First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

My Friday Freakout and how even experienced authors have emotional crises about their books, along with insight on shaken baby syndrome in books, how interruptions cause issues, and Longshot: an underrated movie. You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) here https://www.wildandwindybookevent.com/phoenix-authors Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and con...

On Sheryl Sandberg's LEAN IN and great advice for women in business that's given me insight into my own writing career, including keeping my eye on long-term and 18-month goals, and why I don't love the heroine's journey. You can find a recording of our Beastly Books panel on the FaRoFeb Instagram account . You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) her...

Happy (almost) Mardi Gras! I'm talking planning author finances over the longer term, offering some predictions on the rise and (inevitable, eventual) decline of Romantasy, and looking at the 10 year anniversary of THE MARK OF THE TALA. You can find a recording of our Beastly Books panel on the FaRoFeb Instagram account . You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) her...

More foreign rights news, this time Russian! Also a fun panel on Romantasy tomorrow at Beastly Books and Instagram Live. And thoughts on influencing social media algorithms being the new superstition. You can find out about tomorrow's panel here https://www.instagram.com/p/C3GV5ORvtg3/ You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) here https://www.wildandwindybookevent.c...

Fun news on covers and Italian rights - along with some info on how selling foreign rights works. Also, my recent experience with a published book contest and how negative comments can be devastating. You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) here https://www.wildandwindybookevent.com/phoenix-authors Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation wi...

A deep(ish) dive into my process today, to give an idea of how far down the intuitive writer spectrum I am. Also more on nuking the idea that slower = higher quality, and quieting the conscious mind to liberate the subconscious. The Thread I mention is here https://www.threads.net/@jeffekennedy2016/post/C2pXUZTLwq4 You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) here https://ww...

The TWISTED MAGIC audiobook is live! Also sharing a call for authors influenced by Tanith Lee. And why I think classes teaching "plotting for pantsers" are damaging to intuitive writers, and other thoughts on process. Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset You can always buy print copies of my books f...

Defining success, tips on how not to go crazy as a creator, why I think competition is bad for us, navigating toxic positivity, why being told "no," AKA rejection, is so very good for us, and thinking about career paths long term. Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset You can always buy print copies...

A few thoughts today on marketing, newsletters, why you can be like Enya and not HAVE to do anything, why empty, supposedly "Inspirational" sayings annoy me, and some thoughts on Brotopia by Emily Chang. Brotopia by Emily Chang is here https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547571/brotopia-by-emily-chang/ Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Fi...

A historical perspective today on the LKH bruhaha this week regarding self-publishing, including Gen X cane-shaking, salacious gossip, and insight into how profoundly the publishing landscape has changed in 30 years. Register for SFWA's HEA Quest here https://membership.sfwa.org/event-5461969 Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www...

Author branding for the long game, being original instead of trying to draft off of someone else's success, authors using gimmicks to get attention, and the audacity of a woman failing to laugh at a man's joke. Register for SFWA's HEA Quest here https://membership.sfwa.org/event-5461969 Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https:/...

The TWISTED MAGIC audiobook is on its way! Also thoughts on reading subjectivity, how reading a book even a few years apart can totally change, sample bias, residual impacts of the pandemic, and writing the whole book. Register for SFWA's HEA Quest here https://membership.sfwa.org/event-5461969 Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://w...

On beauty standards, vanity, aging, skin-care, Botox, and choosing your author brand. I promise they're related! Also Indie authors going to Traditional Publishing and the pitfalls, and a cool data point on series drop-off. Register for SFWA's HEA Quest here https://membership.sfwa.org/event-5461969 Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at...

Some advice today for newbie writers on writing your first book, including the importance of finishing and keeping it simple. Also, different muscles we use for writing and how approaching a work with various strategies exercises them. Register for SFWA's HEA Quest here https://membership.sfwa.org/event-5461969 Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Fin...

Happy New Year! I'm back from an (almost) unprecedented two-week break, talking about working smarter not harder really panned out in 2023 and a deep dive into author finances as a full-time writer. Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset You can always buy print copies of my books from my local indie, Beas...

The new portmanteau term "Romantasy" being used for Fantasy Romance and Romantic Fantasy, my own personal history with writing cross-genre and being a crack ho, and how I got namechecked in a most validating way! The article in Publisher's Weekly on Romantasy is here: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/93980-pw-notables-2023-monique-patterson.h...

How do we feel about Alexander Skarsgård being cast as SecUnit in the upcoming Murderbot series? Also the advantages for creatives of working in a corporate environment and Taylor Swift: dedicated businesswoman. Sign up for FaRoAdvent here! https://farofeb.com/faroadvent/ Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset...

A theory I've been mulling on a major influence on series sell-through, but that might be even more difficult than most to quantify. Also, a bit on author taxes, a quasi-epiphany on my work plan for December and being good with scaling back. Sign up for FaRoAdvent here! https://farofeb.com/faroadvent/ Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at ht...

The kerfuffle in the writing world this week-where an author created sockpuppet accounts to downvote other books and upvote her own-why writers aren't in competition and the key importance of friendship. Sign up for FaRoAdvent here! https://farofeb.com/faroadvent/ The XKCD comic is here https://xkcd.com/386/ Nyad is here https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5302918/ Join my Patreon and Discord for me...

Some pitfalls to watch for in contracts with traditional publishing and literary agencies. Also author finances and taxes, why owning your process doesn't mean loving it, and why experienced authors find it hard to teach. Sign up for FaRoAdvent here! https://farofeb.com/faroadvent/ Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.co...

Authors behaving badly to other authors - signs to watch for, recognizing serendipity, plus a great cautionary tale. Also different revision processes and a fun December reader event: FaRoAdvent! Sign up for FaRoAdvent here! https://farofeb.com/faroadvent/ Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset You can always b...

TWISTED MAGIC is done and coming tomorrow! Also, the ROGUE FAMILIAR audiobook is free on YouTube. I'm also talking gratitude for being alive and about my writing/publishing plans for the next year. Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset You can always buy print copies of my books from my local indie, Beast...

Balancing the desire to strive for more and better against the need to recognize how far we've already come and having gratitude for what we've achieved. Also, the role of serendipity in any creative career. Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset You can always buy print copies of my books from my loc...

Some thoughts on starting for the day and how initial wordcount can be slow. Also Anne McCaffrey, dubious and non-consent, and how insightfully she portrays an ossified, patriarchal society. And The Morning Show finale! Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset You can always buy print copies of my books from my l...

I'm back from my Hawaiian Hiatus with thoughts on writer's conferences, bar-conning, and what conferences serve writers best. Also my amazing trip up the Na Pali coastline which was truly transformative. You can find the boat tour I mention (and other, milder ones) here: https://www.napali.com/raft/snorkel/ Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Fi...