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Happy Halloween, from me… and my favorite costumed characters!

The Crimson Five’s skit was one of my favorite scenes to write, and their costumes were so much fun to think up. Need a last-minute costume idea? Spin the Golden Light Bulb has you covered:

• Kia: a dreamy-eyed little girl in pigtails, yellow overall shorts, and 10 rings

• Ander: a silly dancing jester in baseball pants, a vest with pointed shoulders, and a jester’s hat

• Jillian: a dramatic towns woman in a sparkly pink flapper dress, pearls, long white gloves, and a feather boa

• Mare: a bratty teen in a mini skirt, boots, choker necklace, and snapping gum

• Jax: an eccentric gatekeeper in a black top hat, cape, and very serious face

• Or you could always dress up as my personal favorite, their team preceptor: bubbly Seraphina, who would never be seen without a purple outfit of any type, purple platform heels, purple lipstick, and purple nail polish.

Have a fun day, everyone…I hope you see lots of creative costumes tonight!

And ready or not, it’s almost that time… Let’s hope they come! Or I’ll be forced to eat all this candy myself, along with the five extra bags that are waiting in the wings!

If you happen to be on Instagram, check out my post tomorrow. I’m doing a paperback giveaway of the Crimson Five books and I’d love for you to win!

Stay safe tonight! And don’t forget to save some candy for the kids!

Have you ever thought about who you’ll dedicate your book to once it gets published? Or dreamed of writing the acknowledgments page? I bet you have. Writers imagine all sorts of things while writing their manuscripts and especially while out on submission. I most definitely did! Only, I never imagined the process of writing them would be so hard! Yesterday, I began the process of writing mine for Pop the Bronze Balloon and a couple of thoughts overwhelmed me: First, I cannot believe I’m writing this page for my third book, and second, this is just as difficult as it was the first time around! 

So because your book will get published one day, and I want you to be ready for it, I thought I’d tell you what it’s really like when you get that email from your editor that says: “Hey, just thought I’d check in. I meant to ask you… do you want a dedication page and an acknowledgment page in your book? If you do, I need them both ASAP!”

Um, yes! And oh, no! 

That’s when you drop everything and take a deep breath because you need to get your thoughts on paper like yesterday!

Okay. It’s fine. No big deal. Just one of the most important pages you’ll ever write. But you’ve got this. You’ve written a whole book. How hard can it to be to write a few paragraphs thanking a few people? 

Well, it is a little daunting. So, before you get started, here’s the deal:

10 things that will most certainly happen as you write your acknowledgments: 

1. You’ve probably read hundreds of books through the years including every author’s acknowledgment page, but once you sit down to a blank screen to write your own, you have the terrible realization that you don’t actually know how to write an acknowledgment page. So, you grab the closest books to you and flip through the pages hoping to find a formula. That’s when you quickly realize…they’re isn’t one. 
2. You’ll sob uncontrollably while writing them. The process of thanking the people who played a role in getting your 1st book published will feel like a therapy session turned trip down memory lane. And you’ll have an impossible time seeing the keyboard as you write. 
3. A few paragraphs? Not likely. When you finally do get your thoughts down onto the page, it will probably read like an academy award acceptance speech. But longer. How can it not? So many people have played a role and you’ll feel like it’s your only chance to thank everyone because you may never get another book published again. And to be honest, there are a lot of people to thank. From your family and critique partners to your agent, editors, and publishing team there’s so many! Not to mention your friends, pets, and favorite coffee. The list is never ending!
4. You’ll panic that you forgot someone. And panic some more. But trust me. You didn’t forget anyone because remember, your page is now is longer than your first chapter.
5. You’ll try to write it in a humorous, witty, or other authorly way and it sounds terrible. But soon you’ll discover that if you write from the heart, the theme or tone you use doesn’t really matter. 
6. You’ll revise, edit, and proofread it more times than some of your chapters. Because it’s your first book… and you are determined to get it just right. 
7. You’ll be overwhelmed with gratitude because even though you spent years and worked incredibly hard on this book, it would have never been possible without all of these people working just as hard on your behalf.
8. If you haven’t already, you’ll decide which person or people the book will be dedicated to. And it will feel like the most important decision of your life. It did for me anyway.
9. You’ll stare at the page and wonder what life this is that you’re living, that this is really real. Your book will soon be published and you’re not dreaming any more. 
10. And then you’ll reread the page one last time, sob some more, attach it to the email, and hit send…probably with a very happy heart. ❤

