First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

Discussing my reread of Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood and how differently I'm seeing it now as opposed to when I first read it in my early 20s, and other musings on mood reading and why we bounce off some stories. My favorite yoga teacher is Melissa Spamer and her Vimeo channel is here ( https://vimeo.com/user117263359 ). You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fir...

Retellings vs. tropes and what illuminates a story. Also thoughts on friendships, and how they can be situational (occupational?) and thus pass away when the situation does. Do professional relationships count as friendships? You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ). You can preorder GREY MAGIC...

Thoughts on ways to actively engage in compassion for other people and what they might be going through, regardless of how they treat you, and final resolution on my health care rollover debacle. You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ). You can preorder GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekennedy.c...

A report on my weekend, including why I didn't post yesterday, and dealing with the insurance marketplace, one of the great frustrations of being a self-employed writer, and balancing the good with the bad. Alex Gurevich's The Trades of March 2020: A Shield against Uncertainty is here ( https://www.amazon.com/Trades-March-2020-against-Uncertainty-ebook/dp/B09NX372KG ). You can order FIRE...

Happy Friday! I'm talking about the beauty of in-person conversations and how that simply can't be replicated online. Also a bit about fight scenes vs. sex scenes, and whether art can be objectively good or bad. The Santa Fe event at Beastly Books with Mary Anne Mohanraj  is here ( https://www.beastlybooks.com/ ). You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-th...

What I've been doing this week to improve my concentration and return to my previous wordcount output - and other thoughts on doomscrolling, the attention economy, and choosing the happy. The Santa Fe event at Beastly Books with Mary Anne Mohanraj  is here ( https://www.beastlybooks.com/ ). You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and DARK WIZARD her...

I'm sharing thoughts on what it really means to be a "full-time writer" vs. actually supporting yourself (and others) entirely with your writing income, what kind of planning is involved, and the vagaries of the career. You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ). You can preorder G...

What we can learn from population biology on strategizing our writing careers, why there's so much push to track ad spend and sales but not investigating our own creative process, and a big F**K OFF to people who say "stay in your lane." You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard )....

My final installment on tracking the metrics of your creative work. If you track ad sales numbers, why not the fundamental work that makes the rest possible. As promised, I give a summary of my own metrics. You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ). You can preorder , GREY MAGIC here ( https://j...

How to ensure that setting goals isn't "setting yourself up for failure," more on our relationship with observing ourselves with compassion and scientific distance, and what this has to do with knife-throwing.  The blog post I mention is here ( https://blog.jeffekennedy.com/2021/12/29/adjusting-those-variables-for-the-new-year/ ). You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffe...

Continuing my series on tracking your productivity and why I think it's super important for both traditionally published and self-published authors. I delve a bit more into the metrics I track and why.  You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ). You can preorder , GREY MAGIC here ( https://...

A report on my holidays, along with a new pair of earrings and a bonus necklace! I'm also going to spend this week on why it's beneficial to track your wordcount and other metrics. Today: be like a scientist! You can order FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ). You can preorder , GREY MAGIC here...

A two-parter today because I messed up the podcast, getting all excited about cliffs in Ireland.  This is the movie I mention ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8760280/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 ). You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ), GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/grey-magic ), an...

The second part, after I messed up! This is the movie I mention ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8760280/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 ). You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ), GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/grey-magic ), and THE STORM PRINCESS AND THE RAVEN KING here ( https://jeffeke...

Thoughts on life, the madwoman in the attic, and everything. Also predictions on where traditional publishing is going, continuing pandemic ripple effects, and how self-publishing can be the thing that saves us.  You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ), GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffe...

My crazy day yesterday - one where I don't think I ever got ON my pillow - and various publishing crises. Also how I'm a "red car" kind of gal married to a gearhead, and other life challenges.  The Lost City trailer is here ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xohAPIRNzuo ). You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here...

On writing out of order, using [insert sex scene here], and other thoughts on owning our writing process. Also dealing with chronic disease, abruptly disappearing spoons, and life in general. You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ), GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/grey-magi...

A farewell to Anne Rice, memories of the Science Fiction Book Club, my experiences with Annie Proulx back in the day and the book THE POWER OF THE DOG.  You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ), GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/grey-magic ), and THE STORM PRINCESS AND THE RAV...

A short episode today as I've been knocked off my pillow a bit, on the toll of chronic disease and dealing with prescriptions, and how the love bubble helps. Also I'm sharing this lovely artwork Assistant Carien gave me! Artwork is by Dustin Ballard.  You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fir...

On the tyranny of round numbers and how that can interfere with the realization of our goals. Also: updates on how Amazon seems to be handling preorders and pushing back release dates. Some hope for writers! You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ), GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekenne...

Body image, changing my relationship to exercise, grappling with things my body remembers being able to do, but no longer does, and incorporating playfulness and joy into both that and writing. Also: audiobook! The book I mention is Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski PhD and Amelia Nagoski DMA and you can find it here ( https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/59237...

Why we tend to feel less competent the more books we write (or insert other expertise here), how being a creative means facing a continual cycle of failure and rejection - and how we learn to deal with that positively. The book I mention is Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski PhD and Amelia Nagoski DMA and you can find it here ( https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/boo...

Thoughts on power dynamics when young women date older men, as prompted by Taylor Swift's All Too Well and a recent Dan Savage column, along with a story of my own on that problematic setup. You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ), GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/grey-...

Reclaiming derogatory terms and owning them as an expression of power. Also, updates on release date changes, along with insights on ways to (hopefully) workaround some of Amazon's restrictions.  You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ), GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/...

How to predict a phenom, or whether or not any work of art is fundamentally "good" - whatever that means - or will be successful. You can order DARK WIZARD here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/dark-wizard ) and preorder FIRE OF THE FROST here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/fire-of-the-frost ) and GREY MAGIC here ( https://jeffekennedy.com/grey-magic ). If you want to support me and the podcast, c...