Grand Canyon here I come!!

I leave for the Grand Canyon tomorrow!! I'm so excited as I've never been there or even in Arizona. My hubby & 3 of the kids are going with me. Wish me luck on the plane ride there. The youngest two have never flown before so it's going to be interesting.

Plus theLeukemia & Lymphoma Auction is getting closer, too. It's going to be loads of fun. I'm surprising my mom with a ticket. I don't *think* she reads this, so I *think* I'm safe in telling ya that.

I have lots more awesome books that have been donated. Love is All Around by Lori Devoti, When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys by HelenKay Dimon, Celtic Fire by Joy Nash, Pirate's Price by Darlene Marshall, A Little Change of Face by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Dark Desires by Eve Silver, Becoming Latina in 10 Easy Steps by Lara Rios, &...

Happy Easter!

I'm off for the weekend for a family outing to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Wish me luck. We're taking my nephew with us as well so we're traveling at full capacity...did I mention to wish me luck? ;)

I get back late Sunday night & will be heading to Phoenix on Wednesday! I'll try to post pictures of Gatlinburg & of more donated books before heading out.

Oh, and wish me luck on the Phoenix trip too. I'm meeting with my editor to discuss JANE MILLIONAIRE's sequel. Woo hoo!!!

Janice

Donated books & update

Bonnie Vanak donated some awesome books with HOT! HOT! HOT! covers! The Tiger & the Tomb & The Cobra & the Concubine. After reading the back covers on these I am going to have to buy copies of these for myself! Heck, I'm definitely going to be bidding on these baskets myself cause there are a bunch of these books I want to read!!!


We Meet Again...
The Marriage Scheme
Temporary Husband
All by Patricia Azeltine. If you're looking for a read a sweet, fun read, you should give these books a try! I love the add on the front of Temporary Husband. It is a classified that says:

Wanted: TEMPORARY HUSBAND Reasonable pay. Easy work. Inquire through newspaper. Sounds like a fun story!


Sylvia Day donated an autographed copy of Bad Boys Ahoy! Sexy? Sinful? Scandalous? Aye, Lass...Oh, those naughty rakes. With their wicked winks, sensual smiles, and bad boy habits, you just can't take them out in polite society. But who wants to go out when you can stay in...? :) I'm hooked!!

Another sweet read is A SUMMER SENTENCE by Carolynn Carey. The story sounds like a lot of fun. "Megan Marsh was just passing through McCray County, Tennessee on her way to a career in Chicago, but after a run-in with an overzealous deputy involving a bee, a slap, a speeding ticket, and a heap of misunderstanding, she finds herself suddenly immersed in small town life serving a summer sentence." A story set in Tennessee? I am SOOOO there. :)


I've gotten several emails about my patient, and today I have news. Her cancer hasn't spread beyond her breast & lymph nodes!!!!! I am so excited about this as it's such wonderful and unexpected good news. She's taken her first chemo treatment and has her second one next week. So far so good. Other than feeling really tired, she did AWESOME with her first round of chemo. Please continue to keep her and her daughters in your prayers and thoughts. She'll undergo 6 rounds of chemo, have a mastectomy, more chemo, then radiation. It's a LONG road ahead, but the PET scan coming back showing the cancer hadn't progressed further than the breast and lymph nodes is such great news!!

I'm off for a family trip to Gatlinburg this weekend and am not sure I'll have internet access, but I'll be back late Sunday night. Y'all be good if I don't get the chance to pop on before leaving tomorrow.

More awesome donated books!

Lucy Monroe donated two fabulous books. I've posted the cover of WILLING, but she also sent READY. These two books are part of a three book set. READY, WILLING, and her next release, AND ABLE. What cool, cool titles!!! & the back cover blurbs sound scrumptious and just a little bit wild and wicked!


And Joyce Henderson sent WALKS IN SHADOW, which has an uber sexy cover, and she sent WRITTEN IN THE WIND. Here's the blurb from her website. :)

The sole survivor of a raid turned deadly, White Fawn was forced to face her long-forgotten white heritage, and struggled to keep the memories of her Comanche People close to her heart. The biggest danger to her peace of mind was Matthew Conway, the former Texas Ranger who tormented her dreams with his hot gaze. The little spitfire Matt rescued soon had him thinking about love and marriage--ideas completely out of the question. But perhaps he only need to listen to his heart to hear what was...WRITTEN ON THE WIND

Tornadoes in Tennessee!

Wow! What a wild weekend. Friday night was spent in my basement with my kids, hubby, parents, brother and his girlfriend, and one of my kids' friends. Around us the wind whipped and hail fell and 12 people were killed in the state. One of them about 15 minutes from my house. Scary. Other than a few shingles blown off our garage roof, I don't think we sustained any significant damage. My parents' business had the roof literally blown off and set into the lot behind it though. Did I mention SCARY?

I've been checking out more covers and blurbs on books & I have to share Kassy Tayler's with you. Obsessing Orlando. It's a romance for teens & has an adorable cover as you can hopefully see. It's about a girl and her obsession with Orlando--okay, who can't relate to that??? My teenage obsession was Jon Bon Jovi and we won't EVEN go into who my adult obsession is...bet you won't ever guess. ;)

Another cover that really caught my eye is Norah Wilson's Lauren's Eyes. What a beautiful cover. This book won the New Voice contest sponsored by RT Bookclub and Dorchester publishing. If you haven't checked it out, you should.

Zoe Archer donated a copy of Lady X's Cowboy & who doesn't love a cowboy? On the back of the book it says "East End Meets Wild West". Okay, I'm hooked. The cover on this one is Sexy!!

