Book Baby #3 PRINCE TENNYSON is Born!!

Book Baby #3 PRINCE TENNYSON has been born! He's a little guy weighing in at around 126 pages and just under 35K. But don't underestimate his size, he'll change your life forever. I'm one proud mama of this literary children's book! Available on kindle, and then print in a few weeks.  $2.99 KINDLE or Free if you are a prime member

Ten-year-old Chelsea Tennyson decides to take matters into her own hands and prove once and for all if an invisible God is really there.

Chelsea’s dad, Prince Tennyson—the nickname he earned for being so dashing in uniform—died last year in the Iraq war. After a mental breakdown, her mother moves the family to live with their grandmother in Phoenix. But before long, it becomes clear the entire family is suffering the loss of a man who was pivotal in the shaping of their lives. Her mom doesn't believe God exists anymore, but Chelsea is afraid to believe it too, because if He doesn’t exist then she'll never see her prince again...

HERE'S What people are saying about PRINCE TENNYSON:


"After reading Prince Tennyson, your heart will be warmed, tears will be shed, and loved ones will be more appreciated. Jenni James has written a story that will make you believe in miracles and tender mercies from above." -Sheila Staley, Book Reviewer & Writer

“Divinely inspired, beautifully written—a must read!” -Gerald D. Benally, author of Premonition (2013)

"Prince Tennyson is a sweet story that will put tears in your eyes and hope in your heart at the same time." - Author Shanti Krishnamurty

"Prince Tennyson does more than pluck your heart strings, it composes a beautiful symphony of emotions that will continue to play within you long after it's over." - Mormon Mommy Writers

“Jenni James has created a story of refreshing innocence and poignant truth that will touch the heart of even the crustiest cynic. A story for young, old, and everyone in between, Prince Tennyson is sure to become a contemporary classic.” - Tristi Pinkston, author and editor http://www.tristipinkston.com/


“Chelsea Tennyson, a courageous and determined little girl who's trying to find truth in a life that has been wracked with the pain of her father's death, stole my heart and kept it throughout Prince Tennyson. Daddy's girls and wannabe daddy's girls alike will enjoy this heart-warming story of fatherly love.” -Amanda Washington, author of Chronicles of the Broken

"We need to devise a new term for the kind of writer Jenni James is: method author. Prince Tennyson doesn't just tell a story...it performs. The intricacies of being a child come to life in ways most people can barely put into words." - Author Jeff Sinclair

PRINCE TENNYSON Cover Revealed!

And amazingly enough, in less than a week, I have another cover to reveal!  Yay!

This is for my middle grade inspirational novel.  This one will make you chuckle and cry and leave your heart so warm.  I LOVE this book!  LOVELOVELOVE it!

This has also been optioned for TV film.

Ahem.  Okay.  So here is the cover!  Yay!

The release date will be May 1st! 
Here is the blurb:

Ten year old Chelsea Tennyson decides to take matters into her own hands and prove once and for all if an invisible God is really there.


Chelsea’s dad, Prince Tennyson—the nickname he earned for being so dashing in uniform—died last year in the Iraq war. After a mental breakdown, her mother moves the family to live with their grandmother in Phoenix. But before long, it becomes clear the entire family is suffering the loss of a man who was pivotal in the shaping of their lives. Her mom doesn't believe God exists anymore, but Chelsea is afraid to believe it too, because if He doesn’t exist then she'll never see her prince again...

Beauty and the Beast Cover Revealed!

Eeep!  Okay, so you remember a couple of posts ago when I was mentioning I had been commissioned to do 20 fairy tales?  Well, here is the cover for Book One in the Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection.

Beauty and the Beast

If you'd like to follow along and get a sneak peek at the book as I'm writing it, you can go here.  Just remember it's a super rough draft and will only be up for a little while.  So enjoy it now.  :)

I can't wait to show you the next one!  Sleeping Beauty's cover is Uh-May-Zing!  :)

Beautiful!