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. I’m so grateful you did! I’m off to polish up my dedication page for Pop the Bronze Balloon today. But first, I’m cheering for all of you reading this who are hoping, dreaming, and wishing that someday you’ll be doing the same for your own book. Never stop believing it will happen. Your time is closer than you think and I can’t wait to read your acknowledgment page one day soon!

If you guys are interested in reading Spin the Golden Light Bulb, Flip the Silver Switch, or Pop the Bronze Balloon just add them to your Goodreads account or requests them at your local library. Both are free! The purchase links can be found on my book pages here as well so if you’re looking to buy them as a gift, or to read yourself, you can always do that too.

And as a nudge, if any of you have read any of the books (and like them!), it would help me out if you left a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Goodreads. Teachers, parents, librarians…any readers really, use those reviews to determine whether they should purchase . So if you have a second, I would appreciate it! As always…Thank you so much!

Hello there! I’ve missed you guys. I mean, I’ve really have! I hope this summer was all you hoped it would be—or at least some of what you hoped it would be. I hope you were able to read a little, write a little, or even travel a little. I hope you were able to enjoy the sunshine and spend time with your favorite people—or revel in some alone time too.

The last time I checked in with you, our family was in the process of moving. My husband and I sold our house of twenty six years (I know, right?!), packed it up, and moved with our two college kids about thirty minutes east to a brand new area—a brand new house. No small task when you’re dealing with so many years of memories and so many years of life. The move was some parts easy, some parts stressful, and a really long process. Some days I was an emotional mess, some days I was physically wrecked, some days I floated on cloud nine, some days I worked on auto pilot. My writing and blogging took a back seat, that’s for sure. But now that we’re in and mostly settled, I’m so glad we made the move. I love our new home and even though a few boxes are still sprinkled throughout every room and we have projects galore to tackle, I feel energized by this new space and refreshed. And definitely ready to get back to writing. How lucky am I that this is my new writing view?

I had a long conversation with my husband and son about goals recently. It was the night before my son moved back to college for his second cross country preseason. He was struggling with his running goals, trying to pin-point what he hoped to accomplish this season. He was worried that after running for so many years, he had lost his love for the sport—not a good feeling the night before his official training was to begin. My husband had some wise words for him…ones that got me thinking about my own goals for writing.

He asked him why he had joined the cross country team way back in seventh grade. Was it because he loved running? Or something else? He responded, “I joined because I wanted to be on a team with nice kids and I had a feeling I could be good at it… I wanted to run in college.”

We proceded to talk about goal setting and my son soon realized he had set a goal for himself way back in seventh grade. His whole high school life revolved around doing what it took to achieve his goal. And he did it! He was recruited to run for his first choice college and he did. He achieved his goal.  

But the funny thing about goals is that once you achieve them, what’s next?

I think sometimes there’s a bit of a letdown. It happened to my son and it happened to me.

I know exactly how it feels to flounder and lose focus after you achieve your goal. It feels awful.

As some of you know, I spent 8 years trying to get an agent. If you don’t know my story, you can read about it here. It was ten years before I got a book deal. You can read about that story here. My dream came true when my middle grade novel Spin the Golden Light Bulb debuted in January, 2018 and because my book deal was for two books, the second, Flip the Silver Switch released later that summer. It was a whirlwind for sure and I’m still trying to believe that I really do have two published books!

