I’m still blogging here on occasion, but it’s hard blogging with kids and a house and a writing schedule and … {insert noise of doom} … laundry. So I’ve decided to delegate.

I’m cracking the whip and my alter ego (newbie that she is) is taking over the bulk of the blogging task. You can find her (ahem, me) over at my
J.K. Beck site

I hope you come check it out!

http://jkbeck.com/contest-update/

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So…..if you’re interested in a grab bag of Julie Kenner (and some J.K. Beck) stuff, send a SASE to the address at the end of this post. If you just pop on first class postage, you’ll mostly get bookmarks, maybe a cover flat. But if you send a flat rate envelope with flatrate postage, you’ll get lots more, including excerpt booklets, and possibly (while supplies last!) a book (novel or anthology) from my backlist.

***Just realized that if you want to do the Flat Rate thing, just send the postage ($4.90, I believe at the moment). I’ve got the flat rate envelopes or can get them at the post office! (A mailing label addressed to you would be nice, too! My handwriting is horrible!)

If you’re interested, send the SASE to:

JULIE KENNER
105 Wildwood Dr.
Suite 103 — PMB 120
Georgetown, TX 78633

And, yes, Paypal is an option: julie@juliekenner.com

I’m so excited about 1492’s press release today!

1492 Pictures and South Korea-based CJ Entertainment unveiled their first slate this morning since signing a three-year development deal late last year to create family-friendly films with global appeal. 1492 partners Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe pick the projects, and CJ funds development and will co-finance production with studio partners.

They start out with three thrillers.

…

* Carpe Demon is an adaptation of the Julie Kenner novel Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom. Columbus will rewrite the story of a stay-at-home mother charged with cleaning up her demon-plagued small town.

via 1492 Pictures And CJ Entertainment Scare Up Thriller Trio – Deadline.com.

The other two books are Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor that sounds like an absolute hoot! And Neil Gaiman’s, The Graveyard Book, which I absolutely love.

Yay!!!!

How’s that for convoluted?

And just for the record: insomnia sucks. It’s 2:43, and I’m not the least bit close to sleep.

Sigh.

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So, for a while now I’ve been working on what I’ll call the Project with a friend. This is the second time I’ve written with a partner, not counting writing prologue’s and epilogues with Kathleen and Dee for our Hell With The Ladies and Hell On Heels anthologies, or with Kathleen for this month’s Just Fooling Around Blaze Encounters (wasn’t THAT a clever way to work in my current release?!)….

continue reading at:  Writer’s Corner-Writing with a partner.

Actually, “I” don’t have a book. Instead, I have two stories in a book with the lovely and talented Kathleen O’Reilly, critique partner and Blaze author extraordinaire. We each wrote two stories, which are about the siblings in a family suffering under a generations-old April Fool’s curse. And, of course, sexy, fun chaos ensues! Click the pic to read a bit about each of the stories.

Kathleen and I had a great time writing the book, which RT Bookclub Magazine gave 4 1/2 stars, saying, “These very funny and very romantic stories are perfect examples of the heights that can be achieved with linked stories—without readers feeling cheated by the short length of each.” (Yay! Thanks, RT!)

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Both were great fun, and I couldn’t have felt more welcome (as in, people were incredibly nice, laughed at my talk–at appropriate moments–and bought books.  Can’t beat that!).

Between the two events, I listened to some classes on CD from screenwriter William Martell, and folks, let me tell you, if you haven’t heard of Bill and his ScriptSecrets website, you’re missing out (and, yes, I’m talking to you novelists, too!).  I listened to Guerrilla Marketing (great ideas even if you’re not writing screenplays), Writing Indies, Writing Thrillers Part 1 and 2 (fabulous discussion and very thought provoking) and Ideas and Creativity (wonderful, and inspirational, and damn Martell, I came up with several new ideas that I have No Time to write!).  You can learn more at the Script Secrets website or check in over at my J.K. Beck blog, where I’m talking about writing and inspiration and Bill’s books and CD classes.

The Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart. Isn't it beautiful?

So, Friday started with me dumping my children on my good friend Aaron (is that not one of the coolest sights?) so that my girls could play with his little girl until my husband got off from work and gathered the kids up. (A million thank yous to Aaron from me!). After that, I got on 183 and headed off to the charming little town of Lockhart.

The library

The ladies were awesome, and the building was fabulous!

My iphone camera doesn't do this beautiful room justice!

Check out these pics of the event, the room, and the incredible food!

I felt royally spoiled!

YUM!

In talking to the ladies, I also learned about a great opportunity for all you writers out there.

A ghost story contest with a (drumroll!) $1000 prize! The proceeds go to the upkeep of the library building, and considering the beauty of the building that’s a worthwhile cause.

Ooooh! Spooky!

The contest is the Scare the Dickens Out of Us contest, and the deadline is still a long way off. So be sure to check it out!

We wrapped up with a booksigning and general chatting and it was so much fun! The ladies also gave me an awesome gift basket (thanks!) that I forgot to take a picture off (bummer!). I have, ahem, already finished off the candy. The wine will be opened in an hour or so (of when I’m typing this…no, I’m not indulging in the morning!).

After that, I got back on 183 and headed to the relatively new tollroad that skirts Austin’s horrific stretch of Interstate 35. Then it was about 3 hours of heading down one road. It’s a boring drive, but I had the afore-mentioned Martell CDs to keep me company, so I was happy and the trip zoomed by.

I found my hotel (thanks to the conf for putting me up!), adjusted my Sleep Number bed (how fun is that?) and pulled out my laptop. I didn’t get nearly as much work as you’d expect done. Having trained myself to write between interruptions by the kids, it’s now hard to write knowing there will be no interruptions. Sigh.

But I did indulge in some of that chocolate!

Liz doing the intro thing....

I also met Marianna Jameson, an online friend who I finally met in real life. Yay! And a bunch of other people participating in the con, including O.K. Carter, a columnist for the Ft. Worth Star Telegram and Alan Birkelbach, the 2005 Texas Poet Laureate (how cool is that?).

I thought I took more pics, but apparently not. Here’s Liz giving an introduction, and a shot of some of the participants and faculty/instructors/panelists.

We started with a Q&A panel (well, my part started. The conference was an all-morning affair, and I rolled in about 11) and then we had lunch (fajitas!) and then I gave a keynote speech, which went great. I think. The downside of reading glasses is that I can no longer see audience faces. But I got laughs and questions after and lots of people stopping to comment and have me sign their books, so I’m calling it a big success. Most of all, I had a great time.

So thanks to the folks in Lockhart and Tarrant County for a great weekend!