Life & Books Update

I've had a lot of people ask me to update what's going on in my crazy life... so here it is:

As of right now we're with my mom and dad in New Mexico, right up at the top of the state by the Four Corner's Area. Due to my hubby's recruiter training school we're gonna be here until October (until the first quarter of the kids school is over) at that time we'll be moving to Provo Utah... and hopefully Mark and I will have the new house all ready for the kids.

So for those of you who have just joined us, my family and I just relocated to the States from England last week.

Whew.

Now on to the books. Most of you know I've written 7 books in the past year. Only 2 are ready for submissions. The other 5 are in various states of rewrites and will not be submitted--or even thought of being submitted to publishers until my agent, Kirsten Manges, has her twins in August! (So exciting!) So after my final move in Oct, Kirsten and I will get back together and start submissions on the next one.

Pride & Popularity--book one and the book that got my agent, went out to the publishing world in Oct. By November we had three publishers very interested (On second reads!). Then the publishing world folded and all three came back with a thanks, but no thanks. We had one publisher willing to do rewrites with us and talk to me directly on what she envisioned. But after waiting 4 months for the editor to find the time for P&P she came back with a 'no thank you' as well.

Which however disappointing it may be for other authors, I took it as a massive relief and sign! First off, I was able to write three separate books that had nothing to do with my Jane Austen rewrites, one of which is with publishers now. And it gave me the opportunity to meet Candi and Kasie, two of the most AWESOME proof readers of all time. They both read Pride & Popularity and were able to point out exactly what was wrong with it and why the editors may have passed.

So after 4 months of waiting for the editor, I was FINALLY able to add the revisions to Pride & Popularity that needed to be there. The whole book is so much stronger now! And I'm super excited about sending it out, we just won't be able to until after Kirsten's twins are born, since she'll be part of the negotiations and she's already working on my top secret book, that I'll be able to reveal to you soon. That book--is my 7th--and just might be the first book sold! LOL! Ironic right?

So there it is. My update. My first book is still on hold--but so awesome now, I can't believe it! And I can't wait to share it with new editors--unless there is one that has just happened to stumble onto my blog and would like to read it before the end of the month--then contact Kirsten Manges--you won't be disappointed! LOL! Hey a girl can dream, right? And my 7th book will hopefully be sold soon! I'll let you know. Meanwhile, I'm revising...

Persuaded (Totally awesome Persuasion rewrite--well, if you like 4-wheeling it is!),

Emmalee (Super cute Emma rewrite!),

The Northanger Affect (So FUNNY! it's my modern Stephenie Meyer/Jane Austen spoof),

BFF Notebook (with co-author Kasie, about two girls who write in a notebook back & forth trying to solve the love mystery of just who their secret admirers are),

Prince Tennyson (the sweet book about the 10 yr old girl, who's dad died in Iraq the year before and now she wants to prove if God is real or not)

and writing Mansfield Ranch! (Yes, girls... it's speaking to me again!)

Eeeh! I love being an author!

I LOVE IT!

I know I shouldn't, but I L.O.V.E. Love editing! Love it! It's so awesome! Yeah, it's work, but it's a cool 'my story is getting closer to getting published' kind of work.

Every edit I do and complete I get excited about. My story just gets better--and in some cases a WHOLE lot better! So embrace your awesome editness and the chance you get to see where you went wrong in the first draft and perfect it!

Sigh, perfection. It's a beautiful, unattainable thing, isn't it?

So, I'm halfway through my Prince Tennyson edits! I haven't looked at this book for 6 weeks now. It's so good! Eeeh! I'd forgotten how good it was. <=Which, i can totally say by the way, because I didn't really write this one. Had lots of divine help and just channeled. Right? It's not bragging if you really didn't write it, right? Holy back flippin' cow, I can't wait for Kirsten to read it!

But first... Must. Perfect. So you wanna know the coolest thing that has happened while editing Prince Tennyson? Do ya? Do ya? (LOL! I'm so laughing at myself right now, I'm such a dork seriously! LOL! ) Anyway, I found the section i'm going to read out loud when this book gets sold. You know, the part you have to read at your launch party--or wherever!

Eeeh! Yes, I did warn you i'm a dork, right? Well, i have the canny ability to see the future--okay, so not the future-future, but where my dreams and goals end with this book. If I can see that vision, that hope, of where I see myself reading out loud from a published copy, then it'll happen. I know from experience, I'll just EDIT, EDIT, EDIT until I get there.

See why I love editing so much? For me, it's not the despair and discouragement that it'll never, ever happen for me--I'll never get it right, so I'll never get published. Nope, for me, it's the reality I'm one step closer to fulfilling my dream! I LOVE Editing!

I had to blog about Susan too!

Forgive me. I know you've already seen this. I know especially in the states as you guys have had this all over the news. But I have to say I am so amazed at this woman's pluck and determination. How many times do we know what we have inside of us, but are afraid of the audience laughing and so shut down.

This woman had been abused and basically shut in her home by her own mother until the woman died at 92. Now Susan Doyle is beginning to live the life she'd always dreamed of. Now she has come out of her box and shown the world who she really is. Where did this confidence come from? Where has she dug up the guts to do this? How has she kept her faith in herself for so long?

May we all continue to shoot for our dreams, until we conquer them. May we never lose sight of our goals--no matter what trials we are facing, who is judging us and most importantly who is mocking us. Those dreams will become reality.

Susan Boyle. Britian's Got Talent
Singing, I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables (broadway musical)
Simon's grin is just priceless.


BGT 2009: Susan Boyle - I Dreamed A Dream (Full Version) DL @ Yahoo! Video

Celebration ANTIQUE BOOK giveaway!

Hi! Yes, before we go any further... this is me. First thing in the morning. Yes, I have no makeup on. Yes, that is my kids craft table behind me (in my conservatory). Yes, that is the sun glowing like a halo all around my head and book! LOL! No comments on sans makeup and baggy eyes, okay? Thanks. Moving on.

See that book I'm holding? See it? See it? Well, I have a gazillion of these! Hehehe! I LOVE antique books! Love them. And England just gives them away! I know, gasp! Right?

So I've been thinking and thinking what I can use as a giveaway to celebrate my upcoming year mark as an author! Wahoo! And after wracking and wracking my brain--to Kasie--i finally realized, writers/readers LOVE books. We LOVE them. And all of you guys write blogs... and read blogs Ahem... writers/readers... so you must LOVE books too, right? And hello? Who doesn't LOVE antique books? I mean really? Who doesn't? Which is why I present you with:

My one year celebration ANTIQUE BOOK giveaway.

WESTWAYS by, S. Weir Mitchell

Printed by New York the Century Co. in 1913.

This book is almost 100 years old!

Cool, huh?