And Shanna Swendson's ENCHANTED, INC. has an adorable cartoon cover and a really captivating plot about a Texas gal who goes to New York, goes to work for a magic company, discovers her boss is a REAL ogre, falls in love with the head of R & D, and has to save the world and get her man, too. No problem, right?? I've not read this one yet, but am definitely going to have to pick me up a copy.
Be sure to check out the full list of books donated for the auction and be sure to support these ladies--not only because they are fabulous romance authors, but because they also have big hearts.

TN Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Auction

Those of you who know me know that during the American Title contest (the first day of voting actually), my mom told me that she had T-cell lymphoma. Needless to say that day forever changed my life in many ways. My family has been very blessed in that my mom is currently cancer free despite having had a reoccurence of her cancer during 2005.

The Tennessee Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is holding a fun auction to raise money for their cause--and it just so happens to be a cause I believe in a great deal. The auction is actually a bachelor and bachelorette auction--and you thought we romance writers made those things up & they didn't occur in real life--and guess who is emceeing the event? The "Bacherlor" himself, Dr. Travis Stork. & guess who one of the bachelorettes being auctioned off is? Charmaine Hunt from The Apprentice. Very cool, huh?

Although I have a very unholy obsession with Matthew, I am happily married so I'm not part of the bachelorette auction, but I am being auctioned off as a "Lunch with an Author" in hopes of raising more funds for the event. I've also donated a character name in a future release to be auctioned. & not to leave my friends out, I've put together a couple of baskets to be auctioned off as well. Baskets full of AUTOGRAPHED books donated by the authors themselves. WOW! The romance industry is a big hearted one--no pun intended. :) I'll be honest, after recieving the books I've had to order two of them to read myself because the back cover copy HOOKED me!!!

So, in honor of their generosity I'm going to post a list of books donated (the books are still coming in & I'll update the list as they do) & am going to be posting a few blurbs over the next couple of weeks in hopes of HOOKING you, too. All the books on this list have been donated by the author--the list doesn't include books I'm putting in.

When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys by HelenKay Dimon

Lauren’s Eyes by Norah Wilson

Conquest by Lara Rios

Becoming Latina in 10 Easy Steps by Lara Rios

A Family for Raffi by Lara Rios

A Summer Sentence by Carolynn Carey (hardback)

Falling Star Wish by Betty Hanawa

Written on the Wind by Joyce Henderson

Walks in Shadow by Joyce Henderson

Good Girls Don’t by Kelley St. John

The Tiger & the Tomb by Bonnie Vanak

The Cobra & the Concubine by Bonnie Vanak

A Little Change of Face by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lady X’s Cowboy by Zoe Archer

Loving Mercy by Teresa Bodwell

Loving Miranda by Teresa Bodwell

We Meet Again…by Patricia K. Azeltine (hardback)

The Marriage Scheme by Patricia K. Azeltine (hardback)

Temporary Husband by Patricia K. Azeltine (hardback)

A Knight’s Honor by Connie Mason

A Taste of Paradise by Connie Mason

Celtic Fire by Joy Nash (2 copies)

Ready by Lucy Monroe

Willing by Lucy Monroe

Hex and the City…Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson

Obsessing Orlando by Kassy Tayler

Chase the Wind by Cindy Holby

Pirate’s Price by Darlene Marshall

Bad Boys Ahoy by Sylvia Day

Here Comes The Bride by Laura Drewry

Dark Desires by Eve Silver

Teresa Bodwell's cover for LOVING MERCY makes me think of Matthew in a Stetson commercial...can't imagine why...yum! at those abs!

& Betty Hanawa's The Still Sexy Ladies Guide to Dating Immortals FALLING STAR WISH is a riot! "You're 30 something, sexy, smart, but you can't find a good man to save your life. What does any enterprising woman do then? Something bold, something daring! She decides it's time to date an Immortal. "

& Connie Mason's A TASTE OF PARADISE. When lovely Sophia Carlisle stowed away on a ship bound for Jamaica, she hardly expected to find Christian Radcliff at the helm. She and the captain had a turbulent history, which involved the breaking of her heart and the death by duel of his best friend...No man could arouse her sense as the swashbuckling captain did, and she had no use for prudence or propriety when in his kiss she could find...A TASTE OF PARADISE."

& Kelley St. John's GOOD GIRLS DON'T has "The Good Girl Pledge" listed on the back cover that is to live by. :)

Stay tuned for more great blurbs on these awesome books!!! donated to raise money for an AWESOME cause!!!

Virtual Book Bag Contest Winners

Your Virtual Book Bag

Contest winners…

Thanks to everyone who entered our first contest! And here are the winners…

• Nicole at Sylvia Day’s blog — Stupid Cupid by Rayka Mennen and others
• Emma Stuck at www.joliemathis.blogspot.com –Loving Miranda by Teresa Bodwell
• Zara Heflin at Janice Lynn’s blog –Love is All Around by Lori Devoti
• Jennifer Yates at Michele Ann Young’s Blog –Here Comes the Bride by Laura Drewry
• Ronda at Lara’s Scratchpad –Jane Millionaire by Janice Lynn
• Loretta at Teresa’s Journal –Pirate’s Price by Darlene Marshall
• Holly Mercer at Lucy Monroe’s blog –The Sea King by Jolie Mathis
• Zara Heflin at Your Virtual Book Bag - main blog –Bad Boys Ahoy by Sylvia Day and Pistols at Dawn by Michele Ann Young
• Emma Stuck at Lori Devoti’s Online Ramblings –Becoming Latina by Lara Rios
• Maureen Emmons at Rayka Mennen’s website –Tempt Me by Lucy Monroe

Thanks, everyone, for entering!!

Bamabelle, you win!

