Bad Blogger!

I've been a bad blogger. I know. I haven't really been feeling like myself, but there's no reason to rehash my problems, everyone has them, right?

I'll just stick to the happy stuff.

Tiva's first book cover is done. If you're not on my newsletter, you can see it here: http://jennnixon.blogspot.com/

I'm very happy with it. The detail is amazing! The second time around was much, much better! I spoke with my publisher and they are doing one final round of edits before they go to print. So if you're waiting for a review copy, it's coming...I promise!!

I went to a street fair yesterday and met some great authors from New Jersey. It was fun and a great form of networking for me.

I’ll be updating my website this week and figured it was a good time to offer Author Link Swap again. Any free promoting is good promoting, yes? Send a email or respond to here with your website address and I will put it on my website. If you could post mine next time you update, that would be great!

Also, if you're an author and would like to review my book or offer me a blurb before we go to general print, please let me know. I’d offer to do the same in return, however, I’m still new to all this, but I’ve reviewed a few other books from people and they seemed pleased. Amazon.com is always a good place to put reviews, right?

September is here and you all know what that means...NEW TV RETURNS!!!!!! Whee! There are a few shows I'm going to check out.

Private Practice--No, I'm not a Gray's fan, but I am a fan of Tim Daly and Taye Diggs. (HOT!) And both of them have had horrible luck the last few years with TV shows. I hope this one works out for them both this time.

Big Shots--Michael Vartan and Dylan McDermott? Put that Titus guy in there and you've got a good show...I hope. I was a SATC fan, and though this is network TV, I'm sure it'll be just as risky and fun.

Pushing Daisies--This looks like a fun show. I"ll check it out just for shits and giggles. Chi McBride is awesome, he gives me hope that other people might give this show a chance. Though, I think the high concept is going to be too much for some people.

New Amsterdam--Okay, so I'm a sucker for Sci-fi shows, we know this. But I have a utter fascination for time travel and immortality. No time travel in this one, but a man with demons who can't die...until he finds the right woman...ugh. My heart...

Bionic Woman--Starbuck from Battlestar will be in the first episode. That'll probably be the only one I watch unless it's realllllly good. We'll see.

K-Ville--It's on opposite Heroes until Jack comes back, so I'm not sure how it will do. However, I do like Anthony Anderson, so it may do well!

Cavemen--Okay, don't laugh. I saw a preview on demand this weekend and it actually looks funny. They're taking the approach of racism and how people are treated when they don't fit the norm. I don't have high hopes for it, but who knows...right?

Dirty Sexy Money-- This is an all star cast of people including Peter Krause (Six feed under) and Donald Sutherland, among others. It looks like it could be a great show...again, we'll see.

Sadly, I'll probably have to give up Criminal Minds this year because Mandy Patankin has left. He was the main reason I watched the show. I love the whole cast, but he was the man.

The other shows still on my list:
Jericho, CSI, Survivor, Heores, 24, Lost, 30 Rock, Law and Order SVU, Smallville, Supernatural, One Tree Hill, I think I may be missing some... My poor DVR is going to be nuts this year.

In other news:
I saw Halloween last weekend. I enjoyed it, though it wasn't as good as the original. Is anything ever?

I watched Zathura the other day. It was such a cute movie!! I should have bought it.

Premonition anyone? That movie totally fucked with the whole time travel theory and turned it on it's head. The movie didn't make sense. It...was just wrong. I understand how they can TRY and explain certain things, but they didn't explain enough to make the movie make any real sense. I mean...the first scene in the movie the older daughter didn't have scars on her face and that was supposed to be Wednesday. Then Sandra (forgot her character name) wakes up on Saturday (day of the funeral) and her daughter is scarred from something that happens when she wakes up on Tuesday. WRONG! Granted, they could say SHE made the Tuesday event happen because she saw it's effects later and created the situation on Tuesday, but they didn't SAY that to the viewer. You have to be schooled in Time Travel to figure that out, I guess. LOL.

And what happened to her going to the psycho ward? Did she wake up again AFTER the accident and did those days over again? UGH Annoying!

I just finished reading The Poet by Michael Connelly. I loved it! And I just found out there's a sequel. YAY!

So what are your book/movie/TV plans for this fall?

Weight Loss

Having struggled with weight my entire life, I know how confusing it can be trying to find the right diet. Sometimes, though, dieting isn't enough. Gastric by-pass is all the new rage, but what most people don't realize is that it still has high risks. If you're like me, you'd rather try something a little less risky and weight loss surgery this might be right for you.

Instead of cutting you open and messing with your insides, this LAP-Band surgery is reversible and less evasive to your body.

See if it's right for you!

Mama...

Is it just me or is mother nature kicking our asses this year? Hmmm, maybe "climate change" is real, huh?

I found this site: http://www.duotrope.com/ Don't know if it's any good yet, but it seems legit and helpful.

The Inuyasha Manga is getting good...but will it ever end?

Sabra should win So You Think You Can Dance, but I have a feeling it'll be Neil or Danny. More girls watch the show and vote for the cute guys...sheesh.

I also joined http://www.librarything.com guess what my user name is? Jennafern. SURPRISE! lol If you have it, add me damn it.

I FINALLY have a forum on my website that isn't getting hit by spammers. Feel free to join if you'd like. http://www.jennnixon.com/forum/

Here's the first chapter of Lucky if you'd like to read it. Feedback is always welcome, of course. http://www.jennnixon.com/Lucky.htm

Hot Fuzz was funny.

I have a few more movies to watch this weekend! Yay Columbia House!

I've been a really bad blogger lately, but the good news, I've been writing. So thanks again to everyone who smacked me around a bit. I needed it. *Hugs*

I've been reading...

