Happy 2013!!!!

It's New Years Eve... like RIGHT! NOW!

And i'd be lying if I didn't tell you that new years was pretty much my most favorite holiday ever.  There's just something MAGICAL about new year's eve.

I don't know if it's all the promise of what's to come... or if it's the hope, the excitement, the unknown, or all the chances we seem to give ourselves at the start of a new year... but whatever it is, I FREAKING LOVE IT!

You already know that the beginning of 2012 saw a lot of struggle.. the loss of my home, still no job, and my books not really selling enough to make me feel "worthy."

BUT, the end of 2012 has pretty much rocked. I released The Perfect Game in October and since then it's hit the USA Today Best Seller's list, been a Barnes & Noble best seller, a Kobo Best Seller, along with being an Amazon Top 100 Best Selling Book for OVER 60 days (it's only been out for like 70 something)!!!! That has honestly blown my mind in the best possible way! I never expected to have the longevity I am having with my little book that could... I'm over the freaking moon about it.  :)

But I am so freaking thankful. 

AND HAPPY.

Sincerely.

2012 brought me an agent.

It brought me deals and offers...

It brought me audio versions of ALL THREE of my currently released books! I never expected that. In all honesty, I'd never even thought about it. So that was such a nice surprise. Thank you Audible.  :)

2012 has blown my mind.

YOU have blown my mind.

But as I sit here writing this blog post, I'm honestly hoping and praying that this is just the beginning. I find myself wishing with all my heart that the end of 2012 is just the beginning of what's to come for me in 2013.

I want to continue to grow my team, my business, my brand, my name- I want people behind me (or beside me) who want the best for me, my books and my readers... and who understand how the indie world works (or at least are willing to listen and try to figure it out). It's different coming onto the scene as a traditionally published author versus going from being a self pubbed one to a traditionally published one. I want all sorts of brilliant people around me who want to help me rise to the top. Positive, good, smart and ambitious people. Here's to hoping my team grows in just that way in 2013 because I want to continue being successful.  :)

Because honestly...being a successful author feels really fucking good. The fact that I am making a living from writing now... I cannot even put into words how absolutely mind blowing it feels. How I finally feel like I am doing the right thing- I'm on the right path- I'm following my heart and it's finally paying off. And I can stop beating myself up for being a non-income-bringing-in-loser-mcloser-face.  lol  You know what I mean. It doesn't feel good to contribute NOTHING to your household.

But now I am! And it's been so FULFILLING!

THANK YOU.

Because I've said it a million times before, but it bears being repeated... I can't do this without you. 

I could have never had the year I just did without every single one of you who gave my book a chance- who fell in love with the story I told- and who recommended it to other people.

Your word of mouth is my best friend. And I can never tell you "thank you" enough for it. Just please know that I never take you for granted.  And that I honestly do try my best to answer every email, tweet, facebook post, etc.  Because you mean the freaking world to me. You're not just "a reader"... I consider you a friend.

So kittens... Here's to a freaking amazingly MAGICAL 2013! 
For all of us! 
I hope you follow your heart and it leads you to true joy. Thank you for inspiring me with your words, your emails, your posts... and i'll do my best to keep turning out books that make you proud.

Remember when I released The Perfect Game I talked about getting a tattoo if it reached the Amazon Top 100?

Well I did it.

Just a little while ago. By a Giants fan, but let's not talk about that part. (hi tito's vodka, you are amazeballs)

This is what I hope I do for every.single.one.of.you.

Is it bad if I already want to add to the tattoo?  LOL

Happy New Year everyone! I love you! 
xoxoox

Taking it back

As 2012 comes to a close (ha ha, take that mayans!), I wanted to repost something that I posted originally on November 8th of this year. The release of The Perfect Game and your reaction to it has changed my professional life for not only the better, but for the freaking AMAZINGLY FANTASTICAL!  Yeah, I just made up a word.

It's so important to me that you guys realize just how much I appreciate you. How thankful I am that you not only take a chance on my stories, but you love them and tell other people to read them. I could not ask for more! 

Here's to hoping the end of this year was only the beginning and that 2013 rocks our freaking socks off!  :)  I'm ready! 

http://writing.jennster.com/2012/11/the-post-where-i-show-you-my-heart.html

THE POST WHERE I SHOW YOU MY HEART

kittens...

I love you. I really do. And I hope you know that everytime I tell you "thank you" or that "I appreciate you"... I really, really mean it.

I want to give you a little background on me so that you can hopefully get a better understanding of just HOW thankful I truly am.  :)

I got fired from my job about two and half years ago. It was funny because at the time I was so convinced that I'd be jobless for probably a whopping whole 2 weeks before someone else scooped me up and I was working my ass off again. And the thing was, at the time, I really needed a break. I can't even begin to talk about what went on in that work environment and what I had to deal with, but to say it was one of the most challenging experiences of my life would be a true understatement.

Anyway, I couldn't have been more wrong about my ability to find a new position with ease. Holy shit, i'd never been here before. I'd never been jobless. I'd never been tossed into an environment that was filled with so many under and over qualified people looking for work all at once. So I bought a laptop and starting writing almost immediately.  But I was still looking for work and applying to numerous jobs daily.

I could barely get an interview- and when I did, I ususally left there in tears because I had just come from a miserable work environment and the last thing I wanted was to be tossed into another one. I didn't want to do something I hated. I wanted to enjoy how and where I spent my days. Life is too short.
Nothing felt right anymore.
All the interviews- THE MERE THOUGHT of working for someone else- it didn't sit well in my guts. It's like I knew somewhere inside me that that wasn't what I was supposed to do anymore. It didn't feel right to work for someone else. It felt like I was taking a step backward when I was handed this gift to move myself forward.

But how do you explain that kind of "logic" to a family who needs your income? 

Thankfully I have a very supportive family.  :)

Not like it would have mattered- I honestly don't think I could have found a job if my life had literally depended on it.  It's HARD out there. It's crazy competitive and the people hiring like to make the decision for you before they've even given you a chance "I think you'll be bored in this position." "You're way too overqualified for this."  "Why would you want to do this job, when you've been doing this sort of job the last 10 years?"

Moving on... 
I couldn't get hired (obviously lol). And I released my first book (in dreams) not knowing really anything about this business. I just knew that I had a story I wanted to tell and no one was going to stop me from telling it. So I did. And then I wrote another. And i'm working my ass off to try to make a name for myself in the Indie/Self Published author world. And it's a lot freaking harder than it looks. There's A LOT of indie authors out there. And sometimes things seem so hit or miss- the moon lines up and the stars align just right for some people and not for others. And it's frustrating because i'm sitting there trying to sell books so i don't feel like such a worthless non-income-bringing-in loser (ahem), but nothing i'm doing is working- and my books are being ripped apart and people are hating them and the comments are freaking mean and they tell me I suck and write like a 12 year old and i'm sure i'm supposed to be offended, but I know some pretty cool 12 year olds out there, so whatever.

But of course that leads to the inevitable question of- am I supposed to be writing books at all?  And if i'm NOT supposed to be writing books, then just exactly what the hell am I supposed to be doing because NOTHING ELSE FEELS RIGHT! 

Sorry.

I'm calm now.  lol

So I'm writing books, but not really making any money. I'm looking for a job, but I can't freaking get one. 

And what happens next?

We lose our house.  After trying to refinance and get help with the mortgage (all of which the bank said no too)- we were in the middle of a short sale when the house went to auction. The bank didn't stop the auction and I went and watched it get sold to the highest bidder. We had to move a month later. (that was all this past may/june)

And really?  It's okay. I mean, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and i'm perfectly fine with how everything turned out- but that doesn't mean it wasn't horrible and hurtful and really fucking sad to get to this point.  You know?

