JESSICA BURKHART

Team Canterwood reader with Initiation

2012-01-15T17:01:00.002-05:00

As part of the INITIATION contest, here's an entry! Connie with Initiation! Her mom sent the photo and gave me permission to post it. Thank you for being a part of Team Canterwood, Connie!!

Happy Sunday, all! Busy writing COMEBACK. :)

xoxo

3 NEW cover reveals! Plus, extra special surprise!

2012-01-10T20:02:00.000-05:00


#16 MASQUERADE

Clare and Lauren

#18 ONE (See cover #15 in yesterday's post)

Clare and New Girl

Holiday special! HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Clare and Lauren

I have the full covers and they're GORGEOUS. Thank you so, so much Jessica Handelman, Monica Stevenson and my fabulous models. Many hearts!

So, ready for *another surprise*? The real life model who plays the New Girl on the right side of cover #18 is on Twitter! She's a big fan of the series and was soooo excited when she was booked to model for the covers. We've exchanged several emails and Tweets and she's the sweetest girl. I'm not going to give up her character name yet, but . . . wanna follow her on Twitter? Find her here! Let's show her some love and welcome her into the Canterwood family! :)

Canterwood cover reveal!

2012-01-08T16:43:00.002-05:00

I'm soo excited to be able to share the cover of Canterwood Crest #17 (JEALOUSY) with you! :) I have three more covers ready to be shared as soon as I get them. I can't wait and I hope you love this one as much as I do! We've got Lauren on the right and a new (!) character on the left. And doesn't Whisper look gorgeous?!

Thank you to everyone at Simon & Schuster for creating such a lovely cover that embodies the Canterwood spirit.

Happy weekend!

xoxo

Initiation's almost here! I think it's time for PRIZES!

2012-01-02T12:20:00.001-05:00

**I added a new way to enter below!

It's almost heeeeerrrreeee!! (Can you tell I'm excited? Cuz I'm not. I mean, why would I be freaking out that Team Canterwood gets INITIATION tomorrow?! :D)

Some of you have already found it in stores (thank you, booksellers!) and a lot of you haven't yet. Whether you've grabbed your copy or not, I think it's time to party with prizes! How else are we supposed to welcome Lauren to Canterwood?

In honor of book number lucky 13, I've got some fab stuff (my faves!) up for grabs. Check it:

That's right! We've got AMAZING Hair Tinsel and Gelly Roll pens. (Thank you to everyone at Hair Flairs and Sakura of America for offering up these fantastic prizes.

(Here's a pic of me from last January wearing dark purple tinsel. I was signing a book for our very own Jill (<3!)--the model for Sasha.) :)

The prizes up for grabs:

4 winners will receive:

2 packets of different color Hair Tinsel and either pink or purple Gelly Roll pens (all Tinsel and pen colors chosen by me at random)

1 GRAND prize winner will receive:

Your choice of a 20 minute phone call or 20 minute Skype session with me! We'll both work out a date and time via e-mail. :)

You must be a US resident to enter. Sorry, international readers!! Winners will be drawn at random and notified via e-mail. So be sure to leave yours!

You have TWO WEEKS starting tomorrow to do one of the following (some options will be worth extra entries!):

* (Worth 5 extra entries) Review INITIATION on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com or another book seller site. Put the link in your comment.

* Post a comment here about what you liked about Initiation after reading it

* (Worth 3 EXTRA entries) Send me a photo of you and your copy (it can be a paperback or Nook, Kindle, etc., of Initiation. I will NOT post the photo on my blog unless I have parental permission.

* (Worth 2 EXTRA entries) Post about INITIATION on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. and leave the link in the comments, Tweet it to me, or tag me on Facebook.

* Post a comment here about how long it took you to finish Initiation

* (Worth 2 EXTRA entries) link to this blog post via your Twitter, Facebook, blog, etc!

* (Worth 4 EXTRA entries) Create something at Polyvore for your fave CC character!

* (Worth 5 EXTRA entries) Make a YouTube (or other video hosting site) video about Initiation. You can review it, talk about what you liked/didn't like, send a shout out to other members of Team Canterwood--whatever you like! Get creative! :) *Please DO NOT email me the video because the file size will fill my inbox and then I won't be able to receive your messages* Put the link to your video in the comments section of this post.

* And . . . 6 EXTRA entries go to the person (judged not by me, but by an impartial Internet friend) who gets the most creative about celebrating Initiation's release day.

The contest closes on Monday, January 16, at 11:59pm EST. I will e-mail the winners on January 17, so be sure to check your email!

Good luck to all!

Now, other stuff:

Among other places, you can find copies of INITIATION at awesome places such as:

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Indie Bound

Powells

Books a Million

I've been thinking a lot today about all of Team Canterwood and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful, amazing, intelligent group of readers. It makes me teary when I think back to the first e-mail I ever received about someone liking TAKE THE REINS. I can't believe the very first book will be out for three years later this month.

Wow.

I would not be able to live my dream as a writer without EACH and EVERY one of you. Your messages keep me inspired, even on the darkest, tough days. I wish I could hug you all and be able to come up with better words than "thank you" for everything you've given me and the Canterwood Crest series. It would not continue without you.

I wish you all a very happy New Year! I've got copyedits to finish on POPULAR and then I'm starting to write COMEBACK. :)

Much love and cheers to 2012!

xoxo

Win a signed copy of Initiation!

2011-12-17T15:13:00.001-05:00

So . . . anyone interested in winning a copy of INITIATION? (Out Jan. 3rd). :) If so, I'm giving away TWO signed copies!

The rules are easy:

You must be a US resident

You have to comment on THIS post and leave your email address so I can get in touch with you

Your comment topic is: "How are YOU going to celebrate Initiation release day?" :)

You get extra entries if: you reblog about the contest, tell your friends about Initiation (I trust you!), Tweet, Facebook, or do whatever you like to let other people know about it's release. If you leave what you did in your comment, I'll add it as an extra entry.

Two winners will be drawn at random at midnight on Monday. Good luck! I'll email the winners the next day. :)

xoxo

A ten year old secret

2011-12-13T23:24:00.000-05:00

I've been so welcomed into the online community--not just by writers and publishing people--but by teens, tweens and all types of fabulous people I never would have met without my blog. :) I consider you all friends, and I think it's time I share a ten year old secret with you.

I felt the need to do so now because of the volume of mail I've been receiving from wonderful readers who "want to look like me." I feel like a total fraud. Like I am portraying a false image of what they should aspire to look like. Readers who sent me this mail do not know what I've done to my body to look how I have in the past.

I've been struggling with anorexia since I was fourteen. Maybe even a little before then. For me, it was never a "I want to be skinny and then I'll be pretty!" it was a control issue. My home life was chaotic, I had no control and with food, I had the power. I chose what I ate, when, how much.

Over the years, my weight fluctuated depending on how things were at home. I reached my lowest, scariest weight in April 2009. By then, my body was severely damaged. My hair was falling out, I was growing soft, thick hair on my arms in an effort to keep my body warm, I had more cavities than any religious teeth brusher should have. I fainted. Several times. I was freezing all of the time. Nosebleeds were part of my day. I had no energy.

I moved to NYC, determined to change my habits. I tried and failed. I tried again, failing. Finally, last fall, I saw how much it was hurting someone I loved. She told me she was scared that I'd have a heart attack, that my organs would start shutting down, or something worse would happen. I'd known, all along, that this can happen with anorexia, but I was deeply in it. Those options didn't seem real. But hurting her did. As my best friend, she said I had to change. I had to fix this--either one more try on my own or check into a treatment center.

I was terrified. I didn't think I could do it and I balked at the idea of treatment. But I went online, ordered a dozen Ensure weight-gain drinks, forced myself to start eating meals, and veeeerry slowly, a change happened. I worked so damn hard. You'd think gaining weight is easy.

It isn't.

I had a couple of minor set backs, but nothing even remotely close to the weight I had been. The weight I'd been while standing outside a bar in 2009 and a man walked up to me and said I needed to eat a burger.

Now, it's not a daily struggle. I think about it from time to time, but I will never go back to the place of making my already ill best friend worry that I'm going to starve myself to death. If I'm feeling like old habits might be creeping up, I talk to her about them. Honesty is saving me. My face isn't hollow anymore. My hair stopped falling out. My premature wrinkles stopped forming. I went from a barely A-cup to a C-cup. (And I love it!!) I love my body and feel so confident with it. There's no going back.

I wanted to share this because I know so many young girls, guys, and women are going through it. Mostly, I want to say to my readers--you do not want to look like me. Maybe the me now who is healthy. But not the old me. I will never go back. I say that with absolute certainty. If you're struggling, know that you can make it. We can--and are--fighting this.

xo

Lady Gaga & Greyson Chance

2011-12-10T17:58:00.001-05:00

What's everyone up to this weekend? Anyone getting in the Christmas spirit or totally over it? I walked down an avenue block last night after picking up food and so many gorgeous lights and displays were up. I'm like a little kid--they make me SO happy. I live in a very diverse neighborhood and it's interesting to see how each culture decorates for Christmas. There was a Puerto Rican parade today that went down my street, though, I don't think it had anything to do with Xmas. ;)

I'm totally bumming around this weekend. Recovering from post-finishing a book hangover. Next book--COMEBACK--isn't due until March, so I've got some time to chill. I intended to start working on a project today, but chose to read (Ruthless--Pretty Little Liars #10), Teen Vogue, Glamour and some other fun mags lying around.

(CHECK those shoes! I'd *never* be able to stand in them!)

Did anyone catch yesterday's Ellen? Lady Gaga and Greyson Chance we on. First, I adore Greyson! Kate and I saw him the very first time he appeared on Ellen singing "Paparazzi." She discovered him singing that on YouTube, brought him on, signed him to her record label and well, you probably know more than I do about him now. ;) He's such a cutie!

It came full circle for him because he got to meet the artist whose song he played that got HIM a record deal. :)

I loved Lady G's "Marry the Night" performance. She also had some of the best one liners I've heard from her. I've always been insanely inspired by her work ethic. The song, too, is about making the choice to commit to your work or give up. She's barely a year older than me and the girl works hard. She said, "People ask me when I'm gonna take a vacation. I'm like, 'I didn't get into signing to sit under a palm tree.'" That's kind of how I feel about writing. I'm "married" to my work because I love it so much. I'm happy to work long hours (except when my wrist or arm hurt! Bleh!) and I want to put everything I have into what I'm doing. That's for you guys--the readers--Team Canterwood.

Here's her performance if you want to watch. :) Fill me in on what you're all up to this weekend!

xoxo

30 days!

2011-12-03T15:06:00.001-05:00

Guess what comes out officially in exactly a month? INITIATION! :D

But . . . I'm betting stores have it a week to 10 days earlier. Sooo excited! Let me know when you snag a copy.

