Bad News, Good News and even MORE Gooder News

HAHAHAHAHA.. I said "gooder."  LOL

Okay, so I don't want the title of this blog post to scare you, but we need to talk, you and I. Get comfortable... sometimes I tend to ramble.  :)

Let's get the bad news out of the way first. And hopefully by the time this is over, you won't feel like it was so bad at all (and honestly, most of you know this already, but I felt the need to clarify).
 
*dun dun dun* That was my attempt at a sad drumroll.

OKAY...
I know how badly you all wanted Dean's story. And I tried. You have to believe me when I tell you that I tried. I wrote it six ways to Sunday from Melissa's point of view and I couldn't find her voice. I literally have four (at least) different drafts from Melissa that I absolutely hate. 

But most of you know that already.

Because you know that I scrapped all of those and started fresh from Dean's point of view and I was happy about that! And I was having a lot of fun.... at first.  But it was mostly because JACK was there.  Any scene Jack was in, I was happy. Once he left, I got sad. And bored.

Jack

*sigh*

*ahem*

I spent almost 2 months trying desperately to pound out this story. To pound out ANY story, even though I knew exactly what I wanted to say and what needed to be told. 

It.just.wasnt.working. 

Here's a little side note for you about me. When I write my secondary characters, I never have any intention of writing a spin off story for them. Like- where they are the main characters.
EVER.
I mean, EVER.
NOT.EVER.
NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER.

They are secondary characters for a reason. I'm not in their head in the same way that i'm in my main characters heads.
And honestly? 
I don't WANT to be.

So that's where my problem surfaced when I tried to write this damn novella. I finally realized that I didn't want to be in Dean's head. No matter how much you all wanted me too- I didn't care about Dean & Melissa the same way I cared about Jack & Cassie.

I'm sorry, but it's the truth.

So the bad news- there will NOT be a Dean book, novella, short story, sample chapter, etc. 
No Dean Book. 
And i'm sorry to each and every one of you who was looking forward to it and was excited. I hope I haven't let you down too much.


But that brings me to the GOOD news! Well at least I hope you consider it good news cause I sure do.

I have written (note that it doesn't say AM WRITING) the third and final book in Jack & Cassie's story!!!!!!!!  I needed more from them.. I needed to go further into their lives, to see them in the future. And I needed to be able to tell them goodbye (although I'll admit, I'm not sure I can ever truly say goodbye to them- they hold such a strong place in my heart).

Anyway, The Game Changer wasn't good enough for me. I NEEDED more from Jack and Cassie. And let me tell you, I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS STORY!!!!!  Of course i'll be terrified the second if comes out and you all can actually read it. But honestly, at this point, I freaking love it. So much happens!!!! And all the characters you care about make an appearance.

The even GOODER news?! 

I have a release date. Not only are you getting a new book, you're getting it before the end of the year!  THIS YEAR!  :)

DECEMBER 25th, 2013 will be the release date for when Jack & Cassie's epic love story comes to a close, titled, THE SWEETEST GAME!
Yep!  Christmas freaking day!!!!!! 
MERRY F'N CHRISTMAS!!!  :)
Let's all have a CARTER CHRISTMAS (put a lil' Jack under your tree!)!!!
And it will be released on ALL platforms (not kindle exclusive) so I hope we rock the hell out of this!!!!!! 

I am so excited to share the final chapters of J & C's story with you all. And I cannot thank you enough for all the blessings you've given me. The way you've fallen for Jack F'n Carter and these books have blown my mind on a daily basis-  I am surprised by the emails, the pictures, the drawings, the sweetness, the kind words, the word of mouth and the sheer passion you have for these characters. Thank you.

Let's recap, shall we:

NO more Dean & Melissa Book, Novella, Short Story, Etc.
YES! We will have one last book for Jack and Cassie! 
YES! Dean and Melissa's story will unfold in the pages of this book (I promise you won't want their story after this)!
YES! Familiar friends and family will also make appearances! 

The Sweetest Game will be available on ALL platforms! 
YES! That means it will be on your NOOK!
YES! It will also be on IBOOKS and your IPAD, IPOD, IPHONE, IBATHROOM, IETC.
And YES! It will available on your KOBO!  And your SONY reader!

I hope you're excited because I sure am!  Let's all countdown to a Very Merry Carter Christmas, okay?  :)

THANK YOU again. From the bottom of my heart. I am forever grateful.

The Perfect Game 1 Year Celebration WINNERS!

WOOHOO!  We did it!  We made it through the first year of Jack F'n Carter with a bang!!!  :)  Thank you so much to each and every one of you who took the time to tell me what your favorite part of The Perfect Game was... or what you loved, what reminds you of the book, etc.  There were almost 400 comments to read through on Facebook and over 60 on Instagram!!!

You all amaze me! Thank you!!!!  :)

So, I had no idea how I was honestly going to choose the winners this time around. I read through every single comment and realized that I couldn't possibly play favorites! I could always do randomizer, but I was tired of doing that for every giveaway... especially when I'd asked y'all to get personal (which was the first time i'd done that).

So what did I do, you ask? I enlisted help! But before you get mad and think I just ditched y'all for some stranger, you need to know that I recruited one of my best friends, Cat for the job. Some of you probably know her from Facebook and from our private TPGC group online. I knew she was the perfect person for the job!

I told Cat, "you have to read all the comments and pick me 10 winners from fb and 5 from ig. GO!" 

