Jennifer Probst's Blog, page 7
August 19, 2019
Jennifer Probst Author Trailer
A fun, introspective dive into my life as a bestselling author and the stories I write. Warning: There’s a very cute puppy ahead!
July 28, 2019
Who I Am…by Jennifer Probst
I know it’s been a while since I’ve blogged and I’ve missed you all!
The last few months I’ve spent locked deep in the writing cave to give you some new books to read next year. I’m also celebrating my new release, All Roads Lead to You, which has been sparking some wonderful reviews and personal emails from readers.
It also cracked the top 100 of Amazon for the past few days. That type of response to my writing literally made me weep and want to personally thank every one of you for buying and reading my books.
But today I have a new unveiling – a private project I’m thrilled to finally share with all of you.
My first official author trailer.
Authors have different lifestyles today. We are no longer the broody, isolated, artists who drink whiskey and coffee and talk to our dogs and have no social connection with the world.
Hmm, well, I do drink wine and coffee, and my husband says I’m broody and isolated, and I’m an artist who talks to my dog all day long so the only thing different from above is social media!
Social media has opened up the writing industry so readers learn more about who we are. We not only share our stories with the world, we share our lives. I know when I personally meet an author and get to hear her own story, it makes her books more real and engaging.
I wanted to take the opportunity to share a bit of my life so you not only know the books I love to write, but my own personal outlook and struggles as a writer.
I partnered with Film 14 on this video and I think they did a fantastic job.
Please feel free to share or comment and let me know how you like it!
I hope everyone is having a happy summer!
CHECK OUT MY AUTHOR TRAILER HERE! https://youtu.be/SJbRX1wqDjk
July 23, 2019
All Roads Lead to You is available now! Don’t miss the giveaway!!!
Happily single, Harper Bishop trusts in only one passion—her rescue farm and healing her thoroughbred, Phoenix. Her dream is to lead him to the Triple Crown. But how unreachable is it without experience or help? A handsome new guest at her family’s B&B has what it takes to make it come true. And with his irresistible brogue, warm smile, and soothing touch, he’s a major distraction.
After a bitter betrayal, horse trainer Aidan O’Connor has fled Ireland for a vacation in New York’s Hudson Valley. When he sees the horse with the fighting spirit, he’s inspired with a new goal: to train Phoenix to win. He’s also facing an unexpected new challenge: his feelings for Harper.
How can she dare to open her heart to a man who’ll be there only long enough to break it?
So Harper and Aidan agree: try to keep it professional and focus only on Phoenix and the finish line. But along the way, they could also learn a few lessons in love, trust, and taking chances. And, as painful as it promises to be, saying goodbye.
Buy your copy now: https://amzn.to/2W7wQRY
Don’t forget to enter this awesome giveaway chock full of goodies!!
ENTER NOW——> http://bit.ly/AllRoadsLead2U
June 11, 2019
The Charm of You is now available on AUDIO!
Buy now:
It takes three simple steps to make a guy fall in love with you….
Determination. Seduction. Charm.
Let the game begin….
Presley Cabot has come a long way from the overweight, awkward college student who fell hard for the gorgeous track star, Nolan Banks, only to be humiliated after their one night together. Now, she’s one of the billionaire badass owners of LWW Enterprises and has everything she’d ever wanted in life, leaving her past behind.
But when Nolan comes back into town and doesn’t even recognize the girl he once destroyed, she decides to invoke her own personal revenge. The plan is simple – make him fall hard for her, then dump him. She transforms herself into his perfect woman using three simple steps to spin her web.
But she never planned on getting caught up in old feelings…and new promises….
Nolan Banks leaves Wall Street behind to open up a brewery in his small college town. Finally ready to carve out his life away from the dreams of his family, he never expected to find an immediate attraction to the sexy corporate mogul who challenges him at every step. He falls hard and fast, determined to show her they’re meant for each other, until the truth of their shared past shatters their fragile foundation.
But Nolan is playing for higher stakes, and he’s not about to let Presley walk away without a fight. Can he convince her his feelings have nothing to do with the game rules and everything to do with the woman she is?
May 10, 2019
Life Lessons from the Dog…by Jennifer Probst
L
I’ve been a bit MIA for a while.
But it’s all been good stuff. The past two months have been a whirlwind, and when I realized it’s been a while since I wrote a decent blog post, I figured I’d take some time from the day to chat and update everyone.
