Editor Jennifer Suggests:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Probably everyone has already read this book, so bear with me, because I only downloaded the audiobook recently. Needless to say, I loved it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, is one of those books you never want to end. It's sweet, funny, and heart-breaking all at the same time. Set against post-World War II England, the story follows an author whose search for a good subject for her next book takes an unexpected turn when she gets a letter from a stranger who lives on the island of Guernsey.

The book is chock full of characters who tell stories about their lives during the German occupation of Guernsey. Its brilliance lies in the fact that none of these tales is boring, and all of them are intertwined. I kept wondering if the authors had interviewed actual survivors of the occupation, or stumbled on their own treasure trove of letters from that era; the details in the stories seemed so real.

This is story-telling at its best. If by some chance you haven't read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society yet, make sure you pick it up soon.

Crouton: A Love Story, by T. Alex Miller

I love surprises.

I love finding stories or books that come from somewhere way out in left field; stories I haven't read before.

Crouton: A Love Story, by T. Alex Miller, is one of these wonderful surprises. It's about Ted, a rather obsessive clean freak, and what happens when a crouton mysteriously appears on the ottoman of his spotless apartment.

Miller is hysterical. I hardly ever laugh out loud, but he got me a couple of times; probably because I've known a few people like his protagonist.

Check it out here. It's short. It's free. At the very least, you won't find yourself saying, "Oh, I've read this before."

One Second After, by William Forstchen

"This story is so....Republican," my husband commented when we'd gotten about a quarter of the way through the book.

We're listening to the audio version of One Second After, and my husband is right; it is a Republican take on what life would be like after an EMP hit the United States and wiped out everything that runs on electricity.

The setup is great; one afternoon, without warning, everything that runs on electricity simply stops working. Just like a blackout - except that anything that depends on computer chips dies, too; airplanes crash, cars stop on the highway, even generators don't work.

Things get grim, fast - think Katrina on steroids - and Forstchen launches into a description of every nasty result.

He doesn't always get the reaction he'd like. I laughed when the townspeople decided to put to death two druggies who filched morphine from the local old-age home. Sure, it could happen, but I could just picture the Republican glee as Forstchen wrote it; "Finally - capital punishment for all criminals!!!" (Cackling laughter).

I honestly don't know whether to recommend this book or not. It is what it is; a summer novel - a fun read if you like to think that the future is going to suck.

Hmmm - now there's a recommendation.

Make the Impossible Possible, by Bill Strickland

"We all have stories to tell. In fact, we can't avoid telling them. We tell them every time we interact with another person, form a friendship, interview for a job, fall in love, ask for help, or share a dream. What my experiences prove to me is that the more clearly and convincingly you are able to tell your story, the better your chance of attracting the people who can best help you move your story forward, and in whose own stories you can play a productive part."

That's Bill Strickland talking on page 213 of his book, Make the Impossible Possible. Strickland is founder and CEO of Manchester Bidwell and other organizations that work together to offer children and adults in difficult circumstances a path toward a better life. His organizations nourish both the body and the soul by giving people a taste of what the good life looks like, and then teaching them the skills they need to go out and get it.

Strickland believes that every person has something to offer. He doesn't condescend; he uplifts. He refuses to meet poverty at its own level; his organizations are not housed in cruddy, falling down buildings - they don't blend in with the neighborhoods he serves. Instead, he meets poverty with hope, plunking down beautiful, architect-designed works of art in the middle of disadvantaged cities, as beacons - or examples of what his clients may someday produce themselves.

As he worked to put his dreams into motion, Strickland found that if he just told his story - that if he told it over and over again - people showed up in his life just when he needed them. His partners made his projects possible; they made them bigger than anything he could have done on his own.

Strickland's ideas resonate with me because I feel the way about disadvantaged manuscripts that he feels about disadvantaged people; they may be in rough shape at the moment, but that's no indication of the beauty or purpose that is hiding inside.

Tell your story, Strickland admonishes us; tell it often. Sooner or later you'll meet the people who can help you to tell it right. He's speaking metaphorically, but I'm speaking literally. Every writer needs help. None of us can do it without critique partners, cheerleading friends, supportive spouses and decent editors. It's not a sign of weakness to ask for others to help you on your way; it's a sign of strength.

Dream big, Strickland says. And if your dream is denied, then don't give up; go back and make that dream bigger.

I agree.

Creative Awakenings, by Sheri Gaynor

I love this book. I'm all about women taking charge of their lives and following their creative paths. Creative Awakenings, by Sheri Gaynor, provides an abundance of inspiration to get you started.

The concept is simple: use your art to help you envision your dreams, then join in a group of women who will support you along the way. Sheri even provides an online venue for collaboration if you don't have a local support group.

She got me out of my creative rut. I express myself through words for the most part, but reading her book gave me the push I needed to ask an artist friend to teach me about painting with acrylics. I joined three women around a table one recent Sunday morning and we gessoed canvasses, mixed up paints, played with modeling compound and different brushes and tools. It was a blast.

And I even managed to produce a painting that I'm not ashamed to display in my home.

Life on the Move, by Megan Reilly

As a writer, I always find it eerie when I come across a novel with a theme similar to mine. Life on the Move, by Megan Reilly, starts off in much the same way Shadow Armies does, with a teenage girl faced with moving again for the umpteenth time.

The similarities end there, however.