And it also has an inscription.

If you can't make out this picture below, it is says:

Mrs. Ella M. Allen

July 1914

So what do you think? Are you up for celebrating with me? You are? Great! Because on Monday the 16th I'm going to announce the winner and request your addy, so I can mail Westways to you. This book is so gorgeous! Green and Gold. Beautiful!

So how to enter. Okay, read carefully.

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me which Jane Austen book is your favorite. That's it. If you're anonymous then please leave me an email addy I can reach you at.

Oh and if you advertise this giveaway on your blog, then come back and tell me and that comment will become a second entry.

How easy is that? And guess what! You've just helped me celebrate my one year mark: March 15th, when I first began to type up Pride & Popularity!

UPDATED: Please don't forget to tell me when you advertise it on your blog, so I can enter you twice. This giveaway is open until Monday when one of my kids will draw a name.

Here is the list of Jane Austen books:

Pride & Prejudice

Emma

Persuasion

Northanger Abbey

Mansfield Park

Sense & Sensibility

I am rewriting and modernizing all 6 of these for teens... if you click on the first five they'll take you to my website pages which will give you a short blurb about each book, that may jog your memory. ( I haven't started S&S yet) And yes, for all of you less fortunate, who have never read the original... a movie counts.

Step Three--QUERY

Okay so many of you already know this... and even more of you have already stumbled across my query letter that is posted around the net in various places. Yes, I'm very open about my publishing process, so if there's anything you would like to know--anything at all--ask me and I'll answer as best I can.

A little while ago, I had a few requests to post my REAL query letter. The one that got me my totally awesome agent Kirsten Manges back in August. (Along with 6 other very interested agents--that I had to turn down.)

For those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about, don't worry, you're not alone. I had never even heard of a query letter until last April--and then I freaked out trying to decide how to write one. So here's the deal. After you write your novel (COMPLETE it. Step One) and then you give it to all of your friends to read for critiques and edits (EDIT it. Step Two) then you start searching for literary agents online and write out your query letter to see if they're interested in your book. (Query it. Step three) Once you've come up with the perfect query letter that sounds like you, makes your book exciting, and convinces the agent to ask for more--This is Not easy btw--You begin to query.

Now, I tweaked this letter about 6 or 7 times during the 8 weeks I sent out 50 queries to 50 different agents... by the time I tweaked it for the last time, my "thanks but no thanks" rejections became..."Ooh, I love the sound of this. Send me more."

Once the agents started getting interested I knew I had hit query perfection! LOL! Yes, I was a happy girl. And amazingly agented just 2 1/2 weeks after the final query was made.

So here it is. My final draft. Hope this helps.

Dear Ms. Kirsten Manges,

In a world where drama is everything, Chloe Elizabeth Hart has found she cannot abide the conceited antics of the popular crowd. –Or more importantly, one very annoying self-possessed guy, Taylor Anderson, who is determined to make her the president of his fan club! As if! Every girl in the whole city of Farmington, New Mexico is in love with Taylor, but he seems to be only interested in her.

The reader laughs, simmers and loves with Chloe in the romantic high school roller coaster ride called Pride and Popularity. Chloe follows the same lines and battlefields drawn out by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice two hundred years ago, with a much more modern twist:

~Instead of attending balls…its parties, dates and high school dances.
~Instead of letters…it’s passed notes, emails and cell phone calls.
~And instead of marriage proposals…its boyfriends, prom and gorgeous dresses!

I am a professional children’s theater director/playwright and have written and produced three full length (3-act) plays for children/teens, Cinderella (2006), The Greatest Fairy tale EVER! (2007) and Snow White a Tale of Envy (2008). This is my first novel. With my background in professional theater I have spoken in many public speaking events and theater seminars.

Please, let me know if you are interested in reading more of the completed 63,500 word count YA manuscript. Until then, I will continue working on its Jane Austen sequel Persuaded, which is set in the same rural city as Pride and Popularity. Being part of the world wide fan base of Austenites who love rewrites/sequels, I hope to modernize and recreate all six of the beloved Austen novels for teens. –Which has never been done before! As a mother of six, my ultimate goal is to present tweens/teens with an alternative to the ever popular chick lit novel on the shelves today, with good clean characters and positive heroes to emulate.

NOTE: If the punctuation marks are off-kilter, it is due to my email program. The full manuscript has been edited by a second party. Below, I have included a brief synopsis and sample chapter.

Thank you, for your consideration and your time.
Sincerely,
Jenni James

(Then all my contact info: email, phone, addy)

KASIE CAME TO ENGLAND!

Okay, so you wanna know the coolest thing ever? Do ya? Do Ya? Cuz, I'm gonna tell you you!!! It's when your writer friend who you've never actually met in person before but you've only known them from your blog, but you totally wrote a WHOLE book with them in ten days comes to visit you in ENGLAND!!! That is the coolest thing ever!! And to celebrate I thought you should all laugh as much as Kasie and I have in the past 5 hours since being in each other's company!!! ENJOY!



Love, Jenni! (And KASIE!)

PRINCE TENNYSON!!!

Prince Tennyson is DONE!!! Book #6!!! Can I just say... I'm amazed! Shocked! Astounded! And truly, truly blessed to have had the experience to become a writer the past 11 months. Seriously. It has been an incredible journey! I've had many, many people ask me just what keeps me going and what my typical day is like. So I've thought about it, and I've decided to share. But honestly, I'm not sure if it will shed some light on anything... but if it helps you guys in anyway then here goes:

5:45-6:00am = Do my daughters' hair for school. While Dad gets the 2 boys up and the first round of laundry started. (yes, my hubby does laundry)

6:15am= try to go back to sleep, unless my new WIP (Work in Progress) is speaking, then sneak downstairs and write 600-1,000 Words. Say hi to Kasie West who is awake in CA working on her WIP (whatever new book it is at the moment) listen to her chide me for being awake so early and then read her new stuff and tell her how great it is!

7:30=fall asleep at the computer (LOL!) and say goodbye to Kasie and sneak off to bed.

9:30-10:00am= Wake up for real this time, change from my robe to Tshirt and yoga pants, get my youngest ones up (if they don't wake me up first) tell my 5 year old that he can make breakfast today (seriously, he makes me and chloe toast every morning and gets her milk ready)

10:15=Start educational movie for my kids.. like Dora! LOL! Run through my emails from yahoo and my website (start answering) Then time to read anyone else's WIP's that have come in through the night and give comments on them. (Editor, Cheerleader whatever.)

11:30=Break time... hang with the kids... snuggle with them, read to them, watch Thomas the tank engine.. LOL! Get them to pick up toys.

