Jennie Bennett, Romance Author

May I direct your attention to the books tab? I'll no longer be blogging, but if you want to keep up with me, my newsletter and social media links are all on the sidebar. Thanks for stopping by!

If you haven't heard my exciting news, I'll shout it out again, I'm going to Kcon as a panelist! If you're going, I'd love to see you Friday at 12:30. If not, I still want everyone to share in the fun! First of all, Celebrity Superhero is free this weekend! Be sure to grab a copy and tell your friends! Second, I'd doing a bundle giveaway with Erica Laurie . First prize is $100 Amazon gift card and a $10 iTunes gift card. Check out the Rafflecopter below! a Rafflecopter giveaway

cr: Diter Laskowski This past weekend I spent 10+ hours in a minivan with four small children. One of those children is only eighteen months old. On top of being squirmy, said child had started antibiotics for an ear infection only the day before. He can also scream very loud. As one must do with such an experience, I tried to find the positive. It was either that or breakdown and sob which wouldn't do anyone good. What I came to realize in the anxiety to and from my destination, was that I had been going about noveling all wrong. And trust me, it wasn't a negative thought. One thing I know about road trips is that if I want to get somewhere, I have to keep going. Stopping at Buc-ee's is really fun. It's great to stretch my legs and buy myself some beaver nuggets, but it's not going to get me anywhere. The longer I hang out at Buc-ee's, the later I'll show up. Writing is the same. Not for everyone, but for me it is. Social media is great. I actua...

Did I get you with that click-bait title? I always fall for those dang things. Anyway, this is a regularly (or not so regularly in my case) scheduled update. First and foremost I'd like to draw your attention to a fancy new box on the right-hand side. Yes, I'm starting a newsletter. As of now it won't be more than once a month. I'd love it if you signed up! And oh yeah: There will be a free novella if you sign up! Eventually, because I'm still working on it. Quality, folks. Second, I've started a review group on Facebook. If you like receive free copies of my books in exchange for a review, please contact me! (email: author.jabennett @ gmail.com) Third, I've update my books tab with links, so check that out too if you get a chance. Until next time!

Blogging? That's still a thing? Who knew. ;) Yes, after almost a year I finally got around to updating my site. I'm such a slacker! The good news is, I've not only published one, but two novellas in my time away. For once I followed through on my promise and it feels so good. Oh yeah, and there was that major squee moment when this happened: And to top it off, I'm training for a marathon. I've run for two and half hours in one run. Never thought I'd do that! Anyway, I have a post up on Thinking Through Our Fingers Today , so pop over there if you get a chance.

The computer screen had to be lying. It was my first semester of college and there was a letter staring back at me I had yet to see on a report card. F. Turns out the excuse of having to work instead of turning in assignments didn't fly in the collegiate sphere. I asked myself then how anyone earned a degree. Two semesters later (and after a short break) I achieved my first ever 4.0. On another night, I wondered if the crying would ever end. I sat on my couch holding my oldest child while the tears dripped and dripped down my face as he screamed. I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn't think I ever would.    In my mind, there was NO WAY anyone really had more than one kid. It wasn't possible.   But then I did it. And now I have four. It's still hard, but there are too many good moments to count. For years I would sit at my computer, and start book ideas. Worlds constantly tumbled around my head, and there was no relief exc...

It's been a while since I've talked books on here. Mostly because I haven't been blogging, but also because I won't promote a book I'm not 100% behind. This is one of times. My dear, dear, friend David Powers King has released THE UNDEAD ROAD and let me tell you, it sounds like all kinds of awesome! Some of my favorite memories are from family road trips where things went terribly wrong, and this book sounds like it'll bring all those happy fuzzies back, AND have some zombie action thrown into the mix. I already know David is an awesome author. Heck, we even wrote an anthology together. I can't wait to get this book in my hands! (Seriously paperback is only $10.99? He might as well give it away. Oh wait, EBOOK IS $.99 . He is giving it away.) With no further ado, here's the premise: Nothing brings the family together like a zombie apocalypse … Fifteen-year-old Jeremy Barnes would rather watch a zombie movie than shoot a real one, but he has ...

My two oldest kids go to an excellent Karate studio where they learn about a new value each month, and memorize scriptures to strengthen them. This month's theme is self-discipline. My kids had to fill out a chart for a week in which they needed to do things like chores and karate practice, as well as keeping a positive attitude, and respecting family members. If my kids are working to improve themselves, I figure I should be doing it along with them. When it comes to writing, I'm lucky to have a lot of support. Even though I tend to let self-doubt get in the way a lot, I know there are many opportunities to battle the blues. Photo by Gratsiela Toneva Gratsiela Toneva One such awesome friend shared this challenge with me, and I've decided to take part. My goal is to write one thousand words Monday-Friday. I've missed today because of other blogging commitments, but I'm confident I can make it up tomorrow. I hope you'll all take a look at t...

