Jennie Bennett, Romance Author

It's been quite awhile since I've spoken about music and I know you all are just dying to see what my latest obsession is (ha!) Even though that may not be the case I couldn't contain myself from telling you about the Imagine Dragons. Their album is one of the best I've heard in ages. Ages, I say! They don't just have one good song. Each song is different AND each song is good. It doesn't get better than that. Here is their first single from the album Continued Silence EP called "it's Time".  I love this video because speaks to me of their artistry -- for them it's all about the music. Good no? Now go give the whole album a listen, you won't regret it!

I read a post the other day (and I wish I could remember who wrote it!) about how writers shouldn't be writing blogs about writing. The author of the blog had several valid points such as, "Are you reaching your target audience" and "Is your blog lost in a sea of other writing blogs?" While I somewhat agree with these statements, I also beg to differ. My audience is anyone who is going to read my book, and guess what? Writers read! Not to mention the amazing support other blogging writers give to friends who are launching books (free publicity anyone?). source I have a mantra for this blog and that is, write what I feel . I'm not going to come on here and not talk about writing becasue certian "experts" think I shouldn't mention the 'W' word even though I am a writer. I didn't start this blog becasue I want to talk about my kids. I started this blog becasue I wanted to become a better writer, and how can I do that if ...

Sometimes I get caught in internet social crazes (i.e. blogging -- *ahem*).  The google plus excitement came and went. I was enjoying pintrest until I discovered that every time I went I left either really hungry or sad that my house doesn't look like a magazine cover. And even though I frequent Facebook and Twitter I feel the need to get involved in yet another social networking disaster. No, scratch that, I didn't feel the need to get involved in this, it just happened. You see, I asked a question on Yahoo! Answers. It was blogging related question. Most of you know that I'm pretty up-to-date about blogging. I really would not have asked the question if I didn't think there was tech-guru out there with a serious answer. source Instead I get some smart comment with a completely useless suggestion that I was dying to give a thumbs down. I don't like to be negative, but really, this answer deserved it. Only one problem. I didn't have enough 'points...

I bet you didn't know that today is a special day. Okay, it might not be special for you, but it is for me! Today marks the 200th post that I've written between this blog and my previous blog, A Book, A Girl, A Journey. Not only is today special for me, but today is special for Tasha Seegmiller becasue she's passed 200 followers! In honor of the awesome 200's we are swapping blogs and giving away prizes .   Just by commenting on the end of this post you can win a copy of  Everneath , and if you comment on both this blog and Tasha's blog you can win a   $20 gift card !  You'll want to go to Tasha's blog anyway becasue I'm giving away a hardcover copy of Midnight in Austenland .  That's something you won't want to miss. Without further ado, here's Tasha -- I’ve always been good at writing. I had notebooks of stories, would make them up with my current crush and me falling madly in love, but always using pseudonyms tha...

 Rachael Harrie has put together the first challenge for Writers Campaign! The rules are as follows: Write a short story/ flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count.   If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these: end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count) include the word "orange" in the story write in the same genre you normally write make your story 200 words exactly! And here is my entry -- Shadows Crept across the wall, the signal of the sun rising through the blinds. Shay already had her bag packed and her hiking boots on. It was going to be a good day. Not that Shay liked to hike, she had never really done much hiking before, but she did get to go with Lance . Plus it didn...

I was tagged in the question meme, twice! Since I'm sucker for these things, I couldn't pass the opportunity up :) First, Melissa Dean over at the Guardian Writer has me answering 11 questions of her choosing. 1. What type of genre do you enjoy writing the most? Young Adult, I like fantasy and  paranormal elements in my writing. My current work in progress involves time travel, which is uber fun and uber hard since so many people have different opinions and views on what the rules of time travel should be. But I don't let that stop me! 2. Describe one of your characters.  Chrissie is the Main Charter in my WIP, she has been teaching herself history, and learning to kick butt at her fathers Dojo so that she can travel through time. Oh and I did I mention she speaks eight languages? Her family exposed her to a lot of culture when she was young. Plus she's a bit snotty and sarcastic. I love her. 3. Who is your dream agent or dream publisher? Whomev...

It's been three weeks since I started this new blog and already I have a 100 followers. Thank you so much! I just couldn't let this awesomeness pass without a giveaway! And lucky for you I've been buying a few signed books that I think you'll enjoy. First up is EVERNEATH by Brodie Ashton. The first time I saw her cover I was head over heals in love -- Pretty, no? And yes, it's signed. Next we have the too fun and too cute Pride & Popularity by Jenni James. Can I tell you, Jenni is one of the nicest people, EVER. She is so full of life and it reflects in her writing. Any Austen fan would love this book. And since I can't send these puppies overseas I'm also giving away a $10 gift card to any place of the winners choice (it doesn't even need to be something to buy books!) So how do you enter to win the fun? Just comment below and tell me which prize you would like! Feel free to spread the word if you want to. Good luck!

