Interview available from My Homeschool Companion

A new interview (a podcast of the radio interview with callers will be available soon!) is up on My Homeschool Companion. Many thanks to Dr. Rose Gamblin for hosting me and allowing me to speak to a few reader girlies on Team Canterwood! :) Your signed books will be in the mail soon. Congratulations!

Coming soon . . . the start of summer special blogs and vlogs that will add sparkle to your summer! :)

First chapter of CITY SECRETS!

Huge thanks to the readers on Team Canterwood's forum that let me know that the first chapter of CITY SECRETS is available to read on Simon & Schuster's Website! Yayness!!

Here's the chapter or you can read it here:

PS: Special thanks to all of readers who called into my radio show today! The lines were so full that we couldn't take all of your calls in an hour. I'm hoping to do a Skype chat soon where we can chat face to face as a fun thank you for all of your awesome support. Congratulations to everyone who won a signed copy--the radio station will be emailing me your addresses soon and I'll get your book in the mail. :)

Chapter 1

1
PARK AVENUE PRINCESS

I PEERED OUT THE TINTED WINDOW OF HEATHER Fox’s Lincoln Town Car and stared up at her building on Park Avenue in NYC. Twenty-four hours ago I’d never imagined I’d be spending fall break with my former arch nemesis.

“Wow,” I said, turning to Heather. “You live here?”

She flicked her blond hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Don’t freak out, Silver. This is just the driveway. If you’re acting like this now, you might have a stroke when we get inside.”

This was where I’d be staying for Canterwood Crest’s weeklong fall break. Until last night I’d been supposed to stay with my best friend and roommate, Paige Parker, but . . . my thoughts stopped short. I didn’t want to think about my fight with Paige.

The driver, in a crisp black suit and red tie, halted the car. His brown hair was streaked with gray and he had been supernice to us on the ride from school. He got out of the car, opened Heather’s door, and offered her a hand. I scrambled out after her and she sighed.

“Paul was going to come around to your side next,” Heather said. “At least act like you’ve been to a real city before.”

“I have,” I said. “I—” I shook my head, not wanting to finish the sentence. The last time I’d been to NYC was when I’d visited Paige last summer. We’d been planning this fall break forever, until . . .

“Sasha!” Heather said, putting a hand on her hip. “Space much?”

“Sorry,” I said, directing my gaze back to the building. “Forgot what I was going to say.”

But there was no way I could forget. Not the awful fight Paige and I’d had last night at Friday’s Homecoming dance. In a flash of images I saw Paige and me standing in the bathroom just off the Canterwood Crest ballroom. Paige had accused me of being jealous that Ryan was her boyfriend because I didn’t have one. And I’d lost it. It had been too much after I’d suffered through Homecoming week—forced to do activities with Jacob (my ex-almost-boyfriend) and Eric (my ex-boyfriend). I’d wanted Paige to be more sensitive about everything. But instead she’d turned on me.

The trunk of the car slammed shut and an attendant came and picked up Heather’s and my suitcases, loading them onto a cart.

“C’mon,” Heather said. “Our stuff will be upstairs in a sec.”

I followed her as a doorman tipped his hat, opening the door to let us inside. “Miss Fox,” he said.

“Hi, Allen,” Heather said. She smiled at him and we walked into a lobby that looked like something out of a movie set. Nothing looked real.

“You have exactly two seconds to gawk before I shove you back in the car,” Heather said to me.

I couldn’t help it. The white-and-sandy-colored marble floors gleamed. A security guard monitored people heading for one of the six elevators. The gold elevators looked imposing, and elevator attendants waited to offer assistance if necessary.

A giant stone fireplace, surrounded by crimson high-backed chairs, cast heat across the lobby. Gleaming gold fireplace tools were hung on the hearth. It looked like a spot I’d never leave during the winter if I lived here. I’d curl up with Misty of Chincoteague, one of my favorite books, and read for hours.

Placed around the room were coffee tables and end tables—most with neat stacks of magazines, and others with vases of flowers. Potted plants were in the corners of the room. There were a few cream-colored couches where people sat and read books or chatted in quiet tones on their phones.

My gaze traveled upward to the high ceiling and six crystal chandeliers that sparkled. Hundreds of crystals dangled from the chandeliers and reflected bits of light onto the ceiling. The chandeliers alone screamed elegance.

On the opposite side of the elevators, a staircase with a gleaming wooden railing wrapped around the side of the room, over the fireplace, and to what looked like another level of the lobby. I stared down at my jeans and flip-flops—I looked so out of place here.

