Friday Fricassee

There's been enough banter about the current situation and how challenging/frustrating it is to be stuck at home trying to sort out fact from fiction and to adjust to our new (temporary) normal. So I won't engage.

I will say this, though: Terrible situations always end up producing good things--even if they are small things, or things that are only important to you. (You matter, so it counts.)

Examples from my own life:

1. TERRIBLE THING: Life shut down and everyone is stuck at home.
2. GOOD THING: We are having sit-down family dinners like we haven't had in years.

1. TERRIBLE THING: My editor at Tor Teen was laid off.
2. GOOD THING: My new editor and I have "clicked" -- and she loves my book!

1. TERRIBLE THING: The School of Nashville Ballet closed its doors weeks ago, directly affecting my ballerina daughter, who normally has class 4 days a week.
2. GOOD THING: They've just added adult ballet to their online offerings, and I took a class on Wednesday morning.

And on it goes. I would encourage you to take note of the good things that have come your way amid the fear and frustration and utter strangeness of our collectives worlds.

As for the Secret Agent Contest:

I'm happy to see thoughtful critiques showing up! KEEP IT COMING! The Secret Agent (who has already shown up--have you seen?) will continue to leave feedback over the weekend, and you may do so also. The Secret Agent will be unveiled--and winners announced--on Monday.

Thank you to all who have participated!

And finally, some book news, since I haven't talked much here about it of late:

1. Parnassus Books in Nashville, while closed to the public, is taking and shipping orders. They still have a few signed copies of STORMRISE (though I will not be able to personalize, due to the current situation), so if you'd like one, PLEASE GO HERE NOW TO ORDER.

2. THE STOLEN KINGDOM now has a gorgeous cover and an official release date! Please be sure to SUBCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER and follow me on social media so you don't miss all the reveals as they happen. (INSTAGRAM , TWITTER)

Thank you all for continuing to hang out here at Miss Snark's First Victim. I'll see you on Monday!

Friday Fricassee: In Which I Profess That I Miss You

My dearest community of writers--

How I miss you!

It's just been, well, nigh impossible to keep this blog going. I'm still mulling over ideas, reminding myself that in-house critiques are vital and helpful and not that time-consuming to set up, but...here the blog sits.

I'm deep in revisions for THE STOLEN KINGDOM (out Spring 2021 from Tor Teen), which are due at the end of next month. That's the lion's proverbial share of my work time, naturally. I've also got 3 other stories in various stages of planning, which are all, of course, on the back burner right now (I was actually lying in bed this morning thinking up ideas for the third and newest of these ideas--and of course that happened right in the middle of revisions, the worst possible time!). In short, I'm doing the writer thing, as always. 

Still. I miss you, and I want to find a feasible way to bring this blog back to life, if only a little bit. Those of you who have read STORMRISE might've noticed that I collectively mentioned you in my acknowledgements. That how big your role has been in my journey, and I'm so grateful.

(As an aside, please know that if any of you who have purchased a copy of STORMRISE would like a signed bookmark, I'm happy to send you one! Just email your receipt to me at jillian@jillianboehme.com and let me know that you read my blog.)

The above graphic is from a recent virtual classroom visit I did for 200+ 8th-graders. It was so much fun! At the end, the teacher (a glorious, passionate woman who clearly loves these kids and books and authors) had the students leave words of thanks for me. They filled 2 screens with their messages and hearts, and I nearly exploded.

I absolutely LOVE talking with young readers and writers! And to know that I've inspired even one of them is immeasurably gratifying.

I'd also like to invite you to listen to this VERY FUN podcast with MG author Rob Kent, who is also a longtime reader and participator here at Miss Snark's First Victim, and whose support has been unwavering. Rob is gregarious, engaging, and so much fun. 

GO HERE TO LISTEN NOW, OR SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST TO LISTEN WHENEVER YOU'D LIKE!

And thank you, Rob, for having me. It was an honor and a delight to spend time chatting with you!

So there you have it--my first post of 2020. Better late than never...? Thank you for reading. Thank you for being part of the writing community I love so dearly.

Have a joyous weekend, and I hope to see you again soon! 

Friday Fricassee: Battling the Worry Monster

I published this article in my November newsletter, but the message is important enough that I want to share it here as well.

