Jen K. Blom's Blog, page 9
January 27, 2011
Woot!!
Why look what came in the mail today!!
January 26, 2011
Zombieland
Thoughts at six am on a Thursday:
1. I always thought teething kind of went quick!? NO??!!?? WHY the heck NOT? It's not fair to me or Loki, universe! Stop it already!
2. My editor sent me a sales catalogue. With Possum Summer in it. Is it wrong of me to want to frame it?
3. I'm preparing all kinds of marketing stuff. It's intense! And mostly fun. Just waiting for the results to show up in my hot little hands now.
4. I gave my book to a trusted individual the other day for her to read and review in advance. Then I realized just maybe I wasn't as ready as I thought I was for other people to read it. (she called it beautiful, tho! Woot!)
5. My kid can crawl, sit up, clap her hands, stick her tongue out, and sing the star spangled banner. (kidding about that last bit.) so why NOT the teeth, for crying out loud?
6. I have a super cool blog tour coming up. It is so neat. Hint: P decides to take part. With sometimes disastrous results.
7. Really. Teeth.
8. I have discovered the feelings of 'not good enough' never go away, book deal or no.
That's me. How about you?
1. I always thought teething kind of went quick!? NO??!!?? WHY the heck NOT? It's not fair to me or Loki, universe! Stop it already!
2. My editor sent me a sales catalogue. With Possum Summer in it. Is it wrong of me to want to frame it?
3. I'm preparing all kinds of marketing stuff. It's intense! And mostly fun. Just waiting for the results to show up in my hot little hands now.
4. I gave my book to a trusted individual the other day for her to read and review in advance. Then I realized just maybe I wasn't as ready as I thought I was for other people to read it. (she called it beautiful, tho! Woot!)
5. My kid can crawl, sit up, clap her hands, stick her tongue out, and sing the star spangled banner. (kidding about that last bit.) so why NOT the teeth, for crying out loud?
6. I have a super cool blog tour coming up. It is so neat. Hint: P decides to take part. With sometimes disastrous results.
7. Really. Teeth.
8. I have discovered the feelings of 'not good enough' never go away, book deal or no.
That's me. How about you?
January 20, 2011
IT IS COMING ...
This:
is coming - very soon - to celebrate this:
Prepare to handle the coolness.
:-D
is coming - very soon - to celebrate this: Prepare to handle the coolness.
:-D
January 17, 2011
Brought to you from the hospital
I'm trying to keep positive here! They said the surgery was a success, and it will take a while for it to be better. So we are staying with the grandparents, which suits Loki just FINE.
She will be quite the attention diva when we go, finally.
I hope your view is nicer than mine::
I testing my blog service fro the iPhone. Hope this works!!
She will be quite the attention diva when we go, finally.
I hope your view is nicer than mine::
I testing my blog service fro the iPhone. Hope this works!!
January 9, 2011
Broken bones suck.
I'm writing this as a quick update for you all - if anyone still reads! ACK, I suck and am a bad blogger!
On the 30th I was out for a walk with my family, slipped on the ice and somehow found myself with a completely shattered lower right leg. Like in three places. With splinters, and free floating parts, and stuff. The grossest thing? Whenever I move it, I feel the pieces rattle together. And since it took forever for the ambulance to get there, it was too swollen for a proper surgery right away.
Which meant I've had a broken leg *healing without being correctly set* until today. Tomorrow, actually, when I go into the hospital to (presumably) have it all rebroken, reset with screws, and plates, and outside things that make me queasy and shall turn me into a cyborg.
Needless to say this has not been easy, as Loki cannot look after herself (no matter how brilliant she is) and the hubs has to work. SO we're all camped out at the grandparents who have admirably risen to the challenge of a 10 month old and an incredibly crabby writer (who is in too much pain to concentrate and write) the last 10 days.
But Tuesday, it shall be all better. I've downloaded a new app for the iPhone that says it will allow me to blog from my German Hospital Room! We'll see, says I.
But also? There is some coolness. Galleys are here, and the lovely Cindy Pon took a picture of my book cover at ALA MidWinter 2011: (upper right)
If you think about me, don't bother with the healing vibes BS. Send me some pain pills so I can just freaking write. I think I'm going mad. 
On the 30th I was out for a walk with my family, slipped on the ice and somehow found myself with a completely shattered lower right leg. Like in three places. With splinters, and free floating parts, and stuff. The grossest thing? Whenever I move it, I feel the pieces rattle together. And since it took forever for the ambulance to get there, it was too swollen for a proper surgery right away.
