Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Let's fill up your stocking

Or add another present under your tree. I may be late, but I have decided what better way to thank all of you who have supported RIA than to giveaway an autographed copy! I'm also throwing in a magnet
  
**image of product

and a keychain
                                  **image of product
The giveaway will run starting today (December 11) and end December 24th. I know, I know. You won't have it by Christmas, but I'll still use pretty Christmas wrapping ;)

Rules are simple. Because of the content in Risking It All, you must be 18+ to enter and because of shipping costs the giveaway is only open to Canadian and U.S. residents.

You can enter here



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

TWCS Black Friday Event

Who doesn't love a sale? Well, personally, I hate shopping, but when I have to do it then I love a sale. For those of you who are holding off reading RIA or LC (or any other TWCS ebook) because of costs, then I have some very exciting news.



Yep, for one day TWCS will be dropping prices of eBooks and jumping on the Black Friday bandwagon. Keep in mind this offer is only  available through TWCS Publishing House website.
And, in case you didn't know, PRINT prices were recently dropped as well (not a limited time offer; new prices went into effect November 1, 2012)





Saturday, November 10, 2012

Baby Steps



Lately I’ve received quite a few emails regarding my FF stories. Some want to know if there will be a squeal to WHACW, others asking if I plan to “return” and continue writing fan fiction. While I find the curiosity flattering (who doesn’t want to be begged to continue a story ;) ) the answer to both those questions is no.

What Happens at Charlie’s Wedding was my baby steps into the writing world. If it hadn’t been for the FF community I probably would never have had the courage to publish. Actually I know I never would have, but you’d be surprised at the comfort a pen name can give you until you’re ready to scream that it’s you behind the smut. Velvetbutterfly was a test to see if I could do it, and with two published novels under my belt, I guess I can finally say I’m not too shabby when it comes to this writing bit.

But as much as I will always be grateful to the FF fans, especially to those who have followed me over to my original work and continue to support me, that part is over for me. A lot goes into writing and with the time I would spend writing FF is the time I could spent writing my own original, which is my focus now. Or least it will be as soon as I can concentrate enough to get something down.

My stories will still remain on FanFiction.net and Twilighted—at least for now. There may come a time when I decide to pull all of it just because (NOT to publish it), but for now they’ll remain.

That brings me to then next question I get asked a lot: do I have any plans to turn my FF into o-fic. No. Absolutely not. Without getting into the whole "pulled to publish" debate, for me it's just not something I`m comfortable with. I may have created the story but those aren't my characters. I borrowed them, and slapping a different name on them still won`t make them mine. Original fiction means from scratch, in my opinion. If I'm going to publish it's going to be something that's entirely mine and not something I borrowed along the way. That's just how I feel; no disrespect to those authors who have done it because I've read some really great books that I never would have guessed were originally FF.

The fan fiction community is a very close group, it's more like family than anything else, and I'm proud that I was part of that family for a little while. But like all families, there comes a time when you need to leave so you can learn who you are and grow into the person you want to be on your own. Those baby steps may seem terrifying to take but without taking them you'll never know where you could end up.

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Forever In Our Hearts


I don’t usually post personal things on my blog; if you follow then you know it’s mostly updates about my books or general posts about random things. Today, I’m going to break that personal silence because it’s November. And this month means something to me—or rather this month’s awareness means something to me.


Almost everyone knows someone who has suffered in some way from some illness or another. For those who haven’t experienced watching someone they love and care about battle whichever disease takes over, they should consider themselves extremely lucky. It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever witness—one of the hardest. The hardest is watching that disease win.

November is Lung Cancer awareness month. Lung cancer takes so many lives each year—too many lives. Approximately, 395 people will die of lung cancer every week. That’s just Canadian statistics. Too many people lose this battle, and nine years ago, my father was one of them.

Most little girls grow up thinking their fathers are heroes. I wasn’t one of them. I loved my dad; he was one of a kind in so many ways. But I didn’t grow up thinking he was perfect, I knew he had flaws and had done some pretty shitty things and to some they would have been unforgivable. I didn’t think he was the ideal man to measure all other men to. I respected him just as much as I loved him, though, and I would be proud to have my sons grow up to be half the man he was. But he wasn’t the type of man to put on a pedestal.
He let us grow into the people we wanted to be, not what he wanted us to be. He didn’t push his thoughts or opinions on us, he let us make our own choices, let us have our own beliefs—even if he didn’t agree with them, he never discouraged or belittled us. He supported us, mostly in silence since he wasn’t big on sharing his feelings. I’m definitely like my father that way.

