J. Kenner's Blog, page 108

“My name is Kate Connor … and my second adventure is on the Nook!”

“My name is Kate Connor, and I’m a Demon Hunter.

It feels a little odd saying that. For the last fifteen-plus years, I’ve been a retired Demon Hunter, my hunting responsibilities traded for the equally dangerous, if not as dramatically compelling, duties of a stay-at-home mom to my teenager and toddler. And no, I’m not exaggerating the danger factor of mommy-dom. Infiltrating a nest of vampires at dusk might be a tad on the treacherous side, but it’s nothing compared to telling a fourteen-year-old that she’s not allowed to wear eyeshadow. Trust me. I know of what I speak.”

Yes, yes!  I’m so psyched!  Kate and California Demon are now on the Nook!  Check. It. Out.

Has The Walking Dead reached out and grabbed you, too?

Awesome post today for you guys about one of my favorite Twitter topics, The Walking Dead. Kim Griffin’s a total fangirl, as you can tell from her blog at TheFitnessMoms! So read on for some zombie goodness!

I’m thrilled to be posting on Julie’s blog today ~ thanks, Julie! When she mentioned The Walking Dead, I just about jumped out of my chair because the show is one of my current obsessions.

The Walking Dead starts off in it’s first season with a drop dead sexy sheriff (Rick) meandering through a slew of abandoned cars and what appeared to be a war zone. It’s obvious he’s looking for something when he happens upon a little girl walking in bunny slippers and carrying a teddy bear. He calls out to her a few times, “Little girl.” Finally, she turns around ~ revealing that she is a zombie.

Rick kills her.

Cue theme music.



From that short scene, I was hooked.

Fast forward a couple of seasons ~ we’re now in Season 3 ~ and have learned that there is a full blown zombie apocalypse. Technology is gone and nobody knows how many humans have survived.

One thing is true in the show ~ through all the rotting, flesh eating zombies and the running for your life scenes, the base for the entire story is the same base for any story and life in general ~ the people, their basic needs and their relationships. They still need food, water, medicine, shelter, connection and love. These needs drive the entire show. We see that in the midst of all this chaos, they find love, they make friends, and they find the evil that still exists in mankind.

One other thing we know ~ everyone is infected.

Infected. How could this be possible?



Well, if you’ve ever had the chicken pox, you know it’s possible because that’s only one example of a virus that sits inside you forever until it decides to rear it’s ugly head in the form of Shingles.

Yikes, I know.

The talk of a zombie apocalypse has grown tremendously since the beginning of the show ~ so much so that people are not only preparing for it, they are expecting it. What makes a normal rational person believe such a crazy unbelievable thing?

Consider this ~ every couple of years, a new virus pops up, seemingly out of nowhere ~ affecting human bodies in some expected and unexpected ways. Bird flu, Ebola and Bubonic Plague, to name a few.

Where do these new viruses come from? We don’t know, exactly.

Some scientists theorize that they could be coming from newly explored (and destroyed) parts of rain forests and other undisturbed places in the universe.

The more we explore or destroy those areas, the bigger the chance that we stir up viruses which may lay dormant and harmless.

Who knows what they will do?

Maybe, just maybe, one of them will turn on a part of our brain, after death, that craves human flesh. It is possible.

…and if it happens, I want Rick and Daryl in my group.

Do you watch The Walking Dead? If you could pick 2 people from the show to be in your zombie fighting group, who would you choose? Do you think a zombie apocalypse is possible?


Thanks so much for guest blogging today, Kim!

You can learn more about Kim Griffin at her blog, or give her a shout-out on Twitter or check her pins on Pinterest!

And in bonus news, I’m running a holiday contest! For the rest of this month, you can use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate! (if the widget is wonky, try refreshing the page)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sometimes, you’ve just got to say ‘what the f–k’

I am not one to live dangerously. I don’t zip in and out of traffic. I always wear my seatbelt. I toss deli meat after the expiration date. I don’t skydive, with or without a parachute. And I absolutely, positively, don’t visit websites that come through my spam filter.

But Twitter, ah, Twitter …

That’s me, today, over at The Whine Sisters, talking about the temptation to click on those damned Twitter spam links …

Songs of the Season: White Christmas (with Santa and the Reindeer!)

I love this! The vocals (by the drifters) and especially the cartoon by Joshua Held.

(I’ve got a bunch of favorites! I’ll be sharing them periodically as we countdown to Christmas and the New Year!)