Bamabelle, can you please email me at janice@janicelynn.net as your name was drawn as the winner of an autographed copy of Lori Devoti's Love is all Around. Your profile isn't set up to let me email you directly.

Thanks!!!

Ball Season is here!

Okay, so you can tell that ball season has officially taken over my life because an entire week has passed without my blogging---bad Janice! My kids lead very active social lives and I encourage that because I think it's important for kids to have interests outside of television (which many of you know I don't watch except for DVDs) and video games (which I'm too uncoordinated to be any good at).

Many of you have emailed asking for updates on my patient with breast cancer. She was to go for a PET scan this week, an appointment with her oncologist and with the surgeon. I haven't heard anything yet, but as long as she doesn't mind I'll keep you posted here.

I'm also involved in an auction for the Leukemia and Lymphomia Society that I'll be posting more information on soon. I've had quite a few awesome authors to donate autographed books & I've donated a "Lunch with an Author" & a name in a future book & there are LOTS of other exciting things going to be auctioned off. More details will be coming soon.

The contest for Virtual Book Bag is officially over, winners have been drawn and announcements will be made soon. I'll post a list of all the winners just as soon as I have it. :)

It's all in your Point of View

Like many other romance authors I woke up Friday morning with a smidge (just a smidge because I really had no expectation of finaling) of hope that I might get a Rita call. I was also hopeful for several of my pals who'd entered the Golden Heart. For those of you who aren't aware, the Rita is the most prestigious award for published romance writers. The Golden Heart is the most prestigious award for unpublished authors. Both are sponsored by Romance Writers of America. I joined RWA in 2003 and entered the Golden Heart for the first time and amazingly finaled.

Anyway, despite knowing that the biggies were most likely to final in my category (& they deservingly so did), I couldn't quite not dream I'd get a call. I didn't, but by the time I realized I wasn't getting a call, I no longer cared. Why? Because it's all in your point of view. Or in this case, my point of view.

So what changed from the time I arrived at work to the time I realized all the calls had gone out? Let me tell you, because it really does make you (me) reassess your (my) life and priorities.

My first non-scheduled patient for the day. A young woman with two children. Last year her husband died unexpectantly. This young woman has been struggling with raising her two children since, particularly the oldest who has developed manipulative behaviours. About a month ago I diagnosed this young woman--a year older than me--with breast cancer. Last summer when she had her physical I hadn't been able to feel any abnormalities and in February there was a 3 cm mass. Over the past month, she has been to the surgeon and to the oncologist several times. Pretty much my role in the treatment of her cancer was done at the point I made the referral to the specialists. However, this young woman has NO ONE in her life except her two children and an 80 something year old dad. When I say no one, there is truly no one else. She came in to the clinic because she'd seen the oncologist the day before and he'd told her that the cancer was very agressive, now encompassed about half her breast (approximately tripling in size over the past month) and had spread into her lymph nodes. Already she'd been told by the surgeon that she would have to have chemo to shrink the tumor prior to his being able to do the mastectomy. Now the oncologist was telling her that if the cancer had spread beyond the lymph nodes and breast, with as agressive as it is, there wasn't much they could do and she wouldn't live more than a few months at most. She came in to see me because she needed to talk and she didn't have anyone else to turn to. I cried with her and felt ashamed over my anxiety over a contest final. Too often we place too much importance on things that, when it comes down to it, fall far down on the list of what's truly important.

I don't usually post depressing things on my blog--for lots of reasons, but because of how radically this affected me this weekend, I needed to share. It is so easy for us to get caught up in day to day stuff that we often forget what all we have to be thankful for. Things like our health--like simply being able to walk across the room without pain or to be able to dress yourself, the ability to remember yesterday, last week, last month, last year, your childhood, the ability to look at your spouse, your children, your parents and know who they are and that you love them, the ability to inhale deeply and ease your need for oxygen. We forget our blessings in our family, our friends, our pets, our joys in simple things such as arts, crafts, sports, hobbies. I don't mean for my post to depress --I want it to make you smile in appreciation of life's many blessings, for you to become giddy with life's true richness, for you to quit worrying about this and that and enjoy each moment of the day, of every day. It's difficult to appreciate things until they're gone and I want you to take a deep breath, think of what it is that's stressing you the most, and ask yourself "Does it really matter? If I found out I was dying? my significant other was dying? my child? my parent? Does that stressor really matter? Will I even remember whatever that stressor is six weeks from now? Six months from now? Six years from now?"

Sometimes the answer is yes, but most of the time the things that stress us aren't really all that important. This post is a reminder to enjoy your life, change the things you have control over, and accept those you don't, but above all, treasure each and every day for the gift it truly is.

100th post & 2006 "Getting to Know Your Friends"

Wow! When I got ready to post the Friendship thing that one of my pals from highschool sent to me I noticed that this would be my 100th post. :)

What time did you get up this morning? 7:15 am (not typical time though--Wednesdays are my day off work--well, the paying job at any rate. :)

Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds

What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Chronicles of Narnia

What is your favorite TV show? I don't watch any television, only the occasional DVD movie

What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal

What is your middle name? Marie

What are your favorite foods? Pasta, chocolate

What is your favorite chip flavor? Pringles

What is your favorite CD at the moment? Keith Urban or Johnny Cash, mostly I'm an 80s music kind of girl though.

What kind of car do you drive? Chrysler Town & Country van--yes I'm a soccer mom & proud of it! :)

Favorite sandwich? Ham & cheese pita from Raphael's

What characteristic do you despise? Self-pity

Favorite item or outfit? Don't really have a favorite outfit, but my favorite item/accessory is my laptop & it usually goes where I go.