---

Our 12-year-old daughter clung to the armrest in the back seat of our rented SUV, eyes wild, voice at a fevered pitch. "I can't stay here," she said. "I'm not getting out of this car. You have to take me with you!" Eric and I were attempting to leave for our much-anticipated get-away in Cape May NJ, while Molly stayed with my parents, whose home is just 3 hours from there. We already knew there would be a struggle, but this was unlike any behavior we'd seen from our daughter. To say that it was unsettling is an understatement. Anxiety had begun to rear its head a couple years earlier, which led to some helpful visits to a counselor. Eric and I were able to go to London for 8 days this past May without incident; Molly didn't succumb to her recurrent fears that something "bad" would happen while she was separated from me. (Me, specifically.) Summertime lulled me into complacence; it seemed the anxiety had gone away. Silly me; it wasn't the anxiety that had left, but rather the circumstances that triggered it. As soon as our fall schedule started up again--ballet classes, chorus, and our weekly Nashville Symphony Chorus rehearsals, which mean someone else has to pick up Molly from ballet on Mondays--the Worry Monster returned with a vengeance. I can see it in her eyes--her "worry face", I call it. She may seem to have things under control, and then, suddenly, when faced with having to get out of the car to go into her ballet class, she goes into a full-blown panic. "I can't. I can't go in. I can't. I'm not going in there." It's terrifying and heartbreaking to watch. And, for a time, it made me feel helpless. The Anxiety Monster won the Cape May round--we brought her with us. From a treating-anxiety standpoint, it was absolutely the wrong thing to do. Every time you give in to the Worry Monster, the anxiety grows stronger. More resistant. But we had no choice. There was no way we could leave her with my elderly parents in that state, and there was no way I would've been able to enjoy myself at the beach, knowing how she was struggling. Anxiety 1, Molly 0. There were a couple more lost battles once we got home--ballet classes that were successfully avoided. I didn't feel well equipped, and to top it off, Molly's counselor stopped accepting our insurance. I hate that that sort of thing factors into decisions about care, but it is what it is. So we were in a between-place of trying to find a new counselor while figuring out how to help Molly on our own. Then a dear friend sent me a copy of Raising Worry-Free Girls by Sissy Goff. It's a life-changing little book that has given me the tools I need to help my daughter wrestle her Worry Monster to the ground. "WM", she calls him. It's helpful for children to give anxiety a name, so that it's something they can externally battle (instead of trying to battle something inside their heads). Now, when Molly starts asking anxiety-induced questions ("seeking reassurances", it's called), I know to say, "What is WM trying to tell you right now?" I've taught her to "square breathe" in order to calm down her amygdala. (We've changed it to "heart breathing", since Molly has decided she'd rather trace a heart shape onto her leg instead of a square shape, and that's perfectly fine.) I'm encouraging her to sass-talk WM when he starts speaking lies to her. I've informed her that, when I drop her off at chorus on Tuesday mornings, I'm not going to answer any questions that WM may want her to ask. And when I drop her off at ballet, I don't always tell her where I'm going (because WM wants her to know exactly how far away I am at all times, and freaks out if I'm what he thinks is "too far"). One really important thing I've learned is that I've had to teach her to expect worry to come--so that she is prepared for it and doesn't go into panic mode. "If WM jumps out from behind a tree," I said, "he'll startle you and you'll freak out. But if you know he's up ahead, you can prepare for him, and then when he jumps out you can slam him to the ground." By acknowledging that worry might be up ahead, Molly can begin to use the tools I've been teaching her to keep herself from becoming anxious and ultimately succumbing to full-blown panic. I can remind her to use those tools and continue teaching her new ones, but the important part is that she is the one who has to do the work. She has to face WM's tricks and use her tools and her strength and her bravery to vanquish him. Yesterday was a strong, brave day. I dropped her off at chorus rehearsal, and she didn't ask for a single reassurance before getting out of the car. When she later discovered that her dear friend wasn't there (whose presence she'd been counting on to help her stay calm), she didn't become anxious. In the afternoon, she came into my office to show me that she'd changed her earrings -- something she'd been avoiding for 2 weeks because she'd been traumatized by some pain and bleeding the last time. And, finally, she got out of the car cheerfully at ballet that evening, even though I'd only told her that I'd be at "one of my writing haunts" while she was in class, instead of telling her exactly which coffee shop I'd chosen. Molly 4, Anxiety 0. I am so proud of her. And I told her so. She was proud of herself, too, which is so important. She needs to believe that she is capable...and brave...and stronger than the Worry Monster. This is an ongoing journey, and there will be set-backs. But every victory makes her stronger. I am weary, dear readers. But I'm also hopeful. This child is the light of my life--she's joy incarnate. In a family of introverts, her extroversion is like a pulsar. Her imagination is boundless, and so is her energy. She plays hard and loves fiercely and thinks deeply. It's so hard to watch her struggling with anxiety, which is the antithesis of everything God made her. I'm sharing this because I know she's not alone. And I'm not alone. And anxiety isn't a bad word; we don't have to whisper it behind cupped hands or pretend it isn't there. We don't have to hide our struggles. There's help, and there's hope. When I find myself lamenting that my creative well has run dry, or that the thought of sitting down and writing even a single paragraph seems exhausting to me, or that my brain seems to sometimes shut down, I have to remind myself what I'm walking through right now. So much of my mental energy is being directed toward this battle--not so I can fight it (I can't--Molly has to fight her own battle), but so that I can continually guide and redirect and advocate for her. It's an honor to be in this place--an honor to be her mom--but I'm not going to pretend this is easy. And when I make a mistake? Lose my patience? Offer a reassurance when I should've let her face the Scary Thing? I crucify myself. And, yes, I need to work on that. If I can't give myself grace when I screw up, I'm no good to anyone. Least of all myself. If you or a child you love is fighting this fight--take heart. There's hope. There's help. Get some. I'll be rooting for you. --- See the full newsletter HERE. Subscribe to my newsletter HERE.

Friday Fricassee (a.k.a. Best Party Ever)

You've watched me walk my journey from "aspiring author" to "published author" -- a few stalwart of you have actually been here for more than a decade, from the humble beginnings of this blog. I've expressed my gratefulness time and again, and today I simply want to share with you the magic of my long-awaited book release party.