Hot Holiday Blog Hop featuring Release Me … including early reads and a gift certificate!!

Follow the hop for the chance to win lots of great prizes including early reads of Release Me!

I’m super excited to be ringing in the holiday season with a fabulous blog hop sponsored by Romance at Random.



Lots and lots of awesome bloggers (including some other authors) are participating from December 1 to December 10, so you’ll get lots of looks at new authors and new books … not to mention a chance to win early reads of Release Me and even a $25 gift certificate to the retailer of your choice!

I’ve been thrilled by the feedback on Release Me from the early reviewers, so many of whom have fallen for Damien Stark and who love Nikki’s spunk! You can read the opening of Release Me on Scribd here (and I’ll be posting some steamier excerpts soon … just to tease you!).

Read, enjoy, enter the Rafflecopter, and then hop on over to the participating sites!

And thanks for stopping by!

And here are the links to all the participating bloggers. Have fun:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make Your Book Reader-Worthy

Thank goodness Shelly Thacker walks her own path, otherwise she might be a forest ranger instead of a national bestselling author giving us all sorts of fabulous books to read!

 Not sure what I’m talking about? Check out her bio!

As NaNoWriMo wraps up, I’m thrilled to have Shelly guest-blogging today with wonderful insight into the revision process and why it’s so crucial to the quality of your book … and your future sales! Check it out!

When I first jumped into the e-publishing world in early 2011, there was a “gold rush” mentality among authors. The ebook bubble would soon burst, everyone said, so you had to move fast if you wanted to get in on the bonanza. Forget about revising your book. You barely had enough time to get the file converted and click that Publish button. Upload now! Quick, before you miss out!

Today, writers have calmed down a bit. The digital bubble hasn’t burst. Kindle, Nook and tablet sales are breaking records worldwide. Ebooks are clearly here to stay. And so, as NaNoWriMo http://www.nanowrimo.org/ draws to a close for another year, I think this is a good moment to revisit a time-honored question: how much should you revise your book before you publish it?

My answer can be summed up in three words: Take Your Time. The temptation to just dash off a draft and click Publish can feel overwhelming—but it’s no way to launch a successful career.

You need to make your book reader-worthy. And that takes as long as it takes.

Today’s readers are smart, savvy consumers who aren’t shy about voicing their opinions. If they see weak dialogue, lame characterization, sloppy technique, or pointless plot twists they won’t just complain to you about it, they’ll complain to the whole book-buying world. You’ll wake up to find your book plastered with negative reviews. On Amazon. On Barnes & Noble. On Goodreads. On review blogs. Ebooks live forever—and so does bad word-of-mouth.

In this new digital world, authors still build careers the same way they always have: one book, one reader at a time. If you want to become a successful novelist, you need to start building a following right from day one. You need to publish novels that will get people talking, reviewing, blogging, Tweeting, Liking, sharing. Only your best work will take you there.

If you don’t give readers a book that’s worthy of their money, time and attention, someone else will.

So take your time. Revise, edit, then revise some more. Make sure your book will build your career, not kill your career. Your readers deserve the best you can possibly give them, so give them nothing but your best.

Authors, has the digital revolution changed the way you approach revisions?

Thanks again to Shelly for stopping by!

 Shelly’s paranormal and historical romances have won numerous national awards and lavish praise from Publishers Weekly, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Detroit Free Press, and The Oakland Press, who have called her books “innovative,” “addictive,” “erotic” and “powerful.” Her latest release, Timeless, about a stolen bride swept away to a mysterious island paradise, is currently on the Nook paranormal romance and Kindle historical fantasy bestseller lists.

Be sure to connect with Shelly at:

Website: www.shellythacker.com

Blog: http://shellythacker.blogspot.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorShellyThacker

Twitter: @shellythacker

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/shellythacker/

When the dead stay silent (and other gripes about dialogue)

A little too closed-mouthed, Michonne???

I’ve become a total fangirl of The Walking Dead, but even total fans can have the occasional gripe and, yeah, I got one.

Minor spoiler alert for what follows! So beware if you read on!

For a show wherein the characters take a lot of time talking about their feelings instead of, oh, fortifying their perimeter and making a plan for where to meet if a herd comes through and they get separated (Season Two, I’m looking at you), those same characters are quite adept at not relaying legitimate information for no reason I can see other than that the screenwriters don’t want it revealed at a particular moment.

Rick’s big secret from the CDC doctor I sorta get. But Carl not mentioning the swamp zombie? They’ve set him up to be impulsive, but not stupid.

