Wednesday, June 3, 2015

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

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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.



52 comments:

  1. Your first blog post! Wow, Jennifer! I'm happy to say that Janet's was the first for me as well. Another family tradition.

    What you failed to tell Janet was that you won a writing competition when you were in the 8th grade. That was one of several awards that came your way during your school years. Another thing you forgot? You hated "kissing" stories when you were growing up. You loved mysteries. How you ended up writing romance is a shock to both of your parents.

    As a Mom, I couldn't be prouder to see your name in print. It's an outstanding heritage to leave your children.

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    1. Oh Joy, thank you for sharing that information about Jennifer. She is quite the 'accomplished lady' isn't she! That is too funny that she did not enjoy 'kissing' stories. Look where you are now, Jennifer! :)

      I know you are very proud of her, as you should be. Thanks for stopping by, Joy. I'm guessing you are not entering the giveaway. I have a sneaking suspicion that you already have both books. lol

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    2. I wish we had a 'like' button. I don't have anything clever to say, but you are right about Mom. She's a great cheerleader and gets dibs on book #3!

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  2. I enjoyed reading this and learning more about you. I am new to the JAFF community but I am definitely loving meeting new people as well as learning more about them. I look forward to reading your work and hearing more from you. Congratulations on your success and I wish you even more future success. taneshia(dot)washington(at)yahoo(dot)come

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    1. Welcome to the JAFF family! We have a lot of great authors who are not only great writers, but really nice people too!

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  3. Looks like these will be 2 more books to add to my ever expanding list - congratulations on the series - how many more will be in the series?

    meikleblog at gmail dot com

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    1. Thank you! My TBR pile is growing too, but one can never have too many books! There is one more book in this series of 3. I couldn't complete it without Colonel Fitzwilliam. He's one of my favorites!

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  4. I Hope the séries will containt more novels in the future.

    I must say, I agree Darcy worked hard to change himself (his opinions, view on the society) because his love was stronger. It is admirable of him.

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    1. Love conquers all! I think it's one of the reasons we love Pride & Prejudice so much.
      Right now, I have 3 other stories fighting for space in my head so it is safe to say that more is to come!

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  5. I loved the background information you shared and your ideas about Anne. I would
    love to have a PB, if possible. Thank you.
    ladysusan46(at) yahoo(dot)com

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    1. I hope you enjoy Anne's story as much as I enjoyed writing it. She makes quite a journey! Best wishes on the paperback!

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  6. Thanks for a wonderful post and the amazing giveaway. Darcy's Ultimatum sounds so tempting and the cover is absolutely gorgeous! Congrats!
    joana_sw[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]uk

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    1. Thank you for the compliments! My husband is becoming quite the expert doing covers for me.

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  7. Jennifer, Your mom told me about this blog - I have to subscribe to it....hard to keep up with all the blogs however. I did read and post a review on your first book and plan to do the same with your second. I just have to read down some of the ones idling on my kindle first. So nice to learn more about you.

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  8. I remember your review, Sheila! It was one of the book's first and your comments were so encouraging. I hope you enjoy Anne's story too and I'm happy you came by today!

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  9. Thank you for the wonderful interview! I agree with the explanation of what draws us to Darcy. I have not read Darcy's Ultimatum and would love to win the book. Thank you for the interview. evamedmonds(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the interview! Janet asks great questions.
      I hope you win a copy! I would love to hear what you think.

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  10. Very interesting interview, and what family talent! And here all I know how to write is the Spanish version of English documents... (sigh)

    I would love to win a copy of your book. Please enter me in the giveaway!

    My address is tgruy at netscape dot net.

    Thanks!

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    1. Learning another language well enough to translate into it is a big deal! Quite the 'accomplishment'!
      Best wishes with the giveaway!

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  11. Well, to own the truth the "other language" I learnt, was English...

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    1. Wow! Either way, it is still something to be proud of. There were nights when I had nightmares about conjugating verbs in Spanish. Even after living in Ecuador for about 10 years, I still make mistakes!

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  12. I look forward to reading your story of Anne and Catherine. I have read very few variations in which Lady Catherine is not a villain, and I am interested in seeing how that all comes together! Thanks for offering the giveaway. My e-mail is maumar at verizon dot net

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    1. Fantastic! I hope you like Lady Catherine in this version. She meets her match with her feisty sister-in-law!

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  13. Hi Jennifer! I think it's so cool that you and your mom are both JAFF writers! Joy, btw, is one of the kindest, most generous people I've 'met' online - and she likes baseball, too! lol. It's great that she so encouraged you, and naturally you're passing that on to your children. What do you like most about living in Ecuador? Recently my aunt and uncle went there and rode motorcycles all through the country. They loved it but said the only flat land there was in parking lots!

    Congrats on your success so far and I look forward to reading your books about all 3 cousins. :)

    monicaperry00 at gmail dot com

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    1. Mom lives up to her name, for sure. Our household was never dull growing up!
      How cool is that? I agree with your aunt and uncle about the terrain. Everything is a hike here, but I love the slower pace of life and the time I get with my family. My kids are learning to live with two cultures and languages and I think that's pretty great.
      Thank you for your support! I hope many more stories are to come!

