Hey there, fun-seekers! Don’t forget that tomorrow is the last day to enter the contest to win a signed copy of The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn. Swing by the contest page for all the details!

I didn’t call my dad today. I didn’t send him a card or a gift or anything. Shame on me.

But we talked for about 30 minutes on the phone yesterday, which must count for something. Right? Well, in order to make up for my bad-daughter status, I thought I’d wish my daddio a huge Happy Father’s Day on my blog. And, taking a cue from Amy, I thought I’d offer a couple things I’m really thankful for about my dad.

1. I’m glad we share a similar sense of humor. We must have laughed for at least half of our talk yesterday. Usually we have good chuckles about movies and embarrassing things we’ve done lately. But I can always count on Dad to laugh at my jokes. We repeat the same one-liners and still laugh at You’ve Got Mail’s best line–“Cause it makes my apartment smell mossy!”

2. When I go back to Arizona to visit, my dad and I usually bond at a movie. We generally go see something that Mom isn’t interested in so that we get to hang out just the two of us. I love that we have a special time just to talk alone.

3. Dad was the first person in my family to read The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn long before it was under contract. He told me I wouldn’t find him buying that kind of book at the store, but he was really proud of me. And he told me he believed I would get published.

4. When my publisher did call, Dad was the first call I made. I told him I was scared. What if they were turning me down? He told me it would be okay. Told me that whatever happened, God was still in control. He promised to pray for me … which is I’m sure why my nerves were so much calmer as I talked to my editors. Sure enough, they were offering me a contract. And when I hung up, my dad was the first person I called. He celebrated with me like no one else could.

5. He’s one of the friendliest people I know. At church every Sunday he walks down every row greeting people–and even takes my oldest niece with him most weeks. He really exemplifies loving others and a caring heart.

6. He always gives good advice–but only when I ask for it. 🙂

7. He writes the best coverletters and resumes I’ve ever seen. He always helped me write mine when I was still living at home. Even after. I’d probably have a had a grand total of no jobs since college without him.

And there are a hundred other things I love about you. The Johnson genes run strong, and I’m proud to carry them.

Love you,
E

I’m stoked about more reviews of The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn coming in. They’ve been pretty positive so far–although it does seem that a lot of reviewers agree that the premise is a little improbable. Hmmm … I’ll have to noodle on that.

But you can check out some of my new reviews at these links:
RelzReviewz

read-n-review

I’m busy doing a bunch of online interviews for the book, and I’ll be sure to post links to those here as soon as they go up.

Hoping I haven’t said anything too embarrassing in my interviews until next time. -LJ

Okay, I’m totally a slug this week and missed my Monday Movie and my Tuesday Teaser posts! How can I ever make up for it?

Well, let me present a short video that I hope will begin to atone for my shameful lack of blogging this week: Zack Morris on Jimmy Fallon. If you’re  a Saved by the Bell fan, like I am, you’ll love this clip. If you’re not, watch it anyway. It’s high-lar-ious!

Man, I miss Saturday morning shows.

I submit for your consideration … the perfect eat-while-you’re-driving food:

CORNDOGS

So last Friday, I was headed home from work at about 3:30. During the summer, we’re supposed to get to leave work at 1:00. But a phone call with an author that I really needed to talk with and several packages that needed to be mailed, kept me there for a couple extra hours. So when I finally headed home, I was starving! I hadn’t stopped for lunch, and I’d only had a handful of Wheat Thins at my desk to tide me over.

Somehow, I ended up at Sonic, thinking that tater tots sounded good. But when I pulled up to order, I knew that tater tots would not tide me over until dinner. So I ordered a 99 cent corndog.

I thought I could wait until I got home to dig in to lunch/dinner. Nope. I couldn’t do it. My tummy rumbled, then growled really loudly, so I gave in and plunged my hand into my Sonic bag. I emerged with a corndog on a stick. And you know what? It was easier to eat than any other food I’ve ever tried to down while driving.

No fear of things melting onto my lap or dropping greasy fries on my pants. It was perfect!

So next time you’re looking for a quick meal on the go, try a corndog. They really are perfect for the road and not just for kids! And quite tasty too. 😉

Wondering when my next corndog run will be until next time. -LJ

MizB of Should Be Reading hosts the Teaser Tuesdays weekly event

Here are the rules:
* Grab your current read
* Let the book fall open to a random page
* Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12
*You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
* Please avoid spoilers!

This week’s teaser is:
“What was wrong with him? He’d stood her up a week and a half ago, and she’d been avoiding his calls since then. Why wasn’t he getting the hint?”
pg. 93 – Stand-In Groom by Kaye Dacus

– I picked this book up at Family Christian Store a couple months back, and it’s been on my to-read list for so long. I just love the concept and the cover, but I’ve been so far behind in my reading. But after spending all month visiting the author’s, Kaye Dacus, blog all during the month of May, I decided I couldn’t wait any more. I’m loving it! 🙂 I bet you’ll enjoy it too.

So I have to give a huge shout out to Kaye Dacus, a Barbour and Harvest House author. She’s been hosting a Double the Fun contest on her blog all during the month of May to promote her two new books releasing July 1, Menu for Romance and Ransome’s Honor.  

So I’ve fully been enjoying reading Kaye’s blog and commenting on it. And I wrote a short story that won! You can read my winning entry here.

Thanks again to Kaye and her judges. I so enjoyed entering and am absolutely delighted that I won. I can’t wait to read her new books.

Wondering how I’ll spend my Amazon gift card prize until next time. -LJ

Since, I’m late in writing this, I won’t go as indepth as I usually do on my Monday Movies. So this weekend, my friends Jess and Jess came over to watch the new episode of Pushing Daisies. (That sound is me weeping for PD being cancelled.) So Jess B. left after the show–she had errands. Whatever that’s about. 🙂

Jess L. wasn’t ready to go home yet, so we decided to watch The Prestige, which is one of the most twisted movies I’ve ever seen. The twists and turns just keep coming until the very end. It’s dark and a little bit creepy. And at its heart, it’s an exploration of one man’s obsession and the lengths he’ll go to beat his competition.

May I recommend not watching this when you’re home alone? 🙂

Totally freaking myself out when I watch this alone until next time. -LJ