Judi Fennell's Blog, page 5

Today's The Day!

Calls are going out to Romance Writers of America's RITA and Golden Heart finalists today!

The RITA and Golden Heart awards are the "Oscars" of the Romance industry: RITAs for published authors; Golden Hearts for unpublished. The winners will be announced at the National Conference in Nashville, TN in July, but for the next four months, these talented finalists will be able to bask in the glory of "just being nominated."

To celebrate these calls, we're having the third annual "Squee" Party at

My New Office

For those just stopping by (my friends have heard all about this already), we just converted our dining room to my new office. Now I can have both my writing business and the running-of-the-home stuff in one location. Plus I get lots more natural light, which I'm finding I need the more I am in front of the computer screen.

So here are the pictures. I took some at night and some during the day for a better contrast. My view out my window is very pretty, but, sadly, you can't see it at night...

Winging It – You Won't Want to Miss This One!

I first "met" Jenny Gardiner when she emailed me after seeing my GoLions87 persona online – "Is that Penn State?" she asked in an email. It was and she graduated from PSU and thus a friendship was born

Then, both of our manuscripts (Sleeping With Ward Cleaver for her, Beauty and The Best for me) were chosen for the third American Title Contest sponsored by Romantic Times Magazine and Dorchester Publishing. Jenny, the marketing queen, won the contest and I have to say, if you haven't yet read...

Pinch me! I must be dreaming – of genies!

It's official! The cover is here!

What's funny is, the cover is done and I have yet to get edits from my editor. It's always a nerve-wracking time between handing the story in and waiting for edits. All sorts of questions pop up: Did I do it again? Does it work? Is the emotional story there as much as the action/adventure one or vice-versa? Does she like it? Will readers? Does it suck? Do I? Can I really do this? Who do I think I am to think I can do this? What if everyone hates it? What if I ...

Are you Everyone Else's Girl? Or your own person?

Meredith does things for other people. She irons clothes for her boyfriend, she attends her ex-best friend's horrendous hen party for her brother (who's about to marry the girl) and she moves back to her parents' house to look after her dad when his leg is broken. She's a good girl and that matters. But when she gets back home, all is not as Meredith remembered. Especially Scott, that geeky teenager from her old class at school. He's definitely different now. And so, it seems, is she. One by ...

Third Time's a Charm!

We have another winner!

For the third romantic beach getaway in West Palm Beach, Florida:

Congratulations, Natalie, and a HUGE thank you to my sponsors for this contest, Hibiscus House in West Palm Beach Florida, and The Atlantis Inn in Ocean City, NJ. I hope everyone enjoys their stays and their chance to dive into the romance!

Three's Company!

Many thanks to my mom and dad who were out shopping this morning and stopped at the Barnes & Noble in Plymouth Meeting and took this picture for me. I've been hoping to find all three on a shelf somewhere, but so far, I've only seen two (which I'd like to think means that In Over Her Head sold out and will have to go back to a third printing!).

Many many thanks to CRM extraordinaire at that store, Chris Broome. Talk about an author's best friend! Thanks, Chris, for all your enthusiasm and...

Wanna Go For a Drive?

Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate. Her work has resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in restitution. Along with her 26 EMMYs, Hank's won dozens of other journalism honors. She's been a radio reporter, a legislative aide in the United States Senate and an editorial assistant at Rolling Stone Magazine working with Hunter S. Thompson.

Her first mystery, the best-selling P...

Guess What Arrived!

YES!!! My author copies!!

Don't mind me, I'm just squeeing!!!

AND  Sourcebooks put excerpts from both In Over Her Head and Wild Blue Under inside, AND I see a review of Wild Blue Under on the back cover that I've never seen before. Pretty darn cool.

(Photo taken on my "new baby Jennifer")

And it's official – I'm a princess

My brother-in-law is a prince among men, so it's only fitting he be the one to confirm my royal status.

One of the most thoughtful and fun Christmas gifts that I've ever gotten, and it's from Chris:

and a close up:

practicing the Royal Wave: