Author: Jen Barry

Author of Young Adult novels. Reside in Nashville with my husband, a gorgeous Irishman. Drink too much coffee. Online way too much.

A House and a Home

by Jen Barry, posted in Uncategorized

My husband and I move once every one to two years, so we never have much time to form ties to a house or a neighborhood.  We have always considered our home to be with each other, no matter what the building that protects us happens to be.  It wasn’t until my parents decided to move that I realized what home really means.  See, my parents have a tendency to stay in one place a bit longer, and that means there is plenty of time to build up a treasure of memories.  Because we were so jaded where moving was concerned, we didn’t expect the emotions that overtook us when we started packing boxes.

After all, the front porch of that house was where I saw my husband, Liam, for the first time.  I still remember what he looked like as he strolled up the walk toward me, with his red polo shirt, his ruddy cheeks, and his hair in perfect disarray.  I think I knew in that instant he was forever, but the realization came much later.  Whenever I think back to that perfect moment, I’ll remember a house that is now holding someone else’s memories.

This was the home where my nephew was raised from infancy–where all of his firsts took place.  The first step, the first word, the first time he called me Jiffiner.  While I certainly have possession of those memories for all time, I must share some part of them with the house in which they happened.  My nephew is eleven years old now, and he’ll start a whole new era of his life in a new home.  He’ll think back, though, and remember the house on the hill and all the learning he did there.

For all that a home carries memories of first love and growing up, it also carries the burden of loss.  My parents’ home saw its fair share, with two beloved aunts and my great-grandmother passing away during the years my parents lived there.  It was also in this house that I had to let go of a dream I’d had since childhood.  After my car accident, I had to set aside the acceptance letters to music schools in New York City so that I could concentrate on healing.  There were tears, and love, and support given freely and accepted with just as much grace.  There was renewed faith and a stronger sense of familial bonds.  It was a home that wouldn’t allow the darkness to dwell, and that light is what kept me returning, even when I had my own home with my husband.

The new house sits high on a hill in the historic district of town.  It is beautiful, of course, and carries the memories of families that went before.  With nearly one hundred years’ worth of birthdays, the house has seen more than I could ever dream.  I find comfort in the marks I find from others before us, because it gives me hope that we will also somehow live forever in the walls and floors of that house we once called home.

Words of Wisdom from Catherine Mesick

by Jen Barry, posted in Authors, Uncategorized

Catherine Mesick, author of Pure, joins us again with some words of wisdom.  Read along with me for a brief glimpse into her history with publishing and some sound advice for those hoping to someday see their words on a printed page.

The world of publishing is expanding, and there’s room for everyone who wants to be a part of it.  Small presses and independents are leading the way, and there are opportunities for everyone – authors, bloggers, book reviewers, artists.  Jennifer has asked me to share what I have learned about publishing in this new environment, and I have to say that the most important thing I have learned is this:  Just take the plunge and do something that you love.

I started my publishing career as an intern at Scholastic Books, the publisher that was lucky enough to win the rights to theHarry Potter series in the U.S.  It was an exciting time to be at Scholastic, and though I was never lucky enough to work on any of the Harry Potter books – I was nowhere near important enough – I did get to work on R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series, K.A. Applegate’s Animorphs series, and many other titles besides.  These books were regarded as sacred properties, and I was forbidden to talk about the books or to take any work home for fear that details would leak out.

I had always liked books and writing, but being able to work on manuscripts that were actually headed for publication was a profound thrill.  My love for books seemed to grow every day.  Sometimes I was required to rewrite sentences – or rarely – a paragraph, and once I was even told that an author had neglected to make up some magic words for an incantation in a book – so I was to come up with the words myself.  When I saw the magic words I had written appear in an actual book – or any of the sentences I had rewritten – I remembered them all – I experienced an amazing feeling – the joy of an author seeing her words in print.

Eventually, I left Scholastic and went on to work at other publishing houses.  I also went on to write books myself, and the joy of seeing my words come to life on paper, and now on screen in electronic form has never left me.  At times I have had my doubts about continuing to forge ahead in the difficult world of publishing, of course, but I have discovered that I have the most success when I am writing about places, situations, themes, and characters that I truly love.

So, if I have one piece of advice for anyone just starting out in publishing, it’s this:  Do something you really love.  Take us where you most want to go.  I promise we will follow.

The Making of a Book Trailer

by Jen Barry, posted in Artists, Books, Side Effects

I had every intention of blogging about Liam’s new weed trimmer, but after being assured divorce would be in my future if I wrote one word on the subject, I decided to avoid that topic.  Instead, I bring you the making of a book trailer.  After all, it’s relevant and interesting, and it saves my marriage.  It’s a win all around.