Must read: Winterling by Sarah Prineas

2011-12-02T16:34:00.001-05:00

I had the pleasure of receiving friend and author Sarah Prineas's new book, WINTERLING. It happened like this:

Me: OMG, Sarah! I love your new cover! It has a horse!

Sarah: Thank you! But it's not a horse . . .

Me: ARC!!

And the HarperCollins publicity team had one at my doorstep a few days later.

Sarah and I share a book birthday, January 3, 2012. I'm not going to spoil the plot, but I will say that Fer, the main female character, is refreshing and curious. I love seeing a girl in this role and Fer learns a lot about herself while she tackles what seems like an insurmountable journey. It's a true coming of age story that I'd recommend to middle grade and tween readers.

Here's what Barnes & Noble has to say:

We live here, my girl, because it is close to the Way, and echoes of its magic are felt in our world. The Way is a path leading to another place, where the people are governed by different rules. Magic runs through them and their land.

With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn't belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he's really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land.

Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the Mór rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter.

Sarah Prineas captivates in this fantasy-adventure about a girl who must find within herself the power to set right a terrible evil.

Pre-order a copy now! :) <3

Some updates

2011-12-01T22:24:00.001-05:00

Things have been a little rough lately to say the least. We learned this week that Pacey the cat has cancer. His tail is going to be amputated before the cancer spreads and he has two masses in his head. On Saturday, we're meeting with an oncologist to discuss chemo and radiation. All of this is scary, sad, and incredibly expensive. But Pacey will get the care that's best for him. Cats, and pets in general, are members of the family and it's an incredible toll on the ones who love them when they're sick.

Because of Pacey's illness, K and I have postponed her trip to Mayo. We were supposed to leave on Monday, but we just can't not knowing what the future holds with Pacey. Luckily, we got a VERY fast reschedule date and will be going to Mayo on January 5th.

Sorry for such a sad post, but I wanted to keep you all updated.

Hope you're ALL doing well and much love!

xx

Initiation trailer now live!

2011-11-25T17:32:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the INITIATION trailer! :D Happy holidays and I'm so thankful for all of YOU! xoxo

Want your Canterwood Kindle e-book signed?

2011-11-20T17:27:00.001-05:00

Someone supersmart has come up with a way for me to do so! Check out this link and submit a request. I'll sign as I'm able (hopefully, I'll have time over the holidays) and will do my best to sign each one submitted to me.

I'm so excited about this! It's completely free, you don't have to mail anything--just follow the Website's instructions. :)

Yay, Kindle! :)

Canterwood writing weekend!

2011-11-18T21:58:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday!

I'm gearing up for a 48-hour writing frenzy (minus a trip to the vet again). POPULAR is THIS close to being finished and I'm excited. :) Tasting the ending is always sweet. I just landed an unexpected freelance gig, too, that had a veeery tight deadline, so I've got to wrap up POPULAR and work on the freelance project.

What are your weekend plans? Share! :) Anyone seeing BREAKING DAWN? Or have you already seen it? I want to know what you think.

Snow White and the Huntsman trailer = cool!

2011-11-13T15:18:00.003-05:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Love this trailer! Can't wait for next summer. Snow White and the Huntsman looks like a very cool retelling! :) Horses, an evil queen, action, romance, KStew . . . I'm in!

The official Website.

Writing weekend marathon, anyone?

2011-11-04T17:19:00.003-04:00

Hey, WriMos!

I'm prepping for a 48 hour writing marathon! (Little nervous bc my arm has been a significant factor as to why I have to stop writing.) But I'm icing it, have my prescription RX and every arm/wrist/hand brace on the market.

Anyone wanna join me for a writing weekend? No timed checked ins, just leave a comment whenever you want about your progress, if you're stressed and need encouragement, doing great and want to share--whatever!

I'll be checking in on my writing breaks. I'm setting my word count at zero for the weekend.

My project: POPULAR (Canterwood #14)
Goal: 7000 words for the weekend
Guestimated cans of Diet Coke to be consumed: 12
Guestimated # of times I'll wonder why I'm a writer: 1
Guestimated # of times I'll love my job: At each successful check in ;)

Let me know if you want to be a writing buddy!

Comeback cover reveal!

2011-11-01T18:18:00.004-04:00

I just saw the cover for COMEBACK (Canterwood #15) is live on Amazon! Yay! I'm glad I stumbled on it! COMEBACK releases August 7, 2012. :)

Happy Halloween! Here's your treat!

2011-10-31T12:19:00.002-04:00

As promised, here's the first chapter of INITIATION (out Jan 3, 2011, but available for pre-order now!)

Oh, and because I heart Team Canterwood so much . . . I added chapter TWO! :D

Enjoy reading, be safe tonight, and have a happy Halloween!

xoxo

LAUREN TOWERS, INSOMNIAC

11:59pm: Days left: 1!

Tomorrow morning! I leave home and Briar Creek for Canterwood Crest Academy. I got up to blog because I could not sleep. Usually, I’m up late on Friday’s anyway, but not like this. Blogging is than talking sometimes because I can sit down and let all of my thoughts come out unfiltered on the page. I’ve been blogging all summer—Dad’s suggestion—and now I’m totally addicted to it.

I’m scared about tomorrow. So scared. I’m still second guessing all of my decisions about everything. I’ll admit it: all of these questions keep rolling around my brain, like:

Am I leaving Briar Creek too soon?

Am I ready for the competitive riding life again?

Are Whisper and I prepared?

Will anyone find out my secret before I’m ready to talk about it or any other part of my past?

That last question is the one keeping me awake. Tonight and every night. . .

Posted by Lauren Towers

MY SIDE

This was really it.

My breath caught, forcing me to sit on the bare twin bed. My parents and older sister, Becca, had dropped me off in my new dorm room only an hour ago.

I already had eight light blue sticky sticky notes lined up along my eggshell colored walls. At least I knew I was still me at Canterwood—the crazy-organized, to-do list compulsive girl that my friends liked to tease me about.

I stared at all the boxes with Lauren scrawled on each in grape Sharpie. My roommate hadn’t arrived yet, so I’d picked the right side of the room, hoping she wouldn’t mind.

This was surreal. I—Lauren Towers—was a seventh grader at Canterwood Crest Academy—one of the most elite boarding schools on the East Coast. The Connecticut school had a reputation for rigorous academics and, the main reason why I’d applied, an even more intense equestrian program. I picked up my Blackberry and scrolled through my photos. There were a few family pics of Mom, Dad and Becca and Charlotte—my oldest sister.

I tightened my grip on my phone’s sky blue gel case when a photo of me posing with my best friends, Brielle and Ana, popped up. In the picture, the three of us were smiling at the camera as we posed on horseback. We were—had been, I corrected myself—riders at Briar Creek Stable. Even though it was summer in the photo, my skin was as porcelain pale as it was now in the fall. Sunlight glinted off Cricket, the Welsh-Cobb school pony that I’d ridden at Briar Creek.

I put my phone down—unable to continue looking at the pictures. They would only make me miss everyone and everything. I surveyed my room, boxes still dotting my side. Mom, Dad and Becca had helped me move in a ton of luggage, duffel bags and boxes. I imagined how it would look with my poster and my laptop. Right now, the room was empty. Once it was decorated, it would look amazing. I could tell already.

Gentle September sunlight streamed through two large curtainless windows. I couldn’t wait to decorate with my roommate. My room at home had a light blue and white color scheme. Light sky blue was my favorite color and decorating was one of my favorite things to do. I’d brought a messenger bag of pages and pages that I’d torn from design magazines for inspiration.

I lived and breathed for fashion, decorating, and riding. Hopefully, my roommate would like some of my ideas. The last thing I wanted was for us to clash on day one.

Khloe Kinsella, I said her name to myself. My guidance counselor and math teacher, Ms. Utz, had given me and Khloe each others’ e-mail addresses so we could determine who would bring what for our room. I’d started “what to bring to CC” list in a purple-with-silver-polka-dots notebook.

I’d e-mailed Khloe first just to say hi. Her reply was friendly enough, but she seemed really busy. She’d e-mailed sporadically throughout the summer and had given me just enough information to know what to bring to school. We hadn’t exchanged much personal information about each other. My stomach churned a little at the thought of meeting the girl I’d be living with for the year.

I weighed options, flipping through the Canterwood campus guide I’d gotten in the mail weeks ago. I wanted to go to the stable to see my horse, Whisper. But I was nervous about going to the stable alone. I’d been there with my parents and Becca to get Whisper settled. But everything had been so new and unfamiliar, I hadn’t paid attention to anything but Whisper. It was as if I hadn’t gone to the stable at all—I couldn’t even remember much of what it looked like let alone how to get there. It had been a whirlwind of activity around me. I did remember that Whisper had a giant, roomy box stall that she’d settled into quickly. And before I’d left, she’d taken a delicate sip of water from her pink bucket and started munching hay.

And okay, maybe there was…another reason I was stalling. Even though I knew no one recognized me—that no one paid attention to seventh graders—my nerves still wouldn’t go away. The fear that someone at the stable would look at me sideways, squint for one second too long and wonder if maybe I was that girl from TV. I tried to shake the thoughts from my head. I didn’t want to fixate on that.

Mom and Dad already spoke to Mr. Conner, I reminded myself. They’d already met with my riding instructor, Mr. Conner, and explained my background. He’d understood that I wanted to keep my past just that and had promised not to mention past competition experience or anything else that would connect me to what had happened. No one would find out anything from him—not one student on campus would know until—if—I ever decided to tell them myself.

I glanced out the window again, chewing the inside of my lip. I wanted to be with Whisper, but I wasn’t ready to face the new stable yet. Just a little more time. Maybe some unpacking would distract me. I began to visualize where I wanted to put some of my belongings. I stood, surveying the layout of the room again. The double room was even bigger than I’d expected. There were two twin beds separated by space for two beside tables. The windows above each bed looked over the gorgeous courtyard, which made the room feel even bigger.

On my side of the room, near the door, was a skinny counter with a microwave, two cabinets and space for the cheerful yellow mini-fridge that would be arriving any day from Pottery Barn Teen. Khloe and I had gone in on it together.

Each side of the room had its own closet with enough room on each side for one desk. I squinted my eyes. There was enough floor space for a small coffee table if Khloe and I decided we wanted one. I walked into the private bathroom, on Khloe’s side of the room. New white tile had been scrubbed clean, along with a shower with a glass door, a decent sized vanity mirror, and a wooden cabinet under the sink. I already had several ideas for color schemes in mind—I couldn’t wait to talk about them with Khloe. We’d learned over e-mail that both of our parents had given us “decorating allowances” to make the room feel like home.

I walked out of the bathroom, looking in the full length mirror beside the entrance. It had taken me almost all summer—no exaggeration!—to choose my first-day-at-Canterwood outfit.

Since it was Saturday, I’d decided to go for comfort-slash-chic. Skinny dark wash distressed jeans, a short-sleeve slouchy black tee with thin gray horizontal stripes, and a white tank underneath. For accessories, I’d decided on pearls. Classic and never out of style. I’d seen them on legendary icons from Audrey Hepburn to today’s hottest celebs featured in Trends Magazine.

I smoothed my long, wavy brown hair—letting the soft curls cascade down my back. My makeup was minimal—a sweep of shimmery caramel eyeshadow that made my blue eyes pop, concealer where needed and a coat of CoverGirl’s LipSlicks in Princess. Before we’d left home this morning, I’d applied a thin layer of Neutrogena moisturizer with SPF 30. I never left the house without sun block. Becca said my sunscreen obsession made me smell like summer all year round.

Footsteps stopped outside the door and a key turned in the lock. Khloe! My hand flew to my necklace—a beryl birthstone on a thin silver chain with a tiny diamond above it. Beryl stones were naturally clear, but my parents had gotten me one with a light blue tint.

The door opened and I clutched the blue stone tighter. A pretty girl with warm brown eyes stared at me. She was about my height, tan and her long blond hair hung in beachy waves around her shoulders. She looked as if she’d come from California, not Boston where she’d told me she lived. She looked trés glam in a white tier-ruffled A-line skirt, a clover green v-neck shirt and a three-quarters sleeve cardigan. Gucci sunglasses were perched on top of her head and delicate silver bangles hung from her tiny wrists.

She dropped two purple faux-crocodile bags that she’d had slung over her shoulders and they thudded to the floor.

She turned to face me, put her hands on her hips, and jutted out her chin. Her pearly pink lips pursed. “Well,” Khloe said flatly. “I guess you’ve already chosen my side of the room.”

Thanks, Womango Regional High School!

2011-10-28T13:35:00.004-04:00

I had the best Skype with you all! Everyone asked awesome questions and bravo Nick for jumping in! :) I love having guys in my sessions.

Good luck to all of you during NaNo and Tweet or Facebook me with your progress!

And, just because, here are some pics I took with my Webcam while waiting to Skype, lol . . .

(The kitty hat is from Kohls, btw!) :)

Happy Friday! xoxo

Hello, NaNoWriMo 2011!

2011-10-26T16:10:00.003-04:00

Ahh, NaNoWriMo is in the air! November 1st brings one of my favorite times of year--the month where hundreds of thousands of crazy writers try to write 50,000 words in a month.

I've been NaNoing since 2006 and my first NaNoNovel was TAKE THE REINS--the book that started the Canterwood series!

Here's what I've learned about NaNo:

FACT: You will consume more caffeine than you ever have.

FALSE: Your book won't be worth editing because you wrote it in a month.

FACT: You've got to write FAST. This forces you to turn off your inner editor. Buh-bye little editorial voice!

FALSE: On December 1st, your book will be perfect! Time to query agents or submit it to your editor if you have one already.

FACT: There are many NaNo critics. That's fine. To each his own. But I love NaNo!

FALSE: You've got to wait for the "perfect" time to do NaNo. This year's just too busy.

FACT: There will never be a perfect time to write a book. Life happens. Let it while you write a book!

FALSE: You need to invest in fancy software.

FACT: Use MS Word or whatever program came with your computer.

FALSE: You're too old. Or too young.

FACT: No one's too old or too young to write a novel.

I wish you ALL the best of luck this November. Get out there and rack up those words! I'll be NaNoing for the first couple of weeks of the month, but then I have to switch to editing for my POPULAR deadline.

Check out lots of tips on NaNo's Website that will offer much more help/advice.

Special shout out to the man who made it all possible, Chris Baty.

Go NaNoers!

Spook-tacular giveaway!

2011-10-26T09:54:00.003-04:00

The witching hour nears! Halloween is almost here! I LOVE Halloween and haven't missed one year of watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. :)

So, who else loves Halloween? Anyone trick or treating? Dressing up for a party?

But . . . I think Team Canterwood deserves a Halloween treat--not a trick!

Anyone interested in the first chapter of INITIATION?

Leave a comment here about anything Halloween related AND if I get 30 comments by midnight on Halloween, I'll post the first chapter of INITIATION right here the next day! :)

Yay Brazil and Poland!

2011-10-26T09:41:00.001-04:00

September 15, 2011

	International rights: Children's	Polish rights to Jessica Burkhart's CANTERWOOD CREST series, to Dolnoslaskie, in a two-book deal, by Marcin Biegaj at Graal on behalf of Simon & Schuster Children's.

	September 15, 2011


	International rights: Non-fiction	Brazilian rights to Jessica Burkhart's CANTERWOOD CREST series, to Fundamento, in a ten-book deal, by Rachele Rabbino of the Sandra Bruna Literary Agency, on behalf of Simon & Schuster Children's.
I blogged about this before, but missed the actual PM announcements. I'm so excited and cannot wait to see Canterwoood in other languages! :)

Back to Brooklyn

2011-10-18T10:08:00.003-04:00

K and I got home late last night from Mayo. Thank you ALL for the well wishes and inquiries about her surgery. She is healing, but the tests did not reveal anything that helped doctors determine how to stop her pain. So, we'll be going back in December.

I hope you're all having a good week and are getting ready for Halloween. It's my fave holiday--and Kate's!

Are you dressing up? Trick or treating? Attending a party?

SPILL! :)

Back to writing veeery fun scene in POPULAR. :p

Half a million!?

2011-10-05T16:35:00.002-04:00

You guys! Thanks to *YOU* and I mean, each and every member of Team Canterwood, there are half a million Canterwood Crest books in print. Talk about insane! What great news for a stressful week.

We're getting ready to leave for Mayo #3 on Saturday. Thank you all for chiming in on the Facebook page and saying you'll take 10 seconds out of you day to send good thoughts to Kate during her surgery next Tuesday. We love you all.

I think I'm going to take a break from work and watch GOSSIP GIRL: season one with Kate. We're starting at episode one. We both stopped watching after two or three seasons, but I loved the first.

Hugs!

~J

Horses Never Lie About Love by Jana Harris

2011-10-02T15:59:00.003-04:00

“With lyrical writing and a gift for drawing in the reader from the first sentence, Jana Harris has created a memoir that any equine-enthusiast would devour and any reader unfamiliar with horses would find identifiable. The love Harris has for horses is palpable on the page and every chapter made me fall in love with her memorable horses and their incredible story.”

--Jessica Burkhart, author of the Canterwood Crest series

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and was asked to blurb it if I liked it. I LOVE this memoir. I can't say enough about it and cannot wait for it to release in early November. It's a must-read for any horse lover. The pages flew by and I stayed up waaay too late reading this book. I, erm, even missed my train stop once. :)

Definitely check out HORSES NEVER LIE ABOUT LOVE by Jana Harris. It's available for preorder in many locations.

And don't take my word for it, here are all the blurbs and a summary of the book:

(Thanks to Amazon.)

I lost track of all time and space once I opened this incisive, eloquent, sometimes lyrical, sometimes comic book. The story of True Colors and the raising up and training of her foals mesmerized me. Harris's memoir won my heart."

-- Maxine Kumin, Poet Laureate, 1981-1982

“Most horse books are practical, but a surprisingly large proportion of the literature focuses on the spiritual relationship between horses and women. Jana Harris’s inspiring memoir about her relationship with True Colors, a Thoroughbred mare whose problems are offset by her success as a broodmare, explores the psychological aspect of their bond, but what sets this book apart from the others is that the author also provides an enormous amount of practical information about her education in the art of raising horses. We struggle right alongside her as she copes with serious medical and behavioral issues and we share her joy in welcoming each new foal. The author has succeeded in making the reader part of her dream, and this is a remarkable accomplishment.”

-- Barbara Burn, author of The Horseless Rider and 101 Dressage Tips and co-author of The Whole Horse Catalog.

"I could not put down this engrossing, beautiful book and savored every page. Harris’s writing is so delicious that I could feel the country breeze, smell the hay, and hear the horses nickering. Her characters are so real and colorful that you’ll be captivated immediately. Each animal has a unique personality, likes, and dislikes. This book is a treasure, to be re-read over and over again. A lovely, delightful experience."

--Stacey O’Brien, author of Wesley the Owl

“With lyrical writing and a gift for drawing in the reader from the first sentence, Jana Harris has created a memoir that any equine-enthusiast would devour and any reader unfamiliar with horses would find identifiable. The love Harris has for horses is palpable on the page and every chapter made me fall in love with her memorable horses and their incredible story.”

--Jessica Burkhart, author of the Canterwood Crest series

"I fell in love, page after page, with Jana Harris' horses and the rough landscape where she raises them, following with her the pain, doubts, and joys of tending them, not unlike what I experienced with the pigs and goats that I once tended."

-- Georgeanne Brennan, author of A Pig in Provence

“What a beautiful book Jana Harris has written about the horses--remarkably individual, lovingly described and given life by her incandescent prose--that have entered her life! Horses Never Lie about Love is also an intimate portrait of a marriage--the story of Jana and Mark and their family of horses through the years. It's a tender book, often a funny book; sad, heartrending, uplifting, exuberant and suffused with hope.”

-- Joyce Carol Oates

Product Description

When Jana Harris moved with her husband to Washington State for a teaching job, she realized that she could also fulfill her lifelong dream of having a horse farm. And Harris knew the horse on whom she could build her dreams the minute she saw her on a ranch in the Eastern Mountains where a herd had been corralled to be sold: a beautiful, deep dark red–colored mare known as a blood bay, standing about sixteen hands, with a pretty head with a white star and a narrow stripe that slid down her face to two black nostrils. Something about the way the mare guarded her handsome foal, a black two-month-old 200-pound colt, spoke to Harris. The mare was named True Colors.

But when True Colors was delivered to Harris’s ranch three months later, she was unrecognizable. She had gone feral, run away, and been recaptured. Terrified of people, she was head-shy from the infected sores on her face and her lungs were damaged by smoke-induced pneumonia. She sensed demons hiding in everything from the scent of fabric softener on clothes to a gate in a fence. Her will to escape was enormous. This injured, traumatized horse existed between two worlds—wild and domesticated—and belonged to neither. But there were glimmers of hope: The other horses fell in love with her on sight, just as Harris had. And true to her name and herself, True Colors would never pretend to be something she was not; with her wise, intuitive nature, she would end up changing the lives of everyone she encountered, animal and human.

Horses Never Lie About Love is the story of this remarkable horse and the revelations about life and love that she gave Harris over the course of their decades together. Now thirty-three years old, this complex, magnetic animal retains the outsize personality that transforms everyone around her, both human and equine. True Colors has grown to become the heart of the range and the farm, her quiet wisdom transmitting a strength of character that transcends the thin line between animals and the humans they love. There is a famous horseman’s saying: A horse never lies about its pain. But maybe we should also consider: A horse never lies about love.

