Okay, for real this time, you can get a free Kindle download of In Between. But just for a limited time, so hurry and download that thing now!

I just got back from a week in lovely Charleston, South Carolina and Asheville, NC. It was a very hot time, but I had a great time. Sometimes you see a local landmark and just instantly bond with the town.

I found the store where Scarlett O’Hara buys her t-shirts.

Charleston is a beautiful town. So much history there. We toured a bunch of historic homes, ate at some great places (don’t think I didn’t pre-research every single spot and have a flow chart of our options). We started off the visit with a carriage tour of Charleston. I was really impressed with the ambiance in the stable.

I could tell those horses really appreciated the Japanese lanterns.

Be jealous of the cute boy who sat in front of me.

Check out his cheeks. This baby was hot. Carriage rides do not have air conditioning. Or air fresheners.

Our car didn’t qualify for this parking spot. Again, horses had priority.

We went to a famous plantation where lots of movies have been filmed, like the 1980s mini-series North and South. (Patrick Swayze at his best?) Recognize this famous driveway?

It’s been in a ton of films.

We happened to be at the plantation when Army Wives was filming. Apparently the woods of Charleston are perfect for recreating. . .Afghanistan. (I know the heat was certainly reminding me of the Middle East.)

I think this made the trip for my friend Kim. She loves her some Army Wives. So of course that meant. . .we had to stalk them.

These men had the nerve to block the road and give us “go away” eyes.

When they stood in the path with their arms crossed, we decided to turn around and leave. But we totally could’ve taken them.

We took a two hour sailboat ride, thinking it would be so fun. It was everything I could do to stay awake. By the last hour, I couldn’t even stay upright.

We walked downtown through the market. The picture quality here is horrible, but this is a girl after my own heart.

You can buy these downtown.

I was excited to try these peanuts. I mean can you imagine what it must taste like–a peanut with an edible shell? I had to eat one! And…… it tastes just like you’re eating the dang shell. I was spitting that stuff out for a good hour. My friends were like, “What did you expect?” Magic. Peanut magic.

Saw this bumper sticker and for some reason it resonated with me.

Pork Trifecta. I’m going with bacon, sausage, and ham. But I don’t know. I don’t want to slight Canadian Bacon either.

We ate at the best restaurant, Slightly North of Broad.

When you go in the bathroom, it’s decorated with framed prints of autographed book covers of books based in Charleston.

Sue Monk Kidd!!! I got to pee next to her book cover!
And Pat Conroy of course.

His inscription says, “Jenny, I’m so glad you can stare at my million dollar signature while you’re having a tinkle.”

Christian fiction was even represented. Here’s fellow Thomas Nelson author Nicole Seitz’s book.

Conroy even has his own drink on the menu.

Well, my next book, Save the Date, is set in Charleston, and I’m hoping to see my name on a menu too. Preferably on the dessert menu. With something frozen. And chocolaty. And artery clogging. It would be an honor to be associated with something that has absolutely no nutritional value.

At one plantation property, there were some beautiful gardens.

It reminded me of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. Kim’s eyes got wide, and she said, “I think I just saw an alligator.” Uh-huh. Right. On private property. Where thousands of tourists walk.  “No, seriously, I saw its eyes peeking out above the water.” We just laughed. Even a stranger walking with us laughed. . .until ten minutes later when the stranger saw something herself.

Can you see him? Sure enough, there were at least two alligators. Not sure how many tourists they eat a year. I left before I could ask him.

I hope you have a great week. I’m still on summer hours, so I’ll see you next Monday.

Committed to the Pork Trifecta,
JEN

Before I jump in, I wanted to let you know that Amazon is offering my first book, In Between, free in the Kindle format. But just until the 27th, so if you’re a Kindle user, download In Between while you can. It’s a great chance to read about Katie Parker, who is still my most asked about character.

Today I want to put in my plug for a little something called the American Christian Writer’s conference. This year it is September 17-20 in Indianapolis. If you’re interested in writing Christian fiction, you should definitely consider going. Honestly, when I think of the many great classes I’ve sat through, I think even secular writers would love this event. It’s that beneficial.

I’ve told this story before, but I owe my career to ACFW. My road to publication is a short one, filled with a series of God moments and God “coincidences” that finally led me to ACFW. The bare bones of it include: I moved to teach at a new school. I didn’t have a classroom. In constant bad mood as cart pusher. I taught in the room of a friend and my former mentoring teacher Erin (who I still acknowledge in every single book). Erin has library of Christian fiction. I see the cover of Billerbeck’s What a Girl Wants. It’s pink, therefore I must read. Love book. Go to Billerbeck’s website. See logo for ACFW. I check out site. Decide to join. Decide I will go to their conference that next fall. Roap Erin into going. We almost die on plane. I exaggerate, but the Lord’s Prayer was said. Aloud. There might’ve been some hand holding. Go to conference. Long story of more God moments…

And six months later I had a contract for In Between, my first book.