Holy crap, do I have a point?  Yes, I do.  My point is that if you fast foward to now... right in this moment... right this second... I want you to know that you've made a difference in my life because you're enjoying something that i've written. You're telling your friends and family to buy my book. You're recommending The Perfect Game to friends, strangers, neighbors, in coffee shop lines, on facebook, on twitter, etc.  You're CHANGING my life. 

I'll say it again.

YOU
ARE
CHANGING
MY
LIFE


Let it sink in. 

Please.

Just for a moment.

Or two.


Because I could never be where I am right now (an Amazon best seller, having made the USA Today and Barnes & Noble Best Seller list) without each and every one of you. And I would be lying if I didn't say that I wish this could last forever! Because honestly, I wish it would. :)

But as for now-  you've made my dreams come true. You've rewarded my hard work by believing in me, encouraging me, supporting me, and wanting MORE from me. For the first time since I started this crazy journey, I feel like a success. I feel like i'm doing something right. I feel like i'm right where i'm supposed to be.  And I AM SO THANKFUL for every one of you. Because I feel that way BECAUSE of you.

So, thank you... for every email, every facebook post and every tweet.  Thank you for everytime my book pops into your head to recommend to someone. Thank you for spreading the word about my little book that could. You believe in it, which means you believe in me. 

And that is more inspiring than I can ever put into words.

I appreciate you. 

xo

After Christmas Sale on The Perfect Game!

Okay!  So in celebration of all the new kindles, ipads, ipad mini's and nooks out there... i've lost my freaking marbles and made The Perfect Game only 99 cents!

99 pennies.
50 cents (you'll get the reference after you read the book) and 49 more.

seriously?

99 cents!?

Yeah.  SO GO GET IT!  please?

Have an amazon gift card burning a hole in your pocket?  Let's spend 99 of those cents on this book!  LOL

But really, tell your friends... tell your neighbors... tell your enemies.  unless they really suck  :)

AND THANK YOU!  Thank you so much for helping me have the most successful year i've ever had in my professional life.

And if we rock TPG back up the charts, who knows what will happen in the future!

Links?  Here you go.

the amazing amazon
http://www.amazon.com/The-Perfect-Game-ebook/dp/B009OMPKTG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1356485200&sr=8-2&keywords=the+perfect+game

the bombastic barnes & noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-perfect-game-j-sterling/1113324003


Thank you for spreading the word. I can't do it alone and I really can't do it without you. I appreciate your help, your amazingness and your general awesomeness so much. I hope you know that.  :)

I'll be on the road driving and offline for the next couple of days so this price of 99 crazy cents will last for TWO days for sure. I can't promise anything past two days though, cause I might regain my sanity.  :)

So you want to write a book PART 2

This has become necessary for me to write with some things i've noticed happening online and on facebook lately.

This is MY OPINION only- I do not speak for the masses, but I can't keep my mouth shut about things that don't sit right with me, or I feel need to be addressed.  With that being said, here goes...

Since EVERYONE and their freaking dog can self publish a book these days, there seems to be a few common courtesy's that people are forgetting once they actually do.
The minute you hit publish on the book that you've written, you need to remember...

YOU are now a BUSINESS.
YOU are your BRAND.
YOU are your IDENTITY.

I don't care if you still work for someone else and write at night, write on the weekends, or don't consider yourself a writer at all.
Did you hit publish?
Is your book for sale?
Can people buy it?
DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO READ IT AND LIKE IT?
Then you're a business. 

YOU ARE YOUR BUSINESS, YOUR BRAND, YOUR ENTITY, YOUR IDENTITY, ETC.

So you need to behave in a "professional" manner, especially when it's really fucking hard to do so. (the professional jennster says fuck a lot)

People WILL write crappy reviews about your book.  And it will hurt, it will sting, it will make you angry, crush your ego a little, etc. There's really no way around that. But through all your personal, egotistical knee-jerk responses (because that's what it is- your ego is offended), you have to take a step back. 

You need to be able to look at reviews objectively. Sometimes, the harshest critics have the best advice. I've said it hundreds of times that I got my ass handed to me when I released my debut novel, In Dreams. I cried. I crumbled. I felt HORRIBLE on the inside. And at the time, I couldn't see exactly what was "so wrong" with it. But as I grew as a writer and as I differentiated between people's tastes in books versus their constructive criticism, I found that some reviews really had a lot to tell me. And it's the things they said that helped me address issues I never realized I had in the first place. Those critical reviews helped me grow.

IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU MUST BE WILLING TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE.

It doesn't serve you well as an author to personally attack reviewers.  It doesn't serve you well to sick your "minions" on someone who posted mean things about your book. Keep in mind, these people are not posting mean things about YOU, the writer (Unless they are. I've had people say i'm an idiot. I write like a 12 year old. I must think my readers are brainless, etc.  Which fuck yeah, that shit pisses me off cause it's offensive and how dare someone insult my readers and act like they are stupid, or act like I would EVER consider them to be stupid...) But most reviewers are talking about your book- which you have to keep in mind that while it's personal to you- it is NOT personal to them. They are merely expressing an opinion about your words, the way you've written them, your characters, your plot, your story.

I know that your brain knows that it's impossible to please everyone. But our ego's and hearts hurt when we read the reviews that rip our stories apart. The only way to get thicker skin is to go through the pain. It's hard to see the validity in things sometimes when our hearts are too busy breaking to be reasonable.

Which sort of brings me to another topic that is driving me up the freaking wall lately.

It does not behoove ANY debut author to have a group of people blowing smoke up their ass about their debut novel. It does a disservice to you as a writer- because it gives you a false sense of your writing skill and then when someone DOES say they didn't like your book, your immediate gut reaction is to think that person's the one with the problem.

Having less than honest reviewers and reviews on your book sucks for you- and sucks for other potential readers. People will start to question the validity of reviews entirely (if they haven't already) if this trend continues. Potential future readers will stop trusting the reviews they read on Amazon because they won't know if they came from a valid place, or not.

And having your debut novel soar up the Amazon Top 100 charts when it possibly shouldn't be there also gives you a false sense of entitlement. Unless your debut novel is something in the likes of Slammed, or The Sea of Tranquility- most likely you still have stuff to learn and reaching the Top 100 should be a legitimate goal that you work and strive for.

I am not trying to be mean. Please, please, please know that I am not trying to be mean to you. I love you. I'm simply trying to point out the fact that if you think you struck gold with your first book - then most likely you won't take the necessary steps to grow. You won't work as hard to improve yourself because you won't REALISTICALLY know what you need to improve.  When you surround yourself with people who are less than honest because they want to help you succeed- there's a fine line there. We all want to be successful writers. We all to be best sellers. But the truth is that most of us don't get there overnight... and certainly not with our debut novels.

I have more to say, but honestly... i've just completely forgotten the rest.  HA. 

99 books, 99 authors, 99 cents!

Seriously!  This is happening RIGHT NOW!  For ONE DAY ONLY we have 99 BOOKS from 99 AUTHORS for only 99 CENTS!!!!

http://buymereadme.com

Chance Encounters is the book of mine that is on sale for 99cents for TODAY only!
http://www.amazon.com/Chance-Encounters-ebook/dp/B007V6IGCA/?tag=jilli06-20


http://buymereadme.com

AND YOU CAN WIN ALL SORTS OF PRIZES!!!!!!!

GO!


NOW!!!

HTTP://BUYMEREADME.COM

The Game Changer- Teaser

So i've been working on TGC (yes, we're shortening it already) and I wanted to post a teaser for you guys. I'm pretty sure this scene won't change, but please keep in mind that it IS unedited and my editor is a total bad ass, so you never know.

I've got a pretty good start on the book and my only complaint is that I can't write as quickly as I think. I feel like a freaking slug sometimes. I know you all want to know WHEN WHEN WHEN is TGC coming out, but I can't tell you until I've finished writing it. Just please know that i'm planning for a Spring(ish) release.  That's not too far away.  So hang tight kittens.  :) 

Okay, enough stalling. This is from Jack's point of view. 

