tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67676162799662911852024-03-13T13:54:52.818-04:00JESSICA BURKHARTAuthor. Sparkles. Books. Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comBlogger1185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-91001342123947463662023-04-10T15:35:00.006-04:002023-04-10T15:38:49.330-04:00Counting down to Saddlehill Academy!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jessicaburkhart.com/preorder-campaign.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxnMdNyC7-ampRfVf3HomawoGLDxH2APX-FrgvKdNBKC7W3T9dbDEQWS9pHerN7a0VDxWEPuTaq_FCZ_Rq4a-xn0krnIbJxWjplVJwT2l1LDZuQ2iLutSw4Wp_4q26zp7Ig8LLB012-YpWxbed8Lu5xrQJBic4uBt2VTzy_u4WY_E6bgQ7XN7K4OZ8g/s320/signed%20goodies.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hii, friends!<br /><br />I'm so very thrilled to remind everyone that <b>NEXT MONTH</b> (!!!) is the release of my first novel in eight years! Ahhhhh!! That's right—SWEET & BITTER RIVALS (Saddlehill Academy #1) is out on May 30th. That means you still have time to grab some <a href="http://www.jessicaburkhart.com/preorder-campaign.html">preorder goodies</a>! If you order before May 30 from a bookstore listed on my Website, you'll get a signed bookplate AND a bookmark with your order!<br /><br />Here's what the book is about:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;">From the author of the Canterwood Crest series comes the first book in a middle grade series about an equestrian boarding school following a girl who struggles to keep her eyes on the prize while receiving anonymous threats.</b><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Abby St. Clair can’t wait to start another season with her elite riding team at her boarding school. She has something to prove after literally falling on her face during the biggest competition of the year the previous season. And she could really use a win after her mom left her family, her dad remarried, and Abby’s new stepsister, Emery, proved to be a strong rider and stiff competition.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Abby wants to return to some semblance of normal but is hiding a secret: she accidentally cost her biggest rival, Selly, a chance at team captain. Then Abby begins to receive anonymous messages, threatening to expose her unwitting sabotage and a video that makes it look like she’s trash-talking Emery. With an important competition on the horizon and the knowledge that someone in her circle knows way too much about her, the pressure is on.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Abby tries to put on blinders and have the perfect meet with her horse, Beau, but she’s about to find out the hard way that secrets don’t make friends at Saddlehill Academy.<br /><br />I'm soooo excited to get the word out about Saddlehill! It's full of Canterwood Crest Easter eggs and future books might just contain meet-ups with your OG CC faves! 👀</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I hope you're as ready as I am! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">xo</span></p><p><br /></p>Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-45621503138916004242022-12-20T12:49:00.005-05:002022-12-20T12:49:51.238-05:00Come play STOLEN DREAM on StoryLoom!<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0y79W_j_OjfJiW8SlXphjezAQWkO5xjm1ztndEc2BlbuzQnBklDWBHh_trl1yMikhDq5Kd78Ef9DrqKWFr9xUBSvY8j14WHok8hb5esox-p0iLgpY9-zYjmOBOPB0GCLaIyX1R6W6PdWhTkbmh0EPYQkwaB90gnS_GAw8k73pBC44AuWnBL0CEK0BA/s660/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-14%20at%206.40.53%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="652" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0y79W_j_OjfJiW8SlXphjezAQWkO5xjm1ztndEc2BlbuzQnBklDWBHh_trl1yMikhDq5Kd78Ef9DrqKWFr9xUBSvY8j14WHok8hb5esox-p0iLgpY9-zYjmOBOPB0GCLaIyX1R6W6PdWhTkbmh0EPYQkwaB90gnS_GAw8k73pBC44AuWnBL0CEK0BA/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-14%20at%206.40.53%20PM.png" width="316" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've been posting a little about this on other socials, but I wanted to add here that I've got a free for now interactive horse story game on StoryLoom! </span></span></p><div class="k31gt" style="background-color: white; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 15px 0px; min-height: 1.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: var(--post-padding); padding-right: var(--post-padding); padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 540px; word-break: break-word;"><p style="border: none; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Visit <a href="https://href.li/?http://www.storylooom.com/" rel="noopener" style="border: none; cursor: pointer; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">www.StoryLoom.com</a> and look for STOLEN DREAM in the <span style="border: none; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">action/adventure/drama</span> section. Eight chapters are ready for you to play and more will be added soon. </span></p></div><div class="k31gt" style="background-color: white; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 15px 0px; min-height: 1.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: var(--post-padding); padding-right: var(--post-padding); padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 540px; word-break: break-word;"><p style="border: none; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's my first time writing interactive fiction, and I'd love to have y'all check it out! The game's in open beta so there are bugs, and it works best on a computer/iPad. It DOES work on mobile, too. (Most of the time, haha.)</span></p></div><div class="k31gt" style="background-color: white; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 15px 0px; min-height: 1.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: var(--post-padding); padding-right: var(--post-padding); padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 540px; word-break: break-word;"><p style="border: none; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: none; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's what it's about:</span></span></p></div><div class="k31gt" style="background-color: white; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 15px 0px; min-height: 1.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: var(--post-padding); padding-right: var(--post-padding); padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 540px; word-break: break-word;"><p style="border: none; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Cassidy Cole is going for her dream job as an assistant racehorse trainer at Windswept Farms. She’s determined to focus on the horses and make sure they become the best in the world. But when the local mob steals her prized steed, Cassidy has to team up with her hot new boss to get her horse back… no matter how dangerous it might be.</span></p></div><div class="k31gt" style="background-color: white; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 15px 0px; min-height: 1.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: var(--post-padding); padding-right: var(--post-padding); padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 540px; word-break: break-word;"><p style="border: none; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Note: this story has mature themes and dialogue!
