Author Spotlight: Jennifer Beckstrand - Mom, Mathematician, Author

By Leah Kornacki

Today we are very proud to shine a spotlight on our client and friend Jennifer Beckstrand. Jennifer has been represented by the agency for ten years now, and was discovered by our founder Mary Sue Seymour. We love Jennifer’s story, so we asked her to share more about how she came to be published and what advice she has for budding authors.

Jennifer is a lifelong fan of fiction, but didn't begin her journey as an author until well after she started a family. Jennifer's first passion was algebra, and she actually holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. Even though She isn’t a career mathematician, Jennifer says the math degree was probably the best decision she’s ever made because it has come in handy getting all six of her kids through high school and college. 

Her dream of writing came after she had her fourth child and began to suffer from insomnia brought on by restless thoughts. When she couldn’t sleep, Jennifer would write a Western romance story in her head. Eventually, she looked forward to bedtime more than ever before because she could spend the time exploring more of her story.

“You know how about four kids into your life you suffer from chronic insomnia because you can’t stop wondering what you forgot to do that day—like hug your child or go to the bathroom? 

Anyway, that is basically how I started my writing career.”

Today Jennifer has 24 books published (with four more on the way!), but she wasn’t always a book writing machine. She says it took her 14 years to finish her first novel, a 130,000-word Western historical romance titled Rachel’s Angel, which won best novel in the League of Utah Writers Contest in 2008 and first place in the Inspirational category at the Utah Romance Writers Conference in 2009.

She says the first thing aspiring writers must make peace with is the very difficult and painful realization that not everyone is going to like their work.

“I pitched my book to one agent who wasn’t interested because she said it wasn’t “steamy” enough. Another agent judged my manuscript in a contest, and I could tell without her having to spell it out for me that she hated my story with a white-hot passion.” 

It was Mary Sue Seymour who finally showed interest in Jennifer’s work. Mary Sue was looking for an author who could write inspirational romance, and she knew Jennifer was the right fit for the agency. Today, we know Jennifer as a resident rock star in Amish Fiction, but it was Mary Sue who originally suggested she research the genre. Jennifer quickly put together three synopses and a fifty-page query of her first Amish romance.

“Soon thereafter, ON MY BIRTHDAY, Mary Sue called with an offer to represent me—and a charge to ‘hurry and finish that book.’”

Five months later, Jennifer signed a three-book deal with Guideposts Books for her first Amish romance series, Forever After in Apple Lake.

From the beginning, Jennifer has dedicated herself to becoming the best writer she could be. Early on, she sought help and guidance from her author friends and attended conferences and workshops. She didn’t go it alone, and she didn’t try to rely solely on her storytelling talents. Instead, she researched and read up on writing and editing fiction. Jennifer recommends aspiring authors pick up a copy of Self-editing for Fiction Writers. She says its principles made her a significantly better writer, and she promises she isn’t exaggerating when she says reading it was “absolutely life-changing.”

Jennifer has also co-written her own nonfiction book for helping creative people called Big Ideas. It’s about how to get better ideas and more of those “Aha! Moments” by allowing your brain to go into “rest mode” rather than trying to squeeze ideas and creativity out on demand. She says her ideas usually don’t come easily, and if the inspiration isn’t flowing, she will spend lots of time contemplating and ruminating, sometimes staring at a blank screen. The problem is, sitting still at a desk for more than a few minutes makes her fall asleep.

“The advantage of being a task-oriented, stay-at-home mother is that many of my daily jobs allow ample time for musing. I ruminate while puffing on the treadmill or running a vacuum over my carpet or taking a shower. I am notorious for long, indulgent showers—my guilty pleasure. I do my best thinking in there. (My apologies to the green movement. But I do recycle!)”

At the same time, Jennifer doesn’t give her hard work enough credit. She balances creativity with research. She doesn’t consider herself an expert on the Amish, but she puts in the time to get the facts right to create a believable world and characters that are a fair representation of Amish people and their culture.

“One thing I have discovered about the Amish is that they are just regular people trying to navigate life in the best way they know how, just like the rest of us. So I try to make my characters real, instead of cardboard cutouts of what people think the Amish are like.”

To create her amazing characters, Jennifer seeks additional inspiration by observing the people around her. Anna and Felty Helmuth from her Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series are heavily inspired by her parents, and she made a hero out of her daughter’s boyfriend in one of her books. This method seems to breathe life and humor into Jennifer’s characters. Above all, the magic in her work comes from telling stories centered on what she loves and believes in. 

