Guilty Pleasures a Guest Blog by Corrine Jackson

Filling in this week for Veronica while she is on tour (I hope some of you have gotten a chance to meet her) is a wonderfully charming and talented debut author, Corrine Jackson.  She has not one, but two books headed our way this fall.  I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of IF I LIE, and it blew me away (more on that in couple months).  So without further ado, I give you Corrine:

Guilty Pleasures

In December, my German publisher asked if I would make personalized cards for some promo kits they were sending out to bloggers. I happily agreed and made my way to Paper Source, a haven for people who want to decorate paper, wrap things in paper, or make things out of paper. I thought to buy some cards, handwrite some notes and be done with it. Instead, I walked around the store, wide-eyed and bemused by a sudden urge to take up origami and book binding, though neither activity had appealed to me before that moment. Sure I was in the grip of a paper-induced fever, I picked up a rubber stamp – one stamp, mind you – and my blank cards and prepared to buy my items. Then, it happened. A girl stopped to give me a demonstration of embossing with rubber stamps and embossing powder. 

MIND. BLOWN.

Needless to say, I exited the store with $150 worth of cards, stamps, embossing powder, a watermark inkpad and the very special dryer that magically melts the embossing powder. I went home and the paper euphoria cleared. But I set aside my buyer’s remorse and got to work. For four hours, I stamped and embossed. And the whole time I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t having fun because I suddenly felt like somebody’s scrapbooking Aunt Marge. Clearly, the writing deadlines were getting to me.

I decided to chalk up that day to insanity. Except I kept looking at the pretty embossed cards and remembering how relaxed I felt working on them. With my book deadline fast approaching, I needed to focus, though. I had no room for distractions. So of course, by the next week I’d ended up at TWO different craft stores where I purchased more stamps and supplies than a sane person could use. I’ve embossed cards and journals. I’ve recently confessed my new hobby to a friend, and it went like this.

“What did you do Friday night?”

“Bought stamps,” I confessed.

“Stamps,” she repeated.

I hung my head. “Kari, I stamp now. It’s a thing.” 

“Please tell me you mean collecting stamps because that would be so much cooler.”

“Do you even know me? Nope. I’ve taken up scrapbooking’s better looking cousin.”

“Nerd.”

I’ve since spread the embossing sickness to my sister, buying her the equipment and teaching her how to do it. I actually let loose with a battle cry of “STAMP!!” when we went to the craft store. What can I say? It relaxes me, and I am compiling a crap-load of custom-designed journals to give people. I get to be creative, while taking a break from writing. Minimal mess and commitment with maximum output. At least this is what I tell myself when I look around at all my supplies and wonder when I became this person who stamps things. If you would also like to catch this sickness, go here to see examples. [http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/howto/rubber-stamping-recipes.html]

Thanks to the YA Muses for having me!

Corrine Jackson lives in San Francisco, where she works at a top marketing agency managing campaigns for several Fortune 500 clients. She has bachelor and master degrees in English, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. Visit her at CorrineJackson.com or on Twitter at @Cory_Jackson.

IF I LIE:

A dramatic and powerful novel that explores the gray space between truth and perception.

Cheater. Traitor. Slut.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Shunned by everyone she knows, Quinn loses her friends, her reputation, and her identity. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s a Marine who’s serving overseas, and beloved by everyone in their small, military town.

But Quinn didn’t cheat. She could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. So she stays silent, and waits for Carey to come home.
Then Carey goes MIA, and Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.