Calling All Readers and Selfie Enthusiasts!

Hi, friends!

Okay, so I’ve had this idea.  I mentioned it on Facebook and Twitter, but it was all kind of choppy and spewing out ideas.  It wasn’t very organized.  So I’d like to put it out there again in a more thought-out and thorough way.

I’m looking for pictures of Cemetery Tours.  Specifically, I’d love selfies of readers holding the book (or eBook).  If you’re not a fan of selfies, I’d also love to see pictures of Cemetery Tours on your bookshelves.

Examples:

I would love to be able to share these images, not only here on my blog, but on my new Cemetery Tours themed Pinterest site as well: https://www.pinterest.com/cemeterytours/ 

If you are an author, blogger, musician, whatever, along with the picture, I will most certainly include a brief bio and a link to your website.  This is all about publicity, not just for me, but for my friends as well.  We help each other out.  It’s what we do.  Also, I’m a really big fangirl of my own books and I like to have as many pictures of them as possible!  😉

If you’d like to send me a picture and a link/bio, please send everything to CemeteryToursSeries@gmail.com.

Thank you all so much, and please, if there’s every anything I can do for you, let me know!

Much love!

Changing the Weather

I’m sure all of you are really tired of me complaining about the weather.  I know I’m tired of me complaining about the weather.  Unfortunately, the weather outside is very complaint-worthy: cold, wet, dreary, dark.  You know, horrible.  I haven’t seen the sun in over a week.  That’s not okay.  I love the sun.  I love heat.

Today, I’m writing to tell you that I have finally realized that complaining about the weather doesn’t actually change the weather.  If it did, the weather would have changed about a week and a half ago.  So, instead of falling to my knees and invoking the weather gods, I’m going to country music and spread pictures of spring.  Let’s face it, there really isn’t much more to be done about this stupid weather.

On a brighter note, however, you can totally zip on over to Danielle’s blog and read an excerpt of Cemetery Tours and its sequel, Between Worlds!

https://danielleelisemiller.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/blogiversary-between-worlds-by-jacqueline-smith-excerpt/

All images Copyright © 2015 Jacqueline E. Smith.

Monday Announcements

Okay folks, here’s the deal.  Apparently, Winter is getting back at me for that little breakup letter I wrote yesterday because this morning, I woke up congested, chilled, and with a killer sinus headache which I am still trying to get rid of.  I don’t know how I could have caught a sinus infection since I’ve been about as active as a slug the last few days (thank you, Winter), but I guess stranger things have happened.  The point is, even though all I want to do is lie on the couch and watch Disney movies and feel sorry for myself, I have waaaaaay too much going on this week and in the weeks to come to take a day off.  For the record, though, I am on the couch, in my PJs, and feeling very sorry for myself.  I’m just not watching movies.  Yet.

My first order of business is to tell y’all that I am totally honored to be a part of Danielle Miller’s third blogiversary celebration! Follow her, like her posts, reblog her posts, and stay tuned for lots of really awesome giveaways (including eBooks of both Cemetery Tours and Between Worlds!).  She is so awesome and I’m thrilled to be her first featured author!  Please check her out: https://danielleelisemiller.wordpress.com

Secondly, I’m hosting another Giveaway of my own!  My new YA book, Boy Band, will be out April 21, and in celebration, I’m giving away five signed copies!  Please enter and spread the word!  https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/129034-boy-band

Finally, I’m back to work full force, not only on Cemetery Tours 3, but on Boy Band 2 and a new idea for a book I had just last night.  I’m not kidding you when I say I have ideas for at least twenty books in my head right now and I wish with all my heart that I could just write all of them at once.  I always kind of thought that I had to focus on one book at a time and have that be it.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, hey, I went through four years of high school and six years of higher education, and all ten of those years, I worked on dozens of different projects at the same time.  Why can’t I do that now in my professional life?  I mean, it will probably be a lot easier to buckle down and concentrate when I’m not fighting off a sinus infection, but whatever.

