Samhain Publishing

Hi, all! Jennifer here.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I really think the ENDING of a story is more important than the BEGINNING of a story.

I know there are some of you out there shaking your heads, but I feel strongly about this. I have read many a book that have started out slooooow and had no “hook” beginning sentence. That might have given me a niggle of doubt about the book, but I would read on, only to be sucked into the story by page 15 or so. So all was well and by the end I was happily satisfied by the read.

But, recently, I finished a book that had all the makings of the perfect read. It had great romance. Awesome humor. Creative storyline. Cool action. In short, I was LOVING this book.

Then I came to the ending…

I am not exaggerating when I say that when I finished and closed the book, I actually had a sick feeling in my stomach. And I’m sure if there was a mirror nearby, my expression would have resembled one who was just told chocolate causes cancer.
I eventually shook myself from the teetering brink of depression—after a few Hershey Kisses—and came to the conclusion of how important endings are in the stories we read and/or write.

WHY? Because the ending (good or bad) stays with you long after the book is closed. And that can ultimately decide for a reader whether they want to give that author another shot or not.
Something to think about.

What about you? Will an ending make or break a book for you MORE than the beginning?

Jennifer fancies herself a more prolific writer than she really is and has an unnatural tendency to use words like “fancies” and “prolific” when describing herself. Please feel free to check out her ebook, The Role of a Lifetime from Samhain Publishing and her recent Avalon romance Sunny Days for Sam–where she promises she didn’t use either of those words in her stories

Hey, all! Jennifer here!

I wrote about owning your own writing gift a few months ago on my personal blog, but I thought it was worth mentioning and talking about some more here.

If you are a writer, do you ever compare your books with other books? Do you look at other writers’s success?

Maybe you’re doing these things so much that you’re burying your own talent.

In the New Testament, there is a parable about a rich man about to embark on a long journey, so he entrusts three of his servants with “talents” of money. The first servant is given five talents, the second, two, and the last is given one. The first two servants immediately put their talents to work and increase their owner’s investment. However, the servant who was given only one talent becomes afraid to lose his master’s money and buries his talent in the ground. Needless to say, when the master comes back from traveling, he is NOT happy with that last servant.

Ok. What’s my point? Well, as the author of Simple Abundance writes:

“This is a parable about creative risk. We feel sorry for the servant who buried his talent because, as Elizabeth O’Connor points out, ‘his cautious, protective measures seem very reasonable.’ The master comes off as a thug, throwing the poor soul into darkness without comfort or pity just because he’s played it safe. Since most of us DO play it safe, this story makes us very nervous. It’s meant to. Many of us squander precious natural resources—time, creative energy, emotion—comparing the size of our talents to those of others.”

So…the message this Saturday is don't compare yourself with other writers.

Acknowledge the gifts you were given. OWN them.

Then be willing to invest in them and yourself. 

If you were one of those servants, which one would you be? Do you think you’re burying your talents?

**Also I just wanted to mention that there is ONE day left to enter my Samhain book giveaway on GOODREADS.

Stop by and enter!!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Role of a Lifetime

by Jennifer Shirk

Giveaway ends October 16, 2011.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter to win

I’ll tell you straight off that I’m a weak person. No, not physically weak, after all this is my second round of doing the p90x workout routine so I’m actually quite strong now (stronger, anyway). What I really mean is that I’m weak when it comes to fulfilling my goals, specifically my writing goals.

The good news is that I’m totally aware of my weaknesses and attempt to do something about them on a regular basis! And I start with ACCOUNTABILTY.

I wish I could be accountable to just myself but that never really motivates me like being accountable to others. So here are a few ways I try to keep my writing progress going.

1) In the beginning of the year, I write and post in front of my critique partners what my goals (NOT resolutions) for the year will be. For me, this year was simple: just finishing and editing and submitting two books.
2) Every few months or so, I check in with those goals and tell everyone how I’m progressing (if I’m progressing) in order to get some feedback and the very much needed cheerleading support I desire from them.
3) I set up or participate in writing challenges with my critique partners where we have weekly, if not monthly check-in for what our word count is. (This guarantees me to write and it also motivates me when I see others sweating words out along with me) Right now I have until the end of this month to finish my book. There’s 10,000 words left to write. Eeep!
4) I have word meters all around me. Yes. I have a bit of a word meter obsession at this point. But I love to see my story percentage grow weekly and that little bar shift ever so slowly to the right. Here’s a great site if you’re obsessed like me: word meters.

