Janet's Jargon

Fun lifestyles, charitable acts, great fiction, author support, Patrick and Grace Mysteries, Keith clan trilogy,

Friday, March 04, 2005

You Deserve A Break Today

I know, you all think I have "a thing" for McDonald's. Well, okay, I'll admit to liking a Big Mac occasionally. But if you are thinking in terms of heading that direction, this is the time to do it. They have the most divine Mint malts you've ever tasted in your life! Yup, I just have to have at least one every March.

March brings me to another subject. St. Patrick's Day. I love it! My mother gave me the Irish that runs through my veins. Her grandmother, "Grandma Bowen," had us all convinced that she came straight from the Emerald Isle. It was only after she died and I inherited her personal scrapbooks that we all discovered that she was born in Rossi, New York! My mother called me a liar over that one--until I got the proof of it.

Grandma Bowen told us so many stories about "the old Isle," which I'm sure she heard from her parents and her older brothers, who really were from Ireland, that they were alive to us. We even believed in leprechauns and that there really was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When we learned the truth, my mother simply hmmphed and said, "Well, she obviously got to kiss the Blarney Stone a few too many times!"

What does that have to do with your break this month? I have a one-stop shopping mall for authors at http://sosforauthors.tripod.com and we are running all sorts of specials over there. You can get an edit for half-price. Or if you are looking for my Promo Paks, they are priced lower than they have ever been. Next month we will be running a workshop for beginning authors, so if you've had that yen to put it on paper but never had the nerve to do it, this is your chance to get some hints on how to get started. And, our very popular monthly marketing workshops have returned.
So, head on over there to see what all is going on. There is lots of neat stuff. I guarantee that your feel won't even get tired while you browse.
Janet

WOW! What a week!

Well, it's like one of those that should go down in history as the best of what was. For starters, I got the official notice that BOTH House Call to the Past and Par for the Course won the third place prize as a re-released Gem from RIO (Reviewers International Organization). Let me tell you, this is no small potatoes! Other winners included such notable authors as Nora Roberts and my mentor (and my stalker! LOL!) John Grisham. In case you haven't checked on it before, you can see why I think he is trailing me around at my website http://www.janetelainesmith.com on the John Grisham and Me page. And John won an equal third place prize--but his was for just one book! Can you tell I'm grinning at that one?

Then I got the proof of Pampas and the cover, so it is on the way to the printer. It should be out in almost no time. I'm really anxious for its release. I think it is one of the best ones I've had so far, but then that usually happens when a new one comes out. It is one that I think (like Dunnottar and Dakota Printer) the men will enjoy just as much as the women do. There is a lot of mystery, intrigue and adventure in it. Ooooh, but never fear, gals. Raul Escobar is a very dark-haired Latin gaucho, with a past so dark you want to get to the bottom of it.

One thing I might mention about the cover. It is done by Kim Blagg from PageFree Publishing. You know my covers are usually done by my good friend, Bonny Crow. Well, this has a very different feel to it. I love the fact that the shovel is the central focal point of the cover, as it is also very central in the storyline. Raul is trying to bury his past--so deep nobody will ever find it. Samantha Manchester, on the other hand, has come to the Pampas of Argentina for the express purpose of digging up her past to see if her grandmother's fantasy was real or make-believe. The new cover will be up on my website as soon as I get the .jpg from PageFree.

At any rate, it's the weekend coming. Make it a good one!
Janet