So, I really love cozy mysteries. They have got to be one of my favorite genres, and last year on a whim, I decided to read one called Another Saturday Night and I Ain’t Got No Body by a new author, Jennie Marts. Well I loved it, thought it was hilarious, immediately contacted the author, and was elated to find out it would be a series! It even landed a spot on my top ten reads of the year. The second book in the series, Easy Like Sunday Mourning, has just been released and I am dying to read it! To find out more about the series, read on below for my interview with the fabulous Jennie! Welcome, Jennie!
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Can you tell my readers a bit about your series and what inspired it?
My series is set in the small Colorado town of Pleasant Valley and follows the five women in the Page Turners book club. They range from 17 to 82, from sweet to sarcastic, from dark hair to gray, but they love each other and support each other and trouble always seems to find them. Each book focuses on the romance of a different woman, and each story combines love, humor, murder and mayhem.
What made you decide to write novels?
Jennie Marts, author
I have wanted to write a book since the 5th grade. When I turned 40, I looked at my life and thought What am I waiting for? I joined a couple of writing groups, I started learning the craft of writing, and most importantly, I picked up a pen and a notebook and I started writing a book.
Do you have a favorite of your characters?
That is a hard question. I really see my characters as people I would be friends with and I feel like a little part of me probably gets interjected into each of my heroines. I do love writing Edna’s character though. She reminds me so much of my own grandmother and I love coming up with the next sassy thing she will do!
At what moment did you finally feel like an author?
I think the day I held my print book in my hand. It was such a moment of joy and accomplishment knowing I really did it.
How much time do you spend writing? How long does each book take?
Oh gosh- a lot!! I try to spend at least some time every single day doing something for my writing. I think as I learn and grow, I get better and faster. My first book took a year to write, the second took nine months and the third took two and a half months. I am working on a new book now (the next in this series) with a goal of finishing it by spring. I set a goal of trying to write 2000 words a day with a goal of 10,000 words a week. And it typically takes 2-3 hours to write 2000 words.
I have always wanted to be an author but the thought of writing a whole book is intimidating. What steps should I take and what advice can you offer?
The first step is to start writing. The second step is to learn the craft. Join a writing group, do online classes, find a critique group, read articles on the internet, buy books about writing. Do anything you can to learn what makes a good book and how you can make your story the best it can be.
What are your three favorite books?
That is like asking me what are my three favorite pair of shoes! haha! I love Harry Potter and I love the Stephanie Plum series. I love to read Nora Roberts. I think the Outlander books are amazing. I love a book that keeps you guessing and has characters that you fall in love with.
What else do you do besides write? For fun and or for work?
My day job is a Part-time personal banker at Wells Fargo and I’ve been there for almost 20 years. My full-time job has been raising my two sons, who are both in college now. I wrote a lot of scenes on scraps of paper while waiting for the boys to come out of hockey practice or waiting for a soccer game to start. For fun, I love to read, I love to play volleyball, I love to hang out with my husband, I love to dance. I love summertime. A perfect day for me would be to lay out by the pool, a great book in my hand, and an icy Diet Coke and an open bag of Cheetos in the grass next to me.
What are you writing now? How many books will be in the series? Are you planning on writing any other books or series or just the one for now?
The plan for this series is for it to be seven books, each with a different day of the week in the title and each featuring a different woman in the book club. A couple more women will be introduced as the books play out, but I have fun and exciting plots for each of the characters. I am currently working on the third book, Just Another Maniac Monday and you all will love it! It is Edna’s story and it flashes back to the summer when she was a young girl and fell in love. It is going to be so much fun!
Thank you so much to Jennie for being here today and I sincerely hope you will check her books out if you’re a cozy mystery lover like myself!
