ROW80 | Jennette Marie Powell

by Jennette, January 30, 2013

Formatting in Sigil – I can use code view, which makes me very happy.

I haven’t seen any new releases from my writing peeps this past week. Normally, I’d come up with something else–a book review, at least!–but I’ve been deep in the weeds of formatting Hangar 18: Legacy for ebook, and didn’t prepare a blog post for today. I am also documenting the process I go through in formatting, because I’m going to present to my RWA chapter in March. That’s one of my nonfiction projects mentioned in my 2013 goals.

As for Hangar 18, it’s coming!

Quick ROW80 update: I’m almost done formatting my epub of Hangar 18: Legacy, and after that, it’s an easy matter to format for Kindle. I’ve also gotten two workouts in, so on track for the week in both areas!

How are you doing this week, whether or not you’re participating in ROW80? Ever have one of those days where you planned to do something (like blog <cough>) but you just forgot?

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

by Jennette, January 27, 2013

H18print Last week, I was working on Hangar 18: Legacy, and noticed that a bad guy in the book shares a last name with one of my friends who’s also a reader. I brought up the subject at lunch a few days ago, asking “what would you think” in a generic way first. Everyone pretty much agreed that no matter what I name him, it will be someone’s name. Then when I revealed who it was, my friend laughed and said her husband had some pretty shady relatives (although not murderers, I’d hope!). 🙂

I finished the print formatting and got the proof back and it’s pretty!

I worked on the ebook formatting for that yesterday, but kept getting sidetracked. You see, our kitchen was a disaster area, and I had to do something about it.

Normally this is not a problem. My writing desk is upstairs, so out of sight is normally out of mind. But this time, it was worse than usual. My daughter had oral surgery on Friday (wisdom teeth – she’s fine 🙂 ), and she’s the one who usually cleans up. But for the past couple days, she’s been taking it easy (as she should) and DH has been getting her stuff. Or she gets for herself, as I’ve been doing. And no one’s been picking up after themselves.

So it needed to be done. Sometimes, you can focus better on the mental tasks (writing) when the brainless, but necessary stuff is done. I also cleaned the gerbil tank, and set up a new, second filter in the turtle’s tank.

I did well with my ROW80 goals, too — I even got the estate planning chapter done, although I admit it was a really short and easy one. Here are the rest of the details:

Review Hangar 18: Legacy proof when I get it, and address any corrections needed – Done!
Find people to review it – Done! I’m still looking, so if you’re interested, I’ll send you a free ebook in the format of your choice! Just let me know. 🙂
Fitness activity 5x – Mostly – got 4x in
One chapter’s exercises in the estate planning guide – Done!
Be a good ROW80 sponsor and visit all the blogs I’m supposed to at minimum – Done!
BONUS: Begin formatting the ebook version of Hangar 18: Legacy – Done!

For this week, I’d like to:

Finish formatting Hangar 18: Legacy in ebook, register copyright, send out review copies, and RELEASE IT!
One hour of brainstorming/outlining my next book, a futuristic romance
Fitness activity 5x
One chapter’s exercises in the estate planning guide
Be a good ROW80 sponsor and visit all the blogs I’m supposed to at minimum
BONUS: Write a press release for Hangar 18: Legacy

Does it bother you when your place is a mess, or can you ignore it? Does it ever get to the point where you can’t ignore it any longer? How are your goals coming along this week, whether or not you’re participating in ROW80? I’d love to hear from you – please share!

by Jennette, January 23, 2013

We have murder and magic for WANA Wednesday this week! Check out these exciting new releases from two of my In Real Life friends:

My friend Jim Winter has just released The Compleat Kepler, a boxed set of crime fiction featuring Cleveland P.I. Nick Kepler. From a sheriff’s deputy harassed by an insane stalker to a fugitive trying to escape on 9/11 to an interrupted tryst with a newly divorced lady friend, life is never boring for Nick Kepler. The star of Northcoast Shakedown and Second Hand Goods returns in 13 tales of crime on America’s Northcoast. The collection includes thirteen short stories, including “Walk in the Rain”. All of these works have been published in respected e-zines, and some have appeared in paper magazines. I have read a few of these stories, but not all, so this one’s on my Kindle now! More info at: http://eviljwinter.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/the-compleat-kepler-arrives/

robin_in_the_hood

Perhaps a different kind of mayhem is more to your taste? Writing buddy Diane J. Reed sneaked a new release into the world last month, that I just found last week: Robin in the Hood. This YA romance is the story of Robin McArthur, a sophomore at the prestigious Pinnacle Boarding School for Girls, who thinks she has it all figured out when it comes to bilking her wealthy dad for guilt money as a substitute for his genuine affection. Until one day he suffers a stroke, and she learns the brutal truth: they’re broke. And everyone from bankers to bookies has lined up in her dad’s hospital room to collect on the millions he’s racked up in debt.

