Romanticizing Reality

I suppose this announcement is past-due. I've been waiting for it to be official, on the off-chance I would step on toes or something, but I can officially announce--now that I have signed the agreement--my contract with Swoon Romance (GMMG--Georgia McBride Media Group) has ended and we have gone our separate ways. This means that HEMLOCK VEILS is no longer on the market (though I see it is still being sold on Amazon--I guess I should check on that), because it's no longer published. I currently have no published works...and I suppose that makes me not a published author anymore. I have so many mixed feelings about it. I am over the devastation, mostly, since this was decided months ago and it's had time to sink in and marinade. What I can say is that it's definitely the best choice, for both GMMG and me. I want to make it clear that we did not part on ill terms. I still love that team, and they still praise my writing. It was just a matter of different styles, and...

I was looking through my old files, and I found this character interview I wrote, back when HEMLOCK VEILS was released and when I was editing Book 2. I never posted it, probably because I either forgot about it or I thought it sucked (It kinda does). Either way, I'm posting it now. So, here's an interview between Stephen Ashton (Elizabeth's father) and myself--Stephen being the interviewer and myself being the interviewee: My interviewer sits casually at the other end of the square, wooden table in Starbucks. His plaid shirt is tucked into Levis, and his hand scratches the back of his head, ruffling brown hair. He clears his throat and opens his leather-bound journal. The end of his Bic ben has been chewed on, mauled. Strange, for someone who’s so laidback. But the old journal doesn’t surprise me; it’s just his style. He’s probably recorded most his findings of the Magical Realm in books just like this. I try to hide a smile as he flips through to find an empty page...

I know, it's been a while! In fact, it's almost been two weeks since HEMLOCK VEILS went live on Amazon ( get the ebook or paperback now )! I couldn't have asked for the book release to go any better, and its success so far has astounded me. It still shocks me when I get a picture of someone with the paperback. PEOPLE OUT THERE HAVE MY BOOK IN THEIR HANDS! Mine--the girl who doesn't really know how she got here. It's crazy and surreal and the best thing ever. It's been such a light in my recently darkened life lately, and I want to thank all those, again, who have contributed to its success. Most of the light has come from the awesome reviews. I have taken them all in, and I can honestly say that so far, I have loved every single review I've seen, even those with negative criticism. I appreciate them all like you wouldn't believe. Again, the way people love it ASTOUNDS me. I dreamed of this day for so long, and deep inside of me, though I couldn't ...

The HEMLOCK VEILS book review went beautifully yesterday, and I can't thank everyone enough for all the support in buying the book, getting the word out there, or simply just cheering me on. The response has been fantastic so far, and it's still surreal to me that my dreams are being realized. Okay, winners of the swag for yesterday's contests! I made a list of everyone who posted pictures of their book/receipt, everyone who tweeted/posted the amazon link, and everyone who even just retweeted or shared the promo posts I was putting up. For details and "rules" of the contest, visit my last post here . I put those lists of names into a random sequence generator on Random.org for the drawing, and BOOM--it gave me winners. (But let's face it; you're all winners!) First swag prize was a signed Hemlock Veils/Jean's mug. The winners of that signed mug, and a postcard, are (from both Facebook and Twitter): Rena Olsen  Michael Lee Tamra Brice Kele Lam...

The hour has finally arrived! I can now say that my modern-day Beauty and the Beast retelling,  HEMLOCK VEILS , is officially AVAILABLE! You can get it on Amazon, in either paperback or ebook--just click here ! There were times I thought this day would never come, and now, when people tell me they've ordered it, I can hardly believe it. It is incredibly surreal, and will become even more surreal when I actually get to hold the paperback in my hand! *Waits impatiently outside the post office doors* I can't say thank you enough to those of you who've shown your amazing support! It's been overwhelming in the best way. I have the greatest family/friends/fans/followers ever. Onto the good stuff! YA Bound Book Tours has put together an awesome blog tour and blitz that will take place starting this morning (November 25) and last through December 5. It's too late to sign up, but that doesn't mean you can't still blog some reviews and stuff of your own! *nudg...