12:00=Nap time for baby. Start visiting blogs and writing responses. If I feel like it I post something new on my blog. (Like today! LOL!) If not, then I use this time to read my own book and what I've written so far and edit from the day before. Or do my rewriting on my other books and edit for my Agent.. depending on what she needs, and what i feel like working on.

2:00= Lunch time (Yes, I know we eat late! But we get up late!) More snuggles and time for toys and drawing. They do this right next to me in the conservatory.

3:00=Finally! I can work on my own book and actually WRITE in it. YAY! I say a quick prayer (To make sure I'm channelling right) and go to work. <--In between countless IM's from my writer friends where I catch up on their lives I write about 600 to 1,000 words and send it to them amid death threats usually if I don't! LOL!

5:00= Dad is back from the base with the kids... Chaos resumes!

5:30-8:00/8:30=is family time. The only thing I do during this time is check my email and answer a few IM's as I walk past. Kirsten, my totally awesome agent, ALWAYS writes during family time... LOL! So it's my excuse to check in. I also call my mom in the states and check in.

The next three hours are making sure dishes are done, food is made, kids are clean, chores are done, and everyone is loved! LOL! We read our family scriptures and say our family prayer and get the older four off to bed, with school clothes laid out and ready for the next morning.

8:30-11:00= I IM on yahoo chat, read more blogs and leave comments, read more WIP chapters from my writing friends and comment, answer emails as they come in, and write, write, write on my book.

11:00=Time to get the younger two to bed. Pretend like I'm going to sleep too. Turn off all the lights and say prayers and goodnight kisses and then sneak back down.

11:00- (12, 1, 2, 3am) This is were it gets really bad. If I'm in a zone and a scene is coming to me... I take off. And I write until it stops. There have been more nights than I'm willing to mention that I've looked up and seen the time and went DANG! But, in my defense, I have tried to go to bed earlier and i kid you not, if I don't write my scene down that's attacking me... then it keeps me awake ALL NIGHT LONG.. until I finally, VERY sleep deprived at this point sneak down and write it out. So I've learned, if I'm in the zone, write it.

So that is it. That's my crazy life and schedule so far. I haven't written out my weekends, which involve church and family stuff... but you get the idea. I never, ever write in my book (WIP) on Sundays. It's my day off. Instead, I read other writer friends' stuff, or I read a real, live book! LOL! Or do nothing writing related at all! I know, gasp, right? LOL! Anyway, I chose not to write on Sunday, since I figure I'm channelling these books and the Lord is giving them to me, AND I want to make money off of them--I better be a good girl and give Him his sabbath day back. Which, all in all seems to be working really well for me. I give the Lord every Sunday... he gives me at least 1,000K of words to write the other days... (Most days much more!)

Well, I hope this helps. Totally boring, I know... But, maybe you can find a missing link in there that I'm not seeing.

Query Angst!

So my friend and co-author of the BFF Notebook Series Kasie West (Eeeh! See u in a week!!!) posted on her blog a funny spoof query letter for agents! It reminded me that I had one of those too! LOL! I had to dig through my files and find it tucked away in the Pride & Popularity folder. Of course, I wrote this halfway through my first book--having no idea at the time that I was actually going to have 6 more books of characters speaking to me after P&P was done! Ack!

My real query that ended up getting me my totally awesome agent looked nothing like this! LOL! So please, unless you think this quirky, crazy and sometimes zany letter below is an actual query from an agented author... LOL! Don't copy it! Or do! Wait! i've always wondered if it would get a chuckle out of someone! LOL!

Dear Ms Agent,

For reasons unbeknownst to me I have been plagued, tormented, tricked and connived into writing a YA novel called Pride and Popularity. Which is a modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, all centered in and around high school. I am an US Air Force spouse currently living in Whittlesey, England with my family of six children. And other than writing and directing children’s plays and being an extremely avid fan of the great Jane Austen, have nothing more to recommend myself in writing this book.

Please believe me when I say I would’ve stopped had the demanding new characters let me. Hence, the plaguing, tormenting, tricking and conniving I was speaking of earlier. Would you know that these characters kept me up half the night and all day whispering scenes to be written? I thought I had gone mad! I found I could not focus on any other thought except this book for six weeks! As a grown mother with six children, my life is way too busy to be writing modern romance adaptations of Jane Austen. Seriously, why fix it if it’s not broke?

Whew! That said, I would like to point out that as frustrated as I have become by this novel I am in no way willing to give up on it. ßYes, was prodded to write that last bit. Characters can be so demanding! Apparently these characters Taylor, Chloe, Alyssa, Camryn, Zack and Blake want to make it out of my head and into the big time.

Enclosed, as promised to my crew, I have included a very small sample of the 62K word book. Will you please, as an agent, inform my haphazard gang and I, that you do not request our services. Or in other words, “Don’t quit your day job.” So that way I may release myself of the pressures and worries that center around creating a novel and go back to just being me. Thank you.

Most Sincerely,
Jennifer James

I'm a Facebook RockStar!

No, really I am! LOL! So I have a confession to make. I've been secretly annoyed (or not so secretly annoyed if you know me) with Facebook. Can there be anything more in your face than those guys? Seriously? Everybody is up in everyone's business! Sheez! Of course, that was until yesterday. It's amazing how one day can change your view forever. So can I just say that Facebook ROCKS? Can I? Hehehe! Cuz I'm gonna! FACEBOOK ROCKS!!!! Wahooo! And seriously, it does.

So yes, if you want to become an YA author one day you do have to join the myspace/facebook phenomenon and you do have to pretend like you like it until you actually do. They grow on you, promise....

OK, so why all the facebook love now, you ask? Muhahaha! Let me tell you! So here's the thing, I totally walked into church yesterday a massive RockStar. I'm not kidding. Never before had people gone to such lengths to wish me Happy Birthday! It was like ultra cool and totally something I never, ever expected. Especially, to a girl who has up until now stayed in the closet about her birthday and kept it a horrible, deep, dark secret... LOL! Not because of my age, but because I have this massively awful habit of never remembering other people's birthdays. So to appease myself, I never tell anyone mine! Tada! LOL! Now, I don't have to feel bad when Karma comes around and bites me in my bum, because I don't expect anyone to remember anyway, cuz I haven't told them! See? Evil genius plan I tell you!

Except that's the thing! EVERYONE knew it was my birthday!!! EVERYONE! LOL! And you know what--also little secret--It was cool! So cool! Cooler than anything I have ever experienced before. And WAY cooler than I would've thought it would be had someone told me, "Two hundred people are all going to hug you and kiss your cheek and shower you with cards and love when you walk through that door today."

Yikes! Had a known beforehand I probably would've groaned and died of embarrassment. But as it was... I didn't get a chance to be embarrassed. Because everywhere I looked my friends were turning me around and hugging me. I Laughed. Like crazy laughed. Especially when I realized they'd all figured it out on Facebook. LOL! Facebook? Who knew? Seriously? LOL! But I gotta say, it was wonderful to have your birthday remembered. Even more now, because I've become such a reclusive hermit writing books that Church and the internet is my only social life! LOL!