Happy V-day everyone! Love is in the air! I went on my first date with my hubby on V-day, and married him six months and two days later. So I guess today is good luck! Anyway, what would V-day be without a few kissing scenes? Cassie May and Hope Roberson are hosting the Is it Getting Hot in Here? blogfest. I'm joining in with a scene from the book I am not working on (Earth Song), but I still love this scene so why not put it out there for all the world to see? "What right do you have to be here? You abandoned me when I needed you the most. I know I said some harsh things, but that gave you no excuse." Brenton stepped towards her. "Marion, I had good reason. I ---" "I don't want to hear it," Marion said taking a step back,  hoping the sound of the river would block out anything Brenton had to say. She had been alone, frightened, and unsure of what to make of her new-found powers. She could think of no good reason why they h...

Welcome to another happy Thursday! Today I want to talk about something plaguing the blogging society, and that is word verification. It's time consuming and unnecessary! Blogger has an awesome spam folder that WILL catch anything before it's published on your blog. You may get a few spam hits at first, but it will die down. When I started this blog I thought I had word verification off. Turns out, I didn't. Blogger's new format doesn't allow you to. So in the interest of other bloggers ridding themselves of word verification I thought I would give everyone a little how-to on fixing the problem. Start on you blogger dashboard and click on the little cog - This will give you a drop down menu. Select 'Old blogger interface' You will return to your old dashboard. Find your blog and click on the 'Settings' button. Once there, click on the comments sub-button. Then scroll down until you see 'Show Word Verification for Comme...

This week I'm joining in on the "I'm Hearing voices" blog fest. Hosted by Cassie Mae and Live to Write... Edit when necessary . The Challenge for today is a follows: Dialogue Introduction: Have two characters introduce each other using only dialogue—no backstory, no internalization, just dialogue between the two. Max 250 words. And here is my best shot --   "Why are you holding that Quill?" Irving said, pointing at Marda's ink-stained dress "I'm writing, why do you think I'm holding it?" "Yeah, but what are you writing?" "A Fairy Tale." Irving huffed. "It's so typical of you to be lost in your own imagination. When are you going to come back to the real world?" "And live life like you? No thank you. I'd rather have my stories." "Of course you would, because you don't want to deal with the fact that our parents are dead." Marda slap...

Yes, you read the title right. I have recently acquired some new super powers. Sometimes they are a delight, and other times they can be quite taxing. source What Super Powers do I have? A heightened sense of smell for one, along with that comes a sensitivity for foods and a delicate palate. Oh yes, and I now have the ability to need a nap, all of the time. What? That's not a super power? Okay you caught me. I guess I'll just have to confess. I'm Pregnant Yep, what I thought at first was sudden surge in super-prowess turns out to be a baby. I'm due in the middle of September.  Why do I bring this up on a writing blog? Because I now have extra motivation to get my book done. I would be working on it more if it wasn't for that dang sickness and my unlimited napping powers. Here's hoping I get something accomplished before then. Go ahead, tell me your big news of the week. I'm dying to hear ;) 

First let me give a big thank you to all who commented yesterday. I have decided that what I've already written is okay becasue even if you don't see the characters flaws at first, you find them out later in the book. Those of you that followed my old blog may have heard a thing or two about my goals in 2012. If you haven't, you are about to be enlightened. One of my goals is to read a book a week. That will add up to 52 books in a year. In order to hold myself accountable, I plan on doing mini-reviews of the books I read the previous month. So buckle up and get ready for a little ride ;) Artemis Fowl:   The Arctic Incident      The Eternity Code     The Opal Deception I feel like I should tell you about all three of these books together becasue they all relate to each other. If you haven't heard of Artemis Fowl and you write MG or YA, it's time you heard about it. Who doesn't love a boy genius bent on being a criminal Mast...

It's the first Wednesday of the month which means another go around of The Insecure Writer's Support Group . This month I want to keep it simple and ask you guys a question. I have a character, whom I love very much, that is a naturally good person. The only problem is I've had some people tell me this character is a little flat. So here is my question -- What would you do to make a character, that is naturally good and nice, have more depth? I really want to flesh out my story and make it strong, but sometimes I get stuck. Thank goodness I have you guys around to help me become a stronger writer. :D