“I would say, write what you love or writing becomes a drudgery very quickly. I love romance, humor, and faith-filled stories, so those are a pleasure to write.”

Jennifer’s formula for success has been equal parts dedication to her craft, dedication to her family, and a confidence that enables her to take criticism and use it. She understands that making mistakes are essential to the learning process, and she doesn’t let negative reviews get her down because she knows even the best writers get them. She says the only criticisms she takes to heart are from her beta readers, her agent, and her editor.

Jennifer says her favorite thing about being an author is hearing that readers enjoy her books, especially when her story has touched, inspired, or helped someone. Her next big goal as an author is to make the USA Today Bestseller list, and to get her first contemporary romance novel, Dandelion Meadows, published. In life, she says she is also striving to spend more time with her grandchildren and get better at pickleball.

Many thanks to Jennifer for sharing how she got started as an author and how she surmounts some of the challenges authors face. We love hearing how hard work and dedication can pay off!

Jennifer Beckstrand has several Amish fiction series including The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill and The Petersheim Brothers. Lovers of Historical Western fiction should read her novel Jessie and James which is a humor-filled romance set in a late 1800s mining town. We can not recommend diving into her worlds enough!                                                                   

You can find out more about Jennifer and her books at her wonderful website: http://www.jenniferbeckstrand.com/.                                                                                                          

Also be sure to join her official Facebook group for updates, giveaways, and more fun! https://www.facebook.com/groups/2061229137272299

The Call with Dineen Miller

My family and I had moved back to the States in 2002 and I wanted to somehow earn a living by working from home. I was big into quilting at the time and saw an ad in the back of a quilt magazine about writing a book, so I sent away for the information. Somehow I thought that meant writing a FICTION book and went to work on a story that started to fill my heart. I'd written short things for years but never a full length book. When the packet of information came, I realized it was instructions about submitting a craft/quilt book. LOL! But by then I was hooked and finished my story. And I've been writing ever since. 

The Soul Redeemer releases November 27th! 

About Dineen Miller:

Dineen Miller is passionate about igniting the souls of others through God’s Word, which is packed with His truth and promises. She is a multi-published and award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction books, a speaker and a ministry leader. She’s been featured nationally on several Christian radio and television shows and was co-leader and pastor at SpirituallyUnequalMarriage.com for 11 years.

She is currently an Associate Director at the Healing Rooms of Manatee and Dean of the HROM School of Transformation in Bradenton, Florida. She and her husband are proud parents to two adult daughters and a son-in-law. They love kayaking and walking the famous white sands of Siesta Key Beach where they live in Sarasota, Florida.

Website: https://dineenmiller.com/ 

The Call with Gabrielle Prendergast

My call came as a few emails at first. Having had agents before, both good and bad, I think I went into it with my eyes wide open. But even from the email I had a good feeling because Lynnette had written "We would love to talk to you about this MS, future projects, and your CAREER GOALS"(my emphasis). This was so important to me. When we spoke on the phone, my good feeling was reinforced. Lynnette and Nicole were so enthusiastic and wanted to hear about everything else I had on the go (which was A LOT) so I knew they were interested in working with me for the long haul. That's what I wanted. I took my time making a decision because I wanted to be careful and make the right choice, but even though I've only been with the agency for a while, it's already going GREAT and I'm so happy!

About Gabrielle Prendergast:

Gabrielle Prendergast is an award-winning writer, teacher and designer living in Vancouver, Canada. She writes picture books, middle grade fiction, and YA contemporary and historical as Gabrielle Prendergast. Her science fiction and fantasy stories are published as G.S. Prendergast.

She has won the Monte Miller Award, the Westchester Fiction Award and The BC Book Prize as well as being nominated or short listed for numerous other honors. Gabrielle has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and has taught writing at Sydney University, San Francisco State University, UBC, Royal Canadian College and at numerous conferences.

Website: www.gsprendergast.com

Twitter: @gabriellesarap

Instagram: @gsprendergast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorgsprendergast

     

 

 

Pitch Perfect

Hello Everyone!

The Seymour Agency is pleased to present a free online pitch event for the writing community!

As we approach NaNoWriMo and get ready to wind down 2020, we'd like to connect with writers who are ready to pitch their projects and share their career goals with us.

Please CLICK HERE to register for the event. All pitches will take place through Zoom.

We look forward to connecting with you!

