Jennifer Shirk's Blog, page 7

On Fruitcakes (the edible kind)

Hi, all!

A little extra holiday post here.
I'm participating in a Winter Romance Blog hop hosted by author Marin McGinnis. Stop by her blog from now until Christmas to check out her lineup. Many are offering giveaways!

I will be giving away (to Canada and US commenters only) an I'd Rather Be Reading ornament plus organic tea and goodies!

Today, since it's the Christmas season, I'd figured I'd talk about fruitcakes.

The edible kind.

What is it about the Christmas fruitcake that causes such a divide among people in America? There are those that definitely hate fruitcake and then there is a minority of people who actually love fruitcake.
(I have yet to eat a fruitcake I like, personally)

But I was actually willing to try making one. For myself! Not to give away. Just to see if maybe my not liking this stuff had anything to do with freshness and quality control. But alas, I'm doubting I'll have time. However, if I did venture this route, I would use Alton Brown's recipe.
(It looks the most palatable plus it has rum in it)

My father-in-law actually LOVES fruitcake. He asks for one every Christmas but we usually order one for him. It's kind of a running joke in the family.

And this joke I happened to incorporate in my newest release,
WRONG BROTHER, RIGHT MATCH
In the book, the hero's mother loves fruitcake and makes one every Christmas. But the family doesn't have the heart to tell her they all hate fruitcake and eat it every year anyway. LOL!

I don't know, maybe it's the texture thing from all the dried fruit that has me balking. I'm not really an oatmeal raisin cookie person either. But regardless, I'm willing to give it another go and try it again this year.
If I can find one that is. :)

What about you? Do you LOVE or HATE fruitcake?
Have you ever made one?

Leave a comment for a chance to win!

(Contest will run until midnight (EST) December 16th. Winner announced Monday December 19th here on the blog)

Wrong Brother, Right Match is out today!

Hi, all

Happy Monday!

First off the bad news: I've been sick since Thursday. Had to go to the doctors and everything! They told me I had a 101 fever and gave me a prescription for antibiotics and a super strong cough syrup. Bleh. December is a TERRIBLE time to be sick.
There is too much to do and too many parties/fundraisers to attend.

Now the good news: I'm feeling better! (a little) AND it's release day for my new sweet romance
Wrong Brother, Right Match!
Matchmaking guru Kennedy Pepperdine’s life is perfect. Perfect job. Perfect friends. Perfect boyfriend. Except...when she gets trapped in an elevator with a handsome stranger, she accidentally confesses a secret: maybe her perfect boyfriend, Justin, isn’t so perfect for her after all. But a matchmaker should be able to successfully match herself, right? Thankfully, she’ll never see the handsome stranger again. Until she heads home with Justin for the holidays and learns that the sexy stranger is none other than Justin’s older brother, Matt.
Matt Ellis is trying to be on his best behavior for his mother—it is Christmas, after all. But when he recognizes the beautiful woman from the elevator—the one he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about for months—his best behavior is being held by a thread. Matt’s always sacrificed for his family, and nothing is more important than their happiness, but the more time he spends around Kennedy, the more he wonders if her supposed "right match" might just be the wrong brother.





If you stop by author Beth Rhodes blog, she's giving away an ebook copy of my new book (comment to win) plus a chance to win $20!
Plus, if you follow the blog tour, there are more chances to win an Amazon GC!
Have a great week!
Jennifer

Black Friday Sale!

Hey, all!

Not my typical blogging day, but since I'm HOME shopping, I figured I'd stop in to let you know that my publisher, Entangled Publishing is having a Thanksgiving Small Town Romance book sale!



Lots of great books on sale. So if you like sweet romances--including my own WEDDING DATE FOR HIRE --check them out HERE.
Also, we are 10 days away from release of my new Christmas romanceWRONG BROTHER, RIGHT MATCH!Have you pre-ordered your copy yet?
Have a great rest of your holiday weekend!

Romancing The Holidays!

Hi, all!
Are you on Facebook?
Great! Join in on the Holiday Fun with 15 of your favorite authors TODAY! 
Visit each of the FB pages listed below for Holiday Cheer, Heartwarming Romance and GIVEAWAYS!!! 
Visit and Comment on ALL the participating pages for a chance to WIN the Grand Prize $100 Amazon gift card to jump start your holiday shopping!
Annie Rainshttps://www.facebook.com/Annie-Rains-1452963021669865/
Barbara White Dalliehttps://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille/
Debbie Masonhttps://www.facebook.com/DebbieMasonBooks/
Heatherly Bellhttps://www.facebook.com/HeatherlyBell/
Jennifer Shirkhttps://www.facebook.com/JenniferShirkBooks/   (me)
Jennifer Snowhttps://www.facebook.com/jennifersnowbooks/
Jody Holfordhttps://www.facebook.com/Authorjodyholford/
Karyn Gerrardhttps://www.facebook.com/KarynGerrardAuthor/
Olivia Mileshttps://www.facebook.com/AuthorOliviaMiles/
Rachel Laceyhttps://www.facebook.com/RachelLaceyAuthor/
Robin Bielmanhttps://www.facebook.com/RobinBielmanWriter/
Sierra Donovanhttps://www.facebook.com/sierra.donovan.romance/
Tammy L. Baileyhttps://www.facebook.com/tammylbaileyauthor/
Tara Wyatthttps://www.facebook.com/tarawyattauthor/
Victoria Jameshttps://www.facebook.com/Victoria-James-412431258807271/
Happy Hopping!