Enjoy.

And just like that she was gone. But not before saying the two fucking words that plague my nightmares. This girl is always asking me to "prove it." I deserve it after everything I’ve put her through. She doesn’t trust me anymore.
 

I wouldn’t trust me either.
 

It’s ironic though right? That I’m the one left standing all alone in a parking lot this time. I swear if my heart could leap out of my chest and into my hands, it would. I imagined that for a moment…the blood trickling through my fingertips, splashing onto the concrete below as I watched it slowly pound out its last beats before stopping altogether. 
 

Fuck.
 

My life does not make sense without this girl. And now she’s gone.
 

Again.
 

How is it that I’m always losing her?

 

The Game Changer Playlist

I wanted to write a post sharing some of the music i'm listening to while I write The Game Changer.

SO MANY OF YOU helped me pick songs for Jack & Cassie, so I wanted to share!  THANK YOU for sharing your songs with me.  :)


THE GAME CHANGER PLAYLIST:
Catch My Breath- Kelly Clarkson
Ho Hey- the Lumineers
Better than Love- Griffin House
Even if it Breaks Your Heart- Eli Young Band
Every Night- Imagine Dragons
Come Wake Me Up- Rascall Flatts
What Now- Rihanna
Walk Away- The Script
You Could Be Happy- Snow Patrol
Hard to Love- Lee Brice
Lightning- The Wanted
Only Place I Call Home- Every Avenue
Stay- Rihanna
The Mess I Made- Parachute
Timebomb- Pink
Staring at the Sun- Jason Aldean
Don't Dream it's Over- Glee Version

Someone asked me last night...

...which one of my books was my FAVORITE!?!?!?!?!?

At first, I just sat there staring at her like "how the hell am i supposed to answer that question?!??!!" 

But then I realized...
I absolutely do have a favorite.

I told her that I was most proud of The Perfect Game. That i'd worked so hard to learn, grow and become a better writer and storyteller that at this point... that's the one that i'm the most proud of.  :)

But the truth is...
The book that is my favorite is the one that started this whole journey. The original story that I couldn't get out of my head. The dream that haunted me for over ten years. The boy I've never met who will always own a piece of my heart.

I'm talking about In Dreams.

That book is my favorite because it's my guts, my heart and my soul. It's a part of me in ways I only wish you all understood. It's my favorite because it represents so many aspects of life that I believe to be true; like soulmates, reincarnation, past-lives, talking to the dead... 

And I was pulled to write it. It called to me so strongly I could no longer ignore it. It HAD to be written. Even if it wasn't written very well, it was a story that demanded to be told. In Dreams is more personal to me than anything else i've written- probably because I didn't just let you into a couple years of my life, I brought you into my heart, into my dreams, into my soul and my beliefs. I brought you into MY ENTIRE LIFE.  In Dreams isn't a simple story about love. It's a story about love that spans lifetimes. A love you can't get over or move past. It's about a love that pulls you in so tightly- even if you don't get why- you know you don't want to let it go.

So my answer to her?
"My favorite book is the one that's written the worst and that people hate the most. How ironic is that?" 

PS- so many of you have found In Dreams lately and have fallen in love with it. I want you to know how much that means to me.  I know it's rough and not written as well as I would like, but we all have to start somewhere right?  :)  THANK YOU for giving it a chance. I am thankful. 

A Message from Jack

Ladies-

It's come to my attention that you all want to see me in Boston with Jenn for the book signing. I guess you're emailing her, tweeting her and whatever else you do to her, asking if she's bringing me. It's pretty cool that you want me there. Even if i'd just be eye candy with Kyle and whoever else is coming along. I mean what do you ladies want- to take pictures with my abs? 

Makes sense to me.

But i'll be at Spring Training. So I can't come with her. Maybe some other time, although honestly ladies, i'm pretty much ALWAYS playing baseball. You know, when i'm not harrassing the living shit out my Kitten. But I'm sure Jenn would love nothing more than to be my messenger at her book signings. Right Jenn? So if you have anything you want to pass along to me, just tell her. She'll make sure I get it.  Or.... kill me off in the next book.

Maybe I can send Dean instead? 

#23 on the field...#1 in your heart,
-Jack C.


*"kyle" refers to kellan kyle, author s.c. stephens rock god*

Not sure what Jack's talking about? 
I'll be in BOSTON on MARCH 16th for a book signing at the OMNI hotel!
The event is free, but you HAVE to register to attend. Go here for details:
http://bostonauthorevent.blogspot.com

Did you WIN?

The FIVE winners of signed TPG paperbacks are listed below!

DID YOU WIN?

If you did, please shoot me an email with your mailing address.  Um, oh yeah. I don't have any books yet. They should be here next week.  lol  As soon as they come in, I'll get them in the mail.  You should have them by Christmas for sure!  :) 

Exciting!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and help spread the word about the sale!  And the second book!  It's apparently up on Goodreads, so you can add it to your TBR list.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PS- rafflecopter has been really wonky today, so in case the winners names aren't showing .. they are:
JEN STEWART
MICHELLE CABLE
EMILY RENCICH
ANNA KIDD
CRISSY MACKEY

TPG on SALE!

To celebrate the announcement of THE GAME CHANGER, i've put THE PERFECT GAME on sale for a limited time only!

If you've been waiting to buy it because it was out of your price range, or if you know people who have been waiting because their TBR list is crazy long- TELL THEM TO GET IT NOW!  It will only be $1.99 for a few days.  :)

The Game Changer (the follow up to TPG) will be released sometime in the Spring of 2013, okay? At least that's the plan for now. 

So in the meantime... let's spread the word about this sale!  Gift it to your friends. Gift it yourself. Introduce your mom to Jack fucking Carter.  lol 

And i'll give out some signed TPG copies through Rafflecopter!  Thanks for spreading the word about the sale.  Thanks for all the support. Thanks for all the excitement.  Thanks for being freaking rad.  I really wish I could find a new word for thanks.  But I can't.  So yeah.  Thanks.  HA! 

The sale is available on ALL amazon platforms  (us, uk, canada, etc) as well as Barnes & Noble .


:)  Okay, heading back into the writing cave. Gotta give y'all some more Jack F'n Carter and Kitten to love...or hate. LOL  <3

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Perfect Game 2?

I just wanted to write a blog post to OFFICIALLY announce that....

YES!

THERE WILL BE A FOLLOW UP BOOK TO THE PERFECT GAME!!!!!

I'm not going to give many details about the book except to say that we will be with Jack & Cassie. Yes, Dean & Melissa will be there too.

The title of the book is...

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this is annoying huh?
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it's fun for me and makes me laugh.
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oops, i put 2 dots up there ^^^  do you see them? 
lol
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okay enough.
The new title is:

You want to write a book?

I can't even begin to tell you how many emails I get from various people who tell me that they want to write a book. (this also happens in person A LOT. and I do mean, a.lot.) They all ask me the same questions... do I have any advice for them? What should they do? How should they begin? etc, etc.

I honestly NEVER know what to say. Basically, the only thing that comes to my mind is- sit your ass down and start. I don't know what to say beyond that. Writing isn't necessarily something that you plan from start to finish like a meeting with bullet points (although maybe for some writers it is). Things start to evolve as you write... characters take on their own personalities and want to do their own things... where you thought your story was headed may completely change direction. You have to be flexible. You have to be willing to deviate from your plan. You have to let your story grow branches, sprout leaves, become this beautiful tree with roots and depth and strength that you didn't anticipate or plan for.