His only saving grace is what he reveals to Robin in between drools—he truly does love her, in spite of all his mistakes. Panicked and desperate, Robin figures she has two choices: either surrender to the pestering caseworker and live in a skanky foster home, or take a chance and sneak her dad out of the hospital to make a run for it. Little does she know that stealing a car and hitting the road means that before the day is through, she will rob her first bank.

Now an outlaw, Robin finds a backwoods trailer park to hide her dad from authorities. There, she encounters Creek, a local bad boy who also commits crimes to provide for their motley neighbors. Realizing she could use Creek’s help, Robin proposes an ingenious plan—they should team up to rob banks together. But when their partnership leads to a romance that turns Robin’s whole world upside down, she soon begins to discover that people are more precious than pocketbooks, and real love means opening your heart to the kinds of treasures money can’t buy…

If this is anything like Diane’s debut novel, Twixt, it’s sure to be a lovely tale of magic and beauty found in places we wouldn’t expect. This one too, is on my Kindle in my TBR list! For more info: http://www.banditsranch.com/p/twixt.html

And now, a brief ROW80 upate: I’ve looked over the digital proof of Hangar 18: Legacy and I’m now waiting for a hardcopy proof! I’m doing the print book first this time, as I see more mistakes in that form. I have also kept up with my fitness so far, working out both days. I’m still looking for review readers for Hangar 18, so if that sounds like something you’d enjoy, let me know and I’ll be happy to send you a free review copy. You can read a description of it on my Other Books page.

What about you? Do you like to read about murder, or is magic (and thievery more to your taste? Have you read any good books lately, or know of any exciting new releases? Please share – I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, January 20, 2013

One of my goals this week was to proofread my upcoming science fiction romance, Hangar 18: Legacy, and ready it for print. It’s coming along well, proofreading is done, and it’s uploaded to the printer, so that one’s met! However, while I was proofreading, I realized something I hadn’t noticed before: one of the bad guys–a murderer–shares a last name with one of my Awesome Coworkers, who’s also a friend–and a reader.

That struck me as weird. How will she feel about that when she reads this? Of course, it has nothing to do with her (or her husband)–I wrote this book years before I came to work at the current place. I didn’t yet know her when I did my last major revision on it. And her last name’s not an unusual one.

It’s never happened to me–which is kind of surprising, as Powell isn’t exactly an unusual name. And when I thought about it, I probably would think, huh that’s funny, and keep reading, no big deal. It would strike me as weird if I ran across my married surname in a book for any character, as it’s not a common name at all.

So what I think I’ll do with my coworker is mention, hey, this bad guy in this book has your last name–I wrote it years ago, just so you know! And I expect all will be fine.

I did well with my other ROW80 goals this week, too, except once again, I did not get to the estate planning, as the proofreading and formatting took longer than I expected. Here are the details:

Format Hangar 18: Legacy for print, proofread, and upload to printer – Done!
Fitness activity 5x – Done!
One chapter’s exercises in the estate planning guide – uh, no.
Be a good ROW80 sponsor and visit all the blogs I’m supposed to at minimum. – Done!

For this week, I’d like to:

Review Hangar 18: Legacy proof when I get it, and address any corrections needed
Find people to review it (hint: if you’re interested, I’ll send you a free ebook in the format of your choice! Just let me know. 🙂 )
Fitness activity 5x
One chapter’s exercises in the estate planning guide
Be a good ROW80 sponsor and visit all the blogs I’m supposed to at minimum
BONUS: Begin formatting the ebook version of Hangar 18: Legacy

Have you ever run across a character in a book with your last name? What did you think–especially if it was a bad guy? Or how are your goals coming along this week, whether or not you’re participating in ROW80? I’d love to hear from you – please share!

by Jennette, January 13, 2013

Last Thursday, I attended a meeting of the Dayton WordPress Users Group, where we talked about security.

This was something I’d thought about a while back, when I read this blog by Marcy Kennedy. I knew a few other writers whose blogs had been hacked. I’d never had any problems myself, but that’s one of those things where it’s far better to be preemptive. So a while back, I installed one of the security plug ins Marcy mentioned. I learned a few things at our local user group meeting too, and I was able to contribute, because the guy presenting hadn’t heard of the plug-in I used.

