Jennifer Shirk's Blog, page 43

'Tis the Season for a Book Giveaway

MOOD STATUS: "Groovy" (Despite a bad night of sleep) Got the Christmas decorations up already and will decorating the tree tonight!

Hey, all! I'm not here today. I'm at Rula Sinara's blog A Writer's Rush.

She was kind of enough to want to interview me and since it's the holidays and all, I'll be doing a little book giveway to some lucky commenter. You have until Wed. Dec 8th to comment.
I'll be giving away a copy of Georgie on His Mind or The Role of a Lifetime (winner's choice)
Stop by and say hello!



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Oh, and fellow bloggie buddy, Shannon McMahon hosts an Anonymous Critique every week on her blog. If you want to participate, you can provide feedback in the comments section or you can submit a tidbit of your writing to shan.mcm @ gmail.com and she'll post your work there for honest, constructive feedback.
Check it out! http://shannonmcm.com/

Bring It On!

IN THE NEWS: Iowa inmates may make toilet paper to save money. Read more HERE.
Christmas Gifts left to buy: 5 (hubby added one on me) Grrr...


'Tis the season and all that, so...BRING ON THE COOKIES ALREADY!

I confess I'm a foodie, so naturally I bake/make about 7 different kinds of Christmas cookies every year. Yes, love the Christmas cookies. In fact, you might even say I'm a bit of a cookie snob. This is how picky I am:

Two years ago I was invited to a "cookie swap". I baked my little heart out for it, making I forget how many dozens of this very one type of very intricate pecan cookie that is by no means a pleasure to bake. But I did it, figuring everybody was probably putting in the same effort so we all could take home some really nice cookies.

Well. WRONGO. One woman ended up buying cookies and bringing them to the swap. Another woman bought the Pillsbury "plop and drop" dough and baked them. I was stunned. Seriously. (And had to throw out almost all of them because they were inedible) They must of have been inedible because even my non picky hubby wouldn't touch them.

Needless to say, when I got invited last year to the same swap, I did not go. Well, all the women there felt bad about the previous year and were looking to make it up to me. (And I'm sure they were looking for my cookies too) LOL

This year, my friend running the cookie swap has decided to step it up a bit and charge $20 a woman. She's going to get an impartial judge and whoever has the best cookie wins the pot.

Well, I won't lie.
I WANT TO WIN THAT COOKIE CONTEST.
But then on the invite I noticed that my friend wrote that I would be coming and bringing my famous pecan cookies.

Um, helllllllo?
Now I can't show up at her party with that cookie! It's like walking into a poker game showing everybody your full house! Sheesh! But don't worry. I have a backup cookie. I just need to test it out again this weekend.

I don't know. Maybe I'm over thinking this. I mean, it's only a cookie swap. Yeah, just a cookie swap...

A cookie swap where I could walk away with $200!!


I'll be sure to give you the lowdown of what happens. (The swap is Dec 14)

What cookie would you bring to a cookie swap like that?
What's your favorite Christmas cookie ?

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Also, this Monday, Dec 6th I'm going to be at Rula Sinara's blog: A Writer's Rush, talking about...myself. LOL

And because Christmas is fast approaching, I'll be doing a little book giveaway to some lucky commenter (winner's choice).

So come on over then!

Got Boy Books?

MENTAL STATUS: "Exhausted".
Christmas gifts left to buy: 4

Hey, all! Hope everyone's turkey day was full of tryptophany thankfulness like mine was!

Gee, I must have been feeling pretty good because I actually ventured out on Black Friday(ooh-aahh) with my mom and did a good junk of Christmas shopping. (Yay!)
I, um, am almost...done now.

But I am stuck on one gift for my nephew. You see, I want to get him a book, but he's sixteen, and well...

Okay, I'm just going to come right out and say it: I need help.

Book help.

If only he was a girl. *sigh* I'd have NO PROBLEM picking out a great book. But alas, I'm not so sure what a boy might be interested in reading nowadays. And to be quite honest, I don't really see a lot of Young Adult books geared toward boys. Is it me?