Accountability is the only reason my books ever get finished. Truly! Thank goodness my critique partners keep my writing in such good shape!

How about you? Do you have any kind of accountability that helps you to meet your goals, whether they’re writing or personal goals? How do you stay motivated to finish a story?

Hi, all! Jennifer here!

It’s Christmas Eve, so I figured it would be best to talk about…COOKIES.
Christmas cookies, that is.

I blogged on my personal blog last week that I was involved in a cookie swap. But not just any cookie swap. There were eleven women involved and we were bringing our A cookie to this swap, because there was money involved.

Everybody entered had to bring eleven dozen of their special cookie, 3 cookies for the judges, and $20 to enter. Judges decide which cookie is the best and whoever wins gets to take home the money—which was $220 total. (PS next year we’re donating the money to charity)

But I digress…

I made these elaborate pecan caramel cookies that are very involved to make. Actually, not to toot my own horn but I thought I was a shoe in to win.

Well, it was down to my cookie and another, so they got another outside judge and…

Well, I lost.

I know. I was shocked too. But you know what was interesting? The cookie that won was actually a very simple sugar cookie with cinnamon on the outside. But I think this was a good lesson learned. (for me)

Sometimes less is more—with baking, with writing, and even with celebrating the holidays.
I think it’s good to remember that.

(And in case you wanted it, here is the winning cookie recipe)

Cinnamon Refrigerator Crisps

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg, separated

6 T dark brown sugar
2 t cinnamon

Mix flour and sugar. Cut in butter. Add egg yolk. Mix until the
dough comes together. (I use a stand mixer).
In a separate bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar.
Roll the dough into two logs. Working one at a time, brush with egg
white. Place log on a sheet of wax paper and roll/press the cinnamon
and sugar mixture into the dough. Wrap the log in the wax paper.
Repeat with second log. Refrigerate at least one hour (I kept mine in
the fridge overnight).

Preheat oven to 350. Cut logs in approximately 1/4” slices (I was
able to get around 20 slices out of each log) and place on cookie
sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Wishing you all a Merry and Simple Christmas!

~Jennifer
author of THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME
Website

Hey, all! Jennifer here.
In case you were wondering (and even if you haven’t), I’ve got a bit of a writing challenge going on for the summer with my critique partners. It was going good— until July hit. But I digress…

Anyhew, in my quest for the most words I can possible get on a page, I’ve done some analyzing as far as what my writing vehicle of choice is.
And I have to say, it’s the Alpha Smart. It’s terrible for editing or anything like that, but fantastic for fast drafting or fast writing as the case may be.

You may be wondering how I came to this conclusion. Well, here’s a breakdown of what I’ve found:

The Personal Computer
Pros:

1) Typing is easy and comfortable

2) I like the old Microsoft Word on it; it’s easy to use and I don’t have to convert to a doc. file because it’s already there

3) Little visual distractions: My PC is in the corner of the room—almost a cubicle—and it’s out of the way of the TV and where the kids play.

Cons:

1) I get distracted sometimes because there’s so little distractions and things to look at.

2) The Internet is a temptation

The Laptop:

Pros:

1) If there’s noise or I want a view, I can move to any room

2) I can leave the house with it

Cons:

1) Typing isn’t as easy as the typewriter on my PC—or maybe I just haven’t found the perfect desk space.

2) The Internet is a temptation

3) I really cannot stand Word 2007. It seems like no one I know can open any of the docx. files either so I always have to remember to convert to regular doc. files.

Alpha Smart

Pros:

1) It’s as portable as a laptop

2) It’s lighter than a laptop and VERY easy to type on; it sits more comfortably on my lap, too

3) No Internet temptation

4) If I bring it outside the home, I don’t worry about doing damage to it, because it’s sturdier than a Laptop

Cons:

1) There’s a teeny tiny window, so if I get stuck and want to re-read what I wrote it’s a little bit of pain to arrow up and read—but this could be a pro depending on how you look at it. If you have a strong internal editor like I do, it forces you to not dilly dally with what you’ve just written. There’s no luxury of re-reading, so you almost have no choice but to just move forward and write.