Mind you, the hiccup of Tor Teen pushing back my release date by two weeks brought me to tears, mostly because of the party, which I planned almost a year in advance. We had the venue, the menu, the deluge of RSVPs. How could I possibly move my party?

But I didn't have to (and it would have been silly to try). On Tuesday, September 10 (which also happened to be my dad's 86th birthday), I gathered with family and friends at one of my favorite writing haunts -- The Frothy Monkey in Franklin, TN -- and we celebrated Stormrise and the spirit of never giving up. I don't think I've ever felt so loved and supported in my life (and that's saying a lot, because I have often felt very loved and supported).

And, so, without further ado:

The Release Party (in pictures)

The venue is a wonderful old-house-converted-into-coffee-shop, and I've always loved the vibe. The amazing staff set up this space for my reading. On the mantle, you can see the gorgeous poster that Tor Teen sent to help celebrate my release!

The Parnassus Books rep arrived -- with books! 4 boxes of Stormrise, which my beloved husband Eric was more than happy to help carry upstairs.

The moment I first saw the finished copies. No further explanation needed. :)

Okay, I was a little excited. More than a little.

All the beautiful books! 

The poster was such an unexpected gift. I love it more than words can say. I love that sweet girl on my right, too--she's my youngest.

All five of my offspring were there, including Maggie (far right), who flew in from Denver. (Maggie is also a writer, represented by Danielle Burby--so we are agent sisters as well as mother and daughter!). I love these humans with every inch of me; they bring me so much joy.

There were so many dear, dear people there, and there's no way I could showcase everyone. This guy, though, deserves a special shout-out. Sean and I have known each other since high school, when we did theatre together. He flew in from Pennsylvania just to be at the party, and his enthusiasm (and love for me!) was like a thousand fireworks.

(I had to add this, to show you how far back we go. We had the leads in Carnival in 1982.)

The love of my life. Eric and I have been married for 31 years. He's watched me -- and stood by me -- from the beginning of my long journey. It means so much when he says, "I'm proud of you." (And by the way--do you see the AMAZING STORMRISE PENDANT around my neck? You still have time to preorder Stormrise and be entered in a drawing to win one just like it!)

Deviled eggs, smoked salmon on toast points, chicken salad bites, a huge antipasto platter, and tiny cupcakes. Divine!

When it was time for the reading, my amazing and beautiful sister introduced me. For as much as she hates microphones, she's an absolute natural at working the crowd. (Also she spent hours shopping online to find me the perfect dress for this party--and then she bought it for me. Because that's who she is.)

Eric wrote a soundtrack for the excerpt of Stormrise I read. Marriage isn't a perfect science, but at times like this, I really feel like we're the dream team. :)

More than one person commented that I didn't seem nervous. I wasn't. Must be that theatre background.

This photo right here? It's my favorite. Know why? Look at my husband's face. He's looking at me with that expression! Am I blessed or what?

A portion of the crowd. People from so many seasons of my life were there--from my friend Sean, who has known me from high school, to members of the Nashville Symphony Chorus, to people I sang with decades ago, to current neighbors, to ballet-mom friends I've made over the years, to gals who were in my ballet classes, to a dear friend I've known online for a long time but had never met in person (she, like Sean, flew in to be there!), to my sister who has known me her whole life. It was...incredible.

And here it is -- me, living my dream. You know how sometimes (most times) it's hard to smile for pictures because it feels so forced? Nope. My face sort of smiled on its own all night...a natural response to the rivers of joy welling up from my heart. 

Another favorite. These two have profoundly impacted my life over the past few years. Tucker is the director of the Nashville Symphony Chorus, and his wife Mary directs the Blair Children's Chorus at Vanderbilt University (and also fills in for Tucker sometimes with the NSC). They're incredibly talented, with hearts fiercely motivated by their passion for music education and excellence. After lying dormant for too many years, my musician-self has blossomed and reasserted itself, and I have these two to thank.

This gal has been a whirlwind of enthusiasm and support. Her husband took this picture, and you can tell he's an artist because look at the composition of this photo! (Also, if you peek out the window behind us, you can kind of see people's heads. We rented out the entire upstairs of the venue, and that included their nifty back deck. I, of course, never got a chance to go out there, but I was happy to discover evidence that people did enjoy themselves out there!)

Had to include this one, too. Another super-supportive friend with a big heart (and a big beard). I have seriously never been in a room full of people cheering me on to the degree I experienced on this evening.

It was a glorious evening. I came away grateful, joyful, blown away, and exhausted. Because introvert. But, oh--it couldn't have been more perfect. Truly.

And now you've had a little taste of it. Thank you for joining me. 

(Photo cred: Cathi Cormack, Bill Clifford, Tom Soranno, Angela Pasquini-Clifford, Rachel Boehme, Eric Boehme)

Friday Fricassee

A few days ago, I hit what was truly the first bump along the road to Stormrise's release. My editor emailed me to let me know that my pub date had been pushed out, from September 10 to September 24.

On the surface, it doesn't seem like a big deal--2 measly weeks, right? Except that I have a huge, private release party planned for the 10th. I've had the venue secured for months (literally since last year). To date, I have over 70 guests who've said they'll be there, and 3 of them are flying in from out of state.

In short, it's sort of a big deal. Because when you wait 14 years for your first novel to come out, you want to celebrate big. And apparently, so do your friends and family.

