Jennifer Erin Valent's Blog, page 5

Christy!!

Fireflies in December received the Christy Award for First Novel Saturday evening in St. Louis... and yes, I'm still absorbing it!The dessert reception, keynoted by Lisa Samson, was a wonderful evening filled with incredibly talented writers. I'm still coming down to earth, but I'll post more details when I do!

Wanted: One Lost Idea

I'm officially in writer's limbo, hanging precariously between my last book and the one I figure is supposed to be languishing in my brain until it gets its own turn to jump onto a Word document. And yet, I can't seem to find any of it - the characters, the setting, the plot lines. Who knows... maybe they escaped the asylum of my busy mind and are running around town as we speak. But trust me, no

Those Summer Days

Okay, so this post has nothing to do with writing or personal growth or what I hope for the future. It just has to do with sunscreen, Slurpees and bubbles in the asphalt.I love summer! Always have, except when we had 100 degree temps with no air conditioning. But then, that helped me write novels about hot Southern summers in pre-air conditioning days, so there's a reason for everything, right?My

Christy Award nomination for Fireflies in December!

There are plenty of things I consider reliable pick-me-ups, chocolate being high on the list, and now I've found a new one... being nominated for a Christy Award!The awards nominations were announced Thursday morning, and Fireflies in December has been nominated in the First Novel category. It truly is an honor to have my work recognized alongside so many wonderful books, and I just can't stop

More Adventures in Editing

This past trip down editing lane, I had one very distinct problem: continuity. The thing just didn't flow.One of the most important aspects about telling a story is finding the smoothest way from point A to point B. It can't just be a bunch of vignettes without a goal. It has to tell the story from beginning to end with a reasonable progression.Think about one of those connect-the-dot puzzles

Adventures in Editing

This past week I've been working hard on editing Catching Moondrops, and even though this is my third time around with editing, I'm still learning. But I suppose that's the way everything is... there's always something new to learn no matter what we're up to.But there's one thing I'd already learned in the past that I've had to employ yet again this time around: Be willing to cut. In my writing

His Unfailing Love

It's amazing to me how busy I can get with nothing. Life just gets like that. After a while I realize that my hours floated away on a breeze of to-do lists and Google searches.But every now and again I'm reminded of why I'm really here. Yesterday, I watched a documentary about the Shroud of Turin, which many experts and religious leaders believe to be the shroud Christ was buried in. No one knows

Calendar Update

On March 17th, I'll be presenting the keynote speech at the Enriching Minds Series sponsored by Literacy Volunteers - Pitt County at the Greenville, NC Hilton. For more information you can call 353-6578 or email info@pittliteracy.org. Hope to see you there!

He Told Me So

As a nanny, I can't count how many times I've had to say, or at least think, "if only you had listened to me." It seems like no matter what the sense behind my instructions most kids, at one time or another, will test me by trying exactly what I told them not to do. It's as though they are compelled to find out just how stupid it really was.And as many times as this has happened with my kids,

A Snowy Farewell

All this snow has been ridiculous! As a Southerner, I'm definitely not used to this. However, if I'm going to be snowed in, it can't be better timing than when I have a book deadline to meet.And I did!This weekend I finished up Catching Moondrops, and as great as it feels to have it taken care of, I have to say it's really sad to say goodbye to these characters. It's crazy how attached you can