L.A., B.E.A., and T.I.R.E.D.

Well that was a nice break at home! Kodi and I returned Wednesday evening, recovered Thursday, and Friday morning I got up at 4:00 to head back to the airport for a flight to L.A. for the annual Book Expo America show. It's the Super Bowl of book conventions with authors, publishers, movie reps, agents, etc.

Quite a few awards are given out dring the week, and we just learned that The Wednesday Letters won the Ben Franklin Award for Audio Book of the Year in the fiction category. Congrats to Art Allen! He's the actor who did the audio performance.

Yesterday I met with folks from Penguin about their paperback plans for The Wednesday Letters. They've got big plans for the August 26th release and it will be interesting to see how they differ in distribution and PR from my hardcover publisher. It's all such a fantastic learning experience.

Today's my official signing of the advance reader copies of Recovering Charles. (1:00-2:00 PM, if you're at BEA) I look forward to hearing reactions from folks; it's always a bit nerve wracking! You can count on about 8 fingers the number of people who've read the book thus far, but that will change in a hurry after today and it's pins and needles waiting to hear feedback.

Finally, I have to post two pictures from Peru. Kodi took these and they might be my favorite from the whole trip. The first was taken as we approached Machu Picchu, the second from just inside the ruins. I love the tree in the second photo. Looks like the tree of life, eh?

I'll be posting many more on my Facebook page if you're interested.

More soon!

Winding down from Peru

Terribly sorry I haven't been able to post more during our trip. Internet access was actually OK most of the time, but I simply didn't have much time to sit and breathe, much less write!

Right now I am sitting in the amazing lobby of the Libertador Hotel in Cusco. It's a fantastic hotel by any standards. I'll try to post video later.

We leave in an hour for the airport to return to Lima. We'll spend the day seeing the sights before heading for the airport this evening and flying home at about midnight. I'll be home in VA in time to greet my kids as they get off the bus tomorrow. Can't wait! I've missed them terribly.

So many unforgettable memories from this trip. People and images I will never forget. I promise to post more - including photos - when I'm home.

Quick not about the panda. I take him everywhere I travel and always send back pictures of his adventures to my wife and kids. In this case, of course, just the kids. This panda has seen his share of excitement, that's for sure! In this pic, Panda is sitting atop the west side of the ruins at Macchu Picchu overlooking the river.

More soon.

Greetings from Peru!

Hola! Kodi and I are safely in Cusco and having a grand old time. Today we see a few more sites near the city and then take a train to Aquas Calientes, the "base camp" - for lack of a better term - for Machu Picchu. Aguas Calientes is probably my favorite little city on the trip. It's tucked tightly between two huge mountain ranges and the houses and hostels are built literally right against the sheer mountain faces.



Here's a photo from yesterday. If possible we'll post again tomorrow after our adventure to Machu Picchu. It's truly one of the most magnificent things I've ever seen, and I can't wait to share it with my wife and a whole new group of travelers.

Adios!

Thanks San Diego!

What a week! I'm frantically trying to get packed and ready to leave for Peru on Wednesday morning. I'll try to check in from the road; we'll see how well I'm able to connect.

My wife Kodi is coming along this year. Thank goodness for grandmothers! Kodi's mom has flown in to watch our four little vandals while we're gone.

Also, I'm embarrassed it's taken me so long to say this, but thanks, thanks, thanks to the many wonderful women who attended the Time Out for Women conference in San Diego last weekend. We had such a great time and I fell in love with your fantastic city.

Most of all I'm so glad I able to see my Aunt Annabelle and crazy Cousin Cheryl. (pictured) Thanks for coming! It's always nice to look out at a crowd of 1,000 faces and see one or two you actually recognize :)

San Diego was my last event of the TOFW spring schedule. This fall I look forward to meeting thousands more wonderful folks in Nashville, Sacramento, Portland, San Antonio, Springfield, and St. Louis.

Sneak peek of Recovering Charles is FINALLY online

Moments ago I posted the long-awaited, much-teased sneak peek of the new novel, Recovering Charles. My fabulous editor is frantically editing so they can go to press with a few thousand ARC's tomorrow. (ARC's are Advance Reading Copies. These are sent to reviewers, book store buyers, managers, newspapers, VIP's etc. They're paperback and are produced quick and cheap.)

