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An Interview with Jenny B. Jones and a GIVEAWAY!!!

So, there are days when all I want to do is lay around in my pajamas, eating chocolate chip pumpkin bread and reading something light and funny. Preferably with snow falling gently outside.

While my friend Jenny Jones can’t really provide the pajamas, the pumpkin bread or the snow gently falling (or the time to do it, unless Jen’s now offering babysitting services), she can and does provide the light and funny reading.

So. Thank you, Jenny.

I’m so excited to introduce you to my friend, Jenny B. Jones! She’s a full-time high school teacher, loves to travel, and somehow still finds the time to get a ton of books written. How she does she do all this? Teach me, Obi Wan Kenobi.

Erynn: All-righty. Time for the Most Important Question I have for you: What is your favorite kind of cheesecake?

Jenny: Almost any kind besides pumpkin or raspberry. I don’t eat gourds or raspberries. I used to hate cheesecake, but as an adult, I grew to love it. Why can’t I have that experience with peas and carrots?

Lost some respect for you there, friend. I’ll make you some of my famous chocolate chip pumpkin bread. It’s spoken of on a daily basis by at least one person. Tell us a little bit about how you got started writing.

I have told this story a bunch, so forgive me if you’ve heard it. But I went to a writing conference in ’05 with 20 whole pages. To make a long story short, God turned the impossible into possible, and six months later I got a contract through divine appointments at this conference. Those twenty pages turned into In Between, my first book. I can’t recommend writing conferences enough.

Amen. Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin cookie?

Oh, gosh. I love both. How about oatmeal chocolate chip?

I guess that would be okay. Any new books coming out or in the process of coming out?

There You’ll Find Me just came out a few weeks ago. It’s a YA that’s a spinoff of my women’s romance, Save the Date.

The story is about eighteen year old Finley Sinclair, who books her trip to Ireland as a foreign exchange student, where all she wants to do is let her heart heal, see the sights in her brother’s favorite country, and work on her college audition piece for a prestigious music conservatory. She plans to use her brother’s journal from his time in the Emerald Isle as her guide during her stay, yet from the moment she boards the plane and sits next to Beckett Rush, teen star of the hottest vampire flicks, nothing goes according to her well-ordered plan.

The peace and beauty of the Irish village are no match for the chaos that soon becomes her life. When she gets roped into working as Beckett Rush’s personal assistant, she finds this famous wild child is not quite what he seems. And as she grows closer to the mysterious actor, her own secrets refuse to stay put.

And, it looks like I’ll be doing some downloading to my Kindle app tonight. What is your least favorite part of writing?

Sitting. Sitting. And sitting. I really dislike that part of it a lot. There is nothing more exhausting and hard on the body than being immobile.

My son would agree with you. Tell us a little about the genre you write in. Why did you pick that route?

I write YA romance and romantic comedies for women. I work with teenagers all day and have always been plugged in to that culture. But when my publisher suggested I write a romance for women, I was intrigued. I enjoy both a lot.

So, what’s your favorite part of writing?

Readers. Getting feedback and hearing that your book touched a heart or made someone laugh. I love nothing better than making someone laugh.

Love that! Favorite character you’ve ever written?

Maxine from the Katie Parker Production series. She’s stylish, bossy, outrageous, and says whatever she wants. She was the most fun I’ve ever had in writing. If I could put her in every book, I would.

She was a great character! Got any advice for prospective authors?

Read a lot. Read wide. Don’t just read in the little category you’re most interested in. And don’t wait til a full idea settles in your head or inspiration strikes to write. I rarely have a full plot or inspiration. So don’t think just because you don’t have 90 thousand words spinning in your head, you’re not a writer. Take it a chapter at a time.

Ok. You’ve got one minute to grab whatever you can at Target and money is no object. What do you buy?

Target cards. I worship and adore Target. Love their home stuff. I could write poetry about Target. Except nothing rhymes with it. . .

Ha! Thanks so much, Jenny!!

