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Recently I came across these amazing book trailers made by students. I love them.

For LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL:



And for JUMPING OFF SWINGS:



THANK YOU so much to the makers of these trailers! They are amazing! :-)

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Hi everyone!

My 2nd book, JUMPING OFF SWINGS is coming out in paperback TOMORROW!

I MUST HAVE A CONTEST TO GIVE ONE AWAY. AHHHHHH. *jumps up and down*



Leave a comment below to enter to win a personalized, signed copy!

For MORE chances to win, share this link on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and/or your blog. For every place you share, let me know and I'll add additional entries for each. Entries close THIS Thursday at 11:59pm. I'll draw the winner on Friday morning! :-)

THANKS for spreading the love about Jumping Off Swings!!!!

xo

Jo

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Today is the day I chose to set my self-imposed goal of "finishing" my WIP. (Meaning, getting it in good enough shape to share with my agent.) I have been having a lot of doubts lately. A lot of fears. I only have 3 chapters left to revise, and as I inch closer to the end, these doubts and fears grow. What if he hates it? What if my editor hates it? What if this was the dumbest idea ever?

What if what if what if...

Yesterday was a particularly hard day.

But then the mail came.

Did I mention we haven't had mail since last Saturday because the mail truck couldn't get here, thanks to Irene?

But yesterday, it came.

And inside, was this:

An advance copy of the brand new paperback of Jumping Off Swings, which will be available in October.

I am choosing to take this as a good sign, since my WIP is a companion piece to SWINGS. How could I not? The timing is just too odd and perfect.

Like a whisper, to keep going.

As I sit here working with the book beside me, I can sense my character inside those pages, waiting for me to finish his story at long last. Whispering, "Hurry up! Jump!"

So here I go.

And just for fun, here is a slideshow I made of all my friends and loved ones taking the jump, too:

Have a great weekend, everyone! I hope you all do a little jumping of your own.

xo

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JUMPING OFF SWINGS, by joknowles is the kind of book that pulls you in from the first page. The kind of book you can't put down, because you are so invested in the characters you must find out what happens to them. I've often heard Jo mention her mantra of, "Is it true yet?" And that search for "true" is evident in the writing, the dialogue, the characters. This is a book that seems so... real.

Unfortunately, although this is the kind of book you feel you can't put down, I never seem to have time to read a book straight through. So, I grabbed time to read JUMPING OFF SWINGS every chance I could. While waiting for my daughter outside campground showers. During car trips when it wasn't my turn to drive. At my son's Ortho app't--and, of course, at a point when my eyes flooded with tears, the hygienist came into the waiting room to collect my son.

I finally finished the book yesterday. And, Jo, I loved it. I will dig deeper in my own writing now because I've read it.

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Yesterday I had a Google alert for Jumping Off Swings. It took me to YouTube and this video:



This is why I haven't turned those dang alerts off yet. Because every so often, there is such surprising sweetness.

I love love love when teens care enough about a book to go to the trouble of writing a review. And videotaping one? That is over the top amazing. :-)

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It started with preparing lots and lots of food, fretting about the impending rain, and worrying if anyone would come or if too many people would come and would be miserable crammed in our house and what to do with all the kids if they couldn't play outside. In short, I was kind of a wreck. ;)

First to arrive were Ferrilyn and Dave, who brought a lot of fresh corn. Here's Dave trying to fit it all in one pot. We ended up using two.


F & D arrived early to help us set up. Here is the table BEFORE people arrived. (Check out that enormous tray of corn!)

In the invitation, I noted that if people would like to bring a favorite picnic food, that would be great. I did not expect EVERYONE to bring food. They did. There was A LOT OF FOOD. :-) And it was all YUMMY. And we ate most of it!

The amazing kmessner (Kate Messner) brought a beautiful and delicious flour-less chocolate cake.


As more people arrived, all my nerves went away. It was so great to see dear, dear friends. Here's Peg Davol, who has been on this journey with me almost from the very beginning.


And here are lots of loved ones raising their glasses. That's my dad on the left, my sister on the right, and my mom next to her.:)


Then I signed lots of books, which I'm still not very good at. That's Cynthia and Sheila, lovely sweet people who I'm so happy to know.