See you at the races! xoxo</span></p></div>Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-44120638740375166872020-09-01T19:03:00.004-04:002020-09-01T19:03:54.344-04:00Book Lovers Unite for World Suicide Prevention Day 2020<p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. Authors, readers, and bloggers are uniting again his year to fight stigma, spread mental health awareness, and support the prevention of suicide. To encourage participation, we're giving away a $50 Amazon gift card and a Book Lovers Unite for World Suicide Prevention Day t-shirt to one lucky winner.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-dfbbb71f-7fff-9d9e-eb6a-bd8f1d7c900c"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 312px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="312" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qLRzI9XrYON75BfgPI1m0p-uK9oAlVSWtpfTTlp2-7cUSCuiWFMFnzJOkiazJk6XuWlVs5FiPBNxxFmAk-7oDn8XaRb9NPsCZzRImKigr5Pcip6pfOgBDEOnS2zXuVnKfx-z4DUt" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two kinds of stigma continue to persist: public stigma and self-stigma. Public stigma occurs when other people view a person with a mental illness in a negative way. Public stigma feeds into self-stigma when people with mental illness internalize the negative talk they hear from others.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well-meaning people say things like, "Suck it up," "Choose to be happy," "Turn that frown upside down," or "Focus on your blessings," as if mental illness were a mood, a frame of mind, or an attitude that can simply be overcome at will.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often, people who suffer from mental illness blame themselves instead of seeking help. Just as a diabetic needs insulin, a person with mental illness may need treatment.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People who contemplate suicide don't want to die; they just can't fathom how to live because they are so miserable. They can't see past their pain and misery, and they see no point in going on.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 351px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="351" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/JUy-b4Bm72m-B2_eKMM0_h_DTBiU1L7Phx-mwymiNcschu-KG3p6kxnIzMvxOy1NPh30C1kLcSgyTC2qX81OF_ugaBQGl5waxtvKLbPdeo7FzsEwABPot3j2QU7JIWu95aaGuLfX" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the International Association for Suicide Prevention, "Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for people of all ages. It is responsible for over 800,000 deaths, which equates to one suicide every 40 seconds."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">IASP explains that "[e]very life lost represents someone’s partner, child, parent, friend or colleague. For each suicide approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected. This amounts to 108 million people per year who are profoundly impacted by suicidal behavior. Suicidal behavior includes suicide, and also encompasses suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. For every suicide, 25 people make a suicide attempt and many more have serious thoughts of suicide."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you're contemplating suicide, please don't do it! Instead, seek help. You might be suffering now, but you never know what tomorrow brings. Reach out to a friend or family member. See a doctor. If that doctor doesn't help, try another. Please don't give up.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you're in crisis, please reach out to the toll-free hotline in your region. You can find your hotline here:</span><a href="https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are grieving the death of a victim of suicide and need help, here are resources that can help:</span><a href="https://www.iasp.info/resources/Postvention/National_Suicide_Survivor_Organizations/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.iasp.info/resources/Postvention/National_Suicide_Survivor_Organizations/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you suspect that someone you know may be contemplating suicide, please reach out. We often hesitate because we're afraid we might make things worse by saying the wrong thing. According to IASP, "</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Evidence suggests that this is not the case. The offer of support and a listening ear are more likely to reduce distress, as opposed to exacerbating it."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Warning signs to look for include severe anxiety, agitation, hopelessness, rage, feelings of being trapped, a strong urge for vengeance, engaging in risky activities, excessive alcohol and/or drug use, withdrawing from people, trouble sleeping, and dramatic mood changes.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8d86471a-7fff-a13b-b7de-549b4dbc1d65"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 19pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE TOUR</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Book lovers from all over the world have joined together to share their stories and spread mental health awareness. Please follow this tour guide to find our posts and to enter our giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card and a Book Lovers Unite for World Suicide Prevention Day 2020 t-shirt:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://pdworkman.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P.D. Workman, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/triple.a.book.blog" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Triple A Book Blog</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jessica Burkhart, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://hereiswhatireadblog.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here Is What I Read Blog</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://www.crossroadreviews.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crossroad Reviews</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.jazzybookreviews.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jazzy Book Reviews</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.bookcornernewsandreviews.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Book Corner News and Reviews</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I Love Books and Stuff Blog</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.luvsavingmoney.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luv Saving Money</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://debbiemanberkupfer.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Debbie Manber Kupfer, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://m.facebook.com/AshIneski/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ash Ineski, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://www.allieburton.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Allie Burton, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://purpleshadowhunter.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Book Butterfly in Dreamland</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://saracrawford.net/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sara Crawford, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://tawdrakandle.com/blog/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tawdra Kandle, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://www.quinnloftisbooks.