First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

How to know when a book is done: in terms of getting the story where you want it to be, revision passes, polishing, marketing strategies, etc. Also how to leverage that book according to what YOU want.  First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

The importance of setting the stakes in the first act of a story, what happens when that fails to happen, and thoughts on The Matrix. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

The importance of daily practice - as advised by a concert pianist - and how schedule and routine disruptions can derail us. Also, yes, I'm wearing my glasses. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

What to do when the well runs dry (and other analogies for writer's block). Also news on print copies of THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE, love for DARK WIZARD and why I didn't post yesterday. You can check out the Freethinker's Corner bookstore here. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.med...

I'm celebrating #FaRoFeb today, and giving a tour of my books and bookshelves, along with a short history of my writing career and Fantasy Romance as a genre. Also announcing that THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE is on sale today through Monday for only .99cents! You can read about FaRoFeb here! And you can buy THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE here! First Cup of Coffee is part of...

Interviews I love and ones I don't love so much, upcoming events with #FaRoFeb and others, a surprise for tomorrow, and my fraught history with being a blabbermouth and chronic privacy-invader. You can read about FaRoFeb here! The interview I mention with Mauney Memorial Library in North Carolina (*not* Tennessee) will air on Friday, February 12, 2021, at 12pm EST. More details here. First Cu...

Why decision-making-which includes writing-is so exhausting and how we can develop habits to make that easier. Also a bit on fantasy language, too-modern words, career slumps, and Victor Victoria. You can read about FaRoFeb here! First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

Today kicks off #FaRoFeb and you can get HR Moore's Queen of Empire free! Also my creative magic earrings, finishing up Dark Wizard, how women see men vs the reverse, and the first hints of spring. You can read about Queen of Empire here. And about FaRoFeb in genera l here! First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Fro...

More on the love/hate reaction to art, the meh-response to long series and what I think is happening there, and also a shout out to @jeff_and_will at the Big Gay Fiction podcast! First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

Writers residencies, why they can be life-changing, but also how the costs can be high, so it takes weighing all that. Also ethics on reviews and promo. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

The love/hate reaction to art and how this applies to radio stations and selling books. Also a bit about Astar and the boys of Heirs of Magic. Good news on Dark Wizard, plus choosing crit partners. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

Celebrating Release Day for THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE ! Plus thoughts on the Amazon algorithm, trad publishing income, and some movie recs. You can buy THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE here! The movies I mention are Locked Down and Don't Let Go . First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media...

Putting ethical behavior and decency before the love of money, authors behaving badly - and about the idea that some scenes don't drive the story and should be cut, along with a lovely review of THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE. The lovely review I mention is here. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic...

Made-up words in fantasy, recommendations on reading KUSHIEL'S DART, how to make beginnings smoother, Laurel Birch, and happy wriggles over the inauguration. The Stories Live! recording is here . Preorder DARK WIZARD here! First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

A shout-out to Kate Pearce's THE RANCHER MEETS HIS MATCH. Also thoughts on young heroes, names, and memories of being on a float in New Orleans at RT convention. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

Some of my gripes about how other people treat deadlines, thoughts on commas, fan fiction, contractions, and creating realistic characters who will still never be like a real person. You can preorder the print version of The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince now! Links here. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic...

Reflections on how Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jayne Ann Krentz modeled author friendships for me, the old people's website, and the perils of hand-drawn maps. You can see the Susan and Jayne shows here and here (among other places, I'm sure). First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Suppo...

Some thoughts on my epic reread of Jacqueline Carey's KUSHIEL'S DART, how literary styles change over time and wrestling worldbuilding and character backstory. Also maps! First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

On finding balance and controlling what you can, buying digital versions of print books I already own and thoughts on my personal theme music. Sasha, who made the earrings I show, let me know that the main stone is not glass, but something  called mystic quartz. It is supremely high-grade quartz crystal that has been irradiated to create that iridescence. The small stones are either amethyst or po...

My viralish tweet - why I said snake instead of scorpion - making time to play, updates on revisions, and how it's a small world. You can see my viralish tweet here. You can preorder THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE here. Sign up for my newsletter here! First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podca...

Some hints on upcoming surprises in the newsletter, insights into Astar's appearance on the cover of THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE, and my 2021 calendar fiasco. You can preorder THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE here. Sign up for my newsletter here! First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/p...

A shoutout today to Saranna DeWylde's FAIRY GODMOTHERS, INC., a new para-rom-com. Also how my cover reveal got pre-empted by a failed coup attempt and why this is not a civil war. You can find out more about FAIRY GODMOTHERS, INC on Goodreads. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the...

Little bells for today's #earringplan2021 - and why they remind me of a fantasy story that give me an epiphany. Maybe you know who wrote it? Also why there's no such thing as too much sleep. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

A tour of my new jewelry cabinet! And renovated master bath! Plus my #earringplan2021 and thoughts on taking critique even when it's truly painful. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

A Very Special New Year's Day episode! Okay, not really - but it sounded good. Thoughts on prologues and the place of the Bridgerton books (and awesome Netflix series!) in the Romance canon. You can find information on my Sexual Tension workshop, which I'm giving online for the Greater Seattle RWA tomorrow, January 2, 2021, here (https://gsrwa.org/about-us/upcoming-meetings/). First Cup...