October Grace and Chocolate Countdown Celebration!

I sure picked a long name for this event.

Anyhow, I am very excited about this month's giveaways! But first, a little news update:

I am almost done with the book trailer my son, Braeden, and I are putting together. I am very excited! When I say "almost done", I mean the images and music have been chosen, and the narration is complete. I really don't know how long it will take to put it all together, but I can't wait to see how that happens and what it will look like when we're done. Here is an example of his work. We are just waiting on one more image, which leads me to my next bit of news.

I should have a peek at the COVER of OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE soon! I don't know when I'll be able to show it to YOU, but the idea that a story I wrote will be given a visual tie-in is FANTASTIC. *big grin*

Also, I heard somewhere that A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER is coming out this month! This is the true story anthology I'm part of. If you hear something before I do, give me a shout.

And now, for the October Celebration giveaways:

The book: VARIANT, by Robison Wells.

Suspense, action, mind-blowing twists, and a touch of romance. Trust me.

 And the chocolate giveaway is:

It's cooling down out there, folks, and this is delicious hot cocoa. Hello, "cacao with sugar cane & bits of premium dark chocolate". If this isn't grace, I don't know what is.

Here is a review of how to enter. To enter for prizes you must:

1) Become a follower of this blog.

2) "Like" my Facebook Author page, here: Krista Lynne Jensen Author, or go to the Facebook box in the sidebar on the right and click "like". Easy peasy.

3) Share this contest on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, email to your family, post it on the bulletin board at work, send it in a note to your kids' teachers, sky-writing, that kind of thing. Let me know what you did in a comment here. You will be entered for each mode of sharing the love, each day you share. The more you share, the more entries you'll have!

*Just a note: If you entered a previous contest, you do have to share the new contest for your follow and "like" status to count. :)

This contest will close at midnight, Friday, October 14th.  Remember, I'm giving away prizes every month until the release of OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE! And then we'll have even more giveaways! HOORAY!

Book Academy and Variant Launch 3...2...1

This week I had the pleasure of driving down to Orem, Utah, for UVU Book Academy AND the book launch of Robison Wells' VARIANT. It's a long drive, and I had it all to myself and a book on CD, and it was worth every hour on the road. Sarah M. Eden, whose book SEEKING PERSEPHONE was last month's giveaway for the Countdown Celebration, started off my morning at UVU with a WOOHOO even before breakfast, when she told me she'd just learned her next book was coming out in January, same month as OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE, and asked if I was interested in doing a book launch TOGETHER.

INTERESTED???

You bet your sweet BIPPY.

So look out for that because it's going to be the best double book launch EVER.

Sarah M. Eden points out our infamous keynote speaker, Dan Wells, who managed to pull off a vampire joke despite pre-speech doubts. Well done, Wells. And nice haircut.

Emily Clausen and Julie Bellon, writers and Twitter friends!

It's always so great to see my friend Abel Keogh, author of Dating a Widower, and THE THIRD. He was a tremendous help with revising THE INN (about a woman and a widower), before we ever met!

THE BOOK on my lap, waiting for Robison Well's signature at Kings English bookstore in SLC. This particular copy goes to my son, who has been waiting very (im)patiently.

Look at the pretty colors. Here is part of Marion Jensen's writing group, who were kind enough to let me tag along from Orem to SLC. Thank you Cory Webb, Tresa Ruger, Marion Jensen, Chris Miller, Margot Hovely, and the rest not pictured!

Michele Paige Holmes and Annette Lyon waiting for Rob's opening remarks. Michele's book, CAPTIVE HEART, will be November's giveaway for the Countdown Celebration. Yay!

Howard Taylor is usually more animated than this. @maijasmumblings, a Twitter friend, and Dan Wells are talking about how hungry they are. They must not see the eclairs. But I see Jessica Day George behind Howard. Smile, Howard!

Sarah Eden, who was gracious enough to live in Provo and give me a ride BACK to Orem, and Margot Hovely, who is THIS CLOSE to getting her own book out.

Sarah, Me, Margot, and Marion, who thinks we have cooties.

Just kidding.

