The People vs. Sour Patch Kids

Do you all remember the time I said ‘Sour patch kids are a lot like writing, some moments are sweet, others sour, but all are delicious’?

Well insert life where writing sits and you have yourself some people who disagree. Right now on Facebook there is a debate happening - The People vs. Sour Patch Kids.

Too many lives have already been compromised and the fighting must stop.

These adorable little runts are wreaking havoc across the nation. They’ve managed to ruin weddings, dinner parties, not to mention they love hijacking boats, and especially going kitty-back-riding. Are you seeing the chaos?

What say you? Do you stand for these little minions ruining people’s lives or do you have something to say about this epidemic.

Take your stance!

Are you for… or are you against?

Tell me your experience with Sour Patch Kids and two lucky winners will walk away with a t-shirt and a bag of candy.

THINK YOU’VE GOT A CASE? Upload photos or videos showing damages caused by a Sour Patch Kid… HERE!!!!!

FOR THOSE WITH WRITERS BLOCK OR PLAYING THE PROCRASTINATION GAME VISIT HERE. Like the page, trust me... on days you don't feel like being productive the cases will keep your mind negative free with all the giggle fits that are sure to come.

And remember... no matter how bad things get keep a few sour patch kids around, they provide good entertainment.

Where do we belong?

Writing is for those who chose to live tortured lives.

I adore picking up a pen and pad of paper and going to town. The beginning of our writing journey is an amazing one. You feel empowered, enriched, and alive as you feverishly work to write all the thoughts that have crept in your mind.

There does come a point where you'll have read your piece over a million times and at times you find yourself missing the passion you felt when the idea first came to you. You know it's brilliant, you know you loved it and it worked six months ago, so what's the problem?

As writers do we truly dig ourselves into a hole?

My problem as a writer is finding out where I belong. Is there the capability of belonging in more than one place? I really enjoyed writing short stories and novels, however my recent endeavor has breathed more life into my work than I ever would have thought.

Screenwriting. I love it. But I don't want to give up the novels and short stories. Is it to much? Am I taking on too much as a writer, or should I continue to go with my writing gut. The one that tells me a writer truly can have it all. That along the way I'll eventually find what path is best for me.

Today it's screenwriting but tomorrow that could change.

Do you know where you belong?

Guest Blogger - Jennifer Griffith

Finding a publisher is an author’s dream, and finding a publisher that’s enthusiastic about your book and a great fit is a dream come true!

A happy accident befell me last October. For the previous two years I’d been writing then polishing BIG IN JAPAN, my sumo wrestler novel, and it was ready to go. I’d just started the querying process, shooting letters off to agents hither and yon, when one afternoon I was surfing Facebook. A friend in my writers group posted that she’d been at a meeting where the presenter was a fresh face in publishing. Something zinged inside me. I messaged her to ask all about it, and she filled me in.

A new publishing house, Jolly Fish Press, was just about to open its doors, to launch its website, and to start taking queries for fiction, including mainstream fiction.

My manuscript and query were ready to go, and I sent it that day.

A couple of weeks later, they requested pages, another couple of weeks and they requested more, and then they requested the full. In December, Christopher Loke (executive editor) called me in the evening to break the great news that they loved my book. One jolly phrase still resonates in my head from our conversation, “We were sitting in our editing meeting and couldn’t believe we got the golden manuscript right off.” The golden manuscript! Mine! Yeehaw! I could tell they believed in my book, and they were publishing it in the way I’d always hoped. In total, from that first query until I had the pen in my hot little hand signing my publishing contract, about two months passed.

I love a small press. The relationships can be close, and there’s a family feeling. To me as a writer, that’s what matters. JFP, from the get-go, has been like coming home. May they sell a gazillion copies of the books they’ve selected and have decades of jolly success!

Jennifer Griffith is the author of BIG IN JAPAN, her fourth novel, which will be released through Jolly Fish Press on July 28th and tells the story of Buck Cooper, an obese Texan, invisible at work and in love until serendipity lands him in Japan—right in the middle of a sumo match. BIG IN JAPAN will be available as an eBook, Trade Paperback, and Hardcover through all major online retailers and local bookstores near you. Visit BigInJapan.jollyfishpress.com for more info on Griffith’s book tour, social networks, and more.

Blog Hiatus

I'm not one to normally leave my blog however it is time to take a real break.

When will I be back?

I really can't answer that right now. This is a moment in where I practice what I preach.

I'm not in love with blogging anymore. It feels more like work, a task, and it's sucking the life out of me. I used to love to visit blogs and comment on them -- Now I'm barely finding time to come up with a topic let alone going around to say hello to my friends.

It seems I've hit a bit of a brick wall. Now, I always say if you don't love it, the blog won't work. I suppose that's what I'm saying here... I'm waiting to get the love back which means for the time being I need a nice break to decide what I want to do with Unedited. How to get my mojo back.

I've loved visiting with all of you. You've brought joy and happiness into my life but for the moment I need to re-evaluate what Unedited is bringing to the table and I'm not exactly sure what that is. Just know that you're always in my thoughts and eventually hopefully my words will greet your blog and happiness will be filled with them!

The Great Writing Topics

I thought since I've gone with a more low key style of blogging that I thought I'd share some of the best posts I've read along the blogosphere! Hope you enjoy and learn a lot... I know I did!

FIVE THINGS JANE FRIEDMAN TAUGHT ME.

1. 5 Attitudes Toward Publishing You Should Avoid.

2. Top 10 Blog Traffic Killers.

3. 5 Keys to Writing for an Online Audience.

4. The Essence of Good Marketing.

5. How Long Does it Take to Get Blog Readers.

There are so many amazing topics she covers on her blog and on Writer Unboxed. When you get a chance you can spend all day there!!!