Jennifer Locklear's Blog, page 17

Our Thanks on Release Day…

Hello Everyone,

Today is the book birthday for our debut novel, Exposure.

 

 

When we began writing this story in 2012, we knew we’d found a fun yet sometimes emotional project.

One summer evening, six months after we began writing Exposure, we found ourselves sitting outside. We were enjoying a rare moment of quiet time at our fire pit when we decided the time had come to seek publication.

Last July, we felt the story was finally ready and took a leap of faith. What happened was beyond our expectations. The first novel either of us had ever offered for submission was accepted by our first choice of publisher.

Yesterday morning, Exposure became available for order on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble and we wish to offer some thanks:

 

We wish to begin by thanking Becca, Elli and Sue, all of whom volunteered their valuable time and talents. They read this story and provided feedback at nearly every stage in the writing process. From the beginning, their commitment and enthusiasm for this novel has been nothing less than amazing. They invested as many months into this story as we did, and did so from behind the scenes. This is why Exposure has been dedicated in their names.

Thank you to Nina for her guidance and support. She has been instrumental in the publication of this story and we extend our heartfelt appreciation. Thanks also to Mina Vaughn for generously providing advice early in the submission process. She steered us in the right direction, and we are grateful for her assistance. We also thank Carmen and Chris for their friendship and help during a critical time.

We have enjoyed our collaboration with Omnific and especially wish to thank Nina, Lisa, Elizabeth, Colleen and Kimberly for their hard work. Special thanks go to our editor, Sean, for taking us on and showing us the ropes. We consider ourselves fortunate. We’ve enjoyed working with him and everyone at Omnific and look forward to doing so again in the future.

Writing has brought us closer together as husband and wife, but also required much of our time and attention. Our friends and family deserve more thanks than we can adequately provide. Over the past four years, there were moments when those closest to us raised an eyebrow or two, but no one ever discouraged us from the journey. For that, we will be forever grateful.

Finally, we wish to thank E.L. James and Sylvain Reynard. Their stories sparked our own creativity while their friendship and support have enriched our lives. Many thanks for all they have done for us.

 

And of course, no list of thank you’s would be complete without thanking those of you who choose to give our book your time and attention as readers. We’re excited to finally share Exposure with you and we hope you’ll enjoy the story.

The blog tour for this novel begins today and will run through June 17. We’ll keep you up to date with that daily via this blog and our social media sites on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.  We hope you can join in on some of the fun!

Happy Reading!

Morgan & Jennifer

 

Amazon Kindle Version:

Exposure

 

Amazon UK Kindle Version: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00KQ8CDQA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1401798701&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

 

Barnes & Noble Paperback: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/exposure-morgan-locklear/1119637457?ean=9781623421212&itm=1&usri=9781623421212&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201

 

 

 

Interview with Bookish Temptations

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

This morning, the Bookish Temptations website posted an interview with us. The site is calling it an interview with a twist and you can read it here: http://bookishtemptations.com/2014/05/31/morgan-and-jennifer-locklear-an-interview-with-a-twist/

 

Thanks to Bookish Temptations for the invitation.  We enjoyed the opportunity to share a few fun facts about each other and our book, Exposure.

 

We’re just a few days away from release day and are so excited to share the story with you.  As soon as the novel is available for order, we’ll be sure to share that information with everyone.

 

We also have more posts and interviews lined up over the course of the summer, so keep your eye on our blog, twitter, facebook or goodreads accounts for the latest news.

 

Until then, take care!

Jennifer & Morgan

Bookish Temptations Posts Excerpt from ‘Exposure’

 

Curious to see how Exposure begins?

Our friends at Bookish Temptations have posted an excerpt from the first chapter. You can read it here: http://t.co/RUz0KXZ5xV

Also, don’t forget about our giveaway. Send your friends over to give our Facebook page a Like and enter your name into the drawing.