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

What an amazing concept!  And so true.  Life for a book begins once you read it.  Until then, there is no reason for it to even exist.  It's just another stack of papers bound upon your shelf.  Many happy days of reading to you all! :)

THE GREATEST OF ALL ANNOUNCEMENTS!!! :D

EXCITING, AMAZING, TOTALLY WONDERFUL ANNOUNCEMENT: Hear ye! Hear ye! (Or is it here ye, here ye?... er, never mind.) As of this very day, my middle grade novel, that has yet to sign with a publisher... PRINCE TENNYSON, will be optioned for film, by the most gracious and divine and perfect of movie producers! Ahem. That is all. Thank you. :)

Northanger Alibi has a COVER!!!

Due to all the attention P&P is getting, I asked my publisher to push back Northanger Alibi's release until February.

I'm crazy excited to announce and show you the new face of the book!

So, so, so cute!!!

I have so much awesome news about Pride & Popularity.  I've got to update this blog and tell you everything, it's been happening so fast, and with the 10 kids I haven't had a moment to myself... However... watch this space, I'll be updating a lot in the next few days sharing all my wonderful news! :)

But isn't the cover just gorgeous??  I love it!  And it's so Claire!

Pride & Popularity is PUBLISHED!!!!

Do you see the cover?  Isn't she gorgeous?  The most beautiful cover in the whole entire world!  

 Look!  Look!  There's a back too!  A very pretty pink back.  With words!  lol!

 And there's even more than one!  There's a whole plethora of them!  Aren't they pretty altogether like that?

 Ooh!  And the spine!  I forgot to show you the spine!  See how pretty it looks sitting on a bookshelf?  

Eeep!  Here's me!  I'm holding my book.  My real, really real book! FINALLY!!!

So with this announcement, comes a few more!

P&P should be in bookstores within the next five weeks and amazon as early as next week..

Or, you can get it an autographed copy immediately from:

CONFETTI BOOKS

(first 200 orders are signed by me)

Or

Enjoy right now $4.99 on your KINDLE or NOOK

Or

Enter my GOODREADS giveaway!

(40 copies available!)

Whew!  I did it.  I've been holding off making this announcement, because frankly I wasn't sure it would really happen.  Lol!  But it did!  It did!  I'm really an author! :)

THANK YOU WALNUT SPRINGS PRESS--YOU SO ROCK! 

Key of Kilenya is AMAZING!

My 14 year old son and I LOVED this book!  We both found Key of Kilenya gripping from the start.  Dalen, especially couldn't stop once he'd started.  It was hilarious to watch him do his chores with one hand, while reading from the kindle with the other.  He'd even walk slowly up and down the stairs while reading it.  Any book that he finds that fascinating deserves a five star review.

You will be blown away through the unique twists and turns of Andrea Pearson's new world.  Where fierce unimaginable creatures roam and excitement and adventure await at every turn.  Dalen says, "It's clearly one of the most addicting books I've ever read, now where's the sequel?  There better be a sequel!"  Yes, he's already offered to be her beta reader.  Lol!  Isn't he sweet?

No, really.  We were both amazed at the talent and ingenuity Andrea possesses.

I personally found Andrea's descriptive imagery to have just the right touch.  Engrossing and magical, yet, not too bogged down.  We had just enough facts to create the world within our own minds... beautiful and just enough action to keep us on the edge of our seats... or in Dalen's case, the kindle at the edge of our fingertips!

For a debut novel, I'm impressed.  If you'd like a great read this summer, or know of a boy who seems a little bored.  Order it and pass over your kindle!  You'll be glad you did. :)

We didn't want to give too much away, since neither of us knew that much about the book when we first got it.  And we liked the fact that it was completely surprising.  So instead of accidentally spoiling the fun for you,  we're going to leave you with this--the back blurb:

When two vicious wolves chase fourteen-year-old Jacob Clark down a path from our world into another, his life is forever changed. He has no idea they have been sent by the Lorkon—evil, immortal beings who are jealous of powers he doesn’t know he possesses—powers they desire to control.