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
New Zealand or Ireland

Which do you prefer Lake, Ocean, or River? Ocean

What color is your bathroom? forest green & burgandy

Favorite brand of clothing? anything that fits

Where would you retire to? anywhere close to my family

Favorite sport to watch? Whatever my kids are currently playing

Furthest place you are sending this? Okay, I'm changing this for my blog and I'd love for you guys to post where you're from! :)

Goal you have for yourself? Be on the NY Times Bestseller list by 40--we won't discuss how much time I have left to achieve that goal.

Who do you least expect to send this back to you? I'm pleading the 5th for fear of bodily harm.

When is your birthday? September 9

Favorite flowers? Daffodils & roses

Are you a morning person or a night person? Night if I can sleep in the day before & after. :)

What did you want to be when you were little? A romance novelist & a fashion designer

How are you today? Great

What is a date on your calendar you are looking forward to? April 19th--I'm flying to Phoenix for a booksigning, will see my editor & several of my writing pals, & then am going to the Grand Canyon for the first time. :)

What is your occupation? Nurse Practitioner & Romance Novelist

What are you listening to right now? My pounding heart cause I just got finished exercising--yes, I am still at it. I refuse to get on the scales so I can't say if my weight is still going up, up, up or not, though. :)

What do you do in your spare time? Spare time? What's that???!?

Favorite day of the year? every day I'm alive and well

What do you do to vent anger? Yell or cry or write

What did you do last night? Watched the DVD Walk the Line

What are you afraid of? Not realizing my dreams & looking back on my life and not having gone for the things that are important to me--so I consciously put forth effort to prevent these.

Favorite car/SUV? Mustang

Favorite dog-breed? Jack Russell (I have to say this or I might hurt Trouble's feelings) but just a good ole loyal mutt has been the best dog I've ever had. :)

How many years at your current job? 8 as Nurse Practitioner, 4 as romance novelist (although my first book just came out in Dec 2005)

Favorite day of the week? Saturday

Favorite smell? my husband, my daughter's hair when I come it out after she's got out of the bath

Favorite Type of Music? All kinds as long as it's done in good taste

Okay, thought y'all might enjoy that. :) Smooches!

Be sure to enter you answers to the Virtual Book Bag contest before March 31st as there will be a winner from every participating blog. You can win a copy of Lori Devoti's Love is All Around by entering the answers on my blog & a copy of Jane Millionaire at Lara Rios blog. All the details are on my March 19th post. :)

The Haunted Van

Okay, so I have to tell you about last Friday morning. It started out as any typical weekday. Me rushing around trying to get the kids up and ready for school--think cattle prodder and kids in S-L-O-W motion despite said cattle prodder. As I have kids in the elementary school and the Jr High & so does my sister, we car pool & she does the elementary route and I do the Jr High route. So on Friday I rush out with my boys & my sister's oldest & we hop in the van & nothing happens. The engine doesnt' even turn over. I panic, but get my neighbor--THANK YOU CHIP! You're a real hero!!--to bring the boys to school while I call my dad. Chip gets back to my house to jump my van off a couple of minutes before my dad arrives. After several failed attempts they get my van started. It dies and has to be jumped again. I follow my dad for a bit and then pull in to where I normally exercise in the mornings (yes, I am still the poster child for why not to exercise and my weight is now up 5 pounds after over 3 consecutive weeks of working out & dieting--go figure!) . I pull in because my dashboard lights are flickering like crazy. Spooky crazy. While telling my dad I think something's not right, the van dies & has to be jumped off again. It seems to be okay so I take off toward work again. I'd not gone but a few hundred yards when my lights started flickering again. This time my guages were going wild too. Like the little orange thingie was flipping from E to F at mach one and speaking of mach one, my spedometer was going from zero to 120 and back at the same rate. All the guages were jumping around. I pull over--cause even I know this isn't right & whip out my phone to call hubby & that's when I got scared. My windshield wipers came on. Front and back. I mean, what do you do? It's not like you can turn them off since they are already OFF. & I look a fool cause it sure wasn't raining, but again, what could I do? Despite the fact they were scraping back and forth with a spine-chilling screech over my DRY windows, the wipers were OFF I tell you. I tell my hubby my van is HAUNTED & I don't feel safe to drive to work--I mean what if other things start miraculous coming on, like say the brakes or the cruise control & I can't turn them off either? So I meet him at the repair shop & then take his truck to work while he rides his motorcycle back to his work. Yeah, he *hated* having to ride his bike to work, let me tell ya. The guy at the garage--THANKS WYATT!--said I had an internal short in my battery. :) Okay, I'll admit, I didn't know this could cause my windshield wipers to come on all by themselves. The freaky part is that he said people usually notice their radio flickering first--my radio stayed perfect the entire time. Even when the van wouldn't start the radio would come on. ((Insert Twilight Zone music here for full effect. ;) )

If you haven't entered the Virtual Book Bag contest, be sure to check out March 19ths post and enter!!!

And doesn't this picture of Matthew just make you want to slide your hands inside that coat and get warm? :)

Virtual Book Bag Contest!

Due to family stuff--I'll tell ya in a later blog--I'm a couple days behind

on getting this up, but this is a fabulous opportunity to win some awesome

books!!! Check it out!!

Your Virtual Book Bag is having a contest, and there will be multiple winners!

To enter all you have to do is match the authors below to their books. Then

enter the right pairs at participating blogs (for example 1D, 2B, etc. ) for a

chance to win. One winner will be selected at each participating blog from

the correct answers posted at that blog.