No, I didn’t think he was a hero—until he started the hardest three year fight of his life. You never really know how strong a person is, even one that you’ve known your entire life, until you watch them battle and struggle to survive. It’s an image that will stay with you forever, almost haunting you.   

I miss him every single day…but I’m also angry at him. It wasn’t “bad luck” he got cancer; it was from years and years of smoking—over fifty years of it. I am angry because he more or less did this to himself because of his choices. He didn’t ask to get cancer, but he also didn’t stop and try to make sure it didn’t happen.  I’m angry and sad because my boys will never know how great of a man their grandfather was. They’ll never have the chance to toss a football around with him or learn to drive the old beat up Chevy he had.  Every birthday, every holiday, every concert my children are in, they’ll miss out on having him there. There will be an empty seat at their graduation, at their wedding, at…everything. When they ask to see their grandfather I have to take them to a cemetery instead of taking them to the house I grew up in. They have to speak to a headstone instead of a person. They’ll never hear his voice, or his laugh that made everyone around him smile or laugh with him. My oldest son will never know how much he truly looks like his grandfather when his eyes crinkle at the corners and his entire face lights up when he finds something hilarious. They’ll never know how much he would have loved them.

And every person that has lost someone knows exactly what this hole feels like that’s still in my heart after nine years. It’s not something you can ever get over. And as much as I miss him, and as much as I would give anything for just one more minute, I’m angry he did this to us. To himself.

And this is the first time I have ever said that.

I’m not writing this to get the “I’m sorry for your loss” sympathies. That’s not what I need. I’m sharing this because what I need, what everyone needs, is awareness to how this disease will not only affect the person who has it but everyone who loves them. That cigarette you just have to have? That’s one more detail to your funeral your family is adding. That’s one more day that not only you lose but that they lose with you. That’s one more child you don’t get to walk down the aisle, or one more grandchild you don’t get to hold after s/he is born. That’s one more memory of you you’re making the people you love miss out on. Is all that pain you’re going to make them suffer worth it?

I’m an ex-smoker, and I deal with the cravings almost every day. I know how rough it is to quit. But this?



This is rougher. This is as hard as it gets. This is heartbreaking to me. This is something I will never put my children through if I can help it. This is our reality now.

November is Lung Cancer awareness month. Make someone aware. Not of the health risks or how they’re playing Russian roulette with every inhale—they know all that. Make them aware of how all the players involved in that game are going to be affected when it ends.  Because forever in our hearts just isn’t enough.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

I have eye candy

FYI, you need to read that title in a sing-song voice to make it sound the way I intended

So I have a couple of little treats for you. First, I finally got around to making video trailers for Risking It All and Last Call. Okay, I didn't make them, my lovelies from my publishing house did, but I did pick out the graphics and come up with the taglines.

Anyone interested in seeing them? That's what I thought.

Risking It All and Last Call

Another little FYI, I start to get major butterflies at :48 with RIA video. *sigh*

Okay, now for the eye candy. Against my better judgment (because I knew how addicted I would become!) I created a Pinterest account. Okay, full disclosure? I already had one but logged into it once and never bothered to go back. But I went back a few days ago. Oh, boy did I ever.

Let me throw a few things at you: Memphis's motorcycle. Cabin D. Ian Somerhalder. The mischievous and lovable Ben and Jerry from Last Call. Las Vegas. Jensen Ackles. Emma's ring from the short story A Christmas Kiss. David Boreanaz.

What does all that have in common? Well, if you've ever wondered about any of that and more, then you need to follow me on my Pinterest journey. Yep, click right here and find out everything you could want about not only my books but me as well. The men I deem swoon worthy, the actresses I love, places I want stamped on my passport--do they even stamp anymore? See, I have no idea because I don't have a passport (yet) but when I do look out. 

It's a work in progress, but it's getting there and I have some fun ideas up my sleeve still.

Enjoy the videos, and don't forget to let me know what you think!

Jennifer 


 

Thursday, October 11, 2012

The readers rock!

I am a bad, bad blogger. Another month has gone by without a peep from my end, but real life does tend to get in the way.

I do have exciting news, though. Risking It All made it to the #3 on the TWCS PH Best Sellers list! Yes, say it with me now: OH EM GEE! I'm surprised those around me aren't deaf when I found that out. I have never made it into the top 5 before! And that is due to all of YOU who have bought the book and continue to support it. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Another squeal moment: RIA only needs 91 readers until it reaches 1000 added on Goodreads. I don't even care how small that seems to some authors, to me that is HUGE! A THOUSAND readers? Are you freaking kidding me?! I was impressed with the little recognition Last Call received, this is completely blowing me away. Cloud nine is even too low for me right now, I kid you  not!

