Jenny Hale's Blog, page 9
June 12, 2020
The Summer Collection is Here!
I’m thrilled to tell you that my new Summer Collection boxset is available to buy!
Grab your copy right here!
Amazon: https://geni.us/B089KDLN8QBoxSetSM
Apple: http://ow.ly/Krto50A2zg6
Kobo: http://ow.ly/Bw3i50A2zfn
Google: http://ow.ly/4FDr50A2zii
Here’s what’s included:
Looking for the perfect summer escape? Treat yourself to three gorgeous standalone novels from bestseller Jenny Hale, and feel the sun on your skin, breathe in the sea breeze and indulge in some heartwarming beach romance.
The Summer House Some summers will stay with you forever...Since Callie put her life savings into renovating a beach house on the dazzling white sand of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, she hasn’t looked back. And when she catches the attention of local heartthrob Luke, his blue eyes and easy smile promise to make this a summer an unforgettable one. But the discovery of a diary full of secrets threatens everything. Will they be pulled apart by the storm it unleashes?
Summer by the Sea There’s always one summer that changes you…For Faith the one summer she can’t forget is when she fell in love as a teenager – only for her sister to steal her man. Now, at the request of her beloved grandmother, Faith has agreed to a family holiday – at their childhood beach house, where it all began. But she isn’t prepared for seeing Jake again – or the long-forgotten feelings he ignites. Can Faith overcome the hurt of the past and make this a summer to remember?
The Summer Hideaway Summer has a secret in store…Alice has swapped city living for the beautiful beaches of the Outer Banks, launching an ice cream shop in the little house by the sea where she spent childhood holidays. Love is the last thing on her mind, until she meets Jack, who she can’t resist spending sunshine-filled days and long romantic evenings with. But when Alice discovers an old letter tucked away in the beach house, a secret threatens everything. Will her dreams be shattered and her heart broken?
Fans of Mary Alice Monroe, Nancy Thayer and Susan Mallery will fall head over heels for The Jenny Hale Summer Collection.
June 7, 2020
Firefly Beach Giveaway!
To celebrate the release my second Firefly Beach novel, The House at Firefly Beach (see it here), I wish I could say I’m taking everyone to the beach! Since I can’t, I’ll do the next best thing: I’m giving away TWO SIGNED Firefly Beach bundles with both books in the series along with a magnetic bookmark to 2 lucky winners!
All you have to do to enter is make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter and like, comment, or share this post on Facebook and/or Twitter!
Closes Wednesday, June 10th. Winners will be announced in my June 15th newsletter!
June 5, 2020
Sneak Peek of the Audiobook!
Friday, June 5th The House on Firefly Beach hit eReaders worldwide! I’ve got a sneak peek of the audiobook! Have a listen here: https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/the-house-on-firefly-beach-by-jenny-hale-read-by-patricia-rodriguez
June 4, 2020
Get your summer on!
The House on Firefly Beach (the second novel in the Firefly Beach series) is out in worldwide eBook and paperback Friday, June 5th! It can be read as a stand-alone or as the 2nd book in the series, so snap it up! It costs less than my favorite latte.
Details here:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B086DF3TP5Social
Apple: https://apple.co/2vSCZch
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2QPSzN3
Google: https://bit.ly/2QR2J05
June 1, 2020
Spreading the Love
Now, more than ever, we need happiness in our lives. We need sandy beaches, snowfalls, blue skies—whatever will take our minds off what’s pouring out of our televisions right now.
This site and my socials are places where you can go to get away from it all! And I’m kicking off the week with a Blue Skies Giveaway! Win THREE signed novels and a bookmark—a perfect escape to somewhere beautiful.
To enter, just comment on my IG, Twitter, or Facebook giveaway post with your favorite happy moment or thought! Open on all my socials, and internationally, the winner will be drawn at random from all entries and contacted via comment. (Closes Wednesday, June 3rd.)
May 31, 2020
New Releases!
