Friday, November 27, 2009

Opening this post to questions!

Got something to ask about the books, writing, etc? You can do it here since I'm veeeeeerrrrry backed up on e-mail. I'll do my best to check throughout the weekend and answer as I can. If the question's already been answered, I'll try to point you to the link. :) Check my FAQ at the Canterwood Website or my Website and see if anything there's already answered. If not, ask away!

I'll take questions till Sunday at midnight EST.

Hope you reader girlies are having a fab Black Friday and aren't getting run over by crazy crowds! :)

54 comments:

Katie said...

Do you have any advice for writers who have trouble coming up with ideas and writing the beginning?

Alia said...

2 questions:

What is your fav breed of horse?

Where do you buy the clothes that Canterwood people wear on the cover? They're too cute!

Anonymous said...

Do you have any plans to do a book signing tour in Northern California? Thanks, Michelle (Karly's Mom:))

Crave for Canterwood Crest said...

Hey Jess!
How come in some books Heather is acually half nice and in some she is the worst?

Anonymous said...

Sasha isn't actually going back to Jacob,is she?
And yeah, where do you get those cute clothes on the covers?

Happy late thanksgiving!
K.

jess said...

what inspired you to write canterwood crest?

Adina said...

Hi Jess, not to sounds greedy but when is my prize coming? Becaus I'm going to go to camp this summer and I wanted to take it along with me. So plz respond quickly. :D

Thoroughbredstar said...

Do you have advice for Young Writers on choosing character names? I love to write but I can't ever find just the right name for my characters. I was just wondering, I love all the names you chose and they fit all the characters just right.
Also did you get the Char. name Jacob from the werewolf in Twi. and Sasha from the Denali coven?

Sara S said...

Jess, do you have any advice for intermidiate/advanced riders? And where do you get the cover clothes?

Morgan said...

How do you stick with a story? I start one, but then I get distracted, maybe start another one, and I can never get past the first page. How do you do it?

Anonymous said...

Yeah.....I was wondering when my prize was comming too.....

Jill said...

to alia on the books they say ralph lauren!

teameric said...

hi,
1. do you remeber in the 1st book when sasha vists her old stable and she talking to kim and she see's a girl named lauren? will we ever hear about her again?
2. is that sasha to the left on the cover of little white lies?
3. you said either on your blog or on the canterwood crest newsletter that you would show us what paige would look like
thanx

teameric said...

sorry made a mistake on mean on the right for 2.

Unknown said...

Hey Jess,
Why does this series only go up to 12 books? I mean I understand that that's all you're signed on for but can't you sign up for more? Don't you want to? Or not? Please don't let book 12 be the last one! I adore Sasha and the Canterwood girls! In the beggining I enjoyed the coupling of Sasha/Jacob but as the books have gone on I've realized how wrong I (and Sasha) was. I think that Sasha belongs with Eric! Is Sash actually going to go back to Jacob? I really really hope not.
Please try to explain more about the YENT and Canterwood. How old do you have to be to be on the YENT? If Sasha (and hopefully a few other canterwood girls) make the YENT would they still go to Canterwood? Probably not, since the whole team would have to practice regularly and the team members come from various different places. But then where would they be, instead of Canterwood? and wouldn't you have to change the series title then? Would Eric make the YENT? Would he even be elligible, because he's on the intermediate team? Or do you have to be on the advanced team before any of the scouts even look at you? However, the most important question is about the series length. If they want you to sign on for more books you really should!
Canterwoods biggest fan,
S. Elizabeth Sigler

Anonymous said...

.....Prizes.....

Anonymous said...

Sumney,
To get Eric on the YENT, he has to ride 3(2 maybe?) times in front of the scouts before the testing.

Jill said...

suny, READ THE REST OF THE BOOKS they will give you the anwser

DD said...

Hey Jess. First let me say. Your books are amazing! My question is if you want to publish a book do you have to have the whole book finished before you let a publisher see it or can you have only a few chapters done? Please answer things. I really want to know. Thanks

Unknown said...

O okay thanks anonymous and Jill! =)

CanterwoodCrest said...

On canterwoodcrest.com, I read that you said you thought Teen Ink was a good source for writing. I signed up, and am really enjoying it, and I was wondering if there was anything else you would recommend such as books that helped your writing and such.

I love your writing, and the Canterwood Crest books!

Jess said...

What would your dream horse be?

Jill said...

sumeny sorry i spelled your name wrong

Jill said...

sumney sorry again

Kathryn said...

