Wow. Just…wow.

The doorbell rang.

My stomach churned. It was about the time the UPS truck made the rounds, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. It wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow, anyway.

"Jessica!" Mom called. "It's for you!"

The package was from Amazon.

I felt a rush of excitement as I grabbed the scissors and tore the package from her hand. I still refused to think that it was it.

I opened it.

I screamed.

It's real.

100% real.

And I'm still in complete shock.

 

Happy Wednesday!

--Jess

P.S.
Only a little bit after I'd gotten my ARC, I think my sister realized how awesome writing books was, because she's picked up writing her novel again :)

The "Publish" Button

First of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped out with my Cover Release! You guys made it all truly epic, and I feel like I can't thank you enough!

If you didn't see the cover, just scroll down.

Anyway, I was so scared for quite a while about releasing it. I was afraid people might think it sounded too much like The Hunger Games or something (which a few did unfortunately…)

But overall, I think it went really well.

Okay, what I'm really excited for now, is getting the long awaited Author's Review Copy. Like, I'm literally finding it hard to sit still just waiting for it. CreateSpace said that I should get it within five to seven days.

And they said that about four days ago, so I'm dying to see my book in print.

I also realized that after I submit my final revisions for the story…

There's a "publish" button.

So like, when I click publish, it will be published.

I mean how cool and scary is that!?

Anyway, I'm just sorta freaking out about all this.

Happy Monday!

--Jess
麥潔思

From the Ashes Cover Reveal!

Alright.

I'm nervous.

But here goes.

I'm not sure how it all went wrong.

The concept was simple.

The Trials were made to test us. They were made to challenge our strengths; our bravery.

We were supposed to come out better.

Winning the Trials would make us Superior citizens.

It would bring us honor and demonstrate our loyalty to the Imperial Alliance.

I knew exactly what I wanted.

Until I met him.

There was something about him. Something dark. If only I had known the danger it would put us in.

I thought I knew the risks.

But I never imagined the price we'd pay.

***

An insightful look at the good and bad that exist within us, McKendry's debut is a high-octane adventure that pushes the imagination to the limit as it lays bare the nature of self-reliance, self-confidence, and teamwork. Playing with the concepts of dark and light and how they affect our lives in multiple forms, her novel is a complex coming of age story that encapsulates the heroine's journey from student to leader. A dark tale of love and revenge, From the Ashes is a powerful reminder to think for yourself instead of blindly following what you've been taught to believe.

***

So…

What do you think?

I honestly find it hard to believe that when I first started writing this blog, I was only halfway through writing the first draft of From the Ashes. And to think that now, I have the cover, which has completely brought the story to life!

I can't believe I've gotten this far!

Then again, I couldn't have made it without all of your great help and support. Truly, you guys are all just so awesome!

Thanks so much for everything :)

--Jess

Launched!

Okay, I finally did it!

Made a facebook author page, AND a website. So, if you haven't "liked" me already, I'd really appreciate it if you took the time to check my Facebook Author Page. Oh and here's My Website. The site isn't very helpful yet, due to the lack of information, but I'm still only in the middle stages of publishing, so it WILL be updated once I've got more content.

I still can't believe that I'm ACTUALLY getting published. For the longest time, it seemed so far off in the distance, and I never fully thought I'd get here.

Anyway, I have to take two ice dancing tests today, so wish me luck! I'll tell you how they went on Wednesday :)

I will be revealing the cover to all of you soon!

--Jess

AHHH!!!

Okay, so if you didn't see my post on Facebook, or didn't receive an email from me asking your opinion, then HERE'S THE NEWS.

I

GOT

MY

BOOK COVERS!

So, after running around the house, screaming "OH MY GOD… OH MY GOD…" then staring at my covers again, I had a choice to make.

There was a darker cover and a lighter cover, and I LOVED them both so much! I cannot describe how beautiful both of them were.

Honestly, I can't say how amazed I was with both of them. Both covers gave a beautiful face to my precious baby.

The first was definitely more sophisticated. I liked it better than the second, until I noticed a few details I hadn't seen before. And then, I was completely torn between both.

Believe me, it was the hardest choice EVER. People buy a book based on the cover, the title and the summary. So those three things had to be ACTPAP (as close to perfect as possible).

In the end, what made a difference was that the first, darker cover lost detail from farther away. So, I chose the colorful one.

Boom.

There you have it :)

Oh, in case you wanted to know, my new blog layout is based on the cover. So that should give you SOME idea as to what the cover looks like.

I just hope the rest of you love it as much as I do!