So without further ado, click here to read the Prologue, Chapter 1, and a snippet of Chapter 2. I hope it whets yer whistle!

I'm off to a Time Out for Women Event in San Diego. I can't wait to leave my Virginia allergies at the airport...

Win Jason's Hannah Montana tickets

So here's the scoop. Have you heard about the sold out Stadium of Fire event in Provo, Utah on July 4th? This is a huge annual extravaganza, even without Miley Cyrus. Throw in the fact that Glenn Beck is emceeing and you have one of this summer's hottest tickets.

And I have four of them! (and they're great, great seats)

Guess what? I'm going to give them away. No strings, no purchase necessary, no see stores for details, and no some restrictions apply must be 18 to enter nonsense.

The question is, how?

Traditional drawing? A video drawing like I did last time with my kids? A letter writing contest?

I'm open to suggestions. Let's hear them!

Recovering Charles already on Amazon?

What a hoot. A book that I'm still editing is already available for pre-order on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Recovering-Charles-Jason-Wright/dp/1590389646/

The cover isn't up yet, but you can still get your copy ordered today! (hint hint) ;-)

Also, be sure to check back soon for a sneak peak of the Prologue and Chapter One. They should be up by the end of the week.

A rare Sunday at home and the rise of self-publishing

It seems I'm hardly home anymore on Sundays to attend church in my own branch (congregation). So despite some very unfortunate drama between primary and relief society today (don't you love church drama?), it was nice to be among friends and wake up this morning in my own bed.

I often get asked about self-publishing. In fact, it's one of the most common questions I get at signings, speeches, etc. What are the pros? Cons? Have I had any experience with it?

I've never self-published myself, but I know quite a bit about the process from my previous life when I worked in politics and my former think-tank published a couple of books with iUniverse, a very popular print-on-demand publisher.

Today I stumbled across this article in the NYT and I thought it might be worth passing along. It answers a lot of common questions about the process and offers some fascinating numbers on the growth of the industry.

Click here to read.

Wow, who knew I loved Oklahoma?

I've just returned from another terrific Time Out for Women event, this one in Oklahoma City. What a great crowd! They were so receptive and kind. They even put up with me calling my wife, Kodi, on stage at the beginning of my presentation. She said a friendly "hello" to them as I held the mic up to the phone. They shouted back so enthusiastically, Kodi said her ears rang for an hour!

I can't say enough how much I loved meeting these incredible, inspiring women. It seemed every single one had a story to share with me of how a letter, or series of letters, impacted their lives.

On my way to the airport on Saturday we swung by the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. Yesterday was coincidentally the 13th anniversary of that tragic day. I saw people milling about, arms around one another, some with a personal connection, others with no connection other than memories from new coverage. The sights were powerful, but the spirit and resilience I felt from that amazing city will stick me longer than anything I saw with my eyes.

Sincere thanks, again, to the wonderful women who attended for making me (and the other presenters, I'm sure!) feel so welcome. Can't wait to come back!

Thanks to the SVMFG

I just returned from speaking to the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival Guild. Great lunch, great people! Most of all, it was held at the Holiday Inn Express where I lived last week. Now that's good karma.

Many thanks to Melissa Price for twisting my arm and getting me there. For more information about the Festival and the fabulous show they put on each summer, click here.

Thanks to Harpers Ferry!

Last night I drove to Harpers Ferry, WV to speak to the fabulous women (and a few brave men) of the Harpers Ferry Ward and Charles Town Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've done more events like this than I can count over the last four years, but this was honestly one of my very favorite. They were so kind, so welcoming, so funny, so smart!

We talked about Christmas Jars, Wednesday Letters, where the books came from, and this crazy journey I've been on. They even got a sneak peek at the new novel, Recovering Charles, and asked some great questions.

So a big thanks to the gang that put it together, especially Amy and Heidi. It was worth every mile of the drive!

And yes, I'm the plumpish one in the middle between Amy (my right) and her twin sister, April (my left), who just happened to be visiting blustery Rexburg, ID. Thanks for coming all the way out to see me, April! ;-)

And yes, I found a few pounds during the last couple months that I intend to lose again, pronto!

We made it!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Have not slept since Wednesday night and I'm zonked.

My very favorite line of any book is the very last. It's a total thrill to write. What's the very last line of Recovering Charles?

"Alone."

See you when I wake up from hibernation.