It's getting close! HEMLOCK VEILS is almost available for the masses to read in paperback and ebook form ( November 25 )! *ALL THE SQUEES* If you are interested in the ebook form and for some reason didn't already know this because you're mean and don't follow me on social media , it is actually available for pre-order on Amazon! Check it out HERE ! Also, I decided to get on top of things and create my Author Central page on Amazon , which I didn't even know I could do until last night . Check that out HERE ! Maybe I'll actually get used to this author thing someday and learn all there is to learn. Maybe. In other HEMLOCK VEILS news, those book reviewers/bloggers who agreed to review my book have been sent all the ARCs, which is SO very exciting. And nerve-wracking. I might never eat again. But mostly, it's just exciting! I've actually already received one review so far on Goodreads--my FIRST EVER review! My gut sank when I saw it, because it was...

Last week for #MondayBlogs , I introduced you all to  Elizabeth Ashton , the heroine in my upcoming novel, HEMLOCK VEILS. I thought since these characters will be released to the public soon, I would do another post, this time introducing the hero. So everyone, meet Henry Clayton: Henry Clayton's inspiration: Joe Manganiello 1. Is he a fictional or historical person? Like Elizabeth, Henry is fictional. Though I feel that doesn't really need to be pointed out. 2. When and where is the story set? As explained in Elizabeth's character post, the story is set in our current time, in a small forest town, Hemlock Veils (a fictional place), located in Mt. Hood National Forest about an hour southeast of Portland, Oregon. 3. What should we know about him? There are lots of layers to Henry. And the discovery of some of those layers is part of the surprise of the story. But what you should know about Henry is that he isn't what he presents himself to be. He has about ...

I was tagged last Monday in the Meet My Main Character blog tour by the lovely and sometimes hilariously inappropriate Sonya Craig , and of course jumped at the opportunity. Sonya is the author of the Outbound sci-fi series, and you can check out more about her and her  kickass protagonist here . If any of you are regulars here (hello, crickets!), you probably know that Sonya is one of my dearest Twitter BFFs, and one of the most real, down-to-earth, amazing, beautiful, caring, and funny people I know. My main character? As most of you know, my paranormal romance coming next month from Swoon Romance  ( HEMLOCK VEILS ) is a modern-day Beauty and the Beast retelling for adult audiences. In this adaption, the Beauty of this story is twenty-nine-year-old Elizabeth Ashton. My inspiration for Elizabeth: Kate Beckinsale (image from Everybody's Fine).  And she is drinking coffee, of course. Because...Elizabeth. 1. Is she a fictional or historical person?  A...

My rather glamorous WIP process I know it's not Monday Blogs, but I like to go against the grain. Plus, I was nominated by Sonya Craig in the WIP Blog Tour. Sonya is basically the life to our twitter party. And probably to any party she attends. Or any room she walks into, actually. One of my only extroverted writer friends, Sonya writes kick-ass sci-fi and makes me laugh on a daily basis, and then some. On top of all that though, and even on top of the fact that she is a kick-ass artist , she is one of the most amazing and strong women I know. One of my dearest friends and soul sisters, who comes in a cute, petite package of crazy, and who uses her cat, Fat Cat, as a weapon. Check out her blog , and if you're on twitter, follow her . You'll never have a dull day again. Okay, the rules for this blog tour are simple. 1. Link back to the person who nominated you. (I'm already acing this.) 2. Share a little about your WIP. 3. Share the first sentence from the firs...