THIS WEEK I have two books to celebrate! Tuesday, the first novel in my Firefly Beach series, Summer at Firefly Beach (previously released on eBook and POD in 2019) will hit US store shelves. The second book in the series, The House on Firefly Beach (which can be read as a standalone novel if you haven't read the first one) will be released this Friday (my birthday!) worldwide on eBook and POD.
We need an escape now, more than ever, and books are great because, if you treat yourself to an eBook, for the cost of a latte, you can spend hours at your favorite beach, soaking up the sun while diving in to the lives of your favorite characters. I’d be delighted if you’d have a look at The House on Firefly Beach! Here are the links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B086DF3TP5Cover Apple: https://apple.co/2vSCZch Kobo: https://bit.ly/2QPSzN3 Google: https://bit.ly/2QR2J05
May 25, 2020
Summer Party Time!
Hope you’ve had a great Memorial Day Weekend! This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer for a lot of us, and I know our vacation plans are a little different this year.
Since books are portable vacations, let’s get a HUGE summer party started! I’ve got THREE book celebrations in the next two weeks, and it’s a party on my socials right now, starting with Facebook, where you can find this giveaway (and more in the next two weeks)!
This week, the Forever mass market paperback will hit US shelves! To celebrate, I’m giving away this gift basket with Nashville chocolate, a SIGNED copy of the book, and a one-of-a-kind coffee (or tea) mug on Facebook!
The winner will be chosen at 4pm US central time Tuesday, the 26th. Open US only. (Those outside of the US, don’t worry! Your shot is coming soon... Stay tuned!)
May 24, 2020
Easy Deviled Eggs Even Your Kid Might Eat
The quarantine has me cooking like crazy! I don’t claim to know anything about cooking—my husband usually does it. We got a new air fryer, I’ve baked cakes, and I’m making my own lattes… I’m always in the kitchen these days. So I came up with this easy little deviled eggs recipe I thought I’d share. I hope you like!
My problem with deviled eggs is that I don’t like vinegar. There. I said it. Apologies to all the vinegar lovers. But I love deviled eggs. There’s something about that creamy yolk that pulls me right in. I make them all the time for breakfast, but because of my aversion to vinegar, I’ve tweaked the recipe. I can often be found at my desk, typing away while munching on these…
This recipe is fit for anyone who isn’t a pickle lover but still wants those glorious creamy egg centers. Here’s how I do it:
Empty the yolks of 2 eggs into a bowl. Save the whites for stuffing later.
Mix 1 teaspoon mayo (I use an all-natural mayo with avocado oil) and 1 teaspoon mustard of your choice (I use yellow); mix until creamy.
Add shredded cheese. (I used a 4-blend mix of Monterey Jack, Asadero, Cheddar, and Queso Quesadilla, but I’ve also just used Cheddar.); Fold in the cheese.
Stuff the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and sprinkle season salt on top.
Enjoy!
May 8, 2020
I'm Party Crashing Your Book Club!
Diehard fans, I’ve got a contest for you! Email me a screenshot of your preorder of THE HOUSE ON FIREFLY BEACH with subject line WIN to be entered for a chance to have me at your next book club (virtually). Contest ends May 30. jenny@itsjennyhale.com
One winner. Book Club must be held during an agreed upon time and date with Jenny. Good luck!
May 7, 2020
Author Quick Chat with Annie Rains
Remember back in late January, when I got together with NY Times Bestselling Author RaeAnne Thayne to have a quick chat about writing and life? You can see that chat here. This month I’ve got another author you shouldn’t miss! Today, I’m chatting with USA Today Bestselling author Annie Rains, and you’re invited to listen in! The two of us sat down this week for a little virtual conversation. Grab a cup of coffee and join us! We hope you enjoy this little glimpse into our world…
A Conversation with Annie Rains
Jenny: Whenever someone asks how I come up with ideas, the question is so broad that I struggle to give a concise answer. I get my ideas from everywhere. It’s all about painting a picture with words. It could be a setting that moves me. Sometimes I’ll go somewhere and imagine an entire cast of characters in a particular place and need to express what their world is like. Other times, my ideas come in the form of some kind of emotion that’s generated by another creative outlet—be it a song lyric, a movie, another novel… My inspiration comes from trying to harness that same emotion in my own words.
