Meet Jennifer DeCuir

Today's guest on SlingWords is Jennifer DeCuir, a writer living in the Pacific Northwest. Jennifer stays busy wrangling two kids, two cats, a dog and her man-child aka her husband. She relies heavily on coffee and chocolate.

Find Jennifer DeCuir Online

Goodreads - http://bit.ly/1k35SPl
Pinterest - http://bit.ly/17yjxON
Twitter - http://bit.ly/160UYHt
Facebook - http://on.fb.me/HdgQXi
Website - http://bit.ly/1bbkFom

Jennifer DeCuir Tackles the Dirty Dozen

In which genre do you write and why that particular genre?

I write small town contemporaries. I started out wanting to write for Harlequin American and just wrote according to their guidelines – mostly because they had a shorter word count than most single titles and I was too scared to attempt anything longer. Now that I’ve written a few, the word count doesn’t scare me and the settings keep drawing me back.

What's your most recent book and what's it about?

My latest book is Wynter’s Journey (released April 14th). A childhood promise brings Wynter and Sam together again after tragedy ripped them apart over ten years earlier. Fate has given him a second chance to tell her how he feels. This time he's not going to run.

As an author, what can readers expect when they read one of your books?

Readers can expect a sweet, heartwarming story from me, with at least one love scene. I love including family, children and babies whenever I can. Family, to me, is not always defined by blood, so often secondary friend characters become invaluable to the story.

How did you "become" an author? For instance, was there a moment when you said: "I think I'll write a book."

I’m one of those people who has been writing in spiral notebooks since grade school. I still have a couple of them, but I think I’d be horribly embarrassed to read anything I’d written earlier than high school.

What's the best thing about being an author?

I am lucky enough to write from home and not miss anything about being a mom.

What's the worst thing about being an author?

I have to set my own hours and I find that I am terribly lazy and easily distracted.

Do you have editions of your books available other than ebook editions?

My first two books, Drawn to Jonah and Five of Hearts, are also available as print on demand editions. My publisher has sent off the batch with Wynter’s Journey, so that will be available in print form very soon.

Do you listen to audio books? If so, what device do you use?

The only audio book I own, currently, is The Hobbit. I turn it up on my phone, in the car on long rides (if I’m not having to use the GPS on my phone).

What device do you use to read ebooks?

My ereader is a Kindle Paperwhite. Amazon’s one-click is evilly dangerous. I’m a book-aholic!

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would it be?

Step outside your comfort zone. Sitting at your computer and writing your book is the easy part. Sharing it with an editor, a reviewer or reader? It’s terrifying but necessary. Put yourself out there and ask for what you want. It’s not just going to be handed to you. You have to work for it.

If you could tell readers one thing, what would it be?

Writers rely on reviews and word of mouth. It’s our bread and butter. If you read a book you really enjoyed, talk it up. Writing a review on Amazon or B&N is very easy and isn’t a huge time suck. Tell your best friend, your family and your dentist. Share the love.

What is your big dream (or goal) as a writer?

Can I go huge? My original big dream as a writer was to see my books on a shelf at Barnes & Noble. Reality set in and I got published by a small epress and my books will likely never see an actual chain bookstore. But that’s okay – I have a bigger idea now. Hallmark channel. I would LOVE to see one of my books made into a TV movie. That would be the ultimate dream come true. (Extra points if I get to help cast the roles.)

Buy Wynter's Journey

Crimson Romance

Amazon Kindle

Google Play

iTunes

Nook

Takeaway Truth

I love it when writers dream big. Readers, show some love to Jennifer and her book. Grab a copy today.

30 comments:

  1. Great interview Ladies! And dreaming big is the best part of dreaming. In fact, I have an chapter sister who did in fact sell her book to Hallmark which came out last Dec. Sorry, can think of her name right now. Best wishes!

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    1. Thanks, Teresa. Count me in for membership in the "want to see my book turned into a movie" club! Wouldn't that be amazing?

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  2. Small town contemporaries are my favorite reads! Your book sounds like a winner, Jennifer.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Becky. I love small towns! Most of my books are set in small towns because there's just a dynamic that lends itself to humor. *g*

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  3. Jennifer, I loved this interview--the questions were perfect to get answers that captivated me. I've decided we're twins (well, fraternal, 'cause maybe I'm a "few" minutes older). I love small town contemporary, family --and I would kill for a Hallmark movie from one of my books! Wishing you much continued success!

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    1. Hello, Leslie. Glad the questions & Jennifer's answers captivated you. Ah, you're another member in the "want a movie" club. *g* From all our lips to God's ears, right?

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  4. Teresa, huge congrats to your chapter sister. What a coup!
    Becky, I hope you give Wynter's Journey a try. :)
    Leslie, we really need to meet in person some day. :D

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  5. Sounds like a lovely book. I don't think we get Hallmark movies here in the UK though so I'll have to settle for reading it!

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    1. Hey, Stephanie. Thanks for visiting. You may not get Hallmark movies in the UK, but you have those wonderful productions based on Austen's books and some on Barbara Cartland's books just to mention a few.

      My daughter simply adored a UK movie the Ghost of Monte Carlo based on one of Cartland's novels.

      I guess my favorite Hallmark movie is A Season of Miracles starring Carla Gugino. It's a Christmas movie, but I think it has a UK edition on DVD.

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    2. Ah, Stephanie... I am addicted to North & South (okay, just to Richard Armitage, but still...) ;)

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  6. Wonderful interview, ladies!

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  7. Jennifer, thanks for visiting with us today. I hope you, and all the visitors who dropped in will come back and visit any time.

    Wednesday is always reserved for author interviews and Thursday is Author/Book Spotlight so if you're an author and want to appear here, email me!

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    1. I've had a fabulous time, Joan. Thank you so much for having me here today. It was fun to meet so many new people. :)

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  8. I love books set in small towns. Also, lots of good advice for new writers (and for the rest of us too), especially about getting outside your comfort zone. We need to challenge ourselves with every book.

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    1. I'm still working on it, Susan - every day. I feel so safe in my little writing cave, it's hard to step out into the real world. ;)

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    2. Hello, Susan! Thanks for dropping by. I think the audience for small town novels is greater than publishers think.

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  9. Great interview, Jennifer! I love your big dream of having one of your stories turned into a Hallmark movie. I'm one that believes that if you are going to dream, dream big and never settle! I wish you all the luck with Wynter’s Journey. I hope it sells off the shelves.

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  10. Loved the questions and your answers...great to get to know more about you. I agree with the promotion of fellow authors - spreading the love if you enjoyed their book. Can't wait for the movie of Wynter's Journey!

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    1. Thanks for joining us today, Joanna. From your lips to the bigwigs at Hallmark's ears... ;)

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    2. Good morning, Joanna. Glad you like my questions and Jennifer's answers.

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  11. Always great to learn about new writers. I enjoyed reading the interview.

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    1. Thanks so much, Jacqueline. It's so nice to meet you. :)

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    2. Hi, Jacqui. Thanks for dropping by. Have a great day.

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  12. Great interview. Always dream big, Jennifer!

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    1. Rachel, glad you dropped by. We all need to remember to dream big. Sometimes it's easy to let discouragement make us suppress our dreams or make them dwindle to little bitty things. Dream on!

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