A Novel Idea
You might have heard that I have recently released my first literary novel The Dead of Wynter. If you missed it, you now know where all those reports about me running naked on rooftops doing the happy dance came from! I am really excited to add ‘Serious Author’ to my list of credentials, but I’m even more thrilled because my new work is available as both an e-book and a paperback.
Paperback is important, follow along with me on this.
I have been a published author for the better half of a decade, releasing silly picture books like How to Tell the Difference Between a Zombie and the Cable Repair Guy, Is That a Mummy in the Drive-Thru and You are Not Special And Other Harsh Realities. They have been a very rewarding experience and have taught me a lot-namely what little artistic talent I truly have and what kind of weirdos are fans of that kind of thing.
When I came out as a writer, I experienced a lot of publication fright. It was almost identical to stage fright, but without the crowd and the spot light. Each time my work was released, I’d be a wreck for the next few days-something that became a kind of ritual. So I suppose the e-book platform became a bit of a pacifier. It allowed my audience to read my work and still gave me the opportunity to edit or pull back as I wished.
After writing about such memorable topics as city commission arrests, throwing up in Veronica and my blue ribbon vagina (hit up JenuinelyJennifer.com if you missed them!) I’ve successfully tamed that tiger. It’s time to conquer another milestone: having my work housed at the Library of Congress. I’m sure it sounds a little geeky, but it’s always been a dream of mine to have a book included in their collection. And in order to do that, a book must be in paper format.
Stay tuned for update on my progress but in the meantime, here’s a few fun facts about the Library of Congress you may not know:
My book will be in good company. The United States Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. Holding massive collections of books, recordings and Twitter posts, it is an information repository for Congress and one of the locations I want someone to drop my ashes one day!
I’m not worried about it being too unconventional to be admitted. The library already has a very diverse collection including a Gutenberg bible, a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and a copy of Rosa Park’s pancake recipe. So the occult mystery/thriller novel will be right at home on their shelves and I won’t have to give up my secret for fluffy omelets.
My submission will put me in the ranks of all my favorite legendary authors-and probably yours too. Authors like Stephen King, Dominic Dunne, Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde and Will Cuppy all have books on its shelves. That makes it more exciting than the time I snuck over and sat in Toby Keith’s booth at one of his bars and a waitress asked me to leave!
It won’t be a quick process. Over fifteen thousand submissions are received by the library daily with twelve thousand added to the collection. But I figure so long as I follow submission guidelines to the letter, The Dead of Wynter has a good chance.
And the best part is that once it’s there, YOU can go to the library any time you want and see it. The public can apply for a library card which permits you to read and view a majority of its collection for two years (after which, you need to re-apply). Members of Congress are the only ones allowed to actually check out books and remove them from the facility, but you can always buy a copy of my book for your own collection and save the trip!
If you don’t want to wait to make the drive to Washington DC, The Dead of Wynter is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and your favorite bookseller. Or check out our merch page. Autographed copies look great on your bookshelf!
I’m Jennifer Beck and I’m Jenuinely Jennifer.
Writer, Researcher and Literary Novelist!
