Sarah Younger and Jeffe Kennedy at RWA 2016

At Last: My Big News!

Sarah Younger and Jeffe Kennedy at RWA 2016So, I’ve been making vague remarks about big changes in my writing career life. More than I thought, because a number of people have asked me about it! But there were Reasons I couldn’t say until today.

The NEWS:

I’m moving to a new agent and agency!

As of today I’ll be represented by Sarah Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency. I’m super excited about this move. Sarah just celebrated her 80th deal (which just happened to be a fabulous one for my wonderful friend, Grace Draven). She’s also just a lovely person all around – and not just because she loves my books! Here’s us at the Harlequin Ball in San Diego last summer (2016), at the RWA annual conference, long before either of us had an inkling we might work together. 

What’s funny is – and you longtime readers will particularly appreciate this – Sarah read and loved PETALS & THORNS way back when I published it under my Jennifer Paris pseudonym. Let me tell you, finding an agent who’s read your books for pleasure is a fantastic feeling. She really groks what I write and I think we’re going to make an amazing team.

So, as of today I’m bidding a fond farewell to Fuse Literary. I notified them and my previous agent, Connor Goldsmith, back at the end of February that I’d be making this change. My agency agreement with Fuse (like many), required a 30-day notice to wind up business with them. I will always appreciate what Fuse and Connor have done for me. Agency partner Laurie McLean really worked hard to find a place for me in the agency after my first agent (Pam Howell) left. (For those who don’t know, an author signs with a literary agency, not an individual agent, so if an agent leaves the agency, the author has the option of following them to the new agency or staying put and working with a new agent.) In the end, I approached Sarah about moving my work in a new direction. I liked what she had to say and was hugely gratified that she offered to represent me when I asked. 

Big changes like this never seem to be easy, even for the person who initiates them. The last month of conversations and logistics have been surprisingly emotional for me. It’s kind of like filing for divorce and planning a wedding to someone new, all in the space of 30 days. 

Plus there was that whole RITA finalist thing in the middle. 

All good things, but – WOW! – I’ll be happy to settle into a steady, quiet routine again. ~fans self with hankie~

So, stay tuned for news. Exciting days ahead!

Writing the Denouement – What’s the Right Amount of Wrap-up?

RITA Finalist in Paranormal Romance for THE PAGES OF THE MIND

So… this is *MY* big news this week. How about you all?

Tee hee hee!

Yeah, okay, I’m still in a daze, totally gobsmacked, and running about in this kind of gleeful haze where I whisper to myself, “My fantasy romance, THE PAGES OF THE MIND, finaled in Paranormal Romance in RWA’s RITA® awards!!!”

To unpack that a little, for those not familiar, RWA is Romance Writers of America and the RITA Award® is our premiere award for published books in the romance genre. (There’s also the Golden Heart, for unpublished works.) Because romance is an enormous umbrella with many subgenres, there are thirteen categories. “Paranormal Romance” is basically all science fiction or fantasy style stories with romance in the story arc. Yeah, it’s a polyglot of a subgenre, but there you are. With entries capped at 2,000, and every entry read and ranked by five judges, it’s a tremendous effort. It’s basically the Academy Awards for romance authors. The winners will be announced at the very glam awards ceremony at the Annual Conference, which will be in Orlando this year, July 22-29.

Okay! Moving on…

Our topic this week on the SFF Seven is on story structure, specifically asking the SFF Seven about the Denouement: How long do you spend wrapping up a novel? Come on over for my take

Sorcerous Moons in Print!

The first three Sorcerous Moons books are now out in print!

For the die hard print lovers among you, we’ve bundled together books 1-3 of Sorcerous Moons into a hard copy edition! That’s Lonen’s War, Oria’s Gambit and The Tides of Bàra all in one place, plus the first chapter of The Forests of Dru. It’s a little pricey, because PRINT, but it should make for a nice keepsake.

Or gifts! Makes a great doorstop for that non-reader you’ve been trying to convince to try my books. 😉

And yes, book 5 is coming soooooooon…. 

What Got Left Out? Classic Misses in SFF Worldbuilding

Jeffe on the Iron Throne

I love this photo of me on the Iron Throne, the much-sought seat in George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and the ensuing books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. It’s a testament to GRRM’s meticulous worldbuilding (yes, I’m making it one word in this post because it should be) that people have gone to such lengths to reconstruct pieces of his imaginary world. 

That’s our topic at the SFF Seven this week – Children and the Elderly: what elements tend to get left out of worldbuilding? Come on over to play the game!

First Chance for the LAST DANCE!

Last Dance

Cover Reveal! The first in my new contemporary, sexy romance series will be out on Tuesday, February 28, 2017!
 
Missed Connections #1
 
“This book kept me up all night! Funny, mysterious and oh so sexy!”
M. O’Keefe USA Today Bestselling Author
 
It was five minutes. His hand on the small of her back. His eyes watching like there was no one else in the crowded club. His body a breath away from hers. A kiss full of heat and need and promise.
 
But then the stranger disappears. And Charlotte Emory can’t forget him. Worse, according to the dating Rules she and her four best friends swear by, all she can do is post an ad online. No names, no numbers. Just a missed connection – and the hope he’ll meet her, and see where another dance leads.
 
Except Mr. Mystery has his game, too, and he isn’t playing for only one night. He tempts Charley into a daring exploration of power, lust, and suspense, where even the most innocent requests sound indecent…and the indecent ones make her burn all night.
 
If she plays by the Rules, they’ll never get past teasing each other. But rules were made to be broken…
 

Should Authors Comment on Politics?

This photo didn’t come out in focus – too dark – but I’m sharing it anyway because the moment of this full supermoon rising through clouds in Santa Fe during a penumbral eclipse was absolutely incredible to see. My wonderful friend, Anne Calhoun, was visiting. We climbed up onto the roof and watched the sun set and the moon rise. Neither of us got great photographs. 

Too much magic, maybe,

But you’re not here to listen to me talk about friendship, moonrises and magic. Or maybe you are. If you know me or follow me on social media, you’ll expect this sort of thing. If you clicked on a link because you found the topic interesting, you’re maybe wondering when I’ll get to the point.

Eventually, my new visitor!

Because this week’s subject is Hot Topics & the Author’s Social Media Voice, it seems the perfect time to point out that the these three things – voice, social media, and an author’s response to hot topics – are inextricable. I unpack this over at the SFF Seven

On Professional Jealousy – and Three Ways to Shut It Down

Last weekend I got to visit my lovely writer friend Grace Draven – that’s me enjoying the gorgeous trees in Texas hill country – and this weekend my fantastic writer friend Anne Calhoun came to visit me. As a result, I’ve had about ten days worth of intense writer conversation and am wrung out.

I’m also late with this post to the SFF Seven because of it. Last week I didn’t do one at all, though that was largely because the topic was Flash Fiction and I just don’t much like doing those. Flash fiction can be an interesting form, but my fiction-writing energy goes into my current project and I find working on anything other than that feels tangential at best and counter-productive at worst.

I am, however, blessed by having these friends to talk writing with and my well has been refilled to brimming.

And this week’s topic is about writing relationships: A Cringeworthy Moment of Professional Jealousy & How You Dealt With It. Come on over to hear mine

How to Answer Interview Questions: 3 Tips for Both Pros and Newbies

Sunrise on the Ortiz Mountains the other day created dramatic and crisp pink highlighting on the fresh snow of the peaks. Quite spectacular.

Our topic this week at the SFF Seven is an interesting one:Remedies for Stale Interview/Podcast Questions. Come on over to get my tips!