I think that about covers my Monday Announcements.  I might have a few more as the week progresses.  Then again, I might not.  Until then, enjoy your Monday!  I’ll be curled up in a ball with a hot wash cloth pressed against my face.  Ugh.

Busy Bee

I haven’t been a very good blogger these last few days.  Part of the reason is because I have been under the weather and have had to practically force myself up off the couch to do anything.  Blegh.  But the other reason is because, despite my pitiful existence this week, I’ve actually been pretty busy.

I’ve been helping my friend Paula format her new children’s book, Jack Learns to Grill.  It’s an adorable book about her pet dingo, Jack.  She’s planning a whole series and I’ve got to tell you, I can’t wait to see more of her books and where they can take her.

https://paulawalkerbaker.wordpress.com

I’ve also been in communication with a fellow blogger and future author, Danielle Miller, who is celebrating her third year in the WordPress community!  As part of her celebration, she’s looking to get to know and promote authors and I’m honored to be a part of it! For more information, check out her blog here: https://danielleelisemiller.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/stories-unfolded-blogiversary-free-promotion-for-authors/

Or follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elise_dani

Finally, I’m about halfway through with my Boy Band revisions.  I’m really excited about this book, y’all. I know I keep talking about it, but I’m REALLY excited. I really think it’s going to be awesome.

And on that note, I’m off to revise and listen to Disney music before I run off to a dinner meeting.  Have a good weekend, y’all!

Blogger’s Block

We all know about writer’s block.  We all experience.  I even wrote a blog post about it. https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/the-block/

Today, I’m not suffering from writer’s block, but I do find myself with a mild case of blogger’s block.  I can’t think of a single thing to write about.  I even read a list of 135 blog post ideas that are supposed to make your blog hot.  Still, no inspiration.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.

Perhaps it has to do with where I am in the new Cemetery Tours book.  I’m trying to write this particular scene to be creepy, chilling, you know, the kind that comes to life when you read it.  But I think I’m trying too hard.  I’m forcing the words instead of letting them come naturally, and as I’ve learned over the years, it’s never a good idea to force anything.  Granted, I do believe there is a fine line between forcing something and taking a chance, and sometimes it’s difficult to know the difference.  But I’m getting off-track.

I just need to clear my mind and keep writing.  Unfortunately, my mind always has like, a million things going on at once.  It will never actually be clear.  The good news is a lot of the stuff going on up there is rather exciting.

That being said, I’m going to go write.  Peace out, all.

Motivation

It’s kind of one of those days where I find myself Googling “Ideas for Blog Posts” in order to figure out what to write about.  I know there’s no law that says I have to post every day, or even every week, but with the Halloween season fast approaching, I’d like to keep my head in the game as much as I can, especially considering I have ghost stories to share!  

Now, the last time I Googled “Ideas for Blog Posts,” I didn’t have very much luck.  I stumbled across a Blog Post generator that, while a brilliant concept, turned out to be a little, I don’t know, stupid.  So I quickly ditched that idea and went back to trying to come up with my own blog posts.  

Today, I actually stumbled across some pretty decent ideas.  The one I’ve decided to go with today is “Motivation.”

What is your motivation?  

As writers, a lot of our motives are probably pretty similar.  We want to tell stories.  We want people to read or stories.  Or maybe, even more simply, we just enjoy writing.  I know I do.  It’s so much easier than talking.  Plus I have a really weird sounding voice.  One of my teachers in grad school described me as a Southern Valley Girl.  He also told me he thought I was a flake and was surprised to discover I could actually write.  Awesome.  

I hated that class.

Anyway, it’s probably for the best that I prefer writing to talking. 

