Brooklyn girl, baby!

I opened the door expecting to have a package from UPS with stuff from work or something I'd ordered online. Instead, a nice guy asked for Jess Ashley and handed me a vase of flowers.

Kate and Ross got me flowers for my two year anniversary in New York. According to the card, I'm now a "true New Yorker."

Wow.

Sometimes, it feels like I've been here for ten years. Sometimes, a week. I still get lost on new trains, still go the wrong way when trying to find strange buildings and still Google Map any new place I go and hand draw a map. But I'm not afraid of going to new places.

I used to be.

When I first moved here, the only place I felt that I knew how to get back and forth from without having to worry was to S&S. I would get on the train at 7th Avenue, put on my headphones and ride the 45-ish minutes into the city. And that's not to mention how long it took me to feel comfortable to play my iPod because I was sure the conductor would change the route with a message that the train was going to the Bronx or somewhere far away. I was convinced I'd get lost and never find my way back to Park Slope again. (Not being a drama queen--I was serious!)

But now, it's almost as if I instinctively know how to get home. And home for me is the best place to be in the entire city. I'm happiest when I'm in cozy socks, yoga pants, a PINK t-shirt and doing anything--or nothing at all--with my bestie.

If you passed me on the streets, you'd probably think I was a tourist. I've always got my BlackBerry out and am taking pictures of everything. I wear Brooklyn hoodies, a "Gaga for Brooklyn" (she's performing on May 27 for GMA, btw . . . )T-shirt and it'll soon be warm enough for me to wear my "I love New York" shirt. I know that it's not "cool" to do that when you live here, but I don't care. I haven't gotten past the giddy stage of living in the city that never sleeps.

I'm a Brooklyn girl and proud of it!

Much love to all of my Brooklyn family and friends who have supported me here. I love you all.

Dear Teen Me is turned in

I just sent it off to Miranda a few minutes ago. I wrote it a couple of nights ago, listening to my iPod around 2am. The thing I'd been TERRIFIED of came flooding out on the page. The essay is supposed to be fairly short, and I kept that in mind, but I could have gone on for many more pages.

That's why I'm glad I have KEPT--my semiautobiographical YA novel in verse. It's ready to be subbed--I've got 40 pages and a synopsis. I was scared to submit it to anyone--afraid of what people would think when they learned the real truth behind the pink-loving, sparkly Jessica Burkhart who writes the fun Canterwood Crest series. I'm unagented, so if anyone reads my essay when it goes live on March 23 and thinks my verse novel might be worth a look to their editor, please let me know.

Kate read my essay for Dear Teen Me and helped me take it where it needed to go. She never pushed for it to be more than I could handle--she's my best friend and she knows my limits on what I can think about from my past. But she edited it and pointed out places where I could improve. She reminded me that the point of DTM is to write a letter to your teen self and I needed to write more encouragement into my essay. I did and, with that, it was ready to go to Miranda along with four photos that fit the theme.

Kate's beside me, but I want to thank her publicly for all she does to help me as a writer--not just as my Canterwood editor but as a teacher in a non-instructor-y way. If you're looking for a freelance editor (formerly of Simon & Schuster and has references) who loves what she does and will give your work her utmost attention and the best edit letter you'll ever receive (I'm not just BS'ing you, I promise.), send Kate an e-mail at kate AT kateangelella DOT com. Her Website is www.KateAngelella.com. She's worked with fab commercial authors such as Lauren Barnholdt and award-winners like Kekla Magoon. Again, Kate Angelella is *the* best freelancer with reasonable rates that you'll ever find--I'd bet my series on it.

March 23. Ready or not. It's coming.

Kate and J.R. Angelella's blog is live!

Cross posting from my tween blog:

This is the blog of 2011, guys! (Tweens, this is YA content, FYI . . .) Kate and Ross started their blog for their two books (Crossed and Cursed) from Sourcebooks' FIRE imprint. The first debuts in spring 2012!

Go check it out--it's amazing and it's going to be so cool to follow them from sale to publication. For Team Canterwood, go show Editor K some sparkles and comment to say hi! :)