Excited to be a guest-blogger over at Wendy Paine Miller's blog Thoughts That Move discussing the importance of theme in writing fiction. Stop by and check it out!

Pinterest-ing Ideas!

I'm a bit of a slow-mover when it comes to social media, and it appears I've waited a little long to jump on the Pinterest bandwagon... but I'm glad I did! It could easily become an addiction, I'll admit, but I've been able to keep myself pretty disciplined about it. And it's proven to be a fun way to interact with readers!

Two of the boards I've created are directly related to my Calloway Summers series of books which include Fireflies in December, Cottonwood Whispers and Catching Moondrops.

One board, "Jessilyn's World," focuses on my view of the setting and characters in the books. I've pinned (and will continue to pin, I'm sure!) photos that let you know how I pictured what I wrote.

The "Calloway Summers Readers' Corner" is an open board for any reader who wishes to participate. It's there that readers can reflect their ideas of the books, bringing a fresh perspective to the people and places of Calloway. As an author, I always love to hear from readers about how they perceived the story. Everyone who picks up the books has the ability to interpret them differently, and it's exciting for me to come at the stories from so many different perspectives.

So if you're a Pinner, come by and check out the boards. If you want to join the Readers' Corner, just follow the board, and I'll add your name to the list of contributors. Or you can always contact me at jennifer@jennifervalent.com or on Facebook.

In addition to the pinning fun, there's an ongoing contest to see whose pin gets the most likes. Once we get a good bit of participation, I'll be determining a date to give away a signed copy of Catching Moondrops to the pinner who gets the most likes. (A tie-breaker will be decided by a random drawing.)

Hope to see you there!

Operation First Novel Winner Announced

Congratulations to Peter Leavell, the newest winner of the Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest! Peter's novel, Songs of Captivity, will be published by Worthy Publishing.

Working on a novel? Think you've got something good? Keep an eye out on the Christian Writers Guild's website for information on the next First Novel contest. I have first-hand experience that it's a fantastic opportunity!

Book Signing!

Stop by the Rainbow Parable Christian store at 70 Southgate Square in Colonial Heights, Virginia on Saturday Feb. 11th from 11 am to 1 pm. I'll be there signing copies of all three novels. Fireflies in December will be on sale for $5, and Cottonwood Whispers and Catching Moondrops will both be available for $9.97. Hope to see you there!

First Novel Finalists

The finalists for the Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest have been announced. They are:

Kimberley Gardner Graham, Memphis TN, The Rocking Horse of Tuscumbia

Jim Hamlett, Travelers Rest SC, Moe

Clarice James, Hudson NH, Party of One

Peter Leavell, Meridian ID, Songs of Captivity

Terrie Todd, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, The Silver Suitcase

The winner will be announced February 16th at the Writing for the Soul conference in Denver Colorado, and will receive a prize of $20,000 and a publishing contract with Worthy Publishing.

Congratulations to all the finalists!