Favor, please

2011-10-01T19:03:00.002-04:00

If you have Facebook, will you take a look at my "Good Thoughts for Kate" event on October 11th? I'm asking people to take 5 seconds out of their day then to send good thoughts Kate's way while she's in surgery. Surgery we hope will help her with pain.

If you join and spread the word, I'd be so, so grateful. Thank you for everything you've all already done!

xoxo

~Jess

Update on Kate

2011-09-24T14:00:00.004-04:00

I promised you all an update and Team Canterwood (and our friends, especially Alex, Lauren, Becca, Katherine, Bri, and Andi) have been so supportive with e-mails, Facebook messages, etc.

I don't want to put too much of Kate's personal medical history online, but this last visit at Mayo was good and bad. Good because we have a surgery scheduled. Bad because doctors still don't know how to stop/help her with the screaming pain she's in every day.

We're going back to Mayo for the third time the second week of October. Kate is going to have surgery where doctors will try to find a cause for her pain. It's extremely exciting to have this chance, but also absolutely terrifying because of the fear that they won't find anything.

So, we are both very nervous and anxious right now. Going back to the hospital is not fun. I don't know how Kate has done it so many times. She still edits Canterwood while living every day for the past year and a half with a pain that medication won't cover. Pain that makes her scream. It's heartbreaking to witness and there's a helpless feeling.

We thank you all for being there to back us--your support has brought happy tears to Kate's eyes more times than you know.

I ask you all to send good wishes into the universe for Kate on October 11th--the date of her surgery. I'll create a Facebook page as soon as I have time.

Thank you, guys. We love you all!

xoxo

Chat with me!

2011-09-21T13:17:00.001-04:00

There's a 15 minute chat with me up for grabs! Click here for deets! :)

Last time, I talked to Team Canterwood member Lauren for half an hour because we were having so much fun. I'd LOVE to talk to another TC member!

xoxo

Video from Rochester B&N Canterwood Event

2011-09-21T10:05:00.003-04:00

If you've seen the pics below, you know I had a wonderful time at Rochester's B&N at the Apache Mall. Kate came and introduced me to the crowd while Ross shot all of this footage. Thanks, Ross and Kate!

In one of these videos . . . I read an excerpt from INITIATION! :D Enjoy!

I've got serious writing to do. Have Diet Coke, coffee, kitty, gloss . . . all set!

xoxo

Pics from signing in Rochester, MN

2011-09-20T18:41:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday, September 18th, I had the pleasure of signing books and doing a surprise reading of an excerpt from INITIATION! :) The members of Team Canterwood who came were AMAZING. One reader got a bright blue feather in her hair because I had them! And Olivia brought me a lip gloss! So. Sweet.

The Rochester crowd was filled with TC people from all over--some even driving two+ hours to get to B&N. I can't thank you all enough for coming. I had so much fun. :)

Enjoy these pics and the video will be up soon!

Thanks to Kate for playing photographer. Thank you, also, to Brianna for helping with the event and Ross for filming.

xoxo

Book signing this weekend!

2011-09-16T18:19:00.003-04:00

The Brooklyn Trio got into Rochester on Tuesday night and crashed. There have been lots of appointments at Mayo and, for the first time, a doctor who listened. Dr. H has an idea of what could be causing K's pain and though we won't know for a while, there need to be more tests, etc., we're all happy that there is finally the tiniest bit of hope and something to go on. I don't want to share too much of K's personal stuff, but I wanted to thank you all for the love and support. I promise to keep you updated with how she's feeling and if this doctor's guess turns out to be correct.

I'm writing a piece that's due soon and using the hotel's color printer like CRAZY. Been printing tons of Facebook pics that I've wanted to have. Now, I'll have things to frame at home.

I'm probably going to head over to the downtown Rochester Barnes & Noble to sign stock like I did last time. How can I NOT visit that castle-like B&N?

I'm also superpumped about my signing on Sunday. Again, the details:

Sunday, September 18th at 2pm

Rochester, Minnesota

Barnes & Noble at the Apache Mall (NOT the downtown location)

Come say hi! I don't want to be all alone, lol! :) I'm already superexcited that Lauren, the winner of my 15-minute phone chat from eBay, is coming. Our talk turned into half an hour because she was so supercool. Her awesome mom won the chat and the proceeds from all of my eBay auctions are going to the ASPCA.

If anyone else is interested, I'll add a Skype video chat, phone call, etc., to eBay and we'll see if we can help more animals with donations!

TGIF! What are your weekend plans?

CRAAAZY!

2011-09-12T15:16:00.001-04:00

OMG, sooo busy! A zillion things to do before leaving for Rochester tomorrow! Eeep!

If only you could see the mess that surrounds me...

Just wanted to give a quick shout out of thanks to the Rochester Post-Bulletin for the note about my signing:

http://postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1468024&query=%22canterwood%22

(It wouldn't turn into an active link, sorry!)

If you're near the Apache Mall on Sunday, September 18th at 2pm, come see me! I'll be at Rochester's Barnes & Noble! :)

xoxo

Away we go!

2011-09-12T06:48:00.001-04:00

Off to Rochester, Minnesota!

Again, I'm asking for your good luck wishes, prayers, thoughts, etc., for Kate as we try to find a way to get her feeling well again.

I hope our Mayo Clinic experience is as good as it was last time.

Also, I hope to see some TC members at my signing on Sunday. :)

xoxo

#3day comes to a close

2011-09-06T11:57:00.002-04:00

Thank you to all of the participants in my spur of the moment Three Day Write a Thon! I had so much fun writing and editing with my Internet friends. :) I hope everyone's proud of the work they accomplished.

I STILL haven't been to bed! I'm deep into editing and writing. Probably will be done soon and then crashing hardcore. ;)

I will definitely be hosting another Write a Thon in the future. I think it was a great tool to bring writers together--I saw some of you agreed to exchange work with one another. That's wonderful!

Enjoy the short week, everyone, and talk soon!

xoxo

#3daywat progress

2011-09-04T18:32:00.004-04:00

So many people are participating--I LOVE it! I think I'll open this spot for new comments if you want to check in, give a progress report, discuss your project, ask each other questions or for advice, etc.

I'm definitely going to host another write-a-thon event in the future. Next time, I'll give advanced notice and we can all hang out and write together virtually. :) I'm having so much fun.

My progress:

I rewrote chapter 1 of POPULAR (CC #14.) It was waaay too passive. Beginnings always take me the longest and it took about six hours to get the opening right. I edited and wrote more of chapter 2. Got stuck on chapter 3 and skipped ahead to a horse scene. My faves. :) Lauren's about to start a lesson with Mr. Conner. Horse scenes flow fast for me.

So, if you like, check in here or on the first 3daywat post.

Writing advice for #3daywat

2011-09-02T16:10:00.002-04:00

If anyone has writing questions before our AWESOME Three Day Write-a-Thon begins tomorrow, read this link. I answered tons of questions from young writers seeking advice.

If you want to join, sign up on yesterday's post! We're hashtagging it as #3daywat on Twitter. :)

See you bright and early tomorrow!

Hello, three day weekend!

2011-09-01T14:11:00.003-04:00

I'm soo excited that it's a three day weekend after tomorrow! Well, weekends or weekdays really don't make much different to me as a writer, but it does mean no business related e-mails, stopping for publicity, etc., so I'll be kicking off a Three Day Write-a-Thon on Saturday morning!

Want to join me?

If you do, cool! Leave a comment here that you're going to be writing/editing/outlining, etc., and what you're working on if you like. Throughout the weekend and Monday, check in here to cheer each other on and report your progress. I'll be doing word count updates via Twitter. :) I love writing with other people. It, um, keeps me from getting distracted. Plus, it's embarrassing if I report back with a sad word count.

So, join me via Twitter, Facebook, my blog and let's WRITE!

I'm going to be outlining POPULAR and writing it, too. That's my project. I want to get as far as possible into it.

New Canterwood Crest YouTube video

2011-08-31T22:48:00.000-04:00

Help animals affected by Hurricane Irene and win!

2011-08-28T17:17:00.001-04:00

I love animals and want to help those affected by Hurricane Irene. So, I put 10 items up for bid on eBay. Nine are signed books and the other is a 15 minute chat with me!

So, go check out the items for sale and help the ASPCA at the same time. :)

What happened to August?

2011-08-22T20:25:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's almost September! August is going by sooo fast--aahh!

Things are in the quiet slash insanely busy stage, know what I mean? I'm waiting on copyedits for Initiation, am outlining Popular and am expecting to be able to announce some superexciting news very soon!

K is not feeling well. Actually, feeling the worst she ever has. We're getting ready to head back to Mayo in mid-September. I'll also be signing while we're there--on Sunday, September 18th at the Apache Mall B&N in Rochester, MN. Definitely come by and say hi. :)

xoxo

Subscribe to the CCA newsletter

2011-08-19T15:17:00.004-04:00

I erased my old database of subscribers to the Canterwood Crest newsletter and it's time to start fresh!

If you'd like to receive a no more than once-monthly e-mail from me, sign up here!

Subscribe to the CCA Newsletterr

I'll NEVER give your e-mail address to anyone and you'll never receive spam. :)

TGIF!

xoxo

busy!

2011-08-09T14:50:00.002-04:00

So, the Canterwood cover photo shoot was last Monday! I got pics via text and I think these new covers are going to be AWESOME! I'm so excited to see them.

A few days ago, I finished INITIATION and am waiting for copy edits. Yay for another book down! I'm really in writing mode and want to start POPULAR this weekend. POPULAR is going to be crazy! :)

When does everyone go back to school?

Team Eric or Team Jacob?

2011-08-01T14:35:00.002-04:00

You KNOW you have your fave Canterwood boy! Are you on Team Eric or Team Jacob? These hot new tees are available now! :)

Awesome graphics by Hannah F!

2011-08-01T00:34:00.003-04:00

I heart these so hard core! Thank you, Hannah F for sending these! The lip-gloss one, especially, made me grin. :)

Many hearts!

Team Canterwood merchandise! Let's go shopping!

2011-07-30T15:18:00.004-04:00

You've been asking and for months, I've been working on designing these Team Canterwood, Team Sasha, Team Lauren, Team Eric and Team Jacob T-shirts.

This is only the first batch--there are MANY more to come with different slogans, colors, etc. But I wanted to give you all some options now as you get ready for back to school shopping! :)

I'm having a blast designing these shirts and I can't wait to bring you more. This is a project I've been working on in my time when I'm not writing or editing Canterwood. I hope you all find something you like and happy shopping!

PS: The first 10 people to send me a photo of themselves in any of those shirts will get a signed copy of INITIATION when it releases. :)

Want to be published? Ask me anything!