Hey Jess! I have a couple questions:

Any advise on outlining chapters?
How can I make my queries more interesting?
Any tips for publishing a horse series? I'm writing the first book in my horse series I created in 2008 and have eight books planned out for my series but no agent/publisher yet. I know, publishing is tough. :(
Where did you buy that black coat in the picture of you, Editor K and Zoey the horse? It's SO cute! :D
By the way, your pen name really fits the Canterwood Crest series. ;)
Keep Writing! <3

canterwood crest addict 14 said...

Hey, Jess! I LOVE the Canterwood Crest series. Love. Them. And I have a couple of questions.
1. Will there be more than 12 book in the CC series? I HOPE SO!
2. How did you come up with your pen name? I really think it fits with the series.
Can't wait for Little White Lies to come out!

canterwood crest addict 14 said...

it me again- canterwood crest addict 14. Ithought of another question. When is City Secrets supposed to be released? I saw there was going to be a twist to the book, which made me REALLY want to know. Again, I cant wait until December so I can read Little White Lies!

canterwood crest addict 14 said...

haha nevermind. i saw on the side of your blog page when City Secrets would be released. oops! wasn't paying attention to that. :)

Jessica Burkhart said...

Thanks, everyone!! What awesome questions. Will start answering them today. :)

teameric said...

sorry just read over my comment again and mean't to say in the october newsletter u said u would show us what she looked like in october when r u going to

Jessica Burkhart said...

All right! Let me take a few questions and see how many I can get through. I'll keep coming back as I can to answer those who've already posted.

Katie: Check out this link--it's full of writing tips: http://www.girlshorseclub.com/blog/interactive-view-jessica-burkhart/2009/02/07/

Alia: My fave has to be thoroughbreds. :) The clothes come from everywhere--Ralph Lauren, vintage, outlets, etc. An affordable mix of high end and inexpensive clothes.

Michelle: Sadly, no current plans to sign in Northern CA, but fingers crossed for the future. I've never been to CA. :)

Crave for Canterwood Crest: Heather is a multidimensional girl. I think we all go through changes like she does and she, like the other characters, is evolving and figuring out who she is.

Anon: Can't answer that one! It would spoil it! ;)

Jess: I was inspired after I couldn't ride horses anymore after back surgery.

Adina and other winners: A couple of prizes have been shipped and the rest are going out this week. :)

Throughbredstar: Check out the writing link I put above. And nope--the names didn't come from Twilight. :)

Sara S: Get a good trainer. If you can't afford one, then offer to work in the stable in exchange for lessons. And see above for an answer about the clothes. :)

Okay--let me post this and be back in a min.

Jessica Burkhart said...

Morgan: Check out the link with writing tips!

Anon: See above for the answer to your question. :)

Jill: Thanks!

Teameric: Can't say about Lauren. Don't want to spoil anything. ;) Sasha's on the right on the LWL cover. As soon as my publisher's design department gives me the okay to share Paige's photo, I will! I can't wait to post it.

Sumney: You'll find answers to all of those questions in the books. :) I'm signed up for 12 books (that's actually a lot for a series these days!), but if there's interest for more, I'd definitely say YES. :)

DD: Check out the link I posted for writing tips. :)

Canterwood Crest: I loved The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing for Young Adults. It's a really great books. Also, magazines like The Writer and Writer's Digest are fab.

Jess: My dream horse would be Charm! A chestnut thoroughbred with a blaze, a white sock, but most of all--a wonderful personality.

Kathryn: Publishing is tough, but it's not to something to be discouraged by. Finish a book first, then start sending queries to agents. Get a copy of The Writer's Market and it'll have a listing of all of the agents, their preferences and it'll teach you how to write a query.

Thanks for liking the coat! I got it at Kohls. :)

Canterwood Crest addict 14: I hope there will be more than 12 books too! It depends on a zillion things, but keep your fingers crossed.

The pen name just sounded like it would be a good match for a fun tween series. :)

I think I got all of the questions! That was SO much fun guys! <3s

Gabby B. said...

Hi Jess How was your Thanksgiving?!

Adina said...