In case it is me, maybe someone out there is cyberland could give me a clue. Or better yet, a book idea. PS. I want to be put in the "cool aunt" category if that helps you in deciding what book I could possibly buy for him. :)

So.
Any books suggestions? Make it good. (Remember cool aunt and all that)

If you don't have any YA book suggestions, did you venture out on Black Friday like me?

T-day break!

Well, it's the inevitable that I would have to take a blog break this week to prepare for Thanksgiving.I'm hosting, so I'm responsible for the turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (homemade of course), creamed spinach, and pecan pie.My sister-in-law will bring the pumpkin pie.And my mom is bringing the sweet potatoes and kielbasa. Um...yes, I said kielbasa Just like the Pilgrims... LOLOkay, not really. But I'm half Polish, so it wouldn't be Thanksgiving with a little kielbasa and sauerkraut on the table. Just one those little things that make our turkey day a little unique. Along with my family famous pecan pie!

How about you? Does your family have a special food tradition for Thanksgiving?

PS. This is my last post for the week. If I don't get a chance to wish you a happy holiday on your blog, I'll say it now. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And see you next Monday!

Coming out of the Dark Ages

IN THE NEWS: Man who allegedly shot at his TV because he was upset about Bristol Palin being on "Dancing with the Stars". Read more HERE.

Well, I'm finally using my IPad for something other than a giant IPod. :)

The thing is we got the IPad originally for music. Long story short: we got speakers put in our kitchen, sun room and deck. With the whole setup we can now control what music is being played in different areas of the house as well as control the TV --all from the IPad. (I know it sounds like I'm technologically advanced but I just nod and shake my head when I'm at the audio store)
Anyhew, when I finally had the time to play around with the IPad, I kind of looked at it and scratched my head then asked my hubby where the manual was. I just got "a look" when I posed that question. Apparently there is no manual. Well. Who knew?

All I really wanted to do figure out how to read an ebook. (baby steps)
I do have a SONY e-reader. But then the other day I heard about some of the great free Kindle book deals you can take advantage of if you have a Kindle--or a Kindle app . so I put two and two together and downloaded the free app onto my IPad and voila! I had an ebook within seconds.
WOW. It was a scary it was so easy.
Who knew I was living in the Dark Ages with my old SONY non-wifi reader? Gosh, the IPad was SO much simpler. Life begins today! Well, life really began yesterday when I actually downloaded and started reading the book. But you know what I mean. :)

I can't really tell a difference as far reading off the IPad vs my old SONY reader. I've heard it's not as good as the actual ebook readers. But I can adjust the tint and font pretty easily and have it down to where I find it really comfortable. I'll let you know if my eyes start to bother me. But so far so great.

Now I'm looking into apps that I can download so I can actually do edits on my IPad. I'll let you know how that goes. I know I'm a little behind the times, but I'm slowly getting there.
What about you? Are you in the know with all the applications and downloads you can use for you IPad or laptop, or are you living in the Dark Ages like me? What are your favorite apps?

The Agony of the Wait

MOOD STATUS: "Frustrated".


Are you waiting for news? I am, too! And it's AGONY.

I said last week, I've been doing really well with my new WIP. And that's true, but I'm feeling a little distracted waiting for the news, which is making it difficult to put my heart into this book.

You see, I have my third book under submission right now with a publisher and I'm getting a bit antsy. I've been waiting well over NINE MONTHS so far and still haven't heard a thing. I mean, nine months! I'd have a baby by now at least. SOMETHING!

Oh, sorry. I'm calmer now. I promise.

But honestly, you'd think the waiting this would get easier after you're published. Wrongo . In fact, I think it gets worse. Yes, I really do. Because with each added week wait, a little piece of my ego gets flushed down the toilet.

sigh


Of course now that I mentioned this waiting I'm sure I'll hear today--and it won't be good news. LOL. But you know what? At this point, I'd take the bad news over a longer wait.

