Megg Jensen's Blog, page 10

Winner of the Naming Contest!

I chose a winner for the naming contest tonight. I made a list of the top five names on Tuesday. Then I spent the rest of this week staring at that green sticky note. All but two names remained today. For hours I agonized over which name to choose - it was totally ridiculous! I even considered hosting a secondary contest and letting my readers decide because I did not think I could do it.

Then I worried that wouldn't be fair. After all, I had promised to choose a name. I hate going back on a promise. After a few more torturous hours, I finally settled on the name Zuri.

Why? Well, obviously I already loved it. Plus, I have a thing for the letter Z. I think it will fit the character perfectly too. The winner is Stephanie Overton. She won an enticing sneak-peek paragraph from Severed, 10 bookmarks, being thanked in the acknowledgments, and an eARC of Severed (which will be delivered in November). She also got an email from my personal account (this is what I get for prepping an email while I'm also getting my kids ready for bed). As most of you know, Megg Jensen is a pen name. It's not like I'm trying to live a super-secret life. I'm readily found on the web as a parenting journalist. It's my intention to keep journalism and publishing my novels totally separate. What if you wanted to look up my books under my real name? Well, a web search could result in an article on baby poop or the death of a pet. If you're curious about my pen name, read more
Some of you may have seen Stephanie's name pop up a lot around me. She's a reader and one of the sweetest people I've met on the web. She's pretty damn funny too. If you're wondering what the second name was ... well ... I'm not going to say. I don't want to make anyone feel bad because no one likes to come in second place.

I do want to thank all of you who took the time to enter. I don't know if you realize how much I appreciate your interest. I really, really, really do. Tons. Thank you.

A New eBook!

This week I released an ebook with a few short stories. Some of these stories have been published in national magazines (don't worry, I retained my reprint rights...never sign everything away, people!) and the rest have been published in various places on the web.

None of them are fantasy - all of them are geared toward an 18+ audience. They're a departure from the young adult novels I write.

If these stories are so different, why did I put them out? I created this ebook months ago, but held off on publishing it until a few people started bugging me about it. I'm not going to do a promotional blitz, no giveaways, no free copies for reviewers.

The word count is just under 9,000 words and runs less than fifty print pages.


Introduction

I have quite a few short stories sitting on my hard drive and I thought some of you might like to read them. I've included only about half in There's Orion. I took some out because they were too personal, others because I really don't like them anymore.

You might be surprised to see that all of these stories are your everyday, average adult stories. No fantasy among them at all. I do have some fantasy stories that might surface in a short story collection in the future...but not today.

There's Orion gives my readers a more personal look into my life. Some of these stories come from an intensely private place inside me, which is why I chose not to introduce each story individually. I'll let you wonder which are inspired by my real life.

You'll find some of these stories amusing, and it's possible one or two might bring a tear to your eye. Oh, and as a word of warning, Just Desserts is a bit harsh and contains some foul language. I considered leaving it out of the collection in order not to offend, but then I realized leaving it out would destroy a grain of truth that I feel everyone should experience.

I hope you enjoy these shorts on a quiet rainy day or when you're snuggled up in bed. You may not realize it, but this collection is a gift straight from my heart. I don't claim them to be of a high literary quality. A few were published on the web in the Friday Flash community. Some appeared in national magazines backs in the late 1990s, when I wrote under a different name and lived a very different life than I lead now.

Peace out,

~Megg

If you're interested, you can purchase There's Orion at Barnes&Noble or Amazon.

Name a Character & Win a Prize!!!!

It's that time again. I'm stumped on a character name and I need your help!!!!

It's a minor character in Severed, but she's important. She's evil (probably). She's huge (definitely). She's ugly (seriously).

Her name cannot end in an 'a' or have an 'l' in it. Weird, I know, but there's a reason in my crazy little brain.

Here's what you'll win:

(1) My undying thanks in the form of a mention in the Acknowledgements in Severed.
(2) Ten Sleepers bookmarks to do with as you please.
(3) A one-paragraph sneak peak at Severed. It could come from anywhere in the novel, but it's sure to entice!
(4) An ARC of Severed....to be delivered sometime before November 25th, the official release date.

I will choose the name I like best by October 7th and notify the winner!

The contest will run now through October 4th, midnight CST. You may enter as many times as you like by commenting below. Please leave a way for me to contact you!!!! Must be older than 15 to enter, must have parent's permission to accept prize if you are younger than 18.

