Author Pics II

I mentioned a few posts ago that my oldest son, Braeden, recently got his senior portraits taken, and since I was in need of an updated author photo, we made a day of it. It turned out to be great for both of us, because having a big camera aimed at you for large chunks of time as you hear *click* *click* *click* repeatedly is a little unnerving, and we fed off each other's antics, got some genuine smiles in, and a few laughs, too. Which happens a lot with my son, who has my sense of humor but is much quicker on the draw.

See that smile? I'm up on the hill jumping around, waving my arms.
That smile is for me. It says, "Man, my mom is weird AND awesome."

He makes this face a lot.

Braeden is a pretty quiet kid, but if he decides to talk, he will talk and talk and talk.
I love being the recipient of this.

This is my favorite. It reminds me of when he was little and would ask for a cookie
or something and just wait quietly with this look on his face
and of course I would say YES BECAUSE LOOK AT THIS FACE.

It was a really good day with my son, who will soon be moving on to big, grown-up world things. 

I try not to think about it because when I do a chunk of broken cement gets lodged in my throat and everything goes watery.

So now I have some new author photos. I need to decide which photo to send to my publisher for the back of my books and since you all were such great helpers a few years back, I'm asking again. 

What do you think?

#1

#2

#3

#4

And to move things along, I'll put everyone who votes into a drawing for my book OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE, which you may want for yourself, OR to give as one of the best Christmas presents ever. Just sayin'. I'll draw names on Wednesday, December 12th at 10pm.

Thanks for the help!

Okay, it was requested that I post the B&Ws since that is what my publisher uses. I'm kinda getting tired of seeing my face, but I'm thankful for all the help!

#1

#2

#3 

#4 

And since some of you wanted to see this cropped...
#5

OKAY, TELL ME WHAT TO DO.
:)

Writing the Author Bio. DUN Dun dun.

I've been asked to rewrite my author bio. Make it fresh. Basically, not boring. 

© H. Armstrong Roberts/CORBIS

I researched a bit online and there was so much conflicting information! What to do, what not to do, adding in what my publisher is looking for. One of the best tips I did find, though, was to remember that we are writers! We write prose and description and emotion for people we make up, but when it comes to bios, we sound like boring history professors. So write like you write!

*No offense to the exciting history professors. Great job.* 

Google creative commons images

So, I'm posting the before and after and I'd REALLY like to know what you think. 

Before (*note: I've never liked this one. Urg.):

Krista Lynne Jensen grew up in Washington State, attended Brigham Young University, lived in Oregon for many years, and now lives in Cody, Wyoming with her husband Brandon and four children: Chelsea, Braeden, Jacob, and Maren. She loves to cook, garden, read, and explore the inspiring beauties of the country. Her laptop always comes along.

Growing up, Krista loved the English language, read constantly, and wrote poetry and journal entries. But she didn’t begin writing seriously until her youngest child started school full-time and she joined a writing group, where she quickly rediscovered her passion for words. She places her characters in the settings she loves and challenges them to dig deeper and fight for what they want. Her family life is busy, but she keeps up with the stories playing out in her head while trying to ignore the dishes and laundry.

After:

Nearly every one of Krista Lynne Jensen’s elementary school teachers made a note on her report card pointing out that she was a “day-dreamer”. It was not a compliment. So, when Krista grew up, she put those day dreams down on paper for others to enjoy. When writing, she fuels her creativity with chocolate-covered cinnamon bears and popcorn. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, her family, and sunshine. But not laundry. She never day-dreams about laundry.

What do you think? Any more tips? Writing a bio is hard, and most authors don't care to talk about themselves anyway, but it's a great way to connect to readers in a simple paragraph at the end of your book. What do you like to know about an author?

Heyyy a Blog Post...

Have you ever wondered how things would be if you'd chosen differently? Of course you have. Happy or sad, we wonder, "How would it have been?" One choice. One reaction. A turn left when a turn right was also before us.
I've been wondering about this a bit. How have my choices affected who I am today, and how would they have been different if I'd chosen differently? I like who I am today. I like me. But I'm very different from the woman I was twenty years ago, seven years ago, even four years ago. But I liked her, too.
Four years ago I began writing seriously. Twenty years after college and I found myself.