Best,

The Seymour Agency

Q&A With David R. Slayton

Today’s blog will focus on celebrating a new author, David R. Slayton. Software geek by day, fantasy novelist in every other moment! He’s a Denverite who has written the kind of book he craved as a kid in Guthrie, Oklahoma. White Trash Warlock is based on Adam, an outlier in his family, has a power called the Sight. For most of Adam’s life, his gift has been more of a curse. Through a twist of fate, his power ends up being the one thing that can save his family and lead him to his first love. Will Adam be able to overcome insurmountable challenges and learn to work with his power? You have to order White Trash Warlock to find out! It’ just released on October 13th, 2020. This is one story you don’t want to miss!

What inspired you to be a writer?

I grew up in the Oklahoma woods with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. They sparked something in my imagination at a young age. I would escape into my head, wander around the woods and pretend I was on another planet, in another world. I started telling stories with my toys. Sometimes I’d cast them in new roles, and those became my first characters. I’d build forts out of mud and sticks, then later, cities. I’ve always been a world-builder.


Was there any particular moment that was an “ah-ha!” revelation that inspired White Trash Warlock?

I used to live near a hospital that was in the process of demolition. As I walked through it and past it, I imagined a doctor and his wife dealing with something haunting them. That’s pretty much Chapter Two. Adam came later, when I was driving through North Carolina at night, listening to the radio and watching the moonlight break through the trees. There’s more than one reason that Adam’s car is such a part of his identity, but that’s how he started, so he drives a lot.


A lot of authors have quirks that get them into the headspace or groove for writing. Do you have any habits or neurosis that get you in the mood to be creative?

Coffee is a big part of my personal writing ritual. I warm up my brain while it brews listening to the playlist I made for the book or an appropriate video game soundtrack. I also practice dialogue out loud, like a lot, talking to myself, testing the sound of it to find the character’s voice. And I smell everything: food, inanimate objects, etc. I’m always working on getting better, realer details into my books.

I try to tune my feelings to what my characters are feeling, so I’ll relive memories and take notes on how I feel in my body. I like to work a lot with bioenergetics, how we feel things physically, how our bodies react to emotion so sometimes I can emotionally wreck myself by writing a powerful scene.


Your book has an emphasis on LGBT orientation. How has your own personal life influenced the characters and storylines you create?

Like me, Adam is gay, and I wrote White Trash Warlock to be the kind of book I always want to read but can so rarely find.

White Trash Warlock isn’t about the gay experience or gay trauma. It’s not about coming out, or AIDS, dying tragically, or struggling with self-acceptance. Better writers than me have got those covered.

I’ve always wanted books where the main hero just happens to be gay, but the story revolves around something else. It’s not where the conflict comes from. In my epic fantasies it’s not even an issue.

I’m really honored that my acquiring editor at Blackstone, Rick Bleiweiss, saw what I was trying to and wanted a story like that too.


Are you a night owl or a daywalker?

I have a pretty demanding day job, and that means I get up really early to write before I spend all my brain points before the conference calls start. It’s advice I got from Chuck Wendig and Gail Carriger at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, and it’s made a real difference in my productivity, to treat it like a second job.


What about magic appeals to you?

I mean, the idea that there’s a whole other world just atop or beneath our own, or that the universe might have cheat codes is just so appealing. I think it would add mystery and maybe meaning to our already beautiful, incredible world.

I think many kids who grow up like I did, feeling poor and overwhelmed by the world, wish they had some spell or power to change things and make them better.


If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?

Teleportation. I’d love to be able to just snap my fingers and be anywhere in the world, even better if I could take people with me. London for the weekend? No problem.

That or time travel. I’d spend my life just researching history. Combining teleportation AND time travel would be perfect!

I’d bore everyone to tears just popping off to some foreign country or time to really figure out some bit of historical trivia.


Most everyone has one moment in time that they wish they could change. Do you have one of those moments? Would you mind sharing it?

My grandmother was the first person to really encourage my creativity, my imagination. She spoiled me a bit, protected me from my father when she could, and let me be myself. Not long before she died I was back home in Oklahoma. We were shopping at Sears and she saw a red jacket she liked. I was working four jobs at the time, trying to graduate college, and pay as I went. I could have bought it but it would have put me on ramen for a few weeks. Looking back, it would have been worth anything to pay back some of that love and sacrifices she’d shown me and put a smile on her face. I wish more than anything that she’d lived to see me published, for her to know how much she helped me get here.


If you could be any magical creature, what would you be?

Definitely an elf, but one of my elves: immortal, good with a sword, and kind of mischievous while being obsessed with old amusement parks and classic cars. Adam has a difficult relationship with them, but I think they’re pretty neat.