Life on the Move is no fantasy. Instead, it's a hard look at the life of a lonely girl who is too busy coping with the difficulties of her existence to know just how difficult they are. Casey has hardened herself to the indignities she constantly suffers as the "new kid" in school, and she knows just how to behave around her father at home to keep him on an even keel. Sure, she knows that her life isn't normal, but she's doing fine.

Unfortunately, Casey's life is about to change, whether she's ready for it or not.

I enjoyed Life on the Move. Megan Reilly pulls no punches, especially when she shows the thought processes of a fifteen-year-old girl desperate to hold onto the past when an unknown future is rushing toward her. Casey's feelings and choices stuck with me after I was done reading because they were uncomfortably real. I think Megan Reilly is an author to watch.

But here's where the editor in me steps in. While the first third of this book was error-free, formatting mistakes and the odd typo cropped up in the later sections. The one quibble I had with the story itself is that the teens were rather old-fashioned. Their pursuits seemed more pertinent to young people in...ahem...the days when Editor Jennifer was in high school.

These are small problems, however, and easily put right. I hope to see more novels from Reilly in the near future.

Introduction

Take one part passionate reader, one part opinionated know-it-all, one part cheerleader, one part detail-oriented nit-picker, and one part out-of-the box dreamer, and what do you get?

Editor Jennifer.

I believe that we all have a story to tell. I believe that some of us are born knowing how to tell it, but many of us need lots of help along the way. I believe that together we can shape our stories into novels worth reading.

I believe I can help you create the book of your dreams.

Come on - let's get started. Let's talk about books we love, books we hate, and the book that's burning inside you right at this moment, just waiting to get out.

I'm ready. Are you?

Life Coaches

Joyce Shafer

Life coaches and writers of self-development/metaphysics topics can become self-published (and selling) e-book authors in 6 weeks through a 7-step process. Details at Life Coaches Write Books.

Facilitator: Joyce Shafer, LEC and Author (jls1422@yahoo.com). See outstanding reviews of her books/e-books at Lulu.com. Please use Code EJ09 in the subject line.

New - Audiobook Service

Wish you could afford to make an audio version of your novel or non-fiction book?

Now you can!

Distinctly Audible Productions is pleased to offer high-quality audiobook creation for a fraction of the cost of a studio production. Click on the Audio Demo in the right hand column for an audio example.

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Contact sales@distinctlyaudibleproductions.com
today for turn-around times and options.

INTRODUCTORY OFFER: $6.00 per 1,000 words.

Best of the Best Ebook Contest - Rules

Best of the Best Ebook Contest

Editor Jennifer's first Best of the Best Ebook Contest is now CLOSED TO ENTRIES.

Semi-finalists will be announced daily, starting October 1, 2009. Prize winners will be announced November 1, 2009.


First Prize: $250

Second Prize: An audiobook version of your winning novel, produced by Distinctly Audible Productions (All rights revert to winner, prize awarded contingent on your contract with your publisher*)

Third Prize: Novel Planner Story-Planning Software


The Basics:

Contest open to all self-published or independent e-press published novels. Your novel must be available to the public for purchase before you enter.

Winner will receive $250 USD.

Each of 30 semi-finalists will have their novels showcased for a day on the Editor Jennifer website - including their book's image, a 250 word description, and a link to the site where it can be purchased.

The Rules:

1. Deadline for entries: midnight, PST, August 31st, 2009.

2. Entries must be received directly from the author either in print form or as a PDF file. Minimum novel length is 30,000 words. Novel must be published between January 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009, and must be published by the time you enter.

3. Along with your novel, submit your name, a one-paragraph bio, a 250 word description of your novel and a link to the site where it can be purchased.

4. Thirty semi-finalists will be announced, one per day, on the Editor Jennifer website, starting October 1st, 2009. I will post an image of their ebook with a 250 word description and a link to the site where the book can be purchased.

5. The winner will be announced November 1st, 2009.

6. There is no fee to enter.

7. No portion of any entree will be posted on this site. Authors retain all rights to their books.

8. All images and descriptions must be appropriate for a family-friendly website. No porn or ultra-violence, please.

Send questions and submissions to:
editorjennifer@gmail.com

*Authors who have signed a contract with a publisher must check with their publisher to verify they have the right to produce an audiobook version of their novel. In the event that the winning author does not have this right, author may choose to defer audiobook production to a subsequent novel within six months from date of winning contest. There is no cash value assigned to this prize.

Jennifer's Editing Service

I offer a full range of support services for authors including plot doctoring, proofreading, first chapter or full manuscript critiques, and everything in between!

Packages

First Time Author Special: Five Pages (3,500 words) $19.99 USD

Submit five pages and I'll pull out all the stops, providing line-by-line commentary on your work. When you apply what you've learned from this introductory session to the rest of your manuscript, your writing will take a large leap forward.

The Editor's Report: $4.00 USD per 1,000 words

A full manuscript critique. Where does your novel succeed? Where does it fail? And what can you do to make it really shine? I'll tell you in my five page report, and I'll also point out plot errors, weaknesses in your writing style, and any tendencies toward grammatical mistakes.

The Professor's Special: $4.00 USD per 1,000 words

Are you sure of your words, but not so sure about your grammar and punctuation? This package is for you. Editor Jennifer will concentrate on the nuts and bolts, tracking down every spelling mistake and misplaced comma.

The Full Monty: $6.00 USD per 1,000 words

A substantive line-by-line edit! I will dissect your manuscript from every angle, providing plot guidance, line-by-line editing, and my own brand of nit-picky proofreading. Your novel will sparkle when I'm done!

Email jennifer@editorjennifer.com for individual quotes and turn-around times