Bottom line with your website/blog’s security, get it before you need it!

I did well with my ROW80 goals this week, too – I accomplished the main thing I set out to, which was complete the edits for my upcoming science fiction romance novel. I then went one better and got some formatting done too!

Finish edits for Hangar 18: Legacy – Done!
Fitness activity 5x – Done!
One chapter’s exercises in Get it Together, an estate planning guide. I wanted to do this last ROW, but wound up putting it off when I decided to do NaNoWriMo. This is stuff that isn’t very fun to do (or even think about), but that really needs to be done. – uh, no.
Be a good ROW80 sponsor and visit all the blogs I’m supposed to at minimum. – Done!

For this week, I’d like to:

Format Hangar 18: Legacy for print, proofread, and upload to printer
Fitness activity 5x
One chapter’s exercises in the estate planning guide
Be a good ROW80 sponsor and visit all the blogs I’m supposed to at minimum

What are you planning to do this week? If you have a website or blog, have you thought about securing it? I’d love to hear from you – please share!

by Jennette, January 9, 2013

It’s WANA Wednesday and we have a little bit of everything this week! So there’s sure to be at least one of these five fantastic-looking books that’ll stir your passion! Check out…

How about some contemporary romance? Unless you’re a Grinch… as in The Valentine Grinch by Sheila Seabrook!

Hearts, cupids, and diamond rings … bah humbug! Amanda Goodwin inherited her Valentine grinchness from her Grandpa George, so when she returns home for her Grandma Elvira’s Valentine’s Day wedding, it’s bah humbug all the way. Until, that is, she encounters her grandpa’s ghost.

Fortunately, she’s not in this alone. Long time friend, Dane Weatherby, totally gets her grinchly attitude. Between Grandpa’s demands for her to stop the wedding, Grandma’s inability to let go of her dearly departed husband’s urn, and Amanda’s parents acting friskier than a couple of newlyweds, she’s ready to give in to her grinchness and head back to the city.

Only true love can stop Amanda. And if Dane has his way, he just might convince her to say I do instead of bah humbug. More info at: http://sheilaseabrook.com/2012/12/26/the-valentine-grinch-is-here/

Or maybe you’d like to venture into the paranormal, with Liz Schulte‘s Easy Bake Coven, where the Abyss is watching her … waiting for her.

For Selena Warren being a witch is no big deal. She dabbles in harmless magic with her friends and never thinks much about it. When her grandmother is attacked, Selene uncovers an ancient grudge that threatens the lives of everyone she loves. With no other choice, she puts her trust in a stranger who knows more about who she is than she does and shows her a world of elves, half-elves, fae — and one peculiar sekhmet named Femi. This unusual new world could swallow Selene whole, take away everything that makes her who she is, but the with a forgotten past beating down her door, she will have to dive in to save her future. More info at: http://www.lizschulte.com/2013/01/easy-bake-coven.html

August McLaughlin released her debut thriller, In Her Shadow, last month, but is celebrating its launch this week. This is the story of one woman locked in a basement, nearing death and longing for escape. Another baffled by the inexplicable symptoms wreaking havoc on her life. Both are lost and alone, yet somehow connected. And time is running out…

Near the tenth anniversary of her parents’ unexpected death, Claire Fiksen, a lovely young Harvard-grad and gifted psychologist in Minnesota, develops bizarre symptoms of an eating disorder that threaten her fledgling career, her relationship with a handsome young medical student, her grasp on reality and, soon, her life.

When her beloved grandfather reveals that there may be more to her parents’ death than she’s realized, Claire’s pursuit of healing becomes a desperate search for answers as she delves into her family’s sordid past. Meanwhile, someone is watching her every move, plotting to draw her into her own twisted web of misery. Claire has something he needs, and he’ll stop at nothing to obtain it. Every step Claire takes brings her closer to the truth and danger. And her life, she discovers, isn’t the only one at stake. More info at: http://www.augustmclaughlin.com/books.htm

My In Real Life writing friends have been busy too! This week, Jillian Kent celebrates her birthday and the release of the third in her Ravensmoore Chronicles historical inspirational romance series, Mystery of the Heart.

Lady Mercy Grayson has secretly been studying medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has dressed as a man to pursue the same passion her big brother Devlin, Lord Ravensmoore, pursued outside the acceptance of society. Her secret has been discovered. Now she’s running away from Scotland and her dreams. Will she be able to accomplish what she feels is God’s calling, or will the parameters of society and those who want to use her secret to accomplish their own selfish ends determine the course of her future?