Did Megg Really Say That???

Wow, this is a topic I never thought I'd be dealing with. Twice in the last month, things I've said over what I thought were personal emails were taken completely out of context and splattered on the web for all to see. Before I tell you how I feel about this, let me tell you a bit about myself.

For six years, I was a freelance journalist. I interviewed thousands of sources for magazine articles and tried to handle each source as if they were the most important person in the world. I wanted them to trust me because so often journalism takes a quote and twists it simply to create buzz. This sickened me and after six years, I was done. None of my articles exploited anyone, but seeing the pressure out there to sensationalize took the drive out of me. I didn't want to be associated with the industry. The further along I got, the more defensive sources became. I felt terrible because I knew at one point they'd been mishandled by another journalist, giving them a bad taste in their mouth when it came to new interviews.

About 2/3 of the way through my journalism career, I signed with an agent for a nonfiction book on a topic very close to my heart. The project was meant to be a prescriptive book, a step-by-step telling of how to achieve a successful adoption. The farther I got into the project, the more my agents changed the scope of the book. They wanted it to be more sensational. They wanted gut-wrenching, super-private stories to come to life. I felt my sources shutting down on me, getting more wary each interview because they knew, as I did deep down, that the book was spiraling out of control. It was never my intention to write an expose. I wanted to help people, not exploit other's pain to sell books.

I backed out of the contract and received the harshest email I've ever gotten from the agency. Saying that I cried for hours would be an understatement. I swore that day I'd never take on another book project. Obviously that didn't stick.

Back to present day. Now I'm on the other end of the interview. That's fine; it's part of my job as a novelist. However, twice now, people quoted me from what I believed were personal, chatty emails - not part of any kind of interview. Both times the blog posts brought about confusion. People were angry with me, thinking I'd given these bloggers my blessing - when, in fact, I didn't even know I'd been talked about until it was too late. Did I say the things quoted? Sure. Were they taken completely and wildly out of context? Absolutely. To the point where I've sworn off having personal conversations with those people. I feel betrayed.

The most recent popular example of this type of misquoting comes from an interview Brad Pitt did while promoting Moneyball in Parade Magazine. As someone who's been through a divorce with a guy I'd prefer never to see again, I can relate 100% to Brad's comments about his marriage with Jen. Anyone who's been through divorce knows that it's more about who you are inside than who you are in a relationship. That's all he was trying to say, but the media took it out of context and now everyone hates him again. I feel bad for him, for Jen, and for Angelina. They are simply trying to be normal people and be honest. What do they get for it? Quotes twisted and taken out of context. I don't care how much money he has in his bank account, it has to hurt anyway.

So if you ever see a blog post about me, and you think, Would Megg really say that? Is that what she meant? Take a moment to wonder how the quote came about. What was the source? What did I really mean? This blog is the only place I can truly speak for myself. You want to know me? You'll find me here.

~Megg

A New Design & A Call for Blog Post Ideas

I don't know why I'm so obsessed with rearranging things. Since I was a little kid, I've spent my free time rearranging furniture or bookcases or, well, anything that I could move around without getting in trouble. I've gone and done it again with my blog. New background, new banner, etc. I think it's pretty and I hope you like it too.

Severed is releasing on November 25th and I'm spending three weeks on a blog tour. I will be doing guest posts on pretty much every day and while I have some topics already lined up, I wanted to know if you guys, my readers, had any questions you wanted me to answer or any topics you wanted me to address. I'm open to any ideas!

If you'll remember, a month or so ago I put out a call for vlog ideas. I haven't forgotten about them and I do still plan to do it. September has been a flurry of writing and now that I've entered revision I have a bit more time to play with. Hopefully I'll get to them soon!

~Megg

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Michelle Muto

 Yay, it's time to bring back my interview series!!!!! Sorry, I've been absorbed in Severed and haven't had much blog time. I'm snagging a few minutes to get this gem out there.

Michelle Muto and I are kind of like long-lost twins because we have so many things in common - one of which is that we are both natural redheads. I won't bore you with the others. She's also one of my favorite writers and I know you'll love her books too!!!!



MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, The Book of Lost Souls, in your own words - not the official synopsis.
MM: The Book of Lost Souls is the story of a teen witch who must dispel the rumor she's like her father, a black magic practitioner who left her and her mother when she was young. It's a paranormal coming-of-age story filled with humor, romance, and devout friendship. It's sort of like Harry Potter meets Buffy in some ways. 
MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?
MM: A little of both. I've learned a lot since then - plotting is my least favorite part of the writing process, but I do much better with a solid outline. It saves me considerable time and grief later on.
MJ: What's your next release going to be?
[image error] MM: It's a 360 from The Book of Lost Souls. The new book is another young adult novel, and a planned series, but that's where the comparison ends. The new book is a dark, mostly dystopian novel set in the afterlife. It's also written in first person, while The Book of Lost Souls is in third person. I hope to release the new book by the end of September.
{edited by MJ to add: Michelle just revealed the cover for her next novel, Don't Fear the Reaper yesterday! It's totally gorgeous!!!!}

MJ: Now for the fun stuff!!!
What is your favorite color?
MM: Black
MJ: Wolves or vampires or zombies?
MM: Werewolves or vampires. As much as I like all things supernatural, zombies just don't do it for me. 
MJ: What do you wear when you write?
MM: Mostly t-shirts/sweatshirts and jeans.
 MJ: When you were a teen were you a cheerleader, a sporty girl, the smart one, the band geek, or something else?
MM: I was just the kid trying to get by.
MJ: Do you have any pets? 
MM: I have two dogs: Tasha, a 12-yr-old Akita and Ronan, a 5-yr-old Shikoku (my inspiration for Devlin in The Book of Lost Souls).

MJ: Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my 9-year-old's all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it's up to you.
MM: Will my books be on wish lists for Christmas? 

M8B: As I See It Yes. Now, I don't know why my 8 Ball pics are always sideways. Argh! Anyway, is it really a big surprise Michelle wants books for Christmas? Just more proof my 8 Ball always knows!!!!

Thank you SO MUCH to Michelle for participating in my interview series!!!! If you haven't read The Book of Lost Souls, you should go read it, NOW!
Find Michelle Muto on the web:
WebsiteBuy The Book of Lost Souls onAmazonBarnes & Noble

The Synopsis for Severed

Everyone has been dying to know....

What's Severed about?
What exactly does Severed mean?
How will Megg tie up all the loose ends in the trilogy?
Will Reychel and Mark finally get their happily ever after?

Well, I don't know if the synopsis will answer those questions (except for the first), but here it is:

Reychel knows her gift of prophecy will lead to madness and now she is at her most vulnerable. The enemy army will attempt to sever her from everything she's ever known: her homeland, her friends, Mark, and her gift. Even at her weakest, she refuses to give up on her desire to end the war between the Malborn and the Serenians. Reychel would do anything, even come back from the dead*, to conquer the enemy and reunite with Mark.


Severed will drop this fall.

*I solemnly swear there are no vampires or zombies in this book. I write fantasy, not paranormal. :D

Do I Write Fiction for Love or Money?

There's been some debate around the interwebz this year about writing for money. All of us self-pubs, indies, whatever you want to label us, have been accused of writing for the love of money.


I call bullshit.

I've never met one person who writes fiction because they want to make a gazillion dollars. Very few authors do make gobs of money, so anyone who claims writing is a quick way to make bank is smoking something. Seriously. Writing a novel takes time. Lots of time. I have friends who will write an entire novel in a week. But that's just the first draft. Usually they spend months honing that draft into something that might be worth selling. Of course a scenario like that really only applies to those of us who don't hold down full-time jobs. People without kids are even luckier with the time.

Other writers know this. They know exactly how much hard work it takes to crank out a novel that's worth putting up for sale (whether you're going traditional or indie). Yet, I still see it over and over on the web - self-pubs are only in it for the money.

If I was only out to make cash I'd become an exotic dancer. That's a really quick, and legal, way to make lots of cash. I write because I LOVE writing. Love, love, love, love, squishy-kissy, want-to-spend-all-my-time-writing, adore it. Without writing I would shrivel up and die. Without writing I'd probably be a in a straight jacket, sitting in a rubber room, talking to my own boogers. In fact, I'd probably stick a booger on each finger and have them act out plays - because that's how focused my mind is on story.



Oh hang on, I do love to make money. I love money. That scene from that 1990s Demi Moore movie where she had sex in a bed full of cash...yeah, I'd love to have that kind of cash. A friend and I have often discussed how we'd love to fill up a pool with money earned from publishing and swim in it.

