A Family of Storytellers with Jennifer Joy

Dear Readers, we have a special guest today. Jennifer Joy is a new writer to the JAFF community and already has two books released. Her first, Darcy's Ultimatum, was on one of Amazon's Best Seller lists for quite some time and I believe it was the #1 Best Seller. That is impressive! Congratulations, Jennifer Joy! 

Thank you for answering my questions and allowing me and my readers the opportunity to get to know you. I hope Jennifer will not mind me telling you, but for those of you unaware, she is the daughter of author, J Dawn King. What talent runs in that family! As you will notice in my Calling Cards Presented, J Dawn will be my guest in a few days. Isn't that awesome to have both mother and daughter visit in June! I'm excited!

Thanks again for agreeing to visit today. So, without further ado, please welcome Jennifer Joy. Be sure and take a look at her generous giveaway.

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Available on Amazon

How and when did your interest in Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice  take root?

 It all began when a friend invited me to the movies to watch Emma (with  Gwyneth Paltrow). I was 15 and in love with all things romantic. I had a  subscription to Victoria magazine (Anyone remember that?) and my room  was decorated with pink flowers and doilies. I read every book written by  Jane Austen that year and decided to drink more tea.

 I bet the pink flowers and doilies made a lovely room! I love that you  decided to drink more tea! :) After reading all of Jane Austen's books,  what drove you to start writing your own books? Did you write other  things before writing PnP variations?

My family is full of storytellers. My mom encouraged creativity and reading and my grandma gave me my first writing journal when I was about 8 years old. I have been journaling ever since and only started taking fiction writing seriously when my husband began reading my journals for entertainment. I tend to exaggerate things there. I hope that years from now, if my journals are uncovered, civilization will NOT rely on them for an accurate picture of our times.

Journaling is such a good way for people to express their thoughts and feelings. You were fortunate to have someone encourage you in that area. Since you have moved on to stories do you have a muse that causes your story to lead you at times or do you use an outline and follow it religiously? What is your writing routine?

I’m a planster. I love the freedom of letting the characters lead the story, but I like to have an idea of where the story will end— as well as major plot points— to keep things moving along. When the muse doesn’t show up for work, I can rely on my back-up to get me started. Music is essential for me. I listen to a lot of soundtracks on YouTube. So long as there are no lyrics to distract me, I put on my headphones and zone out until my chapter is done. That’s my daily goal. At least a chapter a day, 5 days a week. I only work the weekend if I fall behind. As a Mom to twins and an ESL teacher, flexibility is essential.

My, being a mom to twins it is a wonder you have time to write at all. That must keep you busy on top of everything else you do. Your writing routine does sound interesting. It always fascinates me to hear how an author writes. Is there any setting, other than your music, that is more inspirational to you when writing?

I mostly write on my desktop in my office/exercise room (Who am I kidding?)/spare room. I like my screen and I love my chair. However, it is our main computer and my husband needs to use it too. When that happens, I write at the kitchen table on a laptop while my daughter draws and my son makes cardboard obstacle courses for his cars. Productive— not so much. Inspirational— absolutely.

Well, that last setting gave me a laugh. I can picture it in my mind and I bet it is inspirational! What about the Regency era is appealing to you?

There was more respect and manners back then. Some of my favorite authors were alive and writing in this time period and it amazes me how entertaining their books still are today.

Available on Amazon

I agree with your completely with your answer about the Regency era. Now would you tell us something about your newest book that you love most. (if you can without giving anything away)

I felt bad for Anne. She seems to get the short end of the stick more often than not. I wanted to give her a happy ending. I also wanted to create a story which could explain in an exciting way why Lady Catherine was the way she was without turning her into a vicious villain. There’s hope for her to have a happily ever after too.

That is neat that you wanted to give Anne a happy ending. It will be interesting to see what you have done with her and Lady Catherine. What have you learned from writing that has helped you in your daily life?

Writing is therapy for me. That is why I have been journaling for over 20 years (no need to say exactly how many, ha ha). In completing a novel, I can now help my kids cultivate their creative streaks. My daughter is an artist and my son is following in my family’s tradition of storytelling. For me, it has also given me more confidence.

It is therapy for you and pleasure for your readers. That is a good exchange. (Sometimes reading novels can be a sort of therapy for readers too.) Is there anything special about yourself or your writing that you would be willing to share with us?

What makes me special is that I am rather ordinary. I am a firm believer that we are always learning and we should never think we’re too grand to stop. Trying new things is important— even if it’s scary and you would much rather hide away with your favorite novel and a cuppa. As for my writing, I am a firm supporter of the Oxford comma and em dashes.

You do not sound too ordinary to me...wise, yes, and 'down-to earth'...well grounded. Do you have a modern day author that has inspired you? If yes, what was it about their writing that was an inspiration?

What a difficult question! I read a lot and I read widely, but I must admit that most of the books on my Kindle are classics. I love the innocence of many of the books of that time. That being said, I recently went through a dystopian phase where I read everything by Veronica Roth, James Dashner, and Suzanne Collins. What impresses me about these writers is how they established their settings and kept things moving in such a way, it was torture to put down their books.

Isn't it amazing when authors have that ability to write in such a way that it is pure torture to put the book down? That is when I find myself reading into the wee hours of the morning. I know I did not want to put your first book down. Now for a very important question, we all have our special reasons for loving Mr. Darcy, what are your reasons?

He was willing to change for the woman he loved. He was a bit of a stinker at the beginning of the novel, but he transforms himself to win the heart of Elizabeth. What woman doesn’t want that?

Good answer! :) Thank you so much for being my guest. I loved your answers and appreciate your honesty. Below is the bio for Jennifer Joy and it will tell you a bit more about her.

Author Bio:

When Jennifer isn't busy dreaming up new adventures for her favorite characters, she is teaching English, reading, perfecting her doughnut recipe, or taking her kids to the park.

She currently lives in Ecuador with her husband and twins. All of them are fluent in Spanglish.

Contact Jennifer Joy:

Email:  contact@jenniferjoywrites.com

Blog:  Jennifer Joy Writes

Facebook

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Jennifer Joy, I am so happy that you consented to being my guest today It has been my pleasure to have you here. I admire your ability and wish you much success with your two releases and will be looking for much more from you in the future. 

For the giveaway, Jennifer Joy is offering one eBook and one Paperback of Darcy's Ultimatum. Both are international! YAY! All my readers will appreciate you for including everyone. Thank you so much. For those of you wanting to enter, please leave a comment with your email address. That will guarantee your entry. We want you to have your share in the conversation and look forward to hearing from you. The giveaway ends June 9th at 11:59 PM. Good luck and thanks for stopping by.