The inhabitants of the new world desperately need Jacob's help in recovering a magical key that was stolen by the Lorkon and is somehow linked to him. If he helps them, his life will be at risk. But if he chooses not to help them, both our world and theirs will be in danger. The Lorkon will stop at nothing to unleash the power of the key—and Jacob's special abilities.

Definitely an upcoming author to watch out for.  As I've said, anything that keeps my son that addicted deserves a 5 star review!

AJ & I Welcome Michele Ashman Bell!

Tada! AJ & I would love to introduce you to the AMAZING Michele Ashman Bell author of over 20+ published titles!

Including her latest release--

The Perfect Fit 
The Butterfly Girls can’t wait to begin their fourteenth annual weekend reunion, a time to renew their bonds of friendship and honor the memory of their high school friend Ava. But a dark cloud of fear soon forms in their shared hotel room when they learn that one of their former classmates has been brutally murdered. And when new evidence suggests Ava was murdered as well, the friends realize one of them might be next.

Andi is glad to be taking the Butterfly Box with her to Hawaii, where she plans to spend a few weeks participating in a reality dating show. To her surprise, the eligible bachelor, Michael Makura, soon singles her out for attention, provoking jealous acts of sabotage from the other contestants. Soon a series of unusual events disrupts the pair’s fledgling romance, and Andi starts over in New York where she begins dating a great guy and accepts a job offer from a generous, eccentric man. But when Michael unexpectedly shows up, all is not well in the Big Apple. And soon Andi comes faceto- face with the man who killed her friend—and he aims to kill her as well.


Thank you so much for agreeing to let us interview you, Michele!  Since ladies go first we're going to have Jenni start us off:

JJ: Eeep. I'm so star struck you have no idea! :)  Okay, okay, first question.  I'm dying to know, what are three things most people would never guess about you?


Michele:  That I eat Cheetos and Diet Coke for breakfast, I am seriously claustrophobic and I have a huge addiction to cinnamon.

AJ: Cinnamon?  Nice--(will not insert spicy comment here ;) ) So, I was wondering-- What's your earliest memory?

Michele:  Ooh.  My earliest memory was when I was between two and three years old.  It was on a Sunday because I was in my church dress and my family was living in San Luis Obispo while my dad taught at the University there.  My sister and I walked over to the neighbor's house, the kids were in the back yard playing a baseball with a croquet set.  Yes, a croquet set.  They were trying to hit croquet balls with the sticks you pound into the ground.  When it was my turn, the kid pitching the croquet ball totally hit me in the head.  My forehead split open and blood gushed like crazy.  I remember looking down at my dress that was soaked red with blood and being so sad that I ruined my new church dress.  I remember getting stitches too.  

JJ: I would've cried for weeks, had I ruined one of my new dresses. :(  I loved my dresses when I was little.  So, speaking of your child years, What did you want to be when you grew up?

Michele: I either wanted to be a nurse or a stewardess.  I loved the little white nurses uniform (the 1960's) and cute little hat they wore.  I thought all they did was take temperatures and give shots.  I am totally not cut out to be a nurse!  I also loved the little outfit the stewardesses wore back in those days.  The whole idea of dressing up and flying around the world seemed so exotic and exciting.  I also wanted to be a model.  I cut my hair short into a pixie cut like Twiggy's when I was young and thought I looked just like her.

AJ: Biting my tongue.  Lol!  So, what's your worst habit?

Michele:  I'm the queen of housework procrastination.  I will put off grocery shopping until there is no food left or put off laundry until people are out of socks and underwear.  I would much rather do . . . well, anything!  I also floss my teeth in the car (with those little flossers) and gross people out at stoplights.  This was my dental hygenist's tip and I rarely miss a day anymore.  But I have gotten some pretty disgusted looks from other drivers but hey, my dental checkups are amazing!

