Jennie Bennett, Romance Author

Tomorrow is the eve of a new year and course that means it's time for new resolutions! Thanks to Life List Club we get to do this party style. There will be giveaways on each members blog and I'm giving out two copies of the TOTALLY CLICHE e-book which features my story THE PROMISE OF WAR but before we get to that we have to talk about goals becasue that is what the Life list club is about. source Writing Goals - 1.  Submit 1st chapter of EXISTENCE to LDS Storymakers contest before February 1st. 2. Edit full MS of EXISTENCE and have beta readers / professional editor finish reading it before May 1. 3. Write query and send to at least ten agents by June 1. 4. Being work on SPIN (re-write and contemporary twist on novel previously entitled EARTH SONG) 5. Continue submitting/working on EXISTENCE throughout 2012 I know these goals are kind of fast as far as editing and submitting goals but I don't want to over edit like I did with EARTH SONG. I want to to be the best that it ca...

Every once in a great while I find a song that really speaks to me. It might have something to do with things I'm going through, or it just bonds with whatever it is I'm writing. This song is the latter. The feeling of it, that swirling movement just feels like it needs to be part of EXISTENCE. So here it is, Young Blood by The Naked and Famous. What song fit's your current MS? *** P.S. I started editing and I am loving it!

I hope you all had a great Christmas! I know many of you are still on a blogging break, but I wanted to let you know that on Friday (the 30th) the Life List club is doing another mass blog giveaway! I am giving away two copies of the TOTALLY CLICHE anthology which features my Short story, THE PROMISE OF WAR. Here's a little synopsis if you haven't heard about it yet - Beth isn't your average Princess -- she's never been dressed up or fed with a silver spoon, but that's what happens when your country is ravaged by war. In an attempt to save her father and her kingdom she is marrying Prince Clayton, the only man with an army big enough to stop their enemies.One thing keeps her from the wedding that will bring peace, the wish of true love. See you Friday!

Good Morning, lovely readers! The 'wrap it up' blogfest has come to an end, The Linky list is closed, the entries are in, and the winners have been selected. David Powers King , Leigh Covington , and I read all of the entries, and knocked heads for bit to decide the winners, and let me tell you the competition was tough! I have gained a new appreciation for people who have to judge writing all the time - there is so much good out there! Anyway, you guys are all awesome, so without further ado... *     *     * 1st: Sara Bulla - Lost and Found 2nd: Jenna Quentin - Everything for Christmas 3rd: Melanie Fowler - Christmas Battle 4th: Kelly Lynn - Remember When 5th: Phyllis Sweetwater - The Christmas Cactus *     *     * Congratulations! We will contact you shortly with information related to your prizes. And thank you all for participating! We enjoyed reading your entries as much as I'm sure your recipient will enjoy receiving it. ...

Today is the final day of the ' Wrap it up' Blogfest and it also a life list Friday. So I asked the lovely Pam Hawley to write something to go along with the blogfest theme and she didn't disappoint!  In case your wondering where I am, I'll be talking about some of my favortie Christmas books at Jess Witkin's blog. Take it away Pam! Last fall, my Grandmom was approaching her 80 th birthday.I wanted to give her something unique and special, but I was truly stumped. Shesolved my problem one evening when I showed up at her house with carryout fromher favorite local restaurant. Forget about subtle hints. Once you hit 80, you’ve lost allreservations about telling people exactly what you want them to do. So as weenjoyed our pasta and salad, Grandmom solved my birthday dilemma. “I want you to write me a story about the Junebug,” she said. A bit of background - when I was a kid, I spent a lot of myweekends traveling from Baltimore to West Virginia with mygrandparents. Th...

It's day four of the ' Wrap it up' Blogfest and today I wanted to give something to my husband. I've written him a letter here before (and I plan on doing something more personal for him for Christmas) so I thought I would post a song that described our relationship. Only, I can't pick just one. So here are three love songs for your enjoyment. Each one holds a piece of something that I LOVE about my husband. Hope you like it ^_^ What's your favorite love song?