Writing a book is hard work. It's not easy. It's freaking torture at times. You will want to rip all your hair out. You'll be so in love with your story and your characters one minute, and think it's the most boring, piece of shit story you've ever read the next. There will be times that you'll feel like if you have to read one more word of your story ever again, you will throw your laptop off a bridge. You'll get stuck. You'll have writer's block. You'll get frustrated. You'll be on the most beautiful, flowing roll ever and then something will happen to interrupt you. And no matter how hard you try to get that groove back once the distraction is over, you won't be able to. To write a story, any story, becomes a very personal journey. And that personal journey suddenly becomes extremely public when you hit the publish button.

I know that it seems like everyone and their mother f'n dog is writing a book these days. And they're hitting best seller lists and getting publishing deals, etc. And so I know that there are some of you who want to cash in on that. You think that it's a get rich quick scheme. I'll write a book and then i'll be rolling in the dough! If that's you, please do us all a favor and don't bother. I'm not kidding. Trust me when I tell you that writing and self publishing is NOT a shortcut to fame and fortune. If you want to get rich quick then play the lottery. There is nothing quick about self publishing. And more than likely, you will not get "rich" doing it. At least not right off the bat. You'll be lucky if you make enough money to cover your editor and cover designer.

I started writing because I had a story that wouldn't leave my head. As my time working for someone else neared its end, that story called to me louder and LOUDER. It was all I could think about until I started writing it. And at the time, I honestly thought I just had this one story to tell. And I used to joke around and say, "who the hell just writes ONE book??" But I wrote anyway- because it called to me. And once I started writing that book, it was like I opened this floodgate of creativity within me. Suddenly, I had a whole bunch of ideas for stories I wanted to write! And I feel blessed to have found something I truly enjoy doing. But I followed my heart (NOT dollar signs). And it's led me here.

I think the best advice that I can give to anyone considering writing a book is:
Don't write for the wrong reasons. You should want to write a book because you have a story, or an idea that won't let you go. You feel passionate about the story you want to tell. You're driven to write. Writing feels like a part of you...an extension of who you are.

And if that sounds like you, then I say go for it! Write that book!  And good luck!

But if you're one of those people who wants to write for all the wrong reasons, I suggest you look elsewhere. People will see through your intentions.

Being an author is about trudging through the hard times. Writing when you don't think you can write anymore. Pushing through the roadblocks in your story because you're determined to find an outcome. And writing new stories when you've just finished your last one.

We don't write for the money. We write because we're passionate about the stories we tell and we want to connect with people through our words.  We love what we do, even when it's frustrating, hard and tear inducing.

We don't write simply because we can.
We write because we simply can't imagine NOT writing.

:)

I blame mercury retrograde

for the fact that I feel like I cannot MOVE FORWARD with this book i'm trying to write! 

(mercury retrograde is the apparent backward motion of the planet- and therefore, things from our past, people from our past, any unfinished business comes to a head during this time. also, since mercury rules communication- there tends to be tons of delays, issues with computers and electronics, etc. they also warn against signing any new contracts or deals during this time- as things won't be what they seem)

Think i'm kooky now? 

That's okay. I sorta am. lol 

Anyway, I have literally written THREE seperate versions of the book i'm currently working on. THREE.  Do you hear me?  T H R E E!  They're all written in different styles. I'm really excited about one of the styles. It's the most fun. It's the one I think you all will enjoy the most, but I'm not entirely sure.

So that's where I am right now. Continually starting over. Writing and then re-writing and then re-writing again.

I really should just put the computer down until Mercury Retro is over. But the truth is- I can't stop thinking about this book. I dream about the characters. My mind is constantly filled with them. When i'm not writing, I want to be.  But then when I sit down to write, I get stuck. 

Or bored.

Hence the three different versions.

I want you all to be excited about this story and the way I tell it. So, I know i'll figure it all out. But in the meantime, think of me, pulling my hair out while I type until my fingers go numb.

I do it for you.

lol  :)

My Jack Carter

Calm down ladies... not the "real" jack carter... but the one i'm CLAIMING RIGHT HERE AND NOW if (let's just go with WHEN) this book becomes a movie, I am praying to the baseball gods that this kid can act.

Cause ladies...

How perfect is this little hottie for Jack?!?!?!?  Meet Bernardo Velasco. I'm seriously in love.

Isn't he freaking adorable?!?!?!?!!  The only correct answer here is YES.  :)

So um, that's my Jack Carter-  who would you cast for the others?  I'm dying to know what actor's you see playing the characters you read about?!  :) 

This is fun right?  RIGHT! 

Chance Encounters now available

I know a bunch of you have been waiting for Chance Encounters to be available on places OTHER than amazon.

It's finally here!

Barnes & Noble is stuck- CE has been "processing" for days now and they haven't answered a single email i've sent.

So for now you can get CE on Smashwords!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/150806

For you NOOK users- you just buy it there in EPUB format and then send it to your nook i believe? 

Which just made me realize that no wonder all my books get "stolen" and put up on file sharing sites.

hmmmmm

the post where i show you my heart

kittens...

I love you. I really do. And I hope you know that everytime I tell you "thank you" or that "I appreciate you"... I really, really mean it.

I want to give you a little background on me so that you can hopefully get a better understanding of just HOW thankful I truly am.  :)

I got fired from my job about two and half years ago. It was funny because at the time I was so convinced that I'd be jobless for probably a whopping whole 2 weeks before someone else scooped me up and I was working my ass off again. And the thing was, at the time, I really needed a break. I can't even begin to talk about what went on in that work environment and what I had to deal with, but to say it was one of the most challenging experiences of my life would be a true understatement.

Anyway, I couldn't have been more wrong about my ability to find a new position with ease. Holy shit, i'd never been here before. I'd never been jobless. I'd never been tossed into an environment that was filled with so many under and over qualified people looking for work all at once. So I bought a laptop and starting writing almost immediately.  But I was still looking for work and applying to numerous jobs daily.

I could barely get an interview- and when I did, I ususally left there in tears because I had just come from a miserable work environment and the last thing I wanted was to be tossed into another one. I didn't want to do something I hated. I wanted to enjoy how and where I spent my days. Life is too short.
Nothing felt right anymore.
All the interviews- THE MERE THOUGHT of working for someone else- it didn't sit well in my guts. It's like I knew somewhere inside me that that wasn't what I was supposed to do anymore. It didn't feel right to work for someone else. It felt like I was taking a step backward when I was handed this gift to move myself forward.

But how do you explain that kind of "logic" to a family who needs your income? 

Thankfully I have a very supportive family.  :)

Not like it would have mattered- I honestly don't think I could have found a job if my life had literally depended on it.  It's HARD out there. It's crazy competitive and the people hiring like to make the decision for you before they've even given you a chance "I think you'll be bored in this position." "You're way too overqualified for this."  "Why would you want to do this job, when you've been doing this sort of job the last 10 years?"

Moving on... 
I couldn't get hired (obviously lol). And I released my first book (in dreams) not knowing really anything about this business. I just knew that I had a story I wanted to tell and no one was going to stop me from telling it. So I did. And then I wrote another. And i'm working my ass off to try to make a name for myself in the Indie/Self Published author world. And it's a lot freaking harder than it looks. There's A LOT of indie authors out there. And sometimes things seem so hit or miss- the moon lines up and the stars align just right for some people and not for others. And it's frustrating because i'm sitting there trying to sell books so i don't feel like such a worthless non-income-bringing-in loser (ahem), but nothing i'm doing is working- and my books are being ripped apart and people are hating them and the comments are freaking mean and they tell me I suck and write like a 12 year old and i'm sure i'm supposed to be offended, but I know some pretty cool 12 year olds out there, so whatever.

But of course that leads to the inevitable question of- am I supposed to be writing books at all?  And if i'm NOT supposed to be writing books, then just exactly what the hell am I supposed to be doing because NOTHING ELSE FEELS RIGHT! 