Jennifer

Five Things to Keep in Mind if You Are a Writer

WHAT'S JEN WORKING ON? Plotting a new series for Entangled Bliss and plotting a contemporary single title romance. Yikes!

Hi, all!
A few weekends ago, I attended the NJRW Conference and thought that one of the keynote speakers was excellent. Very inspiring. I kept laughing and nodding my head the whole time. I could have been this author's Ed McMahon. I had a really great time there. You know, conferences are funny beasts...Oops. Maybe I'll save that for another blog post. :)
Where was I? Oh, yeah. The keynote speaker.
Her name was HelenKay Dimon and she was fantastic. Mainly because what she spoke about was 100% relatable as a fellow writer. She gave us a list of things to remember as we're all going through this writing journey together, and I thought I'd share. (Footnote: I'm paraphrasing and probably interpreted my own ideas into a good chunk of what she said. So blame me and not her)
1) This writing business isn't fairguess what? She's right! Ever read a NY Times Best-selling book and think..."???????????" Maybe your book IS better. Maybe your friend just signed a $20 million dollar contract and you're only making $12 thousand a year. Deal with it and don't try to figure it out. Just remember it's not meant to be fair.
2) Writing doesn't get any easierMs Dimon is a writer of over 40 novels an novellas (award-winning and best-selling) to NUMEROUS publishers and she admits it is a STRUGGLE to sit in that writing chair everyday.I find the same and more. Every time I begin a new book, I think, "How did I do this again?"3) There is no such thing as a museI agree again. If I waited until my "muse" showed up, I would NEVER make my editor's deadline or probably ever finish a book. Truth.
4) The idea that pops in your head for a new book is ALWAYS going to be more interesting than the book you are currently working onWhy? Because that idea hasn't become "work" yet. And let's face it writing a book is WORK.5) You should be learning your craft and getting better with every bookAnother reason to go to conferences, read writing books and blogs, and always be writing
All these things hit home for me. And if you are a writer, I hope it does the same for you!
Big thanks to the NJ Romance Writers Put our Heart in a Book Conference volunteers. I really enjoyed and am looking forward to next year's conference!
Have a great week and see you next month!
Jennifer
My next Entangled Bliss Christmas release: WRONG BROTHER, RIGHT MATCH will be released December 5th!
Don't forget to add it to your Goodreads list!
Are you on Netgalley ? Good news then. It's up for review now!
Interested in helping out with my release day blast? Sign up HERE  and we'll send you what you need to post.



THANKS!

Hello, fall

WHAT IS JEN WORKING ON: A new Bliss category sweet romance!

Hi, all!
I hope you had a lovely summer. I sure did. Actually, summer is still going on just a bit around my area. When you live in a beach resort, it's kind of hard to let summer go.
And actually, September is one of the BEST months in Ocean City. The crowds are gone, everything is still open, you have the beach to yourself, plenty of parking, and the weather is absolutely perfect. *sigh*
In other news, my book WEDDING DATE FOR HIRE is a finalist in the 2016 New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf contest for best short contemporary romance!

I know! I was shocked too.


Well, if you've read it, you'll be familiar with the character Kennedy, who owns a matchmaking company.
Her book called WRONG BROTHER, RIGHT MATCH (formerly called Perfect on Paper) will be out December 5, 2016! YAY!! Just in time for Christmas...

In the meantime, besides working on my book, I'm teaching myself French through a language app and continuing with my running. I'm also working on a kick butt apple pie oatmeal recipe that I hope to share soon!
See you in October!
Jennifer

Summer Sale

WHAT IS JEN WORKING ON: Edits for Perfect on Paper and plotting a longer contemporary romance and another series for Entangled's bliss line.
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Hi, all!

Hope your summer is going great. I know it's only August, but I'm hearing people talk about fall already.

Uh, no. NO!

I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to give up on summer. So please. No talk of pumpkin ANYTHING. Yet. :-)

Anyway, as I left off in my July post, we had an exchange student from France staying with us. Well, she is gone now. Boo-hiss! We miss her terribly already. She really was like a part of our family and fit into it like a glove. We had a lot of fun showing her Philadelphia, NYC, and even Boston.

Now, we are thinking of traveling to Paris quite soon and visiting with her and her family! I've never been to Paris so I'm quite excited and even downloaded a language app so I can brush up on my French. (Je parle un peu francais.)