Vincent Lyons, Lord Eden, is an adventurer coming home to London to deliver the mysterious Holy Lance to the prince regent who wants to see if the legends are true surrounding this relic that is said to possess both the power of healing and destruction. His life is catapulted in another direction when he meets Mercy who is pursuing a different kind of adventure that will cause him to question everything he believes.

Both will be forced to examine their personal motives when members of a voudon tribe, the Regent, and the London Legend Seekers Club search to possess the ancient relic for their own purposes. More info at: http://jilliankent.blogspot.com/2013/01/downton-abbey-my-birthday-books-prizes.html

Finally, Jessica Lemmon has big news – the release of her debut contemporary romance, Tempting the Billionaire! In this story, Crickitt Day needs a job . . . any job. After her husband walks out on her, she’s determined to re-build her life and establish a new career. When swoon-worthy billionaire Shane August hires her as his assistant, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. Despite her growing attraction to her boss, she vows to keep things strictly professional. No flirting. No kissing. Definitely no falling in love…

Shane August is all business, all the time. He’s a self-made man who’s poured his heart and soul into his company, and he’d never allow himself to get involved with an employee. Then he hires sweet, sexy Crickitt-and he can’t keep his mind or his hands off her. But no matter how much he wants Crickitt, Shane fears that painful secrets from his past will always come between them. With fate working against them, can these two lonely hearts learn that sometimes mixing business with pleasure is the perfect merger? More info at: http://www.jessicalemmon.com/happy-debut-day-to-me/

And now, a brief ROW80 upate: I don’t usually get much done in the beginning of the week, especially since this ROW began on Monday so we’re only talking two days… yet I did get two chapters of Hangar 18: Legacy edited! I also have kept up with my fitness so far, working out both days.

What about you? Do you like light and fun romance, or are you more for thrills and chills? Have you read any good books lately, or know of any exciting new releases? Please share – I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, January 7, 2013

Blasting off We’re taking a break from the usual My Town and Misfit Mondays today for the start of a new ROW80 – and a new set of goals!

I got a late start on this as usual. A lot of people posted new year’s goals last week, but I needed to really think about what I wanted to do–and more important, could accomplish–this year. For ROW80, we’re just dealing with 80 days, or 11-1/2 weeks.

But it’s best to start with something a little longer term. Many business experts advise having a five-year-plan. I’d like to say I have one of those, but I don’t. I do have an overall idea of where I want to be, both in my writing and life in general, but that’s it.

Back to those one-year goals. One thing I learned is, they need to be written down in a place you’ll remember–and will remember to consult at least quarterly. This is the part I missed last year. I vaguely remember making them, but I can’t find anything in the areas of my computer where I’d expect this to be. I did find 2009, 2010, and 2011 goals documents. (They were kind of funny, still focused on agents, editors, and selling to NY–boy, have things changed!) I never did find one for 2012, so maybe I was thinking of the list I wrote for 2011.

This year, I put the 2013 Goals list at the front of my Weekly Status Report document. This is where I document what I did each week, what my plans are for the next week, any issues, etc. (Here’s an example of what’s in my Weekly Status Report if anyone wants to see/use it.) I add a page each week, and start a new document each year. Each week when I update it, it of course opens to page 1. So BIG DUH – that’s where I should put my yearly goals!

So here’s the list:

Edit and publish Hangar 18: Legacy
Write/Publish new futuristic romance
Write two short nonfiction works
Write/publish one short story
Publish next OVRWA anthology through my publishing company, Mythical Press (may or may not contain the story noted above)
Revise contemporary YA written for NaNoWriMo 2012
Begin planning phase of Saturn Society Book 3 or continue work on urban fantasy started for NaNoWriMo 2009
I also have some professional goals relating to my day job, which are not detailed out above

Um… yeah, seeing it spelled out like that, it looks a bit ambitious. But that’s the beauty of setting goals and working on them through a group like ROW80–if we see they just aren’t going to happen, we can change them.

