Jennifer Griffith's Blog, page 8

Huge Freebie Giveaway

Read-a-holics exist. And we need our fixes.

It’s great when we can get those fixes at a low price. It’s even better when we can get them for free.

It’s even BETTER better when downloading books from new and favorite authors can help us win $50 to buy MORE BOOKS.

My book Asked & Answered is part of this promo. If you haven’t read it yet, download it for FREEEEE today. Check out these other authors. It’s fun to find new books and writing styles to love.

One great thing about this promo is it’s through a site called My Book Cave. They have CONTENT RATINGS FOR BOOKS, like there are for movies and video games. Isn’t that something we’ve all been waiting for? Grab these now before you forget. (I’m the queen of forgetting, so I’m just projecting that onto you. No offense intended.)

Enjoy a sweet romance escape, my reading friends!

Courage and Criticism and Creativity: Some Thoughts

My kids were watching Ratatouille a few days ago, and I caught the very end where Anton Ego, the food critic, gives his monologue reviewing the restaurant. A portion of it struck me, especially in light of what happened with a friend of mine today, a creative–though not a writer–as she received some stinging criticism of her work.

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends.”

I’m so thankful for those who have been kind to me in my growth as an author, especially when I was “the new” and needed friends.

A while back, I contacted a writer I admired to tell her I really liked her book, which I had just read and loved. She responded, asking me whether I was the author of (then-titled) Delicious Conversation, and if so, she appreciated me because when she’d read it, she realized there was a market for the things she wanted to write.

What? Really? I was stunned. My little puff of cotton candy entertainment had been inspiring to someone? (I realized that she probably meant that what I’d been putting into the market was something a little different, perhaps because I see the world through a weird filter different from that of others, but that maybe it meant her world-view would be accepted too.)

I was so thankful she told me that, and it gave me the courage to go on and keep trying and going ahead and writing the stuff I wanted to write, whether or not a critic thought it was worth something. It was worth something to her, and to a few others, and that—makes it all worth my effort.

Fast forward, now that author is no longer “the new.” She’s award-winning, and she’s made a lot of readers smile and cry and laugh and think. So, for that I’m really grateful too.

Putting my work out there for public consumption leaves it open to criticism—kind or harsh. I’m aware of that, and every single time I hit “publish” it takes incredible courage. Every single creative person out there understands that we’re opening ourselves up to be spat upon and eviscerated by critics. But because we believe that our art may just help one person, we forge ahead.

For that reason, I’ve developed a way to think about art that doesn’t resonate with me. Instead of saying, “I didn’t like that book,” or that picture or that photo or movie, I now think to myself, “I wasn’t the audience for that film.” That leaves it open for others to enjoy, and it doesn’t reflect badly on the artist or those that enjoy it. There are a lot of books and movies and paintings I adore, but that probably aren’t to others’ taste. I’m good with that. You might not be the audience for my books, or any given one of my books over the others. That’s okay. We can still be friends. (Although if you happen to go on and on about how much you disliked my work, expect that I might decide you’re easier to love at a distance for a while, just because I’m a little tenderhearted about my work at times.) It’s absolutely possible to give an honest review without being cruel.

I’m aware that I still have a long way to go to become a truly great writer, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get there or if I’ll just muck about in mediocrity all my days. Still, I do see small improvements in my craft all the time as I study and practice and work as hard as I can at it.

I’m truly grateful that my efforts didn’t get slammed to the curb as hard as they could/should have been while I was “the new.” Huge gratitude to everyone who has supported me as I’m growing. I hope I can support others’ creative efforts as well.

xoxox

The Perils of Self-Publishing

TLDR: If you are one of those early readers who got an uncorrected copy of Wills & Trust with the glitches in chapter one and near the end, you can go into your Kindle account and download the more updated file. 

Risk versus reward. They say the higher the risk, the greater the chance of reward. Publishing is no different. My first four books were traditionally published between 2006 and 2012. I used small presses, loved the relationships developed, the satisfaction of seeing my books in print, and really appreciated the editing, the covers, the marketing and the guidance given to me by both Spring Creek Book Co. and Jolly Fish Press.

