True Confession Tuesday is where I occasionally post about the things I think or do–but rarely admit to.

In Plastic Polly there’s a small subplot between Polly’s mom and Mrs. Huff, the mother of one of Polly’s classmates. The tension between the two characters can best be summed up by this passage in the book:

When we were in Winston’s elementary section, Mrs. Huff was president of the PTA. Once, she sent home a note saying it would be nice if the parents who didn’t regularly volunteer gave the other mothers a break, and would Mom mind handling the decorations for the class Christmas party?

Mom, possessed with more determination than I saw when she studied for the bar exam, decided she’d show prissy Mrs. Huff she could make decorations just like any other mother…pg 74

Here’s my True Confession: Those two characters are me having an argument with myself.

Like Polly’s mom, I had a dream and went after it. She wanted to be a lawyer; I wanted to become a published author. Like her, I’m now busy with work and on my phone a lot. (True Story: Recently, I drove my son and his friend on the class field trip to the local museum, then spent the entire time during the tour on my phone, desperately trying to catch up on email. At the end of it, my slightly irritated 9YO said, “So, did you actually HEAR anything the lady said?”)

But like Mrs. Huff, I really want to be involved. Hey, I drove on the field trip in the first place, didn’t I? (But unlike her, I don’t go around making other women feel bad about the choices they’ve made.)

If I’m really honest, this part of Plastic Polly came from me working through my own “Mama Guilt” of feeling like I’m somehow lacking because I’m not the mom who plans crafts or brings home-made cupcakes to class. (But I’m always willing to buy the best that Bel Air has to offer!)

I’ve since come to a healthier place, and recognize that writing gives my life, and my family, so many things, but I admit that there are still some days that I struggle. Ultimately, I hope that one day my kids, like Polly, will be able to say, “[My mom] is passionate and smart, and every day she shows me it’s possible to have a dream, go after it, and make it come true.” (pg 194)

So that’s my True Confession for the day. What’s yours? Do you ever struggle with a work/life balance?

In my latest book, my main character Polly tries to tailor her personality to fit others’ expectations of how a popular girl should dress and act; behavior that’s earned her the nickname PLASTIC POLLY. Polly starts off each chapter with a “True Confession,” something real about herself that she rarely (if ever) shares with anyone else.

I’ve decided to share a few of my own “True Confessions,” which means occasionally I’ll attempt to bust out of my introvertedness and post things from my world that I normally don’t share. So…*takes a deep breath* here goes…

True Confession: I live in the land of “Good Enough”

Like everyone else, my life is FULL. Some of my friends are quite capable of balancing family life and careers, keeping their homes spotless, and throwing elaborate pinteresty birthday parties for their children. But I’m not, and I probably never will be.

Instead, I live in the land of Good Enough. This means that I somehow manage to get dinner on the table most nights of the week; but oftentimes “dinner” at my house means toast and scrambled eggs. I go grocery shopping, but I can’t remember the last time I ever cleaned out my freezer (Do people actually do that?)

I make not-frequent-enough attempts to clean my bathrooms, but I’m “done” far sooner than most people I know. It doesn’t need to be spic-n-span, it just needs to be “good enough.” My kids birthday parties are cakes  from Costco while they play with their friends in our backyard. And as far as I’m concerned, Pinterest is just a tool for me to use for writing. (I actually have a board for The Princess in the Opal Mask here if you want to check it out). As I write this, I just remembered that I have a pile of laundry that’s been sitting in the dryer for two days. Which means my clothes are probably really wrinkled, and, since Ironing is on my list of Things I Don’t Do, I’ll probably have to rewash them.

Here’s the reality for me: If I opted for “Good” instead of “Good Enough” then Not Enough would get done. I have books to write, deadlines to hit, kids who want to be snuggled, and a husband who would actually like to see me sometimes. My agent, editors, kids, husband, and friends could all care less what my house looked like yesterday or today. They just need me to show up in the places that are most important to them.