As I delve deeper and deeper into the writing business, I find my priorities have shifted drastically from the time I first decided I wanted to write professionally.  It used to be all about the storytelling, and above and beyond all else, it should be.  But I’ve come to learn there is so much more to being an author than simply being a “writer.”  Being an author means going out into the world, meeting people, being a spokesperson, being a salesperson, being a business brain, being a marketing brain, being a social media aficionado, being a reader, being a reviewer.  It’s like an entire business in just one occupation.  It’s crazy and it’s wonderful and it’s challenging and it will drive you absolutely up the wall if you dwell on it for too long.  

Now, instead of simply writing stories, I’m also interacting with readers and other authors.  I’m trying to get my name out there and trying to help others get out there as well.  I’m researching venues and reviewers in hopes of making one more sale, of getting one more review.  It’s not the life I imagined when I decided I was going to become an author.  But you know what?  I kind of love it.  

Now, is writing still my favorite part of the gig?  Absolutely.  But meeting readers, I’ve discovered, is a close second.  Has my motivation for becoming a writer changed?  Not really.  I still have a million stories inside my head that have to get out.  It’s not that I want them out.  It’s a physical need to write it down and share it.  Fellow writers, you know what I’m talking about.  It’s impossible to not write.  It’s as essential to our existence as eating and breathing.  It simply has to happen.  You can’t imagine a life where you’re not writing or telling stories.  

For me, writing is more than an escape.  It’s the driving force that pushes my life forward.  It’s an adventure, and there’s always something new to discover.  Writing is freedom, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think freedom is what most, if not all, artists truly crave.  

Ultimate Book Tag!

I’ll be honest.  I love these surveys.  I think they’re so much fun.  This one, I found on Callum McLaughlin’s blog: http://callummclaughlin.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/ultimate-book-tag/ 

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?
Nope.  Though I’ve got to be honest, I rarely read in the car.  I like to listen to music and watch the world outside the window.  

2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?
That’s a tough one.  The one that has always stood out to me, however, is Madeleine L’Engle.  I remember the first time I read A Ring of Endless Light, she simply had me captivated.  Her writing, her thoughts, were just so incredibly beautiful.  This quote, in particular, has stayed with me for years:

If I’m confused, or upset, or angry, if I can go out and look at the stars I’ll almost always get back to a sense of proportion. It’s not that they make me feel insignificant; it’s the very opposite; they make me feel that everything matters, be it ever so small, and that there’s meaning to life even when it seems most meaningless.

3. Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.
Is this even a question?  Harry Potter! 

1) Harry Potter is real magic.  It’s not just a story.  JK Rowling created an entire world, a society, a culture.  It’s intricate and brilliant and colorful and simply alive.

2) Harry Potter got me through the toughest time in my life.  I even wrote a whole blog post about it. https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/i-believe-in-dragons/

3) Characters are always my favorite parts of any book and Harry Potter’s characters are all truly exquisite.  I wish several of them were my best friends.  Sadly, very few of my very favorite characters actually survived the series.  

4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books…)?
I don’t have a book bag, per se, but when I need to carry a book with me, I use my giant orca purse.  It’s a bag with a lot of pretty embroidered killer whales and dolphins on it.  It also carries my phone, wallet, planner, and notebook.  

5. Do you smell your books?
Oh yes.  

6. Books with or without little illustrations?
I haven’t read a book with illustrations in a while (unless Harry Potter counts with the little pictures at the beginning of every chapter), but I don’t mind them.  In fact, I like seeing what the author or illustrator had in mind.  It’s always interesting to see others’ interpretations.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn’t quality writing?
Every Nicholas Sparks book ever.  I love them all.  I read each one the day it comes out.  However, in the end, they all kind of end up being the same book.  Except The Guardian.  That is one heck of a good book! 

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!
I started wearing glasses when I was in first grade.  I didn’t mind really, except that I really, really wanted to be a Disney Princess and none of them wore glasses.  So I went through all of my big Disney picture books and drew glasses on all the princesses.  

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?
Either Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard or a book of Episcopal Haikus.  Yeah, I’m that kind of person. 