Wow. It's been six months since my last blog post. *wipes brow* I'm happy to report I'm still writing. It's iffy some days, but I always come back to it. I just wanted to do a quick update to let you know, I've...well...updated. Turns out the last time I changed my tabs was two children ago...which means at least three years. Yikes! My twitter handle has changed along with some other things, so you might want to check it out. I'd most notably like to turn your attention to the new cover design and blog banner tab. I'm still doing free covers, so if you're in the market, take a look! (And thanks Alex for the shoutout last time, you're awesome!) What's new with you? Any resolutions you want to share? Me? I'm going to write every day Mon-Fri. And yes, I'm already struggling. But the only direction from here is up, right?

It's officially summer break which means all three of my little devils munchkins are home all day, every day. It's alright, people, really, it's not as terrifying as it sounds. Just take a deep breath and read on. As most of you know, this September I'm planning on releasing my first full length novel, What Not to Do When You're Falling in love. Which means I can't take the summer off to spend each excruciating sweet moment with my pumpkins. All you moms out there, just settle down for a minute. I know the thought of working from home while your kids destroy everything you hold dear sounds painful. It actually is, but that doesn't mean your kids can't have a little fun along the way. Like every other mom on the internet, I don't want my kids to spend their summer days in front of the TV frying their brains, so I've come up with a solution that allows my kids to have a great summer, and me to get some work done. I present to you: T...

Trust me. The following post is not a joke. It's 100% real. March was a hard month for me. Really, really hard. Most of March included irrational thoughts such as: 1. I hate writing. I hate reading about writing. I hate thinking about style, and process, and eventual publishing. HATE. 2. I started writing almost four years ago, and I'm pretty much in the same position I started in. 3. I should just quit. Nothing I do is ever going to be good enough, or worth it in the end. 4. Time to cancel my flight to Utah in May. No point in going to a writer's conference when I'm quitting. 5. Everything I have ever written is trash. I'm sorry to anyone who has look upon my words, because they're all terrible. So yeah...I'm still not 100% over it, but I'm not completely giving up either. Although, I haven't worked on anything in almost three weeks. As you can imagine, this troubled time has made it hard to read as well. Here's the one book I r...

This post is late, but it's here! I didn't quiet reach my goal last month, but I did read, which is the whole point of the challenge. Woven by David Power's King and Micheal Jensen David was the very first blogger friend I had the opportunity to meet in person. That was three and half years ago. He told me his book was called Woven, and that it was about a ghost that could be stitched back to life with a magic needle. Naturally, that was the coolest thing I had ever heard of, and I was dying to read it. But I had to wait. I almost got read to read it a year and a half ago...then they switched publishers in series of FORTUNATE events. Anyway, the book was everything I expected it to be and more. I loved the world Michael and David created, and I haven't read a High Fantasy in a long time. It was fantastic! Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell When I was at the bookstore seeing if I could get my hands on Woven early, I decided to pick up a few books, and thi...

Fifty books in twenty-fifteen starts now! I only read two books in January, but I started my challenge late. Both these titles were fantastic, which gives me so much hope for an incredible year ahead. Let's get to it, shall we? Remake, Ilima Todd Let me just say, as an author, I wouldn't touch this subject with a ten foot pole. A lot of questions are asked through this story. What is choice? What is gender? What defines a gender? What defines a person? Does the way we look have an influence on our choices? Ilima took all these issues head on, and tackled them beautifully. More than just asking these important questions, Ilima tells a deeply personal story about girl who doesn't really know where she fits in her world, and has no idea what choices she wants to make. All the ideas presented in this novel are still floating around my head. I never once felt like I was being told how to think. Rather, I felt like the character was simply learning from the life that was ...

Honestly, I don't know what possessed me to do it. Three years ago I wrote a book poorly about a girl who could use natural disasters in an X-men kinda way. I named it Stealing the Stars, edited part of the first chapter, then gave up on it. I think the original word count was around 40K. It had all kinds of plot twists that didn't make sense, and it ended very abruptly. I'm pretty sure I even ended it in the middle of a sentence. Kidding . I wrote some other books after that one. Most notably, Existence. Which was also poorly written. And What Not to Do When You're Falling in Love. I queried both books with marginal success--meaning I received small press offers--which I ended up not taking. At the time it felt like the world was ending to turn down those contracts, but I'm glad I did. I wasn't ready yet. In between those two books, I decided to write Stealing the Stars again. The book about the girl with the natural disaster thing. Once more, it d...