It's day Three of the 'Wrap it up' blogfest Hosted by Leigh Covington , David Powers King , and myself. If you want to know the rules, just click the picture Today I have a very special gift, a flash fiction piece I wrote just for you! Yes you! It is meant to inspire and lift your day. Enjoy! I crack open the book and run my hand down the page. Thecontrast of the black words on the ivory colored background fill me with asense of excitement and longing. I bring the book to my face and close my eyestaking a deep whiff. Someday , I tellmyself, someday I will be holding my ownbook in my hands . I read a few pages and ponder on the wonder of the waywords can be strung together to create masterpieces. I close the book and holdit close to my chest for a few moments. How many have gone before me? Millions at least. There aredays when I think about the numbers, when I get overwhelmed at the thought ofeverything I have to go through to get my book into my hands. I am determinedthat t...

Hello and welcome to day two of the 'Wrap it up Blogfest'! If you didn't see the post yesterday, here are the rules - Write a piece of flash fiction, poem, or song (300 words or less) for someone you know (real or imaginary).  Post it on your blog anytime between now and when the linky closes,then give it to that someone before the new year. Give it in the form of anemail, printed on fancy stationary, or laser-etched onto a solid gold plate.Your choice. And it can be any genre. Every eligible entry will qualify for achance to win a special gift. The Linky will close at 12:00 AM, Friday the16th. David, Leigh, and I will then read, debate, and decide on five winners forthe following: 1st: An Amazon Gift Card for $15 2nd: " Champaginer Challenges 2011 " and " TotallyClichéd " E-books 3rd: A 5-page critique from David Powers King 4th: A 5-page critique from J. A. Bennett 5th: A 5-page critique from Leigh Covington There is no point system, no popularity vot...

The best gifts are the ones you make yourself. That's why David Powers King , Leigh Covington , and I wish to invite you togive the gift of your writing. And we've got prizes! Here's the deal: Write a piece of flash fiction, poem, or song (300 words or less) for someone you know (real or imaginary).  Post it on your blog anytime between now and when the linky closes,then give it to that someone before the new year. Give it in the form of anemail, printed on fancy stationary, or laser-etched onto a solid gold plate.Your choice. And it can be any genre. Every eligible entry will qualify for achance to win a special gift. The Linky will close at 12:00 AM, Friday the16th. David, Leigh, and I will then read, debate, and decide on five winners forthe following: 1st: An Amazon Gift Card for $15 2nd: " Champaginer Challenges 2011 " and " TotallyClichéd " E-books 3rd: A 5-page critique from David Powers King 4th: A 5-page critique from J. A. Bennett 5th: A 5-pag...

source The majority of writers start a blog for a reason, to make connections and get contacts to build a publish-worthy platform. It may seem like a simple thing to blog (and to me it's just plain fun) but those connections really do payoff. I have been a stay-at-home mom for almost four years, and though I love my children dearly, there is a point as mother when you start to wonder if you are ever going to have anything that is just for you. It's true that not all mothers feel this way, but I certainly did. Then, eight short months ago, I started blogging. Never did I imagine how it would change my life and what doors it would open for me. The intent of this blog was, and still is, to talk about the process of creating a literary work. If I where to go through my posts and read them like I would a fiction novel I think I would find it similar to a hero's epic journey. There have been challenges, lows, and times when I feel like everything is working against me. But there ...

Yes, I totally stole this idea from Leigh Covington . She is just awesome like that. (Don't worry, I asked her first) If you don't follow Leigh's blog, whats wrong with you? I kid, I kid. If you don't know, Bits of Awesome are --- well, I guess the title is self explanatory. Awesome #1 - Last weekend I got to go to the amazingly talented Ali Cross's book launch. Yeah, she had it in a Karate Studio. BEST. BOOK LAUNCH. EVER. We got to see some kick-butt fighting and learn a few self-defense moves. And I did I mention the food? Can someone say pretzels covered in caramel and chocolate? Seriously awesome day. And to top it off I got to meet some cool blogging buddies. Melanie Fowler , Ali Cross , and me Not to mention Kate Coursey , Carolyn V ., and L.T. Elliot. I love being a blogger becasue the people are the best! Awesome #2 - I haven't been super into Christmas Music this year, but I'm a total sucker for this song, no matter the time. (not to mention it...

