I am a nosy person.
I know, I know, I know. This is not something to be proud of. And I am certainly not bragging about it, more stating it as a fact. I have always been a nosy--or, as I like to call it, curious--person. When something piques my interest, I have a hard time letting it go until I've learned everything I possibly can about the topic. It's a personality trait that both served my intellectual side well and drove my teachers nuts.
It was also a driving force between my desire to become a journalist. Reporters got paid to know all the tidbits, and they got to know them first, before everyone else. It sounded like the perfect profession! Growing up in Indiana, I idolized fellow Hoosier journalist Jane Pauley and grew up wanting to be just like her. I even went so far as to get my Master's in journalism at her alma mater, Indiana University, scoring a job at both the hometown paper and our local NPR station right after graduation.
The only problem? I hated it.
Being a journalist took a certain amount of callousness I simply did not possess. In addition, the job was fraught with politics and news stories that weighed heavily on both my heart and my soul. It only took about six months before I was burnt out and searching for another pathway forward.
Enter the world of Christian fiction.
In fiction, I found a place where I could fill the world with hope. Rather than spread doom and gloom, I could search the pages of history and shine a light on God's grace, present in even the direst of times. And, even though I'd left my journalist days behind me, I could still use the research and writing skills I had honed in way that didn't make me feel quite so icky.
So what is it, exactly, that I write? I'm so very glad you asked!
MY BOOKS
If It Rains
A story of resilience and redemption set against one of America’s defining moments―the Dust Bowl.
Amid the 1900 Galveston hurricane, one woman’s perseverance is tested in this captivating story from the author whose work has been called “intelligent and arresting” (Foreword Reviews) and “historical fiction as it is meant to be told” (Library Journal).
Releasing August 12, 2025!
Hi Jennifer, you described me in your introduction! I, too, am a very curious person and I get lost down rabbit holes while reading and researching all things historical. I can't help myself, lol. Your books sound fascinating. I'm not a fan of WW2 fiction, but I am a fan of the Dust Bowl and gangster eras. My great-grandmother lived during that time, and she told me many stories of what she lived through. So, if I win one of your books, thank you, I'd choose The Girl From the Papers.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting today and telling us more about yourself. All of your books sound interesting, and I love finding out about new authors so though it may seem like a copout, I truly would love to read any of your books.
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