2011-07-29T18:24:00.003-04:00

This is your shot to ask questions about getting published. Whatever you're dreaming about--a book deal, writing for your school newspaper, publishing in magazines--leave a comment and ask your question.

I'm not answering questions about HOW to write, but rather how to get published. I won't be answering the questions in the comments section, however, they'll be answered in a different (soon to be revealed!) way. :)

You've got until I close the comments (probably two weeks) to leave yours. You can ask more than one, so go for it! Feel free, if you like, to leave your first name and age. I'm interested to know how old you are in consideration with your question.

I'm excited to read your questions! :)

Downloadable graphics from Pickle Monsta

2011-07-29T15:37:00.004-04:00

Here are some fab graphics that have been uploaded to my PhotoBucket account. These were made by the wickedly talented Pickle Monsta!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

The next Canterwood cover photo is on Monday. I wish everyone a great time and hope the covers turn out well! :)

Signing in September at Rochester, MN B&N

2011-07-21T17:00:00.002-04:00

I'm so excited to announce that I'm having a book signing in September! I'll be with bestie at the Mayo Clinic and we wanted to add something to look forward to.

So, if you're near Rochester, Minnesota, I'll be signing at the Barnes & Noble at the Apache Mall. (Not the downtown location.)

Here's the exact address/store info:

Barnes & Noble
Apache Mall
1201 12th Street SW Suite 425
Rochester, MN 55902
507-281-7950

Sunday, September 18, 2011
2pm

I would love to meet more members of Team Canterwood! :)

Anyone live nearby?

Harry Potter, anyone?

2011-07-17T19:50:00.003-04:00

Did anyone see HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS part 2 this weekend?? I can't wait to see it! I'm a huge HP fan. I've read all the books at least twice except for 7. I've been so busy with work over the last year, though, that I still haven't watched DEATHLY HALLOWS part 1 on DVD yet nor did I make it to the theater when it came out last year.

Are any of you guys Harry P fans? Or not? Did any of you see the movies and not read the books or vice versa? I did catch an interview with Daniel R on LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY last week and was so shocked that he was turning 22 soon. In guess, in my head, he's still The Boy Who Lived. :)

Let's talk some Potter. :)

My Google+ account

2011-07-16T12:43:00.002-04:00

I'm still EXTREMELY new to it and in Deadline Land (can I bribe (read: I'll offer you sparkles and cupcakes!) anyone to type for me?), but I created a Google+ account here. Happy weekend!

What're you up to?

Cover reveal! Hello, POPULAR!

2011-07-15T12:28:00.003-04:00

A member of Team Canterwood alerted me that the latest Canterwood cover is up on Amazon! :) This is POPULAR! :) It hits shelves on May 1, 2012. I can't wait! I loooove this cover!

Happy Friday, guys!

Skype your school and win!

2011-07-13T20:13:00.003-04:00

Still writing like mad, BUT, I wanted to give you guys a chance to win a signed copy of the Canterwood book of your choice! This contest is open to US residents only (though Canada and other countries are welcome to enter (I do Skype outside of the US), I am unable to ship your prize. Sorry!)

Here's what to do:

Ask you parent, librarian, teacher, book club leader, etc., to have me as a guest author this fall via Skype.

Give them my Website address: www.jessicaburkhart.com which has all of the information about my visits. Or, they can e-mail me at jess _ burkhart AT hotmail DOT com.

If they contact me and we arrange a visit, I will e-mail you for your address and ask which Canterwood book you'd like me to sign and send.

This will be a contest that I'll leave open through the fall as I know many of you can't get in touch with your teachers over the summer.

Leave a comment if you're going to ask and I'll keep an eye on my inbox! I hope to "see" you via Skype in your classroom this fall! :D

Deadline Land

2011-07-07T16:45:00.003-04:00

In the deep cave of Deadline Land, but had to say "HI!" and say that I have *two* pieces of HUGE news to share! I haaaaate that I have to wait until I get the okay, but I will share the second my S&S peeps say I can. Hopefully, I can share one sooner than the other so you all at least know one thing. :)

I've gotta get back to Lauren (she's about to go do something . . . scary, so I need to get her out of it!).

Don't forget about the supercool Stable of E-Books 1-4 releasing on July 26th! Yaay!

Thank you, thank you, Horse Mystique

2011-07-04T12:29:00.004-04:00

I cannot express the gratitude and love I feel for Team Canterwood. Hannah, aka Piisyummy, from Horse Mystique sent me a lovely, unforgettable email with a surprise attachment.

It came at the perfect moment as Kate and I are hard at work on INITIATION. Kate is also going through excruciating pain as we wait to go back to the Mayo Clinic in September.

I have so much admiration, love and thanks for my online friends that I can't even begin to explain. All who worked on this banner will see good things come back to them. I believe in karma. :)

Much love to all of you and thank you for supporting and loving my best friend. You have no idea how YOUR support keeps me going when I'm writing the books we all love and it gets Kate through her pain to put everything she has into Canterwood.

xxx

Happy Fourth of July weekend!

2011-07-01T08:34:00.004-04:00

What are you doing this Fourth of July weekend? Anything fun?

K and I saw fireworks from where we think was Central Park last night. It's our second week staying on the Upper East Side (like, 3 blocks from Bloomys) and we're going back to Brooklyn this weekend to get mail, see the kitties, etc. I still haven't gotten used to having an elevator man or being up so high (21st floor), but I do love the view and spending time with Gram has been great.

I got up early to write and want to keep going, but share your weekend plans!

xo

A Stable of Books

2011-06-30T09:26:00.003-04:00

Coming on July 26, Aladdin is releasing a "Stable of Canterwood Crest Books" (isn't that name supercute?!) of Take the Reins, Chasing Blue, Behind the Bit and Triple Fault as a set of e-books at a great price. Here's a link to pre-order it via Kindle. I'm sure the link will be available soon for the Nook if it isn't already.

I can't wait for this to come out! I never dreamed I'd have a set of books. Ever.

Thank you so much to Team Canterwood for supporting me, Editor K and the series. It's because of YOU that this is happening. Since it's a virtual release, I'm sure I'll come up with something fun to celebrate with you all . . . :)

xo

New Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) policy change important for Team Canterwood

2011-06-29T08:25:00.007-04:00

Hi, Team Canterwood,

I hope you’re all having a good summer so far! I thought I owed you all an explanation about some changes to come. This will give you a heads up about what to expect from me and all things Canterwood.

Some of you may be familiar with the vlogs I’ve done from the Canterwood covers photo shoot…the vlogs where I chat with the models, interview the stylists and give TC all-access behind the scenes. I’ve been receiving a few e-mails and comments asking when you would get to “meet” Lauren Towers and the new cast of characters. You guys are so sweet and I love that you’re all interested in LT!

Unfortunately, I will not, and nor will Kate, be allowed to attend the latest shoot next month. My imprint, Aladdin, has issued an across the board policy that extends to all authors. None of us, even if we have previously attended cover shoots, are able to be present for future shoots. I was just told that this new rule went into effect recently, so I will not be able to introduce you to Lauren and her friends/frenemies. Of course, this was saddening news for a number of reasons, but mostly because I'm prohibited from bringing you content I was so looking forward to sharing.

But! Here’s what I will be doing:

Releasing new covers to you as I’m given them so we all can get excited together

Posting new head shots from the upcoming covers photo shoot when they are ready

Creating trailers for the upcoming books

Keeping up with Lauren on her new blog: http://laurentowers.blogspot.com

Checking out LT’s Offical Tweets (FYI: No other characters have official Twitter accounts that are monitored by me) @Lauren_Towers

Vlogging on my own

Continuing to blog to keep TC in the know about the latest happenings

As I mentioned, I’m sorry about this new rule because you are the ones who lose in the end. But I am looking forward to writing the books you love and offering you as much as I’m able.

Lauren started a blog!

2011-06-26T10:56:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited that Lauren Towers started her own blog! She'll be blogging throughout the summer as fall draws near and her journey at Canterwood begins. Check it out here!

What're you doing this weekend?

2011-06-25T15:16:00.002-04:00

I'm BURSTING with AWESOME news to share with you guys!!! It's probably going to be a little while before I can reveal it but, man, it's sooo hard not to tell! *lowers voice to a whisper . . . I wish I could and have my editor not know . . .* :)

This weekend, I'm set to writing like a crazy person at Kate's late great uncle's apartment. Initiation is gonna be GOOD. It's so, so addictive for me and I want to write all the time. I think I'll have to make some cuts or it'll be looong.

Tonight, we have dinner with a dear from of Allen's (Kate's great uncle).

Right now, we're on in the living room watching The Voice and I'm writing.

What's everyone up to? Spill!

Three face of writing . . .

2011-06-24T12:55:00.002-04:00

I REALLY wrote that?

Idea! Write it down!

5 minutes later . . . that wasn't a great idea.

And now back to writing and making those faces.

Please vote YES for New York Marrige Equality

2011-06-23T11:13:00.008-04:00

I rarely, if ever, use this blog, (I try to keep politics to Jess Ashley) unless there is an issue that I feel overwhelmingly passionate about. Whatever your views on New York Marriage Equality this is a place for us to express our opinions WITHOUT being attacked. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. I certainly have mine but I listen, which I think is respectful, and try to understand where the other person is coming from.

A current issue that affect me, Kate and many, many of our New York friends is Marriage Equality in New York. If you're not familiar with this--senators will soon be voting to make gay marriage legal. This would give loving couples the same rights and benefits as everyone else. I know someone, an author friend, who has been with his partner for several years but has not been able to marry him.

**NOTE** You do not have to live in New York to help!

My take on this issue is an overwhelming note to senators to "Please vote yes for New York Marriage Equality!" Everyone deserves the right to marry and have benefits and it's 2011--shouldn't discrimination be gone? This bill does not hurt anyone. Even if you don't agree with gay marriage do some deep thinking and consider if saying "yes" hurts you or affects you in anyway. As human beings, we don't have the right to judge one another. That's up to G-d, so why not vote "yes" and let Him decide in the end, if you don't believe in the bill.

A huge THANK YOU to my friend Amber Benson for RTweeting my NY4M Tweet. Amber played "Tara" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

As you've see in the video about from the Human Rights Campaign this bill has gained support from many celebrities. My idol, Lady Gaga, has been encouraging her Little Monsters to get involved. She's Tweeted about the issue on Twitter asking for help to allow this bill to pass. WE, as a young generation, can make a difference. Here's a recent Tweet from her:

Lady Gaga
I feel the denial of gay marriage sends a prejudice message. Our youth deserve a fair+hopeful future with government that values us equally.
18 Junvia Twitter for BlackBerry®

I have been calling my senator, Tweeting and checking in with the Human Rights Campaign. If you'd like to educate yourself about this issue, definitely check out their Website.

If this bill is passed, it will mean everything to so many people. Plus, it will pump $184 million a year into NY's economy.