What about you?
Which do you think is worse: the wait or the rejection?


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In other GOOD news, I got another really sweet review for Georgie on His Mind by CataRomance Singe titles this weekend. If you want, you can check it out HERE.

Friendly Twitterly Observations

IN THE NEWS:Looking for drugs, NY man calls cops by mistake. Read more here.

Well, I would totally be stinking at NaNo if I was participating in it, but at least I've been very good with keeping my nose to the grindstone of my new wip. So, yay me. :)

As a result, my social networking time has gone down a bit this week. I know. Boo-hiss. Don't worry, it's not gone, just gone down. But this lack of time spent on various social networking sites has not inhibited me from observing what I think is strange behavior on Twitter.

Ah, hem. Allow me to explain.

First, let me announce to the cyber world that when it comes to Twitter, I'm almost a guaranteed auto re-follower. Yes, that's right, folks. If you are kind enough to follow me, I WILL follow you back.

However.
There are a few exceptions...

Exhibit A: If you follow me, and I go to your Twitter page and there is NO information about yourself and/or no blog or website listed. Well, I probably will NOT follow you back. Why should I? You know me but I don't know who you are. I don't like that element of surprise.

Exhibit B: If you follow me, and I go to your Twitter page and you only have ONE TWEET and it points to your blog. Then I go to your blog and I'm even more confused than if you posted nothing about yourself. Well, then I probably will NOT follow you back.

Exhibit C: If you follow me, and I go to your Twitter page and I see that you have over 1,000 followers but I also see that you've never written one tweet. NOT ONE. Well, then I'm probably NOT going to follow you back. Why? This is a social network. If you don't tweet then... what am I following exactly? And I'm also wondering how you got all those followers if you've never tweeted too.

Exhibit D: If you follow me, and I go to your Twitter page and your tweet postings confuse or scare me. Well, then I'm probably NOT going to follow you back. Sorry. Nothing personal against confusing-scary people. Must be me.

See? I'm really not that picky. :)

Although I can't help making one more "friendly" little Twitter observation that left me a little confused. I was reading a blog (not from my normal blog list so don't worry) and there was an author interview. "Great!" I thought. I love meeting new authors and hearing about their books. Well, at the end of the blog post, she said, "Come follow me on Twitter!"

Oh, how nice. Another social net worker. So I clicked on the link that brought me to her Twitter page. And you know what I saw? She had quite a few hundred followers (I can't remember exactly, but it was a good amount). But you know how many she was following back?

ZERO. Zip. Nada. Yep, she wasn't following one single person.

Well, that struck me as really odd. What does that say to you? Well, basically what that author was saying to me was "Come follow me because I have such important things to say but what other people have to say is not important."

Okay, maybe I'm putting words in her mouth. LOL But you get the gist. Why do people--especially authors-- insist on being antisocial on a social site? It boggles the mind.
MY mind, anyway. :)

That was all I picked up from Twitter this week. But I thought it was a lot considering I was hardly on it.

What about you? Notice any odd happenings on Twitter?
Are you an auto re-follower too? Or are you more picky? What makes you follow someone or NOT follow someone?

The Cozy Factor

MOOD STATUS: "Tired". How can I be more tired after getting an extra hour of sleep?

I'm going to let you in on a secret...

I love to read romances. Wow, there's a shocker, considering I WRITE them. But I happen to love them in all shapes, sizes, ages, and sub genres as well. There's just something about true romance and that just makes me feel are warm and fuzzy inside.

Some of my personal favorites definitely have factors--besides the romance, that is--that make me appreciate them a little more. They generate a sort of... coziness.

What are some of these cozy factors I adore in romances?
1) Pets
Honestly. Who doesn't love a friendly animal thrown into a love story? Especially if the pet has a great personality or adds to the story somehow. Even Tom Hanks had his Brinkley in You've Got Mail.
I wrote a Golden Retriever in my last wip and in this wip I have a German Shepherd puppy. Do I have a dog? NO. I'm living vicariously through my characters.