Do you have a specific thing (or things!) that grabs you and gives you inspiration?
Annie: You kind of just described my technique to a tee! I grab my ideas from everywhere too. I’ll often tell my husband, who is a musician, “that song makes me want to write a book.” It’s about a feeling for me. Something will make me feel a certain way and that will drive me to put it into words. Writing for me is all about capturing a certain feeling.
Jenny: I do the exact same thing with songs! In fact, watching songwriters create and perform songs with all their stories inspires me. Where I sometimes struggle is when I need to make the ideas come at will. I tweeted a while back,
“Every day, I sit in front of my computer like, ‘Be there, Creative Energy, be there!’ Some days he visits with a smile and others he just hangs outside my house with his headphones on and his face in his phone.”
My brain never seems to go on and off when I’d like it to, and my best ideas come at the most inconvenient times: the shower, driving, late at night once I’m snuggled under my covers…
Is there a particular time when ideas come to you?
Annie: Well, I get ideas throughout the day, but because I have a day job and three kids, the ideas have to wait until the early hours of the morning for me to act on them. I have notebooks all over my house for just that reason—so I can jot down ideas before I lose them. There’s nothing worse than having what you feel like is the most amazing idea, and then forgetting it. :) The shower is a wonderful place for ideas. When I’m plotting or stuck on what to do next in my book, I take A LOT of baths and showers—haha. Long walks and drives are good for getting the ideas flowing too.
Jenny: I’ve written while working another job and now I’m a full time author, and I’ve found that it doesn’t matter what I do during the day; I still only generate the same number of ideas. It’s hard to know when to sit down and write. I find that as a creative, when it comes to my daily writing schedule, I straddle the line between psychotic organization and complete chaos. Every book seems to require a different daily structure for me, depending on how easily it flows from my fingers.
Would you say that your daily writing routine is a well-oiled machine, or is it still evolving?
Annie: It’s a well-oiled machine because the rest of my day is booked. I wake up early while everyone else in my household is still asleep. Then I make my coffee ( a MUST) and get to work. The hours of 4-6 a.m. are my most productive time. Those hours aren’t what comes natural to me by any means, but I know that if I don’t work then, it might not happen. I typically use any free time in the evenings for social media and promotional to-dos for my books because my creative energy is zapped by the time the sun goes down.
Jenny: I think we might be clones of each other! I’m the same way in the mornings! Coffee first at a ridiculous hour when the house is quiet and I’m most rested. I had the most structure when I worked another job. Sometimes the forced structure is good. I was told once that creatives need four to five hours of wide-open time to do our thing, versus a strict structure. Personally, I think I could use six or seven (or eight…) hours.
How long do you need before you can actually put your finger to the keys, and get something down that’s worth keeping?
Annie: Ideally, wide-open time would be wonderful! I do keep a very strict structure though. Otherwise, my deadlines would never be met on time. I try to get my word count first thing in the morning, but I have the rest of the day to reflect on what comes next. I think about my writing when I’m cleaning, driving, bike riding with my kids, etc.
Jenny: Oh my gosh! So do I! We’re twins, I’m convinced.
Annie: Haha. I think the writer’s brain is always on, even if you’re not sitting behind the computer and staring at the screen. I find that to be one of the harder parts of being a writer—that you never turn the work off. It’s also one of the best things about writing because you’re always looking forward to that next opportunity to sit down with your characters, in their world, and take them further on their journey.
Jenny: I totally agree. I used to teach elementary school and I’d tell people, “I’m with kids all day. At night, I just want to sit down and play with my grownups.” Ha.
Annie: Thank you so much for the opportunity to chat, Jenny! This was a lot of fun. I always enjoy talking about the writing process.
Jenny: Me too! Thanks for joining me!