Here’s what I want you to know.

1. ACFW is for writers of all level. When I went in ’05, I had 2o pages of a book complete. I had never written/completed a book in my life. I sat down with an author for a paid critique (HIGHLY recommended–best 30 bucks I’ve ever spent), and she said, “You should query this. Get your proposal ready.” I’m not kidding, I asked her what a query was. What’s a proposal?  So if your lack of experience or lack of writing progress is holding you back, don’t let it. My main goal that week was just to scout out the scene so I would be prepared next year. God had other plans. But I will say, even as green as I was, I probably learned over half of what I know of writing now from all that I soaked up at that conference. Be prepared to come back with a brain over-filled and squishy.

2. If you like to write fiction, you need to be around other weirdos like yourself. There is nothing like sitting at a table of people who get you, even if they’ve never met you. You will feel right at home.

3. Don’t be intimidated if you’re an introvert. When we’re talking groups larger than six, I am definitely an introvert. I do not enjoy crowds. The more people there are, the quieter I get. But yet I still enjoy ACFW. Yes, I come home completely drained–but in a good way! (My intake of M&Ms during this time could also be a contributing factor…)  But the cool thing is, I’ve found you can’t go wrong with some safe conversation topics. Here are my stand-bys:

1. What do you write?

2. Where are you from? (You can also read this info on their name tag, but depending on where that thing sits on a chest…)

3. Are you pitching this week?

4. Have you had any appointments yet? How did it go?

5. What do you like to read?

6. Do you know what that green stuff was at lunch?

EASY!

4. You will make life-long friends. Even if you’re not Mr. or Ms. Outgoing, you will come back with friends. (In your heart. Not like in your suitcase.)  If you have any interest in a future in being published, writing friends are a must. I bonded with my good friend author Christa Allan at my second conference because we were both short. And teachers. And good Southern girls. Who occasionally needed muzzles for our wayward comments. Gina Conroy and I bonded over a lunch I was lucky enough to tag along for. We realized we only lived 2 hours apart. I sat in my friend Danica’s tax class one year and was her roomie the next. When I saw her break out her tiara, I knew this was my type of friend.

5. Opportunities. At two meals a day you get the chance to sit with the editor or agent of your choice and talk to them about your book idea. If you are like me that first year (and actually every year since) and don’t want to “pitch,” you can just listen (the pitches of others are fascinating to listen to. Some people have it down to an art. I am not one of these people) or just talk to the editor/agent about the business in general. Or be wild and crazy and just talk to the editor/agent about something NOT writing related. That’s a welcome break for them. At dinner in ’05 I remember Karen Ball (then at Zondervan, now at B&H) talking to all of us at her table about John Wayne movies. (All I had to contribute was, “Um…I like McLintock.”)

6. I’ll be teaching! This is my first year to teach, and I’m a little nervous already! (Um…I like McLintock) I’ll be teaching a class on using humor in fiction and a session on YA and the Millennials. Both are topics I feel very strongly about. My big fear (other than speaking with my pants unknowingly unzipped) is that I’ll be speaking to an empty room, so just another reason why I would love to see you there. (Otherwise, I’m totally paying some maids to come sit in on my sessions. “I’ll clean those last five rooms for you if you just want to stop in that conference room on your left. No, I scrub a really mean toilet. It’s cool.”) I’m still trying to decide if I want to just straight teach OR if I will present my information in an interpretive ribbon dance to the tune of old Michael Bolton hits.  (Probably depends if I can squeeze into the spandex unitard this year or not. I swear that thing shrinks every year…)

Registration is open. Pray about it. Consider it. And pack those bags! If you have any questions about the conference or ACFW, feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll get back with you! I LOVE to tell people about ACFW the organization AND the conference.

See you soon!

JEN

Dear Blog Friends and Readers,

I love to get reader emails. I don’t always get the time to respond to all of them, but I read every single one. They brighten my day, give me encouragement, and allow me yet another way, when I’m able, to connect with readers, young and old. Every writer gets her share of critical emails as well. That’s just part of it. About two or three times a year, I will receive one that questions my word choice, the level of PDA, a character’s motivations, MY motivations, the book’s level of spiritual content, and MY level of spiritual content. Again, part of it. For the emails in which there is some serious question of my judgment of teen content, I make sure I respond. Usually quickly. Always respectfully. And always honest.