Jenny has been SO gracious and offered to giveaway one of her novels! Leave a comment on this post to automatically be entered to win. And don’t forget, every comment during Fall Fiction Frenzy enters you in the contest to win the Old Navy gift card! Please, guys, only one comment per person. 🙂 And be sure to leave your name or sign into your Blogger account for the drawing!

Today’s comment question: They say the best things in life are free (unfortunately, I have not found this to be the case at Starbucks). What is your favorite free activity to do this time of year?

See you guys tomorrow!
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70 thoughts on “An Interview with Jenny B. Jones and a GIVEAWAY!!!”

  1. I don't know if I have an annual fun free thing but, my school but on an improv fest which was free and most definately fun 🙂

  3. The house we just moved to has lovely grass in the front yard – I've just developed a love of laying on that grass, gazing up at the turning leaves or playing with them like a kid, and soaking in the autumn sun. Very free. And those few minutes refresh me.

  4. Living in Colorado, my favorite free activity in the fall is to drive around in the mountains to see the aspen leaves changing colors!

  6. My favorite fun thing to do during this season is going on walks by myself in a quiet place, where it's just me and my thoughts.

  7. My favorite free activity this time of the year is walking outside with a good friend and having great conversation, and of course crunching all the leaves in my path! =)

  9. My favorite thing to do this time of year is go to the Great Smokey mountains and see how pretty the leaves on the trees are, which just happens to be close to where I live.

  13. My favorite free thing to do is go on walks out in the fall air and hanging out with my family while playing board games! 🙂

  14. Apple picking and the baking that comes after that. Although I don't live in an area that is conducive to apple picking anymore. I'm currently contemplating trying out a recipe for apple cider cupcakes, hoping they will taste like the apple cider donuts I grew up eating every year.

    Holly
    oceandreamerfla(at)aol(dot)com

  15. Have a picnic in the backyard or a nearby park with my husband and daughter! We have done this 3-4 times the past couple weeks and just love it!

  16. At the beginning of October, I love to go up to the mountains in Santa Fe after church one Sunday and have a picnic. I love to see the leaves change.

  19. Pretty much in the fall, it's hanging out with my friends and going to the mall at night. Such fun =)

  22. I think my favorite free activity this time of year is just sitting outside with a good book while enjoying the gorgeous fall weather! 🙂

  23. I adore going to the Nature Center in my town and wading in the stream, it's so serene, totally free, and since I live in Texas… really refreshing to get out of the fall heat!

  25. I am obsessed with Jenny B. Jones. Seriously, Katie Parker CRACKS me up. I love all of Ms. Jones' books! So glad to hear about a new one!

    My favorite free thing in the fall…this is a no brainer! I am from Alabama, and in Alabama, football is a way of life. My daddy was in sports for a while, and so every Saturday was spent on the couch in front of the TV, with SEC football blaring on into the night. We always had lots of food – good gameday food like chips and salsa and baked goods and often Mama makes chili. There would be breaks (during the less important games) where we would head outside for some backyard football! Daddy and I always won. 🙂 I didn't always love watching football, but I have always loved my family, so I would sit in this comfy orange chair with a book. Man, I love the fall just because of Gameday and all the memories it has for me!

  27. My favorite free thing to do this time of year is play outside with my boys! I also love a good cup of french vanilla flavored hot chocolate and a new book, so if someone gave me those two items as a gift, I'd consider that free. 🙂

  31. Our church harvest festival . . . okay, the food isn't free (but it's close–we're talking 50-cent homemade corndogs), but there's always a big, fun display of hay bales and scarecrows and pumpkins. You can beg your loved ones to pose in front of it and get some fun pictures. Best part: hayrides all night on a big, real tractor. We also have a little "train" that goes all over our church property. And we sing. Loudly. It doesn't get much better than that during fall. 😉

  32. Erynn, I LOVE reading your books and your blog!!!! One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to have a fall photoshoot!!! 😉

  35. The local radio station – minus the commercials – crooning as I drive from the country roads into school with the fall leaves as a backdrop. It's very peaceful.

  36. I love to read and since I work in my church's library, books are always free. So my favorite fun thing to do is curl up on the couch and read.