But for the last year, I’ve sort of worked on auto pilot when it comes to writing and all that comes along with being published. I signed a contract for a third book in the series, which I know is a very huge deal, and I’m so grateful. But writing that book was so much harder. I wrote it on proposal. I wrote it on a deadline. I wrote it while trying to help promote two books, do Skype classroom visits, in person classroom visits, a bunch of book signings, and mentor a fifth grade class. It may sound like a dream come true for some writers and believe me, in some ways it most definitely was! I still pinch myself that this is actually real!

But at the same time, it’s been a little overwhelming. My writing hobby quickly turned into a job and a crazy juggling act. And I’m a terrible juggler! I found myself saying yes to more than I can handle and no to things I love. I found myself reacting to my own life instead of choosing my own path. That’s why this chat about goals really resonated with me.

Where was my focus now that my publishing dream had finally come true? What was my goal anyway? To sign with a literary agent? Yes. To get my book published? Yes. But what then? Was my goal to do school visits? Book as many book signings as possible? What were the things about being published that I was hoping to achieve that I couldn’t as an unpublished author?

It took some serious thought, but I’ve realized a few things. One is that I just really love to write stories. I also love to blog here and interact with other writers. And I love talking to kids and writers about chasing their dreams—even when those dreams seem so far out of reach. My goal is to write things that resonate with readers and inspire them to chase their dreams—through my middle grade books and through my writing focused blog posts.

The book signings and in-person school visits are a bonus, but they take time to prepare for—time away from my family and from writing. Skype visits are more manageable and they still allow me time to interact with kids. That leaves me more time to blog to my heart’s content which will hopefully inspire more of you! It also leaves me more time to write middle grade books.

So this fall, I’m getting back to the basics. I’m re-focusing my writing. I’ll be writing more and blogging more.  Just saying this makes me feel more energized than I have in a very long time! So stay tuned because the swirl and spark blog  is about to sparkle once again! I’ll also be posting more on Instagram (because I love it!) so follow me there if you aren’t already. I love the positive, creative vibe there—so many great accounts to follow! You can find me by searching Jackie Yeager.

I hope reading this post helps you to realize that if you’re in a writing funk or just feel like you’re floundering a little in your every day life, maybe it means you need to find the joy in what you’re doing again. Or maybe you need to re-focus your goals. Fall is the perfect time to do both. We weren’t put on this earth just to flounder. We were put here to thrive. So use this first week in September to re-write your goals. Make a plan to chase your dreams. They’re yours for the taking!

I know you can do it. If I can write a whole book you can. If I can sign with a literary agent, you can. If I can get a book published by a fantastic publisher, illustated by a spectacular artist, you can. If kids all over the country can read my books, someday they can be reading yours too. I believe that and I hope you do too!

If you’ve been clicking around my website, you may have noticed that the release date for POP THE BRONZE BALLOON has been pushed back to 2020. Publishing is a crazy business sometimes and this is one of those times! But it’s all good. This book will be worth the wait , I promise! I’ll keep you posted on the actual release date when I have it. In the meantime, if you haven’t had a chance to read Spin the Golden Light Bulb or Flip the Silver Switch and you’d like to, they are now both out in paperback! I’m still pinching myself about that one too! Click on the links below for the details.  

Spin the Golden Light Bulb

Flip the Silver Switch

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Now I’m off to work on copy edits for Pop the Bronze Balloon and then my WIP, a new middle grade project that’s un-related to the Crimson Five books. I’m over the top excited for this one! Wish me luck and have a fantastic week, everyone… I’m wishing you luck on your projects today too!

After gushing about my literary agent, Rebecca Angus for so long, I finally get to gush about her as a writer too! Tomorrow is a HUGE day for her…she becomes a published author! I’m so excited to help her celebrate by welcoming her to the blog today and telling you about her book. But first, here’s a sneak peek…

Inspired by Texas history, WHERE WE FIRST BEGAN is Rebecca’s debut novel—a retelling of the Alamo with a modern twist. Published by Red Adept Publishing on July 9, 2019, it features Texas A & M University as well. I can hardly wait to read it myself!

