A blog about the amazing things teenagers do, about writing for teens, books for teens, and occasional forays into my world and the world of publishing.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

I Have Blurbs! (And my first ever blog contest!)

Sometimes you can write a story, you can get an editor to like it, you can even have a publishing contract and still not be sure that you have written something good. I've struggled with the "What if no one likes it?"syndrome many times as I look forward to the day when BREAKING BEAUTIFUL comes out. So it was with fear and trepidation that I sent my manuscript out to some of my favorite authors, (meaning authors I idolize and admire), in the hopes that they would give me a blurb for the book.

I nearly wept with joy when I received the replies from Kirby Larson, Janette Rallison, and Angela Morrison saying that they would read for me. I literally cried when they e-mailed me back their blurbs and expressed how much they liked my story!

(Insert moment on cloud nine here. We might be here a while, it was a long moment.) Nothing thrills me more than to hear people I admire like what I've done.

Kirby Larson is a master of story weaving. Her book HATTIE BIG SKY, won a Newberry Honor Award in 2007, picture books NUBS and A TALE OF TWO BOBBIES both warmed my heart and brought me to tears, and I am looking forward to reading THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL when it comes out next week.

Janette Rallison is funny, and charming, and writes the kinds of books that I love to recommend to my daughter and her friends. (And my daughter has read almost all of her books.) Check out our mother/daughter review of ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE, WAR, AND HIGH SCHOOL. Janette is one of the presenters at the conference I'm attending this week. I have marching orders from my daughter to buy Janette's new book MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER and get it signed. We are looking forward to reading it and pretty much anything else that Janette has to write.

Angela Morrison is a master of words and poetry and romance, she can write a clean, story that sizzles every bit as much as the TWILIGHT books. If you don't believe me check out the TAKEN BY STORM series or SING ME TO SLEEP. I am continually in awe of how well she can paint a picture with her words. In the interest of full disclosure, Angela is my sister-in-law and mentor. I know from lots of personal experience, how tough of a critic she can be, so when she told me she liked BREAKING BEAUTIFUL I knew it was a sincere compliment. I have read her latest book, CAYMAN SUMMER, as it appeared on her blog. I can't wait to read it again in one sitting as soon it comes out in paperback. ***PRESS RELEASE: It is now out in paperback YAY!***

Since I am so grateful to all of these authors and because I really want to share their books with all of you. AND because they all have books coming out now, I am pleased to offer...

MY VERY FIRST BLOG CONTEST!!!

Simply give me a blurb for your favorite book, put it in the comments section, and I will chose the ones I like the best (top three). Each of the winners will receive either, THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL by Kirby Larson, or a singed copy of CAYMAN SUMMER by Angela Morrison, or a signed copy of MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER, by Janette Rallison.

And while we are on the subject of blurbs...in a few weeks I'll announce my second contest. The winner of that contest gets an Advance Reader's Copy of BREAKING BEAUTIFUL and a chance to blurb it for my website. So stay tuned!

Thank you again to the wonderful authors who blurbed BREAKING BEAUTIFUL! Their blurbs are there for all to read (SQUEE!), at the top right of my blog.

6 comments:

  1. The governess falls for her eccentric and rich employer, who has a dark secret which threatens not only their love but their lives as well.

    Can you guess my favorite book??

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  2. Love it Taffy. I'm guessing Jane Eyre. My son had to read that for Honor's English this year.

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  3. Those are incredibly powerful blurbs! Congratulations! I can't imagine how cool it would be not only to get published, but to have your literary idols know who you are and appreciate your work. Savor the cloud nine moment because you clearly deserve it.

    I think we were at the same conference this past weekend! MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER was a book I so desperately wanted to buy but will have to wait a little longer to justify spending more book money b/c I have two very small sons, so I can't even say I bought it for them. :)

    Blurb: Anne Riley's THE CLEARING left me daydreaming about powerful Druids from throughout the loops of time, and had me weeping over the personal tragedies of family death and schoolroom bullying. From life-and-death to daily trials, Riley's new world feels real and sometimes all too close to home. You'll cheer at the end and clamor for a sequel.

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  4. Great blurb Katrina. I hope you enjoyed the conference. Lucky for me, my four children give me lots of excuses to buy books. I have two who read YA one who reads middlegrade, and one who reads picture books.

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  5. Congrats on the blurbs, Jennifer! They are fantastic!

    If I had to blurb one of my favorite books, I'd say...

    Matilda's parents -- like the adults in most of Roald Dahl's books -- are nasty, villainous and altogether dastardly. Which, of course, makes them a joy to read.

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  6. Congratulations on the blurbs, Jennifer! That is so awesome and they are fantastic.

    A blurb for one of my favorite books would be...

    Like in most of Dahl's books, many of the adults in MATILDA are nasty, villainous pieces of work. And oh so very fun to read.

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