I don’t often talk about writing on here, as there are so many writing related blogs out there, I choose not to join the crowd. Plus they do it so much better. I don’t often discuss my own spiritual beliefs on here, my faith, because I am not called to offer devotions. And there are so many devotion sites out there, and again, they are done so much better than I ever could. My goal, in my books and for my blog (and Twitter and Facebook…) is to entertain. It’s to show the love and light of Christ through hopefully an entertaining story and through what is hopefully the ministry of humor and joy. Anytime I stray away from that, it kicks me in the butt.  My joy, my strength is in humor and levity. We are most successful and effective when we’re operating from our sweet spot.

So all that to say, today I’m straying from course, and I’m going to share an email and share my thoughts on teen content. Not sharing this to call this reader out. Not sharing this to make anyone feel bad or use my forum to try and prove they’re wrong. Just to say, “Here’s where I stand” and “Here’s why I write how and what I do.”

Email I received with some editing/removal of extra info:

Subject: Why Jenny?
I consider you my favorite author, and loved the Katie parker series. I have read it three times and continue to laugh out loud every time:) The humor in your books is the best part, and I loved how the humor in the KP books I could read to my brothers all under 10.

So I was ultra excited when Bella Kirkwood and her woes became available! I finished the first one last night, but am wondering if I’m going to read the rest. You had a great plot, and I love the mystery, especially “investigative journalism” in the trash. The characters were great, and I was never bored. Since your a writer, you no doubt understand the “mental images” that descriptions and details cause. Well, at the end, my head was filled with make-out scenes, a boy in a towel, etc- Also, the humor wasn’t as clean in this book as in the KP books. I read your books so I could fill my head of Godly character and not junk. I understood the make-out scene, but the book did not need the boy in a towel, the “craps” you used often and the cheating boyfriends. I completely understand why the plot needed a cheating boyfriend (that sounds weird:), but I didn’t need a mental picture:) I want to challenge you to write a step above secular writers, and keep your upcoming books CLEAN! Robin Jones Gunn is another author I love. She does a wonderful job with her Christy and Todd books, and she is super popular. Even her books for women are clean. I always finish her books with a head full of peace and knowledge that God does have a plan for my life and that he fulfill my life more than any boy ever could. I;m pretty sure that’s what your going for too:)

I want to encourage you to keep a high standard in your books. I know you teach a teach at a public school, but remember that your standards shounld be super high since you are an influencial christian author! Thanks for all you do for me and many others, and please continue to do so:)

PS. I love for Ice Cream too, but refuse to eat Ben and Jerry. They are gay and openly support the gay/lesbian rights movenment., The Bible says marriage is between one man and one woman, and you are giving away a lot of free advertising for a not so Godly cause:)

And here is my response:

Thank you for the email. I appreciate and respect your opinions. You should be very proud of the high moral standard you’ve set for yourself.

First off let me say that I agree that if a book gives you impure thoughts/images in your head, then avoid it. Robin Jones Gunn is a great author NOT to avoid and I’d encourage you to read her and fabulous authors like her.

My goal has never been, and until God convicts, will never be to write without that sense of reality that is true for many, many teens. As you know, I do teach in a public school, and I want my books to be something my public school girls can relate to–from the conservative Christian to the liberal to the atheist. So while i don’t want to PROMOTE sex and various other sins/vices, I also don’t want to shy away from reality. We live in a day when unfortunately sex begins in middle school for a large percentage of teens/preteens. So while I want to stay true to Christian values, I also want to stay authentic to the life of your average teen. And girl, you are not average, and that is something to be very proud of.  And believe me, my version of teen life in my books is still so cleaned up from the real deal.

Christian fiction often gets accused of being white-washed and unrealistic, and that is where I’m convicted to show that isn’t necessarily true. I’m glad the Holy Spirit guides you in setting aside reading that might be too much. But know that there is ministry in just being real and relevant, and that is my goal.

And as for Ben and Jerry’s, if you searched for a national company that did not support/hire homosexuals, you would be able to count them on one hand. This would include Wal-Mart, Sams Club, Costco, Target, Kohls, Best Buy, Old Navy, etc. My buying their products does not turn a man to seek out another man, just as my refusing to buy their products does not show the love of Christ. In the Bible, Christ changed lives and attitudes with acts of love–not shunning. It’s hard–especially when I don’t believe the same thing as another, whether that be homosexuality or politics–but I am not called to point out the mistakes of others without having a strong love walk in place.

