Jenn Neal

Happy end of May, and I hope that with it comes a fair amount of curling up in the sun like a cat, and perhaps a dash of dirt between your toes. If I were to title this time of year for myself it would be something like The Jenn Who Stares at Dirt, or Dahlias: A Tale of a Girl who Crawls through her Garden Searching for Tiny Leaves Sticking Out of the Ground. Maybe I could even settle for Yikes, I’m Never Going to be Clean Again. I always feel a little silly crawling around in my garden bed, and I wonder what people would think if they could see me.

Aside from planting and finally getting that Vitamin D, I find that this is the time when my writing is off the chain. Like, I can’t stop. And all I want to do is sit on the back deck stairs with my laptop in my lap, making up imaginary worlds and torturing my characters.

I created a wordcount spreadsheet for myself, to keep track of my goals and that has helped my productivity immensely. And it’s so fun to feel like I’m being productive even if I’m not destroying myself every day to get this book done. In fact, if I keep to my writing goals, I should be done with my Bone Thieves WIP by the beginning of September. Which honestly feels crazy to even say. But finishing this first draft this year was one of my major writing goals, and I am excited to say I think I’m going to make it!

A Query or Two

Anyone who follows me on Instagram probably knows I have taken my querying to a different level. I’m 20 queries down with no bites. After all my research, I know this means editing/rewriting my query letter for the five thousandth time. It’s fine. It will be fine. I might be finally on to something, or I might be delusional and tear it to pieces in a few weeks. But as of right now I have three different query letters, and I have no idea how to choose one.

I’ve also taken a bit of a break. As much as I knew querying would be hard, I don’t think anything prepares you for the absolute rollercoaster it takes you on. It’s this strange poison of hope, fear, determination, disappointment, and this gut-wrenching imposter syndrome. I think the hardest part is that there is no ‘right way’ to query. You can follow all the instructions, the outline of everything a query should be, and never get a bite. All you want is someone to tell you you’re doing it right, but it’s so subjective. Every person gives different feedback and it is so frustrating. I think this is why so many authors equate querying to something like screaming into a void. Because it really feels like that.

Querying authors, I see you.

I am hopeful that my new query letters will get me some requests. Please keep your fingers crossed.

Happy Birthday to Fletcher!

It was my favorite punk rock mage’s birthday on the 22nd. Also shoutout to my #1 hype woman who shares his birthday, because she has been his fan from the beginning. She is the person I have been talking to about this book since his previous version in a previous book. Which is just wild. But she is still the person I call more than I should and ask the most ridiculous questions, who I bounce ideas off of. And I don’t think this book would be what it is without her. She knows who she is.

Here’s the thing about Fletcher. He doesn’t really do birthdays. The only part of his birthday he likes is that he gets closer to eighteen. If he had his way, he would spend his birthday at a show, or hiding in his dad’s hunting cabin listening to old eighties punk bands on an old CD player.

It probably doesn’t help that he can’t hang out with people because he’s terrified his magic will come burning out of him. It would reveal him for what he is, and he could seriously hurt someone. The last party he was at, he accidentally turned the water in a koi pond to champagne. Another time, he fell off a dock and into the ocean, and spent several hours telling unsavory jokes to a very unamused sea lion. But the worst is when his magic tries to right the balance between life and death, something he would never risk again.

Likes: Punk music (obviously), chocolate milkshakes (and he believes you’re an absolute heathen if you don’t), the colony of cats at work (shoutout to Wattie, Biafra, Sid, Jello, Fat Mike, etc), and occasionally drawing (though he is extremely bad, and it is mostly glorified stick figures at best).

Dislikes: His magic, people who judge to quickly, and anyone who tries to hurt his cats. And he has a major problem with authority figures, which…all these characters do.

Thank You For Being Here

That’s the major take away from this month. Thank you for being here. Taking my writing public was one of the most terrifying and rewarding decisions I have ever made. I carried this secret with me for years, with only a few friends and family members knowing what I was up to. I was afraid I’d be brushed off, or worse be a disappointment. I was afraid that people would somehow expect me to just snap my fingers and be a renowned author. And there has been some of that. But mostly I’ve gotten nothing but support, and a lot of people who are so excited to see where this goes. I feel like opening up about my writing has made me feel more like myself than ever before. And I just have to thank you for being here, because you were part of that.

Cheers,

Jenn

Books I’ve Read This Month…