Male On Monday

It's my turn at Male On Monday at the PHS today...talking about carpenters...what can I say? I know better than to disappoint the readers!

Fallen Angel Review for Her Cinderella Complex

"The characters were splendid and jumped off the pages. The whole concept of the story was very intriguing and was enough to keep me glued to the pages until I finished the book. Would this happen in the real world? It would be very nice if it did and I was Heather. The sexual tension was exactly where it needed to be." - 4 Angels

Go Google Yourself

Go on, it's kinda fun. I did it today after being told that if you can link your blog to your website your website will come up higher on a Google search because blogs are updated so often. It's something to think about when I get the cash to have someone make me a proper website.

When I search, I tend to find reviews I didn't know about. Today I found that For Kicks was featured on a book blog for the Salem newspaper.

You can also see which promo you did got the most views...at least that is how I think it works.

13 Emails In my Inbox

1. Jenna, why should every date start at your place? -- I think that's what happens when you are married...for 13 years!


2. Portland Romance Readers Luncheon -- There will be goodies from Samhain


3. Par For The Course cover -- I cried, and not in a good way. I keep repeating that my editor will handle it...because I had a hormonal meltdown.


4. SUNSET AT THE NORTH POLE -- from my Genie


5. Win a Year of Free Diapers!


6. Face Your Fears - Rent THE MIST at BLOCKBUSTER®


7. A Friend Has A Crush On You -- as opposed to an enemy, I s'pose.


8. Who Were You In A Past Life? -- I've got all I can handle with this life, thanks.


9. Painful Decisions


10. We're Here To Rescue You


11. Man Boobs


12. WAAAAHHHOOOOOO!!!!!


13. Sensational Romance Authors Reading Group

Free Online Writing Workshop

Using Birth Order to Create Compelling Characters with Abby Gaines

"In this workshop, we’ll look at how birth order affects the adult personality of your characters—what strengths and weaknesses they’ll have. A youngest-son hero might have been a spoiled brat when he was a kid, but now he’s charming, people-oriented, and he has a completely different set of problems from his domineering oldest brother. Then there’s the complex, secretive but extremely loyal middle child...."

Temptation Tuesday

I'm up at the PHS today...talking about babies...what can I say? I have baby on the brain...and on the belly!

Spring Showers bring...free books!

An excerpt from HER CINDERELLA COMPLEX will be part of the Spring Showers Promo at Coffee Time Romance this week!

Starting at 3pm Eastern...I am cussing on the Samhain blog. Yes, cussing. What better way to sell books?

AND...Her Cinderella Complex is available for Kindle.

I AM A KILLER

There was a time where I celebrated life in all its forms. Especially green specimens. I once had a philodendron so long it wrapped around my living room. And now? Now I kill things.

I’m not sure when the killing spree started. To look at my family room I would guess the carnage started about six months ago, but I know it’s been longer than that. I’ve been murdering plants for years, and simply replacing them with new models each spring.

It is time for my annual purge and replenish. Seven plants have survived me this year…down from fifteen. And of those still green, I’d guess only one is salvageable. The others? They have some green, but it is sparse and pathetic looking.

Why do I keep buying plants only to kill them? I don’t know. I think I wish back to my green thumb self – the pre-kids girl who watered and fertilized consistently, who took the plants outside every month to spray off the dust and let them soak up pure sunshine. I miss that girl, and her infatuation with lilies. So I buy her plants, hoping she will come back.
The plants hope so to. The woman I’ve become is a killer.

Fiction Fridays

Romance Roundtable has a new feature, Fiction Friday's. They'll put up links to excerpts and free reads. Guess who is up today?

Thursday 13 : 33rd edition

Have you ever looked back on your Thursday 13's? Do it, it's hilarious. Here are what I consider my 13 best ::

1. Thursday Thirteen...Tarot edition - I did this in June, nearly a year ago now. I can look back and actually see how things line up with actual events. Maybe I am just reading into it, but August had a warning that trying times lay ahead...and that was the time I lost 3 family members.


2. Thursday 13! Reality TV Guilty Pleasures - How is this my best? It still gets hits...I think it's the pic of The Girls Next Door.