When we reach 1,000 Likes one lucky winner will receive a signed paperback of Exposure.

Happy Reading!

~ Jennifer

Exclusive ‘Exposure’ excerpt posting on Bookish Temptations…

Hello Everyone,

Morgan and I wanted to share some good news with you.

 

On Thursday, May 29, the Bookish Temptations website will be posting an excerpt from the opening scene of our debut novel, Exposure. If you’re curious about the story and want to know how it all begins,  be sure and stop by their site to check it out!

On Saturday, May 31, Morgan and I will appear on Bookish once again. We recently sat down for an interview and had a great time with it. What we will be asked? And who will be asking it?  *taps chin*

If you’ve never visited the Bookish Temptations site, you absolutely should. Morgan writes a monthly column there, and I’ve been known to review books, conduct interviews and post giveaways from time to time.  We’re just a little over a week away from the Release Day for Exposure and we’re so happy to kick off the celebration with our good friends at Bookish.  You can visit their site here: http://bookishtemptations.com/

 

We also wanted to let you know that we’re hosting a giveaway on our facebook page.  The rules are pretty simple – give our facebook page a Like and you can enter to win a signed paperback of Exposure.  We’ll draw for a winner when our facebook page hits 1,000 Likes!  You can visit our page here: https://www.facebook.com/MorganandJenniferLocklear

Finally, if you’re a book blogger and are interested in signing up for the blog tour for Exposure, you should do so now: https://t.co/UqSXmHtewp

We’re told sign ups for the tour are about to close, so don’t miss your chance to participate!  The tour will take place June 3 – 17, 2014.  We’ll be sure to keep everyone as updated as possible about where and when you can catch it online.  Many thanks to our publicist, Nina Bocci, and to The SUBCLUB Books website for organizing and hosting the blog tour.

We’ve got an amazing summer coming up, and we’re so glad you’re a part of it.

Take Care,

Jennifer and Morgan

Random Fan with Terry the Nurse

This month’s Random Fan is Terry the Nurse. We met Terry online a while ago and we were lucky enough to meet Terry in person in September 2013. If you follow the Argyle Empire blog, you will no doubt recognize Terry as author of some wonderful articles highlighting literature, music and art featured in the Gabriel Series by Sylvain Reynard.  You can read one of those articles here: http://www.argyleempire.com/2013/06/why-did-gabriel-select-puccinis-madame.html

Many thanks to Terry for signing on for this experiment with us.

 

Terry: I’m fascinated that you two actually write together. I have a hard enough time writing on my own. Can you give us some idea how you do it?

Morgan and Jennifer: So far there’s no one formula that works best. Each project we’ve worked on has been constructed differently. Sometimes one of us writes, while the other edits.

Jennifer: In the case of our novel, Exposure, it was a true collaboration. The story idea was mine and I mentioned it to Morgan one night. He liked the premise immediately and encouraged me to pursue it, but I was hesitant to tackle it on my own for several reasons. So I asked Morgan if he would write it with me, and he eagerly agreed.

Morgan: We outlined chapters together, and then one of us would take a crack at writing the first draft. When that was done, the chapter was passed on to the other writer for additions and amendments. We also asked several trusted friends to beta read the chapters for feedback. Since there were two of us writing the story, it was critical to have some neutral sets of eyes to look over the manuscript. It helped us to know if we were hitting all the right marks in our storytelling.

Morgan and Jennifer: We know you’ve written some fabulous articles for Argyle Empire, so we’re curious to know more about your background with writing.

Terry: Thank you for the compliment. I’ve been doing expository writing for many years – mostly for magazines and/or journals that deal with nursing practice or other academic work. I am always admiring those of you who can write fiction – I have no talent in that area! My writing experience is almost entirely non-fiction, essay, or expository, which probably comes from my love for the arts and sciences. I’m a voracious non-fiction reader, too; most expository writers love to explore what they’ve learned through their reading and share it with others.