So thank you! Thank you! To everyone who said happy birthday here! And thanks to all those who found my wall on facebook or at church and said happy birthday! It was a wonderful birthday. And I do have 12 more wishes for anyone who was counting... I do. They're in a notebook next to my hand. But honestly, I've been so blessed this year... I think i'm going to save them for next.

LOVE YOU ALL! Jenni

A WISH CAME TRUE!!!

Hehehee! Already! And it's not even my birthday! YAY!
We got the call that our van is ready for pickup this weekend!
SIGH
Life is good sometimes isn't it?

Hahahah!

OKAY! So THAT is an amazing birthday gift! I'm like smiling like crazy! And because I'm in such a crazy mood. I have some seriously crazy wishes for you! LOL!

Wish #14
I wish my daughter wouldn't be so fascinated with Winnie the Poop. Yes, you read right. Poop was not a typo. It's what she really calls him every time she sees him. It kind of reminds me of the two year's my son used to call his favorite blanket that had fish all over it, his "Piss Blankie." *sigh* Mother of the year award right there! LOL!

Wish #15
I wish the kids would listen to me and NOT do bathtubs slides. It just gets ugly and they know better. Ahem.

Wish #16
I wish my kids wouldn't try to out scare each other with ghost stories. I swear if I trip over another kid on my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I will...grr....

Wish #17
I wish the next time my daughter decides to draw all over herself I will refrain from teaching her a lesson and drawing a cute little mustache and beard on her face.

Wish #18
I wish the other kids wouldn't think it was funny and then draw and a beard and mustache on the baby again--days later. Grr.

Wish #19
I wish I could learn some alternative reverse psychology techniques that wouldn't backfire when the older kids thought they were funny. (refer to wish #18)

Wish #20
Ugh. I wish my dog didn't have gas. Or rather, I wish she didn't feel the need to sit next to me and share it when she did.

Thanks.
Jenni

Part 2 (32 Birthday Wishes)

WOW! Thank you so much for all of the warm wishes. Sheez, guys! LOL! Maybe I should announce my birthday is coming up sooner? LOL! Kidding! So um, I was laughing right out loud on some of your responses! And cried with others! LOL! So, okay... apparently some of you think my birthday wishes are too unselflish! Here I was thinking most of them are so selfish! LOL! So do ya wanna know the crazy thing? Wish #1 is REALLY the wish I would've made when I blew out my candles! LOL! I'm not kidding! I really, really, really want you all to get published. And I'm gonna try my hardest to help you too... (lol! You weren't expecting that were you?) Muhahah! Now that you are all onto my evil plan... I guess i better go ahead and list my next seven wishes. Sheez! LOL!

~Oh! Before I forget! Janna is having a contest on her blog... if you're interested in trying it, check it out! The winner gets James Patterson's new book Sam's Letters to Jennifer! http://somethingshewrote.blogspot.com/ All you have to do is write up a quick blurb (like something you'd read on the back of a book) with the clue's she has given and then put it in the comment section!~

Wish #7
I wish for World Peace. LOL! Okay, okay... so I just had to add it! Lol! But honestly, my hubby has been deployed way too much to not wish for this one. Especially the years that he has missed mine or the kids' birthdays and holidays and milestones... and all those things that make having dad around so special. LOL! So what started out as a joke on the "unselfish thing" I guess I really, really do want world peace! So sue me, already! LOL!

Wish #8
I wish my middle daughter would pick up reading and really, really love it like I do... and see the value and the wonder of being lost in a good book!

Wish #9
I wish my totally brave and wonderfully sweet oldest son would have a couple of good friends come into his life. Good guy friends that he can hang out with and who won't tease him for holding the door open for people or for helping a younger classman pick up their books when they fall. Someone who'll listen to him for hours talk about his favorite cars and think that it's cool too.

Wish #10
I wish my 2 year old wouldn't pick her nose in public quite so much. Seriously. She's adorably sweet, but in an instant she can go from the cutest, smartest redheaded little girl... to being a sniveling, nasty, neglected two year old--just like that. Sigh. I swear her IQ drops like 20 points. And does she have to leave it there for two hours without me realizing?

Wish #11
I wish my brother could really, really see the value of his family.

Wish #12
I wish my brother-in-law would hold my sister close and protect her like my hubby does me.

Wish #13
I wish that my books will have the ability to changes teens to see the positive things in life. And to make them grateful for every moment they are given. LOL! But I hope they have no idea they're learning these lessons as they read! LOL!

32 Birthday Wishes Part 1

So it'll be my birthday on Sunday. Usually I don't go around telling people when my birthday is, because that's just weird, plus also embarrassing. But this year is different. This year I'll be turning 32. Yeah, yeah... I know, I'm a baby. I wanted to do something different this year. Something I've never done before. So instead of making one birthday wish on 32 candles... I'm going to make 32 Birthday Wishes on one blog! LOL! A little bit each day.

So starting today:

Wish #1:
I wish that ALL My writing friends will become agented and will see their work published soon! (I mean it! There you go, wish sprinkles are floating down on you all right now!)

Wish #2:

I wish that all of my class in the Burghley school will get A's this year. (I really don't think this wish is necessary, because they are AWESOME writers!!!! Seriously! BUT I wish it just in case!)

Wish #3:

I wish my sister's wedding in Canada will be everything she's ever hoped it could be! And I hope she doesn't run this time. Yikes! Because he seems like an amazing guy... and I promised I'd have to take her out if she did... lol, and that's just so messy.

Wish #4:

I wish a certain FABULOUS editor (who will remain nameless) will love whatever rewrites she has me do for Pride & Popularity when we finally get to talk at the end of this month. And then, I hope she buys the whole Austen Series! Eeeh! Because, I love, love, love this editor... and I've been excited about maybe working with her since she very first read P&P last year! And since I'm wishing anyway, I might as well wish big, right?

Wish #5:

I wish our minivan would get out of the shop SOON. As much as I enjoy our clown car, I would love to be able to take a drive with the whole family again. And I miss, miss, miss, our van. It's been too long. No woman, trapped in a house with 6 kids, should have to go without a car since Thanksgiving, it's just cruel. (FYI: Don't bring a US car to the UK and expect not to have to wait for parts.. LOL!)

Wish #6:

I wish I don't have another miscarriage this year. The five in the last 15 months were enough, thanks. (We won't forget you Ethan! You will come to this family, promise. Know why? All my wishes come true... every one. They always have. So hang in there baby, we love you! And no matter what anyone says, 6 babies are NOT enough! LOL!)