Made it to the man himself. Rob declared me to have traveled the farthest. Totally worth it. Really proud of you, Rob. And I'm in the acknowledgments. It's like I wrote the book. *snort*

Finally officially met Jeff Scott Savage. His wife was great to take this picture. Very fun meeting them both! And Shanda Cottam from LDS Womens Book Review is ALWAYS so good for me! You make-a-me smile, lady!

Don't forget! I'm announcing the October giveaways for the Grace and Chocolate Countdown Celebration tomorrow!

Winners Announced and a Sneak Peek

I've drawn the first pair of winners of the Grace and Chocolate Countdown Celebration, thanks to random.org.

Sarah M. Eden's SEEKING PERSEPHONE goes to Afton Grant!

And the Chocolate-Covered Cinnamon Bears go to Michelle Teacress!

Winners, please send me an email at kristalynnej at yahoo dot com!

Thank you to everyone for entering and spreading the word about the release of OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE! The response was amazing, with 75 entries! You all deserve to win! As a bonus, I'm giving you a sneak peek into the book:

“Have you ever been to Pacific City?”

Jill shook her head. “We would go to Newport, mostly. Once, though, we went to Lincoln City.”

“Well, that makes sense, being from Lebanon. And everyone goes to Lincoln City. Did you like it?”

“Mm-hm. I remember the kites. And the wind.” The breeze brushed her hair as they passed the dark houses and rose over the dune. The beach grass swiped against her jeans. She paused, bending down to pull off her shoes and socks. Laura joined her, and they rolled the hems of their pants while the kids caught up.

Her bare feet sank into the cool of the dune then flipped little puffs of it up as she walked. The sound of the waves grew louder, and her feet hastened to get her to the top.

The night stretched out, black sky meeting black water in motion, the moonlight bouncing off the gentle crests of each low wave running to the shore. Jill took a deep breath as she stood, absorbing it.

Laura sighed. “I never get over it.”

         Neither did Jill. The beach was the one place—the one place—with only happy, peaceful memories. Her mother must have loved it enough. They hadn’t gone often as a family. Maybe that was a factor. “It almost makes it all go away,” she whispered, unsure if she meant the last couple days or her troubled past.

October's prizes will be announced on October 10th, and they are FABULOUS. Please come back and enter again, and tell your friends!

Until then, I'll be posting more news about OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE, and I'm especially excited to bring you more details about the Christmas anthology I'm part of, A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER.

Wheeeeee!

The Grace and Chocolate Countdown Celebration is going very well! Your responses have been so encouraging and the word is getting out. THANK YOU!

I just got some REALLY GREAT NEWS! Aaaahhh, I can't stand it! But I'm not going to tell yet. You have to wait. But not long, I promise! Eeeeeee!!!! *spins around in spinny chair*

photo by rickremington. Flickr.

Continue on! And don't forget to go here to enter in the Countdown Celebration.

I am so mean.

Grace And Chocolate Countdown Celebration!

It's here! The Grace and Chocolate Countdown Celebration! *blows party horn and tosses confetti*

From now until my book launch in January 2012, I will be celebrating EVERY MONTH, starting with this one, even though it's almost over! I don't care! Yay, September-October-November-December! I'll be giving away books by Covenant authors, books by other fabulous authors, Christmas goodies, and lots and lots of CHOCOLATE! And THEN, when it's finally here, I will be giving away my debut romance, Of Grace and Chocolate, just in time for Valentine's Day! Hooray! *tosses more confetti*

I'm going to keep this simple. To enter for prizes you must:

1) Become a follower of this blog.

2) "Like" my Facebook Author page, here: Krista Lynne Jensen Author

3) Share this contest on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, email to your family, post it on the bulletin board at work, send it in a note to your kids' teachers, sky-writing, that kind of thing. Let me know what you did in a comment here. You will be entered for each mode of sharing the love.

That's it! Giveaways will be twice a month, so if you share this contest for each giveaway, you are entered every time! Visit often and enjoy!


September's Kick-off  Giveaways:


Seeking Persephone, by Sarah M. Eden

Heavenly regency!

2 lb. bag of Chocolate-Covered Cinnamon Bears

Heavenly, also!

 Have fun! This giveaway will expire on September 30th at midnight!

