My next book signing will be on May 12th, from 1-5 at Chapters in Brampton. Anyone in the GTA, please come out!

xo

J

Don’t lie, I know you all love the “bad boy” of the series! I’ve stopped counting how many people told me he is their favourite. It’s cool, I get it lol he’s hawt. In celebration of the upcoming release of Eden-West, I’ve decided to have a wee contest! Here is how it will work:

1. You create a poster of Callum. I want to see how you picture him, and maybe even add a favourite quote of his from book one, if you want some bonus points!

2. Post the poster on your blog, Facebook, Goodreads, wherever you want!

3. Twitter me the link and hashtag the post - #CallumLovers

4. I will take a look at all the entries and decide a winner.

5. The winner will receive the very FIRST copy of Eden-West when it is ready!

The contest will gone on until May 31, 2012.

Good luck! I can’t wait to see Callum in your eyes!

xo

J

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately! I know, I suck. But with good reason! I’ve been working on more edits for book two of the Eden Series, Eden-West. It’s a slow process, but I’m nearing the end. I’ll have some re-writes to do after, and probably another round of edits. After that, we should be good to go! I’m trying to aim for the end of May for the release! Now, that’s not firm, but it’s definitely my goal. Can’t wait for you all to read it! I’ve been getting great feedback from readers on Goodreads for book one, so I’m interested to see what everyone will think of the next book. There is definitely more happening, and more characters to stir the pot!

Also, for those in the GTA, I’m having another book signing at the Chapters in Brampton! Since the first was such a huge success, they’ve asked me to come back! Whooo! It is set for May 12th, from 1:00-5:00. If you can make it out, I’d love to see you!

I promise to post more updates as the final steps are finished for Eden-West.

Can’t wait!

xo J

I just wanted to say a big thank you again to everyone who came out for my first book signing. It honestly means the world to me to know how many people I have supporting me. I had my wonderful family and friends with me, and it definitely made me realize how lucky I am. It was nice to see friends I haven’t seen in a long time, and of course to have my constant besties by my side the whole time :) The only bummer was that I sold out before the end, so a few people came by and couldn’t get a copy. So sorry!

Big hug and kisses to you all!

xo J

Attention all readers in the GTA!

I’ll be doing a book signing on February 25, from 1:00 to 5:00 at the Chapters location in Brampton. Please come out if you can!! I’d really appreciate the support!

Can’t wait!

xo J

So I saw that my dear friend Miss. Kay from K-Books (http://k-booksxo.blogspot.com/) posted an interesting article today on facebook, which can be read here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/16/ya-novel-readers-publishing-establishment?fb=optOut

This is now the second time I’ve heard about the issue with authors and their “people” fighting with reviewers who dare to give their books a negative review. I actually spoke to an author/reviewer who gave a more popular series one star on Goodreads, which resulted in the other author getting friends of theirs to go on Goodreadsand rate the reviewer’s books at one star, just to bring down her overall rating. I don’t understand this. As a writer myself, I can tell you that our stories are extremely personal to us. They’re like our little babies, and of course we are fiercely protective of them. However, as writers we need to come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to like it. Is it upsetting if someone says something bad about our book? Yes, why wouldn’t it be? But on the other hand we’ve put our writing out there to be reviewed. If writers aren’t prepared to read something bad about their work then don’t publish it. I’m always scared that someone is just going to hate what I’ve written, but part of me knows that at some point that will most likely happen. It’s just the way it works. Not everyone likes the same books, movies, music, etc. You will always have someone say that a book was horrible, where five others rave at how good it is. I had one reviewer write to me before posting her review, and gave me a point by point list of everything she thought was wrong with it. It hurt a bit, not going to lie, but it’s her right to have that opinion. I willingly sent her the book to review. After her list, she wrote “please don’t hate me!” As if! I quickly reassured her that in no way would I “hate” someone simply for telling me what they don’t like about something I’ve written. If I’m being honest, I could probably rip it apart better than anyone! I’ve always been my own worst critic. Instead of being angry with the person, I took everything they had said to heart, and made a mental note to watch for the things she had listed in my next work. Here’s a thought, instead of getting upset at reviewers for pointing out something that might be bad about your work, take what they’ve said and learn from it!

In the end I think this whole argument makes no sense. Writers, we need readers! They are what make it possible for us to do what we do, and make it worth it! Do not let those who say something negative get you down. It’s not worth it, and really it’s one person’s opinion. For that one person who didn’t like it, there will be ten that loved it. In turn readers need us as well. If we didn’t write fantastic or horrible stories, you’d have nothing to blog about! Readers have a right to say what they think about a book, as long as it is honest. Here is the only issue I have. If you’re going to review a book make sure you’re doing it with the right intentions. Don’t start picking a book apart just for the hell of it. Be sincere and respectful. Note to authors though, if you’re going to start lashing out at anyone with a negative comment, it’s going to make it pretty hard for future reviewers to retain that respect. Don’t make people feel like they can’t give a honest review without being attacked for it. It might hurt, but we need to swallow our pride and accept what others may think.  It’s a shaky relationship, but a relationship none the less!

That is all.

xo J 

Check out my guest blog!

http://ebarnes23.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/janelle-stalder-author-or-eden-talks-about-never-giving-up/

Thanks again to Emerald! xo

Eden came in as the runner up for the Teen Fiction category. I’m so happy! Congrats to all the winners!

Wishing everyone all the best in 2012. There will be lots of things to come this year, so stay tuned!

For all those Canadians in the GTA, Eden is now available at the Brampton location of Chapters. If you don’t have a copy, now is your chance to buy it at a local store. 

xo

J 

I needed to blog about this, because Infernal Devices might be one of my favourite series out there right now. Clockwork Prince just came out this month, and is the second book of the series. The first book is Clockwork Angel, for all those who are living under a rock where popular YA books don’t reach. I’ve been waiting all year for this release, literally. To the point were I had my phone set to alert me when it came out. Yes, I am a nerd…only sometimes…Needless to say, I dragged the whole family out to get it the day it came out. Why am I blogging about it, considering I don’t usually blog about each book I read? The reason for that would be that it would take me FOREVER. I read waaayyy too much, and wouldn’t know where to begin. This book is getting special treatment, because it was one of those books that haunts me even when I’m finished. When I say haunts me, I mean in a good way. I cannot explain the emotional ride I went through with this book. Good Gawd it was amazing! If you haven’t read this series, get on it! I don’t know what you’re waiting for. I laughed, I cried, it was better than cats. I also cursed, and threw the book away from me, swearing I wasn’t going to read any more of it, but that’s beside the point. I did, in fact, finish it, and despite the mental breakdown it gave me, I have to say I LOVE IT. The third book, and believe last one for this series, will be coming out hopefully at the end of this year. Some say this year, I’ve also heard some time next year. I really hope it’s not next year, because I might have to hurt someone. I can’t wait to get my hands on Clockwork Princess! There is only one other book that made me feel like this one, and it is part of the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters, which are also a must read. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt wrecked by a book, and even though it’s a horrible feeling, it just shows you how good the book is that it has such an impact on the reader. And don’t think it’s just me! I had a number of other people reading it with me, and we all had similar breakdowns. It’s a popular side-effect of this book, so be warned. Go get it!

xo

J