Unless I’m ever finally successful in learning how to clone myself, there’s simply never going to be enough ‘me’ to go around to meet all the demands of my current life. The best I can do is focus on what’s truly important (loving my family, loving God, and writing the best books I possibly can) and be okay if my life doesn’t look like a shiny, sparkly Pinterest board. The big things will get done. The smaller things, well…they’ll just have to wait.

And for right now, that’s Good Enough.

What about you? Do you opt for Good, or Good Enough? If it’s Good Enough, what do you let slide?

Today I have a great video to share of the Plastic Polly launch party from last weekend, but first I need to announce the winner for last week’s giveaway. Ahem, drumroll, please. And the winner is:

Heidi Grange!

Heidi, I’ll be in touch soon and will head to the post office this week to drop the books in the mail.

Okay, Launch party. I had an amazing time over the weekend and I wanted to give a wholehearted thank you to everyone who came on Saturday. Out of all the things you could have done on such a beautiful day, I am humbled that you came to mingle and pick up my book.

This is a very quick 2-minute video recap of the signing. If you were there, did you make it in the video? If you subscribe by email or RSS, click here to watch directly on YouTube.

Loved & Spoiled: My husband surprised me by buying t-shirts for family members and a ton of friends. The shirts said “I <3 #plasticpolly”, and it was so special to see 20+ friends and family sporting them.

Some Launch Highlights: I had so many favorite moments during the launch, but here are just a few of them.

1. Two very sweet girls made cupcakes, and they even put red hots on the cupcakes in the shape of a “P” in honor of Callie, the main character in my first book Seeing Cinderella, who loves red hots. Thank you girls. That really made my day and means so much to me.
2. Loved the T-shirts!
3. I had ten family members drive 400 miles one-way to come to the launch. You know who you are. Thank you.
4. It was so sweet to talk with some of my younger readers. It’s moments like these that make writing so rewarding. Older readers of course rock too!!
5. Barnes & Noble was extremely hospitable. Their staff is truly amazing. They even bought me a drink at Starbucks (it’s the small things). I love that they allowed the launch to be a benefit for the Folsom Cordova foundation too. Kudos to B&N. It’s nice to partner with a bookstore who shares similar charitable interests.
6. It was so good to see each and every person and to visit briefly with friends and strangers alike. I could go on and on to list so many conversations and specific ways I felt encouraged and supported by so many.

Can I mention one more thing? I loved the #plasticpolly hashtag on Saturday that was springing up on Twitter. Too cool.

Thank you again to everyone who came out for the book launch. It means a lot that you took time out of your busy day to swing by the bookstore to show support. On top of that, I so appreciate those who have shared about the book online too. I don’t take it for granted to be showered with such support, and I count myself as very blessed.

Today Plastic Polly releases out into the world! It’s my sophomore novel, which makes me think of my sophomore year of high school, which inevitably reminds me of all the time I spent driving around in my friend’s car listening to Nirvana, but that’s another story…

It’s a surreal feeling to walk into a bookstore and find not one, but TWO books with my name on the shelves. It’s a blessing, and not one that I take for granted.

I plan to celebrate with friends and family this weekend at the launch party, but for today, I’m offering up a copy of Plastic Polly AND Seeing Cinderella to one lucky winner.

The Giveaway: I like to keep things simple, so to enter just drop a comment below telling me something you remember from your sophomore year in high school (or whatever school memory you’d like to share if you haven’t reached the tenth grade yet). The giveaway closes at midnight on Tuesday, March 26th, and I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday, March 27th.

Thank you everyone for your encouragement and friendship. I definitely worked hard to write this book, but I couldn’t do this without the love and support of so many. Sincere thanks everyone.

It’s hard to believe, but Plastic Polly releases tomorrow!