Sorry.

I'm calm now.  lol

So I'm writing books, but not really making any money. I'm looking for a job, but I can't freaking get one. 

And what happens next?

We lose our house.  After trying to refinance and get help with the mortgage (all of which the bank said no too)- we were in the middle of a short sale when the house went to auction. The bank didn't stop the auction and I went and watched it get sold to the highest bidder. We had to move a month later. (that was all this past may/june)

And really?  It's okay. I mean, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and i'm perfectly fine with how everything turned out- but that doesn't mean it wasn't horrible and hurtful and really fucking sad to get to this point.  You know?

Holy crap, do I have a point?  Yes, I do.  My point is that if you fast foward to now... right in this moment... right this second... I want you to know that you've made a difference in my life because you're enjoying something that i've written. You're telling your friends and family to buy my book. You're recommending The Perfect Game to friends, strangers, neighbors, in coffee shop lines, on facebook, on twitter, etc.  You're CHANGING my life. 

I'll say it again.

YOU
ARE
CHANGING
MY
LIFE


Let it sink in. 

Please.

Just for a moment.

Or two.


Because I could never be where I am right now (an Amazon best seller, having made the USA Today and Barnes & Noble Best Seller list) without each and every one of you. And I would be lying if I didn't say that I wish this could last forever! Because honestly, I wish it would. :)

But as for now-  you've made my dreams come true. You've rewarded my hard work by believing in me, encouraging me, supporting me, and wanting MORE from me. For the first time since I started this crazy journey, I feel like a success. I feel like i'm doing something right. I feel like i'm right where i'm supposed to be.  And I AM SO THANKFUL for every one of you. Because I feel that way BECAUSE of you.

So, thank you... for every email, every facebook post and every tweet.  Thank you for everytime my book pops into your head to recommend to someone. Thank you for spreading the word about my little book that could. You believe in it, which means you believe in me. 

And that is more inspiring than I can ever put into words.

I appreciate you. 

xo

Interviews

I've been doing lots of Q&A's lately it seems, so I wanted to do a big blog post linking all the ones I can find (aka remember) so far! 

You guys will like these because I talk about the real "jack" in most of them. lol

http://honestreviewscorner.com/2012/11/08/interview-with-the-perfect-game-author-j-sterling/

http://buried-in-books.blogspot.com/2012/10/win-signed-paperback-of-perfect-game-by.html

http://www.flirtyanddirtybookblog.com/features-and-goodies-interview-with-j-sterling-author-of-the-perfect-game/

http://theindiebookshelf.blogspot.com/#!/2012/10/the-perfect-game-by-jenn-sterling.html

http://myguiltyobsession.blogspot.com/2012/11/author-interview-j-sterling-and-her-new.html

http://karlaamaemaglaoy.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/author-interview-j-sterling-author-of-the-perfect-game/

That's all I can find for now. If i'm missing any, post them in the comments and i'll add em in!  :) :)

oh, hi there

I hate when it seems like I dust-appear (that's how my son used to say disappear. i've always liked it, so it stuck. lol).

But really, i'm here!  The thing is, I got super excited yesterday when a book idea felt like it literally HIT ME like a 10 ton brick to the back of the head. So excited that I ran to my computer and started typing out the first scene. Which turned into half a chapter. And then I couldn't sleep last night because the characters and the story were in my thoughts, my dreams, my mind.

This is what typically happens when i'm writing something I love. My mind won't rest. I don't have an off switch.

So if it seems like i've ditched you- I'm just in my cave trying to write something worthy of you reading.  Hang in there.  :)

I'm mailing off some Amazon gift cards today, so if you won, be on the lookout!  I still haven't heard from ALL the winners- so please email me your address ASAP so we don't forget! And by "we" I really just mean me.  I totally suck at remembering things and I am so freaking easily distracted.  Like right now, the cutest dog in the entire world is staring at me and he makes me forget about everything except how cute he is. Oooooh, maybe i'll write him into this book?!  Every girl needs a doggy!  lol

See?

I heard that people were having problems trying to find The Perfect Game on Barnes & Noble, and I will agree that when I went there the other day to search, it pulled up nothing. Put in my author name, it also pulled up nothing. But it seems to be working fine now. But just in case, here's the direct link for all you Nookers.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-perfect-game-j-sterling/1113324003?ean=2940015581737

Have I mentioned that we are freaking NUMBER THIRTEEN on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers?!?!?!!  That is SOOOOOOOO freaking cool!  I am so happy! So so happy that you guys read this book, fell in love with the characters and Jack & Cassie's story and then you told everyone you know to read it. It's something i'd always hoped would happen for one of my books-  and now it is. So, THANK YOU. 
Sincerely. 
I am so happy, appreciative and freaking excited for what this all means for my career!  You guys have made it possible for me to say that without cringing. This IS my career. I am an author. *knock on wood*

I'm terrified every single day that it will end just like that.  Welcome back fear, my old friend.

We'll talk about that more later.

But for now, keep on reading, loving, and telling your friends about the books you enjoy! And then all of us authors can keep writing them.  :) 

PS- let's not forget about our friends over in New York and New Jersey who are having a really rough time right now. Roads are impassible. Gas is hard to get too. The lines for gas are hours long. Power is still out in some places. Food is rotting, water is needed. If you can donate something, anything, here's a link to a list of places for donations like the Red Cross, the Humane Society, etc. We're thinking of you East Coast. And we love you. xo
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/hurricane-sandy--how-to-help.html

Halloween equals FREE books!

I freaking love halloween!  I do!  But this year, it hasn't felt like halloween time for me. Maybe because my brain feels like it's spinning constantly inside my head?! 

That's probably it.

I'm sure that's completely normal.  :)

Usually during the month of October I'm overwhelmed with feelings of magic and witchiness and spells and all sorts of halloween goodness (not to mention CANDY!!!!). I want my magic back! lol

So, in the spirit of halloween and books that are magical, filled with ghosts and mind readers, I want to share FOUR wonderful books with you that are all *FREE* right now on Amazon.

I've talked about them before, but I'm talking about them again. It's funny... they're all series (and lucky for you, if you get hooked after the 1st book, almost all the other books are out and so you don't have to wait!!!). 

The first one is called WANDER DUST - by Michelle Warren
As much as I enjoyed this book, the 2nd book is EVEN better! I cannot wait for her to finish writing the last book in this trilogy because I am dying to know what the hell is going on!
http://www.amazon.com/Wander-Seraphina-Parrish-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0063GW2WE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351615202&sr=1-1&keywords=wander+dust
What did I say about this book the first time I read it? "I've never read anything quite like this before and honestly, I think it would make an amazing movie. Think Harry Potter- new world, new kind of magic, great characters, great story..."

The next book is called RECKLESS MAGIC - by Rachel Higginson
I've read all four books in this series and I am seriously in love with all of them. I thought they were amazing and frustrating and so freaking good!
http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Magic-Star-Crossed-Series-ebook/dp/B004S7EUJ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351615731&sr=1-1&keywords=reckless+magic
"This book was SO! FREAKING! GOOD!!! I loved the characters, the story, the mystery, the suspense, the reveals and all the questions i'm still left with. It was written richly and when I wasn't reading this story, I found myself thinking about it constantly."

Then we have THE MIND READERS - by Lori Brighton
I've only read this book of the series. The last 2 are out, I just haven't had the time to grab them and read them, but I really, really enjoyed this story!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Mind-Readers-ebook/dp/B004FN1P1Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351616028&sr=1-1&keywords=the+mind+readers
"This was really entertaining- with a lot of twists and turns that even if you DO see coming, are still enjoyable."