So, yes, I cried. A lot. I was all I'm going to have to move my party date, and that will mess up everything for so many people.

I'm surrounded by wonderful people who love me, though, and in very short order, I was able to see straight. (Many thanks to my sister, my agent, my husband, and my eldest daughter for talking me through it in the heat of the moment!) Of course I don't have to move the party. It may not be my actual release date any more, but it's still going to be a huge celebration.

Tor Teen is being wonderful as well, brainstorming about ways to help make the party meaningful, despite the changed release date. (It's not Tor's fault; it's a manufacturing delay brought on by the current paper shortage.) Like making a Stormrise poster and sending it directly to the venue. And offering bookplates for me to sign, in case we can't have any actual copies on site. 

So it's all good! And I'm as thankful as always. But it was definitely a horse-sized pill to swallow. 

This adds two more weeks to my preorder offer as well. Details HERE. And remember that signed copies are also available for preorder through Parnassus Books! Which I'm super excited about. (Those details are also on my website.)

Oh, the FEELS, though! Isn't it astonishing the way something can slay us in a moment, causing us to lose all perspective? I'm thankful I'm surrounded by an amazing tribe who always has my back.

Happy weekend, everyone--and thanks for continuing, as always, along this journey with me!

Friday Fricassee

Hello, friends!

Some of you have been reading this blog since its inception (11 years ago).

Some of you have come aboard recently, knowing only bits and pieces of my story.

All of you are part of the wonderful community of writers that is such a lifeblood to those of us who are blessed to be part of it.

It's less than 2 months from the release of my debut novel, and even now it's still hard, sometimes, to comprehend that this is my life. When I opened Blogger and created Miss Snark's First Victim in April, 2008, I was nursing a 7-month-old and homeschooling 4 older children. I was also almost 3 years into trying to find an agent (and it would take me another 2.5 years to actually land one).

Now my youngest is turning 12 next month (seriously, what??) and I'm spending a portion of my work day on marketing and publicity for Stormrise. How can that be?

Dorky as this may sound, I've got one of my galleys on display in a metal book holder in a bookcase. I stare at it, marveling all over again at the beautiful artwork and overwhelmed to know that this is my book. Not someone else's.

Every day, I'm thankful. For every Goodreads add. Every excited BookTuber. Every 4- or 5-star review. Every squeal about dragons. Every gorgeous book photo on Instagram. Every mention. Every "like". Every everything.

As if all this weren't enough, my editor recently brought up the cover for my next book (Fall 2020) and her concept for it. AND I LOVE HER IDEA SO MUCH. So here I am, already so excited for September 10 while heaping more excitement on top of that.

I may just explode one day in a shower of lilacs and melted chocolate and dragonbreath, and everyone will have to step over me and move along.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.

AND!

It so happens that Tor Teen and I both chose the same week to run an ARC giveaway--and they both end on Saturday.

CLICK HERE to enter Tor Teen's giveaway!

CLICK HERE to enter my giveaway!

Keep writing! Keep dreaming! Keep reading stories that make you laugh and think and cry and shudder and groan and grin and ponder and cackle and yell and squeal and sigh. And take all that and let it infuse your breathing and thinking and creating and living, and oh, what JOY there will be in your own creations.

Have a magical weekend!

Friday Fricassee

One thing I started training myself to do years ago is not to take negative reviews to heart. Because EVERY AUTHOR OUT THERE IS GETTING NEGATIVE REVIEWS. 

I mean, I checked. One of my favorite authors, for instance, is Mary E. Pearson. How could ANYONE write a 1- or 2-star review for Dance of Thieves? And yet, they did. And they'll do it again for her next book.

Mind you, some of the low-star reviews are just...nasty. And it's easy to discount them, because they're...nasty. Or else they're ridiculous. Like, "This book is about dinosaurs and I really hate dinosaurs." (I made that up. But you know it happens.)

So I'm pretty sure it's a good idea to not read low-star reviews for our own books--not because they're not a normal part of author life, but because we really don't need to see all the reasons why someone hated our book--or didn't finish it. Literature is subjective, like all art. There will always be folks who would rather eat a live squid than read the book we just handed them.

Professional reviews, on the other hand, are a little harder to steer clear from. I've been nervous for weeks, knowing that Kirkus had my book and would eventually post their much-dreaded review. (Kirkus is not known for its kindness, to say the least.) I was relieved beyond measure when I finally read it the other day--and discovered that they didn't hate STORMRISE at all.

Mind you, it's easy enough to pick up on the mild digs if you read the whole review on their web site. But the above quote encapsulates the overall positive tenet, and I'm delighted--and so thankful.

If you follow me on Goodreads (PLEASE ADD STORMRISE TO YOUR TO-READ LIST!), you may notice that I haven't reviewed a single book. That's because the writing community is a small world. Over the years, I have interfaced with, worked with, and forged relationships with countless authors. Some of them write stuff I love, some write stuff I haven't read, and some write stuff I'd probably only give 2 stars to. (Disclaimer: that's almost never true.) I'd rather support ALL THE WRITERS by leaving my opinions largely to myself.

(My silence doesn't mean I didn't enjoy a book, either. It only means that I'm sticking to my own rule of not publicly commenting on most books I've read.)

If I do gush about a book, it's almost always something written by an author I don't have a personal relationship with. (Or at least didn't have at the time I read the book.)  I'll occasionally do a public swoon over a book that particularly grabbed me (like Holly Bodger's 5 to 1, which I admittedly gushed over on this very blog), but overall I choose to remain respectfully silent.

(Most of the time it's a companionable silence. I really do enjoy almost all the books I read!)

All that to say--the words people say about our books matter, but not that much. Of course we want people to fall in love with our characters and stay up reading late into the night. We want to please others with our creative offering, and refusing to admit that isn't doing us any favors. But in the end, we mustn't be fueled by those words of praise, because that will give the words of criticism far too much power to disable us.

Write. Work hard and keep your eye on whatever your personal writing goal is, but don't use the words of others as a litmus test.  If you can get to the point at which you learn that someone hated your book so much that they threw it away, and you merely shrug and say, "Bummer. Guess my book's not for everyone," then you're in a fabulous place. Stay right where you are!

Of course, I'd be remiss not to share the most fabulous blurb I could've dreamed of, a portion of which is on the cover of STORMRISE:

“A bold girl, a kingdom under attack, magic everywhere―I devoured it in one sitting! This book is one wild ride!” ―Tamora Pierce

That Ms. Pierce would take the time to read and blurb a debut novelist's work says more about her than it does about me. I literally fell to my knees after my editor sent me the blurb (I didn't know she'd sent STORMRISE to Tamora Pierce), felled by shock and thankfulness.

Is this amazing, humbling blurb the main source of my affirmation? No. For as wondrous and kind-hearted as it is, it's just one person's opinion of my novel. A positive opinion, couched in superlative terms (Tamora Pierce read my story in one sitting!), to be sure. But in the end, just one more opinion.

The flip side is that, had she hated my book, I wouldn't have heard a word from her. (I wouldn't even have known she'd read it.)

Words have so much power (which is why stories move us). I'd like to continue to use mine to the best of my ability, and I invite you to do the same.

I'm thankful, too, for the beautiful book photos that are starting to show up on social media (shout out to Dorothy Dreyer for the above!). I stare at each one as though I've never seen the cover of STORMRISE before, marveling at how the photographer took the time to arrange everything just so to create a piece of art.

(Disclaimer: I'm not very good at this myself, though I do try.)

I could spend many hours thanking every person who has blessed me along the way. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a perpetual state of overwhelming thankfulness. (Except when I have to cook dinner. Then I turn instantly grumpy.)

A final thank you to all who have preordered STORMRISE, and a reminder to save your receipts for an upcoming preorder giveaway.

Places to preorder: 

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

INDIEBOUND

BOOKS-A-MILLION

TARGET

Thanks, everyone, for being part of my world! A quick reminder that submissions will open at noon EDT for our PITCH FOR THE WIN contest (details HERE).

Have a glorious weekend!

Friday Fricassee

Friends, I finally made it to England.

The above picture is, of course, at Stonehenge, where we were able to take a magnificent, after-hours tour inside the boundaries.

Being so close to something so ANCIENT is a bit breath-stealing.

Most of our time was spent in London, city of our dreams. I'm going to share a lot more about my trip in my June newsletter, so be sure to subscribe if you haven't already!

Being the geeky debut author I am, I brought along a galley of STORMRISE so I could photograph it in all the places. Here it is in Hyde Park:

And, no, I didn't care one fig about who saw me or what they were thinking. Younger-me would have been too insecure to walk around London taking photos and selfies with a book. Older-me? Couldn't care less. I was having the time of my life, not only celebrating a wonderful, dream-come-true vacation with my husband, but also celebrating the realization of my publishing dream.

I'm so thankful. There are no words to describe the breadth and depth of my thankfulness.

In other, less international news, submissions are now open for Monday's DROP THE NEEDLE critique round, and will be open until 7:00 pm EDT. The submission guidelines are HERE.

And, finally, I was thrilled to receive an email a short while ago from my publicist, letting me know that STORMRISE has been included on PUBLISHERS LUNCH's YA Buzz Titles for Fall/Winter 2019.  It's hard to describe what it feels like to be included on a list with names like Ruta Sepetys, Brandon Sanderson, and Veronica Roth. 

This is all so new and glorious and I tend to get completely derailed from what I should be spending my time on, which, right now, is story planning. Partly I need to give myself grace--this is, after all, an experience I've never had before, and I need to allow myself to revel and gasp and stare and become distracted. But I also need to learn to take a (very) deep breath and get back to the work at hand. Which is what I'm getting ready to do right now.

No, really.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart and soul and big toes, for sticking with me during this journey. 

I collectively thanked you all in my acknowledgements, by the way. Because HOW COULD I NOT?

Have a lovely weekend, and I'll see you Monday for DROP THE NEEDLE!

Friday Fricassee: In Which I Receive My STORMRISE Galleys

You know I love you if I'm letting you see the ultimate dorkiness and unfettered joy captured in this video.

But I want to share this with you. You, who have walked with me through this long journey. (Some of you for a very, very long time!)

Here it is: My first glimpse at the STORMRISE galleys that arrived a short while ago on my doorstep.

There are pretty much no words to describe how this feels!

(Also, yes, I will be hosting a giveaway VERY SOON!)

Check out my INSTAGRAM STORY for more photos! And have a glorious weekend!

Friday Fricassee

I'm enjoying the enthusiasm rolling through our Secret Agent Contest. Hooray for the energy and dedication of writers everywhere! We are a unique and supportive tribe.

Keep the critiques coming! And if you have an entry in this contest, please remember to critique a minimum of 5 of your colleagues' entries. Our Secret Agent will be unveiled on Monday--and winners will be announced!

My hope is to host at least one more Secret Agent Contest this year. I'll do my best. Truth be told, I'm feeling the greenness behind my ears with this Debut Author thing. Events and deadlines and guest blogs and...I'll be learning to juggle it all.

(Perhaps "manage" is a better word. "Juggle" makes it sound like it could all go horribly wrong if I drop one little ball.)

A few days ago, I was introduced to my publicity manager. She's enthusiastic and organized and OH MY GOODNESS, I'm still getting my head around the fact that she is out there pitching me and my book. I'm still at the point where this stuff takes my breath away for a little bit.

I told her I could draw a good crowd in my home town, and offered a month when I'd like to do that, and she said...sure! And I keep thinking, really? She's going to set that up for me because I asked? And I'm amazed and humbled and thankful and so excited.

Three of my English teachers still live in that general area. I can't even describe what it will feel like to have them at an author event for my debut novel.

I don't know. I might sob my way through the whole thing.

I was thrilled earlier this week to discover that the cover of STORMRISE has finally made its way to Amazon and all the other online booksellers. Which gives me something else to stare at. (It's so silly, but there's no use denying it. I stare ALL THE TIME. Often with a goofy smile on my face.)

(STORMRISE is now available for preorder.)

Aside from all the STORMRISE launch prep, I'm continuing to work on NEW NOVEL, which I need to get to my editor in May. My goal is to send it before dear hubby and I leave for our trip to--wait for it--London.

London!

Yes, I'm the girl who has never been across the ocean. Whose only trip outside the USA was to Canada, back in the no-passport-needed days. Eric and I are COMPLETE ANGLOPHILES, and this is the vacation of our dreams. We've wanted to do this for so long, and haven't been able to. We even have a MATCHING LUGGAGE SET (which Eric doesn't seem particularly excited about).

And that's me in a cute, little nutshell. This weekend I'll be singing with the Nashville Symphony Chorus in a performance of Bernstein's Kaddish Symphony. It's been a tiring week (performance weeks always are), and the music is so very difficult--but singing with this group is an intense happy place for me. Even when the music about kills me.

Probably I'll take a nap soon. (Who came up with the idea of starting performances at 8:00 PM, anyway?)

Oh, and I've finally created a Facebook Page, so please come "like" me!

JILLIAN BOEHME, YA FANTASY AUTHOR

Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you Monday!

Friday Fricassee

Can it actually be that I'm writing 2 Friday Fricassees in a row?

In its heyday, this blog boasted 10 Secret Agent contests a year, the grand Baker's Dozen Agent Auction in December (5 stellar years, lots of success stories), and ongoing in-house critique sessions. It was hard to keep up that pace, though, and I gradually cut things back. Then, when I sold my book and was suddenly faced with my first deadline, I realized I had to cut back even more.

I'm not promising a return to the monthly Secret Agent contests or any end-of-year hullabaloo, but I do want to be mindful of offering more in-house critique, because IT IS SO HELPFUL. So if you're not subscribed to this blog (see right side bar) or following me on Twitter, do it now! Then you'll always know what's coming up next.

Which leads me to this fun announcement: Our next Secret Agent contest is officially scheduled for April! Keep your eyes on the blog for early info, to determine whether your genre is a fit for this agent.

Honestly, this past contest was so filled with positive energy, and the agent was such a delight to work with, that I found myself thinking, "So, why haven't I been doing as many of these lately?". Which, of course, works in your favor. :)

As my release date looms closer (September 10!), I'm sure I'll go a bit dark again. But for now, while I've hit my stride with "Untitled" (I mean, it actually does have a title, but that's just for my eyeballs right now), I feel like I can give a bit more here.

Yay!

And now I need to make myself a cuppa coffee (pour-over--my new love!) and sit down with my erasable marker (who knew that was a thing??) and the first-pass pages of STORMRISE. I've got 2 weeks to go through this thing word by comma by emdash. And that'll be the last time I see it until it's an advanced review copy!

(My stomach just dropped. Again. Wouldn't it be great if we burned calories every time that happened? I'd be at least 5 pounds lighter by now.)

Have a joyful weekend!

Friday Fricassee

I have to admit it--I've missed the bustle of the Secret Agent Contests! It's been great this week meeting new folks (mostly on Twitter--yay, Twitter!) and feeling the energy and excitement buzzing about from those who were entering for the first time.

Also? That same, wonderful spirit I'm always gushing about remained steadfast on Monday when submissions came to a grinding halt with a CONTEST IS FULL message only 8 minutes after the window opened.

Oops.

But nobody yelled! Nobody snarked! Nobody bombarded me with passive aggressive, victim-mentality emails. People asked questions, I got in touch with my programmer, he fixed the problem, and on we went.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

I can't say it enough: The online writing community is incomparable. I'm honored to be part of it.

It's thrilling, too, to meet a whole new generation of aspiring authors. This blog has been around for ages (it'll be 11 years in April!), and many of our "oldies" (a term of endearment, I assure you), have gone on to get agents and book deals, or else they've moved on to shinier pastures (if pastures can be shiny). Mind you, there are lots of you long-timers who are still here, still in process, still reaching for the stars. AND I AM SO GLAD! But I'm also glad to be meeting new writers.

For all who are new--here are some ways to learn more about me and about this blog.

To read about Secret Agent Contests and our in-house critique sessions:

GO HERE

To read the 3-part story of the Real Me behind my anonymous Authoress persona:

GO HERE (part 1)

AND HERE (part 2)

AND HERE (part 3)

To learn more about Jillian Boehme, author:

GO HERE

To preorder STORMRISE:

GO HERE

OR HERE

OR HERE

To receive the FREE e-book AGENT: DEMYSTIFIED (for querying writers):

GO HERE

And to subscribe to my AUTHOR NEWSLETTER (and receive a FREE audiobook):

GO HERE

I think that about covers it! Welcome, welcome, welcome, and best of luck on your writing endeavors.

Next up: Monday we'll reveal our Secret Agent and also announce the winners of this contest! Make sure you've subscribed to the blog (see right sidebar), and then you'll never miss a thing.

See you then! Happy weekend, all!

Friday Fricassee

Oh, my dear writing friends. It was another of those breathtaking moments that reminded me once again that, yes, I really do have a book coming out in nine months. That, after a long journey that sometimes felt so hopeless (and pointless), someone loved my story enough to buy it.

In short, I discovered two days ago that my book has been listed on Amazon (and every other online bookseller). Of course I clicked right over--and read, for the first time, the jacket copy.

And all the rest of it.

Over and over.

No cover art yet, of course, but that's just one more thing to look forward to. (I saw some early concept art recently; that was another pinch-myself moment.) I'm sure I'm not the only debut author who has read her brand-new-shiny Amazon listing over and over. (Or maybe I am. In which case, please don't tell me.) All I know is--I don't need a single present under my Christmas tree.

See for yourself: STORMRISE ON AMAZON.COM.

Naturally, I announced this on my personal Facebook page as soon as it happened. I expected my friends to rejoice with me; I didn't expect them to start preordering the book.

It wasn't just close friends, either. It was that girl from high school I barely knew, who not only preordered the book but told me how proud she is of me. The gal who was in my gaming community a number of years ago. The woman I just met a couple months ago. (And yes, it was my sister, too, but everybody's sister preorders their novels, right?)

Those orders were the icing on the cake. I'm so grateful--and so humbled. 

If you've clicked over, you've also read the blurb I received from Tamora Pierce. I don't think I can adequately express how thrilled and blown away I am by her words of praise for Stormrise. And also for the gumption of my wonderful editor for sending the manuscript to Tamora in the first place. 

So, yes, I'm celebrating with great thankfulness today. 

And there's this: If you're on your own journey toward publication, let my joy be your reminder that you have no idea what your future will hold. It took me twelve years to finally land a book deal. I wouldn't wish that amount of time on anyone, but I do want to remind you that YOU HAVE TO KEEP WRITING AND PRESSING THROUGH THE HARD TIMES. Trust me -- it works.

Thank you for sharing my writerly happiness. Here's to believing that your own isn't far away.

Friday Fricassee

Hello, my friends!

By now, most of you have probably read somewhere on social media about my dramatic faceplant into a banister, resulting in 8 stitches to my lower lip and 3 loose teeth, one of them cracked.

Okay, it was more than cracked. It was shoved into my hard palette, and the ER doctor had to push it back into place. Seriously messed-up teeth going on over here.

My lip is healing and, after a week and a half, I can actually smile again. But chewing food isn't anywhere in my near future, so right now everything is a smoothie.

(Like, I just pureed bacon into my tomato bisque soup. Because WHAT BETTER WAY TO ADD PROTEIN?)

All I can say is THANK GOODNESS I CAN STILL WRITE! Other than occasional bouts of grumpy-hunger (because liquid diet) and tooth woe (but I'm finally off the Ibuprofen, so yay!), I've been able to move forward with both my copyedits (done!) and my WIP (almost done!).

Here's the exciting news I announced in THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER (go to JillianBoehme.com to subscribe!):

1. The official new title of my novel is STORMRISE!

2. The official release date is September 10, 2019. My dad's 86th birthday!

3. THERE WILL BE ARCs FOR GIVING AWAY. Stay tuned!

Also, I'm happy to announce that WE WILL BE HAVING A SECRET AGENT CONTEST IN JANUARY!

I know it's been a while! I'm nailing down the details with the agent and I will post submission guidelines as soon as I have them.

All good stuff, despite my bit of a mishap. (Tell you what, though. The support of family and friends is SUCH A HUGE THING. I don't think I'd be where I'm at without it.)

Keep your eye on this (largely quiet but ready to wake up again) blog for details on the Secret Agent Contest as well as upcoming in-house critique sessions. I'm still here for you! (Especially now that the copyedits are done.)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Friday Fricassee (aka Vacation and Beyond)

There's so much emotion involved in the unfolding of a debut novel. The work--the nitty-gritty, teeth-grinding, hand-wringing work--is largely behind me, and now there's this huge, invisible machine that cranks behind the scenes.

Crank, crank, blurbs from authors.

Crank, crank, fabulous cover artist.

Crank, crank, release date moved.

On it goes, and whenever I really think about any part of it, my stomach shoots down to my toes and the sheer THIS-IS-ACTUALLY-HAPPENING overwhelms me all over again.

These are my legs and toes from 2016, when I was plotting GATHERING STORM. Not even writing yet--just planning. Which, by the way, is my least favorite part of writing, with first-drafting a very close second. (Revisions make my spirit sing.) I'm so glad I took this silly little selfie back then, because it reminds me of what lies ahead of the hard parts. (And, yes, I'm in the middle of one of those right now, planning and plotting and all sorts of blank-faced staring.)

This is the picture-with-a-moral, of course, which is, as always, KEEP WRITING.

So June was vacation month, and we were gone for 16 days, which is a lot of days to be not-home. We spent the first week at my parents' home, which happens to be the house I grew up in. One of my goals for the trip was to do this:

The first picture was taken in March, 1974, by a photographer from The Morning Call (the newspaper for the Allentown area of Pennsylvania). They did a lovely article on my writing, including an interview and several of my poems and drawings on a full-page spread. It was, for a not-quite-nine-year-old, a heady experience.

And, of course, the picture on the right was taken just a few weeks ago. I mean, THE WALLPAPER. It's the same! So are the table and chair. I couldn't not take advantage of such a perfect time capsule. Mind you, I didn't quite fit in the same little nook I'd squooshed myself into when I was 8. But I'm still pretty pleased with the results, thanks to the patience of my dear husband.

Other than spending Father's Day with my almost-85-year-old dad, who is and always will be my original Prince Charming, another highlight of that first week was a trip to New York, where I spent time with both my editor and my agent!

I met Elayne in the foyer of the Flatiron building, where the Tor offices are located, and we walked up the street to have lunch. This was our first face-to-face, and I absolutely enjoyed every moment! One can only hope--and not be guaranteed--that there will be a "click" between author and editor, and I was not disappointed. Elayne exuded a loveliness and down-to-earthness that made talking with her sheer pleasure. (The fact that she's in love with Mr. Thornton is an added bonus.) I wish I'd asked our waiter to take a picture, but he was a bit off-putting and the opportunity didn't present itself. At any rate, I was thankful for the gift of meeting Elayne in person, and I remain oh, so thankful to have her as my editor.

After way too much walking (husband Eric was born in Yonkers and isn't the least bit intimidated by the city--and he clearly didn't anticipate my level of wimpdom), I met Danielle at an amazing wine and chocolate bar for dinner.

Ever since Gathering Storm sold last September, Danielle and I have been talking about sharing chocolate martinis to celebrate. She picked the absolutely best place to do so, and it was seriously the best chocolate martini I've ever had. 

No, really. I'm wrecked for life. 

And they were served with this amazing dark chocolate, filled with a ganache that made me question the necessity for any other food, ever.

I could've sat there until the moon rose and the city streets emptied. Truly, words fail me for how much I love and appreciate this woman. She has stuck by me through hard revisions, difficult plotting, and repeated disappointment. She's empathetic, insightful, brilliant, and funny, and, why, yes, I am gushing.

On an incredibly exciting, not-so-side note, Danielle recently signed my daughter, Maggie Boehme, who has written an incredible YA survival story that's going to knock the socks off any editor who reads it. I'm as over the moon about this as Maggie is!

It's official!! I am beyond excited to share that I'm now represented by @DanielleBurby of Nelson Literary Agency!!! 😀🙌🎉

— Maggie Boehme (@meboehme) July 19, 2018

I've watched Maggie grow from her sweet, fumbling attempts when she was 11 or 12 (yes, she jumped right in and started writing novels!), through her teen years when she got really serious about her writing but didn't have the maturity to go back and revise, past the college years when writing had to take a back seat to course reading and term papers, to recently when she jumped back in and blew me away with how far she'd come. She has a natural knack for creating multi-faceted, believable characters--the kind that stick with you for days after you finish reading the book. The kind that make you cry.

I'm so proud of her. But you knew that.

Anyway. Our second week of vacation was spent at the shore. Yes, I wrote almost every day, but writing near the ocean is something I wish I could always do, so it didn't exactly feel like work. Not exactly.

This was probably the best part--working through story notes for what has turned out to be Elayne's choice for my next novel. But that's a tale for another day. (I'm so excited about this story that sometimes I just close my eyes and grin like an idiot, thinking about it. That doesn't happen when I'm actually plotting, of course. Because...plotting.)

And now we're home, and July, my wonderfully, beautifully open month of almost no commitments, is flying by at an alarming rate.

Also it's hot. My cat is drooping.

And there you have it! So much to be thankful for. The latest news is an amended release date for Gathering Storm, so take note: September, 2019. For some strange reason, that doesn't feel so far away!  The only stinky part is that, since my book has been shifted from a summer to a fall release, I'll have to wait until November to let you all know what the new title is.

Still. You can add it to your to-read list on Goodreads, regardless. (And, oh, that would make me happy!) 

I think that's about it! Oh, and if you haven't yet subscribed to my newsletter, take a minute to sign up now. The next issue will be out on August 9.

Happy weekend! Happy writing! And thanks, as always, for sharing my journey.