What’s next? Do you have any goals or ambitions you’re chasing right now?

I’m living my lifelong dream, being published and having my book out there. I’m working hard on finishing Adam’s trilogy and my agents are cooking up all sorts of things. I’m so lucky to get to work with Lesley Sabga, the Seymour Agency, and Blackstone. I have a trio of epic fantasy trilogies that I hope we sell soon and a few other urban fantasy ideas I hope readers get to see on the shelf.

About David R. Slayton:

David grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver, Colorado and write the books he always wanted to read. His debut, White Trash Warlock, will be published in October 13th 2020 by Blackstone Publishing.

Website: http://www.davidrslayton.com/

Twitter: @drslayton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.r.slayton 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/davidrslayton

The Call with Laurie Stroup Smith

Around the age of nine, I remember telling my parents I wanted to be an author, but my interests later led me to become a Certified Athletic Trainer. Writing has always been important to me. One of my college professors requested a copy of my master’s thesis to keep as an example for other students, and the manager of the physical therapy clinic where I worked asked me to help write new versions of our treatment protocols. While serving for six years as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, I started a blog as a resource for other leaders. But it wasn’t until I wrote a story for our daughters and shared it with an author friend, who then encouraged me to pursue writing, that I remembered my childhood dream.

In the hopes of helping our daughters who were grieving the loss of two grandparents, I started writing a story about a seventh-grade girl who needed to rely on her faith to get through a tough time. Inspiration for the book originated from an image of a quilt I saw on Facebook. In 2017, I attended the ACFW Conference and pitched the idea for what is now known as Pockets of Promise. Julie Gwinn expressed interest in the story but strongly suggested I instead consider telling the story from the point of view of a young Amish woman during her Rumspringa. I wrote the book and sent it to Julie who then offered to represent me.

Three years after submitting Pockets of Promise, as I was editing my seventh manuscript, I received THE CALL. Julie had found a home for Mariah’s story, helping me land a three-book contract with Vinspire Publishing.

Laurie's debut novel, Pockets of Promise

About Laurie Stroup Smith:

While writing Amish fiction and contemporary romance, Laurie Stroup Smith strives to inspire her audience to serve others. She was named a Finalist in the 2017 ACFW First Impressions Contest and a Semi-Finalist in the 2018 and 2019 ACFW Genesis Contests. She has been interviewed by Loveland Magazine and been a guest on the Buggy Talk and Fierce Calling Podcast. 

Before writing, Laurie earned a bachelor’s degree in both athletic training and exercise science and later obtained her master’s degree in health promotion and education. She now writes full time and lives with her husband and their two daughters in Cincinnati. For a week or two each summer, they enjoy discovering new adventures along the western coast of Michigan.

Connect with Laurie on her website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Twitter. 

The Call with Kaitlyn Sanchez

So for me, the call was the icing on the cake because the response to my query was what truly got me. 

The first line that Joyce sent me was something I've always hoped for but never thought would happen. 

She wrote: "OMG I LOVE this!" 

I immediately knew Joyce was for me because that is EXACTLY how I would react to something I loved. 

Our call was mainly there to confirm how on the same page we are and have a little fun getting to know each other better.

I know everyone says this, but it's extra true for me. I am incredibly lucky that Joyce took a chance on me. The story I sent her was a new style for me. She said she can take me on if I could do that again. A tall order and something she knew wasn't easy, but it was fair and honest (two top priorities for me). She told to think "outrageous"—that's my style (something I wasn't aware of before). Lo and behold, I sat down after that conversation, and outrageous story ideas just poured out of me. I sent one draft to her and the whole outrageous ideas document (which was longer than you'd expect) and she loved it! On our call she couldn't wait to talk about which iseas she loved the most. That passion for my ideas and connection to my work, that's what I've been waiting for, hoping for, and can't believe I've found.

I didn't realize the story I queried Joyce with showed my trir writing voice until Joyce took the time to encourage me. Now I've written two other stories like it, and they just flowed out. My critique partners keep saying they love the voice, and I fondly thank them and tell them, "Joyce found my voice." (As a rhymer, this saying makes me extra happy).

A big shout out to the amazing woman who connected me to Joyce: Mindy Alyse Weiss. 

Thank you Seymour Agency, thank you Mindy, and thank you Joyce for believing in me and seeing me, and helping my dreams come true.

About Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez: 

Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez is a writer of humorous picture books and an active member of SCBWI. She's a proud finalist  from the 2019 Picture Book Party event. Kaitlyn is the co-creator and co-host of the many contests including: the Spring Fling Kidlit Contest, the Kidlit Fall Writing Frenzy, and Kidlit Zombie Week. Kaitlyn is also an associate literary agent, helping writers achieve their dreams of publication. 

She was born, raised, and has always stayed in California's Central Valley, where she lives with her family and teaches junior high school math. When Kaitlyn isn't writing, teaching, or agenting, you can find her eating cookies, laughing with her hilarious family, or out on the soccer field, but you'll never find her cleaning. She would definitely rather be sucked into a vacuum than use it!

Website: https://kaitlynleannsanchez.com/

Twitter: @KaitlynLeann17 

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/KaitlynLeann17/  

The Call with Melody Dean Dimick

After Joyce Sweeney and I met at a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in Miami, she became my content editor. Through her wise guidance, I found my voice and a traditional PAL publisher,Taylor and Seale Publishing. At a subsequent SCBWI conference in Orlando, Joyce bestowed one of her coveted Magic Bean Ceremonies on me. We continued working together. She knew I was seeking an agent, and she loved my novel in verse. Joyce suggested I submit What Lies Beneath to her.

                

About Melody Dean Dimick:

Melody Dean Dimick is an award-winning author, the president of the Florida Writers Foundation—a not-for-profit organization promoting literacy—and a member of the Florida Writers Association (FWA), the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Daytona Writers Guild, the Florida State Poets Association, and the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. She draws on her experiences teaching at Northern Adirondack Central School and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh to write YA fiction and poetry. Dimick leads the Lake Helen Villa Writers.

Nine of Melody’s short works appear in (FWA) collections. Both her Backpack Blues and What Lies Beneath won First Place in the unpublished general category of the Florida Writers Association’s Royal Palm Literary Awards. Blame and Backpack Blues: Ignite the Fire Within won Daytona Writers Guild Excellence in Arts awards. Taylor and Seale recently published Ain’t It a Shame, a three-act play based on Backpack Blues: Ignite the Fire Within. Her poem, “Ysobel Gomez,” captured Second Place in an FWA Royal Palm contest. Her No Parents Allowed is a semi-finalist for this year’s RPLA Young Adult Novel of the Year.

Other books by Melody Dean Dimick include Silent Screams, Sinister Silence, Cat Girl, No Parents Allowed, and the three-act play Ain’t It a Shame. She is represented by Joyce Sweeney, literary agent with The Seymour Agency.

Melody conducts poetry workshops, served as a speaker on the First Books Panel at a Miami SCBWI conference, participated in a panel discussion at the Museum of Arts & Sciences as part of the Volusia County National Endowment for the Arts NEA Big Read, visits and speaks for writers’ groups and at schools and libraries. She has conducted workshops at conferences in Altamonte Springs/Orlando, and Port Charlotte. Local radio host, Mary Flynn interviewed Melody and her husband, Barry, on Orlando’s 1520 WBZW. To learn more about Melody and her books, readers can follow her blog under: My News at https://www.melodydeandimick.com/.

In her spare time, Melody loves to read, play pickleball with her husband, Barry, attend and judge poetry slams, and play pinochle with her son and his wife.

The Call with Joel Shulkin, MD

Since I'd found Lynnette on Twitter, I was already following her, when I saw her tweet about a thriller manuscript she was really enjoying & hoped it would hold her interest through to the end. Naturally, I was hoping it was mine, but there was no way to be sure. A day or two later, she again tweeted how much she loved the manuscript. I "liked" the tweet. A few minutes later, she followed me back. My heart jumped. Okay, I thought, don't get your hopes up. I'd been close to getting an agent before, but after 80 rejections it was hard to think she was really talking about my manuscript, right?

An hour later, an email appeared in my inbox. Again, I tried not to get overly excited, but my body didn't want to listen as my hands started to sweat and my pulse accelerated. I opened the email and read, "ADVERSE EFFECTS is AMAZING!!! I would love to talk to you..."

I had to wait until the next day to talk to her on the phone, so overnight the adrenaline had ebbed but the exhilaration remained. By the time we finally spoke, I could barely think straight. She talked about what she loved about the book and asked me about other projects I had written or had in the works, and then she said, "So, I'd like to offer you representation." Since I had already read through her MSWL & profile and decided she was the perfect one to advocate for my book, and her enthusiasm only confirmed my decision, it took less than a second for me to say yes. With the help and support she's provided over the past two years, I haven't regretted that decision for a single moment.