--Jess

P.S.
Now I just have to work on that dreadful back cover text…

P.P.S.
Also, I've been contemplating changing my URL so that my blog can be my website or something. Does anyone know if that would change who follows me? I know it would change for links, and stuff. Suggestions?

Surprise!!!! Coming 2013

What do you think? Curious? Excited? Bored? Lol.

It was my very first attempt at a book trailer EVER so, just keep that in mind.

Have a nice day!

-Jess

Shh…

Come back on Monday.

I'll need some feedback, but hopefully it's a nice surprise :)

Have a nice weekend!

-Jess

P.S.

Are you excited? I'm a little nervous.

I'm Back!

Sorry for the unannounced leave of absence! Thanksgiving was CRAZY as usual, but totally awesome :)

My whole family came to our house (a total of 17 people), and we had a wonderful time! My dad rented a suite at a hockey game and we got to watch it from the top and have all kinds of delicious food! It was so much fun!

My grandma & my cousin dancing

The Game

And then we had a wonderful family picture taken by my other grandma (so she and my other grandpa aren't in the picture, obviously.)

We had TONS of fun!

What are you thankful for this year? To my readers in the U.S. how was your Thanksgiving?

Have a wonderful day!

--Jess

Sweet Sixteen :) and KOMF #7

Happy Friday, everyone!

I'm really excited about this weekend because my SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY is tomorrow!!!! YAY!!!

No, I haven't taken drivers ed yet so I can't quite get my licence. But that's okay :)

What I'm REALLY hoping for is a...

Yup.

But they're ridiculously expensive so by asking for one of ^ these, I'm really trying my luck.

(A few new followers would be nice, too :) )

Also, I thought I should inform you that last month was my first blogaversary! I totally forgot about it until now, haha. It just hasn't felt like it's been a full YEAR since I started blogging!

Anyway, it's time for another round of the Knights of MicroFiction! Check out the Knights of MicroFiction page for more info.

Here's the prompt:

Kathy and I are giving you 5 TELLING sentences to choose from.  The object is to pick a sentence and create a scene in 500 words or less that SHOWS what the sentence is about.

For bonus points, don't include the sentence you chose (or any alteration of it) in your scene. Your readers should be able to guess which one you described!

Here are the sentences to choose from:

• It was the most interesting birthday ever.
• He/she's so obnoxious.  
• It was dark.
• The meal was delicious.
• He/she was in a bad mood.

Have fun, and good luck! You may post your entry today, or tomorrow, but no later than 11:59 (on the 15th.) Kathy and I will each choose a winner by the 17th.

Good luck!

Dark Night of the Soul

Dear followers,

If you like to listen to music while you write, this one is BEAUTIFUL. It's all piano and no words, and since I didn't really know what else to post today, I thought I'd share it.

Hope you enjoy!

Have a great day!

--Jess

GUTGAA Meet and Greet! (better late than never :)

Today is the long awaited start of GUTGAA, (Gearing Up To Get An Agent blogfest) hosted by Dena Barnhart! If you'd like to know more or sign up, click on the link to her blog!

Alrighty, here I go.

Short bio:

I'm 15 years old, and am the oldest my two siblings. I've lived in 7 different states and moved a grand total of 15 times! I love to travel, read, and listen to any music by Evanescence, Within Temptation or Red.

I've been writing ever since I could hold a pen. There's nothing as rewarding, frustrating, and fun in this world than being able to write. The ability to create worlds, and people that come to life with the stroke of a pen or tap of a computer key is utter magic.

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

Well... I'm in California at the moment (hence the lateness in my posting this), so I can't do that. But the first thing I'd see is probably my notepad. Even though I type everything on my computer, I keep my notepad updated in case I need to write something down when I can't use my laptop.

Favorite time to write?

Definitely the morning. I'm really not a morning person, but I've sorta forced myself to be. It's the quietest time of day.

Drink of choice while writing?

Coffee or hot chocolate or tea! Any of those work :)

When writing, do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

Definitely music! Sometimes I'm forced to write without my headphones in, but there's never really complete silence in my house. So I prefer music to noise :)

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

It was definitely a mix of things, but it first came to me while I was playing the free online game called Poptropica. In the game, there are all these 'islands' that have... problems. And your character has to go around and make things right.

The second wind of inspiration came to me while reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and then reading 1984 by George Orwell.

The third, and probably most important parts came as a mix between a level in the video game called Little Big Planet and reading the book Fatal Alliance by Sean Williams.

In the video game, your character has to find all these magic crystals located in various places. Then, you had to go shine light through the crystals to defeat an evil dragon-like thing that was wrecking havoc on the nearby towns.