What else is going on?
Entangled Publishing is hosting a Summer Carnival right now!Today, there is a Pie Bake-Off with us Bliss authors.Come out and vote for my Berry Berry Pie (or at least get the recipe)Chance to win prizes!

My book WEDDING DATE FOR HIRE is only 99 cents until August 13th for the celebration as well!Grab me while you can!
KINDLE: 
NOOK:
IBOOKS:


Happy Reading!
Jennifer

A little culture shock

WHAT JEN IS WORKING ON: Nothing!! LOL Handed in a manuscript to my editor a few weeks ago and am taking a little well deserved vacation time while I wait for edits.

Bonjour! And I say bonjour because we are hosting a French exchange student for six weeks this summer!! She arrived last Monday.

We are very excited and happy to have her. What makes it extra nice is that she is the same age as our daughter and they get along--AND she has a great sense of humor, which fits into our family very well.

She is here in the US to better her English, so we've been introducing her to new slang everyday. You know like, "Yo yo whatsup" and..."lettuce".

Important stuff.

Anyway, lots of torture for her--I mean, laughs. As a result, I have downloaded the Mango language app (FREE from my public library) to my phone and have been studying French. One of my personal goals for this year was to learn a new language. So this is quite convenient.

We've introduced her to some new foods too:
1) cheese steaks (she liked very much)
2) fudge (yum)
3) scrapple (just okay)
4) American cheese (she likes very much)

She still wants to try a fluff and peanut butter sandwich. That will come this week. :-)

Anyway, we've been showing her some of the fun touristy things to do in our town and have been biking the boardwalk, hanging out at the beach, playing mini golf, and going on rides.

Oh, we also took her a Jason Mraz concert on our boardwalk too. And it's only been a week so far! LOL 

I know we need to dial it down soon. But it's been just as much fun for us too.



Have you ever hosted an exchange student or know someone who has? Would you want to do it yourself?

A little author publicity and a new release!

WHAT IS JEN WORKING ON? #3 in the "Anyone but You" Entangled Bliss series called Perfect on Paper.

Hi, all, and happy Monday!
So, if you follow me on Facebook, you probably already know that the Chamber of Commerce in my hometown honored me in April at their annual "Salute to Working Women" luncheon--or as I like to call it in front of my husband: Woman of the Year! LOL

I was really floored to be recognized for my writing as well as my volunteer work in the community. It was all so very humbling.
If you want to read the article, you'll find it HERE
With all this sudden"publicity" around town, it's given me an idea to set a new book series in the town of Ocean City, NJ--especially because it is such a nice town to live in.After all, we are "America's Greatest Family Resort"!
In case you didn't know, Ocean City is actually a seven mile barrier island founded by four Methodist ministers. Part of the original four’s wish was that Ocean City remain a pure retreat that exemplified the Christian mindset, so it is a dry town (no public drinking anywhere on the island). We have a 2 1/2 mile long boardwalk with rides, food, and other attractions as well. We have beautiful beaches and surfing is very big here.
Honestly, I don't know why I never thought about basing a book here before. Although a good majority of my books are set in fake New Jersey shore towns. As a small-town sweet romance writer, I can't think of a more perfect backdrop for my books with the beach and boardwalk.
I'm excited to start!
Have you heard of Ocean City, New Jersey?If you are a writer, do you prefer to make up your towns or use real ones?
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In other news... today is release day for me! (of sorts)
I got the rights back to my very first book, The Role of a Lifetime, and decided to give it to the good people at Entangled Publishing and my very favorite editor (who helped me add to this book) and now we have a fresh book now called FROM FAKE TO FOREVER.
YAY!
If you never had the chance to read it the first time around, I hope you check it out now!

New Release!

Happy Hump Day!

Figured I'd pop in here to announce I have a new release out today! Say what?!

The Wedding Secret  This is part of Lucy Kevin's Four Weddings and a Fiasco Kindle World series. My first time writing for a Kindle Worlds! Lucy Kevin (Bella Andre's sweet romance alter ego will be hosting some fabulous prizes all week, so be sure to check out her website for the fun! Hope you can check it out! Only $1.99  Ten years after a high school pregnancy left her abandoned by her family, single mother Brenna March is finally getting her life under control. In possession of her dream job as a florist at the Rose Chalet, one of the premier wedding spots in San Francisco, she’s about to prove her worth and take on her first wedding as head florist. Unfortunately, the best man is none other than Senator Ashton Mirenda—her old high school sweetheart and the father of the daughter he knows nothing about.

Ashton doesn't have time for marriage or a family. He has other aspirations and the first is winning the next senate seat election. Or so he believes until he meets a woman from his past. Seeing Brenna again stirs something inside him he'd thought long dead, and he knows that he wants her beside him all the way to the White House.

But Brenna is holding a ten year old secret, one which could not only hurt his chance for re-election but also their chance to rekindle the love they once shared.  Happy reading!!