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January 2011
Message from JenniferWelcome to my first-ever Walker Writing Services newsletter, and thank you for subscribing! I hope to make this fun and interesting for both of us, so wish me luck.
What better time than the beginning of the year to start something new?
2010 was an interesting year. I started it off by publishing my first book, Bubba Goes National. That was really exciting, and a big thank-you to Twin Trinity Media and its imprint, Windswept Destiny Publishing. I've learned a lot about book promotion this year. I had to come out of my shell a bit at book signings to talk to people and sell them on my book, which is a good thing for shy me. I have been overwhelmed by the wonderful reviews, the support of my friends and family who bought copies, and all the lovely comments.
I also started LAFFN (Let's All Finally Finish a Novel) this year, in an attempt to encourage myself and my fellow writers to finish that novel they started during NaNoWriMo. I decided to do it in January and July of each year, and I was delighted that not only did people jump in and join me, but some did it on their own during other months. I didn't meet my goal in January, but I did in July. I finished Bubba to the Rescue, the first sequel to BGN. I had started it during NaNo 2008, and even though I wrote 50k words, it wasn't quite done. I finished it, polished it up, Debra Torrico did the illustrations, and I sent it off to my publisher. It's due out in about a month. January 2011 LAFFN is going right now, so feel free to jump in!
Speaking of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), I participated for the fourth year in a row and won the challenge for the fourth time. I was pretty proud, because I was so busy with writing work for other people that I didn't have a lot of time to work on it. I was only halfway through on November 24th, so I had to put in some loooong days of writing to get to 50k words, but I did it mid-day on November 30th.
I'll leave off my littany of the year there, but please read on for some other fun and exciting news!
Table of Contents:
Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow
Coming Soon: Walker Author Tours!
After running my own book review site for some time, promoting my own book and talking to a lot of authors and promoters, I decied to start my own online book tour company. I am just getting started, but I have my bloggers lined up, the website built, and I'm ready to go! Have a book? I'll help you get exposure all over the web with book reviews, author interviews and guest posts. Check it out.
Reading and Writing Rocks! is a fun event April 16 & 17, 2011 to promote literacy for kids from wee ones on up to high school seniors. Meet local authors and get their autographs, hear a story, do a craft (like making your own book!), or learn what you need to do to start your own writing career. Enter our writing contests (more details to come soon) or win a door prize. Parents are welcome, too!
Want to be a part of the fun? We need local (greater Sacramento area) published authors of children's books of any age range or genre, sponsors to donate prizes or craft items, bands to play music, and volunteers to run crafts tables or act as greeters, etc. If you want to help, send Jennifer Walker an email at jennifer@authorjennwalker.com.
Please help spread the word so we can make this a fantastic event!
Bubba Goes National received some great reviews, much to my delight! The sequel, Bubba to the Rescue, is due out some time in the next month or so. I will hold signings throughout the year, including at the California State Fair!
I have also been given the opportunity to edit a kids anthology through Twin Trinity Media. Submissions will be open to all writers 18 and under. More details to come soon, but if you know any aspiring young writers, put the bug in their ear to start thinking about a poem or story they might want to submit!
Writing Tip of the Month: Apostrophes
Apostrophes are one of the most misused punctuation marks. Most commonly, they are incorrectly used in plurals. They should only be used in contractions or otherwise denoting missing letters (can't or leavin') or possessives (Jennifer's), although they are sometimes used in plurals of small case letters only to avoid confusion: The printer ran out of n's. Another usage that trips people up is its vs. it's. In this case, the apostrophe is used only for the contraction form: It's cold outside. For the possessive form for this word only, leave out the apostrophe: The dog chased its tail.
For more detail, visit my article on this subject on Associated Content.
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