Now, I've had quite a few emails or comments left on reviews on Goodreads or messages on my FB author page asking if Risking It All will have a sequel. The answer is....no. I never planned for there to be a book two, and honestly, I'm totally shocked some of you want one! I'm sure if I really thought about it I could think of some more hair pulling things for Kennedy to do, but the thing is, I liked how the book ended. Does that mean you'll never get to know what happened to Kennedy and Memphis down the road? I never said that....

Really, I just wanted to take a few minutes when I wasn't neck deep in laundry or packing lunches or running kids here and there to thank all of you who are making RIA a success. It couldn't be done without every single one of you. Much love and thanks!

Jennifer

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Giveaway Winner



Congratulations to Chasity Brewer for winning the signed copies of Last Call and Risking It All.

You still have a chance to win a paperback of Risking It All (not autographed.) Check out Talk Supe who is hosting an International giveaway for the next three days. There are some standard giveaway rules they have, so be sure to check them out before entering.

Thanks to everyone who entered!


Thursday, September 13, 2012

It's September 13th

And you know what that means, right?

RISKING IT ALL'S RELEASE DAY!

Ahem. Okay. I'm calm now. Well, not really but I will try and stay calm for the next few minutes while I write this post. Today is also the last day on the blog tour, and I would like to thank all the bloggers who participated and took the time to write reviews, interview etc. There wouldn't have been a tour without them, obviously. If you missed the tour stops you can check them out here. There was a website site mistake on Talking Supe but the address has been fixed and you can find the reviews and author interview now.

So if you're one of the ones who have been waiting to read the ebook of RIA you can now order your copy! It's not available in all formats yet on all sites, so check out TWCS to find the order links.

Cheers!

Jennifer 


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Check it out!

The Press release for Risking It All!



Tomorrow is the big day and I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled, that it's finally here. Yes, more so than I was with Last Call--and I didn't think a high like that could be beat.

If I was a more organized person I would have teasers ready and maybe a Q&A on Twitter or FB (hmmm that's not a half bad idea. Wonder if it's too late?) but I'm not. I suck at planning ahead and leave everything until the last minute. Actually, the Q&A sounds like a great idea, now that I think about it. I might have to keep that in mind over the next couple of weeks after people have had a chance to read RIA.

I will have teasers, though! Follow me on Twitter ( @jleeschmidt) for random quotes from the book and if you're one of the ones who have already read it, feel free to shout out a question or two!






Saturday, September 08, 2012

Risking It All blog tour kick off

This is one of my favourite parts of a book release. The bloggers are all so great and they make the tour that much more fun with their awesome interviews and hosting guest posts. Well, actually they really make the tour because without their interest we would all be SOL.

We have five fun days planned with eight stops along the way. Ahem, may I draw the Memphis fans attention to the 12th. Do you see that? Dirty 10 with Memphis. Yes, naughty questions answered by the Swoon God himself. There's also an interview with Kennedy on the same day (different blog) and author interviews and a few guest posts along the way.

Talk Supe is hosting an ebook giveaway, but don't forget you have until the 14th to enter to win a signed paperback copy of both Risking It All and Last Call right here on the blog 

9th: Guest Post @ The Book List
10th: Interview @ Passion for Pages
        Review @ Book to Book Reviews
11th: Review @ Natasha is a Book Junkie
12th: Interview, Dirty 10 with Memphis and giveaway @ Talk Supe
        Interview with Kennedy @ The Risqué Redheads
13th: Guest Post @ My Secret Romance
        Guest Post @ Nightly Reading 

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Guess what I'm giving away



Are you interested in winning an autographed copy of both Last Call and Risking It All? If the answer is yes, then I have some exciting news to share with you!

With the one year anniversary of Last Call approaching and Risking It All being released next week, I thought it was definitely something to celebrate.  

Find out how you can win a signed paperback copy of both books here



Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The end of another summer

With August quickly approaching its end, we'll soon be saying good-bye to summer and hello to fall. September is just a few short days away and with it comes cooler nights, golden leaves and my favourite season. 