8 hours? Can I get a recount?

Wow, so that's what an all-nighter feels like. A few quick notes on my last night at the HIE, Woodstock.

1. Someone, and I'm not naming names, dropped a gummy bear on the floor by the jacuzzi tub and I stepped on it early this morning. Not kidding. It frightened me and cost me 30 minutes of quality writing. I want that tacked on to my deadline this afternoon. Still not kidding.

(Yes, that's an actual photo of the room. No, gummi is not pictured. Yes, that's a tub in the kitchenette. Yes, much like you, I find that creepy.)

2. Even 7-11's in very small towns are scary at 1:30 in the morning. I walked to one (there's only one, it's Woodstock, hello) and was surprised to find I wasn't the only loser looking for some late-night action. (And by action I mean snack food and caffeine. Yes, I said it, caffeine. It's coursing through my veins like a testosterone in a 17-year-old version of myself. Just go with me on this.)

I met several people, including two employees, that looked like they could kill me with a stale Chocolate Zinger in one hand and a red coffee stirrer in the the other. Not kidding. It frightened me and cost me 30 minutes of quality writing. I want that tacked on to my deadline this afternoon. Still not kidding.

3. Some of the best writing thus far happened last night/this morning between the hours of 2-6. I laughed, I cried, I reread what I'd written and cried again because I saw how much editing it would need. The entire experience left me feeling very verklempt. Not kidding. It frightened me and cost me 30 minutes of...

Yikes. I've just wasted 12 minutes writing about how much time I lost last night. I've got 8 hours or so to wrap this thing up. It's going to be tight!

Note to my editor, EBS: I know you're reading this. Don't panic. This is going to be the best short story you've ever read!

34 hours to go, but who's counting?

I'm waaaaay behind schedule today. I awoke in my hotel room after a late night of writing with guilt because I had Idol Gives Back on the television in the background. (But not so guilty I didn't hoot and holler for Miley, mind you.)

Yesterday I'd promised my girls I'd sneak them into the hotel for the freebie breakfast and take them to school. So I raced home. (Yeah yeah, I know, that still sounds weird, raced home from a hotel room 1.5 miles from my front door.) They were eagerly awaiting me.

We drove back to the hotel, did a Mission Impossible entrance into the lobby and ate breakfast together. Laughs were had, cinnamon rolls were eaten, milk was spilled. Good times.

Then I dropped them off at school and returned to my home away-from-home for my last full day of writing.

Manuscript is due by email tomorrow by 7:00 PM, EST. And that, my friends, is why I picked a publisher out west. Every hour counts!

3 days to deadline and I seriously need a massage

I've never sat still for so long in my life. My neck, back and fannie are killing me!

Yesterday was productive, but in a different way. I did a fair amount of editing and fine tuning plot elements from Part I of the novel. I wish I'd moved forward more, but it's a better book now than 24 hours ago, and that's always the goal.

This morning at breakfast I was chatting with one of the employees who'd begun to wonder why I'd been in the hotel for three days but hadn't left to sightsee, go to a meeting, etc. I briefly explained why I was there and he said, "You're an author?"

What I actually said next: "Yes."

What I should have said next: No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

4 days to deadline. Where's Waldo?

I am so glad my parents didn't name me Waldo. Nothing against the Waldo's of the world, but I can't imagine the teasing. It was bad enough that my middle name was Fletcher and I hit adolescence during the raging popularity of the two Fletch! movies starring Chevy Chase. (not the bank, the actor)

With 4 days to go I've checked into a hotel about a mile from my house. Strange, I know. My family came and brought me dinner last night and the kids ran around the lobby while I ate a taco salad with my uber-patient wife.

I feel very good about what I've produced in the last 48 hours and I'm anxious to know what you all think. I expect to post a teaser sometime over the weekend.

A funny side note: I needed a snack late yesterday to get me through my last hour of writing at the end of a 16-hour day. So I bought a Snicker's bar (approved as a tasty treat by 4 out of 5 writers) and took it out of the package. Printed on the inside of the wrapper was this terrific quote:

Nougatocity (noun). A heightened yet fleeting state of accomplishment that makes you realize how unbelievably unmotivated you normally are.

Classic :)

Please tell me it's not Friday night!

OK, more like early Saturday morning. I'm taking a short break to check email and let all seven of my loyal fans know I'm still alive.

