Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend

Many of you follow along with my writing career, and today, I’m asking for your help.

My agent wants me to form a street team. What is a street team? It’s a group of people who actively participate in helping me market my books.

What do they do? They post on social media for me, they write reviews and they recommend me to others. I’ll post a request for something each week and my street team members will do what I ask some time during that week. Unless there’s something crazy going on, there won’t be more than one request a week.

What do they get? They get free copies of my books, swag and the chance to win prizes. They also are the first to learn about my upcoming releases, help me decide on covers and they get behind-the-scenes looks at what goes in to making my stories into books.

A street team allows me to reach people I wouldn’t normally reach. Remember that Faberge shampoo commercial from the 1980’s: “I told two friends and they told two friends and so on and so on.” 

Well, a street team works the same way.

So how can you help? If you think you might be interested in being on my street team, please go to this website: http://jenniferwilckstreetteam.blogspot.com Click on the tabs and it will give you all the information you need. Next, go to this Facebook group page and ask to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/749451931834130/ That’s where I’ll be posting what I need from you each week. If you’re not interested in being part of my street team, but know someone who might be, please pass the information along. The more people who help me, the better chance I have of getting my books in the hands of more readers.

Mother's Day

The theme of this Mother’s Day was relaxation.

The Princess bought me a sign that says, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” It’s my newest favorite saying, and it means don’t get involved in things that don’t concern you. It’s something I have to remind myself of in many areas of my life. It’s now hanging on my desk and makes me smile every time I see it.

Banana Girl bought me grown-up coloring books and colored pencils. The coloring books are intricate designs and as soon as I saw them I knew I wanted them. I started coloring in the flower book she got me and I’m having so much fun. The problem with being a writer when it comes to relaxing is either I can’t turn off my brain, meaning that I critique what I read or study things for use in future stories; or I use my writing to relax, which is nice, but not much of a break. I’m also on social media too much and having the coloring books will keep me occupied and give me the necessary breaks I need.

And the husband gave me Reeses! To be fair, I received my Mother’s Day gift early from him—the two new light fixtures that go with our newly painted downstairs—but he wanted me to have something to actually open on Mother’s Day, and he knows Reeses are my favorites.

Chocolate, a snarky phrase and coloring. Perfect for me!

Notice the light fixture in the background.

Talking To My Kids

I’ve been setting up some interviews and both people that I’m going to speak with suggested between two and four in the afternoon. I accepted, as I need to speak with them, and my reasoning was that it was okay because my kids are going to be late coming home from school today.

At first glance, it appears that I have young kids who can’t be unsupervised. I don’t. Both of mine are teenagers. And for a moment, I wondered why I had given that excuse. And then it hit me.

There is a lot of silence in my house these days. Amazing, when you consider that I have two chatty girls, and one of those chatty girls thinks talking and breathing are intimately connected. But they are teenagers and they both value their alone time. Neither one seeks me out all that often to talk to me.

Except for when they first walk in the door after school. Then they are talkative. They want to tell me everything about their day, although little of what they tell me has anything to do with academics. That talkative time lasts for a limited period. And once it’s over, it’s over.

So although my kids really are self sufficient, I don’t want to miss out on hearing about their day. I don’t want to gloss over the stories that are “too long to text” and have to wait until they get home. Because if I’m not there, I won’t hear it.

And then I’m missing out.

Jenny Hits the Jackpot--SALE

I'd like to welcome Lori J. Gordon to my blog today. She and I have been friends for several years now, and I'm thrilled to help her celebrate a recent review of her latest book, Jenny Hits the Jackpot.

Hi Jennifer,

I want to thank you for helping me celebrate my recent review for Jenny Hits the Jackpot.

In honor of the review Readers can purchase a Kindle Edition for only .99 May 7th-10^th.

Jenny Hits the Jackpot has special meaning to me because it was written with the help and inspiration of my best friend, Katrina Davis. We actually dreamt up this story while playing slot machines at the very Casino my Hero and Heroine meet.

Blurb: Celebrating his latest success with a trip to Las Vegas, Business Tycoon Tyler Wells is in for the shock of his life. Electrocuted by a slot machine, he finds himself suspended between life and death, facing the man who holds the key between Heaven and Hell. To save his soul, Tyler will be sent on a mission to prevent a woman from taking her own life--a woman he has wronged in the past.

When her husband left her for another woman, Jenny Spencer was heartbroken.
When her employer told her they were closing their doors for good, she was frustrated.
But learning the man she’d fallen in love with is responsible for her employer’s demise leaves Jenny devastated.

Will Tyler see the error of his ways in time to win back the woman he loves? Or will his pride condemn them both?

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009RNJV88

Links: Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lori-J.-Gordon/e/B00BGS0SR0/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljgordon?fref=nf

Blog: http://wwwlljgordon.wordpress.com

Here is the Link to my review: http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=26927

   

Coffee Time Romance Interview

Hey, I was interviewed by Coffee Time Romance! Check it out: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Interviews/2015/JenniferWilcks.html#.VUeSzc65fFJ

I HATE Elliptical Machines.

I’m starting to think it would be easier for my husband to join a gym (this is said with the full knowledge that I joined one and never go).

A few years ago, I wrote about my “adventures” with our elliptical (you can re-read that here--it's titled, "The Four-Hour Window."). Ultimately, the machine was replaced by a Nordic Track.

Well, it’s starting to make a clunking noise—the noise, which last time, was the precursor to the entire machine breaking in half (maybe I married the Hulk?)—and the fan doesn’t work. Or rather, it doesn’t change speeds.

So my husband asked me to call and have them come out to look at it.

The first time I called, they kept me on hold, played a message that they were experiencing high call volume and that I could leave my number and they’d call me back in the order in which it was received.

Three weeks later, I’m still waiting for a callback.

So, I decided to call again.

It’s been 43 minutes. I’ve been put on hold about five times. They’ve tried to diagnose the problem over the phone, even though I said “The fan doesn’t work and the machine is making a noise.”  They are trying to determine what parts need ordering (how about a fan?). They wanted to know what kind of surface the machine sits on and could I move it somewhere else (no, it’s in my basement and I can’t move it—it’s big!). They wanted me to try the fan to see if it worked (because my husband wouldn’t know if it was working?). They muted me at one point and I’m pretty sure they said nasty things about me because I’m quickly losing my patience.

I’m now waiting for someone else to get on the phone to schedule an appointment.

The woman they gave me to for appointment scheduling can’t understand the previous person’s notes and wants to rediagnose the machine. I’m not sure why they think their phone operators are going to be able to do something that a technician is specially trained to do, but I’m not sitting on the phone for another 49 minutes.

She finally got back to me and informed me, after a total of 59 minutes on the phone, that when the part comes in, I need to call the service place for an appointment.

All of this took an hour?

I think I’m buying my husband a gym membership for Father’s Day. And they are not going to be happy with the results of my "Satisfaction Survey."