Here's why you can't call me hypocritical. I write for the love of story. I publish because I want people to read my books. I work really, really hard at making my books great because I want people to like them and pay me for publishing it. I don't think it makes me evil, or any less artistic, if I want to make money on the business of publishing. Never once have I thought, Hmmm....will this story make billions? Yes? Then I shall write it. Nope, I just write what I feel. Writing is art. Publishing is business. There's a distinction. At least in my head.

Heck, if money was the only thing that mattered to me, I would have signed with that agent who offered to rep me if I switched to writing historical fiction. I turned her down. I love my fantasy novels. I said no for the love of my stories.

So instead of accusing each other of stupid stuff like this, why don't we all just find a nice book, sit down under the shade of a willow tree, and appreciate all of the dreaming and hard work it took to produce our books.

If you agree, share this post. Please! I've never asked in a blog post for people to pass it around. This one? Yeah, if you feel it - do it. 

Peace out!!!

~Megg

YA Scramble!

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by for the YA Scramble. :D

Here's all the details:

Instructions for the YA Scramble
1) Visit the first blog (based on list below)
2) Read the guest post
3) Identify the PURPLE word
4) Pick out the 3rd letter from the purple word
5) Go to the next blog.
6) Repeat #3, #4, and #5 until you visited all 14 sites.7) At the end, take all 14 of the 3rd letters from the PURPLE words and figure out the message near and dear to our hearts.8) You will enter that unscrambled message ONCE into this form as your official entry for a chance to win some great prizes from fantastic authors and bloggers.

Grand Prize Items:


- ARC of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (with signed bookmark)- Ebook of Soltice by PJ Hoover (with trading cards)- Ebook of The Space Between by Alexandra Sokoloff- Paperback copy of Perception by Heather Cashman- Signed paperback ARC of Anathema by Kathleen Tucker- Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Gift Set (Trade Paperback of Eighth Grade Bites, Vlad Journal, Minion Bling Buttons and Vlad Tote)- Signed paperback copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft- Signed hardcover of Clarity by Kim Harrington- ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor- Signed ARC of Fury by Elizabeth Miles- Signed paperback of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater- ARC of Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison- Copy of The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney- Winner's choice of 5 ebooks from a list of indie authors- Signed paperback of Sleepers by Megg Jensen- Ebooks of Soul Quest and Guardian of Souls by Amy Jones- Kindle copy of Winnemucca by Laura Elliott (plus a guest post spot on her blog!)
Participating Blogs - all must be visited:✯ Kaitlin Simpson 
✯ PJ Hoover
✯ Cary Cummings
✯ Heather Cashman
✯ Kathleen Tucker
✯ Jennifer Morris
✯ Cyndi Tefft
✯ Irish/ Gail
✯ Danielle Bunner
✯ Melissa Layton 
✯ T.R. Graves
✯ Megg Jensen 
✯ Amy Jones
✯ Laura Elliott
Remember, there's a prize on my blog and a grand prize, so make sure you read all of the rules. Now here's a guest post from T.R. Graves!!!!

What makes great YA paranormal heroes/heroines?
This is one of those types of questions where the response is completely subjective. If you polled 100 people, each would provide a different response. I suspect - based on today's bestselling books - that a large majority of people have slight variations on the same concept. In their version, the hero/heroine is someone who is uncommonly beautiful, SMART (book smart or street smart), unnaturally powerful, and has an absolute propensity for saving others. Based on my experience, a small portion of the 100 people polled would have the exact opposite expectations of the perfect hero/heroine. Their version includes someone with the power to save the world but exhibits personal demons so powerful they are prevented from living up to their potential (at least in the beginning).
In addition to the characteristic listed above by the majority group, I believe a great paranormal heroine is a role-model for teenage girls. Her powers are as good as - if not more powerful than - those given to the male characters of the story. While the heroine may end up in situations where she has to be rescued by the hero-like character, she is strong enough to save him and others when necessary. Continuing my 'role-model' theme, a great heroine educates herself (formally or informally) and exercises her body and soul. Finally, she is passionate when it comes to her beliefs.
While I agree with the (imaginary) responses provided above by the majority group, I also believe a great hero is a man who is mentally and physically resilient. He possesses unique characteristics that make his enviable power all the more amazing. Morally/ethically, he has a strong sense of right and wrong. And, without a doubt, he has an absolute desire to save the heroine (if not the world).
With all that being said, I understand the importance of a flaw. The hero/heroine should not be invincible. Without a weakness, there would be no story. Even then, I do not agree with the expectations of the minority who want their heroes/heroines to possess large gaping personal flaws. I've had several hundred people review Warriors of the Cross. Of all those reviews, I've identified two people who were very upset that the heroine was not fighting with a dark side or overcoming a debilitating defect. After the second comment, my daughter and I discussed the remarks and decided that we disagreed with their opinion. My daughter's words stuck in my mind and gave me a level of comfort that I had done the right thing. She said, "When I read a book, I like to pretend I'm the heroine. As a teenager, I'm constantly struggling with my self-image. In my fantasy world, I don't want that to be a constant factor. I read to get away from the real world not to endure more of it."
Like I said originally, this whole topic is very subjective. The bottom line is that a good book is a good book. As long as the story is interesting, I can read and enjoy anything (flawed or perfect characters). The quality of writing, the development of formidable characters, and the excitement embedded within the storyline will determine the book's and the author's success.
Thanks, Megg, for allowing me to do this guest blog.
T. R. Graves, Author
Fan Page - https://www.facebook.com/#!/TRGraves.Author?sk=app_129982580378550
Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/WARRIORSSERIES
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4699869.T_R_Graves
T. R. Graves Blog - http://www.thewarriorseries.blogspot.com/
Warriors of the Cross- Book One of the Warrior Series (now available on Amazon/B&N/Smashwords/Itunes)
Guardians of the Cross - Book Two of the Warrior Series (December 2011)
Enemies of the Cross - Book Three of the Warrior Series (September 2012)