In the book Fatal Alliance (a Star Wars book), the Sith and the Jedi are forced to work together to defeat a greater enemy. The book is written from 3rd person POV, so you really get to see sides of both Light and Dark that we're not used to seeing.

That book was probably my biggest inspiration.

What's your most valuable writing tip?

Never give up.

That phrase is cliche and definitely overused, but it's 100% true. To be a great writer, you can't let anything stand in your way.

Thanks!!

--Jess

Green Bay, Wisconsin and the Bookstore

Today is day six of our Wisconsin trip.

We're in Green Bay right now, and let me just say it's all about football.  At least where our hotel is (which is right outside Lambeau Field).

So while my dad was in business meetings all day yesterday, my mom, my siblings and I all took a nice trip to a pretty Botanical Garden.  So here's a few pics from there:

And then, we got to see a Green Bay Packers practice routine!  Now let me just say, I'm not a football fan.  Like, not at all.  I'd much rather read and write and draw or do something artistic.  But I have to admit, seeing a professional team up close, was pretty awesome.

And after the practice, we had a late night dinner at Lambeau Field.  We had the Wisconsin specialties:

Cheese Curds

And Beer Cheese Soup.

And then of course we had desert, which was an amazing Cookie Skillet Sunday, but we ate it too fast to be able to take a picture ;)

Today we've just done some relaxing... and more relaxing... and went to Barns & Noble.  It's sad, but I have to admit I haven't been to a book store in quite a while.  So when we went today, it was a thrilling experience!!

It was amazing seeing so many books by authors I know!

It was so cool.  And of course, I couldn't leave without convincing my mom to support two of the authors we know and love!

Yep.

I FINALLY got those two books which I've been wanting to read FOREVER.  (Or at least since they came out lol).

Some Jedi Wisdom:  Hearing about fellow authors' books is cool.  Seeing their books for yourself in a bookstore... that's just awesome :)

HAPPY TUESDAY!

--Jess

Mozart Under the Stars

First, some news.

I just cut out ten thousand words.

Like, I needed absolutely none of it.  I can't believe I actually wrote it all in the first place!  Besides making almost no sense at all, it was just plain embarrassing to read.  Sometimes I look at my writing and think to myself, "I actually wrote that!?"

So yeah, I'm feeling a little stunned.  I mean, it's not everyday you find ten thousand useless words.

Anyway, I had an awesome weekend!  We went to this amazing concert where we got to sit outside and have a picnic while we listened to the orchestra play Mozart songs.  It was absolutely beautiful!

Me and my siblings :)  Don't worry we're drinking ginger beer.

Concert playing at night.

The theater

We had a really great time, and it was so cool because when it got dark and we looked up at the sky, we could see all these stars and even caught a glimpse of what we thought was a satellite!

What'd you guys do over the weekend?

Happy Monday!

--Jess

Interview with Esther Jones

Happy Monday everyone!!  Today, I'm interviewing Esther Jones because she was one of the two winners of this month's Knights of MicroFiction!

Okay, let the questions begin!!

So Esther, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I can't remember how old I was, but I was very young.  I wrote a story about a girl and a horse, and my parents told me it was very good.  I realized I might just have a talent.

What's your current WiP about?  We'd love a short summary!


Peter never considered that the undead he hunted might have a family, or that one of them would hunt him down and exact revenge.  Now a vampire himself, Peter is obsessed with finding the one who turned him--to thank him by taking his head off.

Lance has many regrets in his long life, not the least of which is turning Peter into a vampire.  However, more than anything, he misses his twin brother Raoul who Peter killed.

Christopher wants nothing more than to be just like Lance; first, because he thinks being a vampire is cool, then because he truly admires Lance (to the point of hero worship).  However, Lance is reluctant to turn another human.

Wow, sounds like a very interesting WiP!  I haven't read very many vampire stories, but it sounds like one I might pick up!
Now, what books have most influenced you?


Oh, my goodness.  So many.  I guess I'd have to say Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, anything by Terry Brooks, and the Harry Potter series.

Wow, I love Terry Brooks!  I read Star Wars: The Phantom Menace by him and I loved it.  Always been meaning to read the other two :)
What is the most difficult aspect of writing for you?


Novels.  I can toss off a poem, flash fiction, or short story quite easily, but I've never finished a novel.  I've got several ideas, but fleshing them out into that many words is so difficult for me.  I've always written very concisely, and I hardly ever put enough description into my scenes.

I totally agree.  Poems and flash fictions are the easier of the lot.  Short stories are difficult for me because they always end up wanting to be novels though.
So, what are your goals for this year?