Which meant I've had a broken leg *healing without being correctly set* until today. Tomorrow, actually, when I go into the hospital to (presumably) have it all rebroken, reset with screws, and plates, and outside things that make me queasy and shall turn me into a cyborg.
Needless to say this has not been easy, as Loki cannot look after herself (no matter how brilliant she is) and the hubs has to work. SO we're all camped out at the grandparents who have admirably risen to the challenge of a 10 month old and an incredibly crabby writer (who is in too much pain to concentrate and write) the last 10 days.
But Tuesday, it shall be all better. I've downloaded a new app for the iPhone that says it will allow me to blog from my German Hospital Room! We'll see, says I.
But also? There is some coolness. Galleys are here, and the lovely Cindy Pon took a picture of my book cover at ALA MidWinter 2011: (upper right)
If you think about me, don't bother with the healing vibes BS. Send me some pain pills so I can just freaking write. I think I'm going mad.
December 29, 2010
Dear 2010,
I've got to admit, you've been very good to me. A very good year.
In january you kind of did me wrong, having me hugely pregnant and falling in the snow, which was not fun. But in February, when the big news of my sale came (especially when I'd just about gone and given up - even though my agent hadn't, she's a DREAM) I was VERILY stoked.
:-D
Then the baby thing happened, which was simultaneously amazing and scarring, and we slowly settled down into a routine. By the gods, we were parents. And good ones! Once the baby actually started *sleeping*, I came around to the idea that I could actually do this entire thing without losing it. Of course then I bit off too much and that hurt.
The following months were a little stressful. When you add a baby to trying to find the "right" follow up book to your little masterpiece, and having your agent carefully yet truthfully tell you 'this isn't it', well, that gets old. But I persevered! And thus "THE YOUNG BOY AND THE RIVER" was finished, made everyone that read it cry along with my agent who said this one would be great.
So now? What are we doing? Well, 2011, you've got a LOT to live up to! But I think settling back into work with Loki in the kindy will help move things along, and please send another couple book sales down the pipe! XO
Thanks, 2010.
2011, you're up.
(And I'd like to take a moment to wish you all a Happy New Years from me, my family, the hairless cats and Germany in general. I hope to see you when the year turns! XOXOX)
In january you kind of did me wrong, having me hugely pregnant and falling in the snow, which was not fun. But in February, when the big news of my sale came (especially when I'd just about gone and given up - even though my agent hadn't, she's a DREAM) I was VERILY stoked.
:-D
Then the baby thing happened, which was simultaneously amazing and scarring, and we slowly settled down into a routine. By the gods, we were parents. And good ones! Once the baby actually started *sleeping*, I came around to the idea that I could actually do this entire thing without losing it. Of course then I bit off too much and that hurt.
The following months were a little stressful. When you add a baby to trying to find the "right" follow up book to your little masterpiece, and having your agent carefully yet truthfully tell you 'this isn't it', well, that gets old. But I persevered! And thus "THE YOUNG BOY AND THE RIVER" was finished, made everyone that read it cry along with my agent who said this one would be great.
So now? What are we doing? Well, 2011, you've got a LOT to live up to! But I think settling back into work with Loki in the kindy will help move things along, and please send another couple book sales down the pipe! XO
Thanks, 2010.
2011, you're up.
(And I'd like to take a moment to wish you all a Happy New Years from me, my family, the hairless cats and Germany in general. I hope to see you when the year turns! XOXOX)
December 20, 2010
It's those little things you remember...
So I put Loki's favourite overalls on this morning. Girl needs to represent her farm mum at some point, and she recently scored a pair of (cupcake embroidered, I'll admit not very farmy) denim coveralls that were perfect for the cold (-12!!) here in Berlin.
I am amazed to say that after her last wear of these (a week ago!) these overalls have now gone on to be ... overall/capris.
HIGHWATERS.
That word fills me with remembered terror.
Did you have that problem? I sure did. Achingly. I'm perfectly willing to own the label geek or dork now, but when I was in 4th and 5th grade those words cut like a freaking KNIFE. And what makes it worse is I never really got it, until they made fun of my jeans. (The one MAJOR reason I'll hope and pray Loki is never, ever the popular one. They have no compassion. Or the ones I grew up with didn't). Anyways, I never cared about the length of my jeans until the others in the class made an issue of it.
To see these short overalls on my girl shocked me back to that sunny day when everything around me became a little less sunny, my inward blissful dreamworld shattered, showing me how mean people could be. I could ignore one, but there were more than one. More than one day, one person, one pair of jeans...
