Jessica Scott's Blog, page 28

Prepping For RWA 12

So this marks my 3rd RWA. For those of you wondering what RWA is, it’s the Romance Writers of America national conference and it’s a hella good time.

The first time I went to RWA, I was six months back from Iraq and didn’t really have any idea what was going to happen. I stressed about what to wear, what shoes I needed, what I was going to pitch. I was a nervous wreck.

I had a freaking blast. Deirdre Knight told me it’s a great big group of sisters and it really, really is.

The second year, I again stressed about clothes and shoes. I lucked out and got two really great pairs of shoes that did not kill my feet. It was a godsend because I sure did walk all over New York. I announced the sale of my first book and got to wear the awesome First Sale ribbon. It felt like a million bucks.

This year, I’m in a different position. For the first time, I’m not overly stressing about clothes or pitching. I AM going to have my first ever book signing, though, and I’m completely freaked out about it. I’ve got a bunch of clothes that I bought for conference that I never wore (seriously, it’s four days, I do not need 10 outfits) and I’m going to be completely gauche and wear the same shoes as last year because, well, they’re comfortable and that, my fellow writer friends, is the most important thing.

So in the spirit of prepping for RWA, here’s my go to list of must haves in order for me to successfully survive RWA.

DAY (Stuff in my tote)

TECH

Iphone

ipad

Charger

Headphones

BUSINESS

Business cards

Book Cards

Notebook & Pen

Bandaids

Blister bandaids

Motrin/tylenol

NIGHT (oh the parties)

Small camera

Business Cards

Lipgloss

Bandaids

Iphone

Motrin/Tylenol

Stop by next week for my RWA Survival Guide: Makeup Tips and the oh so important RWA Survival Guide: Saving Your Feet!

Guest Blog: First Impressions by Elisabeth Barrett

Please join me in welcoming fellow Loveswept author Elisabeth Barrett! Her sizzling debut novel DEEP AUTUMN HEAT will be out Monday!

I’d like to thank fellow Loveswept author Jessica Scott for hosting me. I’m thrilled to be here! Today, I’d like to talk about several of my favorite topics: Jane Austen, first impressions, and romance novels.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was the first romance novel I read, and to this day, it remains my favorite. The original title of Pride and Prejudice was First Impressions, and if you know the story, you can understand why. I won’t insult people’s intelligence by summarizing the plot here (as a card-carrying member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, I simply assume that everyone has read the book), but I will provide a little set-up. Elizabeth Bennet (the heroine) is at an assembly in Meryton. When Mr. Bingley asks Mr. Darcy (the hero) to dance with Elizabeth, he refuses. Believing he cannot be overheard, Mr. Darcy says:

“I certainly shall not [dance]. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with.”

Then he specifically insults Elizabeth:

“She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.”

Add in Mr. Darcy’s thwarting of Mr. Bingley’s marriage to Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, and it is no wonder that Elizabeth spends a good portion of the book furious with him.

Happily, Mr. Darcy redeems himself, encouraging Elizabeth to befriend his sister, aiding Elizabeth’s family when scandal threatens to ruin them, and encouraging Mr. Bingley to once again pursue Jane. Why? Because he falls in love with Elizabeth. At the end of the novel, Mr. Darcy apologizes for his prideful behavior, Elizabeth apologizes for her prejudicial behavior, and of course they get their happily ever after.

It was with first impressions in mind that I wrote my debut novel, Deep Autumn Heat, which releases on July 9th. Sebastian Grayson, chef-owner of New York City hotspot Helena, is back in his Cape Cod hometown of Star Harbor to recharge. The last thing he expects is to find inspiration, but when he steps foot into the Lexie Meyers Kitchen and takes one bite of Lexie’s delectable coconut cake, he immediately gets hooked—on her. But Lexie isn’t sold on him. She’s got her own issues to worry about, namely starting a catering business out of her already-successful restaurant, but she also isn’t interested in dealing with Seb, despite his looks and fame.

Why?

Because on first impression, Seb comes across as presumptuous, arrogant, and overbearing. When he first meets Lexie, he blatantly scopes her out. He swaggers around town, challenges her to a cook-off when she’d really rather be steering clear of him, and generally makes a nuisance of himself by hanging around her restaurant.

In short, he starts out as kind of a jerk.

