10,000 Facebook Likes Celebration!

You guys!!!!!!

YOU!  GUYS!!!!!

10 THOUSAND likes on my Facebook page?!?!? 

That is freaking amazing! 

It's taken me two years and four books, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm so grateful.
I'm so humbled.
But mostly, i'm just so damn excited!!!  :)

I reached out to my fellow author friends and asked if they wanted to help me celebrate and boy did they throw down. I am so freaking lucky to be friends with such amazing talent.  Sincerely.  They blow my mind on a daily basis and the fact that these are my "peers" now... well... I never could have imagined.

And I couldn't be happier.

I mean that. 

I am so fulfilled. Of course I constantly strive for more... to be a better storyteller and to grow.  But I am so extremely happy for the path my life is currently on.  And I have EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU to thank for it.

So... THANK YOU! 

Are you ready to celebrate?  I sure am!!!! 

PRIZE #1- One lucky winner will win ALL OF THESE signed paperbacks!! (open to US residents only.)

Holy smokes- Do you see those books? I don't even have all of those!!!  Lucky duck!

**Did I mention that the Colleen Hoover copy of Losing Hope is an ARC and it's signed by not only Colleen, but by Griffin Peterson (the adorable guy on the cover) as well?!  I didn't.  Well.  I just did.  (thank you colleen)

PRIZE #1 INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING SIGNED PAPERBACKS:

There is No Light in Darkness- Claire Contreras

Charade- Nyrae Dawn

Love Me- Jillian Dodd

Reason to Breathe- Rebecca Donovan

The Opportunist, Dirty Red & Thief- Tarryn Fisher

Back to You- Priscilla Glenn
Reckless Magic- Rachel Higginson

Slammed, Point of Retreat, That Girl, Hopeless and Losing Hope ARC-  Colleen Hoover

Lost to You- A.L. Jackson

Miss Me Not- Tiffany King
Down to You- M. Leighton

Following Me- K.A. Linde

Love Resolution- Michelle Mankin

Naked, All In, & Eyes Wide Open- Raine Miller

One Week Girlfriend- Monica Murphy

The Final Piece- Maggi Myers

The Perpetual Quest for Life & Fury- Michelle Kisner Pace & Tammy Coons

A Beautiful Lie & Because of You- T.E. Sivec
The Secret of Ella & Micha- Jessica Sorensen

The Perfect Game & The Game Changer- dur.

Thoughtless- S.C. Stephens

Ten Tiny Breaths- K.A. Tucker

Protecting Truth- Michelle Warren

Waiting on Forever- Ashley Wilcox

PRIZE #2- Another lucky winner will win ALL of the following E-Books! (open internationally) 

**Not pictured but also included, is the highly anticipated upcoming novel entitled NOCTURNE, a collaboration of best-selling authors Andrea Randall & Charles Sheehan-Miles! This is an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) so you'll be getting it before anyone else!! So cool! Thanks you two!  :)

PRIZE #2 INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING EBOOKS:

Music of the Heart & The Proposition- Katie Ashley

Bouquet Toss- Melissa Brown

There is No Light in Darkness- Claire Contreras

Charade- Nyrae Dawn
Bet in the Dark- Rachel Higginson

Just Remember to Breathe- Charles Sheehan-Miles

The Lost One- Les Pace

Seeds of Hate- Melissa Perea

In the Stillness & 10 Days of Perfect- Andrea Randall

Undeniable- Madeline Sheehan

The Perfect Game & The Game Changer- J. Sterling

The Mighty Storm & First Bitten- Samantha Towle

PRIZE #3- One person will win all 4 of my signed paperbacks plus some Carter-licious swag!  Which really, doesn't seem as cool at all when you compare this with prize #1. lol (open internationally)

PRIZE #4- The Perfect Game Doodle, designed by Dooodles by Christina!  (open to US residents only)

PRIZE #5- Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan Doodle, designed by Dooodles by Christina (open to US residents only)

PRIZES #5 & #6-  Two people will win $25 dollar Amazon Gift Cards! (open internationally)

 

Ready? All you have to do is enter through Rafflecopter (the thing below). Hop to it!  :)  And really, thank you again for all the support and love. I know I say it ALL THE TIME, but it's true- without you guys reading my books, writing reviews and telling other people to read them, I wouldn't be in the position that i'm in now... the one where I get to say that i'm an "author" and mean it. I'd still be writing for my mom and whatever friends I could bribe to read my stuff if it weren't for all of you. lol  You know it's true.  :)

 

PS- thanks to Tara Sivec for letting me copy her 10k giveaway idea. For reals. She started the madness, I just finished it. lol  :)

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

REPOST- the post where i show you my heart

**This post was originally posted on November 8, 2012.  I'm reposting it again because it's important to me that you all know how much you've changed my life. And how grateful and appreciative I am for all of you. Thank you.**


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 and live through it.  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

Charging YOU money to attend a book signing!