And last, but certainly not least, we have THE DEEPEST CUT - by J.A. Templeton
I read all 3 books in this haunting series. I am a HUGE fan of past lives and reincarnation, so these books struck an additional chord within me!  Loved them!
http://www.amazon.com/Deepest-MacKinnon-Curse-novel-ebook/dp/B0058HTU0G/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351616189&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=the+hdeepest+cut
"Overall, I really enjoyed this book and loved being brought into a new world with castles, history and characters who believed in the spirit world and the presence of ghosts!"

So there you have it! Four very different books that you can lose yourself in for Halloween!! I hope you enjoy them!  :) :) 

My Mariaaaaah!

Um.

So I had Rafflecopter draw the FOUR names of the winners to the contest below that I started and then ended because of claimed doucheness. 

What did I learn about rafflecopter during this drawing?

rafflecopter is clearly a HE.

and HE clearly likes girls who are named Maria.
Or Marie.

LOL- do you see these names?!?!  HAHAHAHAHA.  Hilarious. And odd.   


So if you are said Maria, Maria, Marie or Jessica- please email me as soon as possible and i'll attempt to get my lazy ass off of this couch and mail you your gift card!  :)  email is jsterling@jennster.com

Get some!  :)

So...

I ended the contest below.

Don't worry, i'll still pick winners and announce who they are. :)

Thank you to everyone who already spread the word and was awesome.

I ended it because well.... I felt douchey. 


Seriously.


I woke up this morning feeling douchey about that post. Feeling like an asshole for asking you all to do MORE for me. To spread the word about paperbacks. 

It didn't sit well with me anymore, even if it was all in the name of funsies.  I know it wasn't greed motivated, but I think it could look that way. And maybe if it wasn't motivated for money greed, maybe it was motivated by WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO AMAZON greed?! 

So yeah.

I apologize for asking y'all to buy more of my crap. And for telling your friends and family to buy more.

I hope you all know how much I appreciate you and how awesome I think you all are.  And how i'd never take you for granted.

So....

I hope you still love me as much as i love you!!! :)  :)  :) 

i'll leave you with this photo of a hot "jack."  Let's pretend that's him. 

Paperbacks on Amazon!

Okay. I realize that i'm probably a little insane. But we're all a little crazy, right?  right.

I realized today that Amazon has a freaking rankings for paperback sales on books. And I'm sure I should have realized that like 100 years ago, but what can I say... sometimes I'm a little slow.  ha!

Anyway, I looked up the top 100 paperbacks on Amazon and I don't think (cause then again i don't know every single self published author in the world) that a single one of them is a self published author.

And that got me thinking (always dangerous)...

Has a self published author's paperback EVER been in amazon's top 100 paperback sales?!?! 

Well I don't have a freaking clue, so I thought that it would be REALLY fun to see how close we can get!  HAHAHAHAHA

I hope you know that I am giggling while I write this. Because half of me thinks that it isn't possible to get into that list for paperbacks- since they are all really well known, traditionally published authors with HUGE followings and fan bases...

But then the other half of me thinks- well, it IS all based on online sales. It's not like these paperback rankings are from book stores and stuff. So why can't a self published author get on that list?! 

Now before you think that this is some sort of greedy ass ploy- I'll have you know that I literally make like, I don't know, A dollar and some change on each paperback I sell through Amazon.  So it's not about the money.

At all.

But then again, I don't do any of this for the money.

I just thought it would be FUN! 

Fun to see if we could get on that list!  HA!  At least it would be fun to try- and you can win shit just for trying.

See? 

FUN!

Plus, how can you NOT want this gorgeous cover (thank you michelle warren) in your hot little hands?!?! I still want wallpaper of it made. LOL

Go to Rafflecopter to enter to win one of 4, $50 dollar amazon gift cards.  You have until Sunday night at midnight (est)... I'll post the winners on Monday- drawn by rafflectoperrrrrrr!

Let's see what magic we can make happen now!  LOL

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you doesn't seem like enough

I know I keep telling you "thank you" like every chance I get, but I wish you knew me in real life...

I wish you knew JUST HOW MUCH I SINCERELY MEAN IT.

How when I tell you thank you, my eyes glaze over, my chest and stomach tighten, my breath hitches... but most of all, I wish there was another flipping phrase other than "thank you" to express how truly appreciative I am for all of you.

I've told you before that The Perfect Game isn't my first book. And if you know anything about Self Published ("Indie") authors, you know that we work our asses off. It's one thing to actually sit down and write an entire book, but it's another thing to get people to not only read it, but like it enough to want to read more of what you write.

It's been a long road for me. At least it FEELS like it's been a long road. I put out my first book in August 2011 and ever since then i've spent countless hours online trying to reach an audience...my audience. I've researched other writer's blogs, newspaper articles on self publishing, articles on trends, what to do, how to reach people, how to market, i've joined groups, indie clubs filled with other authors trying to figure out the exact same thing... how do we get readers in this saturated market to FIND and READ our books?!  And how do we do ALL OF THIS, while still writing our next book?!?!?

It's a lot of work.

And trust me, i'm not complaining.

Not one bit. 

Because all of that hard work has brought me to where we are today. And I feel like it makes me even MORE thankful. I know what it's like to not experience what I'm experiencing right now. I know the other side of the coin. I've lived it. 

Which is why I tell you so freaking obsessively how thankful I am for you.  And when you tell me that my book touched your soul, your heart, your guts- I AM OVERWHELMED. And when you tell me that you're telling everyone you know that they have to read this book-  I AM GRATEFUL.  And when you tell me that you've written a review and posted about it on facebook, or tweeted about it- I AM APPRECIATIVE.

So I just wanted you all to know (again) that I don't take you for granted. I don't take this for granted. And I literally, physically and emotionally, appreciate you more than you can ever truly know. THANK YOU. 

I'm gonna give away more shit soon- cause that's a good way to say thank you. Need some action behind my words, riiiight?  :)

What i'm working on!

So a bunch of you are just now finding me and my books... which is flipping AWESOME, don't get me wrong.

I LOVE IT!

I LOVE YOU!!!

I can't tell y'all that enough!!! :)

But before you found me, I'd already written two books.  And one of those books is a YA series (in dreams)... it's not a cliffhanger type of series, it's just a series in the sense that the characters' story continues... or actually PREtinues. I know that's not a word. But basically, the second book in the series takes us to the past, in a past life where we experience the connection the characters have to each other and why we're drawn to particular people, or why we hate them for no reason, etc.  Basically, it will make In Dreams a much stronger book once you have all their past to take into consideration. 

So I really need to work on that story. I'd intended to release it this year, but at this point, there is no way that's going to happen. But I want to write it. I want to finish it. And in all honesty, I think i'll pick it up again tomorrow (it's half way done. eh, maybe a third).

And then I want to seriously think about writing a 2nd book in The Perfect Game. But I want it to make sense. I want it to be for the right reasons- and I want to feel PULLED toward the next story I want to tell for those characters.

Basically, I want to have a good story. And I don't want to rush it, or force it, or write something because everyone is demanding me too. I want to write it because my heart is demanding me too.  Because Dean, Melissa, Jack & Cassie won't take no for an answer. lol  I just want to do it justice.

But it has to make sense. And right now, I can barely think outside of the story I just wrote, so it's hard for me to think outside of the box creatively in continuing this story, or spinning it off.  So just bear with me.

I promise that when that lightning idea for TPG 2 strikes me, you'll be the first to know! 

Until then...keep reading books you love, and reviewing them, and telling people to read them. "Reading is dreaming with open eyes"

Did You WIN?

I sure hope so!!!  Please keep in mind that I won't have the books in my hot little hands until next Friday I think, so be patient!

But I chose TEN winners, cause y'all are so freaking awesome!!!!!  Thank you so much for reading this book, falling in love with Jack & Cassie's story, for telling your friends to read it and for posting reviews all over the place. I appreciate it more than you'll know! 

So here we go- I put in the number of blog comments and then had this online thing randomly choose 10 winners.

