WELCOME TO THE BLOG JENNIFER
Tell us a little bit
about yourself
I’m just a girl from
Louisiana who now resides in Colorado with a husband and a furry menagerie.
While attending college, I majored in Biological Sciences, Civil Engineering,
English Literature and Respiratory Therapy/Cardiopulmonary Science. Heck, I
still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Probably because I refuse to
ever become a stagnant adult. I believe in living life to the absolute fullest.
In pursuit of an
abundant life of adventure, I have spent time as a burlesque performer, a
roller derby referee, a bartender in the French Quarter, writing for a music
site in New Orleans, and currently am an amateur fitness competitor. I have a
penchant for all things that sparkle, and on a completely different note, am a
self-professed food whore. However, one interest has never faltered through the
years, daydreaming and penning those warped thoughts to paper.
Tell us about your
new book . I read it and I must say wow it was great.
Thank you! I have to say
“The Surrender of Luella: Perchance to Dream Book One” all came about because I
love to read different inspirational quotes in the morning while I’m having
coffee. Quotes about creating your own happiness, you are in charge of your
happiness, kept popping up. I began thinking about a girl who was very alone,
insecure, perhaps with issues that all of us may suffer from, but personified.
I asked myself what if her happiness was through her dream world, her daydreams
and books that she read? Then, what if a chance happenstance made her dreams
possibly come to life. I wanted Luella to be relatable to women as well. I
think at some point or another, we’ve all felt as though we were an outcast or
didn’t belong. Then, of course, kink, lol. But I wanted to delve deeper than
just the kink, but the psyche of relationships, trust, and communication.
As a romance writer,
how do you keep your stories fresh and not cookie cutter like most romance
stories have become?
My thought process and
the way I approach life has always been outside of the box. I try to think of
situations and stories that I haven’t seen often. Many times, ideas come to me
during the process of something I am involved in. For example, I had not seen
many ‘gym rat’ romances, with bodybuilders, or that lifestyle. Ripped &
Twisted came to me as I was prepping for my last competition. Hours in the gym
a day around all of these people living the lifestyle sparked the story. Maybe
it’s also because I am adventurous and try so many different things, that I can
find settings and characters that other people don’t quite have familiarity
with yet. And I like to sprinkle real life philosophies or advice into my
stories too.
Do you have any rituals
when it comes to writing?
Only that I always sit
on my sofa with my laptop on a pillow on my lap, and usually music playing.
As a writer who has
written BDSM, did you find that FSOG helped or hindered the industry?
Well, I feel two ways
about it. I do believe it helped break the taboo of BDSM and kink in general.
Do I feel it was a well written story? Not really, but hey, who am I to talk,
she’s a selling machine! And I can’t deny that I read all three along with
everyone else.
Other then writing
what do you like to do if and when you have free time?
I cook, garden, and the
gym and fitness have been integral in my life for sure.
Who was your greatest
influence and got you to pick up the pen and write?
Honestly, I’ve written
since I could string sentences together. My mom has boxes of stories I wrote on
loose leaf. However, I will say that while I was beta reading and proofreading
for Al Daltrey’s first book, he was kind enough to read a few things I was
working on. He was the one who encouraged me to put out my first novel. He was
and still is a great mentor for me.
What is your
favourite book or books you like to read? The ones that you go back to over and
over?
Brahm Stoker’s Dracula
Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight
Club
Steven King’s The
Shining
NOW FOR SOME RAPID FIRE
QUESTIONS
COFFEE OR TEA -
Coffee
REALITY TV OR
SITUATION COMEDIES – Oh hard, lately reality
MORNING PERSON OR A
NIGHT OWL - Morning
YOGA PANTS OR HIGH
HEELS – Yoga Pants, though I have boxes of high heels that I buy and never
wear!
What words of wisdom
would you give a up and coming writer?
Don’t do this thinking
you’re going to make tons of money. Sure there are some that do, but I would
say that’s perhaps 2% to maybe 5% of indie authors who hit it big. Do it
because you have to tell your stories.
Please, get a good
editor or proofreader. There is nothing more distracting than a poorly written
book.
FINALLY
Where can we get in
contact with you.
And a few other places
to stalk me:
Amazon:
Goodreads:
Blog
Thank you so much! I loved answering your questions.
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