JJ: I Love it!  So what’s your most embarrassing moment?

Michele:  When I was in Las Vegas going to the Earth, Wind and Fire concert and thought I was walking through the doors to the concert venue but ran straight into a glass window and bounced back and fell down.  People all around me were laughing so hard I thought we were going to have to call a paramedic for them, forget about how badly it hurt my head!  (And my pride!)

AJ: Enough embarrassing you, we'll get to the writing questions now.  :) Who's your biggest literary idol?

Michele: As a young girl I was a huge fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and felt I was shaped and inspired to become an author by her magical stories of growing up on the prairie.  I am also a fan of Louisa May Alcott.  I connected with her on many levels.  She comes from a family of four girls and is second oldest and she had a propensity for an over-active imagination.  She said this about confronting a society that offered little opportunity to women seeking employment, "... I will make a battering-ram of my head and make my way through this rough and tumble world."  I love the (determination) of these two authors and found it reflected in their stories and their characters.

JJ: Ooh, Louisa May Alcott wrote one of my favorite books: The Inheritance.  Erm, sorry, got sidetracked a moment... If you could go back and change one thing about your career what would it be?  (Some sort of advice for all of us newbies out there.)   

Michele: I would write a book about vampires and a girl who falls in love with one.  Just kidding.  I wish I had understood how important self-marketing was once you were published.  I was always willing to go do book signings and appearances but I had a hard time telling people "hey, this is a great book and you should buy it."  I haven't ever been one to toot my own horn so I had a hard time with that, plus I didn't really understand how to come up with marketing strategies of my own and really create excitement about my books.  Authors need to get over that fast because you've gotta believe you're book is awesome or no one else will.  

AJ: Great advice!  And I agree.  You have to believe in yourself and your work.  So final question--When you look back over all of the books that you've written, what themes do you find yourself returning to and why?

Michele:  Two themes are almost guaranteed in my books.  First, that no matter where the main character starts, she will always grow into a strong, confident woman who faces her fears and challenges.  Second, that my stories will always have a happy ending.  Not a perfect ending, but a happy one. 

JJ: I LOVE Happy endings!  Thank you so much for coming today, Michele!  

AJ: It was a pleasure to have you here.  If anyone would like to learn more about Michele Ashman Bell you can visit her uber cool website or her facebook fanpage.

Michele Ashman Bell grew up in St. George, Utah. In fourth grade her teacher wrote on her report card that she had a tendency to daydream and would probably do well with creative writing. Her love for books and learning about people and places has helped her make her teacher's prediction come true. Michele is the author of many books and Christmas stories. She is married and is the mother of four children, and a grandma of two. Aside from supporting her children in all of their many activities, she loves to travel, do research for her books and eat chocolate.

AJ Cole, Coauthor & Partner in Crime

Ahem. Hello? Testing… Testing… One, two, three…

I would like you all to move in a bit closer, because today is an uh-MAY-zing day! Why is it so amazing you ask? Well, I'm gonna introduce you to my incredible British coauthor and partner in crime AJ Cole--brilliant writer, father, cook, martial arts specialist and walking thesaurus (every writer girl needs one of these, trust me!) Not to mention he's got an accent. ;)

Come on in AJ, to the crazy blog formally known as Jenni James and go ahead, pull up a seat, grab some popcorn. We're gonna be here a bit. So, do you have your questions for me? I have mine for you… and they're good. hehehe!

AJ: Yep. Thanks for having me. Bring it on, lady.