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quinn Loftis, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://katsindiebookblog.blogspot.co.nz/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kat's Indie Book Blog</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://dayleitao.com/blog" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day Leitao, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/stephwestonauthor" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steph Weston, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://layniebee.com/blog" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lanie Bynum, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://facebook.com/lbcarterauthor" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">L.B. Carter, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd0J-z2jqxLygLDB1t8Py9Q" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Holly and Mistletoe</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.evapohler.com/news" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eva Pohler, Author</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE GIVEAWAY</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From September 1-10, <a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/72abbf8f39/?">enter for a chance </a>to win a $50 Amazon gift card and a Book Lovers Unite for World Suicide Prevention Day t-shirt. There are lots of ways to enter below--choose one or all. You can also tweet daily for extra entries. We'll email the winner by September 11th.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. On September 10th at 8 p.m. your time, light a candle to remember all those we have lost to suicide and to represent the hope of preventing suicide. People all over the world will be participating. You can send an ecard in 63 different languages to invite others to participate.</span><a href="https://www.iasp.info/wspd2019/light-a-candle/#postcard" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Find the ecards here.</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Purchase a Book Lovers Unite for World Suicide Prevention Day 2020 for $20. For every shirt sold, five dollars is donated to the International Association for Suicide Prevention.</span><a href="https://www.bonfire.com/dashboard/details/world-suicide-prevention-day-2020/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Order yours here.</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Spread the word about this giveaway, to encourage more people to read our posts and tweet about overcoming stigma. Use the share buttons at the bottom of this post, and</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click to tweet:</span><a href="https://ctt.ac/4_MD4" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #7d9174; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">#EntertoWin a $50 #giftcard and #Tshirt while fighting #stigma and spreading #mentalhealthawareness for #suicideprevention #WSPD.</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 19pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;"> </p></span><div><br /></div></span>Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-89010940717069915682020-01-24T14:53:00.001-05:002020-01-24T14:53:12.432-05:00PokemonGO Safari Zone<div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1DxHdX2sIjWHOCzu_WU7WB-uhbLEbafUZ" alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1DxHdX2sIjWHOCzu_WU7WB-uhbLEbafUZ" style="max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; height: auto; width: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ahh, I am so excited!! I’m going to my first ever PokemonGO Safari Zone in March! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last June, I was lucky enough to attend GOFest in Chicago, but Safari Zone seems to be a lot more lowkey without the insanity and pressure of GOFest. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I’m super excited to be able to add Chatot to my Dex. That’s not a mon I would have been able to get, otherwise. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I’m crossing my fingers for good weather, too! We shall see. It’s St. Louis at the end of March sooo who knows what kind of weather we’ll face! 😂</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div>Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-19021782401722660372020-01-22T14:58:00.002-05:002020-01-22T14:58:59.633-05:00SOKY Book FestI'm sooo excited to come to Louisville in March for the SOKY Book Fest! The full author lineup will be announced in February, but if you don't have plans on the weekend of March 20-21, come see me.<br />
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<a href="https://sokybookfest.org/">Here's the link</a> and I'll blog about my specific events when they're announced. Oh, btw? Louis Sachar is going. Yeah, That Famous Author. So if you're eh on coming to see me, definitely go to see him! :D<br />
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Hope everyone is having a great New Year so far.<br />
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xoxoJessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-3462476090926245072019-09-27T12:51:00.000-04:002019-09-27T16:07:46.351-04:00Halloween comes to AC Pocket Camp & gaming rambles<div style="text-align: left;">
<img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1BWfJcdCLL2uUNBJwsc6tKy9wPCIVFH1I" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1BWfJcdCLL2uUNBJwsc6tKy9wPCIVFH1I" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /></div>
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I’m in such a spooky mood that I started playing Pocket Camp again just to trick out my camp for Halloween. 😁<br />
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<img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ITRO83nOMBTihFZOcV4g_ThSSLR3BCu6" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ITRO83nOMBTihFZOcV4g_ThSSLR3BCu6" style="font-size: 12pt; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /></div>
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<span style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt;">Except since this morning, I’ve added this fab top hat to my ensemble.</span><br />
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<img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1g2VtNi0JzJlaf8OQp8aOqz7NRMVQEoGr" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1g2VtNi0JzJlaf8OQp8aOqz7NRMVQEoGr" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /></div>
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Just too cute! Does anyone else play Pocket Camp? I’m psyched for Animal Crossing for the Switch coming in March 2020, I believe. I don’t own a Switch yet, but the Switch Lite looks pretty great. I want one for the new Pokemon game coming next year, too. Lately, I haven’t been gaming aside from games on my phone though. I play Pokémon GO daily and Pocket Camp on and off in spurts. I played Pokémon Masters a ton when it first came out, but not nearly as much recently. Mario Kart Tour dropped yesterday and that’s fuuun! 😍 I’m kinda obsessed with it. I've linked my account to my Facebook, so if we're FB friends then I might just see you on the racecourse. </div>