To go through that pain when you're young, that bullying, the meanness that is uniquely kids...I'm so happy I'm over it. I know it helped me capture emotions for my writing, and gave me the wellspring of pain to write from that makes me a good writer, now that I've learned to harness it. I do believe it made me a stronger person.
But it fills me with dread and fear for Loki, who is not yet able to defend herself. I want her to be an independent, free thinker that doesn't cave to other kids and their misbegotten expectations, but I know she'll have to fight that fight for herself**.
But, dammit, it won't be over highwaters. I'll be sure of that.
---
**and it goes without saying she'll have our full support and love to do whatever she wants-and that her papa will have to hide the Objects That Can Injure should someone try to bully her.
I am amazed to say that after her last wear of these (a week ago!) these overalls have now gone on to be ... overall/capris.
HIGHWATERS.
That word fills me with remembered terror.
Did you have that problem? I sure did. Achingly. I'm perfectly willing to own the label geek or dork now, but when I was in 4th and 5th grade those words cut like a freaking KNIFE. And what makes it worse is I never really got it, until they made fun of my jeans. (The one MAJOR reason I'll hope and pray Loki is never, ever the popular one. They have no compassion. Or the ones I grew up with didn't). Anyways, I never cared about the length of my jeans until the others in the class made an issue of it.
To see these short overalls on my girl shocked me back to that sunny day when everything around me became a little less sunny, my inward blissful dreamworld shattered, showing me how mean people could be. I could ignore one, but there were more than one. More than one day, one person, one pair of jeans...
To go through that pain when you're young, that bullying, the meanness that is uniquely kids...I'm so happy I'm over it. I know it helped me capture emotions for my writing, and gave me the wellspring of pain to write from that makes me a good writer, now that I've learned to harness it. I do believe it made me a stronger person.
But it fills me with dread and fear for Loki, who is not yet able to defend herself. I want her to be an independent, free thinker that doesn't cave to other kids and their misbegotten expectations, but I know she'll have to fight that fight for herself**.
But, dammit, it won't be over highwaters. I'll be sure of that.
---
**and it goes without saying she'll have our full support and love to do whatever she wants-and that her papa will have to hide the Objects That Can Injure should someone try to bully her.
December 14, 2010
I HAVE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN !!!!! !!! !! !!!!!!!
I might have said something about a particular author...the one that got me thinking I too could write a book.
His name is Bill Wallace, and he wrote "A Dog Called Kitty" as well as numerous other WONDERFUL animal stories. The man is an animal story writing MACHINE.
Well, guess where else Mr. Bill Wallace has written something FABULOUS?
WANNA GUESS???
ON THE FRONT OF MY BOOK COVER !!!
That's right! (Envision this in all caps because man would that be hard to write.)
Mr Bill Wallace, the legendary animal writer, blurbed POSSUM SUMMER !!!!!!!
*OMG* *FLAIL* *DIES* *TWITCHES SOME MORE*
"A heartwarming, vibrant story." –Bill Wallace, author of A Dog Called Kitty"
And there you have it, kids. I've officially died and gone to heaven.
EDIT - but wait! There's MORE!
THE FULL QUOTE::::
"Jen K. Blom's Possum Summer, is a heartwarming, vibrant story of a western Oklahoma 'country' girl [that] mixes themes of honor, resolve, and courage with just the right blend of adventure, excitement, humor, danger, love, compassion, and a small touch of romance. It's a book that middle graders will want to read. The author should brace herself for all the letters and emails she'll receive asking 'did this really happen?' --Bill Wallace, author of A Dog Called Kitty and many other books
His name is Bill Wallace, and he wrote "A Dog Called Kitty" as well as numerous other WONDERFUL animal stories. The man is an animal story writing MACHINE.
Well, guess where else Mr. Bill Wallace has written something FABULOUS?
WANNA GUESS???
ON THE FRONT OF MY BOOK COVER !!!
That's right! (Envision this in all caps because man would that be hard to write.)
Mr Bill Wallace, the legendary animal writer, blurbed POSSUM SUMMER !!!!!!!
*OMG* *FLAIL* *DIES* *TWITCHES SOME MORE*
"A heartwarming, vibrant story." –Bill Wallace, author of A Dog Called Kitty"
And there you have it, kids. I've officially died and gone to heaven.
EDIT - but wait! There's MORE!
THE FULL QUOTE::::
"Jen K. Blom's Possum Summer, is a heartwarming, vibrant story of a western Oklahoma 'country' girl [that] mixes themes of honor, resolve, and courage with just the right blend of adventure, excitement, humor, danger, love, compassion, and a small touch of romance. It's a book that middle graders will want to read. The author should brace herself for all the letters and emails she'll receive asking 'did this really happen?' --Bill Wallace, author of A Dog Called Kitty and many other books
December 8, 2010
Blogger, I have sinned.