Congratulations, Rebecca! Your hard work, perseverance, and patience have paid off. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with all of us today. Cheers to you tomorrow on release day. I have a strong feeling that your story will be read far and wide!

Before I share the gorgeous book cover, Rebecca’s Bio, the book blurb, and the purchase link, I thought it would be fun to pick her brain a little with 9 quick questions…in honor of her book’s July 9^th birthday!

1. You’re a writer and a literary agent. When in the world do you find time to write? Is it every day for a few minutes or do you write in spurts when you have a pocket of time?

I actually find the author part more daunting. I have a really good routine when it comes to working as an agent. However, when it comes to prioritizing my own books and writing, I definitely feel the pressure. I have to schedule writing time, and that can be difficult. Most days I find time after Mini Agent has gone to bed to put in an hour or two of writing, but I do try and write wherever I can hide from the 3-year old. Sometimes it’s the bedroom. Other times it’s the bathroom. Possibly under the bed or in the closet if that is the only space available. I’m kidding… partially. Really it just comes down to when I have time to write.

2. I’m seriously in awe of all you accomplish in a day! Did you start writing before you were an agent or after?

I started writing before I was an agent, although, writing definitely played a big role in helping me become an agent. My writing journey is pretty typical. I was a book obsessed teenager with a writing dream of my own, but it wasn’t until right after college that I started writing seriously. I am a military spouse and I met my husband at Texas A&M University. We got married our senior year of college and he deployed to Afghanistan the year after. While he was deployed, I had been living in Washington away from my friends and family and I turned to writing as a way to combat the stress and loneliness that I felt during that first deployment. I actually wrote WHERE WE FIRST BEGAN in 28 days during that time, and dove straight into revisions shortly after. A few months later I found my literary agent, Jessica. She has been an amazing champion for this book!

3. 28 Days? That’s amazing! Writing can be such a blessing in the toughest of times. It sounds like it certainly was for you. Where did the story idea for WHERE WE FIRST BEGAN first come from?

Well, I knew this question would come eventually, but my husband inspired this story… yes—that is very awkward for me to admit. I drew so much inspiration from our time at Texas A&M, and my experiences as a military wife. Our love story began at A&M, so the love story central to WHERE WE FIRST BEGAN also parallels to those same themes. The main character, Tapley, was actually inspired by Tapley Holland who was the youngest defender of the Alamo, and played a significant role in the history of the Alamo itself. We loved the name Tapley so much that we named our son after him as well. There is so much history in this story, but there is also so much of my own life in it as well that it’s very personal. It took me awhile to come to terms with the fact that people are going to read these words that I wrote and experience my own feelings in their own way. It’s a very vulnerable but exciting feeling as an Author.

4. Is it awkward for me to say that I can’t wait to read about your love story? The time period, the setting, and your inspiration for the story have me dying to read this immediately! Tapley is such a great name too. How cool it is that your son now shares the name too. I seriously love that! So, how long did it take you to write the manuscript (including revisions) … and to get it published?

WHERE WE FIRST BEGAN was a solid 28 days of writing from the heart. Every emotion, insecurity, and frustration I felt being a military wife was put into that story, and I didn’t outline any of it. While I knocked the book out very fast, I will never pants an entire story again. I definitely prefer going into a story more organized. However, sometimes the characters in the story have a mind of their own and your plan of action can completely change. Don’t be afraid of change in the story—work with your character. After all, it’s their story. I found my agent a few months later, but it took us a solid year of revising and changes before it was submissions ready. I received the publication offer in January of 2018.

5. I’m guessing that’s a day you’ll never forget… and that’s such great writing advice for any writer drafting a novel. Who’s your favorite character in the story?

Definitely Tapley. You can’t help but fall in love with him. He’s loyal to a fault, but he’s brave and honest and he’s not afraid to fight for what he wants.