I HAVE A RELEASE DATE!

Several {EXCITING} items of note:

1) My final revisions for OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE were accepted! Next, it goes to the copy editors. And I'll get a cover. A COVER!!!!

2) Did I tell you the official title is OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE? This is big news, because for a minute there, the title committee mistakenly thought the book was a suspense, and this is NOT a great suspense novel title. So after the genre mix-up was fixed (see below), not only did the title committee see that yes, this is a ROMANCE, they decided to go with my submitted title, but made it EVEN BETTER! The novel is not about a woman named Grace, as some people have asked, but the act of grace, and the "OF" clarifies that. And OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE is a delicious name for a romance, is it not? Perfect!

3) The title committee, in considering my (and my editor's) alarm when we learned of the genre mix-up, requested I give them a b-liner. Or b-lines. I forget what they're called. Yes, I'm the newbie. Anyhow, I got to write a draft of how the back of the book might read. Wanna see?

Of Grace and Chocolate

Because grace isn’t always . . . graceful.

If someone told Jillian Parish moving on is simple, she would argue that it depends on what someone is leaving behind, and how much chocolate is available.

Jill has worked hard to build up a life far different than the one scarred by her mother's alcohol abuse. She works at a busy publishing house, is writing the novel of a lifetime, and goes home alone every day to a little dog, a spotless apartment, and a piece of 70% cacao and sugar. But in one day, Jill’s phone is stolen, she is tackled by a childhood love who has no idea who she is, and finds her long-lost sister on her front doorstep. In two days, Jill’s carefully controlled world is turned upside-down. In three days, she wonders if chocolate will ever be enough again.

When Scott Gentry moves to the city of Portland, Oregon and spots Jillian at church, he learns her reputation as a lost cause. But something compels him to get Sister Parish's attention, no matter how difficult that may prove. As Scott stumbles, crashes, and falls into Jill's guarded world, he finds himself with more attention than he bargained for, and more willing to do anything he can for the woman who is not made of stone, but of strength.

Grace brings Jill and Scott together, but can grace erase the past, or save the abandoned hearts left in it's wake?

4) I HAVE A RELEASE DATE!!! I know I told you that in the post title. But it's TRUE! And it's not a release year, or a release season . . . it's a DATE! Okay, it's a month, but STILL. And, it's just around the corner!  In JANUARY! J-A-N-U-A-R-Y.

So, what this means is, I get to pump up the book promotion. Which is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I'm going to start by giving away a book every month until January, at which time I will give away MY book! Yay! I will also give away a chocolate prize every month until January, at which time I will give away MY chocolate. Wait. At which time I will give away MORE chocolate. And, I may throw in a few surprises here and there. Yay surprises!

I'm going to start this month, so the first contest will be posted VERY SOON. Be sure to check back! I'll be setting up a blog tour as well!

7 Things I Learned From This Revision

I've been working hard on my revisions for Grace & Chocolate and just sent them to my editor this morning at 2 am.

I know, what??

Last night we got back from our annual fruit run where we drive to a fertile valley in Idaho, overload a giant UHaul with boxes of peaches and pears, then drive it back to not fertile but ruggedly beautiful Big Horn Basin, WY, where I live. It's a fast, whirlwind of a trip and we've been doing it for 5 years now. And I happened to finish my revisions just before my turn to drive the last leg home, from West Yellowstone, through the park, and out the East gate, then on to Cody. We saw a grizzly just off the road totally chowing down on some bushes, and that was awesome.

After we unloaded way too much fruit into our garage and the truck continued on to the other side of the Basin, I skimmed through the manuscript again, catching little things here and there, hoping that, after the 8th or 10th time through, this story was still fresh, that it was still the same story I started out with a year ago, only better, tighter. Finally, I realized I couldn't do any more to it without input from my editor, so I wrote the email, attached the ms, and hit "send". Oy.

A few things I learned from my very first editor-managed revision:

1) 85% of my editor's fixes and suggestions were really great. I stumbled over a few ideas and stressed about not pleasing her. This was okay. I'm allowed.

2) Asking for advice from a few author friends who had done this a few times was critical, and gave me confidence, not only in addressing issues with my ms, but also in how to communicate with my editor, and paying attention to what feels right for my story.

