Plastic Polly and Amazing Reader Photos

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jenny Lundquist

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?

seeing-cinderella-book-31

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).

Seeing-Cinderella-Book-33

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.

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Photos, Plastic Polly, Seeing Cinderella | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Plastic Polly and Amazing Reader Photos

Plastic Polly gets a positive review in Kirkus!

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Jenny Lundquist

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).

Review of Plastic Polly by 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!!

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Plastic Polly | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Writing By Firelight

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Jenny Lundquist

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.writing by firelight (2)
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?

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

You’re invited to the PLASTIC POLLY Launch Party at Barnes & Noble

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Jenny Lundquist

Plastic Polly by Jenny LundquistI 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.   🙂

Plastic Polly Book Signing

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!

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Announcements, Book Signings, Plastic Polly | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Red Hots, Popcorn & a Mother Daughter Book Club

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Jenny Lundquist

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!

Seeing Cinderella Book Cover“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!!

A group of 5th/6th grade girls who read Seeing Cinderella

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!

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Seeing Cinderella | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

My Secret Project Isn’t So Secret Anymore!

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Jenny Lundquist

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!

Cork board in my office - Jenny Lundquist

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)

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Announcements, The Princess in the Opal Mask | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Face in a Book Recap

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Jenny Lundquist

Greetings all! I had a book signing for Seeing Cinderella over the weekend, and I wanted to share a few pics. Thank you to everyone who came out to the event.

Seeing Cinderella Book Signing at Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills - 1

This signing was with YA Author Shannon Dittemore at Face in a Book in the El Dorado Hills Town Center. Shannon and I are good friends, so it was so exciting to finally be able to do a signing with her.

Seeing Cinderella Book Signing at Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills - 2

Not only is Face In a Book a really a cute bookstore, but they have their own chocolate. It’s now one of my favorite Indie bookstores. If you’re in the NorCal area and looking for a great book store, check them out!

Seeing Cinderella Book Signing at Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills - 3

Seeing Cinderella Book Signing at Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills - 4

It’s always a real joy to get to talk with readers and sign books. As I have a habit of misspelling people’s names, I always write them down on a piece of paper so I don’t mess up the actual signature.

Thanks again to everyone who came out! Shannon and I will probably be back at Face In A Book in the spring to do a signing with our sophomore titles.

Happy November, everyone! I hope you’re enjoying Fall so far.

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Book Signings, Photos, Seeing Cinderella | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Face in a Book Recap

We Have a Winner!

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Jenny Lundquist

Thank you to everyone who participated in the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes! The winner of a copy of Seeing Cinderella is… Niahara!!!

Niahara, please contact me with a mailing address and I will get the book out to you shortly! For everyone else, have a Happy Halloween!

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Giveaway | Comments Off on We Have a Winner!

Welcome to the YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes!

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Jenny Lundquist

Welcome to my stop on the third round of the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes, a blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors, and prize packs that include ARCs, signed copies of our recent releases, gift certificates, swag, and more! If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click here to start from the beginning and read the complete rules.  Please note that the race begins Monday, October 22nd at 12 pm EST and ends Monday, October 29th at 12 pm EST.

Update: The Race is now officially over. Winners will be posted on the Apocalypsies website tomorrow, Tuesday, October 30.

Now on to the race!

SEEING CINDERELLA by Jenny Lundquist 

Seventh grade is not going well for Calliope Meadow Anderson. Callie’s hair is frizzy, her best friend, Ellen, is acting weird, and to top things off, she has to get glasses. And her new specs aren’t even cute, trendy glasses—more like hideously large and geeky.

But Callie soon discovers that her glasses have a special, magical perk: When she wears them, she can read people’s thoughts. For the first time ever she’s answering all the questions right in math class, and gets a glimpse of what goes through people’s minds all day, including what Ellen—and her longtime crush—really think of her.

Crazy glasses aside, Callie has more drama to face when she’s cast as the lead in the school play—and instead opts to be an understudy, giving the role of Cinderella to Ellen. Can Callie’s magic glasses help her see her way to leading lady, or is she destined to stay in the background forever, even with her super freaky magic glasses?

SEEING CINDERELLA is available NOW on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or IndieBound!

Got all that? Store it away in your brain for the quiz ahead!

But before you go – BONUS CONTEST!
Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win a signed copy of SEEING CINDERELLA! You can earn extra entries by following my blog, liking my facebook page, or following me on Twitter. We’re on the honor system here, so tell me in your comment how many entries you have. (If you already follow my blog/fb/Twitter account, count each as an entry as well). The winner will be announced Tuesday, October 30th!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Now click here to go to the next stop on the Egging Houses Link!

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Giveaway, Seeing Cinderella | Tagged , , , , , , | 56 Comments

Halloween Giveaway Winner!

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Jenny Lundquist

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway! Although we had some great entries, no one correctly guessed Polly’s Halloween costume. It was Cleopatra! So, since no one guessed it, using a Random Number Generator the winner is…  Susan Wright!

Susan, I ‘ll be in touch soon. For everyone else, I’ll be giving away another ARC of Plastic Polly in the future, but in the meantime, check back on Monday where I’ll be participating in another round of the the YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes!

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Posted in Giveaway | Tagged , | Comments Off on Halloween Giveaway Winner!