I know. It's a tad late to hop on the book challenge wagon, but last year I tried to do one and failed miserably. I think I only read fifteen books last year. That's just not acceptable for an author, so I'm going to step up my game. My twenty-fifteen goal is fifty books. Two years ago, I completed that challenge by blogging mini-reviews every month.  So what guess what? My mini-reviews are making a comeback for twenty-fifteen! To some of you, fifty books isn't a lot, but I don't read that fast, and I have a side obsession Kdramas which takes up a lot of my time. However, with the right books, I'll be able to do it. Wish me luck for the year!  What are you reading?

Every writer daydreams about the perfect cover. The one that speaks to the audience and yells, "BUY ME!" Well, folks, I'd like to make that cover for you. For the past year or so, I've been interested in cover design. I've made quite a few poor attempts at an amazing cover, but I have yet to make a home run. What I feel like I lack---more than anything---is experience. I've daydreamed plenty of my own covers, but I have yet to work with an author one-on-one and think outside of myself. This is where you, dear reader, come in. I'm giving away a FREE cover design, or re-design. This is not going to be a drawing. This is going to be about whoever is interested in working with me as a serious cover designer. I want to take someone's vision, bring it to life, and tweek it until they find it satisfactory. Whomever accepts my offer is under no obligation to use the cover I create. It's about me gaining experience in a field I'd like to capi...

It's been like FOREVER since I've done a bloghop. I just happened to see this one on G+, being hosted by my two favorite Krista's , and I thought, why not? Here's the deets: Share 400 words or less to about a real villain, one you created in a novel, or a flash fiction. Your villain doesn't have to be necessarily a murderer or stalker, but any anti-hero in your writing will work just fine! I decided to go with Flash Fiction since it's been a while. Really, it's good to exercise that part of my brain. Win-win. *** “Did you really think it would be that easy?” Hunter says, dangling the watch in front of my face. I hold my breath. One wrong move and the watch could break, destroying our time. Hunter knows that better than anyone, but he swings it anyway. “I’m sorry,” I say, falling to my knees.  Dust puffs from the floor, a rat skittering to its hideout. All the clocks in the room start to ring. Their phantom song dwarfing all conv...

This past weekend, my husband's uncle and his family came to visit us. Houston is HUGE and there's a lot to see. We gave them a list of ideas and let them decide what they wanted to do. Sunday morning came, bright and clear with prefect temperatures. They really wanted to see NASA, and I suggested we could walk the beach in the evening. Not everything works out as planned. We arrived at NASA, pulled over to the little park out front, and had a conference. It dawned on us in that moment just how expensive a day at NASA would be and how beautiful the sunshine was. So instead of walking around indoors and looking at  cool space stuff, we decided to go straight to the beach. Because the excursion was mostly unplanned, we came unprepared. We didn't have food. We didn't have water. We didn't have sunscreen. None of us had brought our bathing suits. Some of us were in long pants. Some of us were in long sleeves, but we went anyway. It was kind of silly, going to ...

I don't profess to be an expert in writing. I've learned a lot over the years, but I believe there's always more to learn. Each time I sit down to write, I'm constantly asking myself questions. Do the words flow? Is this the right word? Does this make my point clear? Is there enough mystery? Is the mystery so thick the reader is lost? I have my own methods to keeping my writing strong, but my way doesn't work for everyone. The brilliant thing about reading is that there are so many differences in the way people write, you can be transported into a character's head and consider the world in a way you never would've before. However, it never hurts to have tips about how other writers improve themselves. Even if the advice isn't spot on, it can generate ideas about new ways to look at things. That being said, we'll move on to the meat of this post--visualization. I recently finished reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I got completely sucke...

Last week my youngest had a birthday. Piled among the gifts was a car from his Nana---a Lighting McQueen that will run on it's own after it's been shaken.  Perfect gift for a two year old, right? Especially for a little boy who loves engines like my guy does. He's been roaming around the house with it clutched in his hand, driving it around, and basically having the time of his life. Every time I catch him with it though, I have to laugh. The wheels are spinning on their own, but he's still holding the car as tight as he can. I kept telling him, "You have to let the car go." I eased it out of his hands and placed it on the floor, demonstrating the full potential of the toy. Yet, he still insists on driving it himself. It only took me a couple of tries to realize he had to figure it out on his own, and I couldn't help him unless he wanted to be helped. The experience made me stop and think. What am I holding onto that would work better if I just...