I am a very lucky woman and am constantly amazed by the wonderful people who support me—my husband, children, family and friends. But I would not be the writer I am today without the support of my four critique partners, so today, I’m going to thank them.
Laurie, you are my plotting genius. You help me out of the weeds when I can’t find my way out (and make it sound so simple). You tell me what I need to hear even when I don’t want to listen (sorry) and you keep me laughing, caffeinated and sane, which is quite a feat these days. I love discussing strategy with you—whether writing or parenting, and I’m so glad we found each other.
Miriam, your phone call inviting me to be part of your group literally changed my writing life. I would not be where I am today without you. You find things in my manuscript I’d never see without your help. You’re the master word-choice guru, and you give excellent advice, reminding me that my heroines need to be smart and strong and snarky! You pick me up when I’m down (even when you don’t realize it) and look out for me. I am so, so thankful for you.
Nancy, you’ve taught me how to critique. You give me encouragement and you’ve taught me so much over these past few years. I’m in awe of your strength and resilience and your spark. You make edits look easy, even when they’re not. You’ve taught me to be less afraid in my writing and my career. You make me dig deep, give more detail and set the mood, location and time in my stories. You pull me out of my funk and encourage me not to give up. And you are the only person who can get me to wear reindeer antlers!
Lisa, I can’t thank you enough for all the assistance you have given me when I wanted to self-publish my backlist. You are a wealth of information and you’re willing to share without hesitation. You know a source for everything! You’re ruthless when it comes to adverbs, laughing and word repetition, and you’ve made me a stronger writer. Your stories about your girls give me hope and remind me to relax. I wouldn’t be here without you.
Blurb
Dina Jacobs is a
single librarian who has never fit in due to her off-the-charts intelligence,
frizzy hair and rounder-than-socially-acceptable figure. She left her past
behind until she receives an invitation to her ten-year high school reunion,
and all her insecurities return.
Adam Mandel is a
single corporate attorney who just missed his third deadline at his father's
law firm, the law firm where he is up for junior partner. With his reputation
on the line, Adam needs all the help he can get to convince his father that he
deserves the promotion.
When Dina and Adam run
into each other on a deserted road, Dina thinks Mr. Flashypants can't possibly
be interested in someone like her. Adam thinks Dina is just the person to help
him improve his reputation. Lies and insecurities force them to take a look at
themselves. Can they trust each other to look beyond the surface?
Excerpt
What the hell just happened?She wanted to be friends.The only kind of “friend” he wanted to be with her had “boy” attached to it. No, that wasn’t true. He enjoyed her friendship because he loved talking to her, hearing her opinions, sharing himself with her.
But he was becoming more attracted to her. So far, they’d only kissed, but that one kiss, that unbelievable kiss, haunted him. His lips still burned where they’d touched hers, his insides still turned to jelly when he thought about it. In fact, he’d been hoping there would have been more kissing in her apartment once he’d apologized for his gaffe.
But she’d focused on their arrangement and her overreaction, and here he was pulling away from the curb into rush hour traffic.
She thought he was dating her only to impress his father. If he were one hundred percent honest with himself, he’d acknowledge the partial truth in that statement. But the more time he spent time with her, when he wasn’t royally screwing things up with her, the more he wanted to move beyond their arrangement.
His head was another matter. It was still focused on not making a fool of himself, on maintaining the right reputation, on spinning the right message.
But listening to his head was probably what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. As unbelievable as it might sound, it was time to follow his heart.
Tweet
Is their love strong enough to look beneath the surface? #LearningToLove
#contemporaryromance #oppositesattract
Buy Links
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/learning-to-love-jennifer-wilck/1129734280?ean=2940161918258
Bio
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.
In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. When she’s not writing, she loves to laugh with her family and friends, is a pro at finding whatever her kids lost in plain sight, and spends way too much time closing doors that should never have been left open in the first place. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.
She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters. She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Author Links
Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com
Facebook Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2055470311366345/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck
Sounds like you have a totally awesome tribe!!
ReplyDeleteI really do! Thanks for everything, Angela!
DeleteGiant hugs, Jennifer. I love being CPs with you! It's funny how I can see plot holes in your books but not my own, so a big thanks to you for all the help you give me with my stories. I'm so glad I have you in my life.
ReplyDeleteI seriously would not be here without you. Also probably wouldn't have as much of a caffeine habit, but hey, it's all good. :)
DeleteGreat post, Jennifer! I adore my critique partners, too. I've learned many lessons about myself and writing. Happy Thanksgiving! xo
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary. I love the external perspective. Happy Thanksgiving as well!
DeleteOh, so beautifully said! A lovely post.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura!
DeleteGreat post, Jennifer! You are so lucky to have such wonderful critique partners. They're like the proverbial hen's teeth...hard to find. Best of luck.
ReplyDeleteI really am, CB. Thanks!
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