• Teresa Bodwell's Journal--
  
• Win an autographed copy of the Pirate's Price by Darlene Marshall
• 
  
• Sylvia Day--
• Win an autographed copy of Stupid Cupid by Rayka Mennen and others
• 
  
• Lori Devoti's Online Ramblings--
• Win an autographed copy of Becoming Latina by Lara Rios
• 
  
• Janice Lynn's Blog--
• Win an autographed copy of Love is All Around by Lori Devoti
• 
  
• Jolie Mathis--
• Win an autographed copy of Loving Miranda by Teresa Bodwell
• 
  
• Rayka Mennen's Web Site--
• Win an autographed copy of Tempt Me by Lucy Monroe
• 
  
• Lucy Monroe's Blog--
• Win an autographed ARC of The Sea King by Jolie Mathis
• 
  
• Lara Rios' Blog--
• Win an autographed copy of Jane Millionaire by Janice Lynn
• 
  
• Michele Ann Young's Blog--
• Win an autographed copy of Here Comes the Bride by Laura Drewry
• 
  
• Or enter at Your Virtual Book Bag
• http://yourvirtualbookbag.blogsome.com/contest/
• to win an autographed copy of Bad Boys Ahoy by Sylvia Day and an autographed ARC of Pistols at Dawn by Michele Ann Young!

So get matching; contest ends March 31st. And good luck! You can find links to all the participating authors at http://yourvirtualbookbag.blogsome.com/contest/ as well. :)

1.)	a.)
2.)	b.)
3.)	c.)
4.)	d.)
5.)	e.)
6.)	f.)

Okay, so I am a total computer dingbat--like you didn't already know that, right? ;)---anyway, I have tried to get the above to show the wonderful pictures of the books & the lovely corresponding photos of the authors so you can play the match game, but, alas, I am a total computer dingbat & I only get the above time after time. SOMEDAY I'll learn all this computer stuff (of course, then it'll change to something new...), but for now you'll have to go to the Virtual Book Bag site and match them up from there and then come back and post here prior to March 31st. :) Good luck!!

My first Pubbed Final!

Yes, I was a total contest diva before publishing & I entered quite a few contests. Since selling I've only entered three. The first of those announced yesterday & OMG!!!! I got a call. It was such a thrill. It's been so long since I've had the high of getting that kind of call that it felt pretty darn amazing!! & to make things even more special, my fabo pal Kathleen Long finaled, too. Okay, so we're facing up against each other & every time we did that as unpubs she whupped my butt by winning first place to my second place, but I adore her writing & her, so I graciously bow to her talents---particularly since Cherry On Top is an awesome story--I mean, I critiqued the thing, so I KNOW it's awesome. ;)

Congrats to all the finalists!!!! Lots of wonderful books on this list!!

2006 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Contest Presented by Southern Magic, RWA’s Birmingham Chapter

Southern Magic is proud to announce the finalists for the 2006 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence contest for published authors. Finalists shown in alphabetical order.

HISTORICAL
Kresley Cole, If You Dare
Jackie Ivie, Tender Is the Night
Sabrina Jeffries, To Pleasure a Prince
Jenna Petersen, Scandalous
Paula Quinn, Lord of Desire

INSPIRATIONAL
Nikki Arana, The Winds of Sonoma
Dorothy Clark, Joy for Mourning
Margaret Daley, A Mother for Cindy
Denise Hunter, Saving Grace
Gail Gaymer Martin, Finding Christmas

LONG CONTEMPORARY
Gail Barrett, Where He Belongs
Nina Bruhns, Hard Case Cowboy
Joanne Rock, Silk Confessions
Linda Warren, Forgotten Son
Bonnie K. Winn, Rules of Engagement

NOVELLA
Toni Blake, Brushstrokes
Jasmine Haynes, Double the Pleasure
Linda Warren, Merry Texmas
Leigh Wyndfield, Night Heat
Leigh Wyndfield, White Heat

PARANORMAL
Shana Abe, The Smoke Thief
Catherine Mulvany, Shadows All Around Her
Patti O’Shea, Through a Crimson Veil
Susan Squires, The Companion
Dolores J. Wilson, Little Big Heart

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE SERIES
Kelsey Roberts, Charmed and Dangerous
Kelsey Roberts, Chasing Secrets
Kelsey Roberts, Film at Eleven
Roxanne Rustand, Back in Texas
Carol Stephenson, Courting Danger

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE SINGLE TITLE
Jeanie London, In the Cold
Brenda Novak, Every Waking Moment
E. C. Sheedy, Killing Bliss
Roxanne St. Claire, Killer Curves
Roxanne St. Claire, Kill Me Twice

SHORT CONTEMPORARY
Carolynn Carey, A Summer Sentence
Linda Conrad, A Scandalous Melody
Karen Kendall, First Date
Tanya Michaels, Spicing It Up
Roxanne St. Claire, When the Earth Moves

SINGLE TITLE
Marcia Evanick, Harbor Nights
Dorien Kelly, Hot Whispers of an Irishman
Kathleen Long, Cherry on Top
Janice Lynn, Jane Millionaire
Jennifer Skully, Sex and the Serial Killer

Winners will be announced around April 29.

Roses Every Month for a Year Contest Winner!! Month 2

Heidi Hogan of La Place, Louisiana won my Roses Every Month for a Year contest and recieved the first bouquet on Valentine's Day. Last Wednesday Heidi got the second bouquet of her year of roses. :)

Heidi is holding Duchess (an epileptic/blind Boston Terrier). Heidi & the other volunteers do a lot of important work & if you'd like to know how you can help or if you'd like to just know more about the Humane Society where Heidi volunteers, check out http://www.thepets.org .

Several of you have emailed asking about my exercise program. Urgh. I have exercised every day--did I mention that I got up early on Saturday morning so I could exercise prior to driving to Knoxville??? Anyway, I have stuck with it. We won't talk about the weight though. Nope, not even going to talk about that. But I'm sticking with it & will keep y'all posted.