Thing is, even though Lexie is attracted to him, she’s no pushover, and she gives as good as she gets. When he tries to use his greatest assets—his celebrity and his looks—to get in with her, she shuts him down cold, refusing to acknowledge either. And then he goes about everything the wrong way. Once he realizes that she truly loves cooking, he challenges her to a cook-off, but Lexie views this as an invasion, not a collaboration, and it doesn’t really get him closer to her.

He’s forced to step back, reassess his approach, and actually change his behavior in order to get what he wants. When he gives her enough room to invite him into her kitchen to help instead of demanding she let him in, the two are able to move their relationship forward.

In Deep Autumn Heat, it was a huge challenge to write a story in which everyone might not like the hero at the outset. I hoped that by the end of the book, readers would see Seb has changed and grown as a person and would be rooting for him. (Whether or not I was successful is something you’ll have to judge for yourself).

Throughout the book, Seb continues to evolve, thanks to Lexie’s spunkiness, warmth, and vulnerability. He’s able to apply much of what he’s learned from her to both his personal and professional lives. By the end of the book, Seb is redeemed, but he isn’t completely tamed. Yet thanks to Lexie, he is definitely a better person—one who is finally worthy of her.

About Deep Autumn Heat:

In this sexy new Star Harbor romance series, featuring the too-tempting Grayson brothers, a celebrity chef turns up the heat for a local café owner—and things start to sizzle.

Lexie Meyers decides there’s nothing sweeter than watching Sebastian Grayson’s perfect, wicked mouth devour her coconut cake. He’s hot, he’s hungry, and he’s sizing her up like she’s the best thing on the menu. But she’s been burned in the past and flings just aren’t her thing. Too bad Sebastian can’t resist a challenge.

Worldly, famous, and notorious with the ladies, Seb had planned a weekend of fishing and relaxation with his brothers. Until Lexie, with her kissable lips and frosty “get lost” attitude, makes him want to forget his culinary empire and create some magic with her. After he fires up his charm—including challenging her to a televised cook-off to break through her resistance—it’s now hotter in the bedroom than it is in the kitchen and Lexie isn’t sure whether she’s lost her mind . . . or just her heart.

View an excerpt of Deep Autumn Heat on Scribd: Click here.

Pre-order Deep Autumn Heat: Kindle | Nook | ITunes |

About Elisabeth:

Raised in a sleepy little Connecticut town, Elisabeth draws on her upbringing to write small-town romances. Her summers spent living and working on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard were the inspiration for the Star Harbor series, which kicks off with Deep Autumn Heat and continues with Blaze of Winter (coming September 2012). Currently, Elisabeth lives in Northern California with her husband and three children. She loves Mr. Darcy. Find her online: Website | Blog | Facebook

How about a Giveaway?

One commenter will be randomly selected to win a NetGalley preview of Deep Autumn Heat. Contest ends July 12th at midnight (EDT).You’ll need a NetGalley account, and to answer the questions below:

Have you ever had an instance where your first impression of someone wasn’t the correct impression? Did they change or did you?

Summer Reads Giveaway Hop

I love these blog hops. They’re such a great way for readers to follow and find new sites and authors!

So in the spirit of summer reads, I’m going to support my fellow sisters at LOVESWEPT and give away:

DEEP AUTUMN HEAT by ELISABETH BARRET

RIDE WITH ME by RUTHIE KNOX

ABOUT LAST NIGHT by RUTHIE KNOX

BECAUSE OF YOU by ME

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget to check out the other links in the hop!

Heh Heh…It’s the Cocked & Loaded Hop

No, that’s not a double entendre at ALL.

So we’re giving away sexy heroes and well, let’s be honest, Shane Garrison in BECAUSE OF YOU has a pretty sexy book cover. So, here’s your chance to enter to win a copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ALERT: PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS NEED VOLUNTEERS TODAY!

Fort Hood and Central Texas Folks Just an FYI- The Patriot Guard is looking for riders to help escort the LTC from Bragg. If you are interested here is the information. They let anyone help, even cagers (car drivers). If you dont have plans for the 4th, think about this.

Extreme Short Notice:

LTC Roy Tisdale, U.S. Army Active Duty

The Patriot Guard Riders have been invited to participate in the airport recovery of LTC Roy Tisdale. LTC Tisdale was assigned to Ft. Bragg, NC as a battalion commander. His home town was listed as Alvin, Tx.

