Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Interview Time with Jennyfer Browne!

Since apparently I'm on a mission to have as many lovely ladies--and creative versions of "Jennifer"--as possible on my blog, here's another one.  Jennyfer Browne is the author in a genre not many are aware of--Amish romance.  But she doesn't play by the rules, and writes it how she wants...and it's good

See for yourself.


Tell everyone about yourself and how you got started in writing!

I’ve always had my head in the clouds, thinking up stories to entertain myself. My best friend and I used to play Star Wars- which can probably be considered live action fan fiction- she always got Han *SAD FACE*. I started writing early, first poetry, and then epic fantasy of a teenager soaking up Tolkien and Terry Brooks. And always with a strong, though often suffering heroine.  

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being a writer?

My favorite parts are being able to share something from the heart with those that enjoy it ( yay awesome readers!). My least favorite parts? Never having enough time and having a deadline.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other writers?

Write every day- whether it is on the manuscript you are working on or simple short exercises to keep your brain and fingers trained. Even if you have a writer's block- dedicate yourself to the time- even if it is to simply write: “nothingnothingnothingnothingomgthisisterriblenothingnothing”

I've definitely had those days. And do you prefer silence or to have music on when you’re writing? What kind?

I love music while I write. And I love all kinds- I have a few playlists to help with the mood (Angry, angsty, sad, inspiring). It all depends on the mood and sometimes I will play the same song over and over for one single chapter.

How’d you get the idea for the In Your World series?

In Your World started out as an online chat session with some girlfriends over a celebrity photo shoot in which he appeared with a black hat and innocent face. Jokingly calling him Amish, the inspiration struck and I had the first four chapters written in a day. A lot of research following once I realized I knew very little about the Amish save my childhood jaunts to Lancaster.

For readers who’ve never read in this genre, what sets the IYW series apart from a lot of Amish romances? How is it similar?

IYW can better be labeled contemporary romance, with an Amish twist. I like to call it sweet and savory with a twist of tart, as it does have a little more spice to it than typical Amish fiction reads. It is more secular in its approach as it is from an English (non Amish) person’s perspective. It is still meant to be respectful of the culture and philosophies of the Amish, illustrating the meaning of love between two people in a world that would see to tarnish it.

Will there be a 3rd IYW book? 

Most definitely! Initally I had planned on simply two, but in finding titles for the first two, the verse from 1 Corinthians 13 stuck:
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
So  felt it was important to round out the series with Finding Love- which is the story of the young Bishop, Benjamin Yoder. I’m very excited to give him more life and rejoin with characters we have all followed in the last two books.

Your covers are lovely! Did you do them yourself? If so, how’d you do them?

Aw, thank you so much! I did do them myself- which was a huge undertaking and provides me with so much admiration for those create covers professionally. I was a bit of a control freak for the first book, and I wanted a very particular image of Nathan (of which my friend and model, Brian helped to make a reality!). Hours and hours of learning the basics of Photoshop ( you can download it free for 30 days and get it done!)- and InDesign for the formatting of the cover. A great learning experience but my next series I am definitely hiring out!

What made you decide to self-pub?

This series was going to be a tough sell- what with the sexual situations that are not found in Inspirational Romance. I didn’t want to delete those moments, though, as I feel that love and sensuality are a beautiful thing and shouldn’t necessarily become a Fade To Black. I had an interested publisher but there was talk of shrinking it to one book, and that scared me.
Self-pubbing is a lot of work- in that you can decide to do all your own formatting cover, and even editing if you choose. My advice if you choose to go with self-pubbing and you don’t have a lot of funding- put it into editing. You can never see all the errors you make in writing!

What are you working on now?

Finishing up Finding Love, with the hope to publish in November (another boon/curse to self pubbing- you can pick your publish date!). After that I have a series of contemporary New Adults I want to start. And an alien romance. And a vampire romance. LOL

Tell us what genre(s) you write in, why, and what your experiences are like writing in them.  If you write in multiple genres, how is the experience different from one to another?

I love to write in a few genres- Paranormal, Sci fi, New Adult- but of them all, I want a strong female lead. The tone changes- paranormal has that feeling of danger or suspense, New Adult can be more comedic, and Sci Fi can be a free for all. But the heroine has to be strong, even when she is in danger of losing it all.

What was your favorite scene to write in the IYW books?  Why?

Oooh! Favorite scene had to be Kate’s first encounter with Magnus. I love that horse.

What scene gave you the most trouble in the IYW books? Why?

The sensual scenes were the most difficult. Initially they were a little more brazen- but given the audience targeted- a bridge between bodice rippers and Christian fiction, I had to really evaluate what was going too far and what was censoring. To some, I still have gone too far, but I stand by the words and their intent- that love between two people and how they show it is beautiful when they respect one another.

Where can we find you on the interwebs?


Where can we find your books?

On AMAZON
On iTunes

Thanks for stopping by, Jennyfer! :-)

xoxo Sarah


2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great fun, my friend! MWAH!
    -J

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    1. You're very welcome! :-D Thank YOU for stopping by! <3

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