Jacqueline Levine's Blog

Xpresso Tours is currently posting a query for Spiral for interested book bloggers! Click the link below to learn more:

http://xpressobooktours.com/2014/10/0...

Xoxo

It's that time of year again....Fall, which means pumpkin spice everything and FOOTBALL! My favorite part of high school was the all-important Homecoming game - from the pep rallies to the parades to the extra special halftime show my cheerleading squad always prepared, homecoming never disappointed.

On Friday, October 17, I'll be having a little homecoming of my own at Barnes and Noble in Mohegan Lake, right near my hometown of Cortlandt Manor! It is so exciting to return to the place where I grew up to do what I always dreamed: sharing my writing with the world!

If you live near the area, come by to celebrate my first homecoming! The signing starts at 6:00PM. Hope to see you there!

XOXO

Hi guys!

I'm psyched to say that I will be featured in a local authors event at the Barnes and Noble of Poughkeepsie, NY next Saturday. It's like an actual a book signing! This is my very first appearance for the book, and I couldn't be more excited! I also have NO IDEA what to do or how to prepare! Any suggestions are welcome. What would you want to see an author do or hear them talk about during a Q & A? Wish me luck, guys!

XOXO!

You guys, I'm really excited today...

So far, Spiral is getting awesome reviews by some really great bloggers and readers, and I couldn't be happier. All an author ever wants to do is share work with the world. It's a bonus if you can entertain people, and it seems like Spiral is doing just that!

I am hard at work on book #2, Twist, but it's taking a little longer than expected. A girl's gotta work! I wrote Spiral (most of it) over the course of a summer. Trying to write Twist while working has proven much more challenging. I'll keep at it, and hopefully it will be ready for print by late spring/early summer. Thanks for being patient and eager to read it!

Happy reading!
XOXO

There's nothing more satisfying than hearing from peers and fans about your work. Below is a link to author Charlotte Gerber's blog, The Cat's Pajamas, and her review of Spiral. I am so truly grateful for the feedback and exposure Spiral is getting on its tour with Fire and Ice! Thanks, Shelly!

http://catspajamasbookhaven.blogspot....

Happy Reading!
XOXO

I'm happy to announce that Spiral is going on a blog tour this month. The book will be featured on over 20 book blogs, such as Literary Chanteuse, Peace, Love, and Writing, and Fantastic Indie Authors. I've been interviewed, written guest blog posts, and an excerpt from the book is featured on each site!

Even cooler: I'm doing a giveaway for one lucky participant to win a $25 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of Spiral! Check out all of the blogs featuring Spiral this month by visiting Fire and Ice Book Tours:
http://fireandicebooktours.wordpress....

Happy Reading!
XOXO

Justin Bieber is totally right. He is being bullied by the media.

Okay, hear me out on this one, especially all you naysayers who hate young Hollywood...

I’m a teacher, and I regularly look out for the welfare of children, advising them when I think they are making mistakes, sabotaging their learning and friendships, or destroying their reputations. I am very worried for the young people in Hollywood who lack the benefit of a strong, positive adult presence in their lives. Instead, they receive criticism and scorn at every turn.

Many people write these celebutantes off as spoiled, arrogant brats who deserve what they get, but I disagree. I think they suffer from a fundamental lack of ethical and strict adult supervision. What happens to a 19 year old who gets caught drinking and driving and smoking weed in the real world? He has to face consequences set by his parents. And enough with the “if she’s over 18, she’s legally an adult!” nonsense. If they could be an undergrad in college, they qualify as a kid who still needs guidance.

In addition, I do feel the media is bullying them. Even Average Joes are to blame. Every person who creates an “I Hate ______” Facebook page or blogs about the weight of some starlet is doing damage to that child’s self esteem. You know what a high school or college would do to a kid who tweeted hateful things and cyber-scorned another student? True, kids like the Biebs and Miley opted not to go to school and be afforded this protection and, yes, you need a thick skin for Hollywood, but just how thick of a skin are kids 18 – 20 expected to have? Do we honestly think that, when 14 year old Justin Bieber was a twinkle in Usher’s eye, he was mentally prepared to be a huge international star that would not be allowed to follow the same path to growing up that the rest of America’s kids follow? Is this fair?