3. Thursday 13 :: Things you can't do with a shattered wrist - So glad the wrist is good now!


4. Thursday 13 -- RWA Nationals Edition - I had a great time. It's fun to look back.


5. 13 Best Things That Ever Happened To Me


6. Vocaubulary Building


7. What is WITH email Thursday 13


8. 13 ways to find my blog


9. Internet Promotion - Look at me, being productive


10. Thursday 13...if you say so... - This is the Jenna should...


11. First lines from my romance novels and novels to be...


12. Summer School For Men -funny


13. My Best Thursday 13 Ever - funnier

Have you entered??

Dear Author and the Smart Bitches present the DA BWAHA Tournament.

It's a bracket for romance readers...fill out your bracket today, and then watch and see how the books fare...

Pillow Talkin'

I have a silly interview up on Michelle Pillow's blog.

The Q&A goes like this ::

Q: If you were a Superheroine, would you wear tights and a cape?

A: Oh yes, that is the fun part. I’d have a boustier and thigh high boots too.

Go on, read the rest. It's just a click away...

Come and See Me!!

I'm giving a workshop on Tuesday night...if you're near Salem, OR, you should stop by!

Writing To Deadline: How to write a book in 30 days or less

Multi-published author Jenna Bayley-Burke explains the reality of deadlines and publishing schedules and showcases three methods to draft a book in less than a month. With real life examples of books now on the shelves, Jenna shares the secrets of First Draft in 30 Days, NaNoWriMo, and Fast Draft. Whether you’re a plotter, a pantster or a puzzler, this workshop will show you how to write faster and become comfortable and confident writing to tight deadlines. - Mid-Willamette Valley Romance Writers, Salem, OR

STUFF THAT MAKES ME HAPPY

In the spirit of the law of attraction, it is best to be grateful for all you have. Plus, it beats the pants off wallowing in self-pity. So…here’s what went right today.


*The boys slept until 7. Almost 7. Close enough to 7 for me to want to kiss them. It’s been ages since the 7 o’clock hour crept upon me without a boy also on me. Unless it is a school day. Then you have to drag them out of bed. But today I will be happy they let me sleep until 7.


*Bigboy has learned to play Mastermind. I love that game. When he was a baby I never imagined how much I would enjoy having a fellow game lover in the house. I never thought he would share my addiction to board games. Sometimes with kids, you just get lucky.


*I found another way to charge the Alphasmart. I adore my portable word processor, but it has these rechargeable batteries permanently embedded in it…and we lost the cable that plugs it into the wall. Thank goodness the one for our cordless phones is the same size.


*I don’t have a headache. Odd thing to be grateful for, but if you’ve had my headaches, you’d be doing a happy dance every morning you wake up and your head is the same size as it feels.


*Socks. I really need a pedicure, but can’t see when to schedule one in…and so I am grateful for socks.


*Good report cards. Bigboy is a boy genius. When he has a good report card, he gets to pick a restaurant and we all go out to dinner. No cooking for me!


What’s the best thing that went right for you today?

THE SVEN REPORT

In His Kiss

3781 / 50000 words. 8% done!

The Replacement Bride

8792 / 50000 words. 18% done!

Is it St. Patricks Day?

St. Patrick's Day was moved, but no one told my calendar. Wonder if that means we party twice?

On the Pink Heart Society, Trish is trying to explain Irish holidays to us.

My 1st grader is obsessed with catching Lucky the Leprechan...so telling him St. Patrick's Day is Saturday instead of Monday is likely to be met with objection. Ah well...

"May your heart be light and happy, May your smile be big and wide, And may your pockets always have a coin or two inside!"

Ebook Week :: HER CINDERELLA COMPLEX

It happened. After three weeks, Her Cinderella Complex fell off the best seller list at Samhain. I don't feel too bad, as Fortune's Deception by Karen Erickson is now up, and I adore Karen.

I don't think I've bragged on the reviews yet, so I'll post those. Every time I get an email from a reviewer with a link, it makes my day.

