First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

I'm digging into how I balance the various demands of being a hybrid author, giving details on my current decision-tree, how I decide what to give my agent to submit to traditional publishing, etc. You can find the Willamette Writers Conference here https://web.cvent.com/event/b8485532-15eb-4073-87ee-d07920fac5c3/summary ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar The Audi...

Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Oppenheimer - I'm talking story structure, breaking the gridlock of chronology (which both of these do), the difference between backstory and flashbacks, and how a climactic beat CAN happen in a flashback! You can find the Willamette Writers Conference here https://web.cvent.com/event/b8485532-15eb-4073-87ee-d07920fac5c3/summary ROGUE FAMILIAR out no...

For lovers of The Mark of the Tala, I'm asking a question.  Otherwise I'm talking about POV choices, how to decide, and rewriting from different POVs. Also, I'm teaching a Worldbuilding class in Portland August 4! You can find the Willamette Writers Conference here https://web.cvent.com/event/b8485532-15eb-4073-87ee-d07920fac5c3/summary ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.c...

The ROGUE FAMILIAR audiobook is out now! I'm talking about Jacqueline Carey's CASSIEL'S SERVANT, how it compares to KUSHIEL'S DART, and on making choices about where to begin a story. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar The Audiobook is also out here https://www.audible.com/pd/Rogue-Familiar-Audiobook/B0CB1Y9B7Q?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-...

On trusting the Story Brain, making choices and questioning those choices - authors, I'm looking for comments on your experiences - and also how much I loved Naomi Novik's Scholomance trilogy. Jennifer Udden's take on Naomi Novik's Scholomance series is here https://afasterno.substack.com/p/ends-and-means ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the...

Creativity and vacations/holidays, moving from writing as a hobby to a career, taking your mental health seriously, maintaining writing productivity, meeting deadlines, and methods for aggressively filling the well. Jennifer Udden's take on Naomi Novik's Scholomance series is here https://afasterno.substack.com/p/ends-and-means The Fae or No-Fae event is here https://farofeb.com/fae-or-n...

Tough love talk on how our families and the people who love us most can be the biggest obstacles to getting that writing time. Related: wants and needs, the difference between them and how other people try to tell what ours are. The Fae or No-Fae event is here https://farofeb.com/fae-or-no-fae/ ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle...

How I'm getting better at balance, increasing my wordcount, getting business done, and having more time to relax! Also, using AI "tools" as a writer and examining the whole point of being a creative in the first place. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join m...

What it takes to be a career author - particularly a novelist - the kinds of sacrifices you have to make to carve out enough silence to hear the words of a story, and how there are no straight line trajectories. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and Discord...

Ruminations today on what we mean by the "strong female character" and why this might be a more relevant conversation than I thought, given the state of feminism and challenges some female friends are facing. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and D...

Happy to report that my training program to increase creative flow and word count is working! Also, additional thoughts on the ethics of using AI-generated work and how money factors into that for some people. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and Discord fo...

A concern I have about a book cover designer who is offering discounts to authors who approve the use of AI-generated art. Also thoughts on training to improve wordcount and recognizing overdoing it. Links to some of the books I mention: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62972302-the-future-is-female-volume-two-the-1970s https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/263021.Dreamsnake ROGUE FAMILIAR out no...

A round-up of what I've been reading lately, including several excursions from my normal reading. I'm thinking about female/femme narratives and how we center those (or don't) in terms of stories about men. Links to some of the books I mention: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62972302-the-future-is-female-volume-two-the-1970s https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61391781-her-lost...

Thoughts on learning to paint by numbers, or learn to follow the rules of craft before you break them. How I'm breaking my own rule, on epistolary romances, and a funny story about my granddaughter. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and Discord for ment...

Updates on my travels, including WisCon and thoughts on being laid-back at cons instead of wall-to-wall. Also, trends in traditional publishing and speculation on why they all seem to want full manuscripts. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and Discord for m...

Zencastr borked on me, so there's an abrupt ending, but I'm talking about self-publishing careers vs. trad-pub ones, AI and creativity, and writing a book that is an artistic conversation with another book. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and Dis...

A roundup of my travels and socializing: Nebula Conference, the Santa Fe International Literary Festival, New Mexico Writers, literary snobbery, tail-sniffing, and repping genre writers who keep the industry going! ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and Disco...

A bit of advice on how Patreon works, about my meeting with Graphic Audio and how fantasy words like "Cosmere" become part of the industry lingo, and some <<CW>> thoughts on the medical establishment and obesity. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar The book I mention is Her Lost Words: A NOVEL OF MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT AND MARY SHELLEY By Stephanie Ma...

My roundup of Apollycon and attendant fabulousness, along with thoughts on how industry events have shifted, particularly within the romance circles, and a bit on manifestation and gratitude. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar The book I mention is Her Lost Words: A NOVEL OF MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT AND MARY SHELLEY By Stephanie Marie Thornton https://www.penguinrandomhouse...

How to graciously answer that invidious question: "Have I heard of you?" Also, some lovely early feedback on ROGUE FAMILIAR - just released!!! - and how we don't always know what we're writing. ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar The book I mention is Her Lost Words: A NOVEL OF MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT AND MARY SHELLEY By Stephanie Marie Thornton https://...

Sharing insights I gained from being a guest author at the Jack Williamson Lectureship, including thoughts on emotion in stories and the critical importance of endings - and why you HAVE to finish that book! Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https:...

A special guest on the show today! Multi-bestselling author Darynda Jones and I discuss ideas, how to know which ones are good and have staying power, and how to continue to grow as writers.  You can find Darynda here https://darynda.com/ The photo (not discussed during the podcast) is Darynda's extensive wardrobe of jackets. Notice a theme? Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited!...

Should you throw out the first 30 pages of your manuscript? Um, no.  Bad advice. BUT, figuring out where to start a story is an ongoing challenge, craftwise, and also because the marketplace changes rapidly. Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https:...

My Patreon and Discord community are live! I'm also talking about one of the best pieces of writing advice I ever got and how, if you want to be a writer for the right reasons, there's no fire to put out content. Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset Preorder ROGUE FAMILIAR here https://jeffekennedy....

What to do when an author's editor leaves the house, the one question to ask career authors, studying movies made from books to understand theme and what subplots/side characters aren't important. Preorder ROGUE FAMILIAR here https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar RUBY is out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/ruby FIVE GOLDEN RINGS is now available here: https://jeffekennedy.com/five-golden...