Good news! Jasmine is now available on the Kindle as well as the Nook! Hop on over and get one. And if you’ve already read it, would you be so kind as to leave a review for me? I’d so appreciate it! The reviews coming in so far are very good and incredibly touching to me.
Would you do me a favor and spread the word about Jasmine? I’ve created my first contest to help you share. At the end of the contest, three people will be chosen randomly to win a free ebook copy of Jasmine and the Jars of Clay album, Good Monsters (an album that inspired a scene or two in the novel). If you’ve already purchased them, no worries! You can gift them to a friend! Remember, the more often you share, the more entries you get in the contest, and the higher your chances of winning are!
Saturday was an amazing day. Actually, it started Friday evening. I got home to discover that Jasmine was LIVE digitally, out there on Amazon (don’t worry, it’s becoming available on other formats as the week goes on-I’ll keep you posted). What an incredible feeling. I”ve been doing guest blog posts here and there, marketing and sharing and suddenly, there she was. I downloaded it to my Kindle right away. As soon as I flipped to the title page, I started to cry. I’d realized my dream of being published.
I’ve been so focused on guest blog posts and lining up marketing, so focused on the date on the calendar, that when my husband suggested we do a little something to celebrate, I couldn’t fathom it. Being the loving, wise, man he is–he completely ignored my protests and picked up some delicious gluten free cupcakes from Piece Of Cake (if you haven’t eaten their wares, you MUST) and a bouquet of beautiful flowers. At the top, you can see a cute collage photo of our celebration my daughter made.
I’m like a proud new mama–there she is, isn’t she pretty?
Have you ever realized a dream–or are you still waiting for one? I’d love to hear your stories.
And thanks for all your support in making this one happen for me.
Saturday approacheth! What’s so great about Saturday? Lawn work? NOPE. Well…maybe. But, better than that, you can download the digital release of my novel, Jasmine. Can I get a hurrah?
Ever since June hit, I’ve been hearing that Rocky theme song music in the back of my head—complete with wakka wakka guitar riffs and string section. You know the part where Rocky is running and training and he finally gets to the top of the stairs and tadah! Then he goes on and fights a lot and gets brain damage. Um…Where was I going with that?
Writing is a bit like Rocky. You develop a story idea, get it all on paper, edit it to death, let others edit it, polish it and start pitching it (this process can take years). Then it’s all cake, right? Nope. You’re just at the top of the stairs, exhausted, hoping for a Gatorade—because now starts marketing. Actually, you’ve got to be marketing all along, really, but you really start pushing and connecting and chatting up your book at this point. The hard work keeps going—hopefully without the brain damage (this is in direct proportion with how many times you whack your head against your computer screen).
To whet your interest, here’s the Jasmine book trailer. You didn’t know that book trailers existed? Yep, they do. Would you do me a favor? Forward this blog post to a friend or two. Share the video. All that lovely social media stuff. I’m in your debt.
And please don’t forget to hop over to the Shepherd’s Door at Portland Rescue Mission (indicate women and children’s recovery) and Door to Grace websites to donate to their amazing ministries, helping hurting women and children. You can make a difference in someone’s life today.
Jasmine works with young women, giving them a plan not just for survival, but hope for a rewarding future. You see, she knows how important that is—because she was one of those girls once. She had nowhere to turn, so she ran. And things went from bad to worse. While my novel, Jasmine, is a fictional tale, it’s based on some pretty horrible facts.
Take a minute to imagine with me. You’re a twelve year old girl with a neglectful family. Your parents fight—even beat you. Your mom’s addicted to alcohol, and your dad’s always angry. The refrigerator doesn’t have much food in it. School’s tough. You feel like an outcast because you can’t connect with anyone. Every instinct in you tells you to stay where you are, because home is the only place you’ve ever known—even if bad things happen there, at least you know what to expect. And then comes along this guy. A wonderful, attentive guy that dotes on you and listens to you. He’s a little older than you, too. Suddenly, you feel appreciated—even adored. He buys you nice gifts and tells you how pretty you are. It’s the first time anyone has shown you true concern and affection. You feel special. So when he asks you to run away with him, you don’t have to think about it long. This is it and he’s Mr. Wonderful, your very own Prince Charming. You go.
And that is where the fantasy stops. Before you know it, this guy has given you over to another guy. He’s not kind or adoring. He’s demanding and cruel. There’s no getting away. If you did get away, you’d have nowhere to go. Your parents don’t want you (or so this man keeps telling you)—and now you’re damaged goods. You’re more alone than you’ve ever been. Plus, that cruel guy, your pimp, is now controlling your every move—he’d probably kill you.
Such is the plight of many runaways. Some meet Mr. Wonderful in their own home towns, or at the mall. Some meet him after they’ve ended up on the streets. Either way, the result is the same. It’s all a huge lie, and now they’re trapped in a life they don’t feel they can escape. They need help.
Most of us don’t know what to do with that kind of information. How do you help someone like this? But there are places that know just what to do. Door to Grace is such a ministry. They’ve built a wonderful network to reach out to exploited children and give them a safe place to live while recovering. And they lead them to the Savior that can heal the hurts—the ones deep down that no one else can see.
Please take some time to check out their web page (click here) and donate. Help get a girl off the streets, give her back a secure life—let her know there are real people who thinks she is special and worth saving. Thanks.
Oh happy day! It’s June first! And that means my novel, Jasmine, will be released to your favorite digital format in two weeks! Mark the date: June 15th! If you don’t have a digital reader, don’t worry, it will go to paperback in September (and I’ll remind you of that when it happens).
Another announcement I’m excited to make is that I’ve partnered with Portland Rescue Mission’s Shepherd’s Door. Shepherd’s Door is an amazing ministry that helps at-risk women and children get off the streets, gives them a safe place to live, and supports them during their physical and spiritual recovery from abuse, sex-trafficking, homelessness and drug abuse. They offer hope and grace. When I first approached them with the idea that I’d like to promote their ministry in my novel, they came back to me and said, “We’d love to make a landing page for your book on our web page.”
Why? It so happens that my character, Jasmine, does a very similar job in my novel. Her heart aches for those untouchables here in the U.S. that we might look past on our way to shopping or eating out. We often forget that those girls and young women aren’t out there because they think it’s an awesome place to be. Most are escaping a bad home-life–or they’ve been tricked, and now they are trapped in a lifestyle they don’t think they can escape. The typical age of indoctrination into the sex trade here in the United States is twelve. Doesn’t that feel overwhelming? The good news is, places like the Portland Rescue Mission gives them a safe place to turn to.
So, without further fan-fare, check out this link for Portland Rescue Mission (click here), and after you do, please donate to the women’s and children’s recovery. Your donation will make a huge difference in someone’s life.
Good news! Jasmine is now available on the Kindle as well as the Nook! Hop on over and get one. And if you’ve already read it, would you be so kind as to leave a review for me? I’d so appreciate it! The reviews coming in so far are very good and incredibly touching to me.