Thank you for contacting me.
Jenny Jones
(end email)
***********************

Every author wants to please every single reader. But every author knows that is impossible. For every email I get that says, “Your stuff is insulting,” I get 50 that say the opposite. For every review I get that says, “The Christian content was so heavy,” I get some from the same book that will say, “Jesus was barely mentioned.”  Just like there are different churches and denominations in the Christian faith, there are different ways of writing in the faith. When I think of my audience as I write, I always, always think of my classroom. Though I teach in a public school, you might be surprised to know I have a large number of Conservative Christian teens in my room. But I also have the full spectrum of every other kind of belief (and non-belief).  And I just want to speak to where they’re all at. The word that I want to sum up my writing, before spiritual, before entertaining, EVEN before funny, is relevant. If I’m not relevant, I don’t need to be in the game. If you look at any YA book section, even the small one at Wal-Mart, what do you see? You see that darkness is winning, from cover color to content. That’s what teens are reading. That’s where they live. And I’m not going to reach them by preaching at them, criticizing them, or showing them the model life that they SHOULD live, but yet can’t relate to.

This was the longest blog post in the history of the Zippity Blog. I’m just throwing this all out there because it’s important you know that my stories are not something I take lightly. The teen culture is not something I take lightly. Nothing I write is for shock value or to be “cool.” Poor Bella Kirkwood and Katie Parker would be total Pollyannas in the real world of teen life (which I would applaud), and what you see in the books is a tiny, TINY fraction of the reality of the pressures and pitfalls of teen life. I see worse just stepping into the ladies’ room at school. The Millennials are a culture in crisis.  Let’s all run the race together, operating from YOUR level of conviction, from YOUR mode of talent and calling, and together we can affect some change.

You are most welcome to leave comments, but NOT to flame this reader who was kind enough to email me with her concerns and NOT to attack her beliefs. Presenting an accurate portrayal of the struggles of a Christian is near and dear to my heart, and I’d be glad to discuss, no matter what side you’re on.

See you on Monday where I’ll break character AGAIN and discuss…writing. You won’t want to miss it.

Loving that what I do makes people think–whether I agree or not,
JEN

(Photo credit: 2daydesign)

A few weeks ago I went to the annual Wal-Mart shareholders’ meeting. It’s usually some great entertainment. It also starts super early. I think we were there by 6:30 a.m. (which involved getting up at 4:15). And even at that, we found we were pushing it on time because the arena was almost filled. (Which means next year I will be getting up at 3 something. I think only drug dealers and infomerical addicts are up at this hour.)

Every year when you walk in, no matter how early you arrive, there is always the same band playing. I mean they are getting with it.

But I just want to tell them, “Guys, real rockers don’t play at 5:30. They go to BED at 5:30.”

There is always a famous emcee. Last year was Ben Stiller. This year was Jamie Foxx.

That guy really is talented. Great timing, good singer, great impressions (like Ray, of course), and quick wit.

Here’s a really bad pic of the first performer, Enrique Iglesias.

He is one preppy dude. He looks like he’s on his way to the Sigma Chi house. We’re not sure why he was there, other than the fact there is always some Latin representation. But his “Hero” song just doesn’t pack the whollup it did in 2001. It didn’t make any of us want to couple skate or anything.

Next was Mary J. Blige.

I am a fan of Mary J, so this performance was fun. I’m not too sure about her blonde version of the Dorthy Hamil though.

We always get to see the year’s American Idol winner.

Lee Dewyze. He’s a pretty low-key guy, eh? Maybe a little too much for the stage. He looked a little overwhelmed. But the Wal-Mart folk from Scotland in their kilts scared him.

My FAVORITE moment was the appearance of Mr. Rollback, Darrell.

Do you know Darrell?

Lame example, by the way, but that’s all that was available. (Wal-Mart, I’d like to introduce you to a little website we call YouTube… All the cool kids are there. Like Target.)

We sat on the side this year, giving us a view of the back wall. Where giant screens are with the entire event scripted out. I found myself reading it and stressing when someone would go rogue. You missed a line!

I need one of these screens at the back of my classroom.
Jones: Welcome students to class. (give partial smile)
Jones: Ask how summer was
(Give time for students to respond.) (Nod with interest.)
Jones: tell one brief joke
Students: laugh here or else
That could be very handy.

Mariah Carey showed up.

Though we saw evidence of good hair, we did not see any signs of a rumored baby bump.

But Mariah, I do want to apologize for this picture.

But for some reason it cracks me up.

Josh Groban closed out the show.

He’s a good dresser, eh?

Do you have one of those songs or singers, who at the very sound of them, makes you want to punch someone in the nose? For me it’s Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses,” the dumbest song ever created. For my friend Leslie, it is anything that comes out of Groban’s mouth. Which does not explain why we waited for him to come out.

