Jessica Scott's Blog, page 20
January 9, 2013
Good News About To Iraq & Back
So I was teasing about it last night but I have really cool news about To Iraq & Back, my first book available in both print and digital.
In less than 1 month on sale, I have earned back my costs of producing it! How cool is that? I knew that self publishing it was a risk and it’s exceeded all my expectations so a huge thank you to everyone who has supported this effort!
In case you missed it, I’m giving away 10 physical copies over on Goodreads.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
To Iraq And Back
by Jessica Scott
Giveaway ends February 03, 2013.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
The next book The Long Way Home, I’m hoping to have up by the end of January, early February at the latest and yes, it will be available in print and digital, too.
I’ve learned a lot about the publishing process during this journey and I’m over the moon happy with the results!
If you haven’t already checked out To Iraq and Back, here’s the blurb:
From bestselling novelist Jessica Scott comes the emotional first person journey to war and back again.
In 2009, Army second lieutenant Jessica Scott deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. It was a year of many firsts.
This is the first person journey through a combat tour in Iraq, through being a woman in the army and learning to be an officer in the unforgiving environment of a brigade combat team. This is the journey of a writer, learning to find her voice. This is the journey of a mother, confronting the emotions of leaving her children. This is the story of an inexperienced lieutenant, growing into a leader. This is the journey as it happened, without commentary.
This is her blog. There are many blogs from the Iraq war, but this one is hers.
And it’s available exclusively from Amazon.com either as an ebook or print.
January 7, 2013
RIP Fluffy
Fluffy died last night. She’s been sick for a while and sadly, she succumbed last night, quietly in her sleep. Which is strange because I always figured she’d go out in an epic blaze of glory like driving off a cliff or something.
This was how our life with Fluffy started: with her trying to escape. 
Fluffy joined our family on accident. She was supposed to be the pre-k class pet and she was. What I didn’t realize was that we were going to have extensive visitation rights with her.
These extensive visitation rights looked something like this: Fluffy working the lock
Fluffy was constantly escaping. At least once a week, I’d get a text like “Fluffy’s on the lam again” and I’d tear apart the back bedroom and find her curled up in a closet sleeping soundly.
She had some good times. You can read about her first escape attempt Operation Fluffy, Diary of a Hamster Day 2, Diary of a Hamster Day 3, and Snatched from the Jaws of Death.
We buried her in a dryer sheet box
. I’m thinking there is a budding cottage industry for hamster coffins because I doubt we’re the only people in the world to bury their fluff balls. We wondered if we were going to get arrested digging a hole out at Stillhouse and contemplated the fine if we really did light a little raft on fire and give her a viking funeral worthy of such a great hamster.
Anyway, Fluffy’s gone now and I’m sad and so are my kiddos. We’ll remember the funny escapes, the constant searches and above all, the daring escapes. Rest in Peace, Fluffy. We miss you. 
January 3, 2013
To Iraq & Back Giveaway
I’m giving away 10 PRINT copies of TO IRAQ & BACK over at Goodreads. Stop on by for a chance to win!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
To Iraq And Back
by Jessica Scott
Giveaway ends February 03, 2013.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
January 2, 2013
Get the F*ck off Twitter & Write
There are no more dishes to be done, now sit down and write.
No one cares about the f*cking lolcat on Facebook. Now sit down and write.
The Kardashians can wait. Sit your ass in that chair and start writing.
I don’t care about the latest tweet from Kanye. Turn off Tweetdeck and f*cking write.
No, that grumpy cat isn’t funny. Stop clicking through to watch the Honey Badger and goddamn it, write already.
Who cares that your best friend’s cousin from high school just got engaged. You’ve got a deadline in three days and you haven’t written anything.
That cookie recipe will still be on Pinterest…and you don’t need it anyway. Sugar clogs the writer’s brain.
Here’s one last cup of coffee. Now sit your ass in that chair and you guessed it. Start writing motherf*cker.
The book won’t write itself. Now get your furry little fingers on that keyboard.
I don’t want to hear a sound other than the clackety clack clack of keys. No you can’t go to the bathroom until you hit your word count.
I don’t care if you fall asleep at that desk, keep writing.
Shhh, stop crying. Of course you’ll write again after this.