2) Children Even if you're not a "kid" person, I think you would have to agree that there is something heartwarming about bringing in an adorable child between two people in the hopes of creating a new family. *sigh*

3) Christmas/ New Year's Eve I would gather that most people who are not Christian still have to agree that Christmas is a magical time of the year with all the giving and goodwill toward men. Nobody wants to be alone around the holidays. Two lonely characters spending Christmas together and falling in love or sharing that New Year's Eve kiss melts my heart every time.

4)Scenery (mountains, lakes, oceans, small towns, etc..) I've written most of my stories in small beach towns. Why? Well, it's what I know, but I also love how that scenery adds to the coziness of the love story. Take your main characters and put them in a beautiful, intimate setting to fall in love and I'll snuggle in to read for sure. :)

5)Food
Does food seem like a strange factor that would add to a romance? Not for me. I'm a foodie and I do think that food has a huge social element to it, so I LOVE romances that combine food with love. For me, your main characters don't have to be chefs, just have them bake or share a home cooked meal and I'll be ready to read another chapter. (I'll probably be ready for a cookie too) LOL


Those are just few cozy factors that I personally love to read in romances. Maybe you have a few of your own to add.

What about you? Do you like those elements of coziness in your romances or do you look for other factors?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS. The winner of Trish Perry's novel, THE PERFECT BLEND, is...KARA.

Congrats!! Send me an email with the address you would like it sent to and I'll get it out ASAP.

The Perfect Blend by Trish Perry

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Today's Wild Card author is:

Trish Perry

and the book:

The Perfect Blend

Harvest House Publishers (September 1, 2010)

***Special thanks to Karri James of Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Trish Perry is an award-winning writer and editor of Ink and the Spirit, a quarterly newsletter of the Capital Christian Writers organization in the Washington DC area. She has published numerous short stories, essays, devotionals, and poetry in Christian and general market media, and she is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers group.


Visit the author's website.




Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (September 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736930159
ISBN-13: 978-0736930154

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:



Steph Vandergrift was jilted in a truly beautiful place.

She focused on her surroundings so she wouldn't break down and openly sob in front of people passing her on their way to work. Eyes blinking and chin quivering, she desperately sought distraction in the old stone buildings, lush spring greenery, and fragrant wisteria and lavender from the well-tended landscape nearby.

Rick told her she would love Middleburg, one of the most charming little towns in northern Virginia. When he proposed—

She breathed deeply against the urge to wail as if she were at an ancient European funeral.

When Rick proposed, he said she would even love his law firm's stately, historic building. This was where she sat now, her dark bangs in her eyes. Despite the warm spring air, she huddled outside on the front steps, certain her brain—or surely her heart—would burst if she didn't stop and collect herself.

A sudden leave of absence. That's what the receptionist told her. Rick had taken a sudden leave of absence. And Steph knew she was whom he had suddenly left.

She swallowed hard. She stood and dusted off her short flared skirt in an attempt to look nonchalant while she sized up her situation. Where was she going to go? Where? She wiped away a tear, but another one swiftly took its place. She needed to not do this here, in the middle of this quaint old town.

God, what do I do now? Please tell me.

Distraction. She needed another distraction right now.

Across the street a middle-aged woman stepped out the front door of a small building, the white-painted stone of which was gorgeously weathered. She bent to lift a watering can, and her loose blond curls fell forward. She tended to the flower boxes that hung, moss-laden, from green-shuttered front windows. Then she seemed to sense someone watching her. She turned around and smiled at Steph before calling out to her.

"Good morning, dear. Are you all right over there?"

Steph took a few steps away from Rick's building and tried to look purposeful. She managed to say, "Yes, I—" before her throat seized and then released a torrent of weeping and incoherent babbling.

So much for her stoic resolve.

Within seconds the woman was across the street and at Steph's side. She smelled like vanilla and strawberries.

"You poor girl. Whatever is the matter?"