The Argyle Empire posts were particularly special to me. Not only did I want to share the multifaceted beauty of SR’s books and writing with a larger audience on line, but I also wanted to introduce some of the more artistic works (found in the books) to those who may not have an exposure to the Arts. I love pop culture, but you can see that there is something about the classics that survive time, circumstances, and cultural transformation. They are truly timeless, and I loved uncovering some of those gems in the Gabriel Series for the AE website. I hope I was able to tickle a budding interest in opera and literature for some of SR’s readers.

Terry: SR says write every day, and I know you guys do. I also know that you work, raise 2 active kids, have housekeeping duties, and have to do the cursed food shopping. I’ve always been curious how you both developed the discipline to not just say, “I’m tired. I’ll write tomorrow.” How? What inspires you to not procrastinate?

Morgan: There are months when I write every day, but then there are months when I don’t. I have discipline in bursts. It depends on whether I’m writing brand new material or editing an existing project. The new stuff comes in spurts. The seasoned stuff simmers for a while.

Jennifer: I write quite a bit for my real life job, so that helps me stay focused on the activity of it. But since my fiction writing has to take place in my off hours, I have to budget time for it. Some days this can be frustrating because I’ll be anxious to work on a scene or a chapter and there simply isn’t time. But most of the time it works well for me because I like to think about scenes quite a bit before I sit down to the computer to create them.

 

Morgan and Jennifer: If you could go back in time and witness any event in history, what would it be? And…would you intervene to influence its course?

Terry: I am so old that I actually did witness (as a child) the event that I believe changed the course of the latter half of the 20th century, and still reverberates today. The event is the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November, 1963. I love American history, but this one event I think changed the course of history and caused a sea change in what happened afterward. Witnessing a presidential assassination is traumatic in itself, but I believe things would have been very different had JFK not gone to Dallas that day. It is likely that we would not have had a Viet Nam war (at least not its escalation) which would have prevented the protest movements of the 1960s, our massive distrust in government, Nixon and Watergate….the list is endless. At the same time, I don’t think I would have intervened if I could. Without the antiwar movement, we wouldn’t have had the women’s movement, the gay rights movement, or many of the other social movements that came out of the 60s and that permanently changed American life. It’s an interesting way to think about the legacy of the JFK assassination.

Morgan and Jennifer: What song best describes you? Why?

Terry: I think the song that best describes me is Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger.” Ever since I was diagnosed with uterine cancer in early 2013, I’ve had to be a warrior. It’s true: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I have wonderful friends and family helping me fight the battle, but in the end, it’s all about your attitude in adversity. You just can’t let the small stuff (or the big stuff) get you down. I strongly believe that a positive attitude has a lot to do with healing from a catastrophic illness. I try to be a good example of that.

Terry: Who killed off Joffrey???? My vote is Grandmom. (Diana Rigg)

Morgan and Jennifer: We know who didn’t kill Joffrey, and that’s Tyrion. #FreeTyrion

 

Terry: You both have a fabulous sense of humor. Do you find that you bring that to your writing? Does it make it easier/harder?

Morgan: I can’t help it. I have always had a desire to find the levity in any situation and have always been rewarded with laughter. Jennifer’s original vision for Exposure had always included a despicable villain and a fun relatable group of main characters. People laughing together is about as relatable as it gets for me. Most of my great party observations are just me repeating something Jennifer whispered to me. She has always made me laugh, and is goodly enough to laugh in turn at my humorous antics.

Jennifer: I adore reading stories that include brilliant bits of humor. Someday I’d like to write one, but I’ll have to work up to it. Morgan’s sense of humor is one his defining characteristics and something that caught my attention almost immediately the night we met. He is extroverted and often fearless; whereas I’m more snarky and observational. Either way, we both love to laugh and I can’t imagine working on a project together and being able to completely withhold that from a narrative.