Hi jess,

This isn't really a question just a comment. I LOVED triple fault. I finally got around to buying and reading it. There was only one copy at my B&N store and I'm glad I got it. It was fabulous. Sadly I didn't have enough money to get BE, too. But I'll probally get it for christmas. I'm glad Sasha and Callie are back to being friends. I also can't believe Eric and Sasha KISSED. *hopefully I'm not giving away anything for people who havent read it yet*. They are so perfect for eachother. I totally agree with Eric, Jacob wasn't good enough for Sasha. If I had a boyfriend, I would want him to be like Eric. Anyway, love the book and can't wait to read BE and the others.

Unknown said...

Hey Jess,
thanks for answering my questions and I don't know if I said this before but I love all of the Canterwood books! I just bought Best Enemies but have been to busy trying to get my grades up to finish it! :( I can't wait to get best Enemies is there a chance it'll be in stores early?
Thanks!
and thats okay Jill lol and thanks again to you too
-Sumney

DD said...

Hey jess I gotta another question. I always find it hard to keep my self moatavated to write like a page or more. How do you get yourself to write 4,000 words and more? Any tips?

Jill/teameric said...

hey jess thanx for anwsering my q's !! hope you do this again it was fun!!!

love,
Jill/teameric i needed to show some support!!!

jess said...

jess thanks so much for ansewing my question.it ment alot to me

canterwood crest addict 14 said...

Hey, Jess! Thanks for answering my questions!
Team Eric all the way!He's way better than Jacob :p

Thoroughbredstar said...

Hey Jess thanks for answering my questions! Adina you will be shocked at the end of Best Enemies!

Morgan said...

Sorry to post again Jessica, but I have a few more questions.

1. Sometimes I feel like my writing isn't good enough. I ask my friends and family, and they all say its good, but sometimes I don't believe them. Any tips on boosting self-confidence?

2. Are the Canterwood Crest books going to be just 7th and 8th grade for Sasha and her friends? Or will they go into high school too? I know you said there will be 12 books, but I just wanted to know.

3. Is there any good way for a teen to get published? I know if you are young, getting published is hard, but any advice?

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

OMG! Your books are awesome. I'm totally obsessed. Loved the books. Loved. Them. :D
The books are really, really good, and I've been trying to find the fifth book, but so far they're all sold out. :( Maybe I'll get them for Christmas. I'm crossing my fingers.
I'm trying to convince my mom and dad to let me have lessons. I've taken a four day camp and am already jumping 4 foot fences, but I want to continue riding. All. Year. If you can give me some tips, that will be great. Thanks!!!!

HorseCRAZY

Adina said...

Thanks for answering my question jess. Hopefully my prize will come soon. :D

Kathryn said...

Thanks Jess for answering my questions! I'm going to get some writing books and books from my reading list soon. ;)

Ani said...

I was curious how you stay focused. I have really good writing ideas and i'm excited about them, but as soon as I write it done so I dont forget it, I lose interest because I wrote it down... Help?

Ally M said...

Hey Jess! questions:

DO ANY OF THE CANTERWOOD CHARECTERS PLAY ANY OTHER SPORTS?

and where did you get the top that sasha is wearing on the cover of take the reins? love it! ;)


ooh and 2 weeks 6 days till LWL! cannot wait!

Chelsea Grace said...

hey, i was wondering if you have ever thought about turning Canterwood Crest into a movie? if so...i would love to play a part, i love to act, i am jumping 3 foot i ride english and have read all the books four times! tehre my favoite! i know you have probably been asked this before, but just think about it! i would love it! my name is chelsea!!

Anonymous said...

Chealse the books have already been optioned for a movie or tv show. but if you wanted to play a part you know you have to go for an audition.

Adina said...

It would be cool, if cc turned into a movie. Lolz. :D

DD said...

I think a tv show would be better cause then there would be one out like every two weeks. With a movie it's longer but then you have to wait a long time till another one comes out.

Anonymous said...

OOh that woyld be fun to be in a movie! I ride English and look just like sasha! that would be awesome!

Anonymous said...

I have a few questions :
How do you come up with ideas for stories?

How do you make people stay interested in the book?

Where do the people on the covers of your books get their clothes? They're so cute!

Is there such thing as a riding academy?

Annie <3

Kathryn said...

Everyone, Jess stopped the questions last Sun.

Unknown said...

1.Where do you buy the clothes for the cover girls? They are so cute!
2.When i write books, they always sound too canterwoodish. I love horses too, do you have any ideas?
3.WHat happened to monthly newsletters? I signed up 4 it, but i only got 1 in october!
4.I emailerd you ideas, but u dont email back! Plz email.

PLEASE EMIAL ME ANSWERS!
elliepuppydog@gmail.com

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