In order of blog comments and random # drawn
#2- DANALOU
#3- KELLEE FABRE
#18- LORI
#22- NIKKI HUFF
#27- SARAH DAVEY
#28- ALLIE MATTHEWS
#29- LIZZY
(wtf randomizer??)
#43- are you kidding?  JACK WON?! LMFAO that would seriously only happen here.  well jack's not winning, so i'll choose someone else in a second!  HAHAHAHA
#44- JOHNNA SEIBERT
#49- TARYN- MY SECRET ROMANCE

**extra number**
how fitting, number f'n 23!  Jack Carter's #... this shit is hilarious! 
#23- LIZZY HENRIQUEZ

Congratulations to everyone who won a signed copy!!!!! 

Please email me your mailing address as soon as possible to Jsterling@jennster.com

WOOHOO! 

And if you would like to order a copy, they can be found here: https://www.createspace.com/3934411  as well as on amazon.  :)

Have I said thank you today? Eh, well it deserves to be said again.  :)

Perfect Game Paperbacks?

Why yes.

Yes.

Did you hear me? 

I SAID YES!

They're ready.

https://www.createspace.com/3934411

You can order your paperback from there. It will be beautiful. And glorious. And lickable.

I'll have a giveaway soon.

No. Forget it. I'll have a giveaway now.

Tell me your favorite line from the book (y'all can repeat each other) in the comments and i'll RANDOMLY choose some winners.

Ready?

Go.  :)

PS- WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN, BUT IF YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH JACK HE'S IN THE COMMENTS SOMEWHERE. lol

WOO HOO!!! YOU DID IT!!!!

And so I wanted to tell you THANK YOU! so much!!!

Thank you for writing those reviews on amazon and barnes &amp; noble... for telling your friends they "must read" this book, for posting about it on facebook, for tweeting, for writing it on bathroom walls. oops. lol

Just thank you. Sincerely. Your good reviews, your excited word spreading, it's all I can ask for as an author. :)

Now i have to go babysit my friend's kid for a few hours. My life is tres glamorous. lol

ps- we WILL be having a dean carter discussion soon. and I want y'all back here for it! :)

Keep those reviews, posts and emails to me coming- I love hearing from you guys! Every.single.one of you!

hugs

xoxo
jenn

You are awesome!

So we didn't get on the Amazon Top 100 this weekend, BUT WE DID KNOCK THE MOTHER F'N SOCKS OFF OF BARNES & NOBLE!!!!!!  who knew?!  I'm definitely feeling the love for Barnes & Noble as I wake up this morning!  :)

I am still giving away the three $50 dollar Amazon gift cards!  Why?  Because it would be shitty if I didn't. And because y'all REALLY kicked butt spreading the word and you deserve it!!!!! Thank you for telling everyone to buy the book. I hope that if you loved it, you'll still continue to talk about it.

I am not giving up my dreams for the AZ Top 100 (and as of right now WE ARE SO CLOSE! holy cow #118!!!!!!!!!). I know it probably seems like i'm a tad "obsessed" with this whole concept, but you have to understand that this is my third book. It's not my first. And the last few years of my life have been somewhat difficult on the career front (I got fired and as a result of that we ended up losing our house).

So this whole self published road has not been paved with gold plated stones for me the second I hit "publish" a little over a year ago. It's been a journey that i've had to work through- flailing my arms like a wild banchee at times, but constantly growing and learning from all my mistakes. Trust me, I don't mind doing hard work- it makes the reward that.much.sweeter.  

:)

Thank you all for blowing my mind this past weekend with your love and support and words of awesomeness! I can't even tell you how happy it makes me to hear so many of you enjoying Jack & Cassie's story. I simply LOVED telling it.

The winners?  Oh, here they are!!!!! Drawn by Rafffffflecopter of awesomeness!

 

 

 

 

Ladies, please email me your address to Jsterling@jennster.com  and I'll get those in the mail to you!  CONGRATULATIONS and thanks again everyone!!!!!!  :) 

 

I freaking love y'all!  For reals!  

The Perfect Game and GIVEAWAYS!

OH EM GEE!!!!!

lovers! 

THE PERFECT GAME IS OUT!  RIGHT NOW!  RIGHT F'N NOW!!!!!!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Perfect-Game-ebook/dp/B009OMPKTG/ref=sr_1_3_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349923822&sr=1-3&keywords=the+perfect+game+j+sterling


*deep breaths*

I have a goal.

I WANT THIS BOOK TO GET INTO THE AMAZON TOP 100!!!!! 

I'm pretending like it's opening weekend for my movie. lol  Every director, producer, actor wants their new movie to be successful in the box office charts- And since I clearly think like a movie person, here's what i'm thinking...

If TPG gets into the AT100 at any point during its opening weekend (between now and Sunday), i'll giveaway 3 $50 dollar Amazon gift cards (winners drawn by rafflecopter).

All you have to do is post about TPG being released on your facebook page, with extra entries earned via twitter blasts.

So let's do this! We can totally do this right? I think we can! No, I KNOW WE CAN!

Listen, when it gets there, we party. And the longer it stays in the Amazon Top 100, the  L O N G E R we party. With more gifts. Cause giving away stuff is fun!!!!  :) 

Love you. Thank you. Y'all are the best and I literally am nothing but someone who writes for her non-existant cats (dogs rule) and friends without you. 

xoxo

PS- i've NEVER used rafflecopter before so I really hope i've done this right and it works and you can enter properly. If i've screwed it all up, i'll realize it once i wake up. lol

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Being a Writer Means

That we don't really take vacations. There are no weekends, no holidays, no days off... There is working overtime, working nights, long hours...

Because our brain is ALWAYS thinking of the next story to write, or what we're writing now, or what we could write better.

There is no off switch on a creative mind.

Hell, even when we're sleeping we're usually dreaming about our stories or our characters.

It's funny because we work so hard on our stories and it takes us months to write them, edit them, send them off to the editor, make the changes, format them, go through last minute additions, etc... and you would think that once we released our book that we'd sit back, breathe a sigh of relief and ENJOY the moment.

But you know what most of us do?

Do you?

We fucking haul ass back to our computer and start working on the NEXT book.

Because we can't sit still.

Because we don't turn off.

Because we don't know how to relax and enjoy the moment.

And because if we don't start writing that next book, we feel like we're falling behind. Our books don't write themselves. Lord knows it would be much easier if they did. But they don't.

I'm not sure about everyone else, but I remember releasing my first book a little over a year ago and thinking, "I just need to get ANOTHER book out there. I need to have two!" And then I released my second book and thought, "I just need to have another. I need to have a library of books for people to choose from!" 

It's never enough.

I definitely don't write fast enough.

Some days I feel like I don't write good enough (that's for damn sure). 

So basically, being a writer means that you're a crazy person. LOL  A crazy person who doesn't know how to stop, slow down, breathe, relax, enjoy, chill the f out, etc. 

I constantly WANT to be writing. I love the process of creating- even when it's stressful, painful, sleep depriving and anything but relaxing. When i'm not writing I feel like i'm not progressing. I feel like i'm being lazy. Like I spent the whole day at work, not working.

So yeah. That's what being a writer means to ME.  I really hope i'm not the only one.  lol

We're Partying!

With The Perfect Game exactly ONE WEEK AWAY from its release date, I'm having a sale on Chance Encounters!!!!

.99 cents right now!!!!

Tell your friends.

Tell your enemies. 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007V6IGCA


:)

Oh Chicago

Holy balls, Chicago was in the future... then it was ALMOST HERE... then it was here... and now it's gone.

*insert ugly cry*

C-H-I-C-A-G-O

I loved ya.

For real.

I don't know where to start.
I don't know where to end.
I don't know how to attempt to "sum" up or "cliff note" the epicness that was the TFEIC  (thank you mollie harper for the website of awesomeness)!!!!!