JJ: Good! Me first--

1. Breakfast, everyone is dying to know, what do the English eat in the morning? It is really crumpets and tea?

AJ: Lol! Breakfast: porridge and honey with strong coffee. That'll be strange to our US pals, since I understand that where you're from there are only two types of breakfast - cardboard chunks (no calories) with water, syrup and cayenne pepper; or half a dozen fully loaded burgers with fries and a couple of litres of coca cola! ;)

My question for you is--

1. If you could choose 1 superpower for yourself, what would it be and why?

JJ: Mind control.. So then I could make everyone go out and buy our book and LOVE it!!! Muhahaha! Oh, Ahem. You meant... Right. Well, I have a lot of flying dreams... so i think that would be really cool, actually. Then I'd never be late! :)

Okay, okay… next question--

2. Superman, Spiderman or Batman? And why...? (i'm a batman girl myself. *grins* Always ALWAYS have been-no joke. Lol!)

AJ: Batman every time for me; he's edgy and has inner darkness that the other two don't.

2. Just how many children are you planning on having before you stop?!

JJ: Oh dear... But see? I just LOVE the little monsters. Really I do. It's scary I know. Well, let me think about it... 8 maybe 9 more... How many do you need these days to get your own TV show? ;)

3. Speaking of children, tell us about your family then... If you could take your kids anywhere in the world where would you take them?

AJ: Mrs C is a former ballerina and CSI and now a ballet teacher, originally from Scotland. I understand about 25% of what she says, which is the secret to our 8 years and 2 children together! The Zeds (Zac(hary) and Zara) are 4 and 3yrs old respectively; they both have masses of blond curls and exuberant outlooks. If I could take them anywhere in the world then it would probably be Disneyworld, Florida since they love all things Disney - next month we're taking them to Eurodisney.

Okay next--

3. What message(s) do you want to get across to the readers of your books?

JJ: That Jenni James it the greatest writer ever and all should read her books and buy her popcorn and lemons (what? I love popcorn and lemons, don't you?)... <--oh, oops. I forgot I wasn't going the mind control route. Lol! No, actually, I really want the good guys to win. Not just the cool good guys, but your average people too. I want to write books that when the reader closes it, they think about the characters and smile and giggle about them throughout their day. Something to ponder enough to wonder if sweet, feisty, wonderful heroes and heroines really do exist. I love reading a book that makes me giddy--if I can do that to my readers, then I've accomplished something. :)

4: So, If you could do anything to change the world, what would it be?

AJ: I don't try to change the world, since diversity and differences make it a much more interesting place. However, if I could then I'd wave a magic wand and make everybody much more tolerant of each others differences - it would stop a lot of the violence that threatens us all each day.

My small nod towards changing things for the better, is that I'm intending to become successful enough to start up a foundation that helps children who are undergoing difficulties of various kinds to express themselves and deal with their issues through creative writing. Writing has been a hugely important outlet for me, and I firmly believe that it can be a positive way of channelling negative emotions.

4. Okay, If you could eat only one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would be on that plate?

JJ: Well, it'd have to be something healthy so I'd live longer... and it'd need to have a variety as well. I have to have variety--hmm... A-ha! (Cue imitation of AJ's accent) By Jove, I've got it! Salad. Yummy, nummy, salad. I loveth salad. So set me up with a forever freshly stocked salad bar and I'd die a happy girl. :)

5. What's it like working everyday with a mormon? *grins*

AJ: Jenni's a mormon? Right, that's it, I'm leaving! Lol! Seriously though, it's generally not even relevant to what we're doing; although it can be frustrating when I'm working on promoting some of my other books, since the LDS community apparently wouldn't read them. See the answer to that previous question again though! :)

5. Sum up your co-author in 5 words.

JJ: Only five? Lol! Okay, okay… I'll try. How's this? Caring, Hilarious, Stubborn, Brilliant, Exuberant

Whew! We made it without arguing. I think it's a record, really! Lol! *grins*

So this is the man behind Eternity everyone. Thank you so much for comin by AJ.

If you wanna know more about our Epic Romance Eternity, you're welcome to click here and read an excerpt. It's good, but don't take our word for it! See for yourself. :D

Christmas Gift Giveway!

How would you like to get all of your Christmas shopping done at once?

In honour of my great friend and amazing writer:

MM Bennetts, and her new book--

Of Honest Fame

I'm hosting
A Ginormous Christmas Gift Giveaway!