I love everything there is about fall. The smells, the colours, getting to wear hoodies all the time, being able to take out my A/C and have my hydro bill go down--at least for the one month until I have to turn my furnace on because winter will soon be upon us. But the best thing about this wonderful season? No more thunderstorms. Little thundershowers with a few claps of thunder I can handle, but when that severe warning goes up all I can think about is being tossed around like a feather by a tornado. Xanax and I could be BFFs during the summer if I allowed it. Yes, I'm terrified of thunderstorms--yet like the sound of thunder. Go figure. 

Another thing to look forward to: school is back in. Yes, as sad as I am that my baby, my last little munchkin, is going to be in Kindergarten I'm also excited that both children will be in school. My youngest thrives on attention and interaction with others, and my oldest is more of a loner (like his mama) and needs to have that interaction so he learns to open up. And school time for them means sleep catch up for Mama. I mean work. Work catch up. 

So how did I spend my summer? I'd like to say that I traveled a lot, discovered new things, learned new languages and came back with so many stories to tell that I have material for my next five books. Instead, I stayed home, played a lot of Wii with the kiddos, caught up on some old TV shows, did some reading and not a whole lot of work. It was great, the perfect lazy summer. Not novel material great, but "mom" great. 

How do I plan to enjoy the last few days of summer freedom? Lying on a beach with the sun in my face, the sand between my toes listening to the splashing of the waves. No. Wait. I'm confusing my life with my character's. I get to celebrate the end of summer by partying it up at our annual rodeo. Because let's face it, cowboys in dirty jeans and hot hats beat the beach any day. 








Monday, August 13, 2012

Today is the day

You can now pre-order your paperback copy of Risking It All! Dean shares my excitement, as you can see ;)


That means there are only four weeks - four weeks! - until PUB day. I really am so proud of RIA and all the work that went into it, not only by me but also by my fabulous editing team. And I cannot wait to share it with you!

For those of you who are waiting for the ebook, that will be available September 13 - RIA release date. But for those who share my love of a real book still (you cannot beat the smell of a book!) you can order your paperback copy here.

Let's all do the Dean Winchester happy dance now!


Friday, August 10, 2012

Those "dreaded" ratings and reviews


To say that I’m excited about the reviews I’ve gotten for Risking It All would be an understatement. Sure, they haven’t all been 5 stars, but it’s still thrilling to see so many people have read it or put it on their to-read list.

I was asked today how I feel about the 1 and 2 star reviews. I’m pretty sure the person was expecting the “it sucks” answer. But does it really suck?

 Am I disappointed that those people didn’t like the book? Sure. As an author you hope that everyone is going to fall in love with your work. Except… that’s not realistic, is it? Even the most popular books/authors have people who dislike or downright hate them. So yes, getting a bad review is part of the job. But it’s not the end of the world. I can’t please everybody, right? And by getting those “bad” reviews it actually helps me see what I’m doing wrong and how I can change it and make my next book that much better.

So how do I feel about those stars that just don’t make it past second? Disappointed? Of course. I think all authors are. Discouraged? Meh, not so much anymore. Angry? Not a chance. It’s not something to be mad about. People get pissed at each other all the time for lying, so why would I be angry by the truth? Yes, it’s personal when someone says they don’t like what you’ve done but not enough to get defensive and pissed. It’s their opinion, something everyone is entitled to.

In the end, it really just comes down to me being happy with what I’ve done. After all, I did this to prove to myself I could. I’ll take what the reviewers have to say about my books (good or bad) and move on˗˗appreciating each and every single one of you along the way.

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Risking It All Virtual Tour

The big day for Risking It All's release is fast approaching! September 13 is PUB day and you know what that means, right? My publishing house is now looking for bloggers who are interested in participating in the virtual tour.

If you're interested in reviewing Risking It All, or have already reviewed it and want to do a author interview, character interview (which I have never done but it sounds like fun!) or have me write a guest post for your blog, simply fill out the form I'll link below and voila! You're part of the tour.

There will be giveaways along the way for bloggers who want to host them and I have a little something special planned also. Since Last Call's one year anniversary is coming up (how can it be a year already since I first published?!) I am giving away a signed copy of both Last Call and Risking It All. More details about the grand prize giveaway will be revealed closer in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, if you would like to participate in the tour, which will run from September 9-13th, here's how

Risking It All Virtual Tour form


Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Kennedy Monroe

I'm not sure why, but when I start writing something new I always picture the male character first. I said in an earlier post that I pictured Risking It All's Memphis as an Ian Somerhalder look a-like. But I never really thought of who I pictured as Kennedy.