And with ROW80 comes the practical part: breaking them down into doable pieces. Here’s what I hope to accomplish this round (which ends March 28):

Finish editing and publish Hangar 18: Legacy (I want this released by the end of this month)
First draft of nonfiction piece–I’m doing a presentation based on it for my RWA chapter meeting on March 16, so it needs to be done by then.
Outline futuristic romance
30,000 words on futuristic romance

Let’s break those goals down even more. Doing weekly goals helps me TONS. This is also where I add other, ongoing stuff, like fitness goals. So for this week, my plans are:

Finish edits for Hangar 18: Legacy
Fitness activity 5x
One chapter’s exercises in Get it Together, an estate planning guide. I wanted to do this last ROW, but wound up putting it off when I decided to do NaNoWriMo. This is stuff that isn’t very fun to do (or even think about), but that really needs to be done.
Be a good ROW80 sponsor and visit all the blogs I’m supposed to at minimum – yes, I’m a sponsor! It’s my first time for that, and I’m really looking forward to it. 🙂

Whether or not you’re doing ROW80, what are your plans for this year? If you are doing ROW80, is this your first time, or are you an old hand? I’d love to hear from you – please share!

by Jennette, December 19, 2012

It’s WANA Wednesday, with suspenseful reads and romance!

She’s here, and she’s bad… CC MacKenzie celebrates the release of Run Rosie Run, the latest in her Ludlow Hall contemporary romance series.

A wise man once said, ‘Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it…..’

Pastry chef Rosemary Gordon had worked hard her whole life to be successful… Now the wedding cake business she runs with best friend Bronte was winning awards life should be perfect…

But Rosie has a deep, dark secret…

And the steadily bubbling chemistry with Bronte’s brother, Alexander Ludlow, has suddenly become way too hot to ignore…

More info at: http://ccmackenzie.com/2012/12/12/shes-here-and-shes-bad/

Alicia and Roy Street have released their popular Dance ‘n’ Luv Boxed Set of three contemporary romance novels plus a short story. The Dance ‘n’ Luv series shines a spotlight on women of the dance world. Not necessarily the stars, but the unsung heroines, the dilemmas they face and the men who capture their passions.

Snow Dance – Divorced Broadway dancer moves to a peaceful fishing village for solitude and instead encounters a needy teen, a pesky ghost and a fisherman who makes her believe in love again. While complete in itself, this 13,000 word story is also a prequel to the novels.
Kiss Me, Dancer – A rollercoaster of a ride between a dance instructor and a divorced dad. Can she save her studio without losing her heart?
Touch Me And Tango – Ballroom dance star Tanya broke Parker’s heart when they were teens and seeing her again brings back all the fire and fury–plus a secret danger that will change both of their lives forever.
Stars, Love And Pirouettes – Two careers, two men. A ballerina faces the choice of a lifetime. Will her heart show the way?

bemineforxmas-400x600jpeg They also sneaked in a short Christmas story that released a month ago, and somehow I missed it! So if you’re looking for a fun holiday-themed read, check out “Be Mine for Christmas.” More info at: http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/bestselling-author-alicia-street-looks-at-her-first-year-as-an-indie-epublishedself-published-author

Finally, Diane Capri‘s Fatal Distraction has been out in ebook for a while, but is now available in paperback!

Relentless victims’ rights advocate Jess Kimball and Jack Reacher both deliver justice when the legal system fails. Reacher waits until trouble finds him and then he does whatever it takes. But Jess pursues legal justice and draws lines she will not cross. How can she win against killers who refuse to follow the rules?

Three years ago, beloved Florida Governor Helen Sullivan’s world shattered when her only son died in a senseless car crash, killing his best friend, too. Helen quickly discovered Eric’s crash was no accident and lured the killer to her son’s funeral to be caught.

When the shooting ceased in the small country church, Helen believed her nightmare was over. Instead, she’d unwittingly escalated her duel with a cunning and patient assassin.

Now, investigative journalist Jess Kimball is driven to find the horrifying truth. Is the Central Florida Child Killer guilty? Or is the real killer still out there? More info at: http://dianecapri.com/books/fatal-distraction/

ROW80 Wrap-up: The challenge doesn’t officially end until Thursday, but I now blog on Wednesdays, so I’m posting my wrapup here. This week’s goal was to get Times Two, my Saturn Society boxed set, formatted for upload to Smashwords. That’s done, and I went one better – it’s already published there! Look for an announcement when it’s available in other channels.

All in all, this was a very successful ROW80 for me! I finished edits for Hangar 18: Legacy, which is now with my editor, and will release sometime in the next few weeks. I also won NaNoWriMo by writing a completely new book! This one really stretched me creatively – it’s YA, which I never thought I’d write, and contains no speculative elements. Even more surprising, it came in short! But I filled in some holes I’d normally save for revision, hitting the 50,000 word mark for a NaNoWriMo WIN! Finally, I did well with my fitness goals this ROWnd – always a plus!