2) This is a “little” con, but whatever you write you need to transfer it to your computer word document. I have a USB cable but some alphies can do it wireless. Both take just a few minutes depending on how much you wrote.

Ta da! That’s been my experience in a nutshell.
How about you?
Do you write?
What’s your writing vehicle of choice?

Jennifer Shirk
Humor me and read my blog: Me, My Muse and I
Humor me and be my friend:MySpace
Yes, I tweet, too. Twitter
The Role of a Lifetime : my humorous contemporary romance from Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Georgie on His Mind coming to Avalon Books Oct. 24, 2010

Reading some of my old rejected pathetic manuscripts—did I mention pathetic?—has lead to me do some thinking about heroes in romances.

Readers want their romance heroes to be moral and smart. Heroes should be gorgeous—or at the very least sexy. Readers want a strong hero with just enough of a soft inner side only visible to the heroine. And of course, for me, my hero HAS to make me laugh.

Tall order, huh?

Well, along with all those characteristics, mostly every writing book will tell you that flawed characters are good to have, too. They’re more real. Easier to identify with. Less boring.

Of course there is a fine line that you can accidentally cross with your reader.

I’m wondering if I might have crossed that line recently. You see, I have a problem hero. I don’t know why but for some reason in the small cramped crazy portion of my mind, I thought it would be interesting to have my hero smoke. Yes, he’s a smoker and it’s a contemporary romance.

Do I smoke? No way.

Does my hubby smoke? Not a chance.

So why did I do that? Well, my hero is his own man, for sure, but for all the rough and toughness of him, I wanted this to be his secret vice. His weakness that he is trying to give up, but cannot…until he has a reason to give up cigarettes. Namely, the heroine of my story.

(PS. This is in no way a major plot point, but rather, something subtle I wanted to write into my story.)

As I keep mulling over my story, I wonder if having my hero smoke is a huge turnoff to romance readers? Yes, it makes him real. But does this ruin the fantasy of what a hero is by giving him that particular kind of imperfection?

I’m curious to know: in this day and age—is having your hero smoke a huge no no in a romance book? Or is it a forgivable flaw?

Jennifer Shirk
“Always Fun, Always Feel-Good Romantic Fiction”
http://www.jennifershirk.com

This weekend I’m at the New Jersey Romance Writer’s Conference, and I’m excited for three reasons.

(Well, MORE than three reasons, but I’m only listing three due to time restraints)
1) I get to attend a three hour workshop with Jenny Crusie. (Woo-hoo!)
2) I finally get to meet my Samhain Editor face to face. (Woo-hoo!)
3) I get to take home lots of author goodies. (Woo-hoo!)

What? Don’t you get excited about free conference goodies, too?

I LOVE perusing the goodie tables for all sorts of neat promo items. I’ve stumbled across many new authors because of conference goodies—especially when they’re done right and clever. In the interest of being fair, I created some as well. I’m giving away key chains. Not just key chains, but little movie clapboard key chains to go with the theme of my book The Role of a Lifetime. They were kind of a hit last year, so I decided to stick with what works.

I’m looking forward to picking up some bookmarks. No matter how many I seem to collect I never can find one when I really need it. And pens! Don’t forget about the pens. My ink supply has run dry, and I could use a few new ones.

But is it all about collecting free stuff? Do authors see any advantage to giving away these items? Well, for me, if I like a promo item and/or the author’s book sounds like something I would read, I DO go to that author’s website and look up their info. In fact, once, I picked up a beverage coaster with the author’s name and book on it. I liked it so much, I added that author to my TBR pile.

So don’t underestimate the power of a clever promo item.

See you in the goodie room!

Have you ever bought an author’s book because of their promo item?
What’s your favorite kind of conference goodie?

Jennifer Shirk
“Always Fun, Always Feel Good Romance”

The Role of a Lifetime -available now!
Website
Blog

Something struck me as I picked up yet another romance novel that had Jack as the hero’s name.