REVIEWS

"This is a fantastic story with very strong characters who were beautifully written and I immediately fell in love with both of them." The Good, The Bad, and the Unread

"Her Cinderella Complex was a wonderfully sexy and fun book...Their sexual encounters were extremely erotic...Her Cinderella Complex is the first book that I have read by Ms. Bayley-Burke and it won't be the last." The Romance Studio



"Her Cinderella Complex is a delightful gem that had me laughing out loud and rooting for these two people to make it. Just when I’d think I had the plot figured out the author, Jenna Bayley-Burke would throw me a curve, which kept me on my toes, and interested in finding out what happened next! The relationship between Heather and Curtis is a welcome and refreshing change from the typical alpha male and the all-too-willing-to-agree female pairings that tend to dominate these types of love stories. This is a fast-paced book that will not only have you smiling but enjoying the hot, steamy and sometime funny love scenes. At no point does the story drag. So do yourself a favor and treat yourself to having a good time while reading Her Cinderella Complex ." - Literary Nymphs




excerpt



More about Her Cinderella Complex ::


Behind the Story

The Idea Boutique

Romance Reader At Heart Guest Blog

Thursday 13 : Internet Promotion

With two books out, I have been spending tons of time on internet promo...so, tell me...what do you think is worthwhile, and what is worth skipping?

1. Yahoo groups -- Samhaincafe has been fun, while others are full of the 'when is the giveaway' crowd.

2. Blog tours -- The ones of these I have seen seem to get all their hits from contributors, so I skipped them

3. Getting your friends to blog (thanks, Romance Divas!!)

4. Newsletters -- Should I do one? I have bad newsletter karma, I never read them.

5. Contest / giveaways -- Her Cinderella Complex was a Book-of-The-Day giveaway at TRS on Tuesday...For Kicks should be coming up later this month

6. Book reviews -- these trickle in slowly but they always make my day

7. Author interviews -- I just did a cataromance one, and have one scheduled with TRS

8. Free Reads -- nothing is better than the Romance Divas ebook challenge

9. Online chats -- these are so hit or miss, though the CoffeeTime Romance one I did had great people.

10. Reader groups (Manic Readers, The Romance Studio)

11. Forums -- not sure Romance Divas is the place to promote books as it is a writing resource site, but I do know it is great for support from other authors. I stalk the eHQ and CTR forums.

12. Guest blogging -- like I did at Naughty & Spice or Idea Boutique

13. Cover ads -- mine are up at CoffeeTime Romance

?? What did I miss ??

Adelle added - MySpace & Facebook...I do have MySpace.

Thinking Positive

Ever since I read The Secret last year, I've been fascinated by the law of attraction. Positive thinking. Manifesting abundance. You have nothing to lose by daydreaming, being grateful, and thinking good thoughts.

I like thinking about what I'll do when I win the lottery, having a house big enough for my own office (Hubba is next to me right now smelling of garlic, hence why my writing time is over and I am blogging), traveling the world...

Maybe I should focus more on my career...but then...what would that look like? Daydreaming about typing?

8793 / 50000 words. 18% done!

Headaches, Distractions and Leaving The Shy Behind

Harumph.

I have a headache. Not that I usually don't, and not that my headaches haven't been a blessing to me -- I thought I was dying from one, and in the aftermath started writing seriously -- but with the babygirl riding along, I can't take the meds that help with them. And so here I sit, trying to focus above the pain and work...and right now everything looks like the picture.

Don't stare too hard, you'll get one too. Nothing is wrong with my head - I've had more MRI's than is safe. All is good in my brain, it just hurts. Which makes me want to distract myself...

Usually I turn to writing, reading, or TV...not so great when your eyes are funking out. And so...I close my eyes and type. Can work. Sometimes.

I think today's headache is worse than usual because I overdid it a bit yesterday. I gave a workshop at my local RWA that went fairly well, me thinks. Had lunch with my writer gals, and then came home just in time to take the wee one to a birthday party.

At lunch we got to talking about promotion and having to overcome that hurdle of putting yourself out there. I hate speaking in public, anything that forces me to make eye contact really, and yet I do it. So well most of the other authors couldn't believe it.

I'd love to act introverted, it comes naturally to me to hug the wall and watch. But the headaches have made me someone different. Someone who wants things that have never come easy to me. And so I type with my eyes closed as a distraction and lead writing workshops when I would rather stay home in bed with an ice pack on my neck.

Naughty & Spice

There's no holding back on Naughty & Spice...so I opened my guest blog with ::

Would you could you in a tree?
Could you would on your knees?
Would you could you in a box?
Could you would you with a Fox?
Would you could you on a boat?
Could you would you do what you wrote?

see the rest...

Come Over and See Me Sometime...