Finish my current WiP (not sure if it's a novel or something shorter).

Awesome!  Good luck!
How long have you been blogging and how has it improved your writing?


I started my writing blog on April 1, 2012.  Before that, I had a photo-a-day-for-a-year blog.  Blogging about my own struggles and triumphs in writing and reading others' blogs has been an invaluable source of encouragement.  I've gone from thinking, "Maybe someday I'll write something and then think about maybe getting published" to actively working on a story with the intent of publishing.

Great job!  That transition from wanting to be published to actually writing is hard, but definitely essential (for obvious reasons, lol :)
What do you do when you're not writing?


I read (of course - lol), I play Lord of the Rings Online, I spend time with my husband, and I watch tv (mostly fantasy & sci-fi shows).

Is there anything else we should know about you?


I am the oldest of 8 children-- I have 1 younger sister, and 6 younger brothers.  I live in the middle of the Canadian prairies, although I grew up in the middle of beautiful British Columbia.  I play piano and guitar, and sometimes I write music.

Wow, that's so cool!  I always wanted to play guitar!


Unfortunately, that's all the time we have left today, so everyone give Esther Jones a round of applause and go congratulate/follow her blog!


Have a great Monday everyone!

--Jess

KoMF Winners!

Okay, guys it's time to announce the winners of this month's KoMF!  Thanks so much to everyone who participated!  Kathy and I really enjoyed reading everyone's entries.

Anyway, the two winners are:

Esther Jones and Nick Wilford!!

Great job guys!  As a prize, you've been awarded an interview on either Kathy's or my blog on... either Monday or Tuesday!  We'll be emailing you shortly about the details :)

So yeah, go congratulate them!

To all the dads in the blogosphere, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!


--Jess

KOMF Prompt and Support

It's the 13th of the month, so guess what that means...

It's time for Kathy and I to reveal the Knights of MicroFiction prompt.  The KOMF is a bloghop hosted by Kathy and me on the 15th of every month.  We came up with it as a way to meet new friends, help build the blogosphere, and (hopefully) spark your creativity.

To join in on the fun, just post your entry before 11:59 p.m. on the 15th and leave a comment on one of our blogs with a link to your post.  Then go check out as many entries as you can!  By the 17th, we will choose two winners to be featured on our blogs.

So, here's the lovely prompt:

Write a 200 word or less flash fiction beginning with this phrase: Her eyes shot open...
You are free to change the gender and POV if you'd like.


Have fun!  I can't wait to see what you come up with :)

On another note, please check out these other lovely/awesome blogs if you haven't already:

Kate the Novelist

Matt's Writing Lair

Fairbetty's World

Doctor Faerie Godmother

They all have under 100 followers, and I'd really like it if you showed them some support.  I'd love to help anyone with under 100, so if that's you, feel free to send me an email if you want me to mention you/your-blog in a post.

Anyway, have a wonderful day!

--Jess

FINALLY OVER!

Yep.

The day has come.

School is finally out!!

To celebrate the momentous occasion, I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. last night with my best friend and slept in really late.  And, yes, I'm exhausted right now.

Honestly, I have no idea what to do with my time.  Never mind I've got a ton of stuff to do.  My brain just can't seem to handle a weekday that allows me to write EVERY FREE HOUR!!

Anyway, if I don't start making goals for the summer, it's just going to completely pass me by.

So, here I go.

I want to read at least 8 books over the summer.  I'm a slow reader, but maybe, just maybe I can get eight books out of the way.

I want to finish the complete second draft of The Inferiors.  That might be pushing it, but I think if I work really hard, I can do it.

I want to pass my Intermediate moves in skating.

Okay, I know I've got a ton of other things I have to do, but they're not really coming to mind at the moment.   (Maybe it's because I'm so tired?)

Either way, I'm going to have a very busy, writing filled summer.

What are your goals for the summer?


HAVE AN AMAZING WEEKEND!!


--Jess

I Hate It When My Parents Are Right.

I woke up late Monday morning to the sound of my dad marching into my room, playing We Are Young by Fun. waaay too loud on the iPad.

It didn't help that I actually like that song.  I wanted to sleep.  And when I'm trying to sleep, any song that loud is like an alarm clock, and just about as annoying.

He shook me around, trying to wake me up, but that was sorta the last thing on my agenda.

Then of course, my mom came bounding in.

"Jessica, you have to get up!" she cried, excitedly.  "There's something really cool that we're going to do, but you have to get up now if you want to find out!"

I moaned and buried my face in my pillow in reply.  What did they want to do now?

