Blog – Page 7 – Author Jen Meyers

Winners of ANYWHERE

We have winners of the signed paperbacks of Anywhere:

Victoria Green and Christy Coleman!

Congrats! Please email me your address and I’ll get the book out to you this week. :-) Send your emails to j@jmeyersbooks.com.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated and helped spread the word. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the help. Really and truly.

I’ve got some serious blogging set up for this week (don’t get used to it—I’m just saying). Strangely, over the weekend I was hit with blogging-inspiration and it’s all coming at you this week. (And then I’m sure I’ll be back to my normal erratic posting…especially with the approaching holidays.) So come back for more tomorrow. :-)

Happy Monday, everyone!

By jen | November 18, 2013 | Blog |

Announcement and a Giveaway!

In an attempt to gain more exposure, I have decided to make the ebook of Anywhere exclusive to Amazon for three months. That sounds like an oxymoron, right? Make it exclusive to one online vendor for better exposure. Let me explain.

Amazon has created a new promotional opportunity that places books on two additional pages/lists in the store besides the book’s regular page. One is the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library where Prime members can borrow books for free, and the other is the new Kindle Countdown Deals (which you’re going to want to know about if you haven’t heard already—it’s a new place to find limited-time deals on Kindle ebooks). The opportunity to have placement on the Kindle Countdown Deals page is just too great for me to pass up. But the price of being able to do so is exclusivity.

So this week I’ll be pulling the ebook of Anywhere off the shelves of iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. It’s a 90-day commitment, at the end of which I intend to put it back up for sale everywhere. In the meantime, I’m hopeful that this will gain the book some much-needed visibility and help get it into more people’s hands.

For those readers who do not read Kindle ebooks…if you’re willing to take an extra step to get the book, this is how it will work: you can buy the ebook from Amazon, send me an email with the receipt, and I’ll send you the epub file that will work with your Nook/iTunes/Sony/Kobo ereader.

I’m not a fan of exclusivity and want to have the book widely available so anyone can easily find it and get it. But in all honesty the other online stores make it hard for people to just come across my books or have them show up in a search unless you’re searching specifically by title. Not so on Amazon. Their system for finding and recommending books is far more effective at getting ANY book in their store in front of the right readers. And this opportunity to increase ANYWHERE’s visibility on Amazon is simply too great for me to pass up.

THE GIVEAWAY

My first box of Anywhere paperbacks arrived a few days ago, which means signed paperbacks are available in my store (just in time for the holidays, y’all!). To celebrate their arrival, I’m giving away two signed copies—and the contest is International. :-) (*Before you enter, please be aware that Anywhere is VERY different than my Intangible series, and is intended for a more mature audience of ages 17+. Thanks!)

Here’s how you enter:

1. Post about Anywhere on Facebook (with the link, please!) and like my F acebook page (if you’re on Facebook).
2. Tweet about Anywhere (with the link, please!) and follow me on Twitter (if you’re on Twitter).
3. Leave a comment below telling me where you posted, and where YOU’d like to go if you could go ANYWHERE.

—> The US Link: http://www.amazon.com/Anywhere-ebook/dp/B00ES1IWVQ <—

—> The UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anywhere-ebook/dp/B00ES1IWVQ <—

And please SPREAD THE WORD! Contest is open until Saturday November 16th. On Sunday I’ll have a random number generator pick the winners and will announce them on Monday, November 18th, here on the blog.

Have a great week, everyone!

p.s. I hope you win!

By jen | November 4, 2013 | Blog |

Of Books and Bugs

I’ll be honest with you and tell you that I haven’t started writing the next book yet. This time of year—heading into the holiday season—is always so SO busy in a Life sort of way that I never get much writing done anyway, so I haven’t been terribly motivated to start. But I’ve been making notes. Oodles and oodles of notes, fragments of dialogue, scene ideas, the beginnings of an outline. Characters have already gone through at least five name changes as I’ve searched for the perfect names (it’s hardly ever the first ones I choose—naming characters is as difficult as naming children, truly). There is so much I *know* about this next book and still so much I don’t. But I do know it will all come together and I will be writing like mad soon.

In the meantime, Life is full of good things like (the end of) soccer season, fires burning in the wood stove, and a celebration of bugs. (I’m not kidding.) Last weekend we went to the always fantastically fascinating Insectapalooza hosted by the entomology department at Cornell University. A remarkably hands-on event, kids of ALL ages get to talk to the insect experts, touch a bug or two, and see insects they’ve never seen (and probably never would otherwise).

(Okay, warning: there are LOTS OF PICTURES BELOW. But none of them are of spiders even though Steve took several pics of very large, hairy ones that are still making me shudder after I accidentally looked at them. But I’m protecting you guys because I love you.) (Also, you’ll totally understand why I couldn’t narrow it down any further than I already did. Some seriously cool bugs and stunningly gorgeous butterflies here.)

Looking at tiny parasitic insects under large magnifying glasses and microscopes.

There were ridiculously HUGE insects:

That’s my hand up there to give you an idea of how crazy-big these are.

