My fear of emailing EK a hot mess

First, I need to round up a few links!

We've got:

A review of Take the Reins from Mara at Whitebrook Farm. Thanks, Mara! :)

An interview up at Harmony Book Reviews. Thanks again, Harmony!!

A guest blog at Presenting Lenore. I did a Letterman-style "Top 10 Things I've Learned About Writing" list. Thanks for letting me stop by, Lenore!

And now, back to my little writing corner. I'm *almost* finished with TRIPLE FAULT.

Probably a week or so until it's done. Then it gets sent off to Editor K. But my OMG-I-so-suck cycle begins just before I email the draft. :) Hitting the send button to email my book off to EK or Agent A is still sooo hard! I pull up Hotmail, attach the file, sit, stare and then close out the window. I open the Word doc, scan a few pages and then convince myself it's really time to let it go. So, Hotmail comes up again and I reattach the file. There's pacing, glossing of lips, eye rolling at myself and then I finally press send.

Then?

Nooooo! Why did I press the button?! It wasn't ready! Take it back!

But, of course, I can't take it back. I force myself to close the laptop and walk away. I remind myself that EK and AA haven't said, "JB, you just emailed us a hot mess. You're fired." before, so the draft might be okay.

Yes, that's my process. :)

22 and review! Party!

Take the Reins was reviewed in the February/March 2009 issue of Discovery Girls! Thanks so much to Jan Fields! :) Ahhh! So exciting! It makes the perfect birthday gift!!

Yep, I'm 22 today! Woo! Birthday and book launch in one week = crazy fun.

Last night, I did a drive-by signing at my local Books-a-Million. Yep! I signed the four-copies they had on shelves and it was so fun!

Tallahassee Democrat article about Canterwood Crest

The Tallahassee Democrat ran an article in yesterday's paper. Want to see it online? View it here! I love the title, too, "Rider-turned-writer is in winner's circle." Very sweet.

Thanks so much to Kathleen Laufenberg. She wrote an article about me when I got the book deal back in 2007 and I'm glad she was able to write this new article. Thanks also to the Democrat for being supportive of a new author. I so appreciate it!

Thank YOU all for your congratulations yesterday!! It was a special day and I'll never forget it! :)

Take the Reins is here!! And a giveaway!

La, la, la! It's finally here!!!!!

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That's right! TAKE THE REINS officially hits stores today! OMG! Seriously, if you're my agent, editor, friend, someone I've known for five minutes--I'll apologize now because you're going to be getting a very hyper/excited phone call from me. Possibly more than one. And I will not apologize! :)

I've been waiting for this day since early spring 2007 when TAKE THE REINS sold. I've gone through a lot in two years--personally and professionally--and those experiences only make me appreciate this moment even more. It's surreal to think that my book is out there. Wow. Just wow.

I can't say enough that I'm surrounded by the best people in the business--my Trident Media Group and Simon & Schuster families. I wouldn't have made it here without them--thank you! :)

Last night, I read though my 2006 posts documenting the writing of TAKE THE REINS. They're funny and often embarrassing--like an old journal--but I'm glad they're still there. They remind me that I've grown as a writer, but I still have a loooong way to go. Cheers to that!

So....

To kick off the official release day festivities, Dover Saddlery has ponied up a $25 gift certificate for me to give away. I'll also include a personalized postcard to you or the person of your choice.

You don't need to own a horse to shop at Dover. They've got tons of horse-themed gifts such as books, DVDs and more.

Ready for the rules? Yes, there must be rules!

1. The giveaway will run for a week starting today! It will end on Tuesday, February 3 at midnight.

2. For an easy chance to win, leave a comment here (Blogger) and/or on this same entry cross posted to my LiveJournal.

3. Want more chances to win? Leave another comment on this post (or on the LiveJournal one) with a link to your mention that TAKE THE REINS releases on January 27. You can make it a Facebook note, MySpace bulletin, vlog, blog post--whatever you like! The more mentions of TtR you make, the more entries you get in the contest. Keep coming back with the new link every time you mention TtR. If you've already done it, remind me in the comments and you'll have an extra entry.

4. Or, snap a pic of you with TtR or of TtR at a bookstore. Send me your pic (and whether or not I can share it on my blog--I'd love to post it!) for an extra entry.

5. Steal this banner! Click on it and it'll take you to Photobucket where you can nab the code of your choice. Put it up and let me know! By the way, there are other banners (smaller ones) to grab, too.



6. Review (love it or hate it--be honest!) TAKE THE REINS on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Millon or any other book site. Put the review link in the comments.

7. You decide! Get creative! :)

Now, the fine print...

The prize will only be mailed to a US address. Sorry, everyone else!

I'll draw the winner on Wednesday, February 4. Check back then for the name. You'll have one week to email me (jessica [at] jessicaburkhart [dot] com) with your name and address.

Good luck, everyone! :)

Special thanks to Dover for providing such a great prize!

Cover story up at Melissa Walker's!

Fabulous author and friend Melissa Walker posted my story about how the Canterwood Crest covers were designed. Check it out!

Thank you, Melissa!

Tomorrow, tomorrow!

Even though many people have spotted TAKE THE REINS in stores, tomorrow is its official release day! Woo!

I'm trying (unsuccessfully) to stay focused on the TRIPLE FAULT draft. But really? I want to be out there looking for my book and, you know, shoving it into people's hands. :)

My local paper, The Tallahassee Democrat, is running an article tomorrow. I'm excited to see it and will post the link.

If you e-mailed me and I haven't responded, I will! Promise! Your email is flagged for a response and you'll get one. Before spring. Kidding.

How do you stay focused when you're waiting for something? Share!

Whitebrook Farm and Bri Meets Books

Two quick things...

I talked horse books and TAKE THE REINS over at Whitebrook Farm. Thanks so much to Mara for interviewing me.

I also stopped at Bri Meets Books for an interview. I spilled the truth about how Editor K makes me cry when we talk ideas. *sniff* Go read it and you'll see what I mean! ;) Thanks so much, Bri!