It has been mucho time-o since my last blog post. I have a confession to make, additionally.
I thought I was Superwoman.
I know that other people don't have this problem, but I just kept adding and adding on to the top of an already busy schedule. First the book and all that came with that, then the baby and WOW is that a lot of time you never thought you'd lose, then working from home and trying to write new novels and oh, housework and the cats and being able to speak coherently to my husband which meant sleep which I wasn't getting...
...and I thought I had it all under control until it all came crashing down.
The kicker was my day job.
I don't know about you all, but when I work I like to pay ATTENTION to it. As in, when I'm working I'm concentrating on work. But when I work from home I'm not able to do that, which led (last week) into a major epic meltdown. There wasn't time for anything to be done right, and if you don't do it right, why bother, you know? Everyone was depending on me and I wasn't delivering.
So I stopped. Everything. (Everything that I could.) Including Twitter, the blog, the other social media that everyone and their dog says is so important for authors. I did learn some things:
1. You will not die if you do not twitter/facebook/blog.2. There is only so much that a body can do in a day. Go over at your peril. 3. Take a nap every once in awhile. 4. Break things up into tiny steps.
And the most important one. This one is a STUNNER:
5. The job of an author is to WRITE. All the other crap is well, crap. (Except for the baby and cats and husband).
I won't fail if there's no blog post for the week. I WILL fail if I am not constantly making a new book. Without follow up, there's no point in continuing, because for most authors, one book does not a career make.
So that's where I am at. Now that I've accepted I am not Superwoman, things have become more sane. I might not be here all the time but I will be here. And life will not end if I do not go insane on everything all the time.
You?
I thought I was Superwoman.
I know that other people don't have this problem, but I just kept adding and adding on to the top of an already busy schedule. First the book and all that came with that, then the baby and WOW is that a lot of time you never thought you'd lose, then working from home and trying to write new novels and oh, housework and the cats and being able to speak coherently to my husband which meant sleep which I wasn't getting...
...and I thought I had it all under control until it all came crashing down.
The kicker was my day job.
I don't know about you all, but when I work I like to pay ATTENTION to it. As in, when I'm working I'm concentrating on work. But when I work from home I'm not able to do that, which led (last week) into a major epic meltdown. There wasn't time for anything to be done right, and if you don't do it right, why bother, you know? Everyone was depending on me and I wasn't delivering.
So I stopped. Everything. (Everything that I could.) Including Twitter, the blog, the other social media that everyone and their dog says is so important for authors. I did learn some things:
1. You will not die if you do not twitter/facebook/blog.2. There is only so much that a body can do in a day. Go over at your peril. 3. Take a nap every once in awhile. 4. Break things up into tiny steps.
And the most important one. This one is a STUNNER:
5. The job of an author is to WRITE. All the other crap is well, crap. (Except for the baby and cats and husband).
I won't fail if there's no blog post for the week. I WILL fail if I am not constantly making a new book. Without follow up, there's no point in continuing, because for most authors, one book does not a career make.
So that's where I am at. Now that I've accepted I am not Superwoman, things have become more sane. I might not be here all the time but I will be here. And life will not end if I do not go insane on everything all the time.
You?
November 23, 2010
BOOK COVER REVEAL!!!!
Sorry I've been so MIA. We've been working on final touches to POSSUM SUMMER, which involved cutting an entire chapter and making a new ending *because my editor ROCKS* and then there was the new one, and getting the next ready to go, but ...
There comes a time ...
In every book's life ...
Where its beautiful cover is revealed.
The illustrator, the fabulous Omar Rayyan, (c), is also doing inside illustrations and I cannot. Wait. He does beautiful work. (and the video? My freakin' husband! I am surrounded by Teh Awesome!)
Guys, I can haz cover.
*love*
!!!!!!!
*loves some MORE*
Want to get it for your own? To the right are the links!
YAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYYYYYYAY!!!!!!
There comes a time ...
In every book's life ...
Where its beautiful cover is revealed.
The illustrator, the fabulous Omar Rayyan, (c), is also doing inside illustrations and I cannot. Wait. He does beautiful work. (and the video? My freakin' husband! I am surrounded by Teh Awesome!)
Guys, I can haz cover.
*love*
!!!!!!!
*loves some MORE*
Want to get it for your own? To the right are the links!
YAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYYYYYYAY!!!!!!
