Author Jennifer Moffatt - The Writer Story
Meet Jennifer - Author of A Hard Sell, the first book in the Falling Hard series
I am incredibly happy to share this wonderful Writer Story interview with Author Jennifer Moffat and her book A Hard Sell
So, Jennifer, we would love to know about your writing and publishing journey so far? How you started and how it’s going?
I was a huge, huge reader as a kid—devoured book after book, anything I could get my hands on. I loved writing too, but never seriously considered it as a career. Then once I was out of high school, I stopped writing fiction…until the COVID shutdown.
It started with proofreading for a writer I met on Twitter. I’ve always loved proofreading, but as I was reading her work, I wondered if maybe I could write too. I opened my first Google Doc on May 29, 2020 and began my journey writing romantic short stories.
Then in April 2021, I wondered if I could write a whole book. I finished A Hard Sell in October 2021 and started the hunt for an agent. I was successful in signing with one in March 2022. In March 2023, Pride Publishing offered a contract for A Hard Sell as part of a series.
A Hard Sell released on March 26, 2024 and is book one of the Falling Hard trilogy! I have since written a second standalone book, Flirty Dancing, which secured a three book deal from St. Martin’s. I have also just finished writing book two in the Falling Hard series, A Hard Fit, which tells the story of the secondary couple from book one and it will be out on Nov 19, 2024, and there are lots more books to come after that!
That’s so exciting and inspiring at the same time. Tell us about A Hard Sell? When did you first get the idea and what connected you to this idea that made you think it could be a book?
I wanted to write something light and happy, an escape from the real world. Something to make people kick their feet and squeal with joy. I was really inspired by The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. It made me feel so warm and fuzzy, like I was actually falling in love again. Ultimately, I set out to write a cute, tropey, slow-burn tension-filled romance. If A Hard Sell makes you smile, I have succeeded!
Tell us a bit about your writing routine, if you have one?
I don’t really have one! I work full time and have two busy kids, so I write whenever I can find the time. I only ever write on my laptop though—usually at the dining room table, occasionally on the couch. I use almost all of my free time for writing, and I guard that time carefully. I don’t read, watch TV, or socialize nearly as much as I did before I started writing!
Do you plot? Or discover while writing?
Ha, the old “plotter versus pantser” debate. I mean, I write romance, so I know the ending! They kiss! They live happily ever after! I do outline a little, sometimes just with chapter headings and few notes when I get ideas for that section. I will occasionally jump ahead and write a scene out of order if it starts to fill up my head. But I definitely discover lots of fun little moments or settings along the way.
What advice do you have for other writers?
I have two main things that really helped me.
1) Just put words on the paper. I refer to this Shannon Hale quote all the time: “I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build sandcastles.” The first draft is the hardest part for me. I love revising and polishing. But I can’t do that until there are words on the paper. So I tell myself to just start shoveling sand!
2) Getting published is haaaaard. You’re going to get rejected hundreds of times along the way, even if you’re really good. It just comes with being a writer, because you also have to be so lucky. You have to write the right book for the right agent or right editor at the right time, and all of those things are mostly not going to line up. And all that rejection sucks. On days I got more than two rejections I bought myself a donut. And then I kept going. Just keep going.
That’s some great advice. Now a bit of fun question. No pressure. But what’s your favorite book that you’d recommend to anyone and everyone?
The Lost Kings by Tyrell Johnson. Okay, yes, he’s a friend of mine, and was a huge source of support for me as I struggled through my publishing journey. But his book is also a beautiful, beautiful page turner (and was on the New York Times’ list of the best crime books of the year). I couldn’t put it down and I think everyone should read it!
Awesome! Definitely adding to my TBR. Now finally, where do we find you? If you would like to plug your website, socials etc.
A Hard Sell is out March 26, and the ebook is available for preorder—paperbacks will be available on release day! http://mybook.to/ahardsell
My website is http://jmoffattwrites.com and you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky @jmoffattwrites, as well as on Facebook. Come follow me, because more news is coming soon!
A big thanks to Jennifer for spending the time with us for the writer story interview. Grab A HARD SELL now and support Jennifer’s writing adventures.
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~Toodle-oo~