1) It’s a GREAT name for a hero. (I confess I used the name, too, in a story) and
2) Romance writers don’t really like to mess with what is already deemed a good, strong hero’s name.

It’s kind of funny how romance writers have no problem seeking out extraordinary heroine’s names, though. I’ve seen Wanda, Sierra, Prudence, and even Tandy. But when it comes to male hero names we tend to stick with old standbys like Jake, Sam, Keith, Mike, Matt, and even Nate.

(I’m over generalizing a bit here, but stay with me anyway)

Why do we contemporary romance writers linger around these names? Because a name carries an image. And we all want our hero to have the image of being strong and masculine.

But what about the in-between names? The names that go beyond Jake but don’t quite reach the Roark, Tyler, or even Brent level. I’m talking about names that according to one baby name book are in “fashion limbo”.

Why don’t we see these names more in books? I have to say I’ve met some REALLY hot, fun (and young) Vince, Walt, Len, Jay, Grant, and Glenns in my life. But can an author convince a reader of that? Is it possible to break the image barrier with these names? Well…I don’t know.

(I am trying, though)

I write more lighthearted reads, so I think if a writer writes romantic comedy she might have a little more reader forgiveness if she uses a borderline name, but of course I could be wrong. The point is I love a good challenge!

Have you or would you use any of those fashion limbo names for your hero?

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Jennifer Shirk fancies herself a more prolific writer than she really is and has an unnatural tendency to use words like “fancies” and “prolific” when describing herself. Please feel free to check out her recent romantic comedy, THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME—where she promises she didn’t use either of those words anywhere in her story.
Also, check out her BLOG anywhere blogs are available.

Wow! It’s not often an author gets to celebrate her book release TWICE. But here I am very happy to announce that my romantic comedy, The Role of a Lifetime will be released in print this Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

My mom already has a copy in her hands and has told me after reading two pages that she loves it and has laughed at loud.

Yes, that’s right. After two pages.

Needless to say, I have encouraged her to keep reading. I also told her that although I truly believe her when she said what she read was hilarious, she really, uh, hasn’t gotten to the funny part yet.

sigh

I wish all my readers were as easy.

I also wanted to thank everyone at Samhain involved in my publication process—especially my editor, Laurie, and Donna, who worked on the galley, and Angie, who did a lovely job on my cover. And of course, the boss, Crissy Brashear. Thanks so much!

CONTEST: Please check out my blog on Tuesday for your chance to win a copy of my book!

When the hubby told me he was planning a little getaway for us and the kiddo, I said, “Great!”
He said, “Great!”
I said, “Where we going?”
He said, “Skiing!”
I said…“Oh.”

Actually, I don’t even think I said that. I think just blankly stared at him. But it looks like we’re going anyway.

What the hubby doesn’t understand—despite my best attempt to convince him— is that me and skiing, well, it doesn’t make sense. I can’t help it. It just doesn’t. Me wrapped in a snuggie reading by the fire. That makes total sense. Me sitting poolside on a Caribbean island. Yes, that makes sense, too.

You see, I tried skiing once when I was fourteen and had a MISERABLE time. I really don’t want to relive that experience. Although, I did learn a few things that day:
1) I’m balanced-challenged, 2) I despise cold weather, and 3) I learned not to believe my friends when they say “You don’t need a ski lesson. We’ll teach you”. Grrrrr….

Despite my almost paralyzing apprehension about this weekend, I will put on a good game face for the family and take ONE lesson. I just hope I don’t break anything. Or maim myself for life. Or die. Or worst yet, humiliate myself.

Do you like skiing? Or are you balance-challenged like me?

Also…
CONTEST: Fellow Samhain author Diane Craver is celebrating Small Press Month early!
To kick things off, she’s giving away the electronic copy of my romantic comedy,
The Role of a Lifetime.
Stop by her blog and leave a comment to enter and win!
Contest ends February 16, but more book giveaways will continue the rest of the month and all March long.
Check it out!

Jennifer
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Jennifer Shirk
“Always Fun, Always Feel Good Romance”
The Role of a Lifetime available in e-book now and print March 31, 2009