Steph tried to speak between heaving sobs. "…were s'posed to elope…left everything…job, family, friends…he's not here…leave of absence…what…gonna do?" And then full-on wailing obliterated any further at-tempts at communication.

The woman enveloped Steph with her free arm, the other still holding the watering can, and steered her toward the little stone house across the street.

"You just come with me this instant. You mustn't stand out here all alone like this."

Yes. That was it. She was all alone. Rick had lured her away from everyone she loved. Everything she knew. She had left them all to marry him. It seemed like such a romantic notion, to elope after her parents had expressed their disapproval of Rick. And then what did the dirtbag do but desert her here?

The enticing smell of fresh-baked bread wafted all around them when they entered the little shop. Despite her anguish Steph sensed a rumble in her stomach. She thought she must be more beast than damsel to actually harbor hope for a pastry or two in the middle of this catastrophe.

"You have a seat right there." The woman coaxed her into a wicker chair at one of the lace-covered tables in the dining area. "What you need is a nice, soothing cup of chamomile. Just give me a moment." Before she went too far away, she stepped back to the table and placed a box of tissues within Steph's reach.

Once Steph was alone again, reality descended. What was she going to do? Granted, she hadn't walked out on a stellar career. She could get another job selling men's suits in just about any department store, she supposed. But she didn't know anyone here in Middleburg. Should she hang her head and drag herself back home to Baltimore? Why had she made such a scene before leaving? She hadn't quietly sneaked away. No, she had to pull an all-out, in-your-face confrontation with her parents. A dramatic disconnect with her friends and roommates. And all of them had simply been trying to save her from exactly what just happened.

As she had always feared, her judgment was completely whacked. She had forgotten plans for any long-term career once she and Rick became serious. She thought she would spend the rest of her life married to an up-and-coming real estate attorney and raise their two perfect children and faithful dog in this adorable, classy town. Why had she believed that would happen simply because Rick said it would?

"Here we go, dear."

It finally dawned on Steph that the woman had a faint accent. British? That would fit with this cute little shop, with its delicately flowered wall-paper and elegant china cabinets. The small, framed paintings hanging here and there looked like scenes of the British countryside.

The woman set a serving tray on the table and placed each item in front of Steph. A white porcelain china pot, painted with miniature violets, from which she poured tea into a delicate rose-covered cup and saucer. A plate with a couple of triangular biscuits on it. They smelled like butter and sweetness. And two dainty bowls: one holding strawberry preserves, and the other holding what looked like sour cream.

Steph realized she was able to stop crying as long as she stopped focusing on herself for a moment. She looked up and pressed a tissue against her nose. "Thank you so much. You didn't have to—"

"No need for that. Go on, now." The woman gestured at the food and tea and sat down across from Steph. Her gentle blue eyes reminded Steph of her mother during better times. "You'll feel better if you have a bit to eat and some nice, relaxing tea."

As soon as Steph lifted one of the biscuits, the woman said, "I'm Millicent Ashford Jewell. Everyone calls me Milly."

"Steph." She spoke around an absolutely delicious bite. She rubbed crumbs from her fingers and shook Milly's hand. "Steph Vandergrift. Thank you for being so kind."

Milly smiled and put a spoon of the cream on Steph's plate for her. "Clotted cream. One of God's great gifts, in my opinion. Marvelous on the scones."

Clotted cream. Now that sounded downright nasty. But Steph was a self-admitted people pleaser, and she had never been one to ignore God's great gifts. So she put a little of the cream on her next bite of scone. And then nearly moaned, it was so fantastic.

"But that's just really thick whipped cream!"

Milly said, "I think you like it, right?"

"I love it."

Milly stood. "I have a few matters to tend to in the kitchen. Feel free to walk back and get me if you need me. We don't stand on ceremony around here."

The shop door opened as Steph swallowed a sip of tea. She followed Milly's delighted gaze toward the door and took another nibble of scone. Mmm. "Absolutely yummy."