But things changed after 2012. Actually they changed around 2011, with the onset of the Amazon Kindle and other e-readers, but I jumped into self-publishing using a manuscript I had the rights back to in 2013. Chocolate and Conversation became my first self-pubbed title, followed by Super Daisy!, and then various books including collaborations and anthologies with other authors.

The risk was a lot greater. I made EVERY mistake. Pretty much my program was to do every single thing wrong the first time. I have learned all about self-publishing the hard way: by botching it the first time–or first three times.

But I just keep trying to get it right.

Even now, four years into it, I still completely mess up. Like, FOR INSTANCE LAST WEEK. Instead of the finalized copy of Wills & Trust, that would go out to every single reader who pre-ordered it on Monday morning, I uploaded a copy with the first and last chapters uncorrected.

Luckily (and blessedly), a reader contacted me on Wednesday morning about this problem. In fact, with great charity she messaged me PRIOR to putting her review up on Amazon. This amazing friend (whom I had never even met before but who I’ll count as a friend always) let me know about the errors. I was horrified, and it took me about seven hours to get it corrected and the right file selling. However, every reader who bought a copy on pre-order, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday before 4:00 p.m. ended up with some glitchy stuff.

The horrors.

That’s the type of risk I’m taking–and I have no one to blame but myself when I get it wrong.

But there is an up side: the reward. One, I meet great people like this reader who saved me from myself. Two, I get to make final decisions like the content of the file (risky!), but also the cover art, the sales blurb, the pricing, where to advertise, how I want to present myself, even the title. (Maybe readers don’t realize this, but in traditional publishing the author doesn’t always choose the title of the book. The publisher makes that final decision.) The other reward is monetary–put in the time and effort, receive the bulk of the sales. But you do earn it. You’re risking your time and your talent (and weeks like this, your sanity on some level) to make your business go.

So, yes. Risk. But reward, too. For me, the best rewards have been the people I’ve met who are generous and helpful and wise. Other authors have taught me so much and have been patient with my imperfection as I blunder through like a bull in a china shop, doing stuff wrong. I’ve also been really blessed to have generous readers who support me, give me feedback, encourage me to write more stories, even when I’m botching the publishing side of things. If it weren’t for the uplift I get from the readers, I’d move on to a different hobby like crochet or too much baking.

The good news is if you are one of those early readers who got an uncorrected copy with the glitches, you can go into your Kindle account and download the more updated file.

Can I guarantee a perfect, flawless book? Nope. But I promise to keep trying to improve my craft and write more and better stories for readers who love sweet romance.

Contest for a Free Paperback

WINNING THE CONTEST

Once in high school, I entered a contest to win free “glamour shots.” To my parents’ dismay, I won.

At the last minute on a whim, I took my two younger sisters with me to the local Fred Meyer. We let the photographers do our hair and makeup (even though my youngest sister was only 9) and then we looked over this pamphlet of ways you could appear in your pictures—reflections, blurred edges, smoky overlays.

We chose a giant brandy glass. Three girls, between the ages of 9-17, highly made-up, in the brandy glass.

We gave it to my dad for Father’s Day. Pretty sure that was one of his happiest moments.

A DIFFERENT CONTEST

To celebrate the release of W&T, I do NOT have anything to do with brandy glasses. I’m sorry! Instead, I’ve got a free paperback copy contest going on Goodreads. If you’re a free paperback type person, here’s the link to enter. I do love a freebie.

What’s your favorite thing you ever won in a contest?

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Goodreads Book Giveaway







Wills & Trust



by Jennifer Griffith

Giveaway ends August 22, 2017.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Ramblings About Time Management

This will ramble. Fair warning.

I recently did a major overhaul of my time commitments so as to have more freedom to write and to take care of my family. I ended up bowing out of several community commitments that had given me a lot of joy over the years, but that could no longer be a priority if I wanted to be the mom and wife I need to be at this point in my life. (Or the writer, but that comes lower on the list than family, always.)

As my obligations outside the home receded one by one, I breathed a sigh of relief, almost as if I’d finished paying off a crushing debt, and toward the end of May when my final civic involvement expired and I handed the reins of being president of the parent board at the school to a new generation, I was a little sad, but I also had a realization: by enthusiastically committing myself to be involved in all manner of good organizations, I was creating a form of debt, not unlike a student loan or a house mortgage.