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?
Either The Complete Works of William Shakespeare or The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.  

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?
Now that you mention it…

12. When did you get into reading?
I can’t remember a time I wasn’t into reading.  My mom was reading to me from the day I was born.  

13. What is your favorite classic book?
This is going to sound nerdy, but I really love Beowulf.

14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?
Yep.  That and Biology.  I really love animals and nature.  

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated…what would you do?
I would act like I loved it and then sell it to Half-Price Books.  

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to
Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?
I recently discovered the Inescapable series by indie author Amy A. Bartol and I’m kind of loving it.  However, it’s probably more similar to Twilight than it is to Harry Potter or The Hunger Games.

17. What is your favorite word?
Ergo.  I love it so much.  

18. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?
I prefer fangirl. Or Ravenclaw.

19. Vampires or Fairies? Why?
I actually haven’t read many Fairy books (unless Midsummer Night’s Dream counts) so I guess I’ll have to go with Vampires. 

20. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?
Angels.  Because I secretly wish I had wings.  

21. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?
Spirits.  Because Cemetery Tours.  

22. Zombies or Vampires? Why?
Depends what I’m in the mood for.  If I’m in the mood to be scared then ZOMBIES.  If I’m in the mood for dark, supernatural romance (or Twilight), then vampires.

23. Love Triangle or Forbidden Love?
Forbidden love. If a girl is going to have two hot guys fighting over her, she’d better be pretty darn awesome.  

24. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?
Oh gosh… I read both and I enjoy both.  Again, it depends!  If I’m sick or in a particularly girly mood, I’m going to choose romance.  Usually, however, I do prefer a bit of action.  

To whoever has read this… I tag you!  Only if you want to, that is.  I hate internet peer pressure.

More Pictures

Hi, friends. This week has turned out to be a lot busier than I expected it to be. That’s a good thing! But it also means I don’t have as much time to spend here online with all my awesome friends and fellow bloggers.

First of all, I’ve been housesitting. Let me tell you, it is hard work.

I also finally got the first shipment of Between Worlds in. That meant taking a day trip up to Denison to deliver books to the Book Rack! It also meant sending a copy off to the Library of Congress.

It’s only been out for a week and a half, but Between Worlds has been getting a lot of positive feedback. I couldn’t be more thrilled. To be honest, I was a little scared that people wouldn’t like it as much as the first one. I’m so excited that people really seem to be enjoying it!

Also, I have a lot of new sunflowers, but I’ve been running around town all day and frankly, I’m exhausted. I will definitely be posting again soon! I miss blogging. And drawing. And painting. And reading.

Talk to you all soon!

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Huge thanks to Callum McLaughlin (http://callummclaughlin.wordpress.com) for nominating me for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

I think I’ve mentioned before that I have been spending most of this week proof-reading Between Worlds so that it is ready to go in time for publication on July 1 (eeeeeek!), so I really don’t have a lot to blog about!  So thank you, Callum, for your nomination!

As it is, this is going to be a very busy weekend, and I am short on time, so I will not be able to go through and participate in the actual acceptance of the blog (seven facts and nominating 15 other bloggers).  Please know, however, that I will try my hardest to do so in the following week!

Again, thank you so much, Callum for your words and nomination!  You absolutely made my day!

I have to say, however, that I love seeing who other people have nominated, because I always enjoy finding new blogs to follow!

The Liebster Award

Hi, everyone!  Lots of exciting things are happening.  My second book signing has been scheduled for July, we have less than a month until Between Worlds is released, and I just found out I’ve been nominated for another Liebster Award!  Thank you so much Veronica and Ashley of http://citygirlscapes.com for nominating me!

For this award, nominees are supposed to answer 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated them and then list 11 facts about themselves.  I’ve been really short on blog ideas lately, because all I am doing with my life right now is proofreading (yay), so this is a great opportunity for me to spread the love and get a little writing and blogging in!  Thank you again, Veronica and Ashley!