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Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-71713290216095470082019-09-26T12:07:00.000-04:002019-09-26T12:07:07.443-04:00Happy fall, y’all! I’m so, so glad it’s fall! 🍂🎃 Finally! Well, sort of. This part of Tennessee is going to have record breaking heat the first week of October. Yup, we’re gonna spend six days in the upper 90s, so it will feel more like July than fall. <div><br></div><div>Smh. </div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">But that hasn’t stopped us from getting in the fall and Halloween spirit around the house! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=13v5GtqUtK6ha9G7wOvuZFqJH4wgvEZHD" alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=13v5GtqUtK6ha9G7wOvuZFqJH4wgvEZHD" style="font-size: 12pt; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; height: auto; width: auto;"><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1CqMxkMIn6oB5ziBhAkFjjJEJRVZFDsGH" alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1CqMxkMIn6oB5ziBhAkFjjJEJRVZFDsGH" style="font-size: 12pt; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; height: auto; width: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">The decorations are looking pretty spooky! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh, and Halloween isn’t complete without the family skeleton, Fred. It’s a running prank from now until Halloween that we set him up and try scare someone or outdo each other by sticking him in creative poses. Here’s his first look . . . </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=18EqvTbjHhQaBbk-PCCoxYfV6I54trAdo" alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=18EqvTbjHhQaBbk-PCCoxYfV6I54trAdo" style="max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; height: auto; width: auto;"><br></div><div><br></div><div>Happy first week of fall, indeed! 🎃🍂🎃</div><div><br></div>Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-66599062461393060162019-09-25T15:31:00.000-04:002019-09-25T15:31:26.462-04:00NaNoWriMo 2019 and The Writing BarnI'm thinking about it! NaNoWriMo was how I wrote TAKE THE REINS and several other books of mine. But I also owe Agent Josh edits on a tween horse book, sooo that really needs to happen soon!<br />
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It really feels good to be back in the swing of things. I had to take some time away from social media and the writing world, but I'm slowly immersing myself back in all bookish things and it feels great.<br />
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Oooh, also! I'm teaching two <b>online</b> writing classes via The Writing Barn starting in January 2020! The classes are <a href="http://www.thewritingbarn.com/class/how-to-write-mg-and-ya-that-sells-online/">HOW TO WRITE MG AND YA THAT SELLS </a>and <a href="http://www.thewritingbarn.com/class/publicity-and-marketing-all-the-tips-and-ideas-you-need-to-sell-1-5-million-books-online/">PUBLICITY AND MARKETING: ALL THE TIPS YOU NEED TO SELL 1.5 MILLION BOOKS</a>. Anyone can sign up, but space is limited!<br />
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I hope everyone's fall is off to a great start! If you want to re-add me as a buddy (NaNo wiped the old forums), my new username is "jessicaburkhart."<br />
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<br />Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-50990513209974687152019-08-31T22:56:00.001-04:002019-08-31T23:08:18.545-04:00Why I Stayed <br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">(Warnings:
mentions of addiction and suicide attempts.)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“Jessica
Burkhart is an author of tween and teen books. She loves all things pink and
sparkly.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Those were constant lines in my author bio. Plastered on 1.5 million copies of my books. My
readers sent me glittery gifts in the mail. Loved discussing <i>Twilight</i>
and all the sequels with me. Knew that if something was pink and sparkly, I
needed to know of its existence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">However, my
private, personal bio read: “Jessica Burkhart is an author of tween and teen
books. She loves all things pink and sparkly. She’s also dealing with
depression and anxiety.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">But how do
you tell that to the kids who idolize you and want to be you? That love and
adore <i>that </i>version of Jessica Burkhart? The Jessica Burkhart who’s
cheerful and sparkly? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I didn’t tell
them. I didn’t tell anyone. I was too afraid that if I did, I’d lose them and
the career I put sixteen plus hour work days into would be gone. After all, I
was living my dream—I had a Brooklyn apartment, a steady job that I loved and I
was making it. No one would believe that I was depressed, would they?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know what to do, so I began taking
benzos. Then, I tore a tendon in my elbow from writing (Yes, seriously!) and
started on painkillers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">By 2010—just
a year after my debut novel came out—I was a full-blown addict. I thought of
pills as pretty poison—they helped me feel “pretty” which meant feeling
nothing. They were “poison” when they’d start to wear off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The bottles
said to take one fifth of what I took every six hours. I’d wait four hours if I
was being especially good that day. Most days I’d go three and a half hours.
But that makes a bottle of 150 pills run out really fast. So fast that my life
revolved around where and when to get pills and when and how to take them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It was all I
could plan for in my life. I had it down to a science: always have one or two
doctor appointments scheduled for every eight days max. I carried a notebook
with me to every appointment that helped me keep track of what I’d told which
doctor. I’d gone from crafting stories in fiction to creating lies for my own
life to help me score. The notes filled an entire mini-notebook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It took so
much time to keep my stories straight. I had to make sure I didn’t go to the
same doctor too often and I had to keep looking for different doctors and pain
management clinics. It was exhausting and the fear of running out of pills was
a constant. It happened a few times and the hallucinations, gut-wrenching
vomiting, sweating and the other withdrawal symptoms I experienced were more
than enough to keep me up at night worrying that one day, I wouldn’t be able to
score. I was trapped in a loop that would keep me prisoner for almost seven
years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I needed help
to get clean and I didn’t love myself enough to get that guidance. My life had
become an ongoing cycle of pills. So many handfuls of pills a day. Pills crushed
into fine power and put in my morning green tea. Sometimes, I was too lazy to
even crush them, so I’d dump the full pills into tea, stir and wait for them to
break down in the scalding water. That was just my dose of painkillers. Benzos
were next. Rinse and repeat for lunch. And dinner. Snack time pills were chewed
and swallowed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Sometimes,
I’d wake up a couple days later from a post-benzo and painkiller dose so heavy
I shouldn’t have been alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Pills were
fuel to my depression and anxiety. With pills, I didn’t have to feel. Which is
why I thought I was happy for so long. Then, when all of that crashed around
me, I took more and more drugs to “help” my feelings of sadness and loneliness.