If you’re local I’d LOVE to have you come out to the launch party if you can make it. But if not, you can still be a part of the action by sharing a photo of you with the book. If you didn’t know, I have a photo gallery full of Seeing Cinderella reader pics that were submitted over the past year. Since it was so much fun to do, I plan to continue the gallery for Plastic Polly. I love to see how creative people can be as well as the normal every day shots that come in. Check out the photo gallery here and a few of my favs below. Are these cool or what?

A reader sent in her real life impression of Callie. So creative. I love this!

This is classic. A reader shared her picture of “the world’s second whiniest cat” named Leo Lionni (my author bio mentions how my cat Rambo is “the world’s whiniest cat” – so true).

This one is probably my favorite. After this book club got together and discussed Seeing Cinderella they made their own “magic glasses” out of pipe cleaners!

HOW TO SHARE A PHOTO: Email a pic to photos@jennylundquist.com. If you remember, put “Seeing Cinderella” or “Plastic Polly” in the subject line. Or you can share the photo on my Facebook page or Twitter and I’ll download it from there. If your picture is huge, it’ll be resized to 800 x 600 pixels. If you’re under the age of 18 please make sure you have parent permission before sending anything.

Thanks everyone for your support and bringing a smile to me in this small way.

Good news! I’m  excited to announce that Kirkus has given Plastic Polly a positive review! For those of you who don’t know, Kirkus is a VERY well-respected voice in the literary world, and they don’t hold anything back in their reviews. I have to admit, I was equal parts excited and terrified when I heard they’d decided to read Plastic Polly. So naturally since they liked it, I wanted to post the review here: (or you can read it here on Kirkus).

Pretty cool, right? The reviewer summed up the story perfectly and I love it that he/she “got” Polly’s character journey from “rudderless follow to resourceful leader.” The words have been making me smile a lot the last few days.

That’s it for now, but please be sure to check back next week, as I will be holding a great giveaway to celebrate Plastic Polly’s release!!

Last night I discovered a new tool: Writing by firelight. I’ve had this section of my WIP that I wanted to rewrite, but haven’t been able to find the right words. I’ve tried different strategies: timed writing, daydreaming, clustering, I’ve even tried to re-write this section while hanging out with my friends at an Oscar party. (Admittedly, this last method was not the smartest idea I’ve ever had. Though it might have been an effective use of my time, as I was really disappointed in this year’s telecast, for a number of reasons.)

But last night, I finally found the words. My sons were fast asleep; my husband was streaming Netflix. (It’s about time I let him have a turn.) I tossed another log into the fire; turned out the lights; and waited, pen in hand. And guess what? The words came.
Pages and pages, just like this. A phrase here, an image there. A whole sentence tossed in for good measure. I wrote and wrote by the firelight; I couldn’t even see the words. And I think this was the key. Since I couldn’t see the words, all expectations were lifted. My inner editor–that loves to remind me that pesky little things such as continuity and coherency actually matter–was silenced, and I was free to scratch away without any expectations.

So that’s my lesson for today. Next time I’m creatively blocked, I’ll add some wood to the fireplace, and turn out the lights.

What about you? When you’re blocked on a project, whether it’s writing or another endeavor, how do you get past it?

I remember when I was a child how time just seemed to drag on and on. The month of December seemed never ending, in particular. But even in the summer, it seemed like days could last forever. So it’s hard, now, to believe that almost a year has passed since Seeing Cinderella released into the world. I feel like I’ve barely had time to blink since last March, but here we are knee deep into the winter of 2013, and Plastic Polly releases in a little over five weeks!

Are you doing something on March 23rd at 1pm? If not, I’d love to invite you to the Plastic Polly book launch at Barnes & Noble in Citrus Heights at 6111 Sunrise Blvd.  The staff at Barnes and Noble have graciously decided to host a book fair that day. This means that a percentage of each sale (up to 25%) will go to the Folsom Cordova Education Foundation (the book is $6.99 by the way). If you shop online at Barnes & Noble on March 23rd, simply enter the code “11041704″ when making your purchase so the school district still gets some funds. Here is the direct link to Plastic Polly on the B&N website.