11 Questions:

1. What is your reading platform of choice: an e-reader or an actual, physical book?

Actual physical book all the way.  I love pages, I love the smell of books, there’s just nothing better.

2. Inspired by Bird Box by Josh Malerman, if you had to live blindfolded, what would you most miss seeing?

Forests and oceans and lakes and mountains.

3. Where in the world would you travel if nothing was stopping you?

Australia, Fiji, Spain, Italy, Alaska, Caribbean, back to Scotland… the list goes on and on.

4. What TV show do you never miss an episode of?

The Big Bang Theory.  I watch it religiously.

5. If you could sit down for dinner with one celebrity, who would it be and what would you say to break the ice?

Benedict Cumberbatch, and I’d probably say something really awkward and stupid like, “Hi, I’m single. Let’s get married.”

6. What inspired you to start blogging?

I started this blog when I began exploring the publishing world.  It began as a way to document the process, but now I use it for connecting with fellow writers and readers.

7. Do you have a landline telephone or do you only have a cell phone?

Only a cell phone.

8. What was the last thing that made you laugh really, really hard?

A Very Potter Senior Year by Team Starkid.

9. Who do you look up to?

My parents, my sister, and John Green.

10. What is your dream job?

I think I’m supposed to say “author,” and it is, but truly, my dream job would be just being so filthy rich that I could travel and take pictures and save marine life.  That, or Disney Princess.

11. Where do you want to see yourself in 5-10 years?

I would love to become a #1 Best Selling author by the time I’m 30, but I’d settle for mid-30s also.  I’m also hoping to be traveling!

11 Facts

1. I don’t drink coffee or soda or anything with carbonation, not because I like to be healthy, but because I do not like the taste or the fizz.

2. I once stole a cross necklace from my church. Technically, it was my choir cross and it was going to be thrown out anyway.  But my friends and I all snuck into the choir room and smuggled our crosses out on the last day.  We called ourselves The Crucifixers. FYI the cross is still proudly displayed in my room.

3. My ideal man (besides Benedict Cumberbatch) is Niles Crane from Frasier.  I even named my car after him.

4. I don’t like scented markers.  After my grandmother died when I was six, people brought a lot of gifts over to our house, and for some reason, I got like, three packages of scented markers.  To this day, the smell takes me right back.

5. I once stuck my finger inside of our old typewriter to understand how it worked. I ended up with an O on my finger.

6. My great-grandparents were friends with Colonel Sanders, aka the guy on the KFC box (though I may have shared this before, it is my one claim to fame).

7. I’m a Ravenclaw.

8. My favorite actor is Geoffrey Rush. I love him in everything, especially PIRATES!

9. Even though I’ve been out of school for two years, I still have nightmares about not studying for exams and incomplete assignments.

10. I won a goldfish from the state fair when I was 9.  She lived 14 months!

11. I’ve had a lot of people question my ethnicity because of my hair. The truth is I have the most boring heritage ever.  Scottish, Welsh, and French, with a hint of German and Irish.  The curly hair comes from Scotland.  I fit in quite nicely while I was there!

I nominate…

http://jadoremusic89.wordpress.com

http://coffeewriterepeat.wordpress.com

http://audreyhepburnbooks.wordpress.com

http://paws2smile.wordpress.com

Here are your Questions!

1. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

2. Do you have a favorite go-to snack or drink for whenever you’re reading or writing?

3. Are there any movie adaptations of favorite books that you either really loved or really hated?

4. Mac or PC?

5. If you could have any pet in the world, what would it be?

6. What book would you like to forget so that you could go back and experience reading it for the first time again?

7. Where is your favorite place you’ve ever been? 

8. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

9. If you could visit one fictional or mythical place, where would you go?

10. Do you have a favorite writing/reading spot?

11. If you could meet three people throughout history, who would you meet?