From the moment the idea took root, I knew it was going to be a problem.  Some fell into place immediately.  I do happen to know the best photographer in Nashville, so lining up the true talent of the day was pretty easy.  MD Laidlaw jumped on board the crazy train with me, and plans really kicked into gear.  The storyboard was written, and then we had another brief roadblock.  Enter AJ Ellington, an emerging musician and producer in the Nashville area, and the original score for Side Effects was introduced.

Those were actually the things I expected to be the hardest to take care of, especially since the talent necessary to cover those aspects of the trailer needed to be significant.  Instead of struggles, I ended up working with some of the best possible artists.  Where we really ran into trouble was finding a location for the shoot.  We had models lined up back in April, but the first location fell through.  We then had to wave goodbye to those models and start a new round.  When the location fell through in May, I began to get a little antsy.  My assistant, Sarah, jumped on the bandwagon and began calling every school within a fifty-mile radius to secure a location once and for all.  The moment it was decided, we lost half of the models again.

With a song, a photographer, and a location, I knew we could make it work.  We had the main characters cast and locked down, as well as some models secured to play school friends, so we were pretty sure we could do some tight shots and really pull it off.  With that thought in mind, we pressed forward with determination.  We might have failed.

We didn’t, however.  Thursday night before the shoot, MD and I took a little trip to hear a songwriter she knows, and the whole thing turned around.  First of all, he was fantastic, as well as the other two singers with whom he shared the stage.  When we got the chance to talk to all of them after their round, we mentioned the photo shoot and our concerns.  These wonderful, talented people stepped forward and volunteered to fill in the gaps.  We ended up with five more participants for the shoot, and everything was looking up once more.

As you might expect, I woke to thunder on Saturday.  Go figure.  With a call out to some Twitter friends to perform an anti-rain dance, I went on with the show.  Faith is an amazing thing.  Would you believe the last drop of rain fell the moment the first model pulled into the parking lot at the shoot location?  Not only that, but the sun came out from behind the clouds right on cue throughout the day.  With failure after failure leading up to the day of the shoot, we ended up with the best group of models we could have asked for, the most perfect weather possible, and a great location that offered plenty of options for photo sets.

I can’t wait to show you the final product, because I know it will blow you away.  In the meantime, I’d like to take a moment to thank the people who made the whole thing possible.  Without MD Laidlaw, nothing would have happened.  She kept her cool and led the charge like the true professional she is.  Her work on the trailer will blow you away, but until you can see that, you should check out her portfolio on her website.

AJ Ellington, the brilliant musician who penned the score, is working on her website and her first album.  When you hear the song, you’ll know she’s going places.  The piano piece she composed is only one facet of her talent, though, so be sure to keep an eye on her for future work.  I can’t say enough about the ability this woman has.

Sarah Witte gave of her time to help us secure a location, and I couldn’t be more grateful to her.  Not only that, but she showed up on the day to help keep things organized and drag props to and from the sets.  Without her help, I might have absolutely lost my mind.  If you get a chance, leave a message for Sarah to let her know how awesome she is.

The main characters of Isaac and Grace were portrayed beautifully by Austin Lewis and Macy Mayfield.  Let me tell you; they are so perfect in the trailer it’s as if I wrote the book with them in mind.  I must thank them for being so professional and open to direction.  You will see the story through their photos.  Macy nearly leaps from the photos, she’s so brilliant, and Austin was also gracious enough to pose for the book cover.

Logan Patton, Tayler Moore, Alexia Marable, and Kiana Marable also helped out to portray friends of the characters.  They were brilliant on Saturday, and I am so grateful to them for their time and assistance.  I hope to see big things from all of them in the future.

Finally, to the fantastic people who jumped in at the last minute to help make everything a success, I give my undying gratitude.  It may not seem like much, but these guys showed up two days after hearing about the shoot and gave four hours of their time.  Katie Marcario, who works with The REP Agency here in Nashville, was so adorable I had to beg her to be on the cover of my next book.  Blake Mundell, a singer/songwriter who already has plenty going on in his life, also stepped in and helped out.  You’ll see him featured on the next cover, as well.  Chelsea Gill, a beautiful singer/songwriter from Belmont also gave freely of her time.  Finally, Jared Mitchell and Tim Price of the band Yours Truly jumped in and added the final missing pieces.   They also passed out some CDs at the end of the day, and I haven’t stopped playing mine.

As a thank you to these guys for saving my bacon (oh, I really did say that, MD and Yours Truly), I hope you’ll check out some of the stuff they’re working on.  You’ll eventually see them all featured on the artist page, but for now, I’ll list some links you can follow.  I highly recommend them, not just because I like them, but also because they’re true talents and the future of music in Nashville.  If you like what you hear, you should let them know.  You can say you heard it here first!

MD Laidlaw

AJ Ellington

Blake Mundell

Yours Truly

The REP Agency 

 

And as a thank you to you for your patience and enthusiasm, I’m also including another shot from the photo shoot on Saturday.  Enjoy!