I finished the last Harry Potter book. It was good, not exceptional IMHO, but a very good end to a wonderful series. Can I tell you how pissed off I was to find that huge ass novel stuck in my itty-bitty mailbox in front of the apartment? OMG. I called the post office and chewed them out. I had to rip the book out of the mailer before I could get it out of the mailbox! Dumb ass!

Since I was on a roll, and hadn’t read much of anything except my own writing the last few months, I started and finished the 11th Reacher novel: Bad Luck and Trouble. Some changes in this particular novel. Jack has an ATM card and he carries his passport now! He’s was a bit self-pitying in this book, but that just made him seem more human to me. I don’t expect Reacher to change drastically, but eventually he will; it’s inevitable.

The two best scenes in the book, for me, had to do with his toothbrush. If you’re a Reacher fan, you’ll understand. Poor Jack.

I heard from the cover artist this week. Seems his computer had a virus, so he had a bit of a snag the last couple of weeks. I should see the new and improved cover sometime next week! Very exciting!

I’ve talked to a few of the other writers from WOW and they are very happy with their ARC copies of the book! I can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on mines. My precious…

Er, sorry.

I’ve gone back to the beginning of Lucky’s story. The story keeps evolving and changing. I keep finding holes in the plot because the culprit at the very end isn’t solid yet. I thought I knew where it was going, but again, the characters have changed it for me, and I want it to be consistent. I need to spend the time on this to make those changes, but I keep feeling like I’m wasting too much time. I should just keep going, do the rest later. But the story won’t move forward because I’m stuck. I don’t know what the reactions are supposed to be yet because the back-story needs to change. Bleh.

I’ll get it, eventually.

I’m going to plug my newsletter again. Call me a pimp, that’s okay. I have a few people watching, and don’t have much news to share yet, but the release date for the Tiva books is nearing and you can at least say you knew me when. hehehe

It's been a while....since

So, yeah, I've been a crappy blogger lately. Ah well, not may people read this stuff anyway. For those of you who do, I promise to try to entertain tonight.

Movie news:
Yes, I went to see Transformers and Harry Potter on their opening nights. The new theater by my house kicks ass. It wasn't crowded at all! I loved both movies, though the stories were lacking somewhat.

Transformers was great eye candy and Jenn had to squeal when Prime transformed in the alley!!! *Squee* The whole plot was a little weak, but Bay made up for it with the action and FX. I have to say, I like Shia, a lot. I remember watching him in Project Greenlight and seeing him in Holes. Of course, my roomie one-upped me, he knew him from Even Steven. *shrug*

Harry Potter wasn't as fun FX wise, but it sure as hell did a great job at the end with the big fight. And if you don't just love Tonks and Luna, that's a shame. Such great casting all around. Even second string Dumbledore did will this time…when he was around. I couldn't help but sit there in the theater wishing it was my books that came to life on screen. One day, maybe.

Writing news:
I got the brochure WoW is using for their launch, but I can't post anything from it yet. I should be hearing from the cover artist soon with the changes and then I have to think about the cover for book two. Aside from that, I'm going through the text one last time for typos and such...I've found a few, and of course, I found parts I want to change, but it's too late for those kind of fixes now.

I'm still stuck in the second Lucky book. It keeps wanting to be mushy and I keep trying to steer away from it. I mean, sure, there should be some tenderness in every book but it doesn't really fit in all the time with the plot. Hard to make a killer have a heart...who woulda thunk it. LOL

TV news:
I started watching the first few episodes of 4400 already. The DVR is recording, of course. So far, so good. Looks like it may be an interesting season. I missed the first two of Dead Zone, so I'll probably not watch it this time around. Ah well. SYTYCD is getting really good. I can't wait to see how good they really are when they start changing partners.

Did anyone watch "Don't Forget the Lyrics" or "Singing Bee" yesterday? Seems like DFtL is easier, but Singing Bee is more fun to watch and play a long with. They both have flaws but still, a Karaoke show on TV...that's awesome! I could have gone into NYC for the auditions last week, but I get real bad stage fright when singing in front of strangers...so knowing I'm on TV would just make it worse...Still, I'd kick ass with all the song I know.

Book news:
I just ordered HP7 and the new Jack Reacher book. I may actually sit down and read them when I get them. That would be a change, considering I have a stack of books on my shelf that have been sitting there for months and haven't been read. I go through these phases where I'm really interested or obsessed with something and go completely overboard (Remember three seasons of LOST in two weeks?) Well, there was a time when I was reading a book and finishing it in a day and a half...sometimes one day. I need to get back to that place, but I just can't seem to get motivated to do it.

Personal news:
I'm going to my mom's tomorrow. I'm sure she doesn't want to be alone. It'll be the 23 anniversary of my brother's death. I can't believe it's been that long. This year, it's more crappy because July 13th 1984 was also a Friday...bleh.

I got a random text message from an old flame today...odd. He wants to meet up to tell me about his new business opportunity. Whee...and here I was thinking he just wanted to come hang out with me. Nah, that never happens. Anytime anyone wants to hang out with, there's usually strings attached or stipulations. Figures, he's just like the rest of them.

Other news:
I’ve been trying to get a forum up on my website, but I keep getting spam. A hell of a lot of spam. Almost ten a day. Does anyone know anything about php boards and would like to help me?

I’m also getting read to put together something to help me promote my books. I’m trying to think of everything a writer could do: signings, donating a book to the library, blurbs from authors, online promoting, newsletters, website, forum, communities, reviews, virtual book tours, blog interviews…and so on. I don’t have many connections. I’ve tried to make friendly with other writers. I have with some, others I haven’t been as lucky. So we’ll see how that all goes.

Anywho, how are you? I’ve been reading…just haven’t had a chance to post. Tell me something I don’t know!