First, I went to RARE Paris. I learned that the French are not rude, or mad that you can’t speak the language. They are actually quite kind and charming and I fell madly in love with the city of love. I now know why they call it that. I was lucky enough to stand in the gorgeousness of Notre Dame five days before the fire. I bought a golden set of rosary beads from the gift shop, and I treasure them so much—a reminder of the beauty before the fire ripped through, and I hope they will restore it to the original glory.
I also drank champagne every day, all day. This has led me to the firm belief I need to drink it regularly and not save it for a special occasion. It’s just too good.
The readers came out in droves and showered me with gifts and love and I am so humbled that my work has been translated into French. How did I get this amazing and blessed life? I try to remind myself of this during the difficult writing times.
My son received confirmation and when I saw him dressed in his suit, taller than me, I was struck by the issue of time and all its complexity. It goes so slow when we’re young, and increases with each year to Superman like speed. I want to slow it down, but I can’t, so I just remind myself to take time to watch my son’s baseball games and track races and help with homework, and take weekends off to just be with them.
Then I went to Texas for Inkers Con and was amazed at the productivity of this conference. The workshops and speakers and authors were so damn talented and I learned a ton. I met new friends and created business relationships and networked. Another lesson learned: get out of your office. It’s critical to meet other writers and to experience a conference where ideas are flying and being shared and you are with YOUR PEOPLE. Writers are legitimately insane. NUTS. We need our tribe to know we are not alone.
Finally, all of this leads up to one of the best decisions made in my household. Everyone knows how hard I grieved the loss of my furbaby Bella. She’s been gone for 11 weeks now -but we decided to adopt a new rescue and she’s changed my life. Her name is Willow, she’s eight pounds, and full of love and mischief.
There’s just one thing. I forgot that I’m old. I’m not used to babies or puppies. I’m not used to getting up at the crack of dawn to walk her, or being interrupted every 2 hours for playtime or potty breaks. I’m not used to following them around the house to discipline if there’s an accident, and seeing a hundred chew toys scattered in every room. She makes me tired. But oh, the lessons I’ve been reminded of!
Here are a few:
1. The world is really a beautiful place.
Dear Lord, this puppy is straight from a Disney movie. She is full of joy and wonder when she steps outside. She tries to eat everything, and when the blossoms from the trees fly in the wind, she pounces like a cat and tries to catch them. She sticks her nose in every bush and flower bed and sniffs. She chases bees and butterflies and birds. She follows scents and listens to every sound. She makes friends with chipmunks. She runs with wild abandon with no fear of what’s ahead, dying to see what’s around the next corner. She has reminded me of what it’s like to see the world with new eyes, and I’m treasuring every moment, even as I admit I’m tired!
2. Damn, we’re going to make a ton of mistakes.
When she ate the nasty mud splattered thing before I could stop her, she spit it out and seemed to wonder what the hell had she been thinking. When she attempts to chew wires and she gets disciplined, she’s sad. When she thought she could be dominant with a bigger dog and got nipped, she realized she can’t bully everyone. It’s a constant learning experience daily, reminding me it’s okay to mess up. We’re all going to do it, and why are we so damn hard on ourselves when we do? We deserve kindness, especially from ourselves.
3. We all need play and rest time.
This pup knows how to have fun. Whether it’s catch the ball, tag, or tug of war, she puts her heart and soul into it. And when she sleeps, she goes into a state I’m so jealous of, I wonder if I’m able to get there anymore. I realize when I’m forced to walk or play every 2 hours, instead of moaning about all the work that’s being interrupted I get to take a walk. Or eat lunch. Or steal a nap. The beauty of such simple tasks in life sometimes gets overrun in our motivation to reach our goals. To work harder and longer and faster. God knows, I’ve done it, and succeeded by that philosophy, but I’m also learning there’s a time for other things. Once you stop working as hard, you realize your life won’t really fall apart. It’s all going to be there waiting for you, and maybe, you’ll do even better with a break – whatever that break means for you.
4. There is healing after loss.
Great loss steals a piece of your heart forever. I don’t know if we ever get it back, but I’m learning it’s possible to open up to receive new gifts. They are never the same as the ones that come before. But they are just as important to keep us company and teach us about love again in a new way.
I want to wish everyone a wonderful Mother’s Day. I hope your weekend is beautiful and full of all the things and people you love.
OH, and you know what would be an amazing present?
To pick up one of my books and surprise your Mom, your sister, your cousin, your bestie, with the gift of a great read and some escape.
Don’t forget All Roads Lead To You is up for pre-order and releases in less than eight weeks!
Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MMMWCSC
Peace out, my loves!
May 2, 2019
April 30, 2019
March 29, 2019
On Grief…
I’m not an expert on grief.