"Jess, come on!  If you don't hurry we're going to miss out!" she repeated.  "It's going to be really fun!"

There was no way I was getting back to sleep.  I knew they wouldn't leave me alone unless I said I didn't want to go wherever we were going.  But of course, that would mean I'd have to know where we were actually headed.

"What is it?" I sighed in defeat.

"Mom," my dad cut in, before she could reply.  "Don't tell her!  You have to let it be a surprise."

"Dad, just tell me what it is or I won't want to go," I sorta lied, becoming secretly curious.

He smiled, but didn't reply.

"Come on, Jessica," my mom pleaded again.

"What could possibly be so exciting?" I asked.  "Am I even going to like it?"

"Yes!"

My dad raised an eyebrow and in a tone of voice I know was meant to make me doubt, he said, "Well... maybe she won't.  We'll have to see."

I just wanted to collapse back down onto my pillow and close my eyes.  Maybe once they left I could pick my computer up and edit my next chapter.  Still, my mom was extremely excited.  But she got excited when we went to the park the last time.  Which might be a good place to be drafting a story, especially if you're writing on paper.  But on a sunny day, staring at a computer screen while trying to edit is extremely hard.

My mind tried to come up with every single way I could go about this.  How could I weigh this secret event that might turn out to be not worth the trouble when I got home and still had over a hundred pages to edit?  I had to get my editing done.  I'd been waiting all weekend for a day where I could sit and edit until I got sick of it.  (Which is a very long time for me).

Reluctantly, I got up.  It was the last thing I wanted to do, but what choice did I have?  The burning need to know was consuming me, despite my worries that they were just trying to get me excited then take me to the local athletic club.

I got in the car along with my brother and sister.  During the drive, I wondered what mood I should project.  If I act excited, and it turned out to be boring, then they'd have gotten the better of me.  But then, if I acted annoyed and skeptical (which was how I felt), and it turned out to be really awesome... well, they'd have gotten the better of me, too.

So, I tried to remain neutral.

We pulled into the movie theater and I couldn't help but smile.

We hadn't seen the movie The Avengers yet.

It was awesome.

Funny, action-packed, sorta sci-fi, futuristic, a hint of fantasy maybe... really, it's one of my favorites now.  If you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you do.

When the movie was over, my dad smiled.

"Don't you just hate it when I'm right?" he asked, slyly.  "You have to write a blog post about this."

I laughed.  "Maybe I will."

***

Did you enjoy my little tale of what happened on Monday?  I tried to tell it as it happened, but of course things are different from different POV's.

My dad would want me to 'admit' that the moral of the story is: parents are always right.  But of course, both he and I know they're not.  Sorry dad.  But thanks for taking us to the movie :)

Do you guys like to surprise your kids?  Did your parents surprise you with fun things when you were kids?  Tell me about it!


--Jess

P.S.
At least my dad was wrong about working out last night... he said that would be fun and make us feel better....

Something Inspiring

I saw something really awesome a few days ago.

I should have taken a picture of it.

But of course, I didn't.  I mean, I just don't think of those sorts of things while I'm experiencing it.

I was in the library, and all of a sudden, I stumble across the book Across the Universe by Beth Revis.    Yeah, yeah, I know.  It's a pretty big hit (I ♥ LOVE  ♥  LOVE  ♥  LOVE  ♥  THAT BOOK!), so I shouldn't be surprised to find it in the library.

The cool thing about it was that I follow her blog!  Okay, a lot of us probably do (those of you that don't, I suggest you do it).  But, it's just inspiring, seeing another blogger with their book in a library!  The thought that someone like us has books in local libraries... it's just totally cool.

And to think that all of us could will one day have our books in libraries... that's even cooler.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

--Jess

P.S.
If you haven't read Across the Universe, you should.  I didn't write a review for it, but I have to say it's one of my favorites!

E is for Elation

E is for Elation

The sun is rising.

The night has finally passed and the skies grow brighter with every heartbeat. There’s a sense of freedom in my soul. Coursing through my blood to the rhythm of the universe.

And I feel like I can do anything.

Excitement surges through the air.

The world is in my hands.

***

Hmm... okay. Definitely not one of my best, but I'm anxious to get back to writing my ol' sequel.

Anyway, I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to my 300th follower, Susan Kane over at The Contemplative Cat.

Thanks so much, Susan! I am truly ELATED to have hit 300 within the first (*counts on fingers...*) nine months of this blog!

Of course, I couldn't have made it this far without the rest of you! Thanks to all of you! You guys are awesome :)

Okay! Now, as promised, here's the song.... Good Life by OneRepublic!

Have an Excellent day!

--Jess