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Where Jane talks about everything on her mind…and yes, as usual, there is quite a lot on her mind.

This is the Real Thing

January 5, 2012 – 12:23 am

I don’t relax easily.  Find it difficult to sit still unless I’m reading something, and even then I’m wiggling a foot up and down, a constant jiggle perfected by my fellow Porters…my dad, my brothers, even my sister to a certain extent.  I’ve a quick temper, too, far too impatient, and easily irritated when I have to repeat myself to the kids…or probably anyone.

But something happens in Hawai.  I unplug.  I write less blogs, visit Facebook more infrequently, and I read lots lots more.

Better yet, if I’m not on deadline, I have less childcare, or none whatsoever.  Which means I get to nap with Mac.  Every day.  It’s my favorite part of the day.  He can sleep for hours…I’m maybe out for 30 minutes, but then I wake up and read next to him until he wakes up.

I love sleeping next to him.  I love reading while he keeps sleeping.  Its the calmest, sweetest part of my day.  And I don’t do this at home, in Bellevue.  I only do it in Hawaii with the doors and windows open and the sound of the ocean outside and the wind in the palm fronds.

Ty Gurney took the picture above on New Year’s Eve day.  He came home early from work and snapped this of Mac and me napping.  The click of the camera woke me and I hated the pic, and then I loved its sweetness.  Not me, but the moment.  This moment of just living, breathing, resting near someone I love…that’s the real thing.  That’s the best part of life.

I’m home now and digging deep into my second book in the Brennan Sisters Trilogy.  It’s due February 15th so the next 6 weeks will be very intensive writing, but it’s exciting, too.  I’m so eager to find out about Kit and what happens when you don’t trust yourself and rely too much on others opinion instead of your gut. But I’d also like to hear from you.  I know it’s been a long time since I posted a new blog.  Apologies.  I’ve been reading and resting and napping with my littlest guy and loving lazy days of just being a wife, a mom, a friend.

Tell me something that’s sweet…something that is real…something that’s one of your favorite things and you’ll be entered to win a contest prize.  I have 10 prizes to give away–two NewYears prizes and 8 (eight!!) bonus mystery prizes that have gone uncollected.   Contest runs through Sunday night, and I’ll announce the ten prize winners on Monday.  Talk to me and I hope you win!

By Jane | Posted in Hawaii, Love & Loss, Mom World, Promo & Contests, Writing Life | Comments (140)

A Very Beachy Tree

December 23, 2011 – 10:45 pm

Christmas in Hawaii is so different from Christmas in Bellevue–different decorations and traditions–but still festive and fun.  Mac loved helping put the ornaments on the tree, each blue ball was his “favorite”, and he is having a very hard time resisting the few packages slipped beneath the tree.  Our tree here is a themed tree, with all the ornaments representing Hawaii or the sea.  I’ve collected the ornaments over the past seven years and hope you’ll like this sneak peek into our Hawaii home at Christmas!

Sending love to you and wishes for a very merry Christmas!

Yours,

Jane

By Jane | Posted in Hawaii | Comments (39)

Impostor Syndrome?

December 21, 2011 – 6:01 pm

Right now I don’t feel like a real writer.   Maybe its because I haven’t been writing for a number of weeks and I have a big deadline bearing down on me.  It will be good to get back to my desk in January.  I’ll probably have a lot fewer pep talks with myself when I do.   I think it’s strange that not writing for a few weeks makes me feel like a pretend writer.   I didn’t feel like  a faker when I was a teacher.  I didn’t feel like a faker when I was in PR and sales and marketing.  So why do I feel like a faker when it comes to being a writer?

Yesterday after seeing the doctor I stopped by Barnes & Noble at the Kahala Mall and bought a stack of books.  A big stack.  Three Georgette Heyer’s, three Larissa Ione, an older Mary Balogh, an older Kresley Cole, and Nora Robert’s newest.  I am so delighted by my stack of books.  I like looking at them.  I like knowing they are there, waiting to be read.  I like the possibilities that exist within their covers.

Barnes & Noble must think I’m a real writer because at the Kahala store, they had one of each of my women’s fiction titles in the fiction & lit section.   I even took a picture of the shelves with my books (see below) to remind myself that this is real…and that in 2012 I will have three new books out, two new Harlequin Presents in North America and the September publication of The Good Woman from Berkley.