An Award!

For those of you interested... Ahem, I've finally come out of hiding and added the James Gang Outlaws following gadget to the right. I'll be by to follow your blogs as I comment today. LOL! By the way, you're all WANTED: Dead or Alive. LOL! Cracks me up every time I read it! LOL!

Oh, and for those of you who expressed an interest in Prince Tennyson, my new WIP I've posted another blog below this one... with the next two chapters. If you remember it's about the 10 year old girl who's dad died in Iraq the year before and now she's out to prove if God is real or not. If you missed the first two chapters they're below in a post titled: Is God Real? I've decided to go ahead and post some more chapters as i write, because I've had such an interest in it. It's quite a compelling story. Anyway, but for those of you just along for the fun stuff... then let's get on to business!

Premio-Dardas: "This award 'acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It's a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web."

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted it to you, along with his/her blog link.

2. Pass the award to (15) other blogs that you feel are worthy of this recognition. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen as recipients.

Thank you, Jenn, for this wonderful award that now graces my blog--> Hehehe! Take a look at the right! I was granted this award for sharing my cultural experiences and adventures while living in England.

Now it is my pleasure to get to pass this on to other blog friends of mine!

Melissa Marsh over at http://grosvenorsquare.blogspot.com/ totally deserves this award. Not only does she write her own blog, but has also started a wonderful writing goal orientated blog that she manages.

Renee Collins over at http://midnightmeditations.blogspot.com/ one very determined girl to get published! And she will succeed.

Lois over at http://lamoss.blogspot.com/ She does some of the most amazing reviews on books your must read!

Ang over at http://angstorycorner.blogspot.com/ who not only shares her writing, but also her personal joys and exciting things happening. Enjoy the new house!

Kimberly over at http://kimberlysgetaway.blogspot.com/ a young teacher who struggles and laughs with the joys at teaching her very first class this year. Hiya!

Morgan over at http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/ who is a published author sharing her experiences and helping others

Terri over at http://terri-treasures.blogspot.com/ Who I'm sure has already received this award due to her motivational writing and insight blogs, but gets one from me in any case.

Nikki over at http://mikewilsonfamily.blogspot.com/ I know she's already got it.. but she gets it again. Since Nikki was the very first one to support me in my writing and spur me on! Thanks Nikki!

Kasie over at http://kasiewest.blogspot.com/ Who deserves it too. Not only for being my partner in crime on BFF Notebook, but for making me laugh out loud on her many, many hilarious posts.

AVTcoach over at http://avtcoach.blogspot.com/ Because I LOVE her blog!

Candice over at http://candicekennington.wordpress.com/ Because she definitely voices what she feels and expresses her opinions and values admirably!

Caitlin over at http://singlikenooneislistening-caitlin.blogspot.com/ This newly flown bird from the nest has been very good about writing her adventures in collegeland and succeeding gracefully!

Jinksy over at http://havantaclue.blogspot.com/ a wonderful Poet and a hilarious Brit!

Tiffany over at http://keythandtiffany.blogspot.com/ a mommy and closet writer who helps to better the lives of all who meet her.

Dramaqueen over at: http://dramaqueensguide.blogspot.com/ because she cracks me up and she's great at advice and sharing her adventures

Whew! Thanks again to Jenn who shared this award with me. I feel very honored!

Also I thought i would give a shout out to:

Angie Ledbetter over at http://angie-ledbetter.blogspot.com/ for giving me my new donkey bling over to the right! Isn't it fabulous? If you want a laugh, go visit her site! She's the best!

chapters 3 & 4

Prince Tennyson
Jenni James©copyright2009

DISCLAIMER: Rough Draft!


Chapter Three:

Grandma says the good Lord loves Wednesdays just as much as any other day. I never thought about it before, Wednesday being the same as any other day. It seemed weird somehow. I had a funny feeling my grandma believed in a very weird God. I was going to tell her on Thursday what I thought, but that morning my mom came into the room while I was eating my breakfast.

She got some cereal and sat at the table right next to me. I was surprised to see that she was all the way dressed with makeup on and everything. She looked really pretty with makeup, but she hardly ever wore it anymore.

“Mom, where are you going?”

“Going?” She looked at me funny and smiled before she brought her arm around my shoulders and pulled me toward her. I felt a kiss go on my head, just like how Dad used to. “Honey, how are you feeling?” She gave my shoulder another squeeze and pulled back to look me in the eyes.

“Good. Why?”

Mom shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just wondering if you wanted to skip school and do something with me today.”

“Do something with--?”

“You know, in case you don’t feel like going back there.”

“What?” Mom was acting different than I’d ever seen her before. I couldn’t believe what she was actually saying. I watched her eyes for a moment to see if she was playing some sort of trick. They weren’t exactly happy eyes, but they weren’t sad either. In fact Mom’s brown eyes looked perfectly serious. “Um, okay.”

“Great.” My mom smiled. I waited until the smile lit up her eyes too, it didn’t. Instead she asked, “So where do you want to go?” and then took a deep breath and smiled again.

I could tell Mom was trying to be brave. As I sat there at the breakfast table, for the first time it actually hit me that she wasn’t. All at once, I wondered how hard it must’ve been for her to move us from California to Grandma Haney’s house here in Arizona. She must’ve been very scared and worried about it.

“I don’t care. We could go to a park, somewhere. Maybe?”

Mom thought about the park and then she nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. And since it’s February, it’s not too hot.” She patted the table and took another deep breath. “Well, let me get your sister ready for school and Cameron fed and then we’ll head out, okay? Grandma’s already offered to watch little Cam for us while you and I have a special day. So does that sound good?”

I couldn’t believe she was asking my opinion. “Sure.” And it did sound good. It sounded really good. I don’t remember the last time me and my mom had spent a whole day together. As I went to put my bowl in the sink, my tummy got a little bit nervous until I remembered that today was Thursday and Thursdays are always better than Wednesdays.

In my room, that me and Hannah (my sister) shared, I quickly put my backpack on the floor by the closet and changed my P.E. shoes to my purple sparkle flats. Then I put on my new blue jacket. I buttoned it up over my shirt and looked in the mirror to see if I was decent.

I loved my new jacket with the purple butterfly. It looked really pretty with the light brown hair that me and my mom had.

Grandma said that I looked more and more like my mom everyday. I scrunched up my nose and leaned into the mirror. I hope so.

“Hey, Mom wants to know if you’re ready.” Hannah skipped up behind me.

“Yep.” I scrunched my nose up one more time and looked down at her in the mirror.

She giggled. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

She was already out the door when I turned around.


At the park Mom found a real nice shaded spot under a big tree. We both sat on the bench together and watched the old people walk their dogs and some other moms push their babies in strollers. It was strange to see what people did when I was at school. It was like a whole other world, or something.

