We chat with author J. Penner about Death Meets Cute, which follows Iris who is a wannabe villain in need of a bodyguard, so when the fierce Talon Gefroy literally drops dead just outside town, her open position is suddenly filled… and, unexpectedly, so is her heart.
Hi, J! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure. My real name is Jenetta and I’ve been writing and publishing books since 2016. I started writing on a whim and literally Googled “how to write a book” after I wrote the first chapter of my debut, Configured. I’m a cat lover and live in the San Diego, CA area.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
You can see part of that answer above, but I’ll expand a bit. I’ve always had creative careers. I studied music in college, ran a photography business for thirteen years and spent several years as a professional frugal living blogger. One day I decided I hadn’t read for pleasure in a long time so I picked up The Hunger Games. I enjoyed it so much that I continued reading forty more dystopian and sci-fi books until I got an idea of my own. With zero experience, I sat down and started writing (knowing that if I was going to finish the story it needed to be a trilogy). Over the next year, I taught myself how to write and publish. And the book was successful so here we are.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: A Wrinkle in Time
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Hunger Games
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Hunger Games
Your latest novel, Death Meets Cute, is out April 28th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Macbeth witches in a romcom.
What can readers expect?
A silly romp with the true meaning of the importance of family and finding your authentic self underneath.
Where did the inspiration for Death Meets Cute come from?
When I first came up with the concept I was really enjoying the My Lady Jane TV series (also a book). So I was inspired to write a book with a similar concept of alternative history, but make it cozy. Unfortunately, the series was not renewed after season one, but the idea for a book persisted. My story would be a trilogy with different main characters in each book so I needed to connect them somehow. And this led me to the idea of sisters and I went with alternative Shakespeare instead of history. The three weird sisters from Macbeth seemed like the perfect, wacky idea for my series.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
In all my books I don’t actually know much about my characters and their backstories until they unfold through writing them. I always enjoy getting to know them, finding out what they love and struggle with.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge is always writer’s block. But I’m determined to stay on schedule so I generally write my books entirely out of order. Because of this there are inconsistencies that I have to fix when I edit and it can be a bit like putting together a puzzle.
What’s next for you?
I plan to continue the Adenashire series with at least three more books.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I’m all for the fluffiest and sweetest of books! And I’ve been eyeing Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter.
