Fear of the Rejection Reaper

Recently I received notes from an agent about the first three chapters of a YA Paranormal I'd written won't let die.  I'd won the opportunity for a free critique with an agent from an agency I love. I mean I stalk these poeple. 

Anywho, I got her notes and saying it felt like she stabbed me in the heart is an understatement.  My stomach churned and tears stung the backs of my eyes.  My life was over.

Let me clarify, her notes were positive and she was very nice.  And the changes ranged from major to not so bad.  But if you've ever been in this situation, you know exactly how I feel.  My world had come to an end.  And yes, I'd completely forgotten that I have 3, not 1, 3 not 2, 3 novellas for a YA series releasing next year by TMP as well as short romance coming out in a few weeks.  All of this greatness completely elluded me. 

Until a cheerleading birdie from OH reminded me. 

I sent my friend the notes and she was like Jennifer, hello *taps computer screen*, you have a series coming out next year.  You have a short story out soon.  And these notes are not that bad.  Completely doable.

So I pulled my big girl panties on digested the agents comments.  What at first sounded like major surgery, in the end was more like a colonoscopy.  Painful, uncomfortable but completely okay with the right sedation! 

It's tough people.  And yes, you are going to receive many No's.  In college I took a sales course and I learned a valuable lesson that I still remember today.  With every No, you get closer to that Yes!

Happy Halloween!

Honey Creek

I may have mentioned, a few thousand times, about my YA series being released by Turquoise Morning Press in 2012.  And I may have also mentioned, another hundred times, the books are based on a small, cute town called Honey Creek in Ohio.  Well, things are cookin' over in Honey Creek. 

So here are the details...

Welcome to Honey Creek, Ohio, a place where anything can happen. Nestled in the lush green of rolling Midwestern hills, crops, combines and crows pepper the landscape, but inside Honey Creek there’s a whole lot of mischief going on.

The best way to learn about Honey Creek, Ohio is to talk to someone who lives there. I've asked my friend Jenny to tell you a little about living in Honey Creek. Jenny?

Sure thing. Honey Creek, Ohio, is about as Midwest as one central Ohio town can get. In fact, if you want to describe Honey Creek, you can simply do it by the numbers, and you only have to count to two. Mostly, you can get by if you can just count to one.

For example, Honey Creek has:

• Two gas stations, two churches (one Methodist, one Church of Christ), and two bars (one by the tracks, the other one at the edge of town).
• One stoplight, one restaurant, one school, one post office, one funeral home, one fire station, one grocery store, and one hardware store. Oh, and one pizza place. That’s important. And one railroad track ran through it all.

I’ll just add that at the last census, Honey Creek had 829 people living within its corporation. Most of those people work someplace other than in Honey Creek because as you can see, there are only one or two places for people to work, here. Unless they farm. Lots of people around Honey Creek farm, you know, corn and soybeans and the like, but they don’t live in Honey Creek, they live on the farms.

About the biggest thing to ever happen to Honey Creek, was when the Corp of Engineers came in and dammed up the creek about 1972. Flood control, they said. When that happened, a lot of farm land got taken over by the lake. The old mill outside of town stopped operating full time, too. Now it’s a tourist attraction and just grinds a little corn now and then to sell. The men all complained that the fishin’ in the creek wasn’t as good any more. But, as time went on, things changed.

They started changing when the beach went in. And the boat docks. And the game preserve was designated. And the camping grounds were created. And the lodge and cabins were built.

When town people started to work at Honey Creek State Park, and when lake people started coming in to Honey Creek to buy things, suddenly, the lake was a good thing.

My name is Jenny Miller Carver. I grew up in Honey Creek and I’ve lived here all my life. I was 14 when the lake went in and by the next summer, I was spending every single day of my summer vacation on that beach. We’d ride our bikes out, (a whole five miles) my friends and me. We lived to spread our old quilts on the sand, lather up with Iodine and baby oil, and bake. Of course, we’d squint a peek at the “cutest lifeguard on the beach” now and then. Greg Carver never gave me the time of day until I turned 16 and lost 15 pounds. But I snagged him, I did, and married that “cutest lifeguard on the beach.”

That was a lot of years ago and things are both the same, and different, in Honey Creek, but I tell you, living here is still wonderful. I want to tell you more about how my story unfolds, and the people of Honey Creek, but I’ll have to leave that for another day....

Honey Creek has their own website and  twitter feed .  January marks the first month in a long line of releases for this small, unsuspecting little town.  Currently, you can follow us on Twitter @HoneyCreekBooks and once we get the blog and site up and running, you can check us out there.  I hope you're all as excited about the HC (kind of like the OC except waaaaaay cooler!) as much as I am. 

Catch'ya later!

It's Alive!

Drum roll please............


JenAndersonAuthor.com is now open for business!

A couple of years ago I set out on this writing journey, not really sure where it would lead but hopeful one day I'd see my name in print.  Within the last 4 months my life has been taken over.  In a totally, completely awesome way!

Up until I actually heard the words "we want to print your story"or "I want to represent you as an author" (hasn't happened yet) I'd been waiting.  Waiting to hear news.  Waiting to get headshots.  Waiting to set up an author site. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

And I was okay with waiting.  At least my on-hold music was better.

Then 4 months ago I got the call.  Or rather, I met the publisher who thought they were going to represent and then I got the email confirming.  I hit the ground running.  By the next week, I got headshots done.  Then I shouted to the rooftops my news.  Then I started planning my author site. 

I thought I could handle the creation myself and even purchased a Web Design for Dummies book.  Needless to say, I needed some help.  The only type of byte I know about when a vampire sucks your blood.  And html.  Is that short for hotel motel?  No clue!

My good friend Nick swooped in and saved me from myself.  And now I have a finished projuct I am so beyond jazzed about.  My site is simple, cute and easy to navigate. 

When you get some time.  Come check me out.  I'd love to hear what you think.