I just wanted to say that in regards to book signings and personal appearances, that I will never sign up for an event that charges my readers a crap load of money to attend.

Any events that I have signed up for that charges readers ANY dollar amount to come, I find out why, for what, how come, etc. In doing these events, we are learning that charging a small ticket fee like $5 ensures that readers are more serious about actually attending the event and will most likely have follow through- instead of having a free sign up list where tons of people register themselves and all their friends "just in case" they can make it, but have no accountability when it comes to actually attending.

We authors (and the event coordinators) like to know how many people are REALLY planning on being at any event we attend so we can plan accordingly (how many books to bring, how much swag to order, etc). Also, it just makes good business sense to have as accurate numbers as possible when it comes to these things.  :)

The small signing fee also goes to things like extra security if it's needed, insurance for when the event gets too large, and any other additional and unexpected fees that crop up. If there are other charges, the authors share that cost.

I do want readers to know that the authors signing at the event ALWAYS split the cost of the conference room where the event is being held. Whatever the total room costs, we split it per author and that's considered our "table fee." We personally pay to host the event so that we can meet all of you! 

We do this because we want too.  :)

What the majority of us don't want, is to make our readers fork out MORE money to attend a mutually beneficial book signing. Yes, I said mutually beneficial. You readers love getting to meet your favorite authors.  And we authors LOVE getting to meet our readers!  It's a win-win!  :) 

I am not comfortable when I hear about someone charging readers money to come to a book signing that will generate that person thousands of dollars. The fact that some chicks tried to profit over $15 grand recently OFF OF OUR READERS makes me want to put the hurt on. And until they got called out on it, they were going to absolutely try to get away with it.

I know I must be the odd one out, but I actually enjoy treating you the way I would like to be treated. And if I wouldn't be willing to pay a certain amount of $$ to attend an event, I would never in good conscious ask you to do it. We're already asking you to fly to the signing, pay for your hotel, AND actually buy our books too!

Now I'm not saying that the event coordinator shouldn't be compensated for their time because their time is valuable and these events are a ton of work (a lot of times the coordinators make nothing off the event itself), but their fee should be incorporated into the author fees, NOT reader fees. 

We're getting to a point lately where it seems like any and every one is setting up book signings. Just because anyone CAN set up a signing, doesn't mean they should. And just because I CAN attend any book signing, doesn't mean I will.

I'm afraid that people are being taken advantage of. And it's all to profit... who?  The only money authors make off of the signings are the books we sell. And trust me when I tell you that we never come close to breaking even. But it's not about that. We want to thank you guys for all your support. We enjoy meeting you and spending time with you.  :)

So I guess all I can tell you is A- I will not attend a signing that is charging you money to attend, without knowing exactly WHY and WHAT that money is going toward and sharing that reason with you.

And B- if you are considering going to a signing that charges money for you to simply attend, you should ask WHY and WHERE that money is going. Because some of the things cropping up lately have me a little worried... 

*public service announcement over* 

lol 

:) 

PS- This is my personal opinion only. I know I keep saying "we" authors a lot in this post, but I only speak for myself.

PSS- I did not write this to cause a ruckus and a huge fuss. I just wanted to raise awareness to my fellow authors as well as our readers. We should always know what we're signing up for, what we are representing, and where our money is going and to whom. 

PPSSSSSPPSPSPSP-  This blog post obviously does NOT reflect any events that i'm actually attending. If I've chosen to attend the event and they charge a fee, I'm well aware of what the fee is being used for and have shared it on my Appearances page. 

Key Necklace Winner (and more)!

Congratulations to

TABITHA COOTS

for winning the Key necklace and a signed copy of The Game Changer!

Just for fun, I randomly drew additional winners who will also get signed copies of The Game Changer as well!

JANINE CARLOS

ERICKA MERCURIO

PAULA MARIE

Please email me (jsterling@jennster.com) your mailing address so I can get your prizes in the mail!  :) 

Win a Necklace Like Cassie's!

*PLEASE NOTE, THIS CONTEST IS NOW OVER*

If you've read The Game Changer, then certainly you remember the Key Necklace that Melissa gave to Cassie on her trip to LA? 

 

Haven't read it yet?  Then go here to grab it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BYEGSQQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BYEGSQQ&linkCode=as2&tag=youaduautjste-20

Also, are you telling your friends about this series? Everyone needs a little Jack F'n Carter in their life.  :) 


Back to the necklace... I bought a similar one that I want to give away to one lucky reader, along with a signed copy of The Game Changer.

 

 

All you have to do is share this post on Facebook or Twitter and come back here and post in the comments where you shared it! 

 

That's it! 

Just post this link on FB/Twitter:

 

http://tinyurl.com/mlh83w9

 

and then come back here and comment.  If you don't leave a comment in this post, then you won't be entered to win.  So don't forget.  :)

 

Good luck and thank you for all the support and love!  :)