6. Tapley sounds like an amazing MC, with such noble qualities. In your spare time, when you’re not writing or working as a literary agent, what do you like to do?

My happy place is on the back of a horse. I have been riding horses since I was five, and I have the most amazing tall, dark, and handsome one my life named Marcas (I’m talking about my horse, of course). He’s my shoulder when I need to cry, my best friend. When I’m not at the barn you can most likely find me chasing my son around or building garages for his hot wheels out of Legos.

7. Marcus sounds almost as amazing as your MC…and I can picture the Lego’s scattered around your house while you write! Do you have any writing rituals like a favorite drink, spot to write, or music to listen to?

Wine. All of the wine! Writing is my calm down ritual for the day and I always partner it with a glass of wine in my favorite Doctor Who mug. As for my favorite writing spot…I think the answer is wherever it’s quiet. I do create a playlist for each of my WIPs that I listen to while I’m writing.

8. My mug is usually filled with coffee and flavored creamer, but maybe I should try wine. That does sound like a better writing sidekick! What will you do to celebrate on release day?

Can I use wine as an answer again? We have a special Texas bottle of wine that we’ve been saving for my release day. My husband is actually out in the field this week doing Army things, so we are going to celebrate on Saturday when he gets home.

9. That sounds lovely and just know that you have a whole team of clients, including me, and so many others who will be toasting you tomorrow! You, without a doubt, deserve the celebration! So lastly, for all the writers who are wishing for the news that their manuscript will one day be turned into a book, what piece of advice would you give them?

Everyone has their own writing journey. It can happen at different stages of your life, at different paces, and at different levels. Whatever your writing journey is, focus on your individual successes and try not to get caught longing for the successes of others. I know I give that speech to my authors on a weekly basis, but I frequently have to remind myself of the same thing. This is my writing journey and it will be what I make it, not what others perceive it as.

Thanks for the reminder, Rebecca. That’s such an important message for all of us to remember. Especially in this world of social media where so many other writers are sharing their journeys. It’s a blessing and a curse to know what else is happening around us!

On that note, here’s a little bit more info on Rebecca, including social media links, so you can learn even more about her as an author and as an agent…and her debut novel. It sounds amazing and I seriously cannot wait to crack my copy open!

Bio:

Rebecca Angus is a Senior Literary Agent with Golden Wheat Literary, and romance author.​ Rebecca has over five years of experience in the Publishing industry, and she’s excited to work with new authors and illustrators. She started as an editorial and submissions intern at Entangled in 2014, and from there she moved into an intern position at Golden Wheat Literary. After interning on both the publishing side, and the agent side, she set her sights on becoming a Literary Agent and found her home at Golden Wheat Literary.

​When she’s away from books, she is an Army wife, science teacher, toddler chasing Mom, and equestrian. The military moves her family way too much. She lives in El Paso, Texas with her family. 

​​Rebecca is a supporter of diversity and inclusion in publishing, and she is a member of SCBWI NM. 

Here’s she is doing what she loves…

Book Blurb of WHERE WE FIRST BEGAN:

When Aubrey Harrison wrecks her truck on the side of a dark Texas highway, she wakes up in the year 1836, in another woman’s life—someone who looks just like her. Struggling to understand her new reality, Aubrey connects with Tapley, a handsome cattleman with a tragic past.

As Mexican soldiers begin to fill the small settlement, Aubrey recognizes the first sign of a deadly battle yet to come. A bargain to save her new family’s cattle business leads to murder, and Aubrey is forced to take shelter within the walls of the Alamo, even though she knows that’s the worst place she could be.

The fate of Texas was sealed before the battle ever began, but with it, a new love may now be lost somewhere between the past and the present. An attempt to change fate comes with the high price of Aubrey’s future, but she’s determined to give history a fight it will never forget.