That’s him in the backseat. Using my teacher volume, I let him know Leslie loved him. I think she went and ralphed in some bushes.

So that was my fun Friday. What about you? If you could see anyone in concert or see some actor or famous person, who would it be? I know we can’t all be as fortunate to see Mr. Rollback, but maybe you have someone else in mind?Let me know!

I’ll be taking a blog break until next Monday. See you then!

JEN

Hooray to Stephanie H, the winner of A Blue So Dark. Stephanie is spending her summer going to school and hanging out with her daughter. I loved reading everyone’s summer plans. Sounds like many of you are going to Disney World. I’m not jealous though. (I considered asking you to never return to my blog.)  Lots of girls doing the summer job thing. I used to get a new job every summer as a teenager. My favorite job was answering phones in a seed mill. The phone rang like twice a day, so all I really did was scrub the toilet daily and read romance novels.

I saw the movie Killers with Kutcher and Heigl last week. I give the movie a C- at best. It had pretty much no plot, but you don’t know this for absolutely sure until the end. It’s an odd movie and a letdown, but the strange thing is, a week later, and I’m still thinking about it. It had so many elements in its favor. It wouldn’t have taken THAT much work (says one revising a book right now) to make it significantly better. Things it had going for it that would make it worth seeing, especially if you are interested in writing rom-com or romantic suspense/comedy:

1. Snappy, well-written dialogue. I just learned (from reading Meg Cabot’s latest release Insatiable) that soaps can have dialogue writers. Can movies? Because the screenplay seemed very split-personality to me. Dialogue was the show stealer and Grade A.  The actual storyline? I think someone wrote his part on his Blackberry.

2. The chemistry between Heigl and Kutcher. It wasn’t like Mr. and Mrs. Smith chemistry, but more like the Huxtables. They were really cute together. They were weirdly normal. Hollywood usually doesn’t portray normal. But this couple, married 3 years, liked each other, and it worked well. I saw the movie with some friends, including a 20 year old who is looking for her Mr. Right. I said, “Ashton was a great example of the guy you need to be looking for. . .Well, minus the killing people part.” I just really loved Kutcher’s portrayal of a devoted husband. Hard to explain, but if you see the movie, you’ll know what I mean. Something in this flick was just…different.

3. The pairing of Heigl and Kutcher was kinda old school classic like Hepburn and Grant. Kinda Philadelphia story-ish. An odd combination of actors, but somehow, probably thanks to great dialog and onscreen humility, it worked. The Killers plot was not classic though. It was past the point of believable and elementary and didn’t really make sense.

4. It gave me a better feeling about Heigl playing the starring role as Stephanie Plum, the zany mess of a heroine in Janet Evanovich’s famous summer release series.I can sleep peacefully now over that casting. (this is not a book recommendation, so don’t send me hate mail. At least not about that.) ; )

Anyone else see the movie?

Moving on.

I’ve always been fascinated with the adult version of the Olsen Twins. Or the Dual Mrs. Havishams. They are curiosities worthy of their own museum. People magazine has announced that the OTs have new summer hair. I was hoping it was a nice trendy cut of this century. Or at least something that involved a close encounter with some Biolage shampoo. But the twins are too cool for that. Check them out HERE.  (And seriously, if you’re so rich you pay a man to walk near you holding an umbrella over your day-glo head, you seriously need to reevaluate your priorities. And your green roots.)

Lucy, the character in my next book  Save the Date, has a love for all things sci-fi/fantasy. She would appreciate this Adidas ad. That Snoop Dog. My friend Sheila has a theory that Snoop Dog is a secret genius and I’ve yet to find anything to prove her idea wrong. The guy shows up everywhere. I mean Adidas+Snoop Dog?

YA author Holly Schindler had the forethought to have someone record our Teen Mania YA panel from last weekend at the Springfield library. If you turn the volume WAY up, you can hear all our answers to the question about when we first knew we were writers. You can check it out HERE.

Under the heading of “Happy News that Came Out of Nowhere,” So Over My Head is going to Washington, D.C.!   The Arkansas Center for the Book is sending Bella Kirkwood to the National Book Festival. So Over My Head will represent Arkansas and YA. Some big time names will be at the festival, put on by the Library of Congress. (The people who insist on listing my birth year on the inside flap of every book. Thanks so much for that.) I’m hoping Katherine Paterson or Isabel Allende will breathe on the book. And maybe Mrs. Obama. Because maybe if Mrs. Obama breathed on the book somehow I would at that very moment be overcome with the urge to to bicep curls on a regular basis.
Probably not.

Have a great weekend.
JEN