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TR is offering a great giveaway with her blog post!!!! The winner will choose 5 (yes, FIVE!!!) eBooks from this list. To enter, just leave your name and a way I can contact you in the comments section below! Entries close at midnight, September 14th.



❤Pattie Larsen
❤Courtney Cole
❤Wren Emerson
❤Nicole Williams
❤Fisher Amelie
❤P. J. Hoover
❤Laura Elliott
❤Amy Jones Young
❤Rachel Coles
❤Tiffany King
❤Cyndi Tefft
❤Alicia McCalla
❤Heather Cashman
❤T. R. Graves
❤Abbi Glines
❤Cidney Swanson
❤Cheri Schmidt ❤Jayde Scott ❤Addison Moore
❤Autumn Dawn ❤M. Leighton ❤Kyra Gates ❤Megg Jensen ❤Tamara Rose Blodgett ❤K.C. Blake 

Want to win this prize? Then comment below with your name & a way to contact you by midnight September 14th. Remember, if you want to enter the grand prize, fill out this form.

Next, head over to Kaitlin Simpson's blog! Have fun!!!!

How I Find Time to Write

You may wonder why I've been so quiet on my blog lately.

My kids went back to school (yay!) a couple weeks ago and I've been using the so-called free time to get back to work on my novels.

Here's what my day looks like:



6:20 - Wake up, make breakfast, make sure the kids are up, eat breakfast, clean up, make lunches, yell at kids 600 times to keep moving, get dressed, and leave to take the kids to school.

8:30 - back home ... only for a moment because someone left something they need immediately at school. So I get it, curse under my breath, and drive back to their Catholic school with a smile and a sparkle in my eye.

9:10 - back home ... time to write workout. Let the dog out, wait for him to do his business, and let him back. Run down in the basement and remember I had to return Sex and the City back to the library, so watch Regis & Kelly instead. Curse through the whole workout.

9:45 - back upstairs, drink two glasses of water, and time to write check my email. Curse a little more at all the messages I have to reply to and blog posts I have to write.

10:30 - feeling slimy, so I drag my butt upstairs to shower. Ahhhh....no cursing here.

11:00 - dressed and ready to write make my lunch because I'm starving. Then curse because I just realized I could have written for half an hour. See, I have to stop at 11:30 because...

11:30 - time for The Young & the Restless (hey, don't judge - this is a perk of being an at-home mom)

12:30 - time to write read more email. Curse even more, this time in Gaelic.

1:30 - got through the email just in time to write leave to pick up the kids from school.

2:30 - I'm home with the kids. There is no time to write until tomorrow.

Yeah, this is how my first week went.

Today I:

~ Got the kids off to school and checked email while I ate breakfast
~ Worked out & checked email while on the ellipitcal; showered quickly
~ Wrote for two hours
~ Ate lunch while watching my soap and checking email
~ Wrote for an hour
~ Picked up the kids

Nearly 4,000 words down and very little cursing. BAM! Hope to finish Severed before the end of the month.... :D