What I couldn’t see then was that without getting clean and dealing with my
mental health struggles, I’d never be okay. I was going to die with my then one
true love: pills. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It was only a
matter of time. My parents had found me unconscious once and I knew I’d
terrified them, but I wasn’t ready to get help. On one of the worst nights of
my life, I walked in front of a car in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Somehow, the
driver managed to swerve and avoided hitting me. He honked and screamed, though
and when I finally crawled into bed sobbing later that night, I ended up
looking at kittens on a local rescue’s Website. Why? I can’t remember. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GFdvmhTyPmw/XWsyoRM8BkI/AAAAAAAAEJY/G7MvYhWWaSgJashQQRBj0Qtf8TsQ33zXgCLcBGAs/s1600/bliss%2Band%2Bbella%2B2%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GFdvmhTyPmw/XWsyoRM8BkI/AAAAAAAAEJY/G7MvYhWWaSgJashQQRBj0Qtf8TsQ33zXgCLcBGAs/s320/bliss%2Band%2Bbella%2B2%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Soon, I had
two kittens in my tiny one-bedroom apartment. I loved them fiercely. Bliss, a
grey and white tabby, had a hip fractured and I taught her to walk. Bella, my
muted orange and white, was a one-eyed sweetheart. I bonded with both of them,
but what Bella and I had was special. She was like a dog—she wanted to be with
me everywhere and didn’t care if I was going on a trip on the subway or sitting
on my porch—if she could be in my lap, she didn’t care. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And before I
knew it, I realized that yes, I wouldn’t stay alive for myself. But for them?
For Bella? For the pirate kitty who sat by or on me while I cried over hallucinated
cockroaches and who watched me hurl lamps or books into walls when I just
didn’t know what to do anymore, I could do this basic thing of staying alive. Both of my kittens became cats as they watched me exist with my addiction and mental health struggles. Then, one day, I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't just exist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">I went to
rehab for the painkillers and got counseling. Hours and hours of counseling. And,
soon after that, I was able to start to tackle the things in my past that led
to my depression and anxiety spirals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A year later,
I started working with another doctor to come off benzos. That was a bitch. I
won’t even lie. I’d thought coming off painkillers was hard. It’s been over two
years, though. I know with certainty that I’ll never touch pills again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The longer
I’m off drugs, too, the more things come back. From my personality to my
memories. I’m feeling things again. Some feeling suck, they really do! But I’ve
learned how to cope without taking a pill. I’m able to feel happiness, too,
which I could feel before, but it was muted. Through a haze of drugs that felt
as though there was a Plexiglas wall up between what I could feel and what I
wanted to feel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I lost Bliss,
my tabby, at the end of 2017 to a freak heart condition. Bella passed away in
April 2018 after a short battle with cancer. They were each only five years
old. It never crossed my mind, though, to go back to pills even in the darkest
months after Bella’s death. See, the vet said she’d had cancer for a while, but
had kept her symptoms very well hidden. I will always believe she stuck around
long enough to make sure I was good—that I was clean and able to live—before
she finally showed me that she was sick. She’d taken care of me for long enough
and she could finally go. And, because of her, I’m here to stay. I still have
dark days and I fight with my anxiety on the daily. But I’m not going anywhere.
I’m going to keep being honest and open about my struggles with mental health
and addiction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wLshEUZTuMM/XWsyuQwuovI/AAAAAAAAEJg/hjHWGF_BESQJaTP2L4i6DzMrtfN2gsWfQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0866%2B%25282%2529.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="741" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wLshEUZTuMM/XWsyuQwuovI/AAAAAAAAEJg/hjHWGF_BESQJaTP2L4i6DzMrtfN2gsWfQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0866%2B%25282%2529.PNG" width="319" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My readers
have stuck by me since I’ve started talking about my mental health struggles. I
wish I would have come forward with my stories earlier, but hey, I’m doing it
now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Speaking of
now, my current bio reads: “Jessica Burkhart is an author of tween and teen
books. She loves all things pink and sparkly. She’s passionate about speaking
out about the importance of good mental health.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Thank you so
much to <a href="https://www.evapohler.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Eva
Pohler</span></a> for including me on this World Suicide Prevention Day campaign.