OMG!!! Knoxville Booksigning was a BLAST!!!!

The booksigning was a huge success!!!! I had so much fun & was given the star treatment from the wonderful folks at Anderson. They were amazing!!

The entire expo was pretty amazing with lots of celebs making the rounds! The place was packed!!

Honestly, I felt in total awe of the day. I visited with a good pal from high school that now lives in Knoxville who I hadn't seen in a long time & enjoyed meeting her little one. Then I was met upfront at the expo & escorted to the booth. I was way impressed with the fabulous Meet the Author board you can see in the background of one of the pictures. Sadie (the lady with me) was wonderful & helped me put Autographed by Author stickers on the copies of Jane & handed the books to me. I really felt like pinching myself at several points throughout the day. Particulary when I looked up and there was a line that curved around the aisle!!!! I signed 200 books in less than a hour & a half!!!! We ran out and there was still a line!!!!!


I know that I drove home, but I don't really remeber doing so. I think I floated home. :) Good thing no cops saw me floating past, cause no way would they believe I wasn't on something because I was so giddy & couldn't stop grinning!!! I still can't. :)

Oh! & just for the record I *did* get up this morning and walk the greenway prior to making my long drive. :)

Wednesday Whirlwind!

Wow! I can't believe this day is almost over. I *know* it just got started. Sigh.

Well, I've done it! Two whole weeks that I've exercised every single day. Sadly, this is the most I've ever exercised sequentially in my entire life. Even more sadly, I've gained 3 pounds since starting. I know, I know, you think that has something to do with the 200+ boxes of girl scout cookies I had sitting in my living room, but I swear I didn't eat all those...Anyway, each morning after dropping the kids off at school I meet my Mom & Dad at the Rec center and walk the track at somewhere near Mach One. What? You're not buying that I'm that fast? Okay, so it's somewhere between a snail's pace and a Oh!-My-Sides-Hurt pace. Three days a week I'm working out with weights---think bone size...milk bone size, not dino. ;) I'll keep ya posted on whether or not I make it through the third week. :)

After exercising I went and ate way too much breakfast with my grandparents & parents...no, this does not have ANYTHING to do with that 3 pounds I've gained since starting to exercise. & then I went & bought a new dining room suit. :) Yea! My other set was one my hubby & I bought at an estate auction a month before we got married. I refinished the chairs myself & the table was veneer covered so there wasn't much to be done with it. We've used it for...a few hundred years now. I'm sad to let it go because of the memories, but gave it to my grandparents so it'll get good use. & now I have a new table to make memories with. :)

Heidi Hogan got her second bouquet of roses today!! Check back later this week & I'll hopefully have a picture posted. :)

Yesterday at my readers group I gave away cool prizes (autographed books or book bags) to 5 lucky winners! I'll be doing more give aways soon so if you're not a member sign up today as being a member automatically enters you.

This Saturday I'll be doing a book signing in Knoxville Tennessee at the Women Today Expo at the convention center. I'll be there from 3:30 to 4:30 & my publisher is sending 200 books, so y'all be sure to stop by!!! I'm bringing goodies to give away, too.

Now, I'm off to go write...

One year ago...

I was sitting at my desk, gnawing on my fingernails, taking Tums for the gurgling acid in my belly, & shaking from the inside out. Why? Because it was the last night of voting for round 5 of the American Title contest. The last night before I'd know if I got my dream or not.

In the long run, I won the contest, but Lois & I both got our dream---we both sold our books & that was the reason for being in the contest to begin with. To walk into a bookstore & see a book you've written on the shelf. It's a heady sensation. A dream come true for real.

Tonight, I'm introspective and a bit weepy, but just wanted to say that I'm getting all the weepy stuff out of the way tonight, because like one year ago March 7th, tomorrow is going to be one of celebration & good times!!! I'm going to be doing give-aways to members of my readers group!! so make sure you're a member! Join at JaniceLynnReadersGroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
because I'm giving away lots of great prizes!!

Women Today Expo in Knoxville, TN

Cool. Cool. Cool. I'm going to be doing a booksigning at the Women Today Expo in Knoxville, TN on Saturday, March 11 at 3:30 till 4:30 PM. I'm really excited about it as the Expo looks like it's going to be fabulous. I don't have all the details yet, but I'll update the blog closer to time & try to remember my camera so I can take pictures. :) If you'd like to check out the expo, go to http://www.womentodayexpo.com/index.cfm.

Worked on my newest. It's a light paranormal. Just having fun with it and writing it because it's the story in my head that demands to be put on paper.

My hubby rented Secret Window with Johnny Depp last night. He said he thought I'd enjoy it since I'm a writer....hmmmm, I'm trying not to look for hidden messages in that comment, but is he trying to say I'm whacked out? Regardless, I told him he had nothing to worry about just so long as I didn't catch him with another woman & he keeps the screwdriver & ax away from me. Bwahahahahahah! ;)

Grand Canyon

Over the next couple of months y'all may have to listen to a lot of posts about my planned trip to the Grand Canyon. I'm super psyched about it as I've never been. I've flown over it once (at about 30,000 feet) & have always wanted to see it up close, in April I'll get to. :) My hubby & oldest 2 kids are going with me. We're flying in on Wednesday evening & will do the tour bus thing on Thursday. It's like a 14 hour trip, but after discussing it with some locals it's the best way to see lots in a short amount of time. We'll be leaving from Scottsdale going to the Red Rocks & Sedona & then on to the Grand Canyon where we'll stay for a while & view for 22 miles. Next we'll head back toward Scottsdale via an Indian reservation where we'll get to stop and buy jewelry & stuff. I'd love to have time to actually do some hiking and exploring on our own, but this trip we'll get a good feel for things and then come back someday (I hope, I hope) & do a more thorough visit. On Friday morning we're going to Tombstone to watch men with big guns battle it out. woo hoo!! That evening the writing conference I'm attending starts up & I'll be in class & hubby & the boys will spend the rest of the weekend exploring and doing their thing while I'm in class & doing a booksigning. My first booksigning at a writers conference!!! will be a wild experience!!!