I can even forgive that, but Rick not telling Lori exactly what happened with Shane? (And then Lori getting all bent out of shape about the whole Shane thing even though she’s the one who sat Rick down and said that Shane was dangerous? Um, hello?). For folks who spend a lot of time chatting, they managed to talk around the important stuff rather than about it.

But the one that really got me was in Season 3, this last episode. There’s Michonne, who’s witnessed Merle taking Glenn and Maggie. She’s heard that Merle is looking for his brother. She can see that Merle knows Glenn. She knows that he has lost a hand.

So what does she do when she gets to the prison? She entirely and completely fails to mention that Glenn and Maggie were taken by a one-handed man who actually knew Glenn and who was looking for his brother. Why? Because the screenwriters willed it to be so. (And no, I don’t buy that it’s because she’s so close-mouthed naturally; she did tell some information–such as what they said about how to reach the prison–and relaying the rest only strengthens her position that she should be treated as an ally, not a prisoner.)

That’s the kind of thing that pulls me out of movies and books, because it’s so contrary to the way the characters would actually behave. “Just say something!” my husband and I will scream at the TV. “Why the hell doesn’t she (or he) just say X?”

I get that it’s hard as heck sometimes to move the story forward in the way you want it to go if you have to reveal certain things that another character knows. (You also see this in books where you’re in the murderer’s point of view, but he/she never things anything damning. Uh, really?) It’s worth working on those scenes, though, to make the characters feel more real and the scenario more believable.

Here’s the thing, Walking Dead writers: I love the show. I love the characters. But let the characters do the talking and keep the writerly manipulation invisible. Please, please, pretty please!

What about you? Did those scenes bug you, too? Did you notice or just go with the flow? Do you get irritated when you see the writer’s fingers in a book or movie or tv show?

Leslie Langtry – Julie Kenner Fan Girl! (or ‘Scuse me while I find a chicken suit …)

 

Available for 99 cents at most retailers! Trust me … Grab a copy!

When Leslie sent me her guest post for the day, she told me I wasn’t allowed to change it … and then I read it and totally got all mushy!  The whole chicken suit thing, however, really is tempting …

Leslie Langtry is the author of the Bombay’s Greatest Hits series (which includes ‘Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy — available for 99 cents at most retailers!), The Adulterer’s Unofficial Guide to Family Vacations, and (according to her website) several books she hasn’t finished yet, because she’s very lazy.  (ha!)

Romantic Times says this about the Bombay family series: “Langtry’s ability to make this lethal and outrageous clan both funny and somewhat endearing is a testament to her style. Who knew the assassination business could produce so many laughs…”

I think the books are awesome, too (and you’ll see proof of that below … wink!)

At any rate, without further ado, please welcome Leslie to the blog!

It’s true.  The moment I read Carpe Demon – I was hooked on Julie Kenner (well, not literally hooked – because that would be awkward and stalkerish).  I loved the idea of a soccer mom/demon hunter.  At the time, I was just starting my soccer mom/assassin stuff.  Reading Julie’s books gave me the inspiration I needed to work on and finish the book.

Let’s go back to the beginning.  It was the mid-2000’s, chick lit was dying off (Noooooooo!).  Publishers had shut down their humor lines (because no one liked laughing…I guess?).  Things were bleak.  I was 38 and finally decided to write a book to see if I could sell it.  I’d been to a couple of Romance Writers of America national conferences, and all I heard from editors was, “Do you do medieval Scotland (um, no, I can barely spell the names)?  Or dark paranormal (is a cannibal shapeshifter too dark?)?  Or serial killer suspense (yeah…that stuff creeps me out)?”

The fact is, I wanted to make people laugh.  I wanted to write to write about characters my age (mostly because I can’t remember what it was like to be under the age of 30).  “No one is doing that,” was the response I heard over and over.

Then in 2005, I read Carpe Demon.  And suddenly there was a glimmer of hope.  Someone else was doing what I wanted to do – and doing it well, I might add.  So in between waiting for each new Demon book to come out – I wrote a book about a widowed soccer mom, named Gin Bombay, who happens to be in the family business of assassination.

In 2006, I sold the book on my 40th birthday to a publisher.  My editor asked if there was any author in particular I’d like a blurb from.  I immediately asked for Julie Kenner.  And Julie came through!

“With an irreverent, tell-it-like-it-is, suburban-mom-assassin narrator, Leslie Langtry’s ‘Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy delivers wild and wicked fun.” – USA Today Bestselling Author, Julie Kenner.