Late. Bloomer.

What if I'd found myself earlier? What if I'd had the support at home to go after a far-fetched dream? What about all those struggles, defeats, climbs, triumphs, disappointments between then and now? How would I have been molded to be who I need to be?

And I need to be.

So I guess it doesn't matter. What matters is moving forward. Learning, growing, knowing that giving up is not an option because a writer is what I need to be.

I always wondered, seeing people, friends around me knowing what they were to do, and I wondered, next to being a mother, when would I know what I was to do? Why didn't I know?

I'm so grateful. It's been four years. I can't imagine not doing this.

News: My next book, THE ORCHARD, is slated to come out March/April 2013. This is the FIRST one accepted by Covenant Comm, but will be my SECOND release. I'm so excited to see it again. I've missed it!

I just finished the first draft of the YA fantasy I've been working on titled SILK. It's out to alpha readers right now, so my stomach is a bit knotty. I look forward to the feedback, though, to make it better. I had so much fun and hair-pulling and hand-wringing and shouts of exclamation getting it down. I can't believe it's all down. I hope it's good. Even a little.

I also started a new on-line critique group with some other writers and I'm very excited about it! WordPlay is Becca Wilhite, Abel Keogh, Melanie Bennet Jacobson, Julie Wright, Kate Palmer, me, and sometimes, Marion Jensen. I feel very fortunate to have found these people needing exactly the same thing I did!

OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE is still selling well for being out for almost a year. I love this little book! I still love seeing the cover. I still love hearing that readers love it and shared it and are still wanting me to sign it. I love the emails that come in thanking me for writing it. I have received several emails from readers who could relate to having a loved one with an addiction problem. It means a lot to me when they say, yes, that's how it feels. So go, little book. Go, Jill and Scott and Shiloh.

My daughter's wedding was beautiful and she and her new husband are settled and starting school. The other kids are back in school, as is my husband. The ruptured disc in my back is healing and though I still can't lift much of anything, I can do most things with much less pain and I'm thankful every day.

The writing comes in longer stretches now.

So I love that.

Thursday Authorial: The Kiss of a Stranger

I love Thursdays. It's all about other writers! And today, it's about Sarah M. Eden and her new book, THE KISS OF A STRANGER.

Who knew one unexpected kiss would lead to so much trouble? But, this is regency era England, and each and every character is so absolutely deserving. At once comical and sensitive, KISS was delightful. Sarah is now among my new favorite authors. Her writing is clean, concise, laced with humor, well-researched, and moves at a clip. And the characters are alive, breathing, struggling, and inadvertently falling in love.

Yay!

Thanks, Sarah. You've done it again.

Oh, and Sarah and fellow authors Marion Jensen and Robison Wells have launched a new podcast. Check out The Appendix: A Podcast for Writers. Their first episode is up!

Rings and Seasons

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

I recently read something about trees. How, in studying their rings, scientists can guess what climates and growing conditions surrounded the tree at given seasons, even hundreds of years ago. When conditions are ideal, trees grow at a normal rate. But when climate becomes harsh, extreme, exceptional, trees slow down their growth and put everything they have into surviving.
How is this like writing?
Right now, I have a lot going on. This "season" of growth I am experiencing a climate of kitchen remodel, a new calling in church planning and executing the holiday parties, hosting Thanksgiving, 4 children involved in school, community, and sports/music, a volleyball tournament, a husband heavily involved in the community and church. I wouldn't call it a harsh climate, because these are things we choose and enjoy and look forward to. Still, our current schedule is full, and added to these things are the stress and turbulence of having a large family, health issues, my husband's absences as he travels a lot (yeah, I miss him). I might worry that this season's ring? Looking a little meager.
BUT.
When I get to write, everything slows. I regroup. I clear my head. I focus. Writing is part of my survival. Writing group is manna. When I get quiet mornings for writing it's nourishment to my soul.
And then I can pace myself with the other stuff. Sort of. More like scramble to keep up, but I'm not falling behind. I do my best with the important things. Writing isn't extra. Along with my faith, writing maintains balance, keeps me warmed up. So, my meager rings? I'm still going to be thankful for what I was able to get done. Sometimes we just have to hunker down, keep warm, take care of the important things. Survive. Climates change, so do the seasons.