She was all, "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, BITCH!" and she went to work!  Now this is why I love Cat... because she's not the type of person who would skim your comments.
She actually read them.
Every single one.
And she chose winners based on reasons and emotions.

I knew she'd do that, which is why I asked for her help. She's amazing and thoughtful and a great friend. SO!  Who won?  Well, the list is below!  With her reasons, no less. HA HA HA 

Don't kill me Cat.  :)

PS- if your name is on this list, please email me at jsterling@jennster.com with your mailing address so I can get the SIGNED PAPERBACK out to you!  :) Thank you so much for entering, for being passionate about these characters and for always wanting more. You all make my freaking life!  :) xox

FACEBOOK WINNERS

Shelby Ferry---I loved the fact that this reader loved that Jack cheated. She felt that was real and honest.

 

Brandy Alford Brazzel— her favorite line was #23 on the field, #1 in your heart.

 

Tabitha Ann Wilbanks--- she, like most of the readers, and myself, loved everything about the quarters.

 

Rhonda Craft ---- everytime she puts a quarter in the meter at Busch Stadium she smiles thinking about Jack.

 

Chelle Richards Lagoski Northcutt----she actually threw TPG across the room and is still pissed off and holds a grudge against Jack. HOW CAN SHE NOT GET A PRIZE lmao

 

Tara Pelfrey Clegg---  She “gets” it. People are human and can change and she loves that you made her change her mind and end up rooting for a cheater.

 

Heather Fitzgerald Frank---  loved how you wrote the relationship he had with his family members.

 

Jessica Deleo Brunaker--- She loved the line “ you’re both so screwed up alone that together you’re like the perfect mess”.

 

Jackie Jason Garcia--- she was emotional throughout the book because you wrote with so much emotion that she still has a TPG book hangover.

 

Sarah Wilson---  She loved how Jack was kind enough to replace Cassie's camera that was stolen.

 

INSTAGRAM

 

Gina21078--- loved that Jack wold break his pitching arm to keep Cassie safe

 

Cath102892---how Jack has enough quarters for 20 years of touches  to start

 

Jcarlos--- she had at least 7 comments of her faves. She loved it all because you wrote beautifully and it moved her.

 

Perpolrawr—quoted things from Gran and Gramps that she loved

 

Emma_leerose ---- you love him and want to have 10,000 of his little baseball babies.

Happy ONE YEAR anniversary to The Perfect Game!

I can't believe it's been ONE YEAR since I released The Perfect Game. Only one year ago... time's a funny thing-  sometimes feeling like it's been forever and other times feeling like it was only yesterday...

When I think about TPG and Jack F'n Carter, I can't help but be thankful. This book has literally changed my life.
And it wasn't my first book.
Or even my second.
But it was the first one i'd written that really spoke to you guys. The first one that took a hold of your heart and forced you to tell all your friends about it the moment you finished- THEY HAD TO READ IT! HAD TOO! YOU WOULDN'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! Was it going to hurt them? Yes! You didn't care- they NEEDED to go through the pain the same way you did. They NEEDED to meet Jack F'n Carter!

And I can never, ever, ever thank you enough for that.
Truly.
I can never properly express what your word of mouth has done for my life.

I feel like I owe everything to this book- to these characters- and to all of YOU.

I knew that if this book flopped, or "failed" that it wasn't going to stop me, but I really, really, really, wanted it to succeed. And I will tell you that while I wrote it, I had a feeling that it was different, but I wasn't sure what that would mean for me. Different how? I didn't know.

Because last year at this time- I basically had no income (we're talking zero), i'd just lost my house to foreclosure, and all I knew for sure was that I wanted to keep writing. I wanted to continue doing something that was contributing NOTHING to my household income. I'd fallen in love with story-telling and it filled my soul in a way that nothing ever had (even if it didn't fill my wallet! lol).

What it did at the time was completely exceed all my expectations! YOU'VE all completely exceeded my expectations!!

And I hope you know how thankful and appreciative I am for it.

Over on my facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/TheRealJSterling  and on my Instagram (name = RealJennster) I'm having separate giveaways. You can win Signed Paperback's of The Perfect Game! And also The Perfect Game doodles by Dooodles by Christina (starting on Friday, the actual anniversary date!!! so make sure you check into each site tomorrow)  :)

It's the least I can do thank all of you for being life changers. The contests are open internationally.

I love you guys!  Thank you so much for your continued love, support, encouragement and general excitement around everything i'm working on. I have THE BEST READERS EVER!  :) 

I'd love to hear any comments you want to share with me. I'm all choked up over this anniversary and I don't want to be the only one emotional here. lol 

Updated Appearances!

Hey all,

Just a quick note to let you know that I've updated the APPEARANCES tab with my 2014 travel schedule!  Please note that it is subject to change, but I always keep it updated as accurately as possible. (FYI- Houston month/day may move to a later date)

You might notice that the New Orleans signing is now missing from my dates. Unfortunately, I had to pull out of that signing simply due to edit deadlines and conflicts. I LOVE LOVE LOVE meeting you guys, but with all the travel I did so far this year, I've realized that my writing suffers. And I can't have that. So I had to pull out and I'm really sorry. If you were planning on attending, I hope that we can meet some other time. Hug yourself from me. That was cheesy, but I meant it.  lol  :)

As far as the rest of this year is concerned, I have LONDON in November and then i'm done for the year!  I also have some really exciting news coming up, so stay tuned!!!!! 

Thanks again for everything you do. I f'n love you. More than you love jack f'n carter.  and that's A LOT.  :)

xox