Hi! It’s my first post on the new author portal! Isn’t it shiny and pretty? I thought I’d introduce myself in a hopefully not too OMG-you’re-boring-me way.

The short story:

* I’m 21.
* I live in Florida, but not near the beach OR any palm trees.
* After accidentally setting the microwave on fire once (one time, people!), I’m rarely allowed in the kitchen.
* I have a serious addiction to lip gloss.
* I’ve lived in Tennessee, Virginia and Illinois.
* I never acquired a Southern accent.
* I homeschooled from eighth grade through high school.

The long story:

I was born in Nashville (Music City!) and knew at age two that I was destined to become a writer.

Um, no.

I didn’t start writing until I was ten and I wrote my autobiography in size 24 font. I printed it, glued a photo of my horse and me on the cover and drew a pink heart around the photo. Literary genius, I tell ya! :)

I started taking horseback riding lessons when I was eight or nine. My parents learned to cover their eyes when I hopped on a horse without a saddle or bridle and raced up and down the pasture.

I had to stop riding at thirteen when I had surgery for scoliosis. My spine had curved like an S. I had to find new interests, so I turned to writing and I decided I wanted to become a freelance writer. I learned how to write a query letter and sent dozens of embarrassing “Dear Sir or Madame” (who even said THAT in 2001?!) queries.

They were all rejected. Shocker.

I decided to stop writing about what I thought editors wanted to read and wrote about something personal-—my volunteer work with the local Humane Society. The article became my first acceptance.

I freelanced for five years before I started writing novels. Now, I’m a fulltime author/freelance writer.

Whew! That wasn’t too bad, was it?

I’ll be posting here often since I’m addicted to blogging and vlogging. If you’re not sick of me yet, you can check out my personal Website, the Canterwood Crest Website and my blogs. All of those links are on the sidebar. Also, if you’ve got Facebook, MySpace or Twitter and you’d like to friend me, feel free!


Get more on Jessica Burkhart at SimonandSchuster.com