Do you ever feel like an impostor?  What do you think its from?  I wish I knew.  One of my friends said it was a fear of failing, or a fear of disappointing.  That makes sense, because I do worry now about letting my readers down.  I hate the idea of disappointing them, or you.  Maybe it’s inevitable that we worry about what others think when we care about those people.

Speaking of caring, my heart is very happy that my friend Megan Crane will soon be here for a week with her husband Jeff.  They arrive Christmas Eve, and then my two big boys arrive on the 27th for New Years.  I love it when the house is full of friends and family, especially over the holidays.

Hoping the holidays are treating you well.   Talk to me and fill me in if you have time.  I’ve got three prize boxes for three of you.  As always I will draw the winner’s names from the comments below.  Contest runs through Christmas Eve and sometime on Christmas Day I’ll pop in to announce the winners.

Until then, stay warm and dry and know that I am so very lucky to have friends in all of you!

By Jane | Posted in Book Talk, Hawaii, Promo & Contests, Travel Girl | Comments (79)

Faking Cover Art

December 14, 2011 – 10:17 am

Heading to Hawaii this afternoon but the cold/flu that’s going around has hit me with a whallop, straight to the chest.  I’m a congested, achy mess but I’m not the only one.  It’s everywhere.  Kids have it.  Friends have it.  Schools have it.  Tis the season, apparently.

Fortunately, I (mostly) finished packing for Hawaii yesterday and am nearing the end of addressing Christmas cards so those can go out by end of the week.  Hopefully.  Fingers crossed Ty will manage Mac on the flight this afternoon and I can sleep, or read.  Or sleep.  That’s actually all my little eyeballs feel like doing right now.

I haven’t been to Hawaii since mid-late August and it’ll be great to get back to the beach house and see Ty’s elderly bulldogs–Rupert and Mabel–and get the white flocked tree up in the living room and put all the sea ornaments on it.  We haven’t had a Christmas tree yet this year and I miss it.  I miss playing carols, too.  Need the holiday spirit!  Happily, in just a half hour I’ll be heading to Mac’s preschool to hear him sing in the Christmas program.  I can’t wait to hear 2 1/2 year olds sing Jingle Bells and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  Mac’s been singing in his carseat all week and he definitely knows the songs…at least his version of them.

This week over at Facebook I asked readers on my author page if covers mattered when buying a book, and it did to most of them.  I’d say 90% of those that responded (and 57 people responded) said covers did matter, especially if the author was new to them.  I’m the same.  Covers are what catch my eye.  Covers are meant to.  I haven’t seen cover art for my new book, The Good Woman, yet but thought I’d share with you covers from my backlist.

Check out the two covers (and titles) below.  They’re the same book.  Two different titles, and two different versions of cover art for Tiana Tomlinson’s book.  There were more, but these two were part of the evolution of Tiana’s book.  Her book went through more covers and titles than any of my others.  I loved the title of Faking Beauty, but sales people didn’t, so the title didn’t stick, nor did the cover art.  They said the Faking Beauty cover art made the book look too much like “women’s fiction”, or literary fiction, which apparently I’d never be.

So.  I got the cover and title to the right.  And Easy On The Eyes is my worst selling book by far.  Hands down.  Terrible sales.  But it’s a book I really loved, and a book I still believe in.  I think I could have made different choices in places in writing the story, but they are small changes, not big.  So just out of curiosity, check out the two covers, and tell me which version (if any) of the book would you pick up?  Which version do you think you’d buy?

Tell me what you think, talk to me about cover decisions you make and if they do influence you in any way, and you’re entered to win a prize.  I have 3 mystery prizes here, and they are all good and fun and perfect for opening in December.   Contest runs through Saturday and winners names will be announced on Sunday.  Talk to me and the happiest of holidays!

By Jane | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (118)

Munich

December 7, 2011 – 8:28 am

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful sister tag suggestions.  Loved them.  Love you.  You are the best of the best.  Feel so fortunate to have readers and friends like you.  Speaking of reading, I just finished a fantastic Georgette Heyer, Faro’s Daughter, and it was truly wonderful.  Faro’s Daughter and Arabella have to be my two favorites so far…and that’s saying something as I really love Heyer’s writing.