About Joel Shulkin, MD:

Joel Shulkin, MD, is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and United States Air Force veteran with a master’s in public health. Having been lucky enough to be mentored by the legendary Michael Palmer, his short stories have appeared in various print and online journals, and he has won several national and local writing awards for fiction and poetry. He lives in Florida with his wife and twin daughters.

Website: https://www.authorjoelshulkin.com/ Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/drjoelshulkin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjoelshulkin/ Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/drjoelshulkin/

Query Tips from Tina Wainscott

Things to Consider When Querying:

Always make sure the important information is in the body of your query: genre of book; pitch line/hook; then a paragraph about the book and its strengths; your credentials and most importantly for non-fiction, your platform. If I only have a few minutes to consider your query, and I have to go hunting for your stats via your website, I may just save it for later. You don't want me to save it for later, trust me. 

 Additional tips: 

--Don’t just attach your proposal without any letter. And a letter does not mean: “Hey, check this out!” Yes, I did get something like that once. 

--Please spell my name right. And make sure it’s actually my name. I won’t pass for that reason, but it shows that you’re paying attention to details. 

--Please make sure I rep what you’re pitching. If you haven’t done your homework by reading my bio, I’m less likely to suggest another agent or send it over for you. 

--Make your subject line catchy. I have read queries out of order simply because the subject snagged my attention. But make sure it’s relevant to the material and not clickbait. 

--Try to format your letter so it’s not a huge paragraph. White space—nice. In fact, it’s a great idea to email yourself your letter. Some emails come in with different fonts and spacing, which makes it look like a mess. 

--For me, you can attach a proposal that includes one or two sample chapters. Saves me time if I’m interested. 

As always, best of luck to everyone looking for the perfect agent!

About Tina Wainscott:

Tina Wainscott is the USA Today bestselling author of over 30 novels with romantic thrills and suspenseful chills. She’s been published with houses such as St. Martin’s Press, Harper Collins, Hachette, and Random House since 1995, so she understands the business from the author’s perspective. As an agent, she’s looking for self-help non-fiction that inspires people to reach for their best and overcome life’s challenges.

Twitter: @TinawainscottS

The Call with Lauren H Brandenburg

I knew I wanted an agent who was more than business. It had to be personal. Because writing is personal. That’s why I totally stalked Julie Gwinn. Her online presence revealed her love of the craft and her authors. I researched her, read bio’s, followed her on social media, and even wore an Ohio State sweatshirt the first time I met her, hoping she would pay a bit more attention to the person in the room with a shared a mutual support for OSU football.  At the time, Julie was president of the Middle Tennessee chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. I had never attended a meeting before or any type of writer’s group for that matter. But she was going to be there, and I knew I had to meet her. I don’t know exactly what I was hoping to get from our first encounter as I had already indie-pubbed three middle grades and had found my niche in the homeschool market. I guess I just knew I needed an agent to take my writing to the next level, to help me sort my thoughts, add a wrung to my invisible ladder of literary expectations. Because at the core, my personality was bent towards the structure a traditional publisher would bring, and I couldn’t get there on my own.  But it wasn’t until a year or so later, after many chapter meetings, shared conversations, and a publishing company reaching out to me that I knew it was time to make the ask. I needed help and Julie was willing. However, I didn’t sign with her. Through a series of events and connections, I signed with a family friend – a fabulous agent with quite a few big names under his belt. But six months in, next to no communication, and feeling super uncomfortable in asking for updates, I remembered why I had sought out Julie in the first place. It had to be personal. With the blessing of the agent, I had another conversation with Julie. Her words: “I believe in you. It doesn’t matter what you write. I believe in you. I always have.” And with forgiveness and grace for ditching her, she signed me, and I have never looked back.  It has to be personal. Julie knows me and my writing. She knows the ins and outs of my life that affect not only the words that go on paper but the highs and lows in my marketing. She also knows when it’s time to refocus, and in my case rebrand. I had an idea, but in my mind, it wasn’t time. There were other books to write. But Julie, knowing the industry and knowing what I needed to get what my heart longed for – the coveted traditional contract – encouraged me to write what would become my dearest work, the story that helped me find my voice – The Death of Mungo Blackwell. In October of 2018, I signed with Lion Hudson. With Julie Gwinn, it is personal. And I am so thankful that she knows me not only as a writer but as her friend.  The Marriage of Innis Wilkinson The Death of Mungo Blackwell

About Lauren H. Brandenburg:

Lauren H. Brandenburg is a mentor, speaker, and author who happily blurs the lines between traditional genres in both middle grade and humorous family fiction. She has currently written six of the ten books in The Books of the Gardener series — Orlo: The Chosen (#4) was a finalist for the Selah Award middle grade novel of the year. The Death of Mungo Blackwell, a humorous family fiction (Lion Hudson publishing) is a finalist for The People's Book Prize in the United Kingdom as well as an American Christian Fiction Writer's Carol Award Finalist in Contemporary Fiction. Lauren is a former junior high and high school English teacher who stepped away from her profession to raise and homeschool her two children. She currently lives with her husband, Jamie, and their two children in a lovely little town just south of Nashville, Tennessee where they eat and laugh a lot.

