Did you get a chance to see Cindy Woodsmall on ABC Nightline last night? If not, visit this link to see the whole segment on Amish fiction. It was great! Enjoy and leave a comment if you like.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7684044

Just can’t wait to start reading The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn? Sure that July 14th won’t come soon enough? Swing by Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and you too, can read an excerpt from the first chapter. Here’s a link to the amazon page. Just scroll down a bit and get yourself hooked. 🙂 And don’t forget that you can read the whole book starting July 14, available in stores all over–Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Kidnapping-Kenzie-Steeple-Inspired-Suspense/dp/037344348X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243394725&sr=8-1

Okay, so lately, I feel like I’ve been so busy that the only posts I get to do are my weekly standards: Monday Movies, Teaser Tuesdays, and Friday Favorites. While I really love them, I miss just random posts about whatever is going on. So tonight, I’m putting down the Robin Hood (stay tuned soon for a coming Friday Favorite) and offering you something completely random that I’ve just discovered thanks to Mark Lee (he’s the guitarist from Third Day) tweets.

Welcome to: www.runpee.com. Can you hold it?

This is the beta version of a website set up to help you know when you can run pee during current movies, and there aren’t runpee times set up for every movie yet, but there are some for the big recent releases. And warning–there may be some off color language, etc. You’ve been warned.

But this is a really funny website. Seriously, check it out.

And don’t worry. I’ll try to lose another library book or something exciting soon.

Planning my run pee times for Star Trek this weekend. -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:
“He’d been four years younger than she was now when he began moving about the country, free of all Amish restraints. But when he was twenty-three, his stepmother ahd called, telling him his Daed was ill and the family needed him.”
The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall

– I’ve already revealed myself as a cheater in the Teaser Tuesday department, and this week is no exception. Right now I’m reading the brand new manuscript from Cindy Woodsmall. The book comes out in August, and I’m so excited. It’s amazing! Even if you’re not a fan of Amish fiction, you can’t miss out on New York Times bestseller Cindy’s phenomenal writing. She’s great! 🙂 Enjoy!

I’ve had a really, really strange weekend. I’ve spent much of me weekend writing pitches and press releases for my book. But that’s what I do all week at work for other people’s books.

I’ve been organizing a blog tour for Kenzie’s release and lining up web reviewers, people who I have the privilege of working with during my day job. They are such a sweet, kind group, and I love working with them!

But it’s really very strange, this feeling of working with them on personal and professional levels, asking them to to review something so personal to me. They’ve come out in droves, and I totally owe them. So thanks to all of them. You’ll see their websites listed here throughout the summer, as I’ll link to fun coverage of Kenzie and interviews with me. 🙂 Hope you’ll go visit the sites when I post links.

Feeling like I’m in the Twilight Zone until next time. -LJ

Well, at least my yesterday in pictures …

I was just hanging out last night–checking e-mail and such–when the doorbell rang. I hopped up to see who it was, and there was no one there. So I looked down and saw.

So I squealed a little, yanked up the box and ran into the kitchen, hollering at Amy to hurry up and join me. She arrived in time to snap this shot.

And then the angels sang and there were books. Actual, final copies of The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn. With my name on them!

July 14 is the big day, and the book is available for pre-order on Amazon, CBD, Barnes and Noble, and more!

Tempted to sleep with my new book under my pillow until next time. (Is that weird?) -LJ

I thought it was about time I posted another short story on my page of shorts (no, that’s not the clothing). I do love a good short story, and I’m thrilled to offer another of my brain childs (brain children?). Without further ado, I present Saving Himself.

Hoping you enjoy my shorts as much as I do until next time. -LJ

So I’m a bit behind in my blogging the last couple weeks. We’re going to blame that 100% on the last-minute edits I was trying to get done on my WIP (work in progress, for you non-writing readers out there). But it’s done and sent in, and now we wait. And brainstorm the next book idea which is already coming together.

So last Friday, my cube-mate Ashley had a word–from the weatherman–that we were going to have a snow day in April in  Colorado Springs. Certain companies who shall remain nameless closed down for “precautionary” measures. My company, not so much. So I tooled to work on the decidedly un-crowded streets. I got lots of work done in the morning and was quite proud of myself.

And then the snow came over the mountains and began dumping on us at about noon. The office started buzzing with rumors of an early release. And then came the official announcement. We were all to go home at 2:00.

So a little after 2, I battled the elements to get to my car, managed to scrape it off wearing gloves and not socks this time (if you haven’t heard my sock story yet … well, probably be thankful … or just ask; I’ll share). I g0t in my car and got approximately 3 minutes from work before the sun started shining and the snow stopped coming.

Pretty soon I was home and I felt like I had an entire extra day to my weekend. I was loving it! 🙂 But even though the sun was out, our driveway was covered in snow. So Amy and I bundled up and headed out to shovel it. You can read Amy’s account of the day here, complete with pictures. But I will say she doesn’t have all of her facts straight. She claims a snowball may have hit me by accident. I know it was completely malicious intent on her part when that  weapon was hurled at my head. But not to fear. I totally retaliated. I don’t know when I last had a snowball fight, but it was awesome! Probably because it was rather short and not completely frigid outside.

Anyway, we ended up making a snow woman (she definitely had a skirt), and Amy has a picture of her up too. I haven’t managed to download my pictures yet.

And by 2:00 the next day all the snow in our front yard had melted–taking our snow woman with.

Ah, that’s spring in the Rockies.

Loving the 70 degree weather until it starts snowing again (probably next week). -LJ