Later today I will be heading to Munich with my son Ty to celebrate his 13th birthday.  We come home Sunday so its a very short trip, but Ty didn’t want to miss school and I wasn’t thinking, so we’re traveling all that way to spend two full days in Germany, but hey, I’m the intrepid traveler, and the Christmas Markets will be gorgeous and I’m hoping we’re going to take the train to Salzburg for one of those days, too…

Surfer Ty is coming with us, and Mac and Jake will be staying home with my wonderful nanny/assistant, Jamette.  I’m lucky to have someone like her, who has known me for over 15 years, to manage things while I’m gone.  I’ve caught a bit of a cold, though, and am taking handfuls of zinc and vitamins and Tylenol to help me weather the trip.  And once we return Sunday, I’m only home a few days before Ty, Mac and I head to Hawaii for the holidays.  I really need to get back to writing but that might not happen until January when all the holidays are behind us and I can focus on nothing but the book.  If it sounds like a rush, it is.  I’ve been on the road every weekend for the past couple weekends and wasn’t thinking when plans were made, but what’s done is done and January and most of February are devoted to work.

I do have three fun holiday boxes sitting here for three of my readers.   Tell me which is your favorite Christmas Carol, or favorite thing to make for the holidays are you’re entered.  Contest will run through Saturday and I’ll announce the three winners on Sunday. Be patient with me, though, as I’ll be posting from the airport so it might happen early in the day, or later, depending on time zones and travel.

Have a wonderful few days and I’ll check in with you soon!

By Jane | Posted in Mom World, Promo & Contests, Travel Girl, Writing Life | Comments (113)

Anyone Feeling Clever?

December 1, 2011 – 9:53 am

Happy December!  I’ve been working with my editor on the backcover copy for my new women’s fiction book out in September from Berkley.  So far the title is my own working title, The Good Woman, and I’m hoping they keep it.  I thought I’d share the back cover blurb with you, but remember that it will probably change before the book comes out.  Editors have to get approval from sales and marketing folks on everything from cover art, to title, to that all-important back copy before the book his the shelves.

The backcover copy that we’re playing with right now:

——————

Is it possible to leave it all behind?
Meg Brennan Roberts is a good woman…a successful publicist, faithful wife, and doting mother
of three.  She is also the eldest daughter of a large Irish-American family and takes her role as
the first born very seriously, priding herself on making the right decisons.  But the years of being
‘good’ have taken a toll.  While her career at Dark Horse Winery is thriving, Meg’s tired and
empty, and her husband has never seemed more distant.

After an emotional weekend with her mom and sisters during their annual Brennan Girls’ Getaway
at the beach house, Meg returns home with a desperate need to connect with her husband but
he’s distracted and pushes her away. Lonely, Meg accepts the opportunity to attend the London
Wine Fair with her boss, the ruggedly handsome vintner, Chad Hallahan.  In London, Chad
confesses that he’s attracted to her.

Shocked, Meg can’t believe someone like Chad would want her, and returns home questioning
her life and marriage.   Suddenly Meg wants to escape…but for more than a weekend this time.
When one risky decision leads to another, Meg’s world comes crashing down.  Meg’s sisters are
horrified, unable to believe that virtuous, do-gooder Meg would do so wrong.  Now with her
marriage in tatters, and her sisters shunning her, Meg must make the choice of her life.

——————-

Now what I need from you (and everyone that makes a suggestion gets entered to win a Regency Escape prize, which includes Mary Balogh and Elizabeth Boyle histoical romance novels, 2 Jane Austen movies, and more wonderful goodies) is a tag-line that could go on the front and back of the book that says something about sisters, since this is a sisters trilogy…and I’m so bad about this sort of thing.

Are any of you clever?  Want to pretend to be clever for my sake?    Here’s my best attempt:

Sisters…can’t live with them, but can’t live without them

You can suggest one, or three, or three hundred.  Anything and everything that might have something about being a sister in it, or being a Brennan sister will be added to the list.  Suggest something and you’ve got a chance to win the Regency Prize. And if this isn’t your thing, I get it.  It’s not my strength but I’m trying…I’m trying!

PS  This is a super short contest–just a day–as I’d like to compile a list to send to my editor by Friday afternoon!

 

By Jane | Posted in Book Talk, Promo & Contests, Publicity, Writing Life | Comments (53)