Date/Time: Wednesday, July 4th, 2012 @ 2:00PM

Location: ABIA Air Cargo Facility (formerly the US Postal facility parking lot)

Directions: From Tx HWY 71, enter ABIA at the CARGO/ SERVICE entrance (not the “terminal” entrance!). Turn south onto Spirit of Texas Drive. At first stop sign turn right onto Freight Lane. Stay left at the Y and continue to end of road, approx 3/4 mile. Large parking lot will be on the right.

http://tinyurl.com/ABIAPostal

Timeline:

2:00pm – 2:30pm Staging

2:30pm – Safety Briefing

2:45pm – Relocate to Aviation Ramp

3:16pm – Aircraft Arrival

Wx: Partly cloudy, Lo of 75 and hi of 98 deg. 10% possibility of rain (KVUE Wx)

Notes: We will stage at the Air Cargo Facility at ABIA. Please arrive fueled (topped off), fed, and hydrated. Begin hydrating the night before. Bring a bottle of water for yourself and one for a friend. This is an East Texas PGR mission. We will accompany the LEO escorted procession to Dimebox Tx where we will have a short stop at the K&C Quickstop (Exxon) and meet up with our east texas PGR members. They will then accompany the procession to College Station. All riders may continue on to College Station if you so desire, under the direction of the east texas Ride Captain. The ride from ABIA to Dime Box is about 63 miles, with no planned stops.

Ride Captain: Andy Lough andy.lough@wnco.com 512-441-9297

Flag Wrangler: N/A

Please make plans to stand for one of our active duty soldiers who stood for freedom and the American way.

BECAUSE OF YOU Hard Copy Winners

Okay folks, the end of June has come and gone. The winners of the BECAUSE OF YOU hard copies are:

Sue K

Andrea W.

Please email me your shipping information so I can get them in the mail! Thanks to everyone who signed up and I’ll do another give away as soon as I get more ARCs!

A Credibility Gap

I wrote last week about how the 90s Army wasn’t all that and a bag of chips. It wasn’t. And lest I get sucked down the rabbit hole of fond memories, I’m going to caveat this post by starting off with: I was a young soldier and junior NCO in the 90s army. But we as leaders today have a credibility gap with our young soldiers and it shows.

Now, what do I mean when I say we have a credibility gap. If you read the Army times on any given week, you’ll see a litany of stories about soldiers, junior or senior who make the news for some tragically horrible reason or another. You’ll see stories about senior leader misconduct and stories of said senior leaders being exonerated by a jury of their peers for said senior leader misconduct.

But I’m not talking about “serious misconduct” in this post. I’m talking about army leaders’ most basic and potentially most pressing problem: we don’t believe our own bullshit. And neither do our soldiers.

Every week we give safety briefings about don’t drink and drive, don’t do drugs, practice safe sex, drunk sex is not safe sex (or maybe that’s just me). Either way, company commanders, first sergeants and a wide array of army leaders stand in front of their formations and talk about all the bad, dumb and just plain ignorant things we really don’t want our soldiers doing over the course of the weekend.

And then we go out and we text on our cell phones, we go to bars and get hammered and make as ass of ourselves, we sleep with our subordinates, we use our rank and our position to avoid doing things that we ask our junior soldier to do.

In the Gold Book, it talks about how the junior enlisted soldiers in our army commit more than 60% of our misconduct and it also mentions the stark demarcation between offenses committed by SGTs and higher. The demarcation is even stronger when you compare officer misconduct to enlisted misconduct.

So what the Gold Book seems to suggest is that something magical happens when a soldier goes from Specialist to Sergeant. That suddenly, the troubled population of our enlisted folks pins on the NCO stripes and is transformed from potential former problem child to stellar leader.

I call bull. Now there are a number of factors that could be contributing to the demarcation of misconduct but I’m willing to suggest that one of the strongest reasons for it is that we don’t police our leaders the same way we police our junior soldiers. Leaders don’t have to come to formation. Leaders can skip out on urinalysis. Leaders will have their DUIs swept under the rug so long as it doesn’t hit the blotter and the commanding general doesn’t find out about it. Leaders will ride their motorcycles on the weekend without their PPE and nothing will happen to them.

Because they’re a good leader.

We have a credibility gap in our leadership if we as leaders go out and do all of these things and our junior soldiers see it. It makes them want to join the cool kids club, if only so the threat of being punished for these things is reduced. We have an officer corps who is by and large unwilling to write a referred OER, which means that we have lieutenants making captain who should not even be in the army. We have captains making major who damn sure shouldn’t have made captain. These things will change as the army draws down but their legacy continues.