While going through the last editing stage (yay!) I started to really think about it. Who fits Kennedy's description? It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to find someone to compare her to. She's 30, slim, a little on the shorter side between 5'4'' and 5'6'' with black, curly hair and... okay, honestly I'm not sure if I ever mentioned her eye colour. But any actress that came to mind just didn't fit what I saw in my head. Until I came across a picture of Julianna Margulies

She exactly how I imagined Kennedy to look...in 10 to 15 years. Yes, it's easy to say she's a younger Julianna, but I really wanted someone I could compare her to now.

And then I discovered Katie Melua.

She's absolutely perfect! And, I think, she even looks like a younger Julianna. She exactly how I pictured Kennedy through most of the book. I say most because there is a flashback to 18 year old Kennedy when she first meets Memphis....

Ladies (and gentlemen if you're reading this) we have a winner. 

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Now on Goodreads

                                             Risking It All

My editing team and I are in the final stages of finally having RIA proofed and ready to go. So excited! It seems like we've been working on this forever but I am so proud and so satisfied with how it's turning out. I cannot wait to finally see it in print!

It's now on Goodreads  - which makes it all the more real for me! Don't forget to head on over there and add it to your to-read list!


Friday, June 22, 2012

Oh, where, oh where, can it be?

I seem to have lost all interest in writing lately. And it blows because I have such great ideas - at least they're great ideas to me - and I want to get them down and start another frustrating, writer's block journey, but I just don't have the interest. I haven't even kept up with this blog.

In a previous post I mentioned that I had an idea for a vampire book. I've never ventured into fantasy writing and I was so excited to try my hand at it. I even have a loose outline of the story. An outline, people! I never make outlines. That's how excited I was to start this novel. I held off until I completed the manuscript for Risking It All and sent it off to my editor and then I planned to bury myself in this next project. Ideas were coming left and right, so many so fast that I barely got one scratched down on whatever spare piece of paper I could find before another one was hitting me. How could I not be excited about this? I thought for sure I would have no problems getting the words out on this one. Writer’s block, kiss my ass. You will not beat me this time.

Argh!

The ideas are still there. They are still swarming my head like angry bees ready to attack at any second, but I just can’t seem to make myself sit down and write. I want to. God, do I want to. But there’s just no appeal.

How can that be?!

I’m frustrated and annoyed and really just down right pissed off at myself for not having the attention span to do anything. Even writing this post has taken me over an hour because I keep wandering away or letting myself be distracted by other things. Now granted, some of those “other things” are my children who apparently need to be fed, bathed and read to (I didn’t read the fine print before signing up for this parent thing evidently) but really, they are just  my excuse for not doing anything creative wise.

Well, that’s not entirely true. We did make a telescope out of paper towel and toilet paper rolls the other day. The boys thought it was epic so obviously my creativeness hasn’t totally vanished. It really was epic by the way.

I just want to have the focus to write again, damn it! But in the meantime, I’m teaching my youngest the greatness of past television shows. Through many tears we watched all 15 seasons of ER and now we’ve moved onto Friends. Being distracted isn’t all bad.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Cover Reveal

So after some back and forth the title of book two was changed to Risking It All. That being said, I give you the cover.....


Kennedy Monroe barely got her foot in her college dorm her freshman year before she was being warned about a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed self-proclaimed Casanova.  There were only so many tales of heartache – and incredibly steamy nights – she could listen to before she started to believe them. But after a run in with the most sought after college womanizer, her ill feelings toward him change and soon a friendship forms that surprises everyone.

Twelve years later Kennedy and Memphis Adams are closer than ever - and only friends despite what those around them think, including Kennedy’s boyfriend Ian Brooks. When Kennedy accepts an invitation to vacation in Alaska from Memphis, her relationship with Brooks is tested as is her restraint when it comes to the desire she has always had for her best friend.

Alone with Memphis in Alaska, Kennedy finds it increasingly harder to ignore temptation and wants nothing more than to give into her secret desires with the one man that has always been off limits. But is one night of passion worth the possible risk of losing their friendship over?

Feeling torn between doing the right thing and doing what she wants, Kennedy fears losing her best friend. She knows she needs to sort out her feelings for the two men in her life and deal with the consequences of her actions, but how can she when everything seems to be falling apart so fast? And how much can Memphis take before he’s pushed too far and can no longer take Kennedy’s inability to make a decision about what and who she wants?

Kennedy discovers the harsh reality of how one night can change everything and leave her risking it all.

Category: Erotica
Publication date: September 13, 2012
Find book here