In the kitchen, Peter and Ferrilyn kept Fred away from the corn.


Here is awesome bookseller Susan from the Yankee Bookshop. I'm glad she wanted to read the book! ;-)


The rain held off so we were able to wander out on the deck and the kids could play in the yard (Phew!) Thanks to all the parents who helped start a very long-lasting game of whiffle-ball. :-)

Here are lurban (Linda Urban) and kmessner giving sage advice and encouragement to my former students. Kate and Linda, thank you so much! They LOVED talking with you.


Here's slatts and laurajacquesart with their spouses. I was so excited that they made it here!!!


And finally, slatts and cfaughnan, kindred spirits and friends forever. :)


It turned out to be a wonderful day. People ate the food. The kids seemed to all have fun. And I got to chat with lots and lots of good friends. I'm not fond of the phrase "words can't express", but right now I'm having a hard time putting into words the sincere gratitude I feel toward all the people who came from near and far to help me celebrate my special day. As usual, the time went by WAY too fast and I didn't get to spend nearly the time I wanted to with each and every one of you. But thank you thank you thank you for coming. I'll never forgot it.

And thanks to Cindy Faughnan for taking most of the photos for me. You are the best, Cindy! xo

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday Morning Warm-Up:

Write to the phrase, "I am grateful for..."

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August 11 is finally here! And Jumping Off Swings is finally out in the world. So much in my life has changed since I began working on this book back in, oh, what was it? 2001 maybe? My toddler is 10. I live in a new house, in a new state. I have an agent who is also a dear friend. And I've met all of you.

Thank you everyone, who traveled along this journey with me. And thank you for letting me travel on yours. I hope you will hit the little speaker on the slideshow below, because the song is so right for today, and for your wonderful photos. Every time I look at those smiles I get a lump in my throat. You all make me so happy and grateful. Your comments yesterday, well...

I love you.

I do.

Thank you.

“When I jump off swings, I feel like a little kid again.”—Bianca

"When I jump off a swing, I feel totally weightless. The closest I'll ever get to flying.—mj

“If I jumped off a swing there'd be a black wreath on my front door”—OneGrapeShy

“When I jump off a swing I worry. I worry that I'll fall. That I'll look foolish. That someone will laugh at me. That they will think, 'she's too big to be doing that.' But then I close my eyes and let go and laugh.”—Sandy

“I swing my feet so high in the air.
I must be dreaming I feel debonair.”—Kathleen L

"Even as a teenager, sitting on a swing was where I'd go to talk to a friend, be alone with my thoughts, clear my mind. Swings have always been special to me.—Anonymous

“When I jump off a swing I feel the heaviness of gravity pulling me to the ground, but just for a few seconds I can resist. I can win. I can fly.”—Cari

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And now for the winners of the contest...

Here are the names (yes, I'm still in my pjs. It's only 7:20 am!):



Here are the books:



Here are the names I tossed on the books (there are 6):



And here is my second try with just the 6 (yay! exactly three landed on the book!)



And the winners are:

junestarr19
yathenaeum
carmella

Congratulations!! Please send me an e-mail at jo at joknowles dot com with your address and who you'd like me to sign your books for!

And thanks again to all, from the bottom of my heart.

xoxoxo

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This morning when I checked my e-mail there was a Google Alert for Jumping Off Swings. I know, I know, I really should turn these things off. And that's exactly what I thought as I clicked the message, getting that familiar feeling of dread that it may not be good news. And then I saw that it was a link to Publisher's Weekly, and I REALLY kicked myself for not turning alerts off. Because in my head, I was thinking there was no way they would ever like my book. But in my alerts you can see the first line, and it said:

"Absorbing from first page to last, this sensitively written novel explores ..."

So I thought, Well, that doesn't sound too bad!

So I clicked the link. And braced myself as I scrolled down to find the title.

And when I got to it, there was this red STAR beside it.

And I started hyperventilating.

My husband was sitting next to me and I jumped up and hugged him and then got all teary and said it's probably a mistake. But he looked and said it wasn't.

So today is just an amazing day-before-publication day.

My first starred review!!!

I really wish I was brave enough to do a cartwheel because I would so run outside and do one right now.

And yesterday TeenReadsToo gave Swings a Gold Star Award.