Maybe not everyone out there has this irrational exuberance to say yes to every passing cause or needful event. I’m a sucker for those. I love to help, and I get a lot of energy from being needed. My family needs me, too, and I have been vigilant about making sure the causes I’ve supported have dovetailed with my family’s interest (I hope, at least.)

But too much saying yes creates a situation where we can be upside down on our “time mortgage,” like owing more than we’re worth, time-wise. I think I may have achieved that status several times over during the past couple of years. Yes, arrows reading guilty should point at me with neon, flashing lights.

What I needed to learn was that by saying yes I was, of course, doing good things, but I was also committing more than just for that moment–I was committing my future time and circumstances, something I do not have a view of from this vantage point.

For instance, who am I to know whether I will have a more pressing family need next year, say a child’s important emotional need, or a sick parent, or an illness of my own? By saying yes now to something that will require several days’, weeks’ or months’ involvement, I might be mortgaging my future, so to speak. I always hear political pundits using that term when it comes to the national debt, but isn’t it equally true–if not more so–with regards to our time?

That’s not to say that I’m not going to ever plan to do service again. I still serve in my church weekly teaching Sunday School music time. I’m fully intending to drive for as many field trips for the school as possible. I’m still pretty much guaranteed to say yes to short speaking engagements for school kids, or taking a neighbor to the store or the doctor. These things are important. They keep life in balance.

It’s just that I might take things more piecemeal, rather than promising a big chunk of my time on a day when I’m feeling emotionally fabulous, and failing to take into account the fact that there are days when anxiety or other factors deplete that enthusiasm, energy or time. I’m thinking of it like buying an expensive car when the economy is good and I have a well-paying job, only to get hit down the road with a recession or a lay-off. If anyone else is like me, sometimes our emotions take a nosedive akin to a job layoff.

Above I used a keyword, though: balance. There’s definitely a tendency to lose it when we allow ourselves to become too committed outside the most important things.

My husband’s uncle has a saying: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

So now, with a new paradigm, I’m working on that: working on keeping my time focused on the main thing(s). And if that means keeping not-the-main-thing off my radar for a year or two, I guess I’ll miss being super involved, I’ll miss the friends I’d worked with, I’ll miss being needed. But while needed is good, sometimes other things are needful.

Bless you in your own efforts to balance your time.

Books Get Facelifts, Too

To go along with being age 45, I have had to switch to moisturizer with Retinol in it to stave off some of the wrinkles. It’s working surprisingly well. A huge thank you shout-out to skin science geniuses.

Meanwhile, to go along with the release of Wills & Trust next Monday, all the books in the Legally in Love Collection have received a facelift. Yay!

Here are books 1 & 2 and their new covers.

Book 4, coming soon, will be titled Mergers & Acquisitions. Watch for it in late August. I’ll release that cover soon.

To go with the new update, I’m also giving the opposite of a facelift to the original Book 1 of this series, Attractive Nuisance. Instead of a mere facelift, it’s getting a total gut and interior reno, just like one of those home makeover shows I watch way too often while I work out. It’s getting a new slot in the series (probably as book 5), new characters, new plot. Only setting (Prescott, Arizona) and the overall concept of two rival lawyers going after the same promotion will remain. Someday I’ll reveal why this had to happen. (I guarantee it’s not what anybody would guess.)

I’ll let you see that cover soon. I’m nearly done with the first draft of the rewrite, and I’m loving the changes so far, although I’ll hate them during edits, I promise.

Huge Thanks to ARC Reviewers

A big shout-out of thanks to my wonderful review crew. Wills & Trust launches on Monday, July 31, and with the help of all these amazing reviewers, it’s on track to get a strong launch on the charts, and thereby to reach more readers.

 I really do have encouraging friends and incredibly supportive readers. A virtual hug to you all!

 What’s one of the nicest things a friend has done for you?

The Story Behind the Legally in Love Series

When I married my husband, he was still in law school at Georgetown U in Washington, D.C. Then he worked for the U.S. Congress before we moved to Arizona where he hung out a shingle and worked as a lawyer for a while before running for judge.

So basically, he made the laws, defended people who broke the laws, and now hands down judgments based on the law.

Talk about a perfect resource for legal information–besides the fact that he likes to feed me fun romantic comedy plots. Ah, my handsome muse.