The Saturday Independent

A local newspaper did a feature today on Jane Millionaire with a teaser blurb & photo on the very front page of the newspaper! The article was on the front page of the daily living section and continued on the second page of that section. How cool is that???? The pictures are of a reader browsing through a copy of Jane insideWal-mart. :) & get this, the picture on my website of me in Chris Keesler's zoot suit hat. Ack! I am going to have to get a press kit added to my website with my professional (read photo-shopped) picture there. A couple of weeks ago another local paper did a write-up prior to my Curves book-signing and used a cropped picture from the 2003 Golden Heart ceremony. That article was a nice surprise as I had no idea it was being written & the quotes for the article came from...here. How wild is that???? Kinda scary, too. I can just see my Matthew obsession being splashed everywhere. My name linked with Matthew McConaughey's...yeah, that bothers me a bunch. tee hee.

American Title 2 Round 4

Wow! It's hard to believe that the voting for Round 4 has started already and that only 4 finalists are left!!! Gina Black, Ruth Kaufman, Gerri Russell, & Michelle Young! Be sure to pop over, read the dialogue scenes, & vote on your favorite. Flavia was particularly harsh this round. Round 4 is where she really got me last year, so I feel the current finalists' pain and am just glad that it's not my stomach being twisted into knots this year. :) Actually, although there were a LOT of negatives to competing American Idol style for a book contract, there were also a LOT of positives (& not just because I won--vbg!) but because I made some fabulous friends. Make sure you vote between February 20- March 5 at http://www.americantitle2.com

Oh, and a friend sent me this picture of Matthew. Now I have toothbrush envy.

Free Books!

On my readers group I recently gave away 5 free autographed books. Not of Jane Millionaire, but autographed by some of my fabulous writer pals!

If you aren't a member of my group, be sure to join today! send and email to JaniceLynnReadersGroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com so that you'll automatically be entered in my next give-away!!!

Oh! My local Wal-mart finally got copies of JANE MILLIONAIRE in!!! How cool is that???? Geek that I am, I took pictures. :) & am sharing them here. As you can tell, I autographed about half of them. How cool that they got so many in??? Of course, if they just sit there I'm gonna cry.

Off to spend time with the family. Today is my youngest son's birthday!

Two for the Money

I watched Two for the Money last night. Due to life I missed it while it was in the theaters--the horror! But now I own a copy and can watch at my pleasure. ;)

I actually enjoyed this movie much more so than Sahara. Matthew's acting was smoother and felt less forced. His character was admirable and all the scenes with him working out---YUM.

Al Pacino did a fabulous job, too.

I give this one a thumbs up!

Working on polishing Jude's book. I should finish this weekend. I love this story so much & am keeping my fingers crossed. It's been a whole two weeks now since it was sent out, you'd think someone would have called by now. Okay, so I'm dreaming, but hey, what's life without dreams? & y'all already know I dream big.

Smooches & have a fabulous weekend.

Roses Every Month for a Year Contest Winner!!

Here is the photo of Heidi Hogan who won the Roses Every Month for a Year contest! Woo hoo!!!

Heidi works at the St. John Humane Society in La Place, Louisiana. I checked out their website and strongly encourage you to do so, too. The organization is run by volunteers (such as Heidi) and donations go 100% toward helping the animals. Heidi is a volunteer there and they were hit hard by Katrina and are still recovering. If you'd like to help by making a donation or to just know more, check out http://www.thepets.org

In an email Heidi let me know that Bella, the dog she is holding in the photo, is blind. Sometimes it's easy to overlook all the wonderful things going on in the world due to media propagating the negative (or so it often seems), but Heidi is one of many giving back to the community and helping those who can't help theirselves. I write books with heroic characters, but Heidi & the other volunteers are real life heroes & heroines & I just want to say thank you for all your hard work.

Heidi, my hat's off to you! & I'm thrilled to have "met" you through the contest & that such a deserving person won!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Popping on just a minute to say HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!! Hope your day was filled with romance & roses!

Speaking of roses, the winner of my roses every month for a year contest should have gotten her first bouquet today. Heidi said she'd send me a picture of her with the bouquet and when I get it, I'll post it here! :)

Dreams Can Come True

I was looking for an attention catching title for today's post and the above seems as appropriate as any. No, Matthew hasn't come to his senses, dumped Penelope, and shown up on my doorstep to beg me to be his this Valentine's day--nice thought though. ;) It's more of what's been going on in my life lately.

One of my bestest friends in the whole world got her dream. The bestest dream of all. A baby. Writing buddy Kathleen Long adopted a beautiful baby girl named Elizabeth Anne (hereby after called Annie). She's absolutely gorgeous and the most wonderful blessing. You can see pictures at www.kathleenlong.com/annie.htm Isn't she gorgeous????

In other dream news, the good reviews are still rolling in. I got a fabulous email from LoveRomances that a review for Jane Millionaire had been posted. WOW! It's awesome and blew me away. I blogged about it at http://writersatplay.blogspot.com but basically the review goes like this:
Jane Millionaire is the debut novel for author Janice Lynn. Have you ever had a book from the moment you opened the cover and start reading it just latches onto your heart? Jane Millionaire is that kind of novel. Ms. Lynn has taken a reality concept and kicked it up to a whole new level. With exceptional writing, characters that are life-like, and realistic dialogues. Readers will find comfort, friends, and a few chuckles within the bindings of Jane Millionaire. They really do not get much better than this novel!