This weekend I'm giving a workshop about taking rejected manuscripts and fixing them for other publishers. It's something I've done myself, moving Just One Spark from a Blaze reject to a Modern Extra title, taking category hopefuls Her Cinderella Complex and For Kicks and expanding them for Samhain and Black Lyon.

If you are in the Portland area this Saturday...and lots of people are because of the EPIC conference that I don't get to go to even though the poetry anthology I'm in was nominated for an EPPIE (Broke, me? You betcha! A little bitter too...It's going to win and I won't be there to see the publisher squee.)...feel free to stop by the meeting and hear what I have to say...or just say 'hi' :)

Salvaging Your Rejected Romance : From rejection to revision to sale

Forget following the guidelines, nailing the word count, and mirroring the tone of the line. If an editor doesn’t see a slot for your book within the line you’ve targeted, it doesn’t mean your story isn’t worth hearing. Join two multi-published authors in examining why your story didn’t fit, how to make it work in another form, and where it may eventually find a home. Presented by Jenna Bayley-Burke (Mills & Boon, Samhain, Black Lyon) & Heather Hiestand (Ceridwen Press, Ellora's Cave) - Rose City Romance Writers, Portland Community College

70 Days of Sweat

7022 / 50000 words. 14% done!

How "Green" is Your Reading Material?

"Carbon Footprint"

"Environmentally Friendly"

"Green"

Have you considered these words when it comes to your reading material? We're encouraged to buy, use and dispose with the environment in mind. While it's easy to recognize the negative impact of excess packaging and chemical content in many of the products we purchase, it's not so easy when it comes to books, magazines and newspapers.

We do have alternatives other than paper for our reading material. Many books, newspapers and magazines are created electronically. No trees are cut to produce them. No ink is used to put the words on the page. No fossil fue lis used to run presses or trucks to move the books around the country. Heated storage facilities are not required to warehouse e-books as they remain within your computer.

March 9-15th, 2008 is Read An E-Book Week. The week is set aside to educate consumers about reading electronic books and other reading material. E-books are delivered to the end user electronically. They are read on devices such as the new Sony portable reader or Amazon's Kindle. They are destroyed with the push of a delete button, without ever taking up room in a landfill.

It takes 24 trees to produce a ton of printing paper, the type normally used for books, 12 trees are harvested for a ton of newsprint. Up to 35% of books printed for consumers (down from nearly 60% several years ago) are never read. They are used for window dressing in book stores, and eventually returned to the publisher for disposal in landfills. Given that a mature tree can produce as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year, a serious alternative to paper books, magazines and newspapers needs to be considered. That alternative is e-books.



Before purchasing your next paper book, magazine or newspaper, consider your carbon footprint commitment. Read electronically. Read An E-Book Week, March 9-15, 2008. For more information please visit www.domokos.com/readebookweek.html

March Madness

This is my last fully scheduled month pre-baby, and it is loaded up! Here's where you can find me ::

March 1 - Idea Boutique talking about For Kicks
March 4 - Coffee Time Romance chat with Black Lyon authors
March 7 - Naughty & Spice
March 8 - Salvaging Your Rejected Romance : From rejection to revision to sale workshop at Rose City Romance Writers meeting
March 15 - Pink Heart Society Weekend Wind Down
March 16 - Spring Showers Promo with Samhain and Coffee Time Romance
March 18 - Writing To Deadline: How to write a book in 30 days or less at the Mid-Willamette Valley Romance Writers meeting
March 25 - Pink Heart Society Temptation Tuesday
March 31 - Pink Heart Society Male on Monday

PLUS

70 Days of Sweat...and Spring Break!

4775 / 50000 words. 10% done!

In the mood for love...or not

When you are working in stolen moments, it is hard to tell people not to bother you when you are working. My best friend is convinced I am glued to the keyboard because every time she calls I seem to be in the middle of a scene :)

So today I fired up the 'puter, ready to go...and the internet had to be reset. OK. No problem. Fixed that. Got online...and had a dramaquest email that got me riled. Joy.

I HAD to check my email, there is a baby shower tomorrow (my entire social set seems to be breeding right now). And those were lovely, hence what I should focus on...but one bad apple and all that.

I now see why Oscar is such a grouch. I bet people bang on his can right when he sits down to write. I need to focus on Sven and not bored people intent on raising my blood pressure.

3432 / 50000 words. 7% done!