Confession time. Time to spill it all out on paper and let you know how insecure I really am. That's right, it's a new month and time for The Insecure Writers Support Group. Last month I was feeling pretty confident, confident enough to conquer NaNoWriMo. But this month, I have my doubts. The word on the grapevine is that it's totally normal to feel a low after you just worked your butt off for 30 days. I don't know if low is the right word, but I haven't written anything. Which is okay, becasue I think I can take a break and let my WIP sit and cool awhile so I can come back to it fresh. No, I have a bigger fear. It's something that has held me back to this point. I'm afraid to Query, and I'm afraid to Publish. I still think putting EARTH SONG aside and working on EXISTENCE was the right choice, but the truth is, I am so afraid of getting rejected (and not obtaining the perfection I long for) that I gave up on EARTH SONG. I know rejection is part of bei...

December is now in full swing. My Christmas decor is up, I have a large amount of baked goods in my pantry, and NaNo is over. I only had the chance to get through one book in November - Come Back to Me , by Melissa Foster. To say the least, my TBR pile has been growing. Here a few books I hope to down this month (and maybe even review.) Currently Reading - Servant of a Dark God, by John Brown: The Blurb: Young Talen lives in a world where the days of a person's life can be harvested, bought, and stolen. Only the great Divines who rule every land and the human soul-eaters, dark ones who steal from man and beast, know the secrets of this power. In Talen's land the Divine has gone missing, and soul-eaters are loose among the people. But this time it's not just a handful of humans using outlawed magics. A being of awesome power has arisen, one whose diet consists of the days of men. Her Mothers once ranched human subjects like cattle. She has emerged to take back what is rightf...

Ah, words. There are so many different ways that we can use them. They can evoke every emotion known to man (and then some) today I have chosen to evoke one of those emotions to get your day started. Which emotion? Why, the happy one, of course! I need one of these for my editing   Hope that makes your Monday a little brighter! *all photos where taken from my Facebook page or pinned on Pintrest

I LOVE being part of the Life List Club. There are some seriously awesome people involved and I always feel uplifted after I read everyone's posts! Today I have the lovely Jenny Hansen from More Cowbell once again talking about Autism and achieving goals. Take it away Jenny!   Thanks for hanging out with mehere at Jennie’s place today! She’s over at Gary Gauthier’s blog today,kicking up her sassy heels. The inspiration for today’s postcame from my little brother, Dallas. He’s my youngest sibling and is twenty-fouryears old, going on eight. You see, Dallas is a high-functioning autisticindividual who lives in a group home in New York. And even though Dallas willbe forever a child, and is not yet able to hold down a job, he’s a blast forhis family to hang around with because he is a man of serious interests . Most autistic people have a topicthat lights them on fire and, if you’ve ever interacted with someone who’sautistic, you’ve seen that they will find a way to steer the convers...

As I write this it is close to midnight on the Nov. 30th. I contemplated doing NaNo for a long time, but I wasn't sure I could. The best I had ever done (in a day) before the month of November was 2,000 words. Since I don't write on weekends I needed to write 2,300 words a day, not to mention somehow make up for the six days I would spend in Colorado. I really doubted myself in the beginning, but I thought I would try it for a few days and see how it went. I was so inspired by everyone's enthusiasm and drive that I couldn't not give it a shot. Well it turns out that I'm capable of a lot more than I thought I was becasue as of now, I am a NaNoWriMo winner!! Yup, I got my certificate and can call myself a finisher. There where more than a few days when I wanted to bang my head against the keyboard, especially when I got to the climax of my story. I don't know why I have such a hard time writing that part of a book, but I do. Still, I managed to pull out four or f...