If you want to get involved, here's what YOU can do:

Tweet: "Vote yes!" to Senator Ball at ball4NY

Visit the Human Rights Campaign site to find other ways to help

Tweet this already written message or write your own:

Please call your senator, or Tweet "Yes" to @ball4NY as #NY4M vote grows near! @HRC

If you get involved, and post what you did and show me in the comments, when I leave Kate's great-uncle's (which may be in a couple of weeks), I will draw someone's name at random for a 20 minute Skype chat with me! Or, if you don't have Skype, we can chat over the phone.

Thank you for all of your support, Team Canterwood. Much love!

Win a signed book and help animals! :)

2011-06-20T18:17:00.005-04:00

Side note: This is my 1,000th blog post! Don't know if that's good or bad . . .

Anyway, I wanted to very quickly let you all know that I posted a signed copy of UNFRIENDLY COMPETITION on eBay. I got the idea from Maureen Johnson because proceeds of the sale will go to my fave charity--the ASPCA. So, from time to time, I'll be using that eBay account to put up a signed book or possibly something else Canterwood related. Bidding on the item equals a win for animals.

I volunteered at my local Humane Society for years and there's an especially soft spot in me for cats. :)

So, if you're interested, check out the link and start a bidding war! :)

xoxo

Jess

Life

2011-06-19T15:50:00.003-04:00

I'm blogging from the most beautiful view that I've ever seen in Manhattan. Slept in Manhattan for the first time on Friday night. Am in a building where there are doormen, elevator men and security that won't allow you up unless you show your key or they call the person's apartment. There's central air. And gorgeous plants. There's a terrace that's begging to have a writer sit and compose a novel.

But the apartment and all its beauty has the most important piece of it missing--Allen R. Kate's great-uncle passed away last week. We got the call early Friday morning. Kate, battling her own illness, flew into superwoman mode and did the first thing her great-uncle would have wanted: began thinking about how to care for her grieving grandmother--Allen's sister.

Kate and Gram (I also call her Gram because she's adopted me in the family) have a special bond that cannot be described. They know when something's wrong with the other even though they live six hours apart. Gram helped Kate through some of the most difficult periods of her life and has been there to share some of the biggest joys.

Kate is still in the same amount of pain, has no diagnosis--just an educated guess and is on trial medication. But it isn't working. We're retuning to the Mayo Clinic in September for more tests. I know I haven't updated you all on her condition, but I was waiting to see how her body would react to the new medication. It was devastating to come home from Mayo and still not know what is wrong. We're looking forward to going back and having even more tests run. Again, I thank you all for the support. We still talk about it and it hasn't been forgotten.

I'm talking about Kate's illness in relation to her great-uncle's passing because it shows what kind of person that Kate is. She has been by her Gram's side, holding her at night, preparing to be with her at the appointments to wrap up her great-uncle's affairs all while not saying a word about her pain and trying to keep it from being visible on her face.

Her great-uncle was a war vet with a Purple Heart. He was a private, strong, intimidating, smart man who attended Harvard and traveled the world. He was a huge presence in Kate's life--a man she wanted to impress with grades, work, writing, etc. Kate lived at his apartment during the first few weeks of her time at Simon & Schuster until Ross found their first apartment in Brooklyn. Yesterday, Kate found her edit test and resume that ultimately led to her becoming an editor and now a full time freelance editor, author and co-owner of Violet & Ruby.

Allen will never see Kate's first book on the shelves, but he passed knowing his great-niece had achieved her dream.

I am in awe of Kate's strength during this time when she is also grieving and dealing with her own medical problems. She got her strength from her grandmother.

We will probably be staying on the Upper East Side for a week or two. There's much to be done, but we're all working together.

So, if you haven't said "I love you" to someone today or haven't called a friend that you've been meaning to call, do it now. Don't wait. Life can change in an instant.

Pretty Little Liars premier and Switched at Birth

2011-06-15T19:40:00.002-04:00

Before I forget, I wanted to let you know that there are signed copies of the Canterwood books at the Park Slope, Brooklyn, Barnes & Noble. A nice guy named Rob helped me sticker all of the books. Even more exciting, there were copies on the "Local Favorites" shelf. Yay!

This is a quick post because I'm breaking from writing, BUT has anyone been watching Pretty Little Liars or Switched at Birth? SaB is my new addiction! I looove the show! There's so much drama and I think it's such smart writing to show how the hospital mix up affected both families and their daughters. I'm happy that's it's now a "Oh! We found our real kids, let's switch and we'll all be happy!" type of show. Plus, it's fun to see Luke Danes (from Gilmore Girls) daughter as one of the main girls, Bay.

The Pretty Little Liars premiere, I'm superbummed to say, felt like any other episode to me. It wasn't a cling to the edge of your seat show. It needed to be to kick off the summer return. That said, I'm SURE future episodes will return to the PLL the fans love and I'm without a doubt going to keep watching.

What's on your DVR, TiVo or something you've been watching this summer?

Back to writing!

xoxo

Up at 6:15 to write

2011-06-07T07:19:00.002-04:00

Gotta get a lot of pages down today. But I'm working on INITIATION and it's fun! Just a note, the blog *may* be a little quiet over the next month because Deadline Calls.

Got a VIP dinner tonight that I'm looking forward to. That means, you know, I have to actually get out of writer PJs. :)

Signed Canterwood books at Rochester, MN Barnes & Noble

2011-06-04T20:49:00.006-04:00

Recently, I spent 3 weeks in the lovely Rochester, Minnesota. I went for sad reasons though, as my best friend was visiting the Mayo Clinic. (Post about that to come. But we are home and cannot thank you enough for your support.)

There was a Barnes & Noble about 5 minutes from our hotel, so I went the day before we left and signed stock on the shelves. There *were* 34 books, but a very sweet girl named Camdyn took a copy of CHOSEN and several of you have emailed to say you've already put copies on hold.

I signed them in pretty pink! :) Everyone there was so nice and it was the COOLEST B&N I've ever visited. Next time, I'll sign stock at the Apache Mall's B&N.

If you're close to Rochester and want any signed books here's the store's information:

Barnes & Noble
Chateau Theater
15 First Street SW
Rochester, MN 55902
507-288-3848

And here are some pics I took! :)

Yeah, I took a pic of myself signing. :p

The inside is like a CASTLE!

The escalator to the castle.

The pretty green before the store.

The entrance to the adult fiction.

34 books that need my signature.

I signed them at this cute table under a dragon!

Before I took them off the shelf . . .

All signed with a sparkly Gelly Roll pen.

Thank you to the staff at B&N for being so kind. I will definitely be back! Hopefully, under better circumstances. :)

If you get a signed copy, let me know.

xoxo

New Canterwood Twitter background by Madie

2011-06-01T19:11:00.002-04:00

Look at this AMAZING Twitter or desktop wall paper made by the fab Madie! I have lots more artwork (including a gorge Lauren and Whisper piece of art) that I'll be sharing soon. Right now, I'm back and forth between the hospital and taking a break from the computer to be with Kate.

She is uplifted by all of your thoughts and prayers--I cannot thank you enough. Really from the bottom of my heart--thank you.

You all are my heroes.

Winners of Chosen contest!

2011-05-26T13:31:00.004-04:00

I got superlucky and had time to run the # of entrants (plus extra entries) through the generator and the "see-your-name-in-Initiation" contest winners have been chosen at random!

I feel so grateful to have had so many entries. The best part was SEEING you guys! I love putting a face to your names. You all have such beautiful names that I bet some of them pop up in future books. I mean, where better to look for names than Team Canterwood?!

Since we had sooo many fab entrants, I changed it up a little. We are going to have one main winner, as mentioned, and TWO runners up. The main winner's name will appear more frequently and will have dialogue. The runners up with make a brief appearance in a scene in the book.

So, no more torture!

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS:

JILL (TEAM ERIC)

~*~*~*~ Yaaaay! Jill, please e-mail (jess _ burkhart AT hotmail DOT com) me with your last initial (if you want it used). Also, I have another question for you in the email. Congratulations!!!! :)

The TWO RUNNERS UP ARE:

Jayllex M.

AND

Kacie F.

Way to go!! I'm so excited for you both to make cameos in INITIATION.

Again, thank you to all who entered and I wish I could use all of your names. I'll be holding another contest like this for a future book, so don't worry. I'm opening this posts to comments and hope if you do post that you'll congratulate the winners.

xoxo

Final entry in Chosen contest!

2011-05-26T12:59:00.003-04:00

And we have our final entry in the Chosen contest! Here's Miss Holly S. with her copy!

(Yes, it is May 26th, but I received Holly's entry within the time limit and could not get online until now to to post it.)

I will post the winner who will have their first name and last initial appear in INITIATION as soon as humanly possible. I have 3 doctor appointments with Kate at Mayo today and she is my main focus and reason for being in Minnesota. But I'm hoping to announce the winner tonight.

I'll also be posting the winners of the Gelly Roll pen giveaway. I'll collect your names and addresses and will mail those when I get settled at home--probably the 2nd week of June.

Thank you ALL for participating in this contest! Best of luck! The winner, btw, will be chosen by a random number generator site that I use. That seems to be the most fair.

Team Canterwood's been busy!

2011-05-25T21:03:00.000-04:00

Kate and I have been getting to many well wishes, thoughts, prayers, etc. It's incredibly touching and means more than I can explain.

Team Canterwood member Kacie Ferris created this page for Kate:http://tinyurl.com/3h62gqg.

It's a very sweet "Day of Prayer" evite on 5/27 at 6pm. Whatever your belief or even if you're busy on that day and time, sending thoughts into the universe to get Kate well would be amazing. The support of Team Canterwood has been overwhelming and I thank you all.

We are hanging in there and Kate is a trooper. She's being put through endless tests and we still don't have answers yet.

On a fun note, some members of Team Canterwood have created new, cool pages!

Haley O. made this:http://canterwoodcrestfan.weebly.com/index.html

And Ashley M created this: http://canterwoodcresthorserpg.webs.com

Thank you both so much! I hope you're all getting ready for summer. I'm definitely looking forward to the warm weather.

xoxo

Team Canterwood member Carolyn!

2011-05-25T01:15:00.002-04:00

Thanks for the fab pic, Carolyn S! :)

Update on #TeamKate at Mayo

2011-05-21T22:15:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know that #TeamKate's stay at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN has been extended by 2 weeks. We will be here until June 2nd. Please keep Kate in your thoughts as she goes through more tests and doctor appointments. We still do not have answers as to how to get her out of pain, so we need your thoughts, karma, prayers--whatever you believe in.

We're feeling the love from Team Canterwood and we THANK YOU, all! Much love from both of us.

xoxo

Team Canterwood member Kacie F.

2011-05-21T22:13:00.001-04:00

Here's another entry in the contest! Thanks, Kacie F. :)

Look at Jayllex M.'s pic!