The full review is at: http://www.loveromances.com/janemillionaire_janalee.html

Is that not just the wildest review???? Love it!!

Plus, on a very happy & dreamy note---I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE JUDE BOOK. WOO HOO!! It came in at 398 pages. :) I'm going to set it aside for a few days and finish reading a fabulous story by my pal Anna Sugden, then print out Jude's book and get it polished. I am soooo happy with this book. It really is a fun, fun story that I can't wait to promote because OH MAN! do I have big plans. Of course, I have to realize the dream of selling it first, but that's just a minor little detail....

Matthew McConaughey on Oprah!

I got several fabulous emails letting me know that Matthew was on Oprah!!! Woo hoo!!! I haven't watched it yet, but asked a friend to record it for me so hopefully I'll see it soon. Someone emailed to tell me that Matthew & Oprah shot Tequila???? Interesting. Not that I wouldn't let Matthew get me drunk. ;)

Yesterday was an interesting day. I judged another contest entry yesterday morning. Unfortunately it was a slow moving one. Lots of potential, but definitely read like a beginning writer. Reminded me that not so very long it was my newbie contest entry that someone was volunteering their time to make suggestions on. Ah, the circle of life. :) I just have one more to go & then I'm through with both contests I'm currently judging. Yea! I enjoy judging but I had 10 entries from one contest and 8 from the other and that's a lot at one time in my opinion. Then I curled up on the sofa and watched Cold Mountain--yes I wanted a Jude fix and I like his character so much more from CM than Alfie or Closer (now there was an interesting film).

I had lunch with my mother-in-law & sister-in-law and we ate Mexican. Yum & lots of fun. We laughed and laughed.

Went home wrote for an hour then went and picked kids up from school. Cleaned house a little and then wrote until hubby got home. My sister called and my brother-in-law was feeling yuck (I haven't mentioned it here, but he's a police officer and was shot in his hand last week--which partially explains why I haven't blogged as steadily). He's home from the hospital but his meds were making him sick. I did a house call, gave him a shot (I'm a nurse practitioner in my real life), and reportedly he had a better night last night than the one before. Going to make another house call prior to going in to the office this morning.

Plus--and this is the kicker--I wrote a bunch of pages on my new story! Yep, the Jude story. :) I'm on page 364 of the first draft. Very excited as I didn't get a chance to write on Monday or Tuesday this week due to work, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, & Karate & family stuff. Very excited as I should finish the rough draft this weekend!!! I LOVE this story. I've had so much fun with it. I've bought a website that fits with the story and plan to play with that some once I get the story done & polished. Promoting this story could be an absolute blast!! Even more than Jane Millionaire I think--which was pretty darn fun!!

Woke up this morning to a sprinkling of snow. Not enough for the kids to stay home from school, but enough that the ground is almost white. That's the most we've gotten yet. :)

Okay, off to make my house call & then on to the office. Sick people await. :) Y'all have a great day & thanks to everyone who let me know about Matthew on Oprah.

Matthew Monday

Yum! Just check that smile out. Okay, so I know it's hard to drag your eyes away from his...eyes...to check out his smile, but come on, ya gotta admit, the man has a wonderful smile. :)

No word on the submission yet. What? It probably only arrived in New York today? Am I insane for posting that there's no word yet?? Okay, YES, I am. It'll probably be weeks and weeks, but if there was some way to bottle up my excitement and plans for this story, well, SOMEONE would notice. OMG! This story is so much fun to write. I'll actually finish it this week. :) Well, the first draft, anyway.

Juding contest entries today. Won't say which one or what category for fear of being beseiged with questions. So far I've given one perfect score, one almost perfect score, two upper range scores, two mid range scores and two low scores. I HATE giving low scores. I, of all people, understand that this is someone's dream, their baby they've sent out into the world. But if I gave a high score where I didn't feel one was deserved I really wouldn't be helping the author. It's just hard to know how people will take your well meaning comments. Hopefully in the context it was meant--to be helpful or ignored if the author disagrees. Always a humbling experience to judge in a contest, though.

I finished judging my Golden Heart entries over the weekend. Really enjoyed several of those stories. Overall, my quality of entries were much higher for the GH than for the particular contest I'm judging at the moment. Perhaps because the manuscript has to be finished to final in the GH?

Kinda scary to think that Jane Millionaire is out there being judged somewhere, too. Ack. Scary thought.

Well, off to write a few pages before going to bed where I have a real life hero waiting for me. :)

And the winner is...

Heidi Hogan!!!! woo hoo!!! I'd emailed Heidi earlier in the day to tell her that she was the winner of my Roses Every Month For A Year contest & she emailed me back her information and I called her!! What a sweetheart!! I was so pleased with her winning. Not because I knew her---I didn't. The drawing was totally random. I enjoy her winning because she was a total sweetie and was so much fun to talk to on the phone. Heidi lives in Louisiana and was hit by Katrina, so what a great, great thing to have happen to her in the midst of so much recent tragedy. Watch each month as Heidi sends me pictures of her with the roses she recieves. I'll post them here and on my website, too.

For those of you who entered, but didnt' win, no worries, I'll be doing lots more contests. As a matter of fact, anyone who's a member of my yahoo group is automatically entered to win one of five autographed books that will be given away on Valentine's Day! If you're not a member, subscribe at JaniceLynnReadersGroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com because you could be the next big winner!!!

No, I haven't finished my Jude book, but in light of celebrating Heidi's win, I felt Matthew was in order. :)