After a few minutes of silence my mom sighed and put her arm around me again, like at breakfast. She pulled me close to her and I rested my head on her shoulder. It was nice. Then she started to draw lazy circles on my back with her fingers and that felt really good.

“Chelsea?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled into her shoulder. I didn’t want to get up, which was good because Mom didn’t make me. Instead she just kept rubbing my back.

“How do you like school?”

“School?” I shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess.”

“Is your new teacher always mean?”

“Mrs. Sheridan? No.” I didn’t know why my mom was talking about my teacher. I hoped it wasn’t because she was still sad with me. “Well, I mean, yesterday she was mad, but usually she’s nice.”

My mom nodded. I know she did, because her hair brushed up against my face. Up and down. Up and down. “I’m sorry she was mad at you,” my mom whispered and then kissed the top of my head again.

That was two head kisses in one day. I liked it.

I didn’t know what to say, so I said, “It’s okay.”

“Well, she didn’t understand, honey.” She rested her chin on my head. “Your teacher didn’t understand how special your daddy was.”

I waited for my mom to start crying. She always started to cry when she talked about her prince. After a couple of seconds of silence, Mom took a deep breath and her voice got all wobbly.

“She didn’t know what a good man he was. And what an awesome father and—and husband he was. If she knew, Chelsea, if Mrs. Sheridan knew—like your old teachers did—then she wouldn’t have ripped up your paper. And she wouldn’t have told you to stop reading about him, honey. She wouldn’t have.”

My heart hurt again. I missed my dad so much.

Mom rubbed her chin on my hair and I felt a little spot of wet hit the top of my head. She was crying.

“She just didn’t ever know your daddy. If she did, she would’ve called him a prince too. Right in front of the whole class. She would’ve told everyone he was a prince—just like your old school, remember?”

I nodded. I could remember. I could remember all the ladies at the old school--even Mrs. Tibbets, the grouchy librarian—all those ladies called my dad Prince Tennyson. They liked it when he came in his uniform and opened the doors for them and quickly ran to catch them if they were carrying something heavy, so he could hold it instead. They liked it when he smiled and waved at them, even when he was super busy, or super late. They liked it when he gave me piggyback rides and carried me out to the car. All the kids liked that. Everyone wanted a dad like Prince Tennyson.

I missed my dad.

I could feel my eyes getting wet too.

“Chelsea, I want you to really listen to me, okay?”

I nodded my head again.

“No matter what anyone else ever tells you, your daddy was a prince. Okay, honey? Don’t you listen to anyone else telling you that it was made up and a fairy tale. Your daddy was the most special prince in all the world. And he loved you, and loved our family more than anything else in all the world. Everyone saw it too. They saw your daddy was special. Just like Mrs. Sheridan would’ve if she had met him.”

Mom brought her arms up closer and squeezed me to her as I brushed at my wet eyes. Then she whispered really quietly, “I love you, honey. You are a very special too, just like your daddy.”

I cried then. Two big tears came down my cheeks. I didn’t even try to stop them.

“I just wished to God that he didn’t leave us,” Mom said.


Chapter Four:

I sniffled once and wiped my eyes. Then I pulled back and looked at my mom. There was something I needed to know right then. “I know, I asked you this before, but I want to ask you again. Can I ask you something very serious, please?”

Mom looked at me real quiet for a minute, then she said, “Um, okay. What’s up?”

All at once I couldn’t look at her. Instead my hands played with the button of my new jacket. “I was just wondering if you thought—maybe even the tiniest bit—that God was real. What do you think, Mom?” I glanced back up. “Do you think He’s real?”

“God?” Mom pulled me close to her again. This time I felt her rock gently back and forth. She waited a long time before she asked, “You really want to know, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” I nodded my head, because I really did want to know.

“Well, I-I…”

I held my breath and waited. It took a while but Mom finally answered.

“I don’t know. I don’t think He is, Honey, but I just don’t know.”

I let my breath out in a loud swoosh. This wasn’t good. It didn’t make sense. I pushed my self out of her arms. “Well, how do you find out if He is or isn’t?”

“I—“”There has to be a way to know the Lord is real, right?”

“Uh, maybe. Why does it matter so much?”

She didn’t get it. I couldn’t believe that my own mom didn’t understand why it was so important for me to find out if God was real or not. I thought that would be obvious to anyone.
I guess not. I closed my eyes and rubbed my face. I will not cry. I will not cry. After I had talked myself into being rational, I opened my eyes again and looked right at my mom. Right into the same big brown eyes that I had.

“When people die, where do they go?” I didn’t wait for my mom to answer me, instead I just kept talking. “They go to heaven, right? Heaven is where God is, right?” Mom’s eyes flashed, but I kept talking fast so she wouldn’t say anything. “So if there is a God, then Dad is with him, right? Then if Dad is with him, then when I’m old and I die I’ll go there too, right? So then I’ll be with Dad again. Then I’ll see him and he can hold me again. And he can dance with me and give me piggyback rides and read me funny stories, right Mom?

Except—except, if it isn’t true. And there is no Lord, or God, or anything, then where is my prince? Where did he go? See, Mom? See? I have to know if He’s real or not. I have to find out. I have to. So that way I know what happened to Dad. And—and, I bet once I do, you’ll be happy too. Because I’ll tell you, I’ll show you if I find out there really is a God. And then you’ll know with me and then you’ll—“

Mom smushed me to her really hard and really tight. It knocked the words right out of me. But it was okay, because Mom had begun to rub my back again.

“Shh… Honey, it’s alright…” She said that over and over again. “Shh… Honey, it’s alright…” until I stopped crying. I didn’t even know I was crying that time, until my shaking stopped and I could breathe right again. Then I began to see that I’d been really emotional.

It felt like a huge river had just exploded over the wall that was holding it back--or maybe even charged right through the wall that was holding it--a huge, gigantic river.

Once I calmed down Mom held my hands and said very softly. “Okay. Let’s see if God is real.”
That’s all she said. But I couldn’t believe she’d said it.

She must really love me, and she must want to remember her prince again. I took that as a very good sign. “Okay.” I smiled.

Mom smiled too. It still didn’t reach her eyes, but she smiled. Then she said the best thing ever. “Want to go to McDonald’s? I bet you’re starving.”

I laughed. I was. “Yes!”

“Great!” Mom jumped off the bench and held out her hand for me, just like she used to when I was a little girl. “Come on, let’s go.”

I bounced off and took her hand. It felt soft and strong. It was fun to hold her hand while we walked back through the park.

I liked it.