2011-05-18T13:36:00.002-04:00

Thank you so much, Jayllex M. for sending your contest entry! Your bay is gorgeous and I, you know, might be a little in love with your pink and white lead rope. :)

Keep the pics coming guys! It's making me feel so much closer to you all--to put a face to the readers I get e-mails from. It's really the coolest thing.

Kate has a big test today at Mayo. Yesterday was not a great day, but we're trying to shake it off and start fresh today. #TeamKate's running on nerves and adrenaline, I think. Or at least, I am.

We got a DVD player for the hotel room, which has been awesome. We restarted GLEE season 1 on Blueray which has tons of extra footage. We also brought 2 seasons of MAKE IT OR BREAK IT, STICK IT, BURLESQUE and a bunch of other chick flicks. :)

Kate sends her love to all of you and thanks you from the bottom of her heart for the Facebook notes and blog comments. I show her every single one. You all make her feel sparkly and special.

I've been using my time in the waiting room to respond to emails from Team Canterwood. I need the distraction and writing you all has been so nice. I've sent about 25 emails and have about 1005 left to go. :) I've read them all, I just haven't been able to respond because of my writing schedule.

What are you guys up to? Are you out of school yet or just about finished? What are you most looking forward to doing this summer?

xoxo

PS: Have you watched THE VOICE? At first, I was like, "No way." Then I watched an episode and it's a fantastic show! I'm glad Christina Aguilera is back on her feet. She's crazy talented.

More Team Canterwood Chosen pics!

2011-05-17T18:33:00.005-04:00

Suz C's cat, Sasha Silver!

Suz C.

Kyla G with her gorgeous horse

Another great pic of Kyla!

Kaitlin J! She was a winner in the cover flat contest.

Andrea C.

Wanted to share these awesome photos!

Hello from Rochester, Minnesota!

2011-05-15T14:53:00.008-04:00

I've never been to Rochester before. #TeamKate (that's how I'm hash tagging it on Twitter) had some plane trouble, but made it in before 10pm last night.

I just wanted to write a quick post to thank you all sincerely for the well wishes for Kate. She's my best friend in the entire world and your support to her means so much. I knew Team Canterwood cared about me, but the overwhelming well wishes for Kate are astounding. We appreciate so much the Facebook page for her. We check it every day and she and I both carry your thoughts with us.

Just to share a little: Kate has been in extreme stomach pain since May 13, 2010. It just happened out of the blue. No warning. We've been to 29 doctors and 3 NYC hospitals. Not one doctor has been able to help to stop the pain and get her well. Kate has woken up crying for 365 days. And guys, she's TOUGH, she does not cry, and this pain (pain I KNOW I couldn't take) has made her sob.

Kate and I talk about the support she's gotten from all of you and she's asked me the same question probably three times: "Why do your readers care about me? They love you. I'm nobody to them."

I tell her the same thing every time: You all do care about me as the CC author. But I also feel like you're all my friends. I hope you feel the same way. My best friend is very, very sick and because of it, you've all embraced her because you know how much I care about her. It's what friends do for each other. Kate does not get enough support in real life, but she does from Team Canterwood. You all have become our virtual friends and we care about you guys a lot! I know when you say you're praying for Kate--you mean it. Those are not empty words. It means more than you'll ever know. I promise, some how, I will find a way to pay it forward one day.

You've also been amazing support for me. I'm grateful for it, too. Seeing your BFF sobbing and unable to leave the house hardly ever is a gut-ripping feeling. I've been living with her for a year to try and help her mentally and physically. There's been anger. Sadness. Confusion. Frustration. Hope that dwindles and rises.

The Mayo Clinic process starts tomorrow at 7am. It'll probably be a week of tests and hopefully we come out with some answers. I hope that you'll continue to keep Kate in your thoughts this week. I'll update everyone as I can.

Also, as a side-note, I've received several pictures of you with your copies of CHOSEN. Thank you and I'll post them when I get home.

Since I'll be gone all week, I'm going to extend the contest. If you haven't already, you can leave a comment on the original post. You may also send me a photo of you with your copy of CHOSEN (paperback or on an e-reader) to my e-mail (jess_burkhart AT hotmail DOT com.)

The contest NOW ends on May 25th at 11:59pm EST.

I hope you're all having a good weekend!

Much love. xoxo

Off to Mayo

2011-05-14T06:55:00.000-04:00

All right, I'm headed to the airport with Editor K for our flight to Minnesota. I will have limited access to e-mail and won't be on the computer much if at all. Please keep her in your thoughts and I will update you with what I hope is good news as soon as I can.

Much love.

<3

Cool pix, Alicia K!

2011-05-12T07:05:00.000-04:00

Thank you SO much, Alicia K. for these suuupercool pix of you and Sassafras! (And check out Alicia's sis, Sarah, in pink!) Plus, how could I not post her pink boots?! Love!

Go, Team Canterwood!

2011-05-11T22:00:00.000-04:00

Here's Jenna M. with her copy of CHOSEN! Yay!

As a reminder, I'm leaving for Minnesota to go to the Mayo Clinic with Kate on Saturday. I won't be online much, if at all, but I'll blog as soon as I can.

All of the CHOSEN cover flats have been mailed to the winners, so be on the lookout for those. :)

xo

Canterwood fan-made video

2011-05-11T07:58:00.000-04:00

Two suuuperawesome members of Team Canterwood are making videos! I love them so much! You've gotta check them out. Thank you, Caitlin and Braes.

http://kodsterpony.glogster.com/?friend_remove=6164278&hash=f024b4a0fb2d3083dcf7de6114272bfc

I can't believe the incredible amount of hard work you put into this--it shows! :)

Supercool UC fan art

2011-05-10T08:54:00.000-04:00

Made by the awesome Sam! I heart it!! Thank you, Sam! :)

More pics of Team Canterwood!

2011-05-09T00:49:00.003-04:00

McKenna V.

Grace Z.

Liza K.

You guys are the best--as if I didn't already know that! ;)

Here are some of our fellow Team Canterwood members who sent in pics for the Initiation contest. I love them all!

Thank you

2011-05-07T03:35:00.003-04:00

Quick early morning post:

I wanted to offer my sincerest thank yous to those who created the "A day of Prayer" page for Kate on Facebook. It . . . I can't even describe what that means to me. I've always had the overwhelming support of Team Canterwood, but to have you all back my best friend in the same way is something I'll never forget.

I'm going to be away for a while starting May 15 as I'll be in Rochester, Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic with Kate. I don't know how long I'll be gone. I'll have my BlackBerry so I'll have access to e-mail and I'll probably take my laptop, so I might be blogging to update you all from there.

Also, I hope to get to the post office tomorrow or Monday to mail the Chosen cover flats. Bear with me as I will not leave Kate alone during the day if it is unsafe to leave her. So, the flats will be mailed as soon as I can.

Next week is gonna be crazy busy as Kate and I prep for Mayo--lots of hotel, flight, packing, paperwork, etc., to finalize. Traveling is so hectic and I'm hoping it'll be as stressful as possible for Kate.

I'm planning on bringing warm clothes (I'm ALWAYS) freezing, but I better look up the MN weather, too.

On a much happier note, we got HBO so we can attend Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tomorrow night at 9! I am so. freaking. excited. I'm DVRing it and will probably play it a zillion times, especially when I write. Hopefully, that'll be soon. I was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which is kind of a fancy name for tennis elbow. On top of my already bad carpal tunnel, I get these stabbing pains in my elbow and my fingers can't hold a pencil when it's really bad.

I'm really supposed to be off of the computer for at least two weeks, but I couldn't help but blog tonight.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Canterwood Crest scrapbook! Love!

2011-05-05T08:13:00.000-04:00

Aren't these SUPERCOOL?! These are just a few pics of the lovely and amazing Canterwood scrapbook that Ashley and Iris sent me. The two 11 year old besties sent me this as a farewell gift to Sasha and I'm in love with it. I wanted to thank them both for creating this beautiful memento that I'll treasure always.

So. Sweet.

Here's Caty C!

2011-05-04T21:51:00.001-04:00

Caty's my Facebook friend and she let me take this from her album. <3 it!

More Team Canterwood pix!

2011-05-04T21:41:00.002-04:00

Molly G.

Team Canterwood is on a roll! Here are two more FAB pics! I looove them and thank you, girls!

Caroline H.

Yaay! Another Team Canterwood pic!

2011-05-04T15:56:00.002-04:00

You guys are so awesome! Here's another pic for two extra entries in the "see your name in INITIATION" contest. Thank you soo much, Sam N. for e-mailing this! :)

Team Canterwood member pic with Chosen

2011-05-04T14:30:00.003-04:00

Here's the first member of Team Canterwood to submit a photo of herself with Chosen! Connie L. 's mom e-mailed me the photo (with permission to post it on my blog) and Connie gets two extra entries in the contest below. Yay! I love seeing pics of you all with Chosen! :)

Happy reading!

Happy Chosen release day & last contest!

2011-05-03T04:53:00.002-04:00

I'm soooo excited that my first Super Special is hitting all stores TODAY! As a kid, I *loved* super specials and having my own is beyond my wildest dreams. I hope you all like it and have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

*throws confetti sparkles in the air*

In honor of this Super Special, I'm doing a final SUPER contest for Chosen!

How would you like YOUR first name and to appear as a minor (with the possibility to turn into a major character . . . you never know!) character in INITIATION? If you like, you can also include the first initial of your last name like "Sasha S." And I'll make up the last name.

Here's what to do:

This is open to EVERYONE--US and international--yay! Leave a comment here with your first name (and optional last name first initial) and tell me what you'd do if you saw your name in a CC book. :)

Want *two* bonus entries? Send me a photo of YOU with your copy of Chosen! It must come from your parent's e-mail address and they have to give the okay for me to put the photo on my blog. I will NOT use your name. I just want to share the photos with Team Canterwood!

The contest is open now and you have TWO WEEKS to enter. It closes Tuesday, May 17th at midnight. I will be out of town that week, so it might take me a week or so to announce the winner.

Good luck to everyone! :)

And the winners are . . .

2011-04-30T16:41:00.003-04:00

Thank you all for entering the CHOSEN cover flat give away! Your entries were *amazing* and I asked Editor K to pick 5 random numbers to choose our winners.

I'll be sending each of you an e-mail or Tweet, so be on the lookout for it.

So, congratulations to the winners:

Crlnhrd

Emily >.>

hanfuller7@yahoo.com

Sam Newman

Kaitlin

CONGRATULATIONS!! :D

Win awesome Gelly Roll pens!

2011-04-30T04:59:00.000-04:00

Anybody interested in PRIZES? In CHOSEN, the main character, Lauren, is obsessed with pens. (Um, as am I and Editor K). Lucky for us, Sakura, the makers of the fabulously cool Gelly Roll pens as well as many others, gave me four sets of pink and purple pen to give away to Team Canterwood! Yay!