A group of authors from all over the world, have come to celebrate the release of MM's book with her. And they have each contributed a book or gift of some kind to be included in the giveaway. One LUCKY READER will have the chance at winning all 20 books listed--including Of Honest Fame posters signed--a Portrait Painting (by me), a pencil drawing (Elizabeth Mueller), Christmas booklets, and many more fun prizes!

An estimated $500 Value!

To enter, all you need to do is show some love to

MM Bennetts and help us celebrate her book release

3 WAYS TO WIN:

1. FOLLOW THE TOUR: Every time you leave a comment, on any blog on the tour,

you receive an entry.

2. SHOUT IT OUT: Every time you post Christmas Gift Giveaway and link to my blog: http://authorjennijames.blogspot.com/ to your FaceBook, Twitter, Email list... you get an entry.

3. BLOG IT: Post Of Honest Fame's AMAZING Trailer to your blog, or facebook Note, linking it to my blog and you get two entries. To watch it click here

Once you're done, leave a comment ON THIS BLOG with your entry total & email address. You can enter as many times as you'd like. :)

****CONTEST ENDS: NOVEMBER 30th****

OF HONEST FAME'S BOOK TOUR

Monday, November 1
Book spotlighted at Examiner
Interviewed at Let’s Talk Virtual Book Tours

Tuesday, November 2
Interviewed at Personovelty

Wednesday, November 3
Interviewed at The Writer’s Life

Thursday, November 4
Interviewed at As the Pages Turn

Friday, November 5
Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book

Monday, November 8
Interviewed at Literarily Speaking

Tuesday, November 9
Interviewed at Blogcritics

Wednesday, November 10
Book reviewed at A Moment with Mystee

Thursday, November 11
Guest blogging at The Book Connection

Friday, November 12
Interviewed at The Hot Author Report
Book trailer spotlighted at Pump Up Your Book

Monday, November 15
Interviewed at Beyond the Books

Tuesday, November 16
Guest blogging at Writing Daze

Wednesday, November 17
Book reviewed at Review From Here

Thursday, November 18
Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book

Friday, November 19
Interviewed at Paperback Writer

Monday, November 22
Guest blogging at Beyond the Books

Tuesday, November 23
Interviewed at Momlogic

Wednesday, November 24
Book reviewed at Books with a Cup of Coffee

Thursday, November 25
CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING

Friday, November 26
Book reviewed at Broken Teepee



OR: Click on the picture and scroll down to find the tour!

THE GIFTS (click on the pictures & author's name to find out more):

One Single Portrait, by Jenni James

The beautiful Elizabether Mueller, portrait drawing, of your choice.

Editor Nicole Scheller, one free synopsis edit.

Medium Lorraine Holloway-White will give one free reading from a photograph.

THE BOOKS (on the left):

May 1812, MM Bennetts

My Gift to You, Lori Nawyn

Rescuing Liberty, Amanda Washington

Adventures at Aaron Loch Farm, Kathryn Brown

Summer in Paris, Michele Ashman Bell

Tulagi Hotel, Heikki Hietala

A sceptical Medium, Lorraine Holloway-White

Sapphire Fluter Karen E. Hoover

Room for Two, Abel Keogh




Common Places, Paul House

Whom Must I Kill to Get Published? Jason R. Horger

Habour, Paul House

I'll Know You by Heart, Kimberly Job

Forged In the Refiner's Fire, Candace E. Salima

Die a Dry Death, Greta van der Rol

Cinders, Michelle Davidson Argyle

13 and 0: Reflections of Champions, Candace E. & Alvin E. Salima

Brimstone & Lily, Terry Kroenung

Northanger Alibi--1st GIVEAWAY X 2!!

Due to high demand, Northanger Alibi has gone on Pre-Order almost two months earlier than when it was scheduled to. I know, right? Like, holy cow! Anyway, Valor Publishing is trying to gauge how many books will need to be released on June 1st by tallying up pre-orders.