  37. There you'll find me is absolutely awesome!! I finished it the other day
    My fave free thing about fall is the depth and richness of all the colors

  38. I love just going for walks and seeing all the pretty fall colors. I love to take my camera along and take pictures. Now that I live in Arizona, I miss all the beauty and colors of fall since there really isn't fall weather here!

  40. These days, my favorite free Fall fun thing is play groups with my friends and our little ones. I'm discovering lots of places in town for playing inside while us mamas can sip coffee and chat when the weather gets too chilly to play outside.

  41. This is gonna sound lame, but I love to go for lots of walks this time of the year. The changing colors of the trees and the air…there is just something about the air during the fall that I love! It's delicious! 🙂

  42. Well, after Halloween is over, I love popping in the Christmas music, making hot chocolate (yumm..), and then dancing around the house like crazy people with my family while we put up Christmas decorations. Such fun. Can't wait for November 1st;)

    -Madison Akins

  43. Who doesn't love Jenny B. Jones? Thanks, Jenny, for autographing three of your books at ACFW that my daughter will receive for Christmas. Add Erynn's Sketchy Behavior to the mix, and I will enjoy some happy squeals 'neath the tree this year!

    My favorite free fall activity is taking a sunny afternoon hike through the woods. Swoosh. Crunch. Swoosh. Crunch. I love a forest ablaze with autumn!

  44. I love Jenny B. Jones!! She is a fantastic writer. 🙂 So excited!
    Favorite free thing about this time of year? Definitely taking walks around the park and looking at all of the pretty leaves changing colors!

  45. Favorite free thing right now is to go for a walk outside…although here in Houston it's still almost 90 degrees most days. UGH! Waiting for fall.

  46. Favorite part of fall is taking long walks enjoying the crisp clear air and beautiful fall colors. But mostly I enjoy getting ready to pull out my extensive Christmas music collection–who says October is too early?!

  47. Either driving around looking at the fall colors, or when the leaves are all gone, watching U of M football with my dad or watching movies and drinking coffee with my family. OOH! I just though of my favorite! Watching Gilmore Girls from season 1 through season 7. 😀

    P.S. I LOVE Jenny B. Jones. The Katie Parker series is so much fun to read!

  50. Baking! Love, Love, Love to bake (ok & eat the goodies!)… pretty much anything with pumpkin or apples this time of year. Although, since that isn't technically free, I would say playing in the leaves. =)

  51. Every year, me and my family go on a fall color ride around town. Even as we all get older, it's a special tradition.

  52. I don't know if this counts as free, as it was a gift and due to that you normally have to pay money to do it. But I love visiting my local theme park I have a pass and live right around the corner from it so I try to go once a week 🙂

  58. My favorite free thing to do would be watching basketball with my friends!! Oh and all the coffee flavors that come out but thats not free!(:

  59. Reading! I can either borrow them from the library or use a program like booksneeze! I have been reading nonstop this month! (almost 18 books, including Sketchy Behavior and the entire Maya Davis Series 🙂

  60. My favorite thing to do in the fall is to search for the most vibrant leaves in our area of town with my family. Every year we admire God's handiwork in a different place : )

  61. Definitely a church hayride or a visit to the pumpkin patch (the visit is free, even if the pumpkin isn't.) When I was pregnant I spent a lot of time in the fall at my favorite park, sitting on a bench overlooking a pond with the fall colors reflecting in the water. That was definitely my favorite fall activity back then. 🙂

  63. Love Jenny B. Jones! I really enjoy going on hayrides with friends this time of year. Enjoy the beautiful weather, snuggle under a blanket.
    -Allie

  65. I was so excited to see this interview, Jenny B. Jones is a fantastic writer 🙂 My mom always makes sure to point out the changing leaves, so my favorite thing to do is admire the trees during fall.

  66. My favourite thing to do this time of year- or any, for that matter!- is curl up in a warm blanket, indoors, out of the chilly air, with a good book and cup of hot chocolate and plate of yummy cookies! Or else play Euchre with my family 🙂 With the woodstove burning, of course!

  67. I live on the east coast, and the leaves are absolutely stunning this time of year. It's really amazing to walk outside and admire God's art gallery 🙂

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