“Enough already,” Heather said, grabbing my elbow. “People are going to stare. I do live here and have to see my neighbors occasionally when I’m here on break.”

“Sorry,” I said.

I followed Heather past the security desk. She waved at the guard and he smiled at her.

We waited for the elevator, then stepped inside. The doors closed behind us and I almost fell back against wall when I turned to face the door.

“There’s a TV in your elevator?” I asked.

Heather smirked. “So easily impressed. It’s only going to get better from here, so chill before you pass out or something.”

“I’m not going to faint,” I muttered.

The elevator doors opened and I held my breath as we stepped into the hallway. The walls were eggshell, and the dark gray carpet had red and gold swirls. Golden accents ran along the top of the walls, near the ceiling, and I half-expected a movie star to emerge from one of the rooms. This looked like a building where celebs would def live.

We turned the corner and stopped in front of a dark cherrywood doorway labeled PH1 in gold. Heather pressed four numbers into a keypad, and I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans. Heather’s parents weren’t exactly . . . nice, and Mr. Fox always made me nervous. He never missed a chance to be intimidating or to make the people around him sweat.

The red light on the keypad turned to a blinking green, and Heather pushed down the door handle. I took another breath, hoping I’d made the right decision by coming here. But it was too late to go back now. My parents had left for vacation, and there was no way I could—or would—stay with Paige. I was stuck here no matter what.

© 2010 Jessica Burkhart

Call me!

Just a reminder that at 11am EST you can call into a live radio show to ask me questions and be entered to win a signed copy of TAKE THE REINS!

All of the deets are here: http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com/2010/06/radio-interview-where-you-ask-quetions.html

Can't wait to talk to Team Canterwood!

Radio interview where you ask the quetions! :)

Check my sidebar on my main blog for all of the details, but on June 23 at 11am EST I'll be doing a live radio interview. At 11:25, the phone lines will open and *YOU* can call in and speak with me. :) Also, callers will be entered into a drawing to win signed Canterwood Crest books!

The call in number is: 1-800-775-4673. I would LOVE to talk to some of you and answer any questions about writing, Canterwood or anything on your mind. It would be so cool to talk to Team Canterwood! :D

You can listen live, or if you can't make it to the live show, it will be available a few hours later online for you to listen. I'll post a link when it's archived.

I'll post a reminder a few days before the show airs. I'm so excited and I really hope to speak to some of you. The call is completely toll free since it's an 800 number, but do ask your parents before you call.

So you can check it out, here's the Website. Scroll down to the right side of the screen and at 11am EST on June 23 click on the "LifeTalk" widget that looks like this:



And that's all you have to do! The show starts at 11EST and you'll be able to listen via your computer. So. Excited. :)

My first live radio gig at Homeschool Companion on LifeTalk

Yesterday, I did my first live radio show for Homeschool Companion on LifeTalk Radio! A giant thanks to the lovely and fantastic Celeste Perrino-Walker who hooked me up with the gig. You rock!

The hosts, Candy DeVore and Rose Gamblin, were incredibly sweet and I had the best time chatting with them. Thank you both for inviting me!

Here's a link to the MP3 in case you'd like to hear it. I start about 15 minutes into the segment and I talk for about 45 minutes. I answer questions about homeschooling, writing for magazines, my volunteer work with the Effingham County Humane Society, surgery at Shriners, snagging an agent and much more. It's my first live radio show, so don't be too harsh! ;)

If the above link doesn't work, you can also find it here.

Now, I've got a super-cool clip when I approach more radio shows. :)

Go Carrie Jones!

This week is going to be busy! I’ve got lots of editing to do and I’m working away.

I reallllly wanted to do ScriptFrenzy (it starts April 1), but I just do not have time this year. I’ll have to make my own ScriptFrenzy month later. Is anyone participating? Lots of people on the blue boards are excited. :)

Tomorrow, a new video will be posted, so check back for that. And no, it’s not a video clue for the super-secret surprise. But it’s coming. Soon.

Yesterday, I played with Blog Talk Radio (it’s really supposed to be used as a radio call-in show, but I use it for podcasting) and made my first entry. I talked over my introductory beginning (oops!) and in the intro that I taped weeks ago, I said the podcasts would start later in the summer than what I said in the live bit that I taped yesterday. So, please excuse my mistakes and I’ll be sure to make the next one better! :)

On Friday, Class of 2k8 member and fellow Floridian Debbie Reed Fischer will be here.

Today’s my mom’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mom! I love you!

Finally, GO CARRIE JONES! Carrie’s making a run for office—how inspiring and cool is that? Find out all about it: http://www.voteforcarriejones.com. You go, Carrie! :)