Please check out <a href="https://www.evapohler.com/world-suicide-prevention-day"><span style="color: windowtext;">the rest of the stories</span></a> that will be posted
over the next several days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-51307232813230131682018-04-11T14:44:00.000-04:002018-04-11T14:44:02.897-04:00Happy book birthday to LIFE INSIDE MY MIND! <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm sooo excited, guys! My first ever anthology is out! </span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IG5aLLVDu3k/Ws5WJ-sUaDI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/nZYYaITyabkkP9z-BmauhqifyH-Tdp-9ACLcBGAs/s1600/9781481494649%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1056" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IG5aLLVDu3k/Ws5WJ-sUaDI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/nZYYaITyabkkP9z-BmauhqifyH-Tdp-9ACLcBGAs/s320/9781481494649%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's a bit about it: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Your favorite YA authors including Ellen Hopkins, Maureen Johnson, and more recount their own experiences with mental illness in this raw, real, and powerful collection of essays that explores everything from ADD to PTSD.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Have you ever felt like you just couldn’t get out of bed? Not the occasional morning, but every day? Do you find yourself listening to a voice in your head that says “you’re not good enough,” “not good looking enough,” “not thin enough,” or “not smart enough”? Have you ever found yourself unable to do homework or pay attention in class unless everything is “just so” on your desk? Everyone has had days like that, but what if you have them </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">every </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">day?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">You’re not alone. Millions of people are going through similar things. However issues around mental health still tend to be treated as something shrouded in shame or discussed in whispers. It’s easier to have a broken bone—something tangible that can be “fixed”—than to have a mental illness, and easier to have a discussion about sex than it is to have one about mental health.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Life Inside My Head </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">is an anthology of true-life events from writers of this generation, for this generation. These essays tackle everything from neurodiversity to addiction to OCD to PTSD and much more. The goals of this book range from providing home to those who are feeling alone, awareness to those who are witnessing a friend or family member struggle, and to open the floodgates to conversation.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Participating writers include E.K. Anderson, J.L. Armentrout, Cyn Balog, Amber Benson, Francesca Lia Block, Jessica Burkhart, Crissa Chappell, Sarah Fine, Kelly Fiore, Candace Ganger, Meghan Kelley Hall, Cynthia Hand, Ellen Hopkins, Maureen Johnson, Tara Kelly, Karen Mahoney, Melissa Marr, Kim McCreight, Hannah Moskowitz, Scott Neumyer, Lauren Oliver, Aprilynne Pike, Tom Pollack, Amy Reed, Cindy Rodriquez, Francisco Stork, Wendy Tolliver, Rob Wells, Dan Wells, Rachel Wilson, and Sara Zarr.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">💚<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Inside-My-Mind-Struggles/dp/1481494643">on Amazon</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">💚<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/life-inside-my-mind-maureen-johnson/1127951227?ean=9781481494649#/">on Barnes & Noble</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">💚<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297409-life-inside-my-mind">on Goodreads</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's received *three* starred reviews which is SUPER exciting! </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">I hope you'll check it out and let me know what you think! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-511420548720089292018-03-22T13:21:00.003-04:002018-03-22T13:21:47.039-04:00Mental health during Camp NaNoWriMo<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 1em;">
I saw this thread on the Camp NaNoWriMo forum and thought I'd share my response here. Campers were weighing in with their tips and tricks for maintaining good mental health during April's camp. </div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">What disorder(s) I have:</strong></div>
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Generalized anxiety disorder and depression. </div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">My tips/tricks:</strong></div>
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* Disney music! This always gets me in a good mood. Plus, often easy to listen to while writing. </div>
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* Green tea. Another mood booster. </div>
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* Essential oils. Mostly citrus for mood. Sometimes minty varieties for energy. </div>
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* Pokemon Go. No one plays anymore right? Well, Team Instinct here and I do. :) It gets me out and walking. </div>
Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-91374841929916268102018-03-13T12:25:00.000-04:002018-03-13T12:25:05.528-04:00Website down for a bitJust a quick note: my personal Website (JessicaBurkhart.com) is offline for some changes, but it'll be back up soon!Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-45064127156411999112018-01-19T12:39:00.001-05:002018-01-19T12:39:26.179-05:00New year, new lookHelloooo, Harts! :)<br />
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Thought it was time for a blog overhaul. I'm still tweaking a few things, but this is a start! How's your January going so far?<br />
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I'm SUPER excited that it's the *NINE* year anniversary of TAKE THE REINS' publication date on January 27. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT WAS PUBBED IN 2009! 😱<br />
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What a journey so far. Wow. I'm just so, so grateful for all of my readers who have stuck by me this whole time. 💓💓💓<br />
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More to come, but! There's a giveaway over on my Insta. Go follow me and check it out (JessAshley87)Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-11600248631829659522017-10-23T10:34:00.001-04:002017-10-23T10:34:21.479-04:00NaNoWriMo 2017!Hi guys!<br />
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Happy Halloween month aka October! :)<br />
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I'm in the middle of revisions on a super fun tween project as well as revisions on an adult story. Plus, it's almost NaNoWriMo 2017 time! Who's participating this year? Cuz this girl is!<br />
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In honor of NaNo, I wanted to share my how to guide:<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/End-NaNoWriMo-Prep-Published-WriMo-ebook/dp/B014ZD2ON8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477697190&sr=8-1&keywords=jessica+burkhart+nanowrimo"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/End-NaNoWriMo-Prep-Published-WriMo-ebook/dp/B014ZD2ON8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477697190&sr=8-1&keywords=jessica+burkhart+nanowrimo">THE END: TOP 10 NANOWRIMO PREP TIPS FROM A PUBLISHED WRIMO</a><br />