I just feel like these two bits of news can't be real. Stuff like this doesn't happen to me!

You know, this year on New Years Day, Libba Bray, Holly Black and Cassie Claire encouraged me to write down my dreams for the year. And Cassie said to dream big. It is a little intimidating and embarrassing to write down your dreams next to three YA goddesses who have achieved more in their careers than most of us can, well, dare to dream. So I wrote down that I hoped I would get a starred review someday. But I never really thought it would ever happen. Oh man.

And now I'm doing that excited rambling thing where I can't stop talking. But I will force myself.

Except to add that today is the last day to enter to win a signed copy of JUMPING OFF SWINGS and LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL. Go HERE and leave a comment.

Thanks! :-)

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From Jumping Off Swings:

Corinne used to jump off the swings when we were kids. Just let go of the chains and take flight without a trace of fear. I'd watch her jump, wishing I could be that brave. But I'd always hang on, waiting to slow down first, always mindful of my mother's warning: You'll break a leg if you're not careful! But now I don't care.

I send myself jetting into the air. Corinne shrieks in surprise. I'm flying. Just for a second. But I'm flying.

When I land hard on my feet, the sting goes all the way up to my teeth.

Corinne lands heavily beside me and falls to the ground. I fall down next to her. We laugh out loud and roll around, pretending to be injured. It feels so good. My stomach muscles ache from not being used to laughing.

But she's looking behind me, into the distance. She stops smiling. And I know by the look on her face. I know before I turn around. He's here.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Several weeks ago, I put out a request for people to send me photos of themselves taking that very brave leap that sends them back to childhood. Here is the result. Please click the speaker symbol at the top for sound. :-)




Thank you, dear friends, for sharing your daring moments. I love you guys!!!!

With less than a month to go before its August 11 pub date, I thought it would be great to add even more photos. You can help me celebrate by sending me a photo of you jumping off a swing, or even just swinging on a swing. I will add it to my slide show, and enter you in a contest for a chance to win not only a copy of Jumping Off Swings, but a paperback copy of Lessons From A Dead Girl which will also make its debut on August 11.

I know there seem to be a million contests going on right now, but since when are there too many free books? :-)

If you’d like to help me spread the word about Jumping Off Swings and Lessons From A Dead Girl—and increase your chance of winning on of three sets—here are some ways to do that:

* Post about and link to this contest on your blog (any blog, doesn't have to be LJ).
* Link to the contest on Twitter or Facebook
* Send me a photo of you jumping off a swing, or just swinging
* Tell your local librarian about the book
* Telling a friend about the book
* Do today’s prompt and leave it in the comments below
* Simply leave a comment below saying you’d like to be entered

Just let me know in the comments what you've done. For each helpful effort, I’ll give you an extra entry. Thanks so much!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday Morning Warm-Up:

Write a sentence or phrase that best describes how you feel when you jump off a swing. If you share your entry in the comments, I’ll share it later. Thanks again!!

xo

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This morning when I logged on to my e-mail, I had several messages with the same exact subject line:

Fw: [middle_school_lit] Richie's Picks: JUMPING OFF SWINGS

Even though common sense would tell me my friends would only be sending me this if it was good, my heart still did that beaty beaty beaty thing that makes me feel like I'm about to take flight.

Here is the review. :)

Richie's Picks are so cool because he puts so much thought and care into them. He makes his reviews almost like a story themselves. He talks about the characters as if they are people he got to know and care about. Real people. I just love that. I never thought I'd be lucky enough to get a review by him, so this just makes my day. And to have his be the first, well, that's a real gift. Because I'm sure they won't all be like this. And I know myself too well to know I won't take those hard ones to heart.

Thank you so much, Alix Flinn, Cindy Faughnan, Kristy Dempsy, Anne Marie Pace, Eric Luper, Toni Buzzeo, Jenny Choy and Joan Powers (thank you thank you!) for sending me the link and helping the angst of review time soften just a bit. OK. A LOT. I think the coolest thing about getting this news is that I didn't find it via Google Alerts, but via thoughtful friends who took the time to send me the message. You guys are the best!

xo

P.S. Happy Earth Day! We still haven't picked out our trees yet, but hopefully SOON! :)

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