Recently, I pinned a whole bunch of journal prompts on Pinterest. I figured I could use them for ideas for posts here and on my breast cancer blog.

I’m starting today with: Five Things I’d Like To Do More

1. Write. This is probably on every writer’s to do list. We’re writers, but sometimes we can’t find the time to write. I’ve struggled over the past year with writing due to chemotherapy and “chemo brain.” I couldn’t write, no matter how hard I tried. The fog cleared and boom! I was able to finish one book and articulate ideas for two others. It’s such a great feeling. So that’s absolutely number one on my list. Write write write.
2. Build friendships. I don’t mean networking, though that does often happen naturally when you build friendships. I’ll save that for another goal, though. I have little friendships here and there with people in the book community, some of which I haven’t been able to give proper attention to since getting sick. I want to work on those.
3. Network. This is another thing that’s probably on every writer’s list. I believe networking is crucial for success in any field. I remember when I was on a nationwide marketing committee, one of the other members said “Why try to create something new when someone else is probably already doing it better?” I know that’s kind of sketchy to say as a writer, but I’m not talking about books here. I don’t mean everyone should go create their own versions of Harry Potter and Fifty Shades. But why reinvent the newsletter wheel? Swag? Networking is about helping each other out and sharing ideas. I have made so many connections since I published my first book 3 years ago, and I really want to get organized and network with these folks.
4. Live. I love to read. I love to write. I love my day job. But sometimes I have no life. Seriously. I get up, go to work, come home, read, maybe write, go to sleep. Repeat. Hubs and I made a list on Day Zero Project and we have begun working on it. It’s like a mega bucket list. We have a “Someday” list with more extravagant adventures, and a “101 in 1001” list for more realistic things (that’s 101 things to do in 1001 days).
5.  Market myself. It’s probably my weakest area, which is ironic since I used to do work in marketing. It’s hard though. Being a brand yourself and having to sell it–that takes a lot of faith and hope and energy. But that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to believe in my brand and do my absolute best.

What is something you’d like to do more of?

I haven’t written a blog post in a while, so I thought I’d take a moment to do that and provide some updates for those who follow me here. There’s so much to report, but I’ll consolidate it into highlights.

Signings = awesome. I’ve done four (Sassy in Jacksonville, Authors With Southern Charm, Carolina Book Fest, and Rebels Hit the Road) and all have been very different, though they’ve each shared one significant element – the opportunity to meet readers (existing and new) and authors! I had such an incredible time at each and every event, and I look forward to the ones on my calendar in the future. (See where I’ll be here.)

Boxed Sets/Anthologies, two of them.

The first, Christmas Interference, was for Authors in the City’s Christmas in the City holiday short story collection. This one goes off sale in about a week, after the AITC signing event in Raleigh next week, so grab it while you can for just 99 cents. I may be releasing my story from the collection elsewhere, but I don’t have a plan as of right now, and I’m not sure what the other author’s intentions are with their stories, so you may never see some of these again!

The second, Force, was a novella written for the Get Rocked! In Vegas boxed set. This story is a prequel to a one or two book series, titled The Gravity Series, that I plan to release in late summer. Get Rocked! is up for pre-order now, and releases May 16th. It will also be a limited time offering, so snatch it up while you can. It’s a collection of 12 sexy rockstar romance stories. I’m super proud of Force, so I’d love it if you’d read it. Only 99 cents!

What else?

I just finished a novel, Don’t Let Me Go, and plan to release it in the next few months. I’m excited because with all the novellas I’ve been working on (Wildflowers: JACT 2.5, Christmas Interference, and Force), it’s been a while since I’ve released a full-length novel. I plan on bringing you a few of them in 2017, if the stars align and all that. Check out the Coming Soon section of my Books page for more information on some of my works in progress.

The Gravity Series. Gah!!! This series has been my brainchild for some time now. I’ve got playlists, outlines, and rough ideas sketched out for it. I’m so excited to be bringing you a piece of it in Force, but I can’t wait to share the rest. It’s different from anything I’ve written before. It’s sexier, grittier, and rockier. You’ll meet the main characters in Force, as well as their two bands – Rhythms of the Restless and Sweet Hostility. In the (possible) duet, Push and Pull, you’ll have a front row seat to the rise and fall of their relationship and their stardom. I can’t wait to fully dive in to this project.

The Force cover is something I’m absolutely in love with. A while ago, I’d decided that if I ever used people on my cover, I wouldn’t show their faces so readers could envision the characters as who they imagined them to be. Then I was chatting with a fellow author, Jaye Cox, about the cover of her book, Under the Surface. She’d said the couple on her cover were a real couple! I thought, How cool is that?! That idea stayed in the back of my mind for a while, then images of models Daniel Wells and his girlfriend-turned-fiance Becca Bryant popped up in my newsfeed, right around the time I was brainstorming The Gravity Series. A cover idea was born and I couldn’t part with it. Daniel and Becca were my Ash and Lee. Period. Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs took the photo and she transformed it into a cover that completely rocked my expectations. It came together better than I could have ever imagined, and I can’t wait to brainstorm for the covers for the rest of the series. I have a vision, so we’ll see if we can make it work. But seriously folks, with Cassy, all things are possible.

On that note, I (finally) get to meet Cassy in person this weekend at Authors in the City in Raleigh. Cannot wait.

I think that kind of brings me up to date. I’m sure there are things I’m forgetting, but I’ll try to make my posts a little more frequent, sticking to the original weekly plan of posting on Mondays.

xoxo Jennifer