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Check it out! It's full of all of the tips I've used over the years to win NaNo.<br />
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See you guys around the forums. Feel free to add me as a WriMo buddy I'm "jessicab_87"Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-82186815164531514982017-08-30T13:08:00.001-04:002017-08-30T13:08:59.405-04:00Back again!Ohmygosh, HI!<br />
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I left Blogspot in 2014 and have been kinda unhappy over at Wordpress ever since. But I'm back! Missed you all and will be updating at least weekly from here on out.<br />
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So. Much. To. Share!<br />
<br />
xoxoJessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-26130646952943600982014-01-28T17:40:00.002-05:002014-01-28T17:40:36.848-05:00New post up over on WordPress<a href="http://jessicaburkhartblog.com/2014/01/28/young-rider-magazine-cover-model-search/">New blog post</a> is up on my new location--WordPress!<br />
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It's all about how YOU can be the face of YOUNG RIDER magazine!Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-39119114409159093122014-01-20T17:06:00.001-05:002014-01-20T17:06:41.647-05:00All set!Apologies about the difficulties with downloading the video! The awesome Jo at Glass Slipper Webdesign walked me through it and everything is all set!<br />
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If' you've already downloaded the video, please try to download it again--it won't charge you.<br />
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If you haven't, I hope you check out my first installment for young writers! :)<br />
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<br />Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-27875650888561166922014-01-19T12:34:00.001-05:002014-01-20T17:04:33.139-05:00Write Now! Getting Published as a Young Writer DVD 1 available now! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cBv3jSQVadY/UtwLe3A7jKI/AAAAAAAAD-o/IjMYr09gYX8/s1600/top+ten+mistakes+cover+for+video+final+jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cBv3jSQVadY/UtwLe3A7jKI/AAAAAAAAD-o/IjMYr09gYX8/s1600/top+ten+mistakes+cover+for+video+final+jpeg.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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It's here! </div>
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The first installment in WRITE NOW!, GETTING PUBLISHED AS YOUNG WRITER, digital series is ready!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">Taught by Jessica Burkhart, TOP TEN MISTAKES YOUNG WRITERS MAKE, is a must watch video for any writer seeking publication. It is also a great teaching tool for classrooms and libraries. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">Published at 14, Jess understands what it's like to be a young writer. Now, at 22 years old, Jess has 20 tween novels published with Simon & Schuster. Over 500,000 copies of her Canterwood Crest series books are in print. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">Jess debunks common publishing myths and highlights truths in this 31 minute long video. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">Despite the title, TOP 10 is a useful guide for a writer of any age seeking publication. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">Jess has visited many classrooms both in person and via Skype. She wanted to create a video for viewers to be able to pause, take notes, or refer back to. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">If schools and libraries use Jess's videos, they are able to have an author "visit" without the high costs of travel, paying the author, or dealing with any tech glitches. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">Some praise for Jess's teaching: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">"Jess Burkhart's Skype author visit was an inspiration to my Middle School Book Club students. She did an amazing job integrating her own personal life story into a motivational talk about the writing process. My students were left feeling excited about doing some writing of their own!" ~Cathie Bashaw Morton, Library Media Specialist, Millbrook Central School District, New York </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">"Jessica Burkhart is an excellent speaker who engages students by connecting with them through her many experiences as an author. She is engaging and inspiring while encouraging students to follow their dreams and persevere in their writing. She also shares tips on how to get their writing noticed. I highly recommend this experience for your students!" ~Abbe Waldron, Library Media Specialist, Wamogo Regional High School </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;">For more about Jess, visit www.JessicaBurkhart.com or Tweet her @JessicaBurkhart.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: start;"><b>Get this first video now for $1.99!</b></span></div>
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Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-54472249182642544402014-01-03T22:43:00.000-05:002014-01-03T22:43:05.347-05:00Let's talk mental health<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PG5nzu4MJkU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-50293164037836329292013-12-17T18:49:00.001-05:002013-12-17T18:49:53.024-05:00And a little Keek . . . <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.keek.com/embed/z5K6dab" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size:10px; color:#7C7C7C; margin: 0;"> Dec 16, 2013 <span style="color:#C3CED5">|</span> <a href="https://www.keek.com/Jessica_Burkhart/keeks/z5K6dab" target="_blank">Canterwood this Christmas</a> by <a href="https://www.keek.com/Jessica_Burkhart" target="_blank" alt="Jessica_Burkhart">Jessica_Burkhart</a> on <a href="https://www.keek.com" alt="keek videos" target="_blank">Keek.com</a></p>
Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-1441125596810729182013-12-17T18:11:00.001-05:002013-12-17T18:11:13.134-05:00Happy Holidays! What are your fave Christmas movies?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peace, love, tolerance, understanding, kindness, and acceptance</span></div>
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Happy Holidays, everyone! I can't believe it's almost Christmas!</div>
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This is my brain right now: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DTAkaPk2OAU/UrDShebNlnI/AAAAAAAAD7I/wIf99kK8y2w/s1600/tumblr_mf91qrJkTX1qadi39o2_r1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DTAkaPk2OAU/UrDShebNlnI/AAAAAAAAD7I/wIf99kK8y2w/s320/tumblr_mf91qrJkTX1qadi39o2_r1_500.gif" width="320" /></a>LOL!</div>
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But seriously! I can't focus on anything!</div>
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On Friday, a car is coming at 7am to take me to Newark Airport. I've got a 10:15am flight to the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California. Only one stop in Phoenix. </div>
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I'm SO excited! It's my first time in CA! </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--9Xy-Ub5tRE/UrDT-hNPk6I/AAAAAAAAD7U/sw655AJgbjg/s1600/tumblr_m23asycI6D1r88h0fo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--9Xy-Ub5tRE/UrDT-hNPk6I/AAAAAAAAD7U/sw655AJgbjg/s320/tumblr_m23asycI6D1r88h0fo1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I hop off the plane at LAX with a dream and my cardigan . . . just PRETEND I'm going to LAX. ;)</div>