Hello, everyone! The time has finally come when I can share this beauty with the rest of the world! I'm so  very excited to reveal my beautiful cover for HEMLOCK VEILS today! Feel free to spread the word and share, share, share! Thank you to Swoon Romance for this AMAZING and eye-catching design, and thank you,  YA Bound , for hosting this blog tour cover reveal!  Now, feast your eyes... Hemlock Veils by  Jennie Davenport   Release Date: 11/25/14 Swoon Romance Summary from Goodreads: When Elizabeth Ashton escapes her damaging city life and finds herself in the remote town of Hemlock Veils, Oregon, she is smitten by its quaint mystery; but the surrounding forest holds an enchantment she didn’t think existed, and worse, a most terrifying monster. The town claims it vicious and evil, but Elizabeth suspects something is amiss. Even with its enormous, hairy frame, gruesome claws, and knifelike teeth, the monster’s eyes spe...

I promise I'll do better at the updates and posts. Especially now that my contract with Swoon Romance  is on its way to being finalized! Squeeeeeeeeee! Okay, I'm done. (Not really. I'll never be done squee-ing ) My agent wasn't lying when she said contract negotiations take a long time. But I am so grateful for an awesome agent who is willing to make sure everything is top-notch for me, and for the most awesome romance publisher out there. Seriously, guys. Check out their website (linked above). They don't put out anything but the best. And the covers? I've never seen any so gorgeous! I already love being a part of the Swoon team. It's like one big, amazing family. Awesome circle of authors, fabulous Publisher, and fantastic Editor. I cannot wait to get things under way! This week (hopefully) I will be handing over HEMLOCK VEILS and officially starting on the editorial process. Before I know it, the cover release will be here (*gasp*)! In about t...

Well, it happened. The first huge step in realizing my dream has come true. I am now represented by Beth Campbell of BookEnds, LLC. *screams, dances in imaginary confetti to the tune of "We Are the Champions"* And before I get to how it happened, here's an interesting side-note: BookEnds was the first agency that ever caught my eye years ago, when I first decided I wanted to make a career out of writing. Back when I decided to look into the business of getting an agent, back when I had no idea how it all worked, I came across the BookEnds blog. No joke, between this and the Nelson Literary Agency blog, I learned every single thing there is to know about the publishing and agenting world. Everything . I owe my passion for it to this blog. Unfortunately, they stopped doing posts because of time constraints, but they keep the blog public for anyone to reference. Because of this immediate love for them, and in researching their agents and agency, they were my dream agenc...

Some people during this #PitMad contest have been requesting that, if at all possible, a longer pitch and excerpt of their work can be put up on their websites, for any who are interested. So here's mine, for HEMLOCK VEILS. I'm posting the blurb from my query letter, as well as the first 250 words: When Elizabeth Ashton escapes her damaging city life and finds herself in the remote town of Hemlock Veils, Oregon, she is smitten by its quaint mystery; but the surrounding forest holds an enchantment she didn’t think existed, and worse, a most terrifying monster. The town claims it vicious and evil, but Elizabeth suspects something is amiss. Even with its enormous, hairy frame, gruesome claws, and knifelike teeth, the monster’s eyes speak to her: wolf-like and ringed with gold, yet holding an awareness that can only be human. That’s when Elizabeth knows she is the only one who can see the struggling soul trapped inside, the soul to which she is moved. Secretly, Elizabeth b...

In following and internet-stalking fellow writers and authors, I came to a realization today: I've got NOTHING in the form of a formidable website or platform (fellow Grammar Nazis, fire away at that last sentence). All I had going for me was a measly Twitter account (which I would love to grow one day). No author Facebook page (since I don't feel I've earned the privilege to have one yet, being unpublished and all), and only an outdated, less than par blog. So here I am, contributing to one of the necessary evils of the industry: keeping a writing blog. Or really, just revamping an old one. I hadn't blogged here since 2010, I think, and with how much I've written, learned, grown, been trampled in the dirt , and realized in the past three years, the old stuff--the posts before this one--is only here for record-keeping purposes: so I can look back one day and say, Aw, look at the little, naive writer . (And then say that again about this post in three more years...