A crooked smile spread across the face of the young man who walked through the door. He looked directly at Steph and acted as if her comment were all about him. With a lift of his eyebrows and a tilt of the head, he said, "Well, thank you very much."

Milly laughed and approached him. They hugged each other.

"Welcome back, stranger," Milly said. "How was vacation?"

Steph didn't pay much attention to their conversation after that. The man seemed to be in a hurry, which was fine by her. Otherwise she feared Milly might want to introduce them. She'd rather a man that attractive not look at her too closely right now.

Steph watched his warm brown eyes, which never seemed to lose their smile. She noticed he never once messed with his short, tousled blond hair or fussed with anything else about his looks. Yet, when he walked with Milly toward the kitchen, Steph saw how perfectly, yet casually, he was dressed and groomed.

Her heart was broken, thanks to Rick's wimpy, childish retreat from her life. But Milly's chamomile tea and warm scones made her feel a little better. And despite her circumstances and the many question marks in her immediate future, she was still able to appreciate a good-looking man. She leaned sideways to watch him at the kitchen door until he disappeared from view. He and Milly were out of earshot, so Steph surprised only herself when she whispered it again.

"Absolutely yummy."


REVIEW: This is not my first Trish Perry book, but I think it's my favorite. This was a really sweet kind of book that makes you want to curl up in your Snuggie with a cup of tea and pray the family gives you an hour of peace while you read. And speaking of tea, most of the setting takes place in a tea shop, where the heroine would help whip up yummy treats. So my one complaint is that this book made me hungry while I read. LOL But fear not, there are some wonderful recipes in the back of the book that add to the whole charm. :)

GIVEAWAY: If you are interested in winning a free copy of Trish Perry's book, THE PERFECT BLEND, for yourself, please leave a comment below.
You may leave a comment anytime from now until Sunday 11:59PM (EST).
Winner will be announced this Monday.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Halloween Recap

IN THE NEWS: Oops: Accused Fla. bank robber dropped wallet. Read more HERE.

Halloween was good but...unusual this year. In fact, I think it was one of those rare days where we actually celebrated THREE holidays in one. Yes, it's true. The in-laws are leaving for Florida soon but they wanted to have a big turkey dinner together before they left since they won't be around for Thanksgiving. So we celebrated Thanksgiving on Halloween.

But since it was Halloween and trick-or-treating started at 5PM, my mother-in-law had to have dinner early. Way early. Like...1PM early.

Or what I like to call linner.

The in-laws usually come back for a brief time for Christmas but this year they're not going to do that so they gave each of the grandkids one Christmas gift to open up. Thus, the third holiday was celebrated that day. A new record. :)

The actual Halloween trick-or-treating was great. In my neighborhood all the kids gather for one group picture before they're off. All the dads walk together and chaperone the kids while the moms have candy duty. The kids trick-or-treated for maybe an hour and half but still managed to get a ton of candy. Then they (meaning kids AND dads) were pooped so we all ended up getting together at one of the neighbor's houses and had a impromptu party, which ended at 8PM since it was a school night. Too fun!

Here's a pic of everyone: (my kiddo was Hannah Montana)



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In other news...

I just got a review from Booklist for Georgie on His Mind that totally made my weekend. In case you didn't know, Booklist is the magazine put out by the American Library Association. Here's a brief snippet of what it said:

From Booklist
"It's the mature way Walt responds to Georgie's shenanigans that make this romance a standout. Shirk's novel is as breezy and charming as Georgie's seaside surroundings, and her sweet love affair with Walt will linger in the reader's mind long after the tale is told."
--Courtney Jones

*sigh* What a nice surprise!
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Oh and one other minor bright spot this Halloween was the "trading" of the candy that went on between the kids after trick-or-treating was done.

Kudos to my kiddo for making a sweet (no pun intended) trade of a giant Willy Wonkers Laffy Taffy for a giant Twix bar (my personal fav). Good girl!


What's your favorite Halloween candy?