I met Jennifer at the Kentuckiana Authors Fair. I really liked the covers of her books. She says she is a crazy cat lady who lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her wonderful husband and two children. When she’s not thinking about cheesecake or cats, she can be found in the bookstore in the Young Adult section, coffee in hand.
How did you decide to become an author?
I know it sounds cliche, but I originally started out as an avid reader and blogger. I went to several author events and finally came to the decision that I had a story to tell. My first book, Persuading Tomorrow, is actually a Young Adult Contemporary story about bullying. It was written and dedicated to my oldest son who knows first hand about bullying and the depression and anxiety that goes along with it. From there, I branched out to work on more paranormal stories and I think I’ve found my niche
How does your professional background help with your writing?
I’m not quite sure what to call my professional background. I excelled in school and was an A/B student. After high school and a having child, I attended a massage therapy school and was licensed for a time. I think my education and upbringing, along with my healthy love of reading and my time blogging, has helped to cultivate me into the writer I am today. I’ve done my best to further my knowledge by taking marketing and writing courses through OTOH Books. I love their classes
Can you tell us more about why you wrote your latest books?
My latest book, Mermaid Adrift, releases May 22nd and is currently on pre-order everywhere. I originally started writing Mermaid Adrift because of an idea that sparked in my head. It was slow going, as I’m a slow writer, but I ended up joining a GenreCrave box set. At the time, I had about 40K written on it and the box set required around 60K. Being a part of a group of authors releasing a box set was the fire I needed to push me to the finish line! I love mermaids and other mythical creatures and I’d always wanted to write about mermaids. I’m super excited about the release of Mermaid Adrift now that it’s been released from the box set. If anyone is interested in my latest release, they can find all of the links here.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Reach out to other authors in your genre. Build your tribe and make sure you have a great support system to both lean on and ask for advice. I don’t know what I’d do without my tribe. They help lift me up, encourage me, and are there to lend an ear or answer a question I may have about the business. If the don’t know, they’re willing to help me find out. I really don’t know what I’d do without them!
What are some upcoming publishing projects you are working on?
I have several projects I’m working on this year. I wish I was a faster writer or that I didn’t have a full time job. I have three books I’m working on with various cowriters, plus a paranormal romance comedy I’m writing and hoping to release in October.
I’m working on Azure Embers with Ava Wood which is a young adult sci-fi with paranormal elements. Our main character is one of the last energy elementals left and believes she is destined to help save her race.
I’m working on Sordid Depths with Heather Marie Adkins which is a paranormal dystopian scheduled to release November 8th, 2018.
And I’m toying around with ideas with Victoria Escobar. We originally decided on co-writing a shifter book together, but we may end up writing a reverse harem. I’m intrigued with the concept and she admits reading RH is one of her guilty pleasures.
The book I’m working on solo is going to be titled How to Spell Disaster and it’s a paranormal romance comedy (which I hope to make into a series of stand-alones). My guy character is going to be in for one hell of a surprise.
Visit Jennifer’s author website.
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