So why should you pre-order Northanger Alibi, instead of waiting until June 1st like everyone else?

Well, two reasons:

1. Valor Publishing has guaranteed anyone who pre-orders Northanger Alibi will receive it on their doorstep a whole week earlier (May 25th) than the stores will (June 1st)!!

2. I will be signing ALL pre-ordered books!!!

Tell me that isn't the coolest incentives ever!!!

So, in celebration of such High Demand AWESOMENESS, I have decided to have my very first "official giveaway" for Northanger Alibi. Remember that post with all those amazing prizes? Well, today is the day the fun begins!!! WAHOOO!!!

There will be two winners, each receiving the same thing...

Check out the prizes! The winners will get their very own set of cool eyeshadow pots (w/mascara), two uber cute makeup bags, stripey socks to pamper your toes and curl up in, a fun cupcake celebration cup--to mark the upcoming birthday of my new book, and of course CHOCOLATE!!!

All of it will be packaged up nicely and shipped to your door.

These are such awesome prizes, there are a few rules involved. Here we go:

1. Pre-Order Northanger Alibi=3 entries

2. Leave a comment/Follow the blog=1 entry each

3. Advertise my Pre-Order Giveaway with links to my blog on your Facebook, your Twitter, your Blog=2 entries each spot of advertising you do for me.

4. Text/Email/Smoke Signal all your friends who love Jane Austen/Twilight=2 entries

5. Tell all random strangers, small children and old men about my awesome pre-order giveaway=1 entry just for being brave.

6. FOR Every person who found this giveaway because of your awesome advertising--both you and your guest get an extra entry. So make sure they mention your name.

7. IF YOU DO ANY OF THE ABOVE, PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE--While my Psychic powers are phenomenal... I'm er, not that talented.

(DON'T forget to mention that everyone will receive their AUTOGRAPHED copy a week earlier than the release date! --I even have a heart in my signature, so you know it's special. LOL!)

For those of you who want to pre-order, read reviews, or the blurb CLICK HERE! If you want to read a couple of sneak peek chapters first CLICK HERE!

***Valor is taking overseas pre-orders as well with a $15 shipping charge (but when you're talking the Euro/Pound over the Dollar that's cheap!)***

I would like to say a HUGE Thank you to you all!!!

Without your help spreading the word about my giveaways and Northanger Alibi, I'd be lost. As an author I can only reach so many people, and whether you buy the book or not doesn't matter--what matters is how many people know about it. Getting the buzz out makes all the difference on whether a book succeeds in the publishing world. So thank you! Thank you for coming to my blog and reading and connecting with me. I've enjoyed so much the love you've shown me, especially as you've followed my journey to publication. You guys rock!!!

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!

School at Burghley!

Wow! Okay, so I'm so, so, so excited! Especially because I love school! I'm like a total school nerd! It's so awesome! And I haven't been to school for 13 years... awww.... poor, Jenni. That is until now...! Check out what my hubby got me for Christmas!! He is the sweetest guy ever! I've just got my acceptance letter in the mail today! I'm taking a writing course here starting in January! How cool is that? The best part is it's only like 15 minutes from my house! Wahoo!

And this my friends, is why you live in England. So that way, when you move back to the States and people visit you. You can have pics of these awesome buildings on your walls and you can say all posh like, "Oh, yes. The Burghley House! Such a beautiful place, isn't it? You should see inside. I went to school there."

Hehehe! And that's not all. You also get to brag about all of the great movies that have been filmed there like, Pride & Prejudice (2005), The Three Musketeers, the Da Vinci Code, Elizabeth the Golden Age...!

See what I mean? I'm a total nerd! But I LOVE school! And this is a college course! Wahoo! Thanks to my wonderful reality of motherhood, I've never been able to complete college... LOL! I still won't but at least I can say i went to school there! So it's only one class, but hey! It's a class! Eee! I can't wait!