You can even RSVP on the Facebook event page too.  

My husband and I already partner with the Folsom Cordova School District with Project 680, a grassroots group dedicated to helping homeless students have access to simple (but profound) things such as shoes, socks, underwear, hoodies, etc, so I’m really excited that my book launch will also in some way benefit these students.

Hope to see you there!

Writing is a solitary act. I write the words, build my characters, then send my work out into the world. Like most writers, I hope that there will be readers who find my books and connect with them.

With that in mind, I wanted to share with you an email that I received from a librarian in the Chicago-area. Her mother/daughter book club read Seeing Cinderella, used my questions from the discussion guides, and had a really creative meeting. It absolutely made my day and gave me fuel to keep writing as I’m wrapping up the first round of edits on The Princess in the Opal Mask (It’s my goal to be done by the Super Bowl, so I have less than a week). Thank you to the mother/daughter book club for making today so bright, and for allowing me to share your sweet message and photo too. I’m so glad you loved the book!

“My mother daughter book club (5th/6th grade girls) met last night to discuss Seeing Cinderella.  We LOVED the book and had terrific conversation.  I used many of your discussion questions.  Most telling was the opinion of most girls that they would wear the glasses, while most mothers would not. While talking we enjoyed red hots and popcorn for sustenance. Finally we had a great time making our own glasses out of pipe cleaners. Attached is a photo of the girls in their glasses. We’d be thrilled if the photo was posted on your Seeing Cinderella photo wall. All mothers gave permission for that use. We’re looking forward to Plastic Polly.”

Isn’t this great? I love how they ate popcorn and red hots too since those are both Callie’s favorites in the book!!

And for the record, 7th grade me would absolutely WANT to wear the magic glasses…but thirty-something me is quite happy not to know what everyone is secretly thinking.

This is the most creative way that I’ve seen a book club use Seeing Cinderella. Have any other suggestions? Post them in the comments!

I have fantastic news to share today!

I’ve blogged before about how I have a secret writing project, a project I pull out when I need to give my brain a rest from my official WIP. But several months ago, after I finished writing Plastic Polly, I hit a wall. Every idea I brainstormed for a new project just seemed…tired, and boring. And I was pretty sure that if I felt that way about my own ideas, then they weren’t worth putting pen to paper. (I hand write all new material before moving it to the computer.)

So one day when I was in the midst of a complaining session to my Rockstar Agent, Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg, she asked me if I’d given any thought to working more seriously on the secret project. I said I hadn’t, but in that moment it was like lightning had struck, the light bulb turned on, whatever you want to call it. I suddenly knew that it was time for My Secret Project to become My Official Project. Ideas for scenes, and snatches of dialogue started coming and I decided to just go for it. I wrote whenever I could, in between marketing SEEING CINDERELLA, combing through first pass pages for PLASTIC POLLY, and running around after my children in the summer, until finally in October I felt I had a draft decent enough to show my agent. I titled it: THE PRINCESS IN THE OPAL MASK, and emailed it off before I chickened out.

I can’t say I didn’t feel nervous about turning it in; I’d been thinking about this story, off and on, for four years. I was exceedingly happy that I’d finally just written it, but I wondered if Kerry, or anyone else, would be interested in the complete story.

With all that in mind, I’m happy to announce that: THE PRINCESS IN THE OPAL MASK, a YA fantasy, has sold to Running Press in a two-book deal, with book one set to be released in the fall of 2013!

Talk about an incredible Christmas present! I am beyond excited and so grateful to everyone who read early chapters of this book and gave suggestions. I couldn’t have done it without you guys!

I haven’t stopped smiling in the last couple of days, and I plan to celebrate this weekend and not think about all the work I have to do in 2013!

But first, I’m going to have to go looking around to find My New Secret Project…:0)