 

Exposure is now on Goodreads

Hello Everyone,

We’re delighted to let you know that Exposure has now been uploaded to the book catalog on Goodreads. If you have never been to the Goodreads website, it’s a great place for readers to interact with one another and keep track of all your favorite authors and novels. We’ve been members there since 2010 and enjoy it very much. If you haven’t visited Goodreads before, we both encourage you to do so.

If you have an account on Goodreads and want to add Exposure to your shelf, here is the link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22090668-exposure?ref=ru_lihp_up_rs_1_mclk&uid=1661019557

If you’re a book blogger and would like to sign up for the upcoming blog tour for Exposure, you can do so here via The SubClub Books website: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bNmCBOdGJAnI6dnt95k2RBBbJv3R0Vy64mW1gbsGTps/viewform

Our release date is still on track for June 3, and we’re looking forward to sharing this story with you at long last.

Thanks in advance for helping to get the word out about Exposure.

Take Care,

Jennifer & Morgan

Wordslinger: Cut and Haste

I have a much harder time editing my books than writing them. Mostly, I think it’s because I have to move paragraphs around and shuffle things around. This stresses me out to no end.

I happen to be a very linear writer. I begin at the beginning and write until the story is completed. My wife often times writes scenes out-of-order and builds the story around them. I can relate to this as a musician because many of my songs have a completed chorus before I begin working on the verses. I don’t mind working backwards with a piece of music, but fiction just has so many damn WORDS.

As much as possible it’s important to always work on the same document, but just like train yards have run off track, sometimes you’ll need a blank page to just store your unassigned segments. I believe that as long as you feel like you’re not forgetting or losing anything, you’ll have the peace of mind to work without too much tummy angst. It works for me.

Sometimes, I just want to be lazy and avoid any cut and paste scenarios, but if I work slow and use a run off track, I can make my changes and keep my sanity.

I am fascinated with authors who can write the endings of their books first. Part of me admires the skill and part of me worries that they aren’t benefitting from all the character and plot developments that become so important.

Still, I bet it was nice for J.K. Rowling to know ahead of time that she had her shit together, and I gotta respect that.

Making an outline is a fantastic way to keep you from getting too dizzy when you’re writing or editing your manuscript, and it will greatly assist you when you are putting a summary together (which you will eventually have to do if you publish).

That summary will be a lifeline when you’re story is ripped open like a toy poodle in a tiger cage and you’re wondering if you are ever going to get Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Not every story needs to be re-worked in this way, but having the ability and the fearlessness to go that deep to assist your novel will strengthen the work and present the story in the best possible way.

I keep thinking of all the ways Quentin Tarantino could have cut Pulp Fiction together. Beginning half way through and then catching us up worked great, but many movies begin at the very ending and tell the story in a series of flashbacks. Many more cut things seemingly randomly until things start to make sense.

Books are the same way, they can be manipulated to tell the story in a particular order, or from a certain point of view until you want additional information to be introduced.

Again, I like things a bit more simple, but don’t want to deny any of my books the chance to get better. So I take a deep breath and start picking apart those scenes that need extra TLC.

Fortunately for me, I have a talented and patient writing partner who can perform these acts of insanity and come out smelling like a cinnamon bun. You may also have these attributes, but you won’t know until you try.

Also, you should learn how to make cinnamon buns.

Your Pal,

Morgan

Exposure Cover Reveal & Blog Tour

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday was a fantastic day for us as we were finally able to share the cover for our debut novel, Exposure.

The cover reveal was hosted by The SubClub Books and the response was incredible.

The release date for Exposure has been set for June 3, so be sure to mark your calendars!

Thanks to everyone who commented, shared, or re-tweeted the post. If you missed the announcement online, you can see the cover here: http://thesubclubbooks.com/?p=22399

If you are a blogger and would like to sign up for the Blog Tour of Exposure you can do so here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bNmCBOdGJAnI6dnt95k2RBBbJv3R0Vy64mW1gbsGTps/viewform.