Do I need to tell you how awesome that was?  That quote was the first, serious validation of my writing – and it came from my hero – Julie Kenner!

So basically, if Julie asked me to write a book in a storefront window, dressed like a chicken for a week.  I’d totally do it.  For her (not for anyone else because chicken suits chafe).

Thank you Julie Kenner!

Julie here:  See what I mean about mushy?  (I swear I didn’t pay her off to say good things.)  And, honestly, I’m so touched by Leslie’s kind words that I’ll totally give her a pass on the chicken suit thing.  (That’s reasonable, right?)

I want to thank Leslie for offering to guest blog today and apologize in advance if I don’t pop in as much as I’d like to.  I’m at the hospital today for Isabella’s bone graft surgery, and not only do I not know the WiFi situation, but I’m also probably a bit distracted!

Visit Leslie at her website or on Facebook!

Thanks in advance for making Leslie welcome!  Have you read the Bombay series?  Do you like kickass suburban moms?  Should we toss a few demons their way and have Kate join forces with the Bombay family?  Hmmm…. 

We’re off to see the wizard, um, surgeon! At Dell Children’s Hospital!

Hello, cutie! Mom loves ya!

Our darling Isabella is growing up so fast. She’s nine now, and it’s hard to believe we adopted her just over six years ago. Time flies!

When we adopted her at age 3, her palate had not yet been repaired, though her lip had been repaired in China. (Those of you who are new to my blog may not know that our youngest daughter was born with a cleft lip and palate).

She had her palate repaired at age three and a half. And since then, she’s had two lip revisions (you can barely see the scar now!) and tomorrow she’s having one of the biggies. The docs at the cranio-facial clinic at Dell Children’s Medical center will be taking a bit of bone from her hip tomorrow (Wednesday) to graft into the one place the cleft still remains: her upper gumline. This will give her permanent teeth a place to anchor (and improve her speech even more).

It’s amazing how far she’s come. From not being able to articulate any words at all (it’s impossible without a palate) to being completely understandable (except for the odd word here and there).

She’s such a young lady now … not to mention a trooper! A shame she’s the only kid on the planet who doesn’t like milk shakes, because she’s on a liquid diet for the next two weeks. Ugh!

Here she is just a few months ago. (I stealth recorded in Bloomingdales while her big sister was trying on clothes! She’s a doll … and her speech is great!)

And here she is six years ago before the palate repair (this tape is long; we made it for the speech therapist)

Hugs to my darling Isabella! We love you and we’re so proud of you!

Sister Magic … or not!

And when they’re good, they’re very good…and when they’re bad they drive mommy nuts!

I’m in a sentimental mood this week because, as I’ll be blogging about more tomorrow, this week is our little Isabella’s bone graft surgery.  As those of you who’ve followed my various blogs over the years know, we adopted Isabella in 2006 right about the time she turned three (she actually got her citizenship on her third birthday when we hit the first port of entry in the U.S.!)

Earlier today, I was helping our oldest daughter, Catherine (now 11) make prototype jewelry for the fifth grade business fair.  Isabella came down wanting to help, and in typical  pre-teen fashion, Catherine sent her away.  Sigh.  (They play well together when they play well … but when they don’t, it’s fireworks.  I was an only child.  I hear this is normal. But dang, it can be trying!)

Anyway, I was doing some computer clean up today and ran across this very old post from before our travel to China.  I thought it was apropos!

Awwwww!

Kids say the sweetest things!

Lately C has taken to playing in the backyard (and independently, too!). Today she was out there until the last possible minute, begging “just five more minutes!” off her dad every five minutes until the sun was disappearing behind the trees. At one point, I decided to go check on her, and found that she’d been plucking flowers and leaves off our various plants. This is a normal state of affairs around our house … D and I are convinced she has a future career in horticulture!

At any rate, we moved her Little Tykes kitchen outside at the beginning of summer, and these bits of plant are usually part of some fabulous new “dish” she’s making, so I asked if she was cooking something. She said no, and very excitedly urged me over to look at what she’d done. A circle of bits of petals, leaves, sticks and more. “What is that?” I asked.

“Magic,” she said. “To bring my sister home faster.”

I swear, I teared up!

I can’t wait to see my two little girls playing together!

Hmmm.  I wonder if I can sprinkle some of that magic dust around for perpetual peace among siblings?  It’s a thought …

Were you an only child or one of several?  Reassure me that the bickering is normal?  Pretty please?