The Call with Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

I knew from the time I was eight years old that I would be a writer. I was always writing little stories and making little books. I was that kid always making up plays and getting her sisters and friends to play the parts. As I grew up, that love for writing morphed into careers in journalism where I was telling human interest stories, and then, public relations and development where I was telling the stories of non-profits and organizations. Eventually, I leaned into my desire to get back to writing fiction and I dove headfirst into screenwriting. I found my forensic, crime writing voice and started to write a bunch of film and TV scripts. As these began to pile up, I got the spark of an idea to turn them into novels. It wasn't soon after that I found myself teaching a day-long forensic bootcamp for writers at the ACFW conference in 2014. That's where I met Julie Gwinn. It was the final hours of the conference and I was standing in line at the Starbucks when someone introduce her to me because they knew I was looking for a literary agent. We probably said five sentences to each other, but that was the start of my journey with Julie and Seymour! I had never written a novel before, so Julie TOTALLY took a chance on me. I spent the next year writing my first novel under Julie's gentle guidance. Then Julie spent the next year plus trying to sell it. In the meantime I had written a movie, God Bless the Broken Road, and we decided to novelize it. That was actually my first book contract! I remember I wrote the first three chapters while we were filming. Two weeks after I turned in those pages, we received several offers. We chose one and that was my first fiction contract with a publisher! It wasn't long after we sold my first novel to another publisher. 

Jennifer's Newest Release, Hole in the Woods

About the Author, Jennifer Graeser Dornbush:

Jennifer Graeser Dornbush is a screenwriter, author, international speaker and forensic specialist. As she says, “I grew up around death.” 

The television or movie screen is the closest most people will ever come to witnessing the forensic world. But Jennifer was raised in it, as the daughter of a small town medical examiner whose office was in their home. There were body parts in the fridge. She investigated her first fatality, an airplane crash, when she was 8 years old, picking up pieces of skull with her father who simply saw it as an anatomy lesson. It was the first of many coroner lessons she experienced over two decades. 

After exploring journalism and high school teaching, Jennifer turned seriously to screenwriting where she began to connect her coroner world to her writing. She sought out a degree at the Forensic Science Academy in Los Angeles to gain more forensic training and earned a unique kinship with LA’s top CSIs, fingerprint specialists, DNA scientists and detectives. To share her love of forensics with the writing world, she authored the top-selling non-fiction authoritative book, Forensic Speak, used not only by show-runners and writers, but also crime investigators and law enforcement. As a forensic consultant, she is frequently asked to consult with TV writers on shows such as Bull, Conviction, Hawaii Five-O, Leverage, Suits and Rectify. 

She created an Amazon top-selling mystery novel series, The Coroner’s Daughter. The first book in the series, The Coroner, released August 2018. The second in the series, Secret Remains, released January 2020. She is developing the series for TV. She wrote the theatrically released film and novel, God Bless the Broken Road (2018). She has developed a TV crime drama series with Echo Lake and Hoplite Entertainment. She also adapted a popular YA novel to script and sold a children’s show. 

She teaches screenwriting and mentors aspiring writers. Jennifer is a member of the Writers’ Guild of America, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni. And she has a great sense of gallows humor. 

Website:  www.jenniferdornbush.com

Facebook: Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

Twitter: @JGDornbush

Instagram: @JGDornbush

LinkedIn: Jennifer Dornbush 

The Seymour Agency Q&A with Author Jen J. Danna

Seymour Agency: You recently launched your new series, the NYPD Negotiators, with EXIT STRATEGY. Why hostage negotiation?

Jen J. Danna: In LONE WOLF, the first book in the FBI K-9s series, I wrote a character who was a hostage negotiator. This guy had a really tough job as the middle man between the FBI, who wanted to close the case, and an armed gunman, who was holed up with his family. The negotiator was not only trying to save lives, but was also fighting to satisfy his law enforcement brethren, many of whom saw force as the best way to quickly get their man. This character really stuck with me, partly because the situation he had to deal with was different than anything I’d written before.