I know a lot of writers would agree with me.

What do your rings look like?

Rain, Drive-Ins, and Rootbeer

I've receive two major awards! Well, maybe not major, but they are lovely, are they not? They come from my blogger friend, Ali Cross. Her site is always thought-provoking, honest, and fun. Thank you, Ali!

The Rules for The Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.
2. Share seven things about yourself.
3. Pass the award to fifteen bloggers that you think deserve it.
4. Lastly, contact all the bloggers that you’ve picked for the award.

One Lovely Blog Award Rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Seven things about myself, in no particular order:
1) I love the sound of rain, crickets, and frogs. Not all at the same time.
2) I love drive-in theaters. I lament their passing and avidly support the one in the next town, American Dreams Drive-In. Sometimes I wish my husband and I could move to the back seat. Like we used to. There are kids in the way.
3) I love rootbeer floats. Particularly A&W rootbeer floats, which we used to get at the A&W on the way to the drive-in when I was little and living in Seattle. Where it rains. And there are frogs. At the lakes.
4) I love lakes. I love the calm, the lack of current, the warmth.
5) I would rather live in the mountains than anywhere else; preferably in a lake house. I don't have one yet. But I am in the mountains. Baby steps. The mountains here in Wyoming are different than the mountains of western Washington. In a good, non-rainy kind of way.
6) I LOVE snow, but seasonally. At Easter time, I want tulips and sunshine. Not snowmen and wind-chill. Like here in the mountains.
7) I'm adaptable.

With that out of the way, it's time to move on to 8 out of the 15 bloggers I have chosen to receive these awards. The other 7 will be mentioned in my next post. Give it up for:

• Margot Hovley at Inklings. Margot is a new Covenant author, like me! Her book, GET REAL, is coming out next summer. Congratulations, Margot! 

• Melissa J. Cunningham at A Writer's Reality. Melissa cracks me up and she's a great motivator. Apparently she sings, and I'd like to hear her sometime. Okay, Melissa?

• Donald J. Carey is a sweetheart of a guy and also has a book coming out called BUMPY LANDINGS. Check him out; bring a lei.

• A.L. Sonnichsen over at The Green Bathtub (so named because her writing cuts into her cleaning time) and I are finding we have a bathtub full of things in common, beginning with the areas we call/called home, and our husband's football careers, both on the field and sidelines. She posts her short stories weekly, and is sending me chocolate. What more can you ask from a blogger friend?

• Go see Jayne over at A Novice Novelist. She's British. She's truly delightful.

• I really like how Clarissa Draper critiques chapters at Listen to the Voices. And her posts cover everything from Blogger tips to Forensics.

• Kimberly Vanderhorst at Temporary? Insanity is the embodiment of serenity and anxiety at the same time. Her posts are sweetness to the soul. She would balk at that. But I insist.

• Sara B. Larson is new to blogging and I found her posts really fresh, so she's on the list!

And one more note. My book contract is signed, delivered, and my copy is now in my possession. I feel like the Velveteen Rabbit. Real.

Glow

"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote is stuck to the board above my desk with a thumbtack. I don't even know where I got it. But every time I glance up and read it, I am struck by its truth. When I think of my friends, the really true friends, and the kind of friend I wish to be, boiling it all down to its concentrated base, this is what I find.

There is something of the spirit, something instilled in us that ignites when someone believes in us, when someone is willing to trust us.

And it is so fragile.

A writer can't afford to be fragile. When we choose who will read and critique our drafts, we are trusting. When I attach a document in an email and press send, I don't wish for up and down praise and glorious exclamations (okay, a few), but I do wish for help. I do wish for direction.

I don't wish to be placed on a pedestal. Or torn down from one.

I wish to be believed in.

Even when I suck.

I think I can speak for most writers.

Thank you, to all my friends.

You help me glow. I'll try to do the same.