At first I was stunned, and
the fact that the editor prefaced her email with an apology for taking so long
to respond to my query? Wow! Truth of the matter was, she replied faster than
any other publishing house I’d ever sent to. Too funny! I celebrated numerous
times… once with the family, once with my closest girlfriends and once by
myself (with a well-earned trip to the bookstore for a long browse).
Can you tell me about your writing process?
Do you plan every detail before you start writing?
I am THE most
disorganized writer you can imagine! I have index cards and post-it notes
scattered all over my desk. I have notes going in at least three notebooks. I
also jot myself notes on my Aqua Pad in the shower (BEST invention in the
world!)
As far as plan details,
I can’t start unless I know my hero and heroine inside and out. I need to know
what the basic conflict is. I need to know the climax and how the story is
going to end. But as far as detailed chapters… I let my characters sort things
out as they go along. Often times I’ll sit back smiling because I did not see
that particular scene unfolding the way it did. It’s kind of spooky but a lot
of fun.
You have two young children at home. How
do you balance parenting and writing?
I give up trying to earn
the Mother-of-the-Year award. When I’m writing, I let them play video games,
watch cartoons and trash the living room with pillow forts and Lego booby
traps. Sometimes it means cereal or pizza delivery, when I’m on deadline. But
when I’m not writing, I cherish every moment with my little monsters that I
can. I take tons of pictures and I talk them up on Facebook, because they
aren’t going to be little forever and I am going to miss these days like crazy.
Do you base your characters on people that you
know?
I can neither confirm nor
deny that question. Just kidding. I may have based a secondary character or two
on a real person. You know what they say about ticking off a writer… ;)
You have three books published now. Do you
have a favorite? Why is it your favorite?
My favorite book is Five
of Hearts. It’s a shout out to my fan fic writing days and was a lot of fun to
write. But as far as heroes go, Jonah Goodwin is the man for me. Such a sweet
dad and a great big guy who is handy with his…tools. ;)
I heard that you have a fourth novel coming
soon. Can you tell me a little bit about it and when it will be released?
Tentatively titled
Trapped In Tourist Town, this book was originally the very first in my Scallop
Shores series. It was also my first rejection and I hid it away after a
Harlequin editor told me Burke was too perfect and Cady was too immature. After
Drawn to Jonah sold, and Five of Hearts right after that, my editor at Crimson
asked if I had any more Scallop Shores books. I decided to give it another go,
using what I’d learned in the years since I’d first written it to make it a
better book.
Cady is the manager at
Logan’s Bakery that readers have been introduced to in the last three books.
She loves to match make, she’s proud of her espresso machine and she doesn’t
take any guff from her cranky clientele. But she’s worried that by staying in
Scallop Shores, she’s missing out on a more exciting life in New York City.
Just when she finally decides to take the leap and skip town, Scallop Shores
gets a new resident in Burke Sanders. Now she has to decide if following her
dreams to the big city are more important than leaving behind the first man
she’s ever truly fallen in love with.
Good luck with the next book, Jennifer! And thanks for answering my questions.
All three of Jennifer's books are available on Amazon. Check them out!
(Amazon links are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission from sales)
Drawn
to Jonah (a RONE 2014 Nominee and 2nd place winner in the 2012 ECO
contest)
Quinn finds new
purpose in life caring for the local handyman's daughter and teaching the sexy
single dad how to read. He knows he owes her a huge debt, but he'll start
by giving her his heart.
Five of Hearts
Shannon is a single mom to triplets. Dean is a former boy band
member hiding from the latest fake paternity scam. They couldn't be more
wrong for each other. Sometimes falling in love is more about chance than
choice.
Wynter’s Journey (A 2nd place winner
in the 2013 ECO contest)
A childhood promise brings Wynter and Sam together again after tragedy
ripped them apart over ten years earlier. Fate has given him a second
chance to tell her how he feels. This time he's not going to run.