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I'm staying with friends who have become family--my "Cali Barn Mafia" that consists of Joey, Suzie, Lex, and Gracie. I've only met Joey in person a few times, but it feels as though I know everyone. Maybe the FaceTime chats help. :) I won't miss the cold, but it will be weird to wear a t-shirt and not a sweater on Christmas. Weird in a way that I'm excited to try.</div>
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I hired <a href="http://www.petaholics.com/">Petaholics </a>to come every day to visit Bella, Bliss, and Khaleesi. I would not be able to enjoy myself if I had to wonder every day if they were okay or if something had happened. I really like our sitter--she's a student who's majoring in creative writing, so that was a very cool match!</div>
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I finished writing Unicorn Magic #3! After that, I started watching a ton of Christmas movies. Although it's NOT Christmas themed, I highly recommend CHALET GIRL. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KJY3yXgsXZA/UrDV2OuLl0I/AAAAAAAAD7g/RSwPRKf_H1c/s1600/220px-Chalet_Girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KJY3yXgsXZA/UrDV2OuLl0I/AAAAAAAAD7g/RSwPRKf_H1c/s320/220px-Chalet_Girl.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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It stars GOSSIP GIRLS'S Ed Westwick who's phenomenal. I loved this movie! </div>
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Also, CHRISTMAS CUPID with PRETTY LITTLE LIARS'S Ashley Benson was fun!</div>
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I watched SNOW GLOBE; it was the second holiday movie that I saw starring Christina Milian. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ts80-d1D6Bc/UrDX38FN-mI/AAAAAAAAD74/vhHTLDRAfAM/s1600/tumblr_mw8qpahTEF1r1d9pfo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ts80-d1D6Bc/UrDX38FN-mI/AAAAAAAAD74/vhHTLDRAfAM/s320/tumblr_mw8qpahTEF1r1d9pfo1_500.gif" width="320" /></a> Speaking of snow, some is coming down right now!<br />
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Back to movies . . . </div>
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<b>My fave Christmas movies are:</b></div>
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Charlie Brown Christmas (If I do NOT watch this and THE GRINCH (animated not Jim Carrey) it doesn't feel like Xmas)<br />
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The Grinch (animated, as I said :))</div>
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Home Alone 1 and 2</div>
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The Family Stone</div>
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The Santa Clause</div>
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Jingle All the Way</div>
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Rudolph</div>
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Frosty</div>
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Elf</div>
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What are your fave Xmas movies? Share! <a href="http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-best-christmas-movies">Total Film</a> did a list of the "top 50 Christmas movies" if you're looking to try new ones. </div>
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So, as I'm packing for a warm climate, I'll have a fireplace DVD on loop on my TV. :)</div>
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Happiest of holidays to everyone! I can't wait to ring in 2014!</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-4555460730126147312013-12-11T21:14:00.001-05:002013-12-11T21:14:21.596-05:00Yay! Unicorn Magic #3 draft is finished!So excited!<br />
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Now off to work on HEATED and WILD HEARTS!<br />
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How's everyone doing?<br />
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xoxoJessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-307066454089402532013-12-08T09:38:00.001-05:002013-12-08T09:38:02.178-05:00ER visit. Not for me or K! Shocker, right?!So. It was almost ten. I was in PJs and just ready to get back to writing.<br />
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Then Mr. Frank brought me dinner. He forgot to get me a napkin and despite my protests, he started back down this stairs to get one.<br />
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I heard a yelp and crash and bolted out of my apt.<br />
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Frank had fallen ten or twelve steps. His left ring finger was bent at the knuckle at a 90 degree angel. If I hadn't been running on adreline, I would have passed out. His left ankle was rapidly becoming the size of a basketball.<br />
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I got him back of up the stairs--barely--and he told me where to get his ID, credit card, etc.<br />
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I changed out of my PJs and called for a car. We went to a hospital in the 60s on Third or Fourth Ave in Brooklyn.<br />
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They took xrays. And drew blood. And fixed his dislocated finger.<br />
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Thankfully, he only has a fractured foot. Not saying that his injury is awesome, but if def beats the alternative--if he'd tripped and gone down head first. His back is brushed all up and down his spine (owweee) and he's got a light cast on his food and a splint on his finger.<br />
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But, like EVERY other ER I have ever been to, we were there forever. <b>10pm to just after 7am</b>. And they gave him a ridiculously tiny amount of pain killers for the injuries he had. It was a typical hospital.<br />
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I got him settled into my bed and he was asleep in two minutes. Leesi is currently keeping him company. :) And as much as I complained in this blog, I would do it again in a heart beat. No one should ever have to go to the hospital alone. He would have done the same for.<br />
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So he's asleep and I'm about to head to Crystal Kingdom in Unicorn Magic! :)<br />
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xoxo<br />
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and I couldn't stop myself . . . plz send me sheets for Christmas. ;)<br />
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<br />Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-32974071917756746732013-12-01T17:14:00.000-05:002013-12-01T17:14:34.662-05:00Twitter contest!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm extending the deadline until Friday, December 6 at 11:59pmEST! :)Jessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6767616279966291185.post-67893169073439301982013-11-28T17:37:00.001-05:002013-11-28T17:37:45.996-05:00Shop the Canterwood Crest Store on Black Friday! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eCWNIJ10TNQ/UpfFUeRBp2I/AAAAAAAAD5s/6-ppkzpxnAg/s400/store.jpg" width="400" /><a href="https://www.districtlines.com/jessicaburkhart87">https://www.districtlines.com/jessicaburkhart87</a></div>
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District Lines is running a GREAT deal right now! If you're going Black Friday shopping, def hit up the Canterwood Crest Academy Store! Fun new merch is available. :)<br />
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xoxoJessica Burkhart http://www.blogger.com/profile/01392565903843981091noreply@blogger.com