Interview with Jen Stephens

Jen Stephens grew up in a small Ohio town where she developed a passion for writing at an early age. She participated in Young Authors contests in grade school, wrote her first novel in high school, and wrote dozens of poems and short stories in between. She majored in elementary education with a concentration in English and the humanities at the University of Toledo.

Jen lives in the Nashville, Tennessee, area with her husband and two beautiful daughters. She teaches third grade at a Christian school and is very active with the youth in her church. A member of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Nashville Christian Writers Association, she writes in her “spare” time. Her first novel, The Heart’s Journey Home, released in February 2010. The second book in the Harvest Bay series, The Heart’s Lullaby, is scheduled to release in March 2011.

Backcover copy for The Heart’s Journey Home :: Three years after the unexpected death of Kate Sterling’s husband, she moves back to Harvest Bay, Ohio, with her young daughter. She soon discovers that things have changed in the sleepy little community she grew up in. When she suffers another devastating loss, she finally understands that the One who loves and cares for her has given her a second chance at love. But is God leading her to a love linked to the past . . . or to one who will walk with her into the future?

Jen, thank you for stopping by to visit with us today and congratulations on your debut novel, The Heart’s Journey Home. Grab a cup of coffee and we can chat!

Thank you so much, Heidi! I’m so glad to be here today! You have such a beautiful site! Oooo, I love coffee – plain with flavored creamer. My favorite is the International Delight flavor white chocolate macadamia nut. Be right back! J

What was the inspiration behind writing The Heart’s Journey Home?

Well, I’m a wife, a mama, and a teacher so I knew I had to incorporate those aspects in this book. Of course, there had to be some romance and faith issues. Also my parents divorced when I was really little and my daddy passed away nine and a half years ago, and I really wanted to connect with my readers who might have experienced some sort of loss in their life. However, I had no idea that writing this book would help me heal and in the end it actually inspired me!

How do you plot?

I’m a terrible plotter! Mostly I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer which has been the cause of some major blocks lately because I’ll reach a point where I’m just not sure where I want the story to go. It sounds corny, but I print up a blank calendar covering the time frame in the book and then fill it in with critical events/scenes in the story. That’s it, Heidi. Nothing fancy. I wish I had more to tell you.

I ask EVERY writer what their plotting trick is and no one seems to have the answer up their sleeve. I use My Book Therapy concepts, and they make sense to me. Back to you and you novel :: I see you went to Disney between the Christmas / New Year’s holidays for two days. I’ve been there in October a couple of times, but never over the holidays. I’d love to be there over the holidays, but have a little bit of claustrophobia with crowds and I’ve heard it is very crowded that time of year. But I’ve also heard the decorations are simply wonderful, so tell us about the decorations. And could you share the funniest moment from your trip (did you fly (re : Random Tidbit #21))?

NO!!! We didn’t fly. Whew! I almost had anxiety with just that question! (Okay, that’s exaggerating a little. But just a little.) My fear of flying is one of the biggest things I wish I could change about myself.

OMGosh! Crowded was not the word for it! It was ridiculous, definitely NOT for claustrophobics, but strangely enough it was more or less a minor inconvenience. Everyone was happy and the Disney workers made up for the few cranky people. The decorations were so amazing! There were lights everywhere (Obviously nighttime was prettier than during the day.), parades several times a day and, of course, Santa Claus! Words can’t describe it so I included a few pics. Hope that’s okay, Heidi. The girls are in their Christmas dresses – Olivia in the pink and Alison in the gold – and had just had their hair and makeup done at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. It was a dream come true! For me, too!

The best moment was probably watching the girls get their hair and makeup done. The ladies treated my girls like royalty. It was precious! I can’t think of a funniest moment. I mean it was all just happy. Really. But there was one scary moment. There was a parade going on that we didn’t know about and we walked right into a large crowd of people so we watched and waited. Finally it was over and we started moving but there was no room to move and my then 5-year-old, Olivia, walked right into the metal bowl of a drinking fountain! She actually cut the corner of her eye, but her eye was okay, and it healed up quickly. I just felt so bad for her! You can see it in the picture of them with my husband on the It’s A Small World ride.

That trip sounds like FUN!! Your website has a map of the fictional town Harvest Bay, who drew this map? Give us the story behind it, I simply love it!