The Blog Tour is scheduled to run from June 3 – June 17.

We’re looking forward to an exciting summer. When we were writing this manuscript, we hoped we could secure a summer release date for the story. We think it’s the perfect season for this tale.

We’ll be sure to update with more news as we receive it.

Until then…

Take Care,

Jennifer and Morgan

Pop Talk: Beck to the Future…

I remember hearing Loser just before Spring Break in 1994. It was a bass heavy ear bug sung by a mush-mouthed genius, and I wasn’t the only one who rewarded his smart-ass anthem to self-evident nerds everywhere.

I played it for my then fiancé along with another cool song I found called You by Candlebox. Jennifer much preferred the funny and random Beck song to the layered and emotional You even though I maintain that it remains one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded by a relatively underrated band.

We’ve picked up Beck’s albums over the years and they’ve been hit and miss for us. His 1996 record, Odelay, which sponsored a few big hits for him (Where It’s At and The New Pollution) was a fantastic follow-up to his debut, but then he lost us for about a decade.

Sure, we got his other CDs, including his weird little quasi-blues album, but they never lasted long in the car, and were traded for the likes of Toad the Wet Sprocket and The Presidents of the United States of America.

His 2005 album, Guero, got Jennifer’s attention and with songs like Black Tambourine and Go It Alone, I was on board at once. We were even treated to a re-mix album, Guerolito, later that year and it was almost as good as its predecessor.

He released his most intriguing record less than a year later. For starters, The Information has a do-it-yourself album cover and booklet. The CD comes with blank pages and a wildly inventive sticker sheet that you may use to design your own album. (I wish I had this one on vinyl).

This would be a great gimmick, but since the music is progressive and fun, it becomes epic art. Beck finally manages to get all his personalities to play on the same tracks, and the result is not the jumbled mess that one might expect, but a harmonious and whimsical journey through funky and fragile pieces. One most noteworthy, a three movement opus called: The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton, is a song that would fit in on the AWOLNATION album, Magnetic Symphony.

I was actually working at a radio station when his next album came out. It was only two years later, (2008) and I played three songs liberally even though none of them made if far up the charts. Modern Guilt is a funk friendly introspective album and the trio of tunes, Youthless, Walls and Soul of a Man, are some of the finest songs Beck has ever penned.

Then he took six years off…

Like from 2008 to 2014…off…

We picked up his latest album, Morning Phase, and it’s surprisingly beautiful. Gone are the silly lyrics and the bass heavy riffs. This record is filled with strings and samples of birds chirping. It’s soothing and so startlingly sure of itself that I hardly miss the old Beck at all. (Rumors say that side of him is far from buried and he’ll actually have a more Beck-ish album out soon).

Morning Phase is a concept album for sure, but it’s quite nice late at night (in the bedroom) as well. One song blends into the next in a tapestry of dream fueled images that make me feel like I’m back in a time when music was the mood altering drug of choice.

Though not as good on a road trip as Odelay, Beck’s newest (and only) offering in six long years is ultimately worth the wait. Now that I hear it, I see that he had to go get inspired by Iron and Wine first, and that’s just fine with me. I like profound songs that don’t try too hard, yet include a modern touch. Not many artists can hit all those points at once but I only need a few. Having said that, I hope he really does come out with another album soon.

Interview with La Literati

This past weekend, Morgan and I appeared on the La Literati online radio show.

We discussed our upcoming book release, played a round of the Newlywed Game and answered a few random questions.  We had a wonderful time on the show and look forward to another appearance after Exposure is released.

If you missed the interview, you can still listen to it here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/laliteraticarpelibrum/2014/04/27/husband-and-wife-writing-team-morgan-and-jen-locklear

Many thanks to Tosha and Niles for inviting us on their show and for making us feel right at home.

Stay tuned to our blog for more updates about Exposure’s upcoming release.  We’ll have some exciting news to share with you very soon.

Take Care,

Jennifer