SA: How was it different?

JJD: In all my other police procedurals, the protagonist is always reacting to the initial situation, usually a murder, sometimes a natural disaster. I wanted to explore police work from the opposite, proactive angle. Yes, there’s a crisis in play, but the challenge is to save lives before they’re lost, to get the hostages out in one piece, and hopefully contain and arrest the person responsible.

SA: How did you develop Gemma Capello and her first responder family?

JJD: This was the first book I wrote solo, so it was fun to take advantage of my own family history to flesh out Gemma. Like me, her family hails from Siculiana in Sicily. Like me she lost a parent at a young age (though her loss is by very violent means). But I like writing ensemble pieces, where the characters appear throughout the series, so I crafted a family around her, a father and four brothers, who with only one exception are all NYPD officers in various branches of the department (the other brother joined the FDNY). In this way, she can work with at least one of them during her cases.

SA: How does her family play a part in EXIT STRATEGY?

JJD: When an alert goes out, interrupting a family celebration, Gemma, her father, the Chief of Special Operations, and her two older brothers respond. But when the hostage situation takes a turn for the worse and Gemma has to put herself at risk with the hostage taker, everything, including her life, will rest in the hands of her younger brother.

SA: What can we expect next from Gemma?

JJD: The second book in the series, SHOT CALLER, will release in summer 2021 from Kensington Books and Dreamscape Media. In it, Gemma is called to New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail when a riot occurs and both correctional officers and inmates are taken hostage. It’s a contained but extremely volatile situation, and Gemma and her negotiating team are pulled in different directions as everyone tries to steer the crisis—from the inmates, to the staff at Rikers, to the city administrators that run the Department of Corrections, to the NYPD. She also has to balance her need to peacefully resolve the situation, which takes time, with the tactical team’s desire to go in and rapidly resolve the crisis with force. It’s a real nail biter. Then the third book in the series, LOCKDOWN, will follow in the summer of 2022.

About the Book, Exit Strategy:

In this taut new suspense series featuring NYPD detective Gemma Capello and her close-knit law enforcement family, a madman brings a halt to the heart of the city that never sleeps . . .

After her mother’s death during a bank robbery when she was a child, Gemma Capello grew up to become one of the NYPD’s elite hostage negotiators. In a family of cops, there’s rarely a day when a Capello isn’t facing down some form of threat. Still, despite their unpredictable schedules, they always find time for their annual family summer picnic. But this year, a sudden phone call changes everything. 

A heavily armed gunman has taken hostages at City Hall. Gemma races downtown to join the rest of the Hostage Negotiation Team as they scramble to identify the captives—fearing the mayor may be among them. But as they scramble for answers and struggle to gain control of the circumstances, it becomes clear that the mayor is at the center of it all, just not in the way they initially believed. 

With several lives on the line and a criminal who always seems to be one step ahead, Gemma is the only one able to connect with the suspect. Soon, she finds herself engaging in a battle of wits while enduring a battle of egos in the command center. With time running out and a mastermind who has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, Gemma risks it all—her career and her life—in a last-ditch effort to save the hostages. Now, she needs to figure out how to save herself . . .

About the Author, Jen J. Danna:  

A scientist specializing in infectious diseases, Jen J. Danna works as part of a dynamic research group at a cutting-edge Canadian university. However, her true passion lies in indulging her love of the mysterious through her writing. 

With Ann Vanderlaan, she writes two series. Under Danna and Vanderlaan, they craft suspenseful crime fiction with a realistic scientific edge. Their five Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries include DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT; NO ONE SEES ME ’TILL I FALL; A FLAME IN THE WIND OF DEATH; TWO PARTS BLOODY MURDER; and LAMENT THE COMMON BONES.

Under the joint pseudonym of Sara Driscoll, they write the FBI K-9s mysteries series, starring search-and-rescue team Meg Jennings and her black lab, Hawk. The series includes LONE WOLF and BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, STORM RISING, and NO MAN’S LAND. The fifth book in the series, LEAVE NO TRACE, will release in January 2020.

Jen is also the author of the upcoming NYPD Negotiators thriller series, with the first book, EXIT STRATEGY, releasing in August 2020. The second book in the series, SHOT CALLER, will release in 2021, and the third book, LOCKDOWN, will release in 2022.

Jen lives near Toronto, Ontario with her husband, two daughters, and three rescued cats, and is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada.

You can reach her through the contact page on her website or by email at jenjdanna@gmail.com.

Social media links: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram.