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!

STORMRISE Preorder Giveaway!

Lovely tribe of mine! I'm excited to announce this Stormrise preorder offer, which will run from today until September 9 at 11:59 pm CDT.

The details:

Preorder Stormrise to receive a signed bookmark and be entered into a drawing to win this gorgeous, Stormrise-inspired pendant by @T.ArchJewelry.

(Note: US only, and I'm so sorry, but...it is what it is.)

Also!!

You can order a signed copy of Stormrise from Parnassus Books in Nashville! CLICK HERE TO ORDER. And guess what! International orders will be accepted! 

Tammy's choice of a carnelian (which--full disclosure--I'd never heard of before) is absolutely perfect, as well. Carnelian is a semi-precious stone symbolizing motivation, endurance, leadership, and courage. Rain needs all four of these qualities as she embarks upon her adventure in Stormrise!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. PREORDER STORMRISE FROM ANY BOOKSTORE.

2. EMAIL A COPY OF YOUR RECEIPT TO ME AT JILLIAN@JILLIANBOEHME.COM.

3. IMPORTANT: PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS IN THE EMAIL!

4. YOU WILL RECEIVE A SIGNED BOOKMARK AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING TO WIN THE PENDANT. (IF YOU PREORDER A SIGNED COPY FROM PARNASSUS BOOKS, YOUR BOOKMARK WILL BE UNSIGNED AND WILL BE INCLUDED WITH YOUR ORDER. ALL OTHER BOOKMARKS WILL BE SIGNED AND MAILED SEPARATELY.)

* AMAZON * PARNASSUS BOOKS * BARNES AND NOBLE * 

* BAM * TARGET * INDIEBOUND *

How Close Are You to Nashville?

My dearest readers!

I'm thrilled to announce my first event. If you're anywhere near the Nashville area, I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to meet you on Thursday, September 12!

Because it really would mean a lot to put your name to a face, I'd love for you to drop me an email at jillian@jillianboehme.com to let me know you're coming. 

Hope to see some of you there!

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!

Pitch for the Win: The Critiques!

Dearest writerly ones!

Pull out your notebook and pen; today you get to sit back and read the thoughtful (and in some cases, quite detailed) critiques of our winning first pages. While it's true that all critique is subjective, it's also true that reading what experienced writers have to say ups our game, giving us things to think about that we can keep in mind when doing our own writing.

Enjoy! And one more huge thank you to our participating authors.