Only 6 days to go! (Actually 6.5 if you predict that I'll be writing until Friday afternoon when the manuscript must be delivered. I think they call that an "even money" bet.)

Perhaps one day I'll expain the reasons I'm pushing right up to the deadline for Recovering Charles. Suffice it to say, for now, that I've been under a ridiculous amount of stress with another matter. (Not writing related.)

I'm working hard to push those distractions from my mind and concentrate. (Not my strong suit, trust me.) Wait, was I saying something?

So a quick anecdote: I'm staying for a couple days at a hotel in Winchester, VA, about 40 miles from home. Believe it or not it's the only way to ensure peace and quiet. (Love those four kids!) I can really focus for hours-on-end in hotels. Several of my writer-friends do this from time-to-time.

Earlier today I took a quick break to hit the vending machines at the end of my hallway. As I walked back carrying $5 worth of totally healthy snacks, and generally feeling sorry for myself, one of the housekeepers said "hello" and asked me how I was. I said I was "surviving," one of my standard lines, and then returned the courtesy.

"And how are you?"

"Oh, OK, I just had to flip a mattress because someone wet the bed." She said it with the biggest, most sincere smile. I couldn't help but think she really loves her job. She must be grateful for it to have such a positive attitude.

After making a goofy looking face I wished her well and walked on.

"Hope your day gets better," she called out to me.

I returned to my room and felt about as worthless as the empty sugar I was about to ingest from a pack of gummy bears. Am I sufficiently grateful for my job?

Sometimes I forget how much the Lord has blessed me to do what I do. At every opportunity I've tried to submarine my own success and He has stepped in and said, "Not so fast, my friend, I am with you."

I have no idea why the Lord has blessed me in spite of so many shortcomings. But it's probably time I do a better job of recognizing his presence in my life and count my blessings.

One by one.

11 Days Until Deadline

Will I make it? AHHHHHHHH! Only if I learn to get by on less sleep and lock myself in a room. (padded, please)

Realizing how close I am to my "drop dead date" of April 11th, today my noggin (what's left of it) came up with some important questions:

1. Why don't writers have cheerleaders? Football players do, so do basketball, why not us? Think how much more I'd get accomplished, and how much better I'd feel about my career, if I had people cheering from the sidelines?

2. Why does a manuscript have to be turned in so stinkin' early? My deadline is FIVE months before it hits bookstores. Heavens to Betsy, in five months I could hire monks to handwrite the thing one-by-one on scrolls!

3. How did anyone ever write a book before computers and spell check? When I think of writing Recovering Charles on an old-fashioned typewriter and loading 400 sheets of paper, I get hives. (and not the good honey-producing kind)

All this begs the question, why aren't I writing right now?

Off I go! (shhh, don't tell my Editor or Agent you saw me here...)

Forgive me?

No, I haven't been hidden in a bunker under the White House. I've been traveling, writing, traveling, and traveling. Fortunately the traveling is now on hold for almost six weeks. Yahoo!

I'm crashing on a deadline for the new novel. I finally feel like I've rounded a corner and it's coming into picture. The last week or so has seen me writing 6-8 hours a day and tomorrow I'm headed off to a friend's cabin in WV to write non-stop for a couple days. Let's hope I don't get eaten by the bear I saw up there last fall...

And now for the best news of the last couple weeks. We have a cover for the new book! My agent, editor and I all love it. Most importantly, my wife approves :)

If you're interested in catching a future event, click here for my updated schedule.

And I'd love to hear what YOU think of the cover. Comment below!

Checking in from the road

And I thought the first part of 2008 would be LESS busy! So far this year I've been in nine airports: Dulles, San Francisco, Oakland, Atlanta, Reno, Phoenix, Salt Lake, Charlotte and New Orleans. And it's only February 11th! Oh, and we'll add one more this week, Indianapolis.

There's not much new to report. The events thus far have been fantastic. I've met the most amazing people! It's by far the most rewarding aspect of my life as a writer. Writing is just gravy, it's meeting and getting to know readers that really jazzes me.

The new book is coming along slowly but surely. I've conned my way into a later deadline (April) and I'm confident I can make it. Of course I said that last time and had to extend three times :)

Are you an eBayer? I've got a watch for sale right now that you might enjoy bidding on. Or at least reading the description.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170193203738