Now sit your ass in that f*cking chair and write.
January 1, 2013
December 31, 2012
New Years Hop
Happy New Year! A great way to start off the New Year is with some after holiday sales at Barnes and Noble!
December 14, 2012
When Friends Leave
I don’t make friends easily. I don’t say that as a way to ask for pity or a way to seek sympathy, it’s simply how I’m hard wired. I’ve learned some hard lessons about trust over the years and well, people who have supposedly been my friends haven’t been. I’m cautious about who I let into my life and even more who I allow into the circle of trust.
I’m watching my oldest daughter struggle with friends at school. She sees some of the girls who are super popular and she sometimes feels left out. And I don’t know how to show her that hey, not having a million friends is okay. It’s actually good because ask any of those people who seem to have a lot of friends who would be there in the middle of the night for an emergency. I bet the answer is significantly smaller than their circle.
Oh how I remember the feeling of being on the outside. I’m still not a member of the cool kids club. I’ve got many associates, many people I’m friendly with but there are only a few people who would drive to Austin in the middle of the night to bring my an overnight bag when my kid is in the hospital. Or who would check on my mom during an emergency. Or who wash your laundry when you can’t. Or who would come to my hotel room in the middle of an epic meltdown. Or let me whine while I figure out my next step and offer advice and refuse to let me wallow in my own self pity.
Those are the people I count as friends. Not people who make me feel bad for my beliefs. Not people who try to tear me down. As my daughter grows, the one thing I hope to teach is that if someone doesn’t love you for who you are, they’re not worth your time or effort. If they can’t forgive you when you screw up, they’re not worth the emotional energy. If they don’t like your clothes or your hair, screw them. They’re not worth it.
The older I get, the more I am picky about who I allow into my emotional space. I know that sounds hokey or new agey but it’s really true. I’m not perfect and anyone who expects me to be isn’t a real friend. It’s sad when people leave your life either because you put them out or because they chose to leave but at the end of the day, I’m okay with that. I can’t be all things to all people. But I can be a good friend.
Real friends are those people who are there with you when things are good. They catch you when you stumble. They love you even when you say something thoughtless or hurtful and they love you enough to tell you when you’re an ass.
December 13, 2012
Holiday Gifts of Love Hop
Happy Holidays! Enter to win a 25$ gift card from BN to help with last minute holiday shopping!
Candy Cane Kink Hop
So have you been naughty or nice this year? I bet I know. Enter the Candy Cane Kink Hop for a chance to win UNTIL THERE WAS YOU and BECAUSE OF YOU, just in time for the holidays!
New Release: TO IRAQ & BACK
This week marks the 3 year anniversary since I came home from Iraq. It’s hard to belive it’s been that long. I can still remember the empty sound of my house that first night home. I remember standing on the field, watching one of my buddies scoop up his little girl who rushed to the formation. I remember my long time mentor and friend helping me jump off my truck to make sure it would actually start the next morning.
It was strange, coming home. I ran a gamut of emotions and did so for a long time after I stepped off of that bus onto the field. Deploying to war changed the way I look at things. I look back on those blog posts and think, wow, I should have gotten my ass handed to me. But I’ve grown since then. Still, it’s part of the journey I felt needed to be captured and shared, so I pulled it together and made a book out of them.
To mark the occasion of my 3 years home from war, TO IRAQ AND BACK, my journey through the war and home again is out this week. It’s available exclusively from Amazon and it’s kindle only right now BUT I will have it available in print, hopefully before the end of the year.
Here’s the blurb:
In 2009, Army second lieutenant Jessica Scott deployed…to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. It was a year of many firsts.
This is the first person journey through a combat tour in Iraq, through being a woman in the army and learning to be an officer in the unforgiving environment of a brigade combat team. This is the journey of a writer, learning to find her voice.
This is the journey of a mother, confronting the emotions of leaving her children. This is the story of an inexperienced lieutenant, growing into a leader. This is the journey as it happened, without commentary.
This is her blog. There are many blogs from the Iraq war, but this one is hers.
I hope you’ll check it out and join me for the fun all over again.
I hope you’ll check it out and go through the journey with me, all over again. It’s how I got started as a writer. How I learned to live without my kids. How I grew up as an officer.
Here’s the link.
