferences that are just for writers, but there's a new one that's geared just for readers and I'd love to send one of you to it this August with a friend.

RomCon is a FAN convention hosted in Denver, CO and dedicated to avid readers of Romance and Women's Fiction.  It's 3 days of enormous fun with your reader friends, new friends you make along the way and some of your favorite authors too!

At RomCon readers have the opportunity to mingle and socialize with others who love books as much as they do.  Authors host teas and parties, chat on panels to talk about hot heroes, characters, solve murder mysteries and everything and anything else.  There will be over 80 different fun events this year with lots of open dialogue with readers and bloggers and tons of free swag and books!

I know this is something my readers would enjoy and  so I'm teaming up with Lee Hyat from AuthorSoundRelations.com to bring you this special contest!  On July 21st I'm giving away 2 tickets to RomCon 2011 along with two nights at the conference hotel in Denver.  The winner will also receive a tote bag full of books, goodies and gift cards!  The convention dates are August 5th – 7th this year so if you're looking for a chance to get away for a few days next month, this is your chance!

For an opportunity to win this trip, just leave a comment on my blog and then head over to Author Sound Relations and fill out the official entrance form.

Lee will draw and announce the winner's name on Thursday, July 21st.  Learn more about RomCon 2011 visit www.romconinc.com.

Good luck, get entered, and have fun!

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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Dark Sicilian Secret is A Success!

I'm so excited!  A couple days ago my great, dear friend Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews gave me the heads up that my August 2011 Harlequin Presents release, A Dark Siclian Secret was the #1 eBook at eHarlequin.com!  For 24 hours I kept peeking at the link to see if she'd imagined things and she hadn't.  It was right there, up at the top.

Well,  it's not number one anymore, it's now number two, but I am still thrilled!  I haven't had a Presents out in the US for a long time and I'm so grateful my readers haven't forgotten about me!  I work so hard at writing these books…there's no churning them out.  They literally consume me, and challenge me, and nearly break my heart so I love it when readers embrace the stories, too.

To check out the other great ebooks selling hot over at eHarlequin, visit http://www.ebooks.eharlequin.com

And because you know me, and how much I love celebrating every good thing, I'd going to give five copies of A Dark Sicilian Secret away to five of you!  It's a one day contest for my dedicated blog readers, and if you win and you've already got your hands on a copy of Vittorio's sizzling story, then I'm happy to substitute another.  How to enter for a chance to win?  Tell me if you read ebooks and if so, on what.  And if you don't read ebooks yet, is there a particular reason why not?  That's it!  That's all you have to do.  Contest runs through Wednesday night and I'll announce my five winners Thursday morning.

Now I'm back to work on my next Harlequin manuscript, a story I'm hoping to finish in the next week and a half!

 

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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Happy July 4th!

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers!  I can't believe it's already the 4th…summer is definitely rolling right along!

I'm back in Honolulu after 6 whirlwind days in New York for the annual RWA conference.  As some of you know from Facebook, I arrived in NY sick and unfortunately got sicker…requiring a visit to a doctor and antibiotics and steroids to try to kick my system into gear.  I'm still not 100% but I'm back in Hawaii where the warm fresh air will certainly help me boot the last of these infections.

Considering I wasn't at my best in NYC, I still really enjoyed this conference…perhaps more than any other in years.   I was able to meet with my two new editors Cindy Hwang and Sheila Hodgson, and visit with my dear friends.  I had my reader get together and presented the Rita award for best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements during the glamorous Rita and Golden Heart Awards Ceremony.   AND I got to wear three gorgeous beautiful new dresses for the Penguin Group party at the famous Sardi's, the Harlequin Black & White Ball at the Waldorf Astoria, and then the formal Awards Ceremony in the hotel ballroom.  I can't help loving dressing up for the special events.  My life with Ty in Hawaii is so casual, so full of swimsuit cover ups and sarongs, that wearing a fancy dress and heels and sparkly earrings is a treat!

My son Ty arrives in Hawaii tomorrow for 10 days and I can't wait to see him.  It's been three weeks since I left Bellevue and I miss my big boys.  Jake stays behind as he continues to train and compete in polo tournaments as they prepare for the JO's in Southern California end of July, but Mac will be so excited to have one brother arrive tomorrow.   He misses having the big brothers around, too.

Mac's just woken up and I need to go do mom stuff but before I go–I'm kicking off July with four weeks of  great summer contests!  Every week from now until early August, I will be giving away a special beach tote packed with books, gift cards, and fun summery treats.  This week's contest starts today and ends Friday, July 8th at midnight.  I'll post the winner's name on Saturday.  So tell me what you've been doing these past couple of weeks and/or what your plans are for today and you're entered!  And then be sure to check back Saturday to see if you're the winner for this week's Beach Tote with Books & Fun.

Happy 4th.  Enjoy your day!!

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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NYC Reader Get-Together

I haven't been blogging much since I'm writing hard (hard, hard, hard!) on my Harlequin trying to get it in.  It was due June 1st so you can see why I'm frantic and I leave Sunday for the massive but amazing annual RWA conference, which takes place this year in NY's fantastic Times Square.

I heard from a couple readers in the NY area that they want to see me so I've thrown a fun, quick reader get together for NY.  I have to limit the headcount due to hotel seating caps, so it is first come, first serve if you want to join in the fun!

And now the details for the get-together…

What:  Join Jane Porter & Friends

When:  Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Where:  At the Marriott Marquis Hotel In NYC Times Square

Why:  For the RWA Literacy Signing 5:30-7 pm and then a Special Reader Dinner after from 7- 9 pm in Marriott Marquis' Atrium Lounge – 8th Floor

Misc: We'll be having Drinks & Appetizers and the hotel is located at 1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036

I love seeing my readers as you can tell by these two pics of readers who are now dear friends–Shannon from California (pic above) and Cindy from NJ (pic below)–so do join me if it sounds like something you'd enjoy.  If you can attend, I need you to  let me know ASAP (and by 6/26/11 at the latest) by letting me know in the comments below and then I'll get back to you to confirm.  The hotel requires a fixed headcount so if you say yes, please come as they'll still charge for no-shows!

Now its back to writing, and then packing, and then New York, New York!!

©2011 Janeblog. All Rights Reserved.

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