The rest of the day was really good after that. Me and mom even got to eat ice cream and go to a cheap movie. That was my favorite part, sitting in the movie with Mom. She didn’t laugh out loud like she used to when she watched a movie, but she watched the whole thing with me.
For a long time now Mom hasn’t watched a whole movie. Usually she’ll start one in the DVD player and then after a few minutes walk out of the room. I was beginning to think that she didn’t like movies at all anymore. But, at the theater I kept sneaking glances at my mom. And do you know what? It was crazy. Two times I saw her smiling during the funny parts. Two times! That’s amazing, because my mom doesn’t smile at the funny parts, anymore.
Maybe she had a good day with me too? I hope so. I hope I made my mom have a good day. She needs those kinds of days.

It was late when we got home. Almost time for dinner. Grandma Haney didn’t mind though. She had a big grin on her face when we came through the door. Cameron was in her arms and he was grinning too. “Look! Look, who’s here! Your big sister and Mom,” she said in a really excited voice.

“Mama!” Cameron lunged and kicked to get out of Grandma’s arms and go into Mom’s. My mom smiled and held her arms out for him. It was cute when he climbed up on her hip and hung on like a monkey.

Then Grandma said something I wished she wouldn’t have. It took Mom’s smiles right off her face. I don’t think Grandma Haney meant to hurt Mom’s heart, but she did.

You never know what will hurt Mom’s heart and make her sad and make her put her baby on the ground and say, “I don’t think I’m very hungry. I’m gonna go into my room now. Chelsea, help Grandma with Hannah and Cameron, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.”

I looked at Grandma and she looked at me. I knew we were both thinking the same thing.
She shouldn’t have told Mom how much Cameron is beginning to look like his daddy.

Introducing Chase Anderson (AKA: Mr. Knightly)

So in all the excitement of school, i totally forgot I had been introducing you all to my leading men!

So here we are. Book number three in my YA Jane Austen rewrites series: Emmalee. The Mr. Knightly character Chase Anderson, in my dream cast, is played by none other than the totally sweet and simply irresistible real life actor: Matt Long.

He was most recently seen in the hilarious movie Sydney White with Amanda Bynes. He played the prince in this modern retelling of Snow White.

As always, if you're a Jane Austen fan or if you've ever seen the different Emma remake movies (like Emma LOL! or Clueless) and you loved them, then you're more than welcome to click over on the right where it says Emmalee and read a couple of sample chapters! Hehehe! I have to say, out of all my books--my proof readers fall for Chase the hardest!

Best Friends Forever!

Did you and your best friends ever share a notebook in school? You know, one of those notebooks that you passed back and forth and wrote each other notes? Well, with the help of author Kasie West (http://kasiewest.blogspot.com/), it looks like I've just stumbled onto my next series after The Austen Series. It's for young YA older MG and it's super cute! Here's a little blip that I'm using in the query:

BFF Notebook is a diary of sorts written by two thirteen year old girls as they pass a notebook back and forth and write notes to each other. They don’t want to get caught texting so they come up with this idea to fool their teachers into thinking that they are really doing class work. What they never expect is to solve a mystery at the same time.

Yep. A love mystery. Both Abigail and Riley are getting secret admirer notes! Who are they from? The two really hot guys they have crushes on? Or the two guys they despise most in the world? Or is it all a mean prank set up by Ashley Silverman to ruin their eighth grade year?

As their fast paced, daily story unfolds through these letters the girls learn the true meaning of friendship, loyalty, love and just how important school really is.

Kasie and I discussed this idea--just laughing and thinking about it, more as a fun joke than anything. Before we knew it (10 days later) we had a complete 40K MS staring at us. We FINISHED YESTERDAY!!!!

YES! It's true, Kasie and I wrote entries back and forth, as if we were really the Abby and Riley and created a whole book in a week and a half! I'm amazed at how--not only fast of a writer she is--but also how easy it was for this book to gel together. And now that we're finished we've already got 15 (Kasie, i've come up with 6 more!) new ideas for sequels.

So here's a very ROUGH DRAFT first entry of the concept. Let me know what you think!

So, OMGosh Abby!!!! I just came up with the most best idea ever! I mean like, way better than any other brilliant genius plan I’ve ever had before. Like, remember last summer when I totally had that idea to TP Ashley Silverman’s tent during camp? And then we found those old boy shoes and made prints all around outside—so then everyone blamed it on the boys camp? Hehehe! And Ashley went around thinking she was all way hotter than she was? Remember that? OK, so this is like 10x better than that! Eeeeh!
So are ya ready?
Are ya?
Here it is! You’re sooo gonna love me 4Ever! (I mean, I know you already do, but… OK! OK! I’ll get on with it!)
I think we should totally do this. That’s it. THIS! Check it out. I’ve had this extra notebook roaming around in my bag—because we were supposed to need one for math, but now Ms. Gibbons said we don’t. Anyway, my mom was telling me about how she used to do this with her best friend when she was our age. So I was like, we so have to do this.
So here’s the deal. I have the notebook, I write in it. Then I send it to you. Once you’ve written in it--you send it back. And we totally tell each other all about… well, whatever! It’ll be like writing notes—or texting each other. Except then we won’t get caught! LOL! Our teachers will so think we’re writing in our notebooks! Eeeh! How awesome is that, right? I know, I know, you can thank me later! LOL!
Well, what do you think? You wanna? I’m so gonna pass this off to you when I see you next hour. I can’t wait for you to open it and see this! Hahah! I’m gonna be watching you. Muhaha! OK, gotta go—the bell is so ready to ring!
Later-
Riley

Meet Gregory Wentworth.. AKA: Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion!!!

OK so I know I'm a nerd. I totally know it, so it's all good. You don't need to inform me of the fact if you felt the need arising. Let me just say, for the record, I'm sooo excited I've got my leading men cast! You have no idea!

And for those of you girls out there wondering why I don't cast the girls, it's for the plain and simple fact, that I want you to picture yourself there. I want you to fall in love with these guys and get all dreamy not watch some movie star fall for them.

EEEEH! So without further ado.. my latest dream cast of my Jane Austen remake titled: PERSUADED...

May I please present to you real life actor William Moseley for your viewing pleasure and latest Eye candy effect, for the role as Gregory Wentworth. (The, strong, silent, valiant hero) He's most recently seen the Narnia movies. And I think makes the PERFECT Captain Wentworth for my rewrite.

So what do you think? Think he'll pass? Eeeh! I wonder how good he is at American accents? Hmm....

So here's the blurb! And you're welcome to click on the right and read some sample chapters

What if the one guy you loved--more than anyone--happened to be the same guy you flung aside and broke his heart, four years ago? And what if he happened to waltz back into your life again and be hotter than ever and worth milllions? And what if every gorgeous girl who saw him fell madly in love with him? Would he take you back--or would he fling you aside like you deserved?

Enjoy! Jenni

BURGHLEY!! First Day at SCHOOL!