Thank you, Heidi! I love it, too! Wanna know a secret? I have it blown up and hanging in my house. The series is based on the town, NOT on characters, so I was talking with my publisher one day and told her I thought it might be a nice touch to have a map created for this fictional town that could go in every book. She said for me to sketch out the way I see it, and she’d have the very talented Jim Brown, who created maps for her Revolutionary War series, see what he could do for mine. Oh my goodness! If you could only see what I gave him!! Little boxes with the names of time buildings here and there and straight lines for roads. It was terrible! The only other instruction was that I wanted this map to give my readers the same feeling Jan Karon’s readers got when they looked at a map of Mitford. When I got the first draft, I cried. I couldn’t believe how Jim breathed life into this town that’d been confined to my head. Every time I look at it I find something new I love about it! But my very favorite part of the map is that Jim created Frosty Jack’s, the ice cream shop, to look like a giant milkshake!

Random Tidbit #11 : I see that you are a terrible housekeeper, your words not mine, and I totally agree with you on the housecleaning and laundry and dishes (well, I added the dishes part). Seems like when you are done with a household task, it needs to be done again. It is so frustrating! So, here’s my fun question for you :: If you had a spare $150 per month and could spend that money on anything you want, would you employ a housekeeper? If not, what would you do with that extra money?

ABSOLUTELY!!! And I’m not ashamed to say it! Some people, my sister for one, actually enjoy cleaning. Here’s my thing: I LOVE a clean house! But I HATE to clean it! So why not clean two birds with one rag?! Haha! Although I still wouldn’t have a housekeeper do my laundry. The idea of having someone else handle mine and my husband’s unmentionables creeps me out.

Yup, I’d love a housekeeper too, maybe one day! Tell us about the second book in this series, The Heart’s Lullaby which releases in the Fall of 2011.

Actually the release date was bumped up! It’s scheduled to release in March of 2011! Must remember to go on my website and change that!!

The Heart’s Lullaby is a tender yet intense story about some really tough issues and how the Lord will see us through the toughest situations. Here’s my working synopsis:

After two years of trying unsuccessfully to have a baby, Elizabeth Truman’s world is turned upside down when she learns that her husband may already be a father.

Amy Beauregard arrives in Harvest Bay with her ten-year-old son and a lot more baggage. Having suffered more heartache in her thirty years than one woman should have to experience in her lifetime – from losing her beloved father as a preteen, to becoming the single parent of a special needs child, to facing the ravages of war – she’s convinced that God has long since abandoned her. While she slowly picks up the pieces of her shattered life, things start to fall into place that she couldn’t have predicted, including the feelings that start to develop for Owen Sullivan. Can one man possibly show her that she isn’t alone? When she finally learns the secret he’s hiding, she has no choice but to open her heart to him and give faith another shot.

Faith hasn’t seemed to have gotten Elizabeth anywhere. While her husband Elijah is busy spending time with the son he never knew he had, Elizabeth is more desperate than ever to have a baby of her own. Against the advice of her family physician and friend, she secretly seeks help from a fertility specialist, leaving Elijah in the dark. Within weeks, the treatment seems successful and she is carrying the answer to years of fervent prayers! However, her happiness is short-lived as she is rushed to the hospital with sever abdominal pain and miscarries shortly there after. With Elijah’s son and her dishonesty putting a strain on her marriage, she falls into a pit of deep despair, questioning not only her faith but the faithfulness of the Lord.

As Christmas approaches, a time of celebrating to most beautiful of all gifts, an unexpected visitor comes to their church and speaks on the sovereignty and faithfulness of the Lord, how even in the darkest times, He is guiding the steps of His children, though they may not realize it until the darkness has passed. Through his words and a strange twist of fate, Elizabeth and Amy are drawn together in a way neither could’ve imagined and heavenly healing begins to take place. But will their renewed faith be strong enough to withstand another devastating blow? Or will The Heart’s Lullaby be left unsung?

The Heart’s Lullaby sounds like another fabulous read 🙂 Thank you for stopping by to visit today Jen. Congratulations again on your debut novel, The Heart’s Journey Home! Check out the trailer for Jen’s novel on her website. And leave a comment on this site – Jen is giving away one copy of The Heart’s Journey Home!! Deadline is Saturday September 4th.

Thank you, again, Heidi! It’s been my pleasure!