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  14. I had to chuckle about the journals and your husband finding them entertaining. I tend to leave my journal lying about when I'm distracted by other things and he's sat on it, tripped over it, found it in bed and discovered it outside when he was mowing. He doesn't read them, but I'm sure he'd love to toss them. haha!

    I love that you tackled Anne and Lady C's story. They tend to be vilified or made the comic relief so many times. Look forward to reading it.

    Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
    sophiarose1816 at gmail dot com

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    1. I'm happy to meet a kindred spirit in journaling! haha!
      Lady Catherine was both a challenge and a joy to work with. I'm sure she'll be the villian in future stories, but for now, we'll allow her a moment in the sun.

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  15. It is so much fun getting to know more about you. I agree that Darcy did change for Elizabeth, but not in essentials. I have both of your books as ebooks and they are on my TBR. Unfortunately, my TBR is growing faster than I am reading. I am looking forward to book 3. Thank you for the generous give away. skamper25 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. I agree, Deborah. We wouldn't want Darcy to change too much, would we? I'm pleased that my books honor your TBR pile! (My pile is currently out-of-control) I hope you enjoy them!

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  16. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to get to know a new JAFF author, Janet. The two books have beautiful covers and I would like to win a copy.

    evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thank you for your kind words! Janet is a joy to work with.

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  17. Hi Jennifer! I was so interested to see that you had also written JAFF books. All the best with your latest!

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  18. Thank you, Wendy! Best wishes in the giveaway!

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  19. I have had my eye on book one and just saw book 2. Wonderful interview. Thank you for the giveaway. Cherringtonmb at sbcglobal dot net

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    1. If I could read everything on my wishlist, I would be one happy girl! Wishing you the best!

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  20. So glad to see you have released another book, Jennifer! Here's wishing you much success.

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    1. Thank you Jan! You've played an important inspirational role in my family, so really, thank you!

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  21. Oooh, this book is already on my wish list, so I would be thrilled to win a copy! Thank you for the giveaway. GinnaSaisQuoi at verizon dot net

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    1. Fantastic! We'll do our best to shorten your wish list! Best wishes to you!

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  22. Thank you for taking this interview Jennifer and Janet! I always ask myself how busy people like you find time to write, in your case I think it's a family "blood" passion! XD I loved your mother's book and hope to read as soon as possible something yours because I really found myself agree with most of your statements.
    Good luck for your career!
    Thank you for the international giveaway, my email is LorenDushku@gmail.com

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    1. Thank you, Loren! I think we find the time to do the things we want to. It means no tv for me, but that's fine. I was addicted to those lovely 'fix up your home' tv shows. Now that I don't watch them, I find I'm much more content with my messy house and I get more writing done! :D
      I hope you enjoy my stories as much as you've enjoyed my mom's!

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  23. I am not actually going to comment on the book, just saying that looks really good.
    So you live in Ecuador! I am Spanish, I live in UK. I wanted to ask you if there are JAFF novels translated into Spanish. I have no problem reading in ENglish, I barely read in Spanish nowadays but I would like to now if ther eyou have JAFF books translated into Spanish. I have not looked much in Spain but I do not believe there are many. In Easter I went to visit a friend to France and I was able to buy two variations of Pride and Prejudice but they were translations from English.
    I would like to know if there are translations into Spanish because I have just started my blog where I do mainly reviews and if I were able to do my reviews and show that those books are translated into Spanish, I could spread the "good news" of having JAFF books!!
    I would love to be able to write but I am not yet "inspired", so I was thinking I could translate and have more people enjoying one of my vices!!
    Thank you for doing the giveaway!

    ana (dot) mr (dot) 986 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. I understand your predicament. I haven't done much of a search for JAFF novels in Spanish, but I do know of one version. Los Pecados del Padre, J Dawn King, is translated in Castellano.
      I hope you're inspired soon— whether it be writing your own stories or translating! Le deseo exito con el blog, la escritura, y las muchas traducciones que de seguro te van a llegar!

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    2. Ana, if you are interested in books in Spanush, have you looked at Warmisunqu's blog? Many of the books are in English but there are some in Spanish too. I seem to recall there was a post giving the pick of last year's reads and there was some JAFF that wasn't available in English. The blog is here: http://warmisunquausten.blogspot.co.uk

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    3. Thank you to both! I will do an entry in my blog sometime about those books and I will look for more.
      I prefer to read Elizabeth and Darcy in English, the same with the other novels by Jane Austen but I know not everyone understands English.

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    4. All the more reason to get your blog off to a good start and spread Jane Austen's wonderful stories! They're so good, we keep writing about them!

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  24. Ana, if you do a search on Amazon for libros en espanol in the Kindle Store section, you will see 1,422 entries. I typed in Orgullo y prejuicio and the only variation was mine (Los Pecados del Padre). You might need to type in some of the author names or just scroll down the list.

    It would be great to have a resource for Jane Austen fans to access information in Spanish. As Ceri mentioned, Natali at http://warmisunquausten.blogspot.co.uk has been diligent for the last few years in keeping up with what is available.

    Best wishes to you!

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  25. Thank you for sharing with us this wonderful interview and welcome to the JAFF community. I agreed with your thoughts about Anne and I would like to read this novel too.
    Thank you for the giveaway.
    My email chiarapiccirilla@hotmail.it

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    1. Thank you, Chiara! I hope you get to read Anne's happily-ever-after.

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