The next round starts on January 7th, and I’m going to be a sponsor! That means if you’re doing ROW80, I’ll be cheering you on even more!

What is WANA? It stands for We Are Not Alone, a guide to blogging, social media and networking for authors by Kristen Lamb. It’s writers helping writers, whether or not we’ve taken the course, and proving that we really are not alone!

What about you? Do my WANA friends’ books sound good, or what? If you are doing ROW80, how did you fare this round? I’d love to hear from you!

by Jennette, December 16, 2012

Planning ahead makes all the difference! That’s what I say when people ask me if I’m stressed this holiday season. No, I don’t have all my shopping done, but I feel good about where I am with it – and everything else.

I decorated two weeks ago. The main reason that’s done is because I kept it simple: Christmas tree, mantel decorations, nativity scene. My family doesn’t care about elaborate decorations, as long as we have the basics!

As far as keeping up with writing goes, I managed that by setting smaller goals. This is an area where I’m not always successful–I’m hopeful that means I’ve learned from those times I wasn’t!

Here’s what I accomplished this week:

Hangar 18 – write up front and back matter
Hangar 18 – create full cover for paperback
Physical activity 5x this week – partial – got it in 4x

I’ve already met my ROW80 goals for the overall quarter. In addition to Hangar 18: Legacy, which is now with my editor, I’d like to release Times Two, the ebook-only boxed set of my Saturn Society novels. Since they are all already written and edited, and I already have a cover design, that leaves formatting. It would be great to get this out before Christmas. The ROW is over on Thursday, and check-in day is on Wednesday, so before then, I’d like to accomplish:

Times Two – assemble boxed set and format for Smashwords
Physical activity 5x this week (2-3x by Thursday)

If you’re participating in ROW80, how are you doing so far? Are you ready for the ROW to be over–and are you ready for the holidays??

by Jennette, December 12, 2012

Everyone knows that laughter is the best medicine for whatever ails you, and I’m no exception. And the other night, I found it in a surprising place.

I’d been hormonal and cranky that day, and wasn’t really looking for anything other than an excuse to avoid doing work (this was at home, in the evening, so no, not shirking the day job!). I had won a kids’ book in a contest a few weeks earlier, and wanted to read it before I gave it away, mainly because the author is one of my WANA* friends. Curse of the Double Digits is a middle-grade chapter book, targeted toward kids ages 7-11. I’d planned to give it to some friends from high school who have a 7-year old son who likes to read, but that day, I’d learned one of my coworkers’ daughter was turning 10 this weekend – and the book is about a girl celebrating her tenth birthday, when everything that could possibly go wrong, does.

So I sat down to read. I knew the author, Lynn Kelley, is one funny lady, and the book looked cute. I figured it would be amusing and would make me smile. But holy smokes, I was literally laughing out loud from Chapter One! Curse of the Double Digits is about a girl who turns ten on the tenth day of the tenth month. Becky expects it to be magical, and her family has planned what Becky’s sure will be the Best. Birthday party. Ever. for a couple days later. Her whole class is coming, including a boy she really likes. But on her birthday, she realizes her bangs are too long. She doesn’t want her mom to cut them, because Mom always cuts them too short. So she enlists her best friend to help.

Becky’s scissors are too dull to cut hair, so they find her dad’s electric razor. At this point, I could just imagine what would happen, and was already laughing. What did happen was even worse (for Becky) and funnier than what I imagined, and I ended up laughing through the whole thing as poor Becky suffered one mishap after another. But all ended up well, and I was no longer grumpy, that’s for sure!

My daughter is seventeen. I haven’t read a middle-grade children’s book since she was young enough to still want to be read to, so it’s been a while since I read a kids’ book. Boy, am I glad I did!

So next time you’re down in the dumps, consider picking up Curse of the Double Digits, or another kids’ book. Because really, your bad day couldn’t be as bad as Becky’s–and you just might laugh yourself right out of the dumps!

Quick ROW80 Update: Hangar 18: Legacy is now with my editor. While she has it, I’m working on front and back matter. Acknowledgements page is done – so far, so good!

* What is WANA? It stands for We Are Not Alone, a guide to blogging, social media and networking for authors by Kristen Lamb. It’s writers helping writers, whether or not we’ve taken the course, and proving that we really are not alone!

How long has it been since you’ve read a kids’ book? I know a lot of adults enjoy teen books (me too). But what about books for younger kids? Got any good ones to recommend?