I assume, I could start off thanking people. Like my incredible author soulmate, Colleen Hoover, whom without, we would have never had this event! It started out silly, then turned into something more real, then exploded like one of tara's vagina hands (or something like that). But really, thank you Colleen for hosting this incredible, incredible event. And thank you SARAH WHORE HANSEN!!!!!, Melissa Brown and in the beginning stages, Fred LeBaron for busting ass to put it all together, make it seamless (at least for us authors), and organize the hell out of this chaos! 

It was so worth it!

Thank you to everyone who had to take off work, leave your children in the hands of your husbands (lord help us all), travelled alone for the first time, saved your dollars to attend, saved your dollars to buy books, and everything else you had to do just to come meet some Indie (or ex-indie) authors. 

It is because of YOU readers that we are changing the landscape of the reading world. I know it wasn't easy to get there for some of you, but I hope it exceeded even your wildest expectations. 

My expectations are always low, so it blew the hell out of mine. HAHA But really, I didn't know what to expect- or what to plan for-  but it was amazing!

I had the best time meeting my fellow authors, meeting my readers, meeting people who weren't my readers, hanging out, molesting guys with weird pockets in their pants in elevators, grabbing fred's booty, long walks on the beach with becca, slumber party in everyone's pants with kellan kyle, making blow up dolls do inappropriate things to each other on sc stephens bed (appropriate, no?), dancing my ass off until my jeans ripped, cat calling professional ping pong players cause those really exist!!!, eating goat with some fellow goat lovers, realizing that every american who attempts to do their best jenny aussie voice will almost always sound british, finding my long lost little sister amanda, MEETING CHRIS PINE!!!!!!!... TWICE!!!!  lol, finding love in the hotel starbucks, harassing the local crew on their lunch break (poor guys), PHOTO SHOOT IN BLOOMINGDALE'S!!!! (not weird at all), holding mm's hand in the bar- for the love of god woman, do not let go of my hand! lol, trying to hail a cab on a clearly cabless friday night until you say fuck it and start walking..until you say fuck it again, and steal a cab, hanging out in a bar that calls itself a hotel, getting mini vibrator's as gifts, pretending that only dead people need sleep so you simply NEVER.DO.IT. 

You guys. Sincerely. I had so much fun with all of you. It wasn't enough time. There were people I never even got to see. There were people I only saw for a moment. I wanted more. I wanted to be able to hang out so much more... It's hard to organize chaos.

Words cannot express how much I love and appreciate every single one of you. I hope that everyone who attended and stayed had as much fun as I did. Thank you for EVERYTHING!

Everything.

Until we meet again!

xoxooxxoxo

Chicago is coming!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!  The Chicago book signing is FINALLY here!!! I feel like i've been waiting an eternity for the end of September to get here and now...

I leave on Thursday morning!!!!!!!

I can't wait to meet everyone who is going to be at the event. Please, dear God, don't hate me if I don't know who you are right off the bat. Tell me your name. Show me your facebook picture. Seriously, help me out.  :) :)

I'll take a ton of pics because I am a total camera whore!  I can't wait to show you and share when I get back. 

I'm really excited to start prepping for the release of The Perfect Game- with some giveaways that i'm excited about for the release weekend! Make sure you check back here!

Ps- did i mention that i was rooming in chicago with none other then SC Stephens and her man, Kellan Kyle?

Oh yeah. I am. 

Being Inspired

I LIVE to be inspired. by anything. by everything.  beautiful pictures, people, scenery, words... 

As a writer, i'm surrounded by sound lyrics and other people's writing that resonates somewhere deep within me. it's a beautiful experience when that happens. I love words that don't suck.  :)

Anyway- when I read something that makes me want to jump on top of my couch and scream YES YES YES this is SO me!  I print it out as fast as I can and pin it to my dream/wish board! 

You know the one... (it's changed since I took this pic- dramatically, but you get the point)

And I just wanted to share my latest additions with you!  :) 



GOD I LOVE BEING & FEELING INSPIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two thumbs up for inspiration and a full heart and a soaring soul! :)

cheese & rice, putting your book out is like childbirth all over again

You forget how much it hurt.

Man, having released two books already, you think i'd be over the whole nervous nelly bit. But holy crap... am I not.  Like, AT.ALL.

I sent my book to three people last night (one of them being none other than my author soulmate, miss colleen hoover) and i've wanted to throw up ever since.

It's funny how freaking confident I am when i'm writing the book. How much I LOVE LOVE LOVE it after it's done, gone to the editor, come back from the editor.... it's only when I am putting it out there to you strangers and friends that I suddenly start going, "Oh my gosh, what if they all hate it?  What if it totally sucks?!  What if they don't connect with any part of the story and everyone is like, WHY DOES THIS JENN PERSON KEEP WRITING BOOKS?!?!"

Yeah.  That's what happens. In my head. And in my heart. Cause i'm sorry, but some of y'all are freaking mean. Not YOU Y'ALL, cause I assume most of the people here actually like the books I write. LOL But it's scary putting your story out there. All of my books have pieces of reality in them- parts of my life that have really happened, so they're very personal to me. They become a part of you when you write them... the characters, the story, the events... 

So the second you put it out to the world to either love or hate, it's out of your hands.

And it's scary. No, it's TERRIFYING. 

I'd forgotten this part of things. The initial fear. The desire for your story to be liked. Loved even. And then talked about in a positive way. 

I'm not looking for compliments or reassurance, I swear. I'm simply expressing a single part that goes along with being an author and putting your words out there for the world to experience. I know it's normal to be scared. It's normal to feel like you want to curl up in the fetal position until it's all over. I'd just forgotten.  Completely blocked it out of my head and here we are again- 

On October 12th y'all are gonna have to hold me. 

Tight.

<3

My Wish Board!

I have a wish board. An inspiration board. The board of my soul. Things I want. Things that inspire me. Things that make me smile. Whatever the hell you want to call it, I have one.  And it's been a big hit on facebook (in the 20 minutes ago I posted it. lol)

So I wanted to post it here.  Cause I love the whole IDEA of an inspiration/dream board!  When I pretended I wanted to open up a cupcake shop, I wanted to have a WISH WALL where I planned to put index cards and pens so people could write their wishes and pin them to the wall....

there's something about actually RECOGNIZING the things that you want, hope for, dream about... and putting them in writing... giving them the power to BE. 

I want y'all to GET the things you WANT.  But you have to know what those are first.  :) 

Anyway, I'm rambling. Not making any sense.  If you've always wanted to start a dream board- START... because I think i'll have a contest after I release The Perfect Game. 

Speaking of, the "real" Jack Carter has a quote (or 2) on the board... see if you can find them!  :)  <3

The Perfect Game Release Date

The Perfect Game will be released on

OCTOBER 12, 2012

exciting!  :)

NEW merchandise store open!

The Perfect Game MERCHANDISE store is now open!

I know it's a bit premature, but there are some stuff there that you can get if you wanna. cause really, who doesn't want that book cover on EVERYTHING you can get it on?!!? LOL


http://www.cafepress.com/theperfectgame


there you go!

Go get some!  :) :)

Did You See It?

Did you see the big reveal on all the blogs and facebook this morning for The Perfect Game?!

Tell me how much you LOVE this freaking cover!!!!!!! 

 

 

Isn't it AMAZING?!?!?!!  I am in love with it! I can't wait to release it!  The book will be out in early October.....  it's not finished yet, but soon. *knocks on wood*

 

And for those of you who like to buy the paperback copies... look at the full cover!  it's even better when you see the WHOLE thing!!!!

 

*swoon*

 

 

 

 

i'm going to go have a heartattack of epic porportions now. I can't take the gorgeousness!  CAN'T! TAKE! IT!