And some unbelievably small:

Those tiny little black dots all over this paper coffee cup? Teeny-tiny wasps. Yes, wasps. (I KNOW.)

An amazing collection of the beauty and wonder of our world.

We were lucky enough to be able to see some insects represented at every stage of their life cycle, like this Tobacco Hornworm.

Eggs and newly hatched worms. You can see a mature worm behind the cup to see the size difference.

A mature worm, about a month after hatching. You would not believe how soft its skin is…softer than a baby’s skin.

This is the moth the worm turns into.

We even got to watch in wonder as one of those moths, like the one pictured above, fed from a vial of sugar water. It hovered just like a hummingbird, its long proboscis extending into the beaker to drink. SO cool.

But by far, our favorite part of the event was the Butterfly Room. With netting covering the ceiling and flowering plants, saucers of sugar water, and cut fruit spread throughout the room, we walked into a wonderland of butterflies and moths EVERYWHERE we looked—feeding, resting, and flying by. Talk about MAGICAL.

Check out the feathered antennae on this guy. Also, he’s HUGE.

This little butterfly was my favorite (and I think it heard me say that because right after this picture was taken, it took off and landed on me as we were leaving…it obviously wanted to come home with us). The wings are see-through, like stained glass.

Steve took all these pictures, and if you want to see a few more (because REALLY, only eighteen pictures of bugs isn’t enough, right?), you can hop over to Steve’s guest post on Insectapalooza at Mud Puddles to Meteors, a site celebrating all the wonders of nature for big and small. (Also, there are different cool bugs posted over there…so really, you should go. Plus it’s a truly wonderful site—a new favorite of mine…despite the fact that they have a deep love for spiders that I simply do not understand. ;-)

Have a great weekend, everyone. Hope it’s filled with wonder.

By jen | October 25, 2013 | Blog |

ANYWHERE is Available in Paperback!

It’s out! The absolutely gorgeous paperback version of Anywhere is now available at both Amazon and Amazon UK. Signed paperbacks coming soon… :D

Hope you’re having a fantastic day, my friends!

By jen | October 24, 2013 | Blog |

In which I gush over the paperbacks of ANYWHERE

Did I tell you that paperbacks of Anywhere are coming? No? Oh, well then. The paperbacks are coming! The paperbacks are coming! :D

I just got my proof yesterday and vlogged (it’s been FOREVER since I did that) to show you how utterly GORGEOUS it is.

And in about a week, paperbacks of Anywhere should be available! *\o/*

Hope you’re having a great week!

By jen | October 16, 2013 | Blog |

Balancing Act

With the changing of the season and the start of a new month, I’m feeling the need to get back to work. The idea for my next book (another NA contemporary romance) has been floating around in the back of my mind for months, the story filling in here and there, the characters showing their personalities and endearing quirks, little snippets of conversations playing in my head. Yup, I’m starting to hear voices. ;-) Which means it’s time to get writing.

This also means it’s time, once again, to figure out how to balance my writing with my life. Not an easy feat for me, and one that I haven’t been particularly successful at in the past, if I’m going to be completely honest. Problem is, once I get sucked into a book, my mind gets tunnel vision and it’s all I ever think about. All day long. Every day. Which makes me not the best mom during those times.

I’ve gotten better with each book. (At least, I think I have. I HOPE I have.) But it’s still a struggle. It’s still a juggling act I’m trying to figure out how to do, even as I drop ball after ball. But I stubbornly keep at it because writing is important to me. It feeds my creative soul, sates my thirst to Make.

And complicates the hell out of my life, challenging me to find balance. But this IS life, right? Seeking balance, tipping one way and then the other as you figure things out for yourself, as you find what works for YOU because it’s never exactly the same as what works for someone else. Losing your balance, correcting (sometimes over-correcting), and getting it back. Even if only for a short while.

It’s a balancing act.

By jen | October 1, 2013 | Blog |

Welcoming Fall

Fall is my favorite season—always has been. Probably because I grew up in Vermont and the state goes from green to blazing technicolor at this time of year. I love the crispness of the days, wrapping up in a sweater (or two), snuggling under wool comforters at night. This is the time of year when all I want to do is curl up under a blanket and knit. When my steaming cup of tea tastes extra good and a walk through the woods feels invigorating. When getting outside is fun again (rather than a sweaty, slimy ordeal). When we bring home bushels of apples fresh off the tree and get our first (of many) hours spent in front of the wood stove, mesmerized once again by the dance of flames that promise warmth and light for the coming winter.

There is just so much to love about fall…

Have a lovely Fall weekend, everyone!

By jen | September 26, 2013 | Blog |

The Wrap-Up

It’s been slow going getting back to regular life after losing my brother, but it’s happening. Life, as they say, really does go on. And while he remains in my heart (and always ALWAYS will), I’m doing my best to not think about the fact that he’s gone. Thinking leads to sadness/crying/depression. Distraction, aka Not Thinking, leads to feeling normal and finding the happiness that is present in my everyday.