3) My editor listens to me.

4) Beta readers are essential to making a story better. I had some writers, and I had some readers, and a variety of different styles of feedback, from simply needing to know more about characters and background, to eagle-eye critique where everything is questioned. Some paid attention to little misses in detail and grammar, and some had me pushing to fill a plot hole. One highlighted every "looked" I'd written in the 1st few pages. Yikes. Lots of looking going on. EVERY SINGLE READER had something that helped make my writing better.

5) At one point, I was a quivering mass of WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING THINKING I CAN WRITE A NOVEL. I started addressing critique, one issue at a time, keeping what worked, what made me excited about the story, and setting aside what didn't feel right. It didn't take long for me to feel excited again.

6) Sending a revised manuscript is almost as scary as sending a new one.

7) When you are given a deadline, you will also find a job with more hours then you intended to have, you will get the flu, you will be in the middle of fruit orders, and it will be back-to-school shopping time.

So, I'm still learning, still trying, and still thinking about what comes next. In the meantime, I have a link with some information on a Christmas story anthology I'm part of. I'm very excited and nervous about being a part of this book with so many wonderful authors! Thanks, Traci Hunter Abramson, for sharing the love.

That's my name right there. See?

Just Beta Readers and Stuff Like That...No Biggie

It's happening.

"What's happening?" you ask?

Last year, Annette Lyon described the process of getting published as "Wait wait wait wait wait deadline OH CRAP!"

I have been waiting for that last part for a very long time and with great anticipation.

GRACE & CHOCOLATE has a deadline. I've been working on edits for the last two weeks, a process about which I will blog soon, and just now began sending off the revised copy to beta readers. BETA READERS. Up to this point, I've only BEEN a beta reader. Once. It was awesome (*see Rob Wells' VARIANT).

Now, I get to HAVE beta readers.

I'm very excited. Giddy, in fact.

"What is a beta reader?" you ask? Well, I've found that it can be different for different authors. For me, when I write a first draft, I self-edit 2-3 times, then have my writing group and an online crit-partner read it. These are my alpha readers. I also send it to my mom and she cries. In a good way. I'm pretty sure.

Then, after I get their feedback, I rewrite, revise, fix, switch, add, take-away, and self-edit all over again. Then, I submit. And then, the book is accepted. HA. Actually, that's happened. Three times.

It's pretty awesome.

THEN, my editor is FINALLY given the go ahead to start working on my novel. YAY. She made all kinds of line edits and suggestions for clarity and strength and that was very interesting and stressful yadda yadda, she sent it back to me. I worked with all of her feedback and now, before I send it back to her, I need to know it looks good. No, I need to know it looks AMAZING.

Enter BETA READERS. *claps hands* *throws confetti*

So like I said, it's a little different for every author. I'm just really happy to have reached this point. Just think, any time now, I'll be yelling, "OH CRAP!"

(My mom doesn't like me to use that word.)

I can't wait.

Why I Play Games

Last night I listened to my favorite podcast (okay, I only listen to two, and the podcasters are my friends, but it's still my favorite), The Appendix, and as usual, they ended the episode with a writing prompt challenge to listeners. Now, when they issue the challenge, Robison Wells, one of the hosts, always says something like, "Now we have something for our lovely listeners," and I always think, "Well, that's me." Not because I'm egocentric, but because I'm the only listener to accept the writing prompt challenge in the comment box. I don't know if listeners make the attempt on a notepad at home, or if they think about what they might do with the crazy prompts, or if they roll their eyes and think, "Those crazy kids," and get on with writing their manuscripts or updating Twitter. I even thought that maybe nobody else posted their challenge story because I took up too much space or ideas or something, so I stopped for a while. Go ahead. Go look.

Nope. Nobody else plays the game and posts it in the comment box. So...does that make me weird? Well, that's always up for debate, but here's the thing:

I LIKE PLAYING THE GAMES.

When I first joined a writing group, we started our meeting with a writing prompt, fifteen minutes on a timer, paper and pen. We worked individually, quietly. It got our juices flowing, had us connecting seemingly impossible ideas, resolving problems, and opened up fun, provoking, haunting ideas in our heads.