One day, my husband and I were discussing legal terms while he’d come home at lunch. The phrase Attractive Nuisance struck me. Its meaning (roughly) is a reference to a structure that is dangerous but appealing—and unguarded. Like, if you have a swimming pool with no fence around it in a neighborhood of little children and a kid drowns in your pool, you’d be liable—because you created an attractive nuisance.

But, hey, what a perfect way to describe a potential boyfriend for one of my romantic heroines who happens to be a lawyer, too.

And with that idea impossible to shake (or to stop laughing at), I wrote that book in the fall of 2014 and released it in the spring of  (which I have now almost finished revising, in case you’d like to read a totally revamped for 2017 story in a few weeks–I’ll let you know when it’s done!)

After that, everywhere I looked new legal phrases started to seem perfect for titles for romance novels.

Asked and Answered, one of the objections a lawyer can lodge during court proceedings, seemed like a great phrase for a second-chances themed romance novel.

Legally Wedded worked well for a scheme with a marriage of convenience plot.

For an inheritance plot, Wills & Trust, which (obviously) is one branch of the law a legal practice might specialize in.

Right now I have those four ready to foist on readers, with four more written at least as first drafts, coming later in 2017 and early 2018, assuming all edits go as planned. Fingers crossed.

Beyond those, three more phrases keep bugging me, begging to be written into Legally in Love novels. So, I guess this proves sometimes a novelist will start with a title and then go from there to figure out the core of a story.

If you’re a writer, or a quilter, or an artist, or a chef, or anything creative, what jumpstarts your process?

July is Party Time: So Let’s Party With a Cover Reveal!

Happy birthday, America. It seems like the whole nation is in party mode. I’ve got two big family get-togethers this month in the gorgeous, much-cooler-than-Arizona Utah mountains. Zip lines, giant swings, all the watermelon you can bust your gut with.

How does your family celebrate July?

One more quick party for me is that I have a whole new full-length novel coming out this month for the first time in a year and a half. Do you know how long that is in book years? A million!

So, as promised—the *cover reveal for Wills & Trust.

Town beauty queen Brooke Chadwick knows Dane Rockwell will never take a second look at his best friend’s younger sister, no matter how much she’s longed for him. She’s a kid nuisance. A pity case he played catch with on the beach after her parents died in an accident.

Dane Rockwell is a Rockwell—of the felons, frauds, and cheats Rockwells in town. How can he possibly ask Brooke Chadwick—of the upstanding, reputable Chadwicks in town—to consider him worthy?

Now Dane is back in town with three things: a ring in his pocket, a kiss burning on his mouth for her, and a law degree to prove his worthiness. Brooke is about to say yes to a proposal, but not Dane’s.

Disappointment looms.

But when Brooke gets notice to attend a reading of a stranger’s will with her legal counsel, Dane is her only option for a lawyer, and it might be Dane’s only chance to earn her trust.

Wills & Trust is a clean and wholesome office romance in the bestselling Legally in Love Collection, perfect for an afternoon on the beach.

*Huge thanks to Steve Novak for his awesome design. I’m in love with it.

Hot & Ready (to review)

Meanwhile, here in sunny, sunny, sunny Arizona, the sun is trying to kill us. So is lightning. A lightning strike 20 days ago has burned about something like 70 square miles on the mountain that dominates our valley’s landscape, our one respite from the annual blast oven of summer that runs from April through early November.

It stinks. And not just from the smoke constantly settling in on the valley floor.

What can I do but stay inside and write books? Or, instead, re-write books? (Some of mine are getting a plot-refresher this summer.)

Honestly, I feel a little like Nero, who played his fiddle while Rome burned. We have to keep going on, doing life, while the mountain a few thousand feet from us glows like an eerie, hellish volcano every night, exacerbated in its burn by the hot wind.

Here’s evidence, and this was not from sitting in a parking lot letting the windshield temp heat up. This is the actual temperature of the air, folks.

I need more slush. I need to crank down my AC. I need to write a story about Christmas.

Hey, if you’re interested, I have a new book ready for reviews. Some of you are on my review team already. THANK YOU. If you’re not on it, and you want an early copy of Wills & Trust, message me at authorjennifergriffith@gmail.com. I’ll get you a link. Previews for reviewers available until June 30. LMK

And, hey. Stay cool out there.