So. Distraction it is. Here’s a bit of what’s been distracting me lately. ;-)

1. A couple of weeks ago I started my annual tradition of making a ridiculous amount of salsa that will (hopefully) last us all year. We’ve gotten totally spoiled by homemade salsa (it only takes ONE jar for that to happen). I made 53 quarts of it last year and we have 3 quarts left. (We LIKE our salsa.) Last year was the first time I finally made enough to last us without having to be stingy with it. I’ve already made about 27 quarts, but was worried that I’d missed the end of tomato season and would have to spend the year rationing the salsa (*gasp* the HORROR). But on Wednesday I visited my favorite local Amish farmstand and snagged another bushel of tomatoes. So. My weekend will be spent gratefully canning more salsa. (Here’s my recipe, if you’re interested.)

2. I’ve also picked up my knitting again, which feels SO good. This is a yearly thing for me—after the heat of summer, as my part of the world starts to cool itself off, I get the urge to pick up my needles and MAKE. I’m working on a sweater that I started quite a while back and plan to finish this fall. Luckily it’s soccer season, so I’ll get plenty of knitting time at practices and games. My overzealous knitting urge even has visions of making sweaters for all the kids for Christmas (or at least this winter)…but if I plan to get writing the next book, that’s so NOT going to happen. But still. I’ve got the urge. :-) (Maybe I can do it if I make vests…hmmm.)

3. Fabric has been calling me, too, and I washed and ironed these beautiful batik fabrics with plans to make a lap quilt for myself. A couple of Christmases ago, the kids and I made lap quilts for them as well as for Steve. So everyone in the house has their own quilt to snuggle under during winter while reading or watching a movie. Everyone, that is, except me. I aim to remedy that soon.

4. Book recs! (Because I’ve had time to read again! Color me HAPPY.) :D These are the stand-outs from all I’ve been reading lately.

YA (for everyone)
Mind Games by Kiersten White

NA (for the 17+ crowd)
Silver Heart by Victoria Green (A sweet and VERY steamy love story…I really loved this book. This was her debut and I’m (im)patiently waiting for more.)
Falling by Mia Josephs /aka Jolene Perry (This book was SO sweet, SO good…I couldn’t put it down and spent an entire afternoon reading it. The final epilogue made me laugh it was so perfect. I’m definitely going to be picking up some more Mia Josephs/Jolene Perry books.)
Charade by Nyrae Dawn
Tight Knit by Allie Brennan (Actually I just started reading this, but I’m loving it so far so I’m including it here because I’m pretty sure it would make a future Book Rec list anyway.)

5. Lastly, I have been thanking my LUCKY, LUCKY STARS for all of YOU. I have been absolutely floored by the amazing response Anywhere has gotten, and the incredible reviews that have been coming in. Like this one. And this one. Oh, and this one is just HOLY COW. (I could go on and on, and if you want to read more, go check out more reviews on Goodreads.) You guys make my heart swell. Thank you for taking my book into your hearts and minds, and loving it. It’s the most incredible feeling EVER.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

By jen | September 20, 2013 | Blog |

Playlist for Anywhere

Anywhere is the first book I’ve written where I listened to music almost constantly while writing. With previous books I needed complete silence to write, but for some reason I craved the music with Anywhere. Maybe because I found the absolute SWOONIEST SONG EVER and it gave me all the feelz I was trying to create in the story.

The first song listed below, “May I” by Trading Yesterday, is totally Asher’s theme song. It so perfectly captures what I think a good/healthy relationship should and can be, and I swear I swoon every single time I listen to it. Every. Single. Time. (Like right now. Whoa. Give me a moment.)

(I’m just going to say right now: don’t be surprised if “May I” shows up on every future playlist for every contemporary romance that I write forevermore. It’s THAT good.)

But don’t just take my word for it. Listen for yourself.

SEE? I know, I know. Go ahead and listen again. I’ll wait. ;-)

And then check out the full playlist below. (The Lady Antebellum video for “Just a Kiss” inspired the idea for the backpacking trip, and the song perfectly captured the feel of the evolution of Skye and Asher’s relationship.)

Playlist for Anywhere:

Trading Yesterday “May I”
Lady Antebellum “Just a Kiss”
Hanna-McEuen “Ocean”
Rob Thomas “Ever the Same”
Christina Perri “Arms”

And take a listen, if you’d like. They are ALL amazing songs.

Happy listening!

By jen | September 18, 2013 | Blog |

On Saying Goodbye

My heart is heavy and my footsteps slow as I head into this weekend, for I am burying my big brother.

My only brother.

My brother and my niece about 14 years ago.

This wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen. It should be another forty years before I take these steps, before my heart shatters like this.

I wasn’t prepared for how hard this would be, even though I knew it was coming. I’ve known for 15 years that he would die, that this incurable cancer would kill him, and there were several times when we thought it was close. But he always rallied. Amazingly. He faced everything with a positive attitude and summoned the will to Not Ever Give Up.

My brother was a BAMF when it came to cancer.

My brother was amazing.

And I can’t quite fathom the world without him.

By jen | September 6, 2013 | Blog |