So i did it! I survived my verimost first day of school! (my creative writing class) It was super fun and enlightening! And believe it or not, at 31 I was the YOUNGEST person in the course by at least 10 years. I was surrounded by extremely educated British people. Professors, Lawyers, Newspaper Editors... So I was really excited to get to learn with them, you know? Oh! And the teacher is a published novelist and apparently a very good teacher by the caliber in the room surrounding me.

So let me explain what happened when I first drove up: Okay, holy cow! The first thing I see other than this superbly gorgeous Elizabethan Mansion is Deer EVERYWHERE!

It was crazy cool to see them two/three feet from me in the English mist that surrounded the grounds of Burghley. They were so content and never even moved a muscle as I walked past. Seriously amazing and so fairy tale-ish it wasn't even funny! So then, I get into the class and I see who's around me and I'm like okay, wow! this class is gonna be so cool! Eeeeeh! Until we started introducing ourselves and I realized EVERY STORY was the same... all surrounding me. They all went like this:

I'm a (Insert amazing profession here) and I've always wanted to write.. blah, blah, blah... but I just haven't been able to find the time...blah, blah, blah... I'm taking this class to hopefully get motivated into actually writing a novel... blah, blah, blah...

Darn it!!!

All at once I was petrified to announce and tell about me. I mean, like crazy scared.. and I'm NOT ever scared. LOL! But this room terrified me. I was the second to the last person to announce who I was--with strict orders from the teacher that we were supposed to tell ALL of our writing experience and leave nothing out, so that way she can adjust the class to our needs. Afterall we were paying for it, right? Hahaha! So here I was the baby of the group. Everyone knew I was SUCH a baby too. LOL! They grinned at me and then turned and talked to everyone else.

So when it was my turn I started on the first part of the assignment.. my name and profession:

"Hi, I'm Jenni--uh, Jenni James. And uh, (ugh! I never say uh, EVER why am I saying uh???) I'm a stay-at-home mom of uh, 6 kids.

The whole room gasped. I continued, "As I'm sure you can tell by my accent, I uh, am an American. My hubby is in the military and uh, he's taken off the 5 days for this class so I can come here.

The whole room. "Awwws." I giggle nervously and then start. (Okay, here we go.. deep breath) "I uh, never wanted to be a writer."

More gasps. Another nervous giggle, I'm looking at my hands now. "Actually, I'm a professional children's theater director and I got into writing by becoming a playwright so I'd have enough roles for all the kids that auditioned for my plays."

More gasps and twitters now. I'm on a role, so I'm not stopping. "Anyway, I'd written three plays and then in March last year I felt this amazing urge to start writing a novel. Uh, (nervous giggle--here we go, the make it or break moment) Well, uh, since March I've written 4 novels (loud gasping, I don't pause) and I'm currently working on my fifth novel of my series titled The Austen Series. I'm rewriting all 6 of the Jane Austen novels and transplanting them to the US for teens. (Braving on and not looking back I take the plunge) And in August I was lucky enough to get an agent and in February I have an editor doing revisions talk with me." (Whew!)

The whole room broke out into applause. I mean, it. BRITISH PEOPLE were clapping!!! It was sooo weirdly cool and shocking. And they liked me! They weren't mean or weird or, I don't know, mad that I'd done so much. After that, I was a person. I was more than a person. I was part of the group in a weird Rock Star sort of way. It was crazy.

Then the lady after me, was like, "Wow. How do I even follow that? Uh, I've always wanted to write.. blah, blah, blah..."

So I survived and in two weeks I'm going back for more! WAHOOO!

My BFF Stephenie Meyer!

So the oddest thing happened to me last night. I dreamed I met Stephenie Meyer. LOL! I’m not sure why either. Maybe it stemmed from people repeatedly telling me I look like her, or the fact that I haven’t seen Twilight yet and I desperately want to. Maybe it’s because in a way I find her story similar to mine—LOL! Not her story, but how she became a writer and who she is. (You know, both of us growing up in Phoenix, each part of the same religion, each of us having 5 siblings and calling ourselves the brady bunch—except I was Marsha, neither of us ever thinking we’d be writers…etc.) Erm… or wait! I DO have a story similar to hers! The Northanger Affect! Hahaha! Maybe that’s it! Maybe because I’ve just based my Northanger Abbey rewrite off of Twilight???

Anyway! No matter what the reason was, she was super fun and super nice. And way more normal than I’d thought she’d be. I had a blast! I really did! And the whole time we were driving around—why we were in her car driving I’ll never know—we were laughing and jamming to the radio—another random thing, because I’m not sure we like the same music! LOL!—Well, we talked all about silly things. Like our kids and our hubbies and hair and clothes and well all the sort of stuff bff’s talk about. It was crazy cool and seriously enlightening! I mean, did you know her hair is naturally curly and she actually straightens it??? Sheez! Neither did I! And do you know she still has a lil guy who wakes up randomly throughout the night like my littlest one!? Oh! And we both have a passion for Mexican food!! Hehehe!

I could tell you loads of other completely fictional facts about Steph if wanted to hear them—but, I won’t bore you here on this blog. Instead, I would like to point out that even though I wanted to like, a million times, I never brought up The Northanger Affect. Like, never. I couldn’t. I was sooo afraid of ruining our new bff status, that I was a bit chicken to mention the fact that I’d been a bit desperate to reach her a couple of months earlier to have her approval. –Even though my awesome agent said I didn’t need it, I was really hoping to have her okay all the same. Anyhoo… that was weeks ago, before I actually wrote my funniest book ever! So now, I was like erm, how do you go about asking Steph if you can satirically write about her books—when it was already complete???

See, what I mean? Not, that I didn’t think that she wouldn’t completely love the idea--I mean, this girl hearts Jane Austen just as much as I do—so I’m sure she’d have been fine with it. Just I couldn’t bring myself to ask her. Darn it. Because all too soon, I woke up. Ugh! I was so into learning all those crazy—mostly untrue facts about her too! That’s the worst when a dream is soooo real—well, a good dream—it’s when you wake up! Sheez! Now I’ve gotta find a way to meet her all over again!

And just for the record.

Let’s get this out right here and now people.

I DO NOT LOOK LIKE STEPHENIE MEYER! LOL!—I wish!

See? JENNI

STEPHENIE

No comparison! But thanks for the compliment, anyway! Oh! And I'm making up the interview to send to my agent today! Thanks for all the awesome questions to ask her! You guys are the best! I'll post her reply in the next couple of weeks!

Ah-Ha! Now I get it!

So now I understand the publishing business! LOL! It all makes perfect sense!
Thanks Daddy, for sending this! I love it!

Totally cracked me up!
(hehehe! See? I am his favorite! LOL!)