But none of it gets after the simply fact that we have an NCO and Officer corps today that says do as I say not as I do. If we want to reduce the sexual assaults, the DUIs, the motorcycle deaths, then we as leaders need to start living the Army values that we pay lip service to now. They’re our shared collective values and yet, we don’t live them. We give mandatory training about don’t drink and drive but our soldiers are afraid to call us for a ride because they either don’t think we’ll come get them or they think they’ll get crucified. So they get behind the wheel of a car.

Our soldiers don’t trust us. And that is entirely our fault.

Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop!

[image error]

It’s the 4th of July Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop. I’m gearing up to head to RWA Nationals in a couple of weeks so the hops will slow down toward the end of this month. Hopefully soon, there will be hard copies of BECAUSE OF YOU to giveaway. BUT in the mean time, enter to win a digital copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure you check out the other great sites in the hop!

Thoughts on BRAVE

Took my 5 & 7 year old to see the movie BRAVE today. I’d been warned that it was a little scary and not as good as one might think. There are reviews on yahoo movies that talk about it being feminist drivel and the heroine being a spoiled brat and really, who wants to see a movie about another spoiled tomboy princess?

Set aside all of that for one second and join me on a meandering stroll through themes, modern society and film writing.

STOP READING IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS

There are parts of the movie that are VERY scary. During at least two parts of the movie, both girls were curled into my chest, not watching the movie.

First, let me categorically say that I loved the mother Elinor’s character. BRAVE was a rich adventure in story telling that for once did not paint the mother as an oppressive, one dimensional bitch. Elinor (the mother) was actually down to earth, doing her best to prepare her daughter for the life she had been born to. She had to deal with a husband who was more inclined to brawling than running the kingdom, a daughter who wanted to do what she wanted without any responsibilities, and three sons who were pretty much spoiled little monsters. In short, Elinor is thematically today’s working mother, trying to do it all. Sure, she had a castle full of servants but still, the movie did a good job of showing her as a sympathetic working mom.

Fergus, the king, was a lovable oath who loved his wife and loved his kids but didn’t do a really good job being a dad or a king. His love of his family was the number one reason he wasn’t an annoying loafer who left his wife to handle it all. His sons weren’t cute ragamuffins, though, they did come through in the end for their sister.

So on to Merida. Merida is getting mixed reviews. One the one hand, yes, she’s a tomboy if you accept the notion that a girl cannot enjoy horseback riding, archery and playing in the woods. But I didn’t see her as a tomboy, per se, so much as she simply wasn’t interested in home and hearth so much as her mother seemed to think she was ready. So you have the typical teen rebellion, I don’t want to listen to my parents and I want to do what I want.

The first turning point of the movie came after Merida wins the archery tournament and she and her mother have a knock down drag out. Merida and her mother do a lot of talking at each other but not too much talking to each other. During the major fight, I did think Merida went over the top: telling her mother she’d rather die than be like her. I thought that was a little extreme considering the tribes had not actually gone to war over her stunt.

So the major surprise of the movie is not that Merida ends up with a prince. For the first time, a princess isn’t involved with a prince at the end of the movie.

Merida & Elinor’s journey starts when Merida has to undo a spell that changes her mother. Well, she asked for change but the change wasn’t, big surprise, what she expected. The rest of the movie is spent trying to change Elinor back to herself from, get this, a mother bear. Which was really fitting symbolism. There’s also the big demon bear who was also changed by the same witch and I thought the story could have been done a little differently here but since the crux of the story revolved around family and especially a mother’s love for her child, it is show beautifully in the final battle where Elinor, as the mother bear, battles the demon bear to save her family.

It’s really great symbolism about how the mother of this family will do everything to protect her family.

What I didn’t like: The demon bear was waay to scary for a kids movie. I mean, for Wild America? Sure. But there was a good thirty minute stretch where the movie is really dark and scary and yes, your kids will probably be scared. But hide their eyes for the scary parts because I think despite that, the overall message is really powerful.

Also, I would have liked to have seen Fergus have been slightly more responsible as a parent and supporting his wife. Elinor was the heart of that family, as seen when she disappears from being “sick” the entire castle devolves into chaos and the kingdom nearly devolves into war. The demon bear represented the other side of Fergus. On the one hand you have the permissive, loving father in Fergus and on the other hand you have the evil male bear who is going to take what he wants from Merida (yes I do think that symbolism is on purpose).

