MY INTERVIEW WITH JENNIFER SNYDER

 

 

What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?

Hey, there! I’m Jennifer Snyder. While I mainly write paranormal romance, I do have a few contemporary titles under my belt as well.

 

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?

 I’ve always been a reader and paranormal books have always been my jam. As a kid I devoured R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike books. As I grew older I turned to Anne Rice for entertainment. The list goes on. The whole paranormal/supernatural aspect fascinates me.

 

Can you tell me about your favorite series?

 Hmm… if we’re talking about my favorite series I’ve written I’d say Mirror Lake Wolves because I loved being in that little trailer park with Mina and the others. They were so real to me. And, she was a strong female. I think the strongest I’ve ever wrote. It was great being in her head.

If we’re talking about my favorite series that I’ve read i’d say the Twilight saga. I know, I know some people will be rolling their eyes at that mention, but it’s one of the few series I’ve read in my life where I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next book. I devoured them.

 

 

Do you have a favorite book out of this series?

From my series The Mirror Lake Wolves book four, Moon Burned is my favorite. Mina really comes into her own throughout the book. She shows how strong she truly is.

From the Twilight Saga, New Moon. I really had a thing for Jacob. Maybe it was because he was a wolf. I don’t know.

 

 

Where did you get the inspiration/idea for your series?

I have 40+ books under my belt at this point, and I still draw inspiration from all over the place. My Reaper Novellas came from a nightmare I had. I used the nightmare to describe Purgatory in that series. My Tethered trilogy came from a nightmare. There’s a chapter where the main character is running from something wicked and is forced to jump off a cliff in order to get away, but someone unexpected saves her in an unexpected way and it teather’s the two together. Gypsy Soul Summer, a young adult contemporary romance of mine comes from real life. It’s all about being a teenager and teen pregnancy. I was a teen mom. I had my (now 15 yr old son) when I was 18. Some of my story ideas come from lyrics to songs, or a certain character/scene in a TV show or movie.  Some come from stories friends and family tell me. Some come from my own life like I mentioned above. I never know what will inspire me. I just listen when it comes.

 

What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

I work Mon-Fri. Both my kids are in school, so I work then. I get to my computer around 8:30am. Sometimes I dive right into the writing. Sometimes I take care of business things first. I dictate my stories using the Google Docs app on my cell phone and pace the length of my office. For more info on my entire process, please visit my website: https://jennifersnyderbooks.com/production-tips/) For years I wrote from our dining room table or from a desk in the corner of our living room. When we bought this house almost 4 years ago I was ecstatic because it had space for an office. I’m so proud of my space. My daily writing goal is about 5k words a day. Since I dictate my stories, I can typically hit that goal in about 3 hours.

 

 

Is there a genre that you’ve been wanting to experiment with?

 One of these days I’d love to try a hand at writing a zombie book. I don’t know that I’ll ever do it, though. Also, a psychological thriller. I have one I wrote, but it needs loads of work. It’s just off. Something is missing. So, I don’t know it will ever see the light of day.

 

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Hmm… writing beginnings to any book and writing the ending to a series. Both stress me out because they’re so dang important. My novel Catalyst, which is the first book in my Tethered trilogy, I rewrote that first chapter seven times before it finally felt right to me. 

 

 

What’s the best thing about being an author?

The readers. Hands down. Mine are so dang loyal and supportive it amazes me!

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Still writing stories. Still engaging with my readers. Still loving life. Still turning my house into a jungle with all my houseplants… no matter what my husband says. 😉

 

Have you always liked to write?

I wasn’t much of a writer growing up, actually. I was a reader. I didn’t even know I could write a book until Seth from my debut novel, Shattered Soul popped into my head while I was folding laundry one day.

 

 

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

 Never stop improving your craft. Read. Read everything and anything, and pay attention to how those words make you feel. When a writer can string words together so beautifully that you feel something they’ve done their job. Figure out how to do that with your own style and words. I don’t know where this came from or who said it, but … don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.

 

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

 Something with herbs and herbal remedies. I’ve always been into all that witchy stuff and homeopathic ways. I imagine I’d have my own shop like Sally from Practical Magic.

 

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

 I do ready them. All of them. I don’t respond much to either, though. I use reviews as a gauge for where I need to improve things in my writing and for learning where my readers want me to go next. What they liked and what they didn’t like.

 

 

 

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

 It depends on the book, the character, and the scene. Some are harder to write than others.

 

What is your writing Kryptonite?

 Stress. If I’m stressed about something (doesn’t matter if it’s in my personal life or my work life) words don’t come easy. I have to get my headspace right first. Sometimes that can take a day or two, depending on what the issue is.

 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I aim for a good balance. I’ve been doing this long enough that I like to think I know what my readers like from me so I try to give them some of that while also adding new spins to things to keep it interesting for me. Sometimes I nail it, and others I don’t, but I haven’t put out a single story that I’m not proud of for one reason for another.

 

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

 It’s sad how long I thought about an answer for this question! Wow, it’s a tough one! I have no clue.

 

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

What’s your favorite houseplant?

Right now it’s the monstra plant (split leaf philodendron). It’s huge leaves with their beautiful green color make me smile.

 

 

Where can your fans find you and follow?

 I’m on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/authorjennifersnyder

Instagram (my personal fav) here: https://www.instagram.com/jennifersnyder04/

And Twitter here: http://twitter.com/jennsnyder04

Newsletter: https://jennifersnyderbooks.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/760553.Jennifer_Snyder

 

 

Thank you for taking your time to do this interview ❤️

Thanks so much for having me!