And here’s her gorgeous book cover…

To follow Rebecca and purchase WHERE WE FIRST BEGAN:

Twitter: @R_Elisewrites

Website: Rebeccaangusbooks.com

To Purchase:

Thanks, everyone for stopping by the blog today. I hope you have a spectacular day, doing something you love! Don’t forget to connect with me on Instagram or Twitter if you haven’t already. That’s where I spend most of my social media time lately. The links are on the side bar. And until we chat again, as always…

Think More. Work Hard. Dream Big!

Jackie ❤

Good morning, you guys!

I thought it was high time I checked in with you! I hope you’re all doing well. I’ve been off the charts out of touch for a bit and I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to. I may ramble a bit, but I guess you’re all used to that—especially when we have so much to catch up on!

The last time I checked in with you here, it was January. The snow was falling and I was chin deep in slush while drafting Pop the Bronze Balloon,  the third book in THE CRIMSON FIVE series. At the same time, I had just brought my son back to college for his spring semester. I was also getting ready to move my daughter to Orlando for a semester long internship at Walt Disney World. Besides all that, my husband and I were in the midst of house projects. So many house projects. After 26 years in our current home, we had the brilliant idea to embark on a new adventure…put our house on the market and move into something new in the spring.

So many people have asked us if we were bored while the kids were away. Well, if you know me at all, you can imagine that I missed them terribly! But we were definitely not bored. The house projects were endless. My draft took longer than expected. Revisions after that took forever. I’m only now at a place where I can truly say that I love this book! I’m gearing up for another small revision round before it goes to the editing team but we are getting there. The release date has been pushed back to November, but it’s totally fine with me. In the scope if things, a few more months won’t matter and the finished book will be better!

As far as the house projects go, they paid off! We put it on the market a few weeks ago and I can hardly believe it, but it sold in two days. We have a hot real estate market happening around here right now and it certainly worked in our favor. It’s been such a bittersweet process making the decision to leave the home we love though. It’s the only home my husband and I have ever lived in together and the only home our kids have ever known. We’ve made amazing friends here and I wouldn’t have wanted to raise our family anyplace else. But as amazing as it has been to call this house, this neighborhood, and this town our home… we’re all ready for a change. Even though the kids will only live with us for a few more years, we are seriously bursting at the seams and have been for so long! We’re all ready to live someplace new and to make more memories together. Besides, our family will only get bigger and it’ll be nice to have room for everyone—however often they stop by!

The neighborhood we’re moving to is only thirty minutes away from where we are now and our new house is perfect for us. It needs some updating and TLC but I’m on it. Besides writing, interior design is my secret passion. I’m so grateful that I’ll have a blank slate to work with soon and a new place for all of us to call home!

That’s pretty much why I stepped away from this blog for awhile. Between house and book projects, I was simply overwhelmed! But now that my revisions are turned in and we have a closing date, I can breath while I pack for a few weeks. I can also share some fun news with you…

Both Spin the Golden Light Bulb and Flip the Silver Switch are releasing in paperack! That’s right. The Crimson Five book series will be available on August 20,2019 in a sparkly new format! I’m so excited. As much as I adore hardcover books, paperbacks are so much more accessible to readers and for many people easier to read! Plus, they’re both updated editions. More on that later but for now I will say that I’m thrilled with these editions and I cannot wait to hold them in my hands! My author copies should arrive soon and I will definitely share pictures. 

As we all know, our kids procrastinate when it comes to summer reading. So if you’re so inclined, both books are available for preorder from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and indiebound. All you have to do is order and they’ll magically appear in your mailbox, just in time for your kiddos to meet their summer reading quota—and discover a new series in the process! Besides, Pop the Bronze Balloon releases later this fall and they’ll definitly want to read the first two first.

Thanks for stopping by to hear my life’s story—I mean update! I hope your life update is a positive one too. But take it from me, if you’re overwhelmed, it does get better—eventually!

Have a sparkly day, sweet friends and until we chat again…

Think More. Work Hard. Dream Big!

Jackie ❤