Each pack of three are "ice cream smooth" and they have a glitter pen, a metallic pen and a medium pen. So, if you win, you'll get three pink rose pens and three purple violet pens. Total win! :)

Want to enter? Here's how:

If you're a US resident, leave a comment here and tell me what your fave Canterwood book is and why. :) You'll get TWO extra entries if you Tweet, blog, Facebook, vlog, etc., about the release of CHOSEN. Just tell me in your comment here if you did any of those things and give me a link. You must also leave me a way to contact you.

The contest closes on May 5th at 8am EST. I'll email the winners within a week, so be on the look out for an e-mail from me. Good luck to everyone who enters!

Thank you, Sakura, for your generous give away prizes. For more on Sakura's fun Gelly Roll pens, visit www.jellyroll.com.

Enter away!

Chosen out early! :D

2011-04-27T14:54:00.003-04:00

Ahhhh, those magic words! IN STOCK! Yaaay! That means Amazon (and BarnesandNoble.com) are shipping copies of CHOSEN! I looove it when they come out early. It. Is. So. Exciting.

And, I'd like to welcome Lauren, (in photo above), who is making her debut in this super special.

Let me know when you get your copy!

Chosen cover flat contest!

2011-04-24T06:12:00.001-04:00

CHOSEN OUT MAY 3RD

Hooray CHOSEN release that's coming up next week! In honor of this *very* sparkly Super Special, I think a giveaway is in order.

Anyone interested in winning a signed cover flat of CHOSEN? (That's the cover of the book without the actual book inside. Just like the image above.) :)

I've got FIVE signed copies to give away. Here's the deal: if you're a US resident, leave a comment here. Tell me why you're THE ultimate Canterwood Crest fan. :) I'll draw five winners at random. If you're on Twitter and Tweet about the contest, make sure to Tweet at me and it'll count as an extra entry. Also, it counts double if you blog, Facebook or use the Internet in another way to tell your friends about the release of CHOSEN.

The contest ends on Friday, April 29th.

I'll announce the winners the following weekend or week. Be sure to leave me a way to contact you in case you're a winner.

This book is extremely special to Editor K and me--we infused so many of our fave products, colors, traits, cities, etc., that we both agree it's out favorite book in the series. Thank you, Team Canterwood, for allowing me to have my first Super Special!

xoxo

Let's address some rumors

2011-04-22T16:53:00.003-04:00

There has been some chatter online (forums, blogs, etc.) about why dominate hasn't been released, why Canterwood is taking longer to come out, etc.

I realize you guys on Team Canterwood don't know, so of course you're going to wonder. I would, too!

First, Canterwood is no longer on a bi-monthly publication schedule. This was a choice made by my publisher which I agreed to. Writing a book every 6 weeks was a killer and with the books coming out every 4 months instead of every 2, the product will be that much better.

Second, Editor K is seriously ill. Like, we have to go out of state to a special hospital ill. She is going through a medical crisis where her life is at risk. Because of this, we have postponed dominate until she is well. Dominate is not something I would ever write on my own--it's a collaboration with my writing partner and the product will not be ready until Kate is feeling better and I am ready to write it with her.

I know some of you are frustrated and wondering what happened with dominate. I understand (I do!), but nothing comes before caring for and being with my bestie in a time of need. I hope that's something you can understand.

We will get dominate to you as soon as we can, but for now, our main focus is what it should be: getting Kate well.

I hope you all can understand and hope that during this time, you can send thoughts of well-wishes to Editor K. She deserves them more than anyone.

xo

Initiation cover

2011-04-21T20:37:00.003-04:00

My supercool designer, Jessica Handelman, sent me the hi-res version of the INITIATION cover. Yay!! Click on it to see a bigger version. I love, love it and our new models are so fun. I don't want to give away the character names yet, but the model in the front is Dayton and the model in the back is Kyra. Editor K and I weren't able to make this shoot, but from everything we heard the models were awesome and I think it shows in the cover.

Are you getting ready for the release of CHOSEN? It's almost here!

2 weeks till Chosen!

2011-04-19T04:34:00.000-04:00

It's kind of crazy to think that CHOSEN officially releases in two weeks. Canterwood books have been known to pop up in book stores a week to a week and a half early, so I wouldn't be surprised if some of you start to find it soon.

I am incredibly proud of this book. It's 295 pages of pure sweat, all-nighters, crazy revising and mile-long outlines. Just when Kate and I had thought we'd finished the book, we realized there were LOTS of things we wanted to change. And with a deadline that couldn't be moved, we had to do them fast. Kate stayed up with me for 2 nights in a row, yes, 48 hours of no sleep, to help me edit CHOSEN to make it a true Super Special.

I can't wait for everyone to read it!

2011-04-18T15:26:00.000-04:00

Love and thoughts to UB's family.

Might be MIA

2011-04-13T15:38:00.002-04:00

Just a heads up, I'm going through some serious personal issues and might be offline for a while. I will do my best to blog/Tweet/celebrate Chosen's release as I can, but I wanted to let Team Canterwood know that I might be offline for a little while in the future.

Much <3 to you all!

Brooklyn girl, baby!

2011-04-05T16:05:00.000-04:00

I opened the door expecting to have a package from UPS with stuff from work or something I'd ordered online. Instead, a nice guy asked for Jess Ashley and handed me a vase of flowers.

Kate and Ross got me flowers for my two year anniversary in New York. According to the card, I'm now a "true New Yorker."

Wow.

Sometimes, it feels like I've been here for ten years. Sometimes, a week. I still get lost on new trains, still go the wrong way when trying to find strange buildings and still Google Map any new place I go and hand draw a map. But I'm not afraid of going to new places.

I used to be.

When I first moved here, the only place I felt that I knew how to get back and forth from without having to worry was to S&S. I would get on the train at 7th Avenue, put on my headphones and ride the 45-ish minutes into the city. And that's not to mention how long it took me to feel comfortable to play my iPod because I was sure the conductor would change the route with a message that the train was going to the Bronx or somewhere far away. I was convinced I'd get lost and never find my way back to Park Slope again. (Not being a drama queen--I was serious!)

But now, it's almost as if I instinctively know how to get home. And home for me is the best place to be in the entire city. I'm happiest when I'm in cozy socks, yoga pants, a PINK t-shirt and doing anything--or nothing at all--with my bestie.

If you passed me on the streets, you'd probably think I was a tourist. I've always got my BlackBerry out and am taking pictures of everything. I wear Brooklyn hoodies, a "Gaga for Brooklyn" (she's performing on May 27 for GMA, btw . . . )T-shirt and it'll soon be warm enough for me to wear my "I love New York" shirt. I know that it's not "cool" to do that when you live here, but I don't care. I haven't gotten past the giddy stage of living in the city that never sleeps.

I'm a Brooklyn girl and proud of it!

Much love to all of my Brooklyn family and friends who have supported me here. I love you all.

2 years!

2011-04-05T00:00:00.002-04:00

Tattoo says it all! :)

Pretty nails! (Excuse the annoying won't-go-away underline

Eclipse! (I Heart R Pattz)

Fa, la, la, la, la!

Snow day in the Slope

RPattz filming REMEMBER ME

Girls lookin' good on NYE

Sasha on the subway

Knicks at MSG!

Models at a Canterwood shoot

#24

4th of July

Apt day one

The summer spot

My train stop

Some pics of the park

And, one day, I would like a pink brownstone.

Proud New Yorker of two years!

Prizes, anyone?

2011-04-03T17:03:00.003-04:00

So the time is faaast approaching! Chosen, the first EVER Canterwood Super Special, hits stores on May 3rd. The books usually release early, so I'm guessing it'll be out in about 3ish weeks.

Anyone interested in winning a superawesome secret prize that I'll reveal soon?

Rules are SUPER simple:

The first *THREE* people (US residents only, sorry!) to e-mail me a pic of themselves with their copy of CHOSEN and have parental permission (I need an e-mail from your parent's address giving the okay) will win. I'll only use your first name and age in the blog post if you're a winner along with your photo of you with CHOSEN. Remember, you can't win unless I get parental permission.

So, be on the look out for it and many, MANY more fun giveaways to come around the release of a beyond special book.

Much love.

JESSICA BURKHART

Team Canterwood reader with Initiation

3 NEW cover reveals! Plus, extra special surprise!

Canterwood cover reveal!

Initiation's almost here! I think it's time for PRIZES!

Win a signed copy of Initiation!

A ten year old secret

Lady Gaga & Greyson Chance

30 days!

Must read: Winterling by Sarah Prineas

Some updates

Initiation trailer now live!

Want your Canterwood Kindle e-book signed?

Canterwood writing weekend!

Snow White and the Huntsman trailer = cool!

Writing weekend marathon, anyone?

Comeback cover reveal!

Happy Halloween! Here's your treat!

Thanks, Womango Regional High School!

Hello, NaNoWriMo 2011!

Spook-tacular giveaway!

Yay Brazil and Poland!

Back to Brooklyn

Half a million!?

Horses Never Lie About Love by Jana Harris

Product Description

Favor, please

Update on Kate

Chat with me!

Video from Rochester B&N Canterwood Event

Pics from signing in Rochester, MN

Book signing this weekend!

CRAAAZY!

Away we go!

#3day comes to a close

#3daywat progress

Writing advice for #3daywat

Hello, three day weekend!

New Canterwood Crest YouTube video

Help animals affected by Hurricane Irene and win!

What happened to August?

Subscribe to the CCA newsletter

busy!

Team Eric or Team Jacob?

Awesome graphics by Hannah F!

Team Canterwood merchandise! Let's go shopping!

Want to be published? Ask me anything!

Downloadable graphics from Pickle Monsta

Signing in September at Rochester, MN B&N

Harry Potter, anyone?

My Google+ account

Cover reveal! Hello, POPULAR!

Skype your school and win!

Deadline Land

Thank you, thank you, Horse Mystique

Happy Fourth of July weekend!

A Stable of Books

New Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) policy change *important for Team Canterwood*

Lauren started a blog!

What're you doing this weekend?

Three face of writing . . .

Please vote YES for New York Marrige Equality

Win a signed book and help animals! :)

Life

Pretty Little Liars premier and Switched at Birth

Up at 6:15 to write

Signed Canterwood books at Rochester, MN Barnes & Noble

New Canterwood Twitter background by Madie

Winners of Chosen contest!

Final entry in Chosen contest!

Team Canterwood's been busy!

Team Canterwood member Carolyn!

Update on #TeamKate at Mayo

Team Canterwood member Kacie F.

Look at Jayllex M.'s pic!

More Team Canterwood Chosen pics!

Hello from Rochester, Minnesota!

Off to Mayo

Cool pix, Alicia K!

Go, Team Canterwood!

New Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) policy change important for Team Canterwood