I’ve been very lucky. So far, other than my grandparents, parakeets, and dogs, up until last year I was blissfully unaware of how loss can affect you. But then we lost my mother-in-law and my father within a week of each other, which sent my normal life reeling out of control. Last month, I lost my beloved fur baby Bella, and it’s been so damn hard to function.
But this blog post isn’t about me feeling sorry for myself. It’s about my gradual awareness and growth regarding death.
Yeah, this isn’t a writing post, but as you all know, my blog is my safe space to talk about all types of subjects that affect us – and guess what? It all trickles into the writing anyway.
Have you ever wondered why you suddenly notice everyone around you experiencing the same stuff once you do? For instance, I never remember seeing many pregnant women, but when I got pregnant, they were everywhere! And when I was struggling with my father’s cancer, it seemed everyone around me was having the same issue with a loved one. Recently, when I lost Bella, many of my author friends and readers experienced having to say goodbye to their fur baby. The posts overtook my Facebook feed and made my heart hurt. I couldn’t believe how many people were going through the same exact thing that I was.
But I’ve realized, once your eyes are open, you see things differently. I was never interested in pregnant woman so I never saw them. I’d never experienced terminal cancer. My mother had been the one to say goodbye to all the family dogs, not me. Every time we experience a new reality, we are suddenly aware of the world around us, and the people who struggle alongside us.
I cannot express how it felt to receive flowers from my author friend on the loss of my dog. Or private messages sharing personal experiences to let me know it was okay to grieve and that I wasn’t alone. To get a card in the mail with a handwritten note put me in tears. Even the comments on my posts were lovingly read. When my Dad died, there was a particular author who’d I never corresponded with before who’d pop in and check on me with Facebook Messenger. A simple – “How are you doing today? I know you’re struggling.”
I couldn’t’ believe it. I barely knew her but she took the time to reach out and comfort. It soothed my wounded heart.
I’d never thought about that before. Yes, I’d read a post and feel bad, and make a comment, but I never thought to reach out with a personal message, or send a card, or flowers. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I just felt as if I wanted to respect that person’s privacy in their grief. I figured they had plenty of people other than me looking out for them. I rationalized it wasn’t my place.
I was wrong. If you are human, it’s your place to support others, especially when they are experiencing a loss or struggle you’ve personally dealt with. My selfishness made me sad. I’d always thought I was a good person. And I am. But guess what?
I want to be better. I can be better. Instead of moaning about all my limited free time and consistently worried about my busy schedule, I can take a lousy fifteen minutes and reach out to another person. I can write a message or an email or a card. I can even send a text or phone call. I can do a two-minute check in to let someone know I’m thinking about them.
It doesn’t take much.
The conversations I had this week with some author friends who lost their dogs were important to me. I have some close friends struggling with various issues now too, and I care about every single one of them. But as days pass, and I don’t reach out, that’s on me. The world is bigger than pretty pictures on Instagram, or sharing trips on Facebook, or bragging about publishing deals or books getting finished. It’s about the fragility of life, and the ups and downs that come for all of us.
There are going to be so many more losses for me in the future – some probably so painful I’ll feel lost again. But knowing there’s a safety net out there makes all the difference.
I want to be one of those people.
Do you?
February 21, 2019
How To Write A Book…by Jennifer Probst
It’s time to share the secret sauce that writers have been protecting for YEARS. Yep, I’m finally going to spill the beans and let the world in on the actual steps you need to follow in order to write a book. We’ve kept our careers shrouded in secrecy, banking on your questions of “How do you get your ideas?” and “Why do writers look ugly and scared of people?” to distract you from figuring out how to become a REAL author.
But I’m tired of being selfish. It’s time I release the vault so ALL of us can become like me.
Ready? Here we go:
1. Butt in chair.
2. Open up a blank Word document. *You can also use a blank piece of paper and pen if you want a more literary appeal but it’s faster to type.*
3. Write crappy words for endless hours until something resembling a story eventually appears.
4. When your brain is fried and your fingers hurt, get up and walk around. Refill coffee. Talk to your dog. Channel surf through talk shows and reality tv in complete fascination. Spend the next half hour trying to force yourself to go back into your prison – aka- your office.
5. Go back and repeat step #3
6. Eat. Have some interaction with family members. Sleep.
7. Rinse and Repeat.
8. Buy my book, Write Naked: A Bestseller’s Secrets to Writing Romance.
You’re welcome.
Okay, fine, you don’t have to do step #8, I just threw that in there for a quickie lesson on marketing and pimping yourself out in an uncomfortable fashion.
You’re welcome.