All in all, I thought BRAVE was a really strong movie about the struggles that women face in balancing the welfare of their children in preparing them for the world and trying to let them live their own lives. Elinor was motivated by love and while Merida was somewhat spoiled for trying to get the spell to change her mother, she came through in the end and accepts responsibility for her actions in the end. Overall, Elinor was the hero of the movie, hands down. The mother bear theme was effective, if scary, and I think its refreshing for a change to have a mom daughter relationship portrayed like it was.

I loved it.

Who Wants an ARC of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU

Okay so this may be a little bit early but I’m *really* hoping that UNTIL THERE WAS YOU is almost ready to go. So, if you’re a reader or a reviewer and would like an Advance Reader Copy of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU, please sign up here. The only thing I ask in return is that you leave a review at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Goodreads or D all of the above if you’re really up for helping me out!

Anyway, they’re not available yet, but as soon as they are, if you’re on this list, you’ll be the first to know!

#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:150px;}
/* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block.
We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */



UNTIL THERE WAS YOU ARC REQUEST
* indicates required

Email Address *





First Name *





Last Name



URL



Website

var mce_preload_checks = 0;
function mce_preload_check(){
if (mce_preload_checks>40) return;
mce_preload_checks++;
try {
var jqueryLoaded=jQuery;
} catch(err) {
setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250);
return;
}
try {
var validatorLoaded=jQuery("#fake-form").validate({});
} catch(err) {
setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250);
return;
}
mce_init_form();
}
function mce_init_form(){
jQuery(document).ready( function($) {
var options = { errorClass: 'mce_inline_error', errorElement: 'div', onkeyup: function(){}, onfocusout:function(){}, onblur:function(){} };
var mce_validator = $("#mc-embedded-subscribe-form").validate(options);
$("#mc-embedded-subscribe-form").unbind('submit');//remove the validator so we can get into beforeSubmit on the ajaxform, which then calls the validator
options = { url: 'http://jessicascott.us4.list-manage.c...?', type: 'GET', dataType: 'json', contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
beforeSubmit: function(){
$('#mce_tmp_error_msg').remove();
$('.datefield','#mc_embed_signup').each(
function(){
var txt = 'filled';
var fields = new Array();
var i = 0;
$(':text', this).each(
function(){
fields[i] = this;
i++;
});
$(':hidden', this).each(
function(){
var bday = false;
if (fields.length == 2){
bday = true;
fields[2] = {'value':1970};//trick birthdays into having years
}
if ( fields[0].value=='MM' && fields[1].value=='DD' && (fields[2].value=='YYYY' || (bday && fields[2].value==1970) ) ){
this.value = '';
} else if ( fields[0].value=='' && fields[1].value=='' && (fields[2].value=='' || (bday && fields[2].value==1970) ) ){
this.value = '';
} else {
if (/\[day\]/.test(fields[0].name)){
this.value = fields[1].value+'/'+fields[0].value+'/'+fields[2].value;
} else {
this.value = fields[0].value+'/'+fields[1].value+'/'+fields[2].value;
}
}
});
});
return mce_validator.form();
},
success: mce_success_cb
};
$('#mc-embedded-subscribe-form').ajaxForm(options);

});
}
function mce_success_cb(resp){
$('#mce-success-response').hide();
$('#mce-error-response').hide();
if (resp.result=="success"){
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(resp.msg);
$('#mc-embedded-subscribe-form').each(function(){
this.reset();
});
} else {
var index = -1;
var msg;
try {
var parts = resp.msg.split(' - ',2);
if (parts[1]==undefined){
msg = resp.msg;
} else {
i = parseInt(parts[0]);
if (i.toString() == parts[0]){
index = parts[0];
msg = parts[1];
} else {
index = -1;
msg = resp.msg;
}
}
} catch(e){
index = -1;
msg = resp.msg;
}
try{
if (index== -1){
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);
} else {
err_id = 'mce_tmp_error_msg';
html = '
'+msg+'

';

var input_id = '#mc_embed_signup';
var f = $(input_id);
if (ftypes[index]=='address'){
input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-addr1';
f = $(input_id).parent().parent().get(0);
} else if (ftypes[index]=='date'){
input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-month';
f = $(input_id).parent().parent().get(0);
} else {
input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index];
f = $().parent(input_id).get(0);
}
if (f){
$(f).append(html);
$(input_id).focus();
} else {
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);
}
}
} catch(e){
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);
}
}
}