One of my favorite games was choosing 5 random words out of a dictionary, writing them on the board (with their definitions if necessary), and then having to use them in our short story. That made for some pretty crazy ideas. We laughed a lot, and everybody's ideas were amazingly different.

I have a less structured writing group now, and we don't do the writing prompts, so I look forward to the games on The Appendix. They clear my head, especially if I've been at a long edit or I'm stuck in my WIP. Answering a crazy writing prompt reminds me I can do other things, allows me to laugh at myself, makes me stretch and try things I haven't yet, and then wonder, "Can I do that?" I've considered writing in other genres because of writing prompt challenges.

Some of my favorites are pretty goofy, but I was smiling as I wrote them. They're rough. I don't write them on paper first and then copy them into the comment box. I just go for it and maybe go back a couple times to make something connect, but it's pretty much an online freewrite. A risk, I know, but isn't that practice, too? If I can post this stuff up for anyone to see, I can certainly post the stuff I refine, put my whole heart into. So go ahead, go check them out. Remember, PRETTY GOOFY. But also short. Please remember that certain characters, items, or plot ideas HAD to be included.

Expected Wedding Gifts Online giving is so much easier.
LotR Fan Fiction Dragons, anyone?
Murder at Whiskey River Gulchwater Creek A mystery in the old west.
Casting Aspersions This was a fun one. I take some liberties using our hosts as characters. Arrr.
The Tortoise and the Ostrich A Tall-Tale. Move over Paul Bunyan. A little more. A little more.
Thank You, Thank You Very Much A wig can make all the difference.

There are more on other episodes, but don't just read comments. Listen to the podcast. I'm learning a lot from those three hooligans.





My best writing game story? I mean a story about what happened from accepting a writing prompt challenge? I'm not sure I remember the prompt, but I think it was "Martha Stewart gets an unexpected visitor" or something like that. I wrote a story about a frazzled perfectionist woman who'd had a bad day and was about to leave to tackle another necessary errand, then opened the door to find a unexpected visitor on her doorstep: her younger runaway sister, who was crying. The story itself wasn't one of my best, or even one of my favorites.

But the idea became a major plot point two years later when I wrote my fifth novel, my first published novel, GRACE & CHOCOLATE, coming in 2012, through Covenant Communications, Inc.

So maybe you can understand why I'm sold on writing prompt games. You just never know.

I'm Still Here!

Hey LOOK! I have a BLOG! And it's darn well past time I get back to it. What is this, SUMMER VACATION? Shyeah right. Like THAT would ever keep me from my BLOG. *looks around*

So, what have you all been up to? I think I officially dropped out of the Summer Poetry Challenge. There is just too much going on and I need my memory capabilities running at full capacity. I did enjoy it, though, and I'm sure the exercise strengthened that part of my brain. A B C D E F G ... see?

So, what is keeping me so busy, you ask? Life, family, house, garden, kids, yadda yadda yadda. But I do have some news on the writing front.

Right this very MINUTE (okay, maybe sometime today) my EDITOR is working on GRACE & CHOCOLATE!!!! Real live edits by MY EDITOR! On MY book! And then, next week, she's going to send them to me! And after I have a small anxiety attack, I work on those edits! THIS IS THE NEXT STEP, PEOPLE! AAAAAAUGH! *spins in spinny desk chair* It will be so GREAT to be doing something after all this time!!!!! And I really LOVE this story!!!!! Can't wait for you to read it.

Also, I received the final proof of my story, AFTON'S SNOW, in my publisher's (Covenant) true Christmas stories anthology. It was beautiful! Scrolly lettering for the title with some flourish and then my story with page numbers in the corners and everything! So look for that this Christmas! I'll keep you posted.

Until I get the G&C edits, I'll continue working on the REMNANT revision. I'm halfway through, and hit a major milestone in realigning a battle scene that used to jump all over the place. Still not losing as much as I need to (it was 734 pages, now 723, needs to be about 650), but it's coming along. It's such a different project than the others, but still has a strong romance story. I haven't been able to work on it in a week, but I need to get through as much as I can before things really kick off with GRACE & CHOCOLATE. WOOHOO!

Dang, it's good to be back.