that I have a ‘site stats’ thing which used to be a ‘blog stats’ thing and it tells you how many times your webpage has been looked out. And at the very bottom, it tells you who looked (sometimes) and what they looked up to find you.
Do you know what a treat it is to know that I’m being googled? And it’s not because I did something wrong or something terribly ‘hollywood horrible’ but just because I wrote a book. That feels nice to be googled. Because then it means someone actually took the time to look me (or the book) up. Even if they hate it. They put effort into it. And it’s the effort I like. Regardless of the outcome.
So thanks for making my day.
And incidentally? You won’t get to read the webpage version of Kirkus Book Review because you have to ‘become a member’ at 450$ a year.
Yah. I’ll be buying that soon. 
Eating: Shamefully? shawarma with fries and gravy. I ate 1/3 and now I feel sick. Even after eating healthy all day.
Reading: About to start ‘The Hunger Games’. Read a chapter on my Kindle. It’s gonna be good!
Watching: Nothing. Boys are camping so I’m all alone. Bedtime early tonight!
Listening to: Nothing. Read above. Miss them terribly though.
Posted on 18 August '10 by Jenn Kelly, under observations. No Comments.
Ok, so we find Jenn to be on the couch in the sunroom with a laptop on her lap and she’s watching SYTYCD. She’s wearing a worn gray t-shirt and green Hollister jogging pants, that are far too large. She’s drinking the new pink grapefruit Perrier water and her neurotic dog, Daisy, is asleep on a very large pillow, the size of a couch.
So, Jenn, can you answer some questions?
Yah, sure, but only during commercials, ok?
No, problem. First of all, who do you think will win SYTYCD?
Ah, that’s a tough one. I’m starting to love Lauren because she’s so adorable and so strong, but I think it’ll be Kent. He’s a great dancer and he’s really grown. And all the teen girls love him. Although if Alex was still on the show, he’d win for sure.
Ok, so what have you been up to lately?
Do you not read my blog?
Uh, yes, yes, of course. So, um. How exactly did you find a publisher? I mean, it’s really hard out there getting published, especially by someone as reputable as Zondervan.
It is hard, actually. When I finished my manuscript, I spent about a year editing it and during that time I researched a whole bunch of publishing companies and possible agents (I did not just send it to anyone, I carefully checked out what that agent had done to make sure there was a common theme.) and I had signed up for the Writer’s Guild writing conference in June of ’08 I believe. During that year I sent out my query letter to 76 possible places and I received 35 rejections.
Does any one rejection stand out?
Oh yes. This one guy, I thought he would be a perfect agent because he was quirky and funny. I received a rejection letter written on behalf of his assistant, who told he wasn’t interested. No reason, just not interested. And he had his assistant do it! A friend of mine was kind enough to say that he was probably the kind of guy who was too busy to answer it himself because he was doing his mom’s laundry.
That’s kind of funny.
Yah, I thought so. After. I was pretty crushed though. Anyway, so I went to the conference in Guelph, and hubby allowed me to book a hotel because I didn’t want to share a room with 6 other women while I was there. I signed up for some cool classes (ie How to Write Christian Fiction) and I signed up to sit and talk with a few members. I got to meet Bonnie Grove (who wrote Talking to the Dead) and she read my manuscript and told me I had a unique voice. I had no idea what that meant, but she explained it well. I got to sit with Bill Jensen (an agent) and he said to send him my manuscript. I also met Lloyd Kelly who at the time was with HarperCollins, and then I met Andy Meisenheimer from Zondervan and he was awesome. Granted he told me that they didn’t even have a children’s editor and that he was not interested in children’s fiction. But after I wore him down (impressed him with my wit and weirdness) he consented to take my manuscript when the time was right. And then I went home. Tired, but happy. A few months later I emailed Andy and he told me to send my manuscript to him. I did and then two weeks later I heard from Kathleen. It was such a high.
So you heard from Kathleen, the Zonderkids editor, and then what happened?
I waited. She contacted me in November and told me she’d get back to me near Christmas. In January I emailed her and said, Hello? Remember me? And she said, yes of course, everyone is interested, I’ll get back to you. Six months later I emailed her and said, “Um, clearly you aren’t interested, so thank you for your time” and she quickly got back to me and said, “No, no! We want you!” And then more waiting and then a contract. And then I knew it was for real.
So do you think that this is normal for most writers? I mean, you were picked up within a year of looking.
Gosh, no. I don’t think it’s normal at all. I’ve read awful stories about people taking 9 years to get picked up or they give up after a year and self-publish. I think in my situation God was definitely on my side. I firmly believe that all things happen for a reason, and this is happening for a reason.
So were you ever part of any writer’s clubs or critique groups?
I would have loved to have been part of one, but things weren’t in the cards for that. I mean, most writing groups around here or either not in my genre, or they were closed. Also, with Dan working shift work and cutting trees part-time, when he’s home – I make sure I’m home. And I wasn’t going to take that time away from Jackson either.
Would you join a group now?
Honestly? Probably not. I have a couple of friends that do a little poetry with me and I’ve tried to set up a little writing thing twice a month, but everyone is too busy. And I kind of don’t want any feedback until I’ve written most of it. Except from my editor. Sometimes I get so ridiculously vulnerable I send her 10 emails a day.
Do you think that makes her crazy?
Oh gosh I hope not! (laughs) She’s very kind and sweet and puts up with me. She has a ridiculously awesome sense of humour so she gets me. I’m so blessed to have her. I made her promise if I made it huge she’d quit and become my manager or something. But she loves her job, so I doubt it. Ok, can you leave me alone now? I’m trying to watch this.
yah, yah, of course. Enjoy your show. Can we come back again?
(Left the room to get berries and frozen yoghurt with chocolate sauce)
Posted on 21 July '10 by Jenn Kelly, under observations. No Comments.
Today I will work my cookies off to get the book put together. My lovely editor is going on holidays soon and mentionned she’d bring the manuscript with her provided I had it done by tomorrow. Hm.. I don’t think that includes edits but at least she can give me some feedback because although I “think” it’s good, it might not be as good as I think it is.
We had a most interesting conversation about the second print. I never knew what that meant. What second print means is once the bookstore sells out and orders more copies. They only print what has been pre-ordered. So I’ll have a new cover. Hm. And a tagline. Which is a sentence they put on the cover of the book. I was asked to come up with a tagline for the second book and I was like, “hm.. ah… huh.” I don’t think they’ll print that.
In other news, my book comes out soon.
Ohmygoodness.
reading: Perfectly Dateless by Kristin Billerbeck (for a review)
watching: pathetically, Bachelorette. I thought it was hometown date and I wanted to see if Ally brought them to her dead grandmother’s house.
eating: greek salad with couscous
listening to: strangely nothing. I usually have music going but at the moment, I’m not noticeing. Does that mean I’m changing? Oof, I hope not.
Posted on 20 July '10 by Jenn Kelly, under observations. 1 Comment.
I feel very good today. I just figured out my Miss Flaversham chapter and I think it’ll work really, really well. So I’m excited. I’m also eating a delicious spicy beef burrito from Farm Boy and it’s soo good! I will definitely need a tums or two, but I don’t care!
I had a moment. I was listening to Robbie Williams singing ‘Have you met Miss Jones?’ from the Bridget Jones movie. And I remembered the silly home video they play at the end of the movie with him singing about Bridget splashing about and whatnot. And it made me realize that I’m that way. I mean, I’m a handful. Which can be construed by others as “too much”.
My wonderful, dear friends (of whom at the moment, I think are 3 that actually read this blog, but I pray for more over time) you can never be ‘too much.’ I don’t mean the people who get angry all the time or throw things for no reason. I mean the people who have such an imagination, who daydream (without falling down sewer holes if you know what I mean), who want to and believe they can change the world. We are so so interesting! People who always do the proper thing and don’t get emotional about anything… they have no fire in their bellies, no passion in their hearts. Stay away from them! At least until you can develop a thick skin, and let me tell you, it takes years upon years to do that. And if you can’t stay away from them and you don’t have a thick skin, don’t share your dreams with them. They will just try to shove you down and tie you to the ground so you can’t go back up and float in the clouds. Don’t listen to them. Be responsible in your life, but don’t listen to them. Don’t let them tell you you can’t do things, that you aren’t any good at it and that you’ll never amount to anything so just be a lawyer.
Do you know why I brag about the fact that I failed English at Ottawa U? Because you don’t need to have the degree or the honours or the papers to write a book. I took Forestry for goodness sakes, and while I was brilliant (my words, not theirs) at the tree silviculture and identification and horrible at the maths, I still wrote a book. My dreams came true! I don’t even know what to do with myself except pinch occasionally to remind myself that this is happening!
But I will give credit to my God. Because I honestly don’t believe it would have happened without Him. And I must tell you, He doesn’t think I’m too much. He thinks I’m marvelous and funny and clever and wonderful.
I happen to agree with him.
Ok, I’m done babbling. I don’t even know if this post makes sense because I’m just gushing in the way that I do.
Happy unpredictable day.
So the news is:
the book won’t be in Canada until August 31st. BOOOOO!!!! Not terribly happy about that, but I can’t do anything about it so I’ll just sneak down to the US and gaze at it fondly at the bookshelf at Barnes and Noble.
I ‘think’ I’ve figured out my whole ‘Miss Flaversham’ thing. Which is very cool for me but crazy for you because I can’t tell you any of it. Except that it’ll be good.
My sweet, darling, wonderful husband bought me a prezzie. The new Kindle. Oh I was so excited and not expecting it at all! It took me a little while to figure out how to work it, and to find the free books area, so now I have 10 books downloaded (all free and classics) so now I get to read with it. But at the moment I’m reading Harry Potter in paperback. I love that book. Not just because of the story but because it’s the first book my husband ever bought me. It was on the way to a show I had to do for Almonte Valley Players and we’d always stop in at the Mac’s Milk and get a grape crush so I could burp away my nervousness before starting. (I am amazing on stage, but before I go on? I’m a mess.) And there it was, sitting by the cash. We didn’t have very much money, but he bought it for me. It was 10$. I married well. That man knows my heart, inside and out.
Ok, I have some writing to do. Many chapters to meld but I’m up to 34,000 words! Yay!
Listening to: the clock ticking behind me. It’s making me a little crazy. Need music, I think. CBC radio?
Reading: Harry Potter, first book. And my Kindle!
Watching: tonight? So You Think You Can Dance!
Eating: crackers and brie. And a venti, soy, no water, no foam, tazo chai.
