KidLlitCon 2016

Last weekend, I attended #KidLitCon 2016. This is an annual conference held in a different city each year, and this year it happened to be in Wichita. I had the fun of seeing The Court Wizard on a table for sale with other books at a conference for the first time. =)  I also met some very nice writers, bloggers, and librarians who accepted me into their group and made me feel at home in my own city.  #KidLitCon16

"Murder on Mykonos" Published in FICTION on the WEB!

My short story, "Murder on Mykonos," was published on May 27 in FICTION on the WEB! This is a free, online, British magazine. As the title implies, this story is a murder mystery. Editor Charlie Fish gave it this description:

Ginny is asked by her wealthy former roommate to accompany her characterful family on a yacht trip to Mykonos; by J.R. Sparlin.

If you'd like to read it, here's the link: "Murder on Mykonos" in FICTION on the WEB

A Tribute to David Letterman

My husband Derek and me, just after we attended a taping of
The Late Show with David Letterman last February

  

It has been one year today since the last airing of The Late Show with David Letterman. I wrote this letter to Dave shortly before his retirement. I doubt he had time to read it, but I am including it here to commemorate a great show and a big part of my life.

Dear Dave,

I started watching your show in 1983 with my dad. I was nine years old. (Apparently my mother did not know about this.) We had lots of fun watching the show together and wrote Top Ten lists and Viewer Mail letters, which we never mailed. Our favorite was:

            Dear Dave,
            Why?

It was my ambition to write for you when I grew up. And I am a writer, although not a well-known one.

I think that because I have watched the show all my life, it has had a profound effect on my personality and sense of humor, and therefore on my writing. There are of course many influences in a person’s life. But if I am sarcastic and funny, with a finely honed sense of the absurd, it is, in part, because of you. I love how you take all the weird little things people do and make them funny. One of my favorite pieces from the show is “How Many Mice Can Fit in a Dunkin Doughnuts?”

In more recent years, my husband and I have visited New York a number of times, and have always made it a point to walk or ride past the theater. It has always been a big part, for me, of the magic that is New York City. We were able to go inside and attend two tapings of the show, which were amazing and magical, and I will never forget it.

And so I have watched the show through the triumphs and tragedies of my life. Just about a year ago, six hours after having major surgery, my nurses were startled to find me sitting up in bed, eating roast beef, watching Dave.

Thank you for the happiness, diversion, and sheer malicious glee you have given me and my family. I am very, very sad the show is ending, but I wish you great happiness in your retirement. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself now at 10:30 every night. Perhaps I will actually get to bed earlier.

Not likely.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Sparlin
Wichita, KS  

"Murder on Mykonos" to be Published!

My mystery short story, "Murder on Mykonos," will be published May 27 in FICTION on the WEB! Yay!

The Winner of the January/February Contest Is . . .

I announced in January I would give away a copy of The Court Wizard to one of you who newly liked my Facebook author page, or had already liked my page, as of February 29. And the winner is my good friend LEIF JONKER! In case any of you are wondering why the winners of my two recent contests are brothers from the same family . . . well, each time I wrote everyone's name on tiny pieces of paper, folded them, closed my eyes, shook them, and drew one. =)smile emoticon Leif wins his choice of a signed print copy, a Kindle copy, or a Nook copy!

"Jaleth and the Dragons" Published in FICTION on the WEB!

My 14,000-word novella, "Jaleth and the Dragons," was published today in the free online magazine FICTION on the WEB, and chosen as a "pick of the month"! Editor Charlie Fish gave it this description:

Jaleth leaves his forest village to partake of a time-honoured ritual of manhood, but he will soon realise how narrow his horizons have been, in J. R. Sparlin's sweeping fantasy.

Cool, huh?

If you would like to read it, here's the link: "Jaleth and the Dragons" in FICTION on the WEB. If you would like to leave a comment, you can do so at the end of the story! 

March comes in like a dragon . . .

"Jaleth and the Dragons" Accepted for Publication!

My story, "Jaleth and the Dragons," will appear March 1 on FICTION on the WEB! This is a free British online magazine, so everyone can read it! This will be my first British publication.

Notice I said "story," not "short story." It is 14,000 words long (40 pages double-spaced) so it is really a novellette or novella.

Yay!

And The Winner Is . . . (And a New Contest!)

The winner of the December contest is Logan! He wins a free copy of The Court Wizard!

Thank you to everyone who signed my Guest Book and entered the contest. I apologize for announcing the winner a little late. Unfortunately I have been Horribly Sick.

So, to make up for it, I will be giving away another copy of The Court Wizard! If you "like" my J.R. Sparlin, Author Facebook page between now and February 29, 2016, you are entered in the contest. However, I don't want to leave out my faithful friends and fans who have already liked the page, so they are included as well. In other words, on February 29 I will look at the list of people who like the page, and randomly select a winner. The winner will receive his or her choice of a signed print copy OR a Kindle copy OR a Nook copy (unless the winner lives outside the contiguous 48 states, in which case it will be a Kindle or Nook copy). I will announce the winner on this blog and on my Facebook page during the first week of March, and if possible, message the winner on Facebook.

Congratulations again Logan!