This weekend, we lost another Hollywood great to drug overdose. Poor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, God rest his soul. Drug addiction is a disease, and instead of vilifying Justin Bieber for his *supposed* abuse of drugs, shouldn't we be demanding the adult handlers in his life step up and make a difference for him before it is too late?

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now, but I just needed to vent. What are your thoughts? Are the media personalities - and us, actually - bullying celebs? Leave a comment, and let's get this conversation going!

XOXO

Today, I am saddened by the news of Paul Walker's tragic death. I'll be the first to say I never knew him, he wasn't in my top five favorite actors, and I begrudgingly went to see the Fast and Furious movies with my obsessed friends. But the news was difficult to read nonetheless because already I see how inundated all of the channels and websites have become with the story. I keep thinking, "His poor family must be suffering."

Paul Walker's death hits a little close to home, too. I had written a very similar scene in the sequel for Spiral involving Jack and his friend. I feel terrible and torn now, and I do not know if I should include the scene. My husband said, "Art imitates life," but I don't necessarily agree in this instance. I will have to think long and hard about using that scene because no one wants to repeat such an awful tragedy for the sake of art.

When I wrote Spiral, and now as I write Twist, the other side of a celebrity's story is my goal. They're people, you know, just like us. They have families and friends and, in his case, children. I want my readers to find empathy for the famous and their families because what we call "news" are stories about their lives. How painful and difficult it must be to have to live through tragedy in the public eye.

Imagine you're Paul Walker's 15 year old daughter, and you have to not only face the fact that your father has died in a terrible way, but you won't be able to escape the images or the talk of it for days, maybe even weeks. Online, at the grocery store, in class, there will be whispers, pictures, gossip - constant reminders when all she will want to do is make it go away. Then there will be the careless, insensitive people who dare to say, "That's what you get for living your life like your films." For shame, people.

My heart goes out to Paul Walker's family and friends at this time. My prayers are with them as they try to navigate through this tragedy and move on without him. I hope the media can give them the space and time to grieve they deserve.

XOXO

So, I'm embarking on the journey that is Nanowrimo this year. I attempted it once, about three years ago, and then life got in the way and forbid me from really investing myself. Now that I'm in a steady flow of writing daily(on the train, at home, in random places where it's okay to simply whip out my iPad and go to it), I think I can take the writing challenge head on. I'll probably get to my 50,000 word count goal too but, more than that, I'll be able to finish Twist.

I can't tell you how excited I am for this book. Spiral is and always will be my baby, but Twist has given me the chance to step out of the glittery, candy coated world of two teenagers fighting the love they feel to the theme of two people fighting to stay in love. Entering the darker parts of Jack's psyche has been a really cool adventure, and the book is only halfway completed at 76,000 words. There is so much more to be told, so much rise and fall.

In Twist, the reader follows Jack and Cherie through a year of ups and downs and, like in real life, there are a lot more downs than ups. My theory behind this was that downs are a big part of everyone's life. Everyday, people are met with challenges that test their strength, their commitment to others, and their faith in themselves. Celebrities aren't any different than regular people - their problems are just out there for the world to see and, sometimes, their problems are made worse because the public hungers to hear all about their drama. Suddenly, things that wouldn't happen or wouldn't even matter in real life are exploited and exacerbated for the sake of ratings.

My hope is that, by the end of the book, the reader will have a hard time deciding who is at fault. More than anything, I want the reader to step back and say, "Wow, there really are two sides to every story." I'm sure we have all been in the line of relationship fire before, and no matter which role you played, you can sympathize with Jack and Cherie, and all the hurdles they will have to jump through to stay together. If they stay together.

So I will be using my NanoWrimo time to finish Twist. For now, you can check out the excerpt, and take the poll. I'd love to hear your thoughts! http://spiralseries.com/2013/10/25/tw...
Spiral

Hey everyone!

The weather is getting colder (except for you lucky southern folks), but that just means all the more reason to pick up a great book to snuggle with by the fire (or your radiator, whatever